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What is it about being pinoy?
On March 13, 2009, Psychology students who are enrolled in Filipino Psychology of the
University of San Carlos had a very different final exams than the usual written or oral examination. I was among those students who prepared a rather unusual way of convincing others students how "masaya and masarap" (happy and good) it is to be a Filipino. Honestly it was awful to be roaming around the campus giving leaflets containing different places in the Philippines we Filipinos must be proud about to all students when it only destroys the environment (by wasting paper). However, I found the importance of it, and how great it feels to be promoting Philippine Tourism to all students.
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Well, going back to the question, what is it about being pinoy? I'm just reminded of an article I've read in the past elsewhere on the internet about ways how to know you are a Filipino. And let me quote from my previous blogsite as to the list of ways on how to know that you are a Filipino.
1. You point with your lips.
2. You nod upwards to greet someone.
3. You collect items from hotels or restaurants "for souvenir".
4. You smile for no reason.
5. You flirt by having a foolish grin in your face while raising your eyebrows repeatedly.
6. You go to a department store and try to bargain the prices.
7. You add an unwarranted "H" to your name, i.e. "Jhun," "Bhoy," "Rhon."
8. You put your hands together in front of you as if to make a path and say "excuse, excuse" when you pass in between people or in front of the TV
9. You like everything imported or "state-side."
10. You Check the labels on clothes to see where it was made before buying.
11. You always offer food to all your visitors.
12. You say "comfort room" instead of "bathroom."
13. You say "for take out" instead of "to go."
14. You asked for "Colgate" instead of "toothpaste."
15. You asked for a "pentel-pen" or a "ball-pen" instead of just "pen."
16. You order a McDonald's instead of "hamburger"(pronounced ham-boor-jer)
17. You say "Ha?" instead of "What."
18. You say "Hoy" to get someone's attention.
19. You answer when someone yells "Hoy."
20. You turn around when someone says "Psst!"
21. Your sneeze sounds like "ahh-ching" instead of "ahh-choo."
22. You prefer to make acronyms for phrases such as "OA" for over acting, or "TNT" for, well, you know.
23. You say "air con" instead of "a/c" or air conditioner.
24. You say "brown-out" instead of "black-out."
25. You have a portrait of "The Last Supper" hanging in your dining room.
26. You own a Karaoke System.
27. You own a piano that no one ever plays.
28. You own a "barrel man" (you pull up the barrel and you see something that looks familiar. schwing...)
29. You refer to your VCR as a "beytamax
30. You have a giant wooden fork and spoon hanging somewhere in the dining room
31. Your car has too many "burloloys" like a Jipneys back in P.I.
32. You hang a Rosary on your car's rear view mirror.
33. You order a "soft drink" instead of a "soda."
34. You refer to seasonings and all other forms of monosodium glutimate as "Ajinomoto"
35. This you 'll agree 100% ... Goldilocks" means more to you than just a character in a fairytale.
Almost all of them are true to me and my family, and I find it really funny reading the list. God I could say "Filipinos and their culture."
It's so masarap (pleasing) to be a Filipino in several ways I can point out.
First, we have people we are proud about. Philippines became know to other foreign countries because of these people. Its really nice to be giving them acknowledgment for what they have done.
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Next, we have lot of Natural resources, and places including our beaches that we are lofty and gallant about, places like Palawan, Boracay, Panay, Bohol and others.
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Third, we have a great heritage and festivities, and wildlife none of the other countries have.
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We value family more than anything in the world.
Other than that we value our "Karangalan" (dignity, refers to what other people see in a person and how they use that information to make a stand or judge about his/her worth.); "Katarungan" (justice, refers to equity in giving rewards to a person.); Kalyaan (Freedom and mobility).
When we are asked who a Filipino is, we usually discuss that the Filipino culture has its roots on the Malay spirit of the continental Asia. Filipinos have brownish skin, and slanting eyes. Learning our roots is important, as important as learning our own psychology. It's not enough that we know how a Filipino is described but also how a Filipino lives in the context of the family, in society, our values, beliefs and our culture.
I know what I presented isn't enough to convince you the essence of being a Filipino, but let me ask you instead, why is it masaya and masarap to be a Filipino?
