What does it mean...

when they say that the fruit of procrastination is always bitter. I know! And I definitely agree. I made an accord to myself when I went home to San Diego for Thanksgiving break that I will not be bringing or doing any school work. Now I am suffering. I haven't had a decent sleep since Monday. I have been doing several papers, bspace postings, reading outlines, and tons of reading. I am not sure the kind of grades I am going to get, although I tried not to submit half-baked work, I know I rushed some of them.  I should have done some of these things when I had some extra free time during the break. Oh well. It's not college when it doesn't sting. 

Drivin' Young

I first learned how to drive a car when I was around 10 years old. I know it may seem exaggeratedly early to teach a kid how to drive at that particular age, but I was actually able to pull through. It kinda became a tradition(?) in our family to be taught how to drive at a young age. My older brother and sister were also taught how to drive at around that age. I didn't cower in fear, to be honest. I was actually overflowing with excitement. I couldn't believe that I was actually driving a vehicle - stick shift too! I didn't really end up driving around town or something afterwards though, but still, I thought it was pretty cool at that time.

Family Tradition

Holidays are coming! I alway love the holidays, people seem to be more decent, welcoming and hella nicer during this time of the year. My family is very into celebrating Christmas, a tradition that we carried even after we emigrated here from the Philippines. Growing up, I remember that my mom did not have much financially, but she always made sure that my siblings and I got the presents that we wanted. We also start decorating for the holidays as early as November, the day after the Halloween. Always fun reminiscing and recollecting the stories with my family of the past Holidays while decorating the house and listening to Christmas carols.

Also I love holiday food! I always gain significant amount of weight after the holidays, which started during Thanksgiving and at the beginning of the new year. In our family, we normally rotate who's going to host the Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas dinner. I hosted a Christmas dinner last year, I made chicken cordon bleu and pineapple fried rice. My sisters baked Christmas cookies and desserts, my mom cooked a lot of traditional filipino dishes. We sing, we dance, but we do not steal things. (Sorry for the Jason Mraz reference). Can't wait to go home for the holidays. Wishing everyone a lovely and amazing Holiday season!

Family Tradition

I honestly can't think of any family traditions right now. My family hasn't been engaged in the closest relationships these past few years, so nothing seems to come to mind. I suppose one tradition would be the commonplace get-together for Christmas. Majority of my family makes time to meet up on this holiday. What I look forward to the most is the quality time we spend together (cheesy, I know.) Plus, my mom makes Filipino spaghetti and sweet, sweet leche flan. And sapin sapin. And...yeah, you know how Filipino get-togethers are with their mountains of food. <3 I also love seeing those Filipino decorations for Christmas...the huge lantern-like stars that glow in different patterns and midnight mass. The best!

Kind of a short entry, but that's one family tradition I'll definitely be looking forward to this year. :)

Christmas photo with my doooog!! <3

What Does it Mean?

"What does it mean when I don't know my own native language?"

 I feel like this statement really applies to me right now. I am taking Filipino 1a right now for the sole reason that I want to be able read and write in my native language. Growing I always could understand Filipino but I could never respond back. The older I grow, the more I realize how much of an asset it is to speak another language. I feel like by learning Filipino, I can possible build a bridge to the past and be able to share more with my grandparents. By being able to speak Filipino, I can pass down something to my children that will be more than just an heirloom. It will pass down a culture that my family has been preserving for many years.

Of papaya soaps

"What does it mean for me to see shelves filled with papaya soap?"

This statement brings into light an issue prevalent in some Asian countries, with the Philippines being of no exception. As a person who grew up in the Philippines, I chose this statement because the issue that it brings forth is something that I have been exposed to. I have witnessed its manifestations firsthand.

Papaya soap is said to be a skin whitening agent. The issue revolves around the notion that a lighter complexion proves to be more desirable than a darker complexion. The predominance of Caucasians in global mass media has yielded adverse effects on local Philippine media. Local show business in the Philippines is largely dominated by actors and actresses with light skin or are of mixed Caucasian and Asian ancestry, thereby reinforcing the problematic mentality.

This makes me sad because it conjures a thought that we may not be truly free from the shackles of our colonial past. It breeds immense absurdity that paves the way toward self-hate and internalized racism. Pilipinos should understand that there is beauty in our brown skin. I need not mention the accomplishment of Venus Raj, a Pilipina with a dark complexion.

Bakit....?

"What does it mean when around 1 million Pilipinos leave the Philippines every year to work abroad..."

I chose this quote because it exactly what happened to my family. To make a long story short, my dad's business collapsed during the Arroyo presidency. I had always wondered, "Why did we leave the Philippines? Was it not a viable option to stay there and rebuild? Didn't my dad regret leaving majority of his family in the Philippines?" Heaven forbid, I know my parents wholly miss their homeland--my mom tells me at least once a week about how she'd like to go back. So, exactly...why did we leave in the first place?

My dad told me simply: "Because there are more opportunities here in America." And then it brings to light exactly the position of the PI in the global system. If even my own parents view the PI this way, as a place of home but not a place good enough to abide by the standards of how you'd want to raise a family, then how about the other people? If many of us think and complain now about how tumultuous the US political system is, then how more so do we think poorly of the situation in the Philippines?

Why must it take a ratio of a million people every year moving out, disconnecting from their homeland because they can't find jobs or a stable education, to make us and the people there realize that there's something wrong? And given that those who did immigrate out are blessed with having the finance, how about those who cannot and have to stay? What do they think about this? These are just some things that popped out to me.