Paalam... Cory Aquino

There's one "stupendous" (a more delicate way of saying stupid!) dude who said that he never did not like Cory Aquino because the forex rate from Philippine peso to US$ went up from 8 Php to 20 Php. It was hard explaining to a person like that the value of peso then was masked and faked so as to give the Filipinos a false sense of financial security during the Martial Law regime. Yes! I voted for Cory during the 1986 snap election. Of course Cory was not your typical-political-presidentiable. She was a housewife and a mother, a widow even, when a million Filipinos petitioned her to run against Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. She won by a landslide as the Filipinos watched over the polls to prevent the administration from cheating. EDSA I happened. Democracy, as we know it, was restored.

How do you pay tribute to a woman who has suffered a lot all for the sake and love of her country? There is thousand and one ways to do it. I opted to go to Intramuros last night to pay my respects to Madame Cory Aquino. I was drenched to the bones due to heavy rains in my quest to pay my final respects to Cory Aquino. Alas, the chaotic-uber long queues prevented me from viewing the remains of Pres. Cory Aquino. As Filipinos here and abroad watch the final rites and funeral procession of Pres. Aquino on television, let it be known and said: Paalam... Cory Aquino. Isa kang karangalan ng bansang Pilipinas.



desperateblogger caught in the rain under
her yellow umbrella

Philippine Independence Day: June 12 or July 4?

It's a long weekend here in the Philippines for June 12 is Philippine Independence Day. Independence Day used to be July 4, same as in the USA. For those in the dark, the Philippines was under American rule after Spain sold my native land to the tune of 20,000,000 Pesos to good ol' Uncle Sam. Of course, that piece of information was not taught in history classes in elementary and secondary school just like the information that Emilio Aguinaldo willingly left for Hong Kong before the turn of the century as an exile when Spain paid him 3,000,000 Pesos.

Anyway, Aguinaldo came back to the Philippines and declared June 12 ,1898 as Philippine's emancipation day from Spain. The declaration, however, was not recognized by the United States or Spain, and was not generally recognized by other nations. So! the Spanish government ceded the Philippines to the United States. The transition was pretty much hard as the Spanish speaking Filipinos had to learn a new language which was English. For more than forty years the Philippines was under various US governor generals. Their names are all over the streets of Manila: Taft, Harrison,Forbes, Wood, Gilmore, Murphy, Roosevelt and more.

After the Tydings-McDuffie act or what is known as the Philippine Independence Act was approved in 1934, the Philippines just had to wait for a 10-year transition period for the USA to grant its independence. Tough luck! Halfway through the transition period during the Commonwealth years, WW II happened. After the war, ready or not ready, the Philippines demanded that the agreement in the Tydings-McDuffie Act be honored. So on July 4, 1946, the United States of America granted and recognized Philippine Independence. In 1965, during Diosdado Macapagal's tenure as president of the Philippines, he changed July 4 to June 12 as Philippine Independence Day. What do you think Philippine Independence Day should be?

Pinoy Signs

Pinoy Humor is an Art by itself. You have to be Filipino to fully comprehend and experience the nuances of a Pinoy joke or its humor. Here I post some Pinoy signs. It is not my intention to laugh at the Pinoy, rather, laugh at the humor that is Pinoy in all its essence.

Gas Price Hike and More

I was flabbergasted! outraged! then finally defeated when I saw the 3 peso-gas-price-hike last Saturday. There seems to be no break from this gas-hike madness! There are those who say that the continuously rising gas price will lessen traffic in the metropolis because more people will opt to commute. Wrong-O! The volume of cars has not lessen. There appear to be more people in the malls - watching movies, shopping, eating out, working out, night-out with friends... name it... more people are doing it. Why? How can they afford it?

I have been feeling out of sorts for the past week (s). A niece-in-law died at the very young age of 27. She has orphaned a girl of 6. A cousin is about to be operated on prostate cancer. My family is in the throes of problems- great and small. I feel that there are those who wish us ill. Sometimes, I just don't know how to cope. Often, I feel like crying out of helplessness and wish fervently that there is indeed a happy pill that I can buy and take.

