Click on this link to see a video of Miss Philippines Jennifer Barrientos as she models her National Costume.
Although I like the gown (the collar, the sleeves, the color), except for the overabundance of butterflies, I'm not sure if this is the Philippine National Costume. As this website shows, there is a wealth of examples, from which a Philippine representative to a beauty contest can draw inspiration. One of my favorite parts in the Miss Universe contest is the National Costume event. I always wonder what sort of stuff the designer of the Philippine representative will come up with. This year's looks wearable, though, so I like it. Although it makes you wonder, is Miss Philippines' gown supposed to be reminiscent of a Maria Clara? I love the Maria Clara dress, even if I've never worn it, because my mom likes to point out, "I'm not mestiza." Maybe when I get married, I'll wear a Maria Clara dress. :P
*** Edit: All that talk about Maria Clara ternos and baro't saya made me excitedly spend oh, just 3 hours, browsing online pictures and stories of modern ternos. I'm sure at least one other person in this planet has looked around her Indian neighbor and thought, She's wearing her sari often so why can't I wear my baro at saya everyday? (Here's an old entry of someone who's a regular malong wearer.)
I've mentioned that I would try wearing a simple baro't saya to my everyday activities around town. I'd even come to church in a terno. The church I serve here is mostly Filipino, and we've done the Filipiniana theme many a church anniversary. So, a lot of us are Filipiniana'ed out. Of course, I've never worn a terno to any anniversary simply because I have no terno. But I've been in kimona and patadyong as well as in a malong. I love the malong so I wouldn't have any qualms wearing it around here... if only I have the guts to go bare-shoulder. haha. i don't know if I can pull off doing a baro't saya/malong day. I'm not terribly gutsy... but I'd probably try it if someone will do it with me. Any takers?
Early Saturday morning, I had a dream that my family and I were in a Philippine ferry boat. It was just like when we were young kids traveling to Manila from Cebu on the big ferries. Only we were definitely older. In my dream, we were supposed to be in a tourist cabin, but we mistakenly claimed seats. I was outraged; how can one spend the several-days-long trip just sitting on very close seats? In any case, my family figured out where we were supposed to be staying, but the cabin was dirty, smelly, and we had to share with several unrelated men. I woke up feeling disappointed. You see, in my memories of ferry trips in my childhood, it is all great, and everything is shining. Perhaps the reality is closer to that Saturday morning dream.
I can imagine how crazy it must have been at the pier when the typhoon was talked about. What signal is the typhoon? Will we be able to sail? Are we going to be stranded? I imagine the people to have been constantly monitoring the weather reports. I know, because I was caught in one back in November. I never worried about the possibility of my medium-sized ferry capsizing; I was worried about being stranded in Cebu and possibly missing my plane back to Manila. I was even brushing off my mother's worries sent through text from Seattle. But what happened just a few days earlier to a smaller ferry could have happened to mine. When I arrived in Ormoc the next day, not even the strong winds could make me unhappy because I was safely on the other side of the Camotes Sea.
I think my remembrance of my past trips has now been colored by disasters I've been hearing and witnessing as I've grown up. I've traveled on Sulpicio Lines' vessels, though we've mostly gone Cebu-Manila-Cebu via Aboitiz Transport System's SuperFerry vessels. I can picture the insides of the ferries. I can recall the thrill of traveling on the sea as well as the scare that can come from developing storms. But I still look forward to perhaps another family trip, before we all get married and disperse, aboard a Philippine ferry.
*** As my sisters and I were struggling with putting church activities-related pictures on the correct timeline, I thought maybe my blog would be able to help. Hahaha. It turns out it was no help. Now I realize how much a whole of my life I have not blogged about. I guess this journal's living up to its tag line.
After bloghopping, I found this funny comedic song and dance number by the Leyte Dance Theatre, a private dance company homegrown in my native Leyte (woot! woot!). Viewing the videos and reading about the troupe, which had recently toured the US in 2007, made me nostalgic for my growing up years learning the folk dances.
Anyhow, this video uses the song Pasayawa Ko, Day (Let me dance with you, Girl) by novelty singer Max Surban. I grew up listening to Max Surban and Yoyoy Villame's hilarious Visayan songs, and this was one that reminded me of hometown discos and dances.
