Weird Names

It just struck me now that while we Filipinos have Latinized or Americanized names, we still manage to bring out the Pinoys in all of us by adopting unique nicknames.

For instance, every town has several Juniors. Felipe de Leon Jr, Andew Michael dela Paz Jr. It is not uncommon to have half the boys in the class nicknamed "Jun." To make their nicknames unique, Pinoys would turn the ubiquitous "Jun" into "Jhun."

The extra H doesn't affect phonetics. It just makes the common "Jun" into something quite unique, to an extent. This practice of putting the silent H into other names caught on. Jenny would become Jhenny. Mike would be Mhike. Jay would be Jhay.

Filipino parents have a knack for giving long names to their children. For instance, Richard Guillermo Salvador Gabriel de la Cruz. Richard is after the actor that his mother made "lihi." Guillermo is his dad's best friend who passed away fighting insurgents. Salvador is his grandfather's name and Carlos is taken from his mum's book of saints. To make matters simple, the boy is just named Don.

But Don's parents also have an affinity for making monosyllabic nicknames, uh, different. His parents would turn Don into Dondon. Ton would be Tonton. Dot is Dotdot. Jo would be Jojo. To make it more unique, they would make Jojo into Joji. Tam into Timtam. Dong into Dingdong.

I can't wait to name my soon to be children Margarita Annika Esperanza Megan or David Logan Xavier hehe.

Post-Noche Buena Blues

For Filipinos, Christmas would not be the same without the Noche Buena meal (Spanish term that literally means, "Good Night"). For Pinoys, this is THE meal that families would partake on the stroke of midnight --or around that time-- after the last Misa de Gallo (Spanish term that literally means "Mass of the Rooster"). See my previous post.

For Pinoys, a family would mean everyone that's remotely related to you. For example, your cousin Dingdong would be there. He's related to you because his maternal great-grandmother and your paternal great-grandfather were siblings. That sort of thing.

For kids, it would be a great excuse to attend the Misa de Gallo AND the Noche Buena because you can already open your gifts (yahoo!). Otherwise, if you happened to sleep through midnight on 25 December, you'd be the last one to open your gifts on Christmas morning (boohoo).

For adults, Noche Buena means license to forego your Atkins/South Beach/hi-cal/lo-cal diet for a day or so.

Attending Noche Buena also gives you license to sleep through most of 25 December. Hehe. Which is what I did. Ahh... I love Christmas in the Philippines.

Esperanto

We were watching the Pope's Christmas message on TV. He gave his Christmas greetings in 62 languages, even in Arabic, Hindi and Bahasa. Then I heard Esperanto. Huh?!

Turns out, Esperanto is an artificial language. Click here to view entry at wikipedia.org.

Greetings Earthlings!

Bugnaw kaayo ang hangin gikan sa Siberia. Mingaw man ko sa mga Bisaya nga kanta sa Pasko. The chilly winds from Siberia have come. I miss the old Cebuano carols children would sing.


Merry Christmas! Happy New Year..
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Ok, I'm posting the English translation of the old Cebuano Christmas carol in deference to Deepak's request :)

Kasadya ’ning taknaa How joyful this season
Dapit sa Kahimayaan Closest to heaven
Maoy among nakita To behold
Ang tagbalay nga masanagon A family so happy
Bulahan ug bulahan Blessed are they
Ang tagbalay nga giawitan To whom we sing
Awit nga halandumon Carols that hark
Sa tanang Pasko magmalipayon. A Merry Christmas.

The song is entitled Kasadya Ning Taknaa, a Cebuano Christmas carol by Vicente Rubi (composer) and Mariano Vestil (lyricist).

I am not a linguist. This is my (weak) attempt at roughly translating a carol that is close to the hearts of many Cebuano speaking people and that evokes deep memories of Christmases past. I hope the essence of the beloved carol is still there.

This song is very controversial after this was roughly translated (some would even say "hijacked" by) into Tagalog. For more info, click this link.

The following links are also helpful.

• www.inq7.net A Bittersweet Christmas
• www.manilatimes.net The Stolen Christmas Carol

Sassy's Roast Chicken

My to-do list for the day includes making Sassy's roast chicken. Hope I don't chicken out and buy from Kenny's heehee.

For the complete recipe direct from Sassy, click here.

Food and the Pinoy

My friends say that foreigners always comment that we Pinoys love to eat. When we are happy, sad, triumphant, depressed, we eat.

It's a good thing my mum loves to cook. I wonder why we didn't get her knack for cooking. I think there was truth to the rumor that we may have been switched at the hospital.

But I think I am NOT a hopeless case in the kitchen. I can hold my own. But one thing is sure: I don't like cleaning up.

For Pinoy recipes, check out Sassy at her blog. She shares her recipes for the kitchen-impaired. Deeelicious! :)

Cebuano History

Things that come to my mind when you say Cebuano + history:

• Resil B. Mojares -- Cebuano literature, history (read about his book, The War against the Americans: Cebu, published by the Ateneo de Manila University Press.)
• my history teacher, Fr. Joey Cruz who would say "longon" (casket) and it wouldn't come off as morbid. He would always tell Bisdaks in his class to be proud of our rich Cebuano pre-colonial history. Can we make him honorary Bisdak? :)
• another history teacher, the late Fr. Joe Arcilla who said, "Sergio Osmena Sr. was a great president, pity that he had no political machinery to back him up." It is one of my dreams to contribute to wikipedia.org under the entry Sergio Osmena, which by the way, has been called a stub pero wala pa man koy panahon oi. I'll put that down on my to-do list for 2005.

