Pinoy

Hello! One of the pages that I recommend for you to add on your blogs is a personalized glossary. Meredith requested for me to post mine here. This is how it looks like right now but entries will be added as I continue on blogging… You check the page here.

Hey, guys! I’m a Filipino and there are words that I’d rather say in Tagalog or have no translation in English. There are also places and popular people in the Philippines that I want to describe to you. Here are some of those I mentioned in my posts with my very own definition and description (plus a little help from the internet).

Halo-halo – “halo” means mix or mixture so basically, this dessert is a mixture of fruits, jelly, tapioca pearls and sweetened boiled beans with crushed ice and evaporated milk. Please search it on Google Images to get a better grasp. However, what we were selling was a little downgraded version of that! Haha. Our customers were only our neighbors so we had to make it a little cheaper. It’s still delicious, though. 🙂
Jennylyn Mercado – She’s an actress in the Philippines and we almost have the same age. I’m not a big fan of her but I think she became prettier and sexier after she had her child.
kilig – a feeling triggered by the idea of love or when something romantic happens; blushing; butterflies in your stomach >>>Examples: 1.) I’m so kilig! My boyfriend surprised me with flowers! 2.) This Korean drama is nakaka-kilig. (making me kilig) 3.) I get so kilig everytime Channing Tatum dances.
lola – grandmother; grandpa is lolo.
Mamang – See Papang.
Master Teacher – I am not sure if this is only in the Philippines but a Master Teacher is a position in public schools where this teacher is promoted through the number of years in service, education, etc. You can view the requirements here. They are usually the oldest in service and they have the highest salary.
masungit – cranky or snob
merienda – snacks that can either be in the morning or in the afternoon.
Papang – This is what I call my father. It’s not really common in the Philippines. The common ones are Daddy, Papa or Tatay. I call my mother mamang.
Saging con Yelo – “saging” is banana, “yelo” is ice. It’s kinda similar to halo-halo but it’s only banana (specifically plantains) in sugar syrup, crushed ice and evaporated milk. 🙂 Again, Google Images.
SM (Supermalls) — a chain of shopping malls in the Philippines. Having an SM in your city means your city is civilized. 🙂 Haha. I’m exaggerating.
tricycle – one of the public modes of transportation. This is how it looks like:
Photo via pbase.com

>>>This page will be updated as I continue on blogging.

Cheers,
Wax

Hey guys! This will be my first ever post for the Covey View blog. I’m Wax (or Wannie) from Cavite, Philippines. Yep, I’m not from Manila so the things I will share with you will be about my country in general or about my hometown. The Great 8 is one of my blog’s regular feature and I’ve decided to post this week’s article here. 🙂

On June 12, we will be celebrating our Independence Day so I’m in the mood to be nationalistic. Hehe. Philippines may be known as a third world country or for corrupt officials but I can’t help but still be proud of some of the Filipino traits. Here are just some of them.

1. Our unique beauty. Filipinas usually have the kayumanggi or brown skin. When you visit here though, you will notice how diverse our beauty is. Probably, it’s because we are a mixed of different ethnicity traced from the early groups of people who occupied our land until the Spaniards colonized our islands for 300 years. Then, we also became under the American and Japanese rule. Anyway, I’m so happy that this trait of Filipinas our now being recognized by the world. For the last couple of years, our representative always get to the top 5 of international beauty pageants. Wait, Pinoy guys are handsome, too. 🙂

Shamcey Supsup (Miss Universe 2011 – 3rd Runner-Up) Photo from lifestyle.inquirer.net

Megan Young (Miss World 2013)

Wax (Filipina Blogger. Haha)

2. Our Talents. We have all sorts of talents but let me just focus in music on this one. Filipinos love to sing and you will find karaoke machines even at funerals. There are a lot of famous Pinoy artists already known to the world. Some are not pure Filipinos but as long as they recognize their Filipino blood, we feel so proud of them. (Yeah, we like to brag).

Nicole Scherzinger. Combination of Filipina beauty and talent. Photo from djspook.com

Bruno Mars. Amazing voice!

The composer of the phenomenal song “Let It Go” has a Filipino blood. He’s now the youngest in the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner’s circle. Before “Let It Go” became famous though, 90’s kids would be singing A Whole New World from Aladdin or Reflection from Mulan. The singing voice of the Disney princesses from these movies are from Lea Salonga who won a Tony Award at the age of 20. My middle name is Salonga. Maybe, we’re related? Haha. Let’s be nostalgic for a moment and listen to the song.

3. Our hospitality. If you are a guest (especially from a different province or country), Filipino families will offer you the best of what they got. They will give you give the best food they can serve and make you feel at home.

4. Our strong family ties. Yep, it’s common here to stay with parents and not move out when you’re still not married. Well, some say it can make the children dependent (and maybe that’s why I’m still used to my mother’s home-cooked meals) but when the parents get old, they will sure take care of them.

5. Our Willingness to Work Hard. A lot of Filipinos work overseas so they can be able to provide more to their families. They work in a foreign country and endure the pain of being far away from their loved ones just to be able to give them a good and comfortable life.

6. Our resiliency. As you all know, my fellowmen just experienced a super typhoon last November. It was indeed heartbreaking but I am amazed on how quickly they have recovered and I’m still praying that their cities will be built again.

7. Our creativity/resourcefulness. I just learned that these cool things were invented by Filipinos. Read: The 12 Surprising Filipino Inventions You Might Want to Know. Besides these, here are some photos that went viral the past few years during the floods that we experienced. These pictures show our resourcefulness, creativity and even humor.

philippines_flooding_1 philippines_flooding_8

8. Our optimism. Yes, we face a lot of problems but we are always included among the top 10 happiest countries in the world. Because of that, here are more flood photos to inspire you. 😛