Song starts at 3:48
After reading a comment on subtitling the song in English, I felt like I had something to contribute. (Yeah, I'm having fansubbing withdrawal symptoms.) This time, instead of just editing the English translations, I can actually translate from Visayan to English.
Okay, without further ado (Male and female lines are alternating):
Let Me Dance with You, Girl
Let me dance with you, girl Please dance with someone else But you're the one I want Why me when there are others? Then let me hug you, girl No 'cause I don't want to
Move a little bit Move a bit?! Inch a little bit Inch a bit?! Move a little bit towards me
You're really something, girl. You don't have a heart Oh ho, boy. Love cannot be moved by pity Then let me give you a little kiss What kiss?! What little kiss?
Move a little bit Move a bit?! Inch a little bit Inch a bit?! Move a little bit towards me
Let me kiss you, girl Where? On your cheeks Why? 'Cause I'm leaving Where? To America, girl Oh, really? It's best if we make a remembrance What? A handkerchief embroidered and monogrammed with your name Ah, really!
Listen, boy Why? Here's a piece of advice What? Be careful, boy Why? You might get hurt Really.
It's better if you stay away from me Why? 'Cause you won't ever win my heart Oh no.
I'll buy your pretty face, girl Here, I'm giving you five. Take it Don't mess with me, boy So what if I don't ever marry You'll go rotten So what? C'mon, give in No No one's going to notice you So what if no one will glance at me? My love can't be bought by just five pesos and end up soiled. You might regret it later 'cause of all that hesitation.
C'mon, give in. Ha ha ha Here's five... Ha ha ha Here's five thousand-- Let me see-- Hahaha Gotcha! Che Che Che
This translation is based from the video and from the lyrics as seen on this website. Thanks and dedicated to my Papa, who used to make me translate his Visayan stories into English when I was a kindergartener.
P.S. I didn't realize it, but I'm not surprised that two of my former teachers were former Leyte Dance Theatre members.
My aunt has an interesting theory/prediction/prophecy:
Those who have the tambis tree growing in their property, will be blessed with an overseas-bound child.
I paused before I laughed out loud. In our town, it sure is proving true. We had a tambis (Scientific name: Syzygium aqueum, credit to Montoso Gardens Botanical Collection) tree in our backyard. We loved eating ours fresh, and with rock salt (yum!) and the occasional stray black ant (yuck). My mother even told me that the tiny pink birthmark on my side was because naglihi siya sa tambis (she had an unreasonable craving for tambis when she was carrying me). And we are now based in the US.
My aunt says there are other families too. I pointed out the tambis tree on their front yard. She shrugs. Lots of people in town come to see her husband (my dad's older brother), who is the only one in town selling grafted tambis. I guess they all want their share of the prophecy too. :D
We talk about my cousin Daniel, who we feel will fulfill the prophecy for my aunt. He has expressed the desire to join my family here (he grew up with us and misses my brother's company). I grinned and told her, "I'd truly believe that when I see him move abroad." Hopefully, he comes over here and works for the-big-company-that-makes-software or that-big-company-that-is-synonymous-with-searching.
As I was googling tambis, I came across a MarketManila.com article on the makopa with the picture on the right. Apparently, the makopa is called tambis by Visayans. From the pictures, the fruits look like tambis to me. But one of the commenters on the post, says
makopa and tambis are two different fruits. Makopa is the one which is dark red and starchy when ripe. Tambis is the one which is pink when ripe, white when unripe and is rather crunchy when bitten. However, these fruits belong to one genus, Syzygium, and different species (which I am not sure of…)
Papa (my agriculturally-inclined father who grafted lots of plants, including the tambis), says the commenter is right. But the first two pictures in the article (and the one above) are of the tambis. The third one, he says, is of a makopa.
Edit: My mother laughs off the tambis oracle, seeing that all of her siblings are all here. She says no one has a tambis tree anywhere. Said she, "We don't have a tambis but we believe in God." Bwahaha.