Panaghoy sa Suba

I have this really great idea. I am going to watch Panaghoy sa Suba (Cesar Montano, Juliana Palermo, Caridad Sanchez) on the multiplex. Since it's an entry to the Metro Manila Film Festival 2004, I shall be doing my fair share of promoting local cinema. Also, I get to ogle at Cesar AND Juliana heehee.

Ooh and did I mention that the language used in the film is Cebuano with English subtitles for the non-Cebuano speaking audience?

This is quite a risky project for Mr. Montano. And he should be lauded for this. Do I hear, best director? Best actor? Hey, this guy is a mean one-man-entertainment-machine.

Call Centers

Call centers are everywhere. They say call centers REALLY pay well.

Don't know if I can hack it there though. I mean, my accent isn't quite American. It's actually Cebuano/Swedish with a bit of a Scottish brogue that you can cut with a cleaver :)

Butse Kik -- Tribute to Kikikpukuk

Let me share with you one of my picker-upper songs:

Butse Kik (by Yoyoy Villame)

Pong chuiwala (pong chuiwala)
Chi chi ri kong koila
Butse kik (butse kik) ek-ek-ek (ek-ek-ek)
Bo bochichang (bo-bochichang)
Chi chiri kong tong nang
Butse kik (butse kik) ek-ek-ek (ek-ek-ek)

Chiri wong tong choi, toro kong tong loy
Chidang bo bochichang chiri kong nong nang
Chiring cho ro yak kang kong o-ohup butse kik ek-ek-ek

Choro ro pong pong yok
Choro ro pong pang plu
Chidang bo bochichang chidi kong kong plok
Di bai botchok, chidi di plok
Chidi dokok wok, chodo dokok ngok ngok

The Unemployed

Once more, I shall join the ranks of the unemployed. I have to unearth my skirts and makeup kit once more for those interviews. Darn! Don't like to prettify meself much.

Pag naghahanap ako ng trabaho, parang nasa meat market ako. Kelangan mo kasi magpa-cute sa mga prospective employers mo para ma-hire ka.

When you've become a regular employee, that's the time to let yourself go :)

Da Dogg

Yup, we have a walking flea magnet in the house. Actually, she is the lady of the house. She owns us and she knows it. Her name is Evita. When we call out "EVITAH!" she knows she did something that made the humans in the house cross. Dogspeak translation, "Get your fat ass HERE NOW." Hehe.


"Aren't I cute?"
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If we call her "Bingbingggggg," she really takes her sweet time getting her fat bum off her favorite couch. Dogspeak translation, "Come over here you cutie pooh, mummy's gonna huggie huggie you and kishy kishy you." To which she probably reacts with, "Arrrgghhh, not again..."

Evita or Bingbing
Posted by Hello

Simbang Gabi, Misa de Gallo

It's 16 December. For Filipinos, this is the start of the 9-day Simbang Gabi (Tagalog term that literally means "Night Mass" ) or Misa de Gallo (Spanish term for "Mass of the Rooster"). The Tagalog term is actually a misnomer because Simbang Gabi is held at dawn, usually at a convenient time of 3am.

The Misa de Gallo tradition was actually decreed by Pope Sixtus V in the 16th century. It lasts for 9 days, culminating in a midnight mass on 24 December. The "Panunuluyan" (Tagalog term for "seeking shelter" or something to that effect, I am NOT a linguist hehe) is usually re-enacted during this mass.

I think Catholics in other parts of the world do not practice the 9 day pre-dawn mass. However, Mexico has its own dawn mass called the Misa de Aguinaldo (Aguinaldo means "Gift" in Spanish). Spanish and Portuguese Catholics refer to Misa de Gallo as the midnight mass on Christmas eve.

After Simbang Gabi, the Pinoys' love affair with food is heightened. We often eat puto bumbong (sweet taro steamed in small bamboo tubes), bibingka (rice or cassava cake garnished with salted duck egg), etc. For photos and in-depth explanation on bibingka and puto bumbong, see Sassy's blog.

In Cebu, it would be puto maya (aromatic glutinous rice cooked in young coconut milk) or budbud (cassava or ground glutinous rice cooked in banana leaves) or bibingka or masareal or masi. It's nice to wash it down with chocolate drink (from "tableya" or native chocolate). Yummy!

Btw, Cebuano and Tagalog bibingka are different. Cebuano bibingka does not have duck's egg. It has young coconut bits on top. It is made with purely glutinous rice mixed with grated young It is my ardent wish to learn how to bake Cebuano bibingka. Or have at least a year's supply of it from Mandaue City, where the best bibingka are made. Hehe.

Footnote: In Rob Schneider's movie, "Deuce Bigalow," he gave his father (played by Richard Riehle) bibingka for his birthday :)

Beastly Beauty

I just realized that I look good when the lights are out. Yeah baby!