I was 15 minutes early fetching Ethan in school today. I got off my car and went to sit in the waiting area. There were a couple of mommies, late 20's, early 30's talking with each other. I can't help but listen.

Mom1: Oh I ordered converse rubber shoes for my girl. I got it got it for $28 international shipping included.

Mom2: Oh that's a bargain. Where did you order? (referring to website). I got 2 pairs for my little boy and the package has arrived all the way from US!

Mom1: Oh that' nice! I also ordered a V-tech camera for my girl as she is just dying to have her own camera. She is just into it, photography. (note: the girl and boy being referred to are probably 3-3.5 years old)

Mom2: My boy too! I already ordered his and the seller said I'd receive the parcel tomorrow. Exciting! I think I'll just do my Christmas shopping online.

Mom1: Isn't online shopping wonderful? I just want to buy everything! I have this almost limitless visa card that my husband.......

At this point Ethan came out. Right on cue too for I was about to tear-out my hair out of frustration due to the boastful and insipid conversation the two mommies were having. Oh well. After listening to that conversation, I felt normal again.

Photo Jokes

If you've been an internet savvy for quite sometime, I guess you're familiar with the Wordless Wednesday link that some bloggers join. Well, I am not a WW member but since I am quite wordless today, a Wednesday, let these pictures do the talking.

Museo Pambata

While my mom and I were fixing things at the US embassy last week, Ethan and the dentist thought of going to Museo Pambata. It is located at the edifice corner T.M. Kalaw and Roxas Blvd., right beside the US embassy. From Ethan's enthusiastic story, I gathered that he had a blast at the museum. Established in 1994, Museo Pambata is an interactive museum where children can use their total senses and learn various concepts at their own pace. It establishes the concept that learning should excite the minds of the young, inspires them to learn more, and make fun and exciting! See some of the photos....

There were interactive nooks for science and other technology but Ethan preferred the make-believe stores. He loved them! Sad to say the museum has very small patronage. That day, Ethan and the dentist were the only ones touring the museum. More parents and therefore more children prefer to go to malls rather than to museums and other educational facilities.

The American Dream

Today is the day that I promised to accompany my mother. Ethan did not go to school for the allocated driver (me) was not available. I had to take my mother to the US embassy to make adjustments on her SSS. With us was my cousin (the one who underwent breast surgery) to ask SSA if her Medicare could follow her here in the Philippines. Ethan and daughter # 3 also tagged along.

What hit me as we went inside the embassy was the seemingly empty chairs in the non-immigrant visa section. Where is the throng of applicants? How come there are no super-duper snaking lines outside? Ah. Yes. Non-immigrant visa applications are by appointment now. My company and I proceeded deep into the complex to the SSS department. We got number 1048. The number currently in process was 1033. Not bad. It was 10:45 am and I was worried that we might not make it before the lunch break. Right along side the SSS is the Veterans Section. I can't believe that there are actual WW II veterans still around. I saw about 4 old US-Filipino veterans. Two were in wheelchairs and seem oblivious to the world and the other 2 were ambulatory but still seem oblivious to the world. There were a couple of Caucasians applying for a change of addresses for their SSS for they are now living in the Philippines with their new wives.

What really caught my attention was an old widow (80 yrs old maybe) imploring the officer in the VA window to give her husband (dead already) the veteran's benefits - of course with her as the beneficiary. As I listened intently to her ramblings - and the answer of the officer- I learned that indeed her husband does not deserve a veteran's benefit for the dead-husband-who once fought along side US GI's also deserted the army before WW II was over. The old lady's last statement made me want to laugh. She said: Bakit yong mga namatay lang ang may benepisyo? Pano naman yong mga lumaban sandali pero natauhan sa bandang huli kaya umalis? ( Why are the dead the only ones with benefits? What about those who fought at first but thought it better to desert the army later?)

It was 12:15 pm when our number was called. Staggered lunch break for the embassy's employees is being practiced now. I told my mother to leave the talking and explaining to the SSS officer to me. Our business was done in less than 2 minutes. My cousin asked her question regarding Medicare benefits. Sad to say, she has to be back in US soil for her to enjoy the benefits.