Ampay. (a gleeful enjoyment of an activity or object.) Palis. (afternoon from about 1pm to 4pm) Subawan. (verb, to experience minor cold and cough due to sudden change of weather.) Hakot. (pesky biting tiny black ants that hang on to your skin and crawl over your body but do not leave red raised bite marks. My aunt says they just circle around a spot on your skin, which feels like a bite. There were plenty on the stairs leading up to the main door of the house. My aunt again thinks they were trying to get shelter in the house and avoid the rainstorm.)
I now use confidently these words I had never heard before my recent trip. I know what they mean. And I even said them with a noticeable Southern Cebu accent. Papa called me on my cell phone (with my local Globe number) and remarked on how quickly I took on the accent. I excitedly told him that it came as soon as I heard the accented speech of my relatives.
I put him on the speaker phone. My grandmother and my aunt could hear him clearly. Lola said it was as if Papa was just right outside the house talking to them. So near yet so far. As my Papa's cousin said, If only America were as easy to visit.
During this trip, I found myself learning new words, testing them in everyday conversations, mulling over possible etymologies. I had wonderfully stimulating discussions on politics and weather systems and the English language with my uncle's family, who are educators. I found that my old friends have been maturing, dealing with more difficult topics such as politics, graduate school, health and ethics, and serious love commitments. But it was also a time to reminisce and talk of the good old days when we used to be content with a 5-peso weekly allowance (wait, that was my allowance and theirs were a lot larger). And crushes and puppy loves.
I heard my maternal grandpa tell more of the WWII-era love story between him and my late grandma. I saw him get giddy over his memory of his red-lipped, voluptuous, charming and smart first wife. I was the receiving end of his light-hearted warning: Don't finish all your airline food if you want to look like Korean Air flight attendants.
I got caught in the dance between the storms Lando and the much stronger Mina. One day the weather was good enough that we were able to enjoy a cooler day on the white sands of the beach. The next day, my boat was the only one allowed to brave the rough waves to Leyte. The situation was precarious enough that I thought I was going to have to be stranded Pier 3, too far from my relatives in Lapu-Lapu City. But I reached Leyte the next morning (Thank you Lord), greeted by a pretty strong wind. Then the next few days were picture perfect. I was able to travel without rain to Tacloban, fly to Manila with my plane bathed in the warm afternoon sun, and walk the dry streets of nighttime Makati with my friends. Still, I was glad to say bye to Mina and Lando and Nonoy (and to the horrible headache quite possibly from trying to drink soju just like the characters in Korean dramas).
The two weeks off was great. While I have missed home, Mama, Papa, and my siblings, I write this entry already looking forward to my next trip. For me, it's not just the destination that counts, I truly enjoy the actual journey, be it on ferry, plane, bus or tricycle.
In a place where I usually spend my precious time, I found this question:
Your first drama ever...
My first dramas were Filipino soap operas. The one that first captured my imagination was called Familia Zaragoza, but my all-time favorite would have to be Bituing Walang Ningning, a story of a popular singer's fan who would eventually surpass her idol.
Then of course, the Mexican dramas dubbed in Tagalog swept over the Philippines beginning with Marimar. My favorite telenovela, as those imports were called, was something titled Lazos de Amor about triplet sisters played by a very pretty actress (All the girls in my school wanted to grow up to be Lucero).
My first ever Korean drama (that started this personal obsession) is My Name Is Kim Sam Soon. My all-time favorite is a tie between My Girl and Delightful Girl Choon Hyang. I just can't decide. Every time I hear/watch anything related to either drama, my preferences would get swayed. I think I like the director and scriptwriters too much. :D
My first ever Japanese drama is the wonderful Itoshi Kimi e, for whose subs I'm still waiting and hoping for (Dear God in heaven, please hear my prayer). While my first ever Taiwanese drama is It Started with a Kiss, but I have to admit I skipped a lot before I got to the very cute last 2 episodes.
That's the long version of my answer to the 4-word topic question.
I am failing! It's okay, it just means there's a LOT of room for improvement. It would be unfortunate if I retook this test right before I die and still get a failing mark. I will improve on this, since one of my lifetime goals is: visit all the major provinces of the Philippines. I had wanted to say "islands" instead of "provinces" but I thought there are just too many uninhabited ones. :)
I don't want to jinx him but I can't keep myself from writing about him. He's really good. Jimmy Marquez, from Toledo, Cebu, did very well on the Gary Valenciano-themed episode of Search for a Star in a Million Season 2. He chose Gaya Ng Dati, and made the song his. Wow! Gary V. himself was impressed. The song developed more meaning for me because of Jimmy's rendition. Wow, I was blessed by Jimmy's song. So, right after, I sent a text message to vote for Jimmy ("siam JIMMY" to 23661 for T-mobile subscribers).
