Friday, June 26, 2009
Look ma, no hands - Filipina pilot
You may not realize this but there are Filipinos that are ashamed to admit they are Filipinos.
Jessica is not one of them and she even wears the Filipina national dress - the Maria Clara when she does her motivational speaking.
I am putting this up here because Jessica, in one interview, attributed her abilities to do these sort of difficult things (let's face it, living life with out arms is a bit difficult and challenging, no?) because of the nature of being a Filipino. In a way I kinda believe that because every Filipino that is born has a twin, called sacrifice/suffering, poverty.
Filipinos are known for being friendly, yet they know that the world and life are not as friendly towards them.
I used to work for Unisys. One time they sent me to Pasadena, California (USA) to work with the engineers there. The engineering manager was so thrilled to meet me and excitedly said - oh we have a Filipina engineer, I want you to meet her. So I did, I went to where her office was and greeted her with some Tagalog words