Having taken a look at the immigrant visa section on our way out, I realized that the American Dream is still around if not stronger. Many Filipinos still consider living and working in America the ultimate goal of their lives. Who can blame them? Living and working in America is hard but the pay is worth the pain. In America, having a steady job means you can basically buy everything that you need and more. In America, you pay taxes and the larger beneficiary is the public. In America, you can live your dream.

When my parents and brother migrated to the US, I chose to stay in the Philippines. My reasons for staying are not important. Recently I asked my doctor and dentist daughters if they wanted to pursue further studies in the US. They asked if I could afford it. I said no. They have to look for residencies. They said why not? , then did nothing. I then asked my teacher daughter if she has plans of teaching abroad. She said why not?, then did nothing further.

My three daughters are pliable to furthering their studies abroad and maybe work a bit there too but their ultimate goal is to serve the Filipino people. Doctor said, if every doctor and nurse chose to work abroad, who will be left here to tend to the Filipinos? Teacher said that if every qualified teachers teach abroad, who will teach the Filipino children?

Indeed. Indeed.

Of Balot and Yuck Factor

I admit that the fastfoods from Beijing are a little bit too much for me. I am not very adventurous when it comes to food. One should also consider the country of origin on gauging certain food tolerance or affinity. What maybe yucky for me (a Filipina) might not be yucky to citizens of other nations. Eating exotic food takes a courageous spirit and a high tolerance to the yuck! factor. I don't even eat balot. I used to but when I was old enough to know exactly what balot is, I stopped eating it. What is balot? Well, balot is a Filipino delicacy of nine-day-old fertilized duck egg that is cooked like hard-boiled egg.









A large percentage of Filipinos eat balut. In my household, my hubby is the only one who eats the whole thing: embryo et al! Okay, some non-Pinoys might find that eating balot is a task right-off Fear Factor! To take your mind off the lowly Pinoy balot, take a look at another fastfood from Beijing. Don't blame me. I too was just browsing.








balut picture

Traffic Turbulance

Rant Rant! Rant! The traffic here in Metro Manila is just unbelievable! The price of gas continues to go up and it is every motorist's wish to save on its usage. But.How.Can.We if traffic within the metropolis is a nightmare?

I have long ago dissected the cause of heavy traffic in Metro Manila. One: the traffic enforcers (the local traffic enforcers of each municipality/city) are just plain incompetent and unqualified. Did these enforcers go to traffic schools or seminars?: or were they just tapped on their shoulders and unceremoniously ordained traffic aids by the Barangay captain? This afternoon, the traffic aid in my third-world-municipality's major intersection, once again signaled opposing lanes to GO simultaneously! Again, turmoil happened and a lot of curses were directed to the traffic aid. I have read that the average educational attainment of these traffic aids is grade three.

Second: undisciplined drivers of both private and public vehicles. It is a nightmare to drive along main thoroughfares as zig-zagging in the road is a favorite activity of the majority of Filipino drivers. Never mind the sometimes non-existent traffic lines on the road. A Filipino driver just have to change lane every minute, come hell or high water. Slow drivers hug the fast lane. Fast drivers overtake slow ones at the right side. Motorcycles cut through cars and buses. Public transports load and unload anywhere, anytime, any day. It is sheer miracle not to meet a road accident.

Third: undisciplined pedestrians. Metro Manila municipalities took a big dip on their budget in constructing overpasses and underpasses for pedestrians. Most of these constructions even have escalators and elevators for the pedestrians' ease. But do majority use the structures? No! They chooses to flirt and play with death against passing cars.

It took me 2 hours and 45 minutes to get to my destination. The sun was cruelly hot so the car air conditioner was in full blast. The heavy traffic and the seemingly hot temperature made my car consume more gasoline than usual. Add to that the thirst that i just have to quench with a large light coke (with an order of nuggets on the side), I spent 870.00 Php to drive my son to varsity practice.

Rant!