I hope he will win it all or at least get a chance to record. I definitely want to buy his album. Watch out, world, Jimmy Marquez is rising!
Dati-rati Laman ng puso mo ay ang pangalan Ko Lagi Ako sa isip mo Dati-rati Inaawitan pa labi ay may ngiti Mga mata’y nagniningning Ngunit ngayon nagbago ka Nasa’n na ang init ng pagsinta Pangako mo’y hindi magwawakas
Di ba’t noon Samyo ng bulaklak at ihip ng hangin ay kapansin-pansin Di ba’t noon takbo ng oras ay di mo napapansin Laging naglalambing Ngunit ngayon naglaho na Sigla’t tamis ng iyong pagsinta Pagmamahal Ko ba’y kailangan pa Ooh
Dati-rati Mga pangako Ko’y kandungan mo’t lakas Sa pagsubok ay kay tatag Di ba’t noon Sa kaibigan mo’y Akong bukambibig Bakit ngayo’y anong lamig
Di mo alam Ako’y nasasaktan Sa di pagpansin sa Aking pagmamahal Lumapit ka’t Ako’y naghihintay Naghihintay, ohh
Ako’y nasasaktan Sa di pagpansin sa aking pagmamahal Lumapit ka’t ako’y naghihintay
Di mo alam Ako’y nasasaktan Sa di pagpansin sa Aking pagmamahal Lumapit ka’t Ako’y naghihintay
Panginoon Ako’y nabulag ng mandarayang mundo Ako ay patawarin Mo Mula ngayon ang buhay kong ito’y Iaalay sa Iyo gamitin mo ako Gaya ng dati Gaya ng dati Gaya ng dati
---- I had a great time this weekend at Wild Waves. My vocal cords are still recovering from all the screaming.
What follows is a true-to-life encounter, and a true-to-life reaction of the author. If you do not agree with me, step out of my way.
When I read interviews of new "stars" in Philippine showbiz, the one thing that irritates me is this:
Interviewer:What is your favorite book? "Star": I'm not a book-reader, sorry...
Not a book-reader? Did you not go to school? Of course you are a book-reader. Those reading primers are books. Those dictionaries are books. Oh, perhaps, you meant to say "book-lover"? That's a different thing. I understand not all people are booklovers. Most people have other passions. But to say you have not encountered a book you have liked is preposterous.
Tapos, the "star" has a matching "sorry." It carries a tone of arrogance, at which I bare my claws. While I am all for honesty, I am also for racking your puny little brain to think of a single book you have found interesting.
Perhaps you are too young to have read enough to decide on a favorite. That's alright, too. We never get to a point where we have read enough to decide on an all-time favorite. In fact, the more you read, the more the question becomes ridiculous. But I get back to the excuse of not reading books. Is that even a viable reason in this day and age, when books are so widely available that printed books are threatened by the all-encompassing world wide web?
Do your "fans" a favor and read a book? Be engrossed in it. Live through the characters. Come out changed. I challenge you.
For a long time I resisted Regine's version of Say That You Love Me. I felt like it was just so ... wrong. Now I'm listening to it, and it feels just right. Well, I've seen the video too. Raymond Bagatsing is so papable there. I've always liked Martin's version. I also heard Lea's version. It took me quite a while, considering that we are talking about Lea here, to warm up to it too.
I read that Regine surprised Sandara during the taping of a Sandara TV special. I've heard so many stories of Regine's generosity that I don't believe there was any menace to her "I'm freaking Regine Velasquez" quote. She has always been gracious to her fans and colleagues that it just seem so out of character.
"ikaw ang lahat sa akin" it's a rainy day in seattle. this song is so perfect because of its melancholy tone. i really like this version too, as well as that of ella may saison's. claudine's soap of the same name is very cute. i can see me getting hooked on it. :)