Gas at $1.20 per Gallon

Ten years ago, the price of premium gasoline was at 10.00 Php per liter. If I fill up my tank 100.00 Php worth of gas, that was10 liters. That was more than enough for me to consume in two days. Long drives then were not a problem. I was more than willing to take my children, my mother, my mother-in-law, my friends, my friends' kids, just about anywhere, snacks included! Gas was cheap! McDonald's, cheap! Tuition fees, cheap! Food and basic commodities cheap!..well... affordable by majority of the working force.

Not now! Gosh! Gas is Gold! Diesel used to cost 7.00 Php per liter. Today, it's 40.15Php. Why? Why does the gas price keeps 0n increasing? A neighbor of mine recently came home from the Middle East. He works in one of the leading company of oil producers in that region. He said, he too is baffled as to why gas price keeps on hiking whereas oil producers have not upped their prices. He said gas is 30 cents per liter in the Middle East: that's $1.20 per gallon: that's 12.00 Php per liter, 34.00 Php less than what we pay per liter here.

I received an e-mail from a high school classmate. As I read the e-mail, a scheme on how to lower gas price, the more I became convinced that the idea might actually work.

The e-mail basically suggests that we, the gas consumers, stop buying (boycott?) gas from the two leading gas companies here in the Philippines for a year; starting now. There is rumor that the gas price will hit an all-time high at 60.00 Php per liter. When that happens, no one ( except the super rich, executives and employees of the oil companies and gov't officials) can afford to live.

I would have posted the e-mail here but my lawyer (huh?) said I might get in trouble! Anyway one is supposed to forward the letter to 10 people then those 1o people to another 10... much like a pyramid scheme. The idea is that after 8 days of receving and forwarding e-mails, the target number of 300,000 people will be reached. I just hope the 300,000 e-mailers will do as they are told. As of three hours ago, I have spammed about a hundred people. Not! More like fifty friends and relatives. I can actually submit the e-mail to safelists to reach thousands of people but then again, my lawyer (duh?) said no.

I have a favorite local gas station near my house. It sells gasoline at 2.00 Php less than the current price in other gas stations. This only proves that if the two major oil companies choose to lower their freaking profit, a price roll back can happen.

Forum Fret

When I started blogging in February 2008, I was a complete greenhorn. I do not know anything about the hows and whats of blogging. To remedy my ignorance, I read articles regarding blogging. I read on topics such as how to drive traffic to your blog, how to have backlinks, how to maximize SEO, and the ever important PR.

I read that a good way to establish contacts and maybe drive traffic to your site is by joining forums. I joined maybe 5 forums. I blogged about the forum that I found funniest and lightest. The members were okay. The topics were light because I was only frequenting the random thoughts section. I usually leave my URL at each post and well, forum members did visit my blog.

I met one blogger through that forum. He is young, intelligent and passionate about the political air in the Philippines. Decent as he is, he still had some detractors in that forum. One avid detractor kept on challenging my blogger friend to a debate. Of course that did not happen as my blogger friend said, it's a waste of neurons to talk to this guy.

My friend had stopped posting in that forum. I might stop too. The forum ceased to be a place of friendly and intelligent discussion and debate. It has become a veritable online marketplace of viciousness. I have said my piece and that's it. No more neurons wastefully used. Now I think, what the heck was I thinking wasting nerve cells?

Do Your Job, Well

After dropping off my son at his school, Ethan and I proceeded to fetch the dentist. En route, we went to McDo drive through.

Yes ma'm good afternoon. Your order please.

My order: one large fries, one large light coke and one chicken fillet meal.
No response from the speaker.

Ahh...hello? Can anybody hear me?

Yes ma'm. Your order please.

One large fries, one large light coke and one chicken fillet meal.

Ahh, ma'm your order is one large fries? What else ma'm.

Again. One large fries, one large light coke and one chicken fillet meal.This time my voice a little bit louder than normal.

Umm... ma'm can you repeat it?

Oh my gosh! Can't you understand or hear what I'm saying?

Ma'm ....I can hear you but....

One large fries, one large light coke and one chicken fillet: this time said with much emphasis on each syllable with a pitch over normal and a volume that can be heard about 10 meters away.

I do not want to be a beaaaaatch but.... oh well....

Hoo-Ha 2

I left.

To continue, the cashier department called the room to harass us to pay the additional 5,000 Php.Daughter # 3 answered the call and she basically said the same thing. Send someone up if you want to get paid.

As there was no "someone" to send up for the additional down payment ( why didn't they ask for a 10,000 php initial deposit in the first place), the cashier asked the station nurse to do the errand. In the time span that the nurse was moonlighting in the accounts department, woe to those patients who could have called for nursing assistance.

I never got the chance to see the event conclude. I have decided to leave when I found out that the patient was being charged for the towels and comforter that were issued to her.

Hospital Hoo-ha!

Last night daughter # 3, son and grandson and I went to the hospital to visit a cousin about to undergo surgery. We brought food and naturally were also the ones who ate the food we brought. My cousin asked me to take care of the billing and whatever added initial payments that needs to be done.

I went down to the billing department. The man checked the account and found out that my cousin had just checked in and made a 5,000 Php deposit through credit card. The man said we need to make another 5,000 deposit for tomorrow's procedure. Whadda? It's not even 2 hours since the first deposit. Ok. Fine. I said send someone up for the necessary credit card slips to sign. The man said, I should go to the cashier for that. So off I went to the cashier and repeated the whole event that has transpired.

The cashier then said that I should let the patient come down for the credit card transaction. Whadda? I said my cousin was currently undergoing pre-op procedures. Umm... said the cashier. Then you better get her ID and credit card then come down here for the credit card form, go up again and have the form signed by the patient then come back down here again so I can log in your payment and issue out a receipt.

Ahh.... I said. Don't you have someone in the cashier's department to do all that you're asking me to do. Ma'm we're busy and we just can't spare anyone to do that said the outraged cashier. Ohhh... I said. Well miss, I'm busy too. I don't want to go up and down the stairs or the elevator just so I can make an additional down payment to your department in particular and to the hospital in general.

I left.

Graduation ?

It's graduation time in the Philippines. It is a crazy fad here to have graduation rites for students in almost any level. My niece-in-law said that her daughter is at the graduation rite practice. I did a double take since her daughter is 4 years old. The school near our house has a been practicing its prep students ( ages 5.5-6.5 ) their graduation march complete with togas and the changing of the tassle's position. My best friend Eva was not in her house when I dropped by the other day because she attended her granddaugther's kindergarten graduation. Crazy!

According to best friend dictionary graduation is a conferral or receipt of an academic degree or diploma marking completion of studies. Thus, you graduate with an undergraduate, graduate or doctoral degree. Graduation is also defined as a mark indicating the boundary of such an interval. Thus, we can rationalize our grade 6 or 7 and high school graduation rites: but nursery, kinder and prep? Come on! A recognition program for preschool kids maybe more in order.

picture courtesy of : printables

Gucci Gang Who?

Have you heard about this Australian guy who put up a blog to lambast a Filipino group of friends nicknamed Gucci Gang?

The Gucci Gang comprise of some of Manila's high profilers like Tim Yap, Celine Lopez, and DJ Montano. The story, according to the Australian, was in essence a sting costing $70,000. I'm not really sure if the $ is US or Australian. Anyway, the Australian's boyfriend is DJ. DJ alledgely scammed Brian (the Australian) into giving him (DJ) money as capital for a restaurant joint venture with Celine Lopez. The ventrue never materialized and the $70,000 is gone. Brian wants his money back and he is currently spilling the beans on the people who alledgely scammed him.

Brian has a blog to facilitate his screams of foul. He spills juicy tidbits like so-and-so is a cocaine addict, that this eventologist is gay, that this journalist uses a ghost writer, that this Philippine newspaper is trash, and so many other stuff including negatory comments on the gang members' mothers. The writing style of the blog is akin to whining and accusation.

What struck me most were the hundreds of comments from Filipinos who are rooting for Brian. These Filipinos do their own share of fault-finding and stone-throwing at the Gucci Gang. It is as if the Gucci Gang represents everything that is evil in Philippine society: rich-famous-beautiful-idiots and addicts.

I think and ponder. Why am I troubled by this? I do not condone drugs or dishonesty. However, there are always two sides to a story. We have not heard or read about the side of the accused party. How will my life or the society I move in be affected if indeed the gang members are gay, addicts, illiterate divas, or scammers? Can't the Australian Brian file a civil or criminal case against the one who scammed him? The controversial blog has an average hit of 60,000 a day. That is a lot of clicks from Adsense.

More than century after Spanish rule, the Filipinos have not moved farther from irresponsible rumor-mongering and from the old reliable Pinoy trait of crab mentality.

Are You Drugs?

Fruit-flavored Hookah

That was the idiom I read as I was about to click the submission button to a forum post I have commented on. I refreshed and kept on refreshing the page so that I could read more of the inane phrases: Gosh, I’m speakless!; Alindog (me), dehins goli [not taking a bath], dahan-dahan lang sa pindot [caution in pushing], isusumbong kita sa nanay ko [I’ll tell on you to my mother]; I don’t care a damn!; Gloria, you’re so kaka [no idea what that means, but it sounds funny]. Of course the Pinoy humor is lost in the English translation; and of course, most Pinoys don’t really speak or write incorrect English syntax.

Are you familiar with Filipino Forums? Well, this kind forum is actually a group of people (with nothing better to do?), posting and commenting on different subjects, topics, and what-have-you under the sun. It is sort of a modern-day-cyber-round-table-discussion group. Some of the main categories are love and intimacy, arts and entertainment, politics, religion, fitness and health, jokes and humor, family, parenting, women, jobs, school stuff, poetry… name it, the forum probably has it.Members post questions, statements, news, thoughts, and ideals in the category that they choose.

My favorite is the Random Thoughts category. I, personally, would like to rename the category to Nonsensical Posts. The posts are funny, absurd and definitely senseless. Here is a sample post: Please help: What is the difference between loving patiently and patient loving? Oh, there were lots of comments on that one. The “help” comments were hilarious and well-meaning but no one actually gave a correct answer. What about the posted question: When was the last time you cried? This post was a hit!! One member said she cried 3 months ago while on a retreat: another said he cried when his girlfriend left him for another guy last December: still another one said she is crying right now reading all the corny post. Oh well, the forum is just living up to its motto: tambayan ng mga walang magawa sa buhay. (Roughly: where the ne’er do well meets)

I figured I should edit my profile for me to better establish myself in forums. I click edit profile. A drop down menu unfolded: job choices: chillen, billionaire, pimp, vampire, porn star, smurf, smurfette, retired, student…dating status: confused, dumped, do me now!, player, open to suggestions… body type: slim, athletic, more to hug, a little extra… sexual orientation: bi, straight, not sure, gay, no answer… Sigh! This is harder that I thought. I’ll update next time..ummm, maybe never.

What about you? Go ahead. Join a Filipino Forum. I dare you.

Pinoy Games 101

courtesy of : http://tricolin.com/

Last weekend, my son told me that he needs a turumpo (top) for his PE class.

What kind of PE is that?
Oh, it's Filipino games.
Filipino games as in patintero,luksong-tinik,and the likes? (Filipino-childhood-street-games)
Yep!
What will you do with the turumpo?
Duh?! Of course I have to spin it.
But you don't know how.
Yep! Teach me.

Off we went to the palengke (public market) and bought 3 wooden tops, strings included. After getting three softdrink (soda pop) crown caps, then putting a hole in the middle of each crown with a 3"CW nail as the wedge, then threading the string through the cap, and finally doing the mandatory knots, we were ready for the turumpo lesson.

Dang! I can't make the top spin! Oh, the nail bit is off-center. (Poor quality. What do you expect? The turumpo is cheap at 20 Pesos, about $0.50 each). I got the other turumpo and walla! it spins... beautifully

As my grandson watched, my son practiced on his turumpo. After 15 minutes, he was able to do it. Next, I taught him how to catch and retrieve a spinning top off the ground. Okay. Done. Now, color the turumpo with different colored crayons. Why? To make it look colorful while it spins. Nice!

I just wonder: What made my son's school offer Filipino games as PE? Does it mean that fewer and fewer Pinoy kids are aware of the know-of and the know-how of Pinoy games? What happerned? My generation were the queens and kings of street games. We played patintero, taguan, luksong-tinik, biola, estatwa, and piko after school. The games went on for hours. As we did not have watches nor mobile phones back then, we knew it was time for dinner if one of our mothers calls out: Ano ba?! Uwi na. Kakain na. (Hey! Come home. It's time to eat.)

I was not the top queen of our street games. The queen of queens was either Solit or Pepot. They are sisters and they were so good I used to wish that I was their sister too so that I may have their super genes in playing street games.

My generation got their good share of excersise by playing physical games.

Nowadays, kids prefer to stay glued to their computers playing online games or mesmerized by their X-boxes, PS(3, is it?), Gameboy, etc. No physical activity at all!: unless they are enrolled in worthy-weekend-programs-like soccer-taekwondo-ballet-hiphopdance-basketball- and the likes. Some kids are missing a lot by not knowing and playing Pinoy games.

Great! I think I'll get 1.00 for my top spinning test.
You'll actually have a test for that?
Yep! Don't you know that this PE class is an in-demand class? The school offers about 5 classes of Filipino Games every semester and it's always filled to capacity.
You mean there are actually university-age kids interested in Pinoy street games?
Yep! It's a common sight to see students taking this subject to leave their class with torn shirts, torn knees and torn pride. Hahaha. They love the games!

Ummm... it's never too late to learn, I suppose.

Filipinos Are All Related

I think it is only the Filipinos and the Chinese who use terms of endearment to address their older brothers and sisters. From the Chinese, the Pinoys got Kuya (koo-yuh) and Ate (ah-te) to call the eldest brother and sister, respectively. Diko and Ditse are used for second eldest male and female siblings, while Sangko and Sanse are for the third eldest brother and sister.

Let us not bother with the other terms but just concentrate on Kuya and Ate. Nowadays, Kuya and Ate are loosely used to address any older male and female regardless if he or she is a relation or not. My son calls the tricycle drivers, street vendors, security guards, school custodians and all older males as Kuya. My other four daughters do too. They call the canteen servers, cook, photocopy girls, and every other older female as Ate. When my kids were very young, there was a slight confusion on the household hierarchy for they call all our household helps as Ate while the house helpers addressed me as Ate too.

I really cannot recall when this practice of calling everyone kuya and ate evolved. When I was a kid back in the 60's, I called all unrelated older males and females as Ka as in Ka Juan and Ka Fely. Thus our laundrywoman was Ka Teresa and our neighbor with the gumamela bushes was Ka Choleng. Older brothers and sisters and cousins were entitled to be called kuya and ate. I was taught not to bother with diko, ditse and the likes. Too tedious.

The term Ka is synonymous with Mang for older males and Aling for older females. I called my parents' contemporaries as Ka or Kang (if there is some semblance of blood relations). I have one brother, yet my kids have titas (aunts) and titos (uncles) galore. No. I am not remotely related to this growing number of new relations. These relatives are family friends, their classmates' parents, their friends' parents, their friends' friends' parents, some of our neighbors, and what-have-you.

As their circle of kuyas, ates, titos and titas keep growing, so is mine. Every so often, I acquire a new niece or nephew. I am even an honorary "mommy" to some. I do not mind. Really. It seems like all Pinoys are related.

The use of Aling and Mang has evolved too. The youtube generation calls the elderly mommy and daddy or mama and papa or nanay and tatay.

I am now a grandma and by tradition my grandson should call me lola (grandmother). Ethan calls me "mom". I refuse to be a lola for the term epitomizes a sweet-gray-haired-elderly lady-knitting-while-sitting-on a rocking chair which I am totally is not. (I do knit, but not the rest of the description).

The other day, a street vendor passed by my house and asked me 'Nay, gusto ba nyo ng walis? (Mother, would you like to buy a broom?) Yep! That 40 something older male called me mother! I was so offended I replied Huwag mo 'ko tawagin ng nanay, hindi kita anak! (Do not call me mother. You are not my son!)

.....Which brings to an end the idea that all Pinoys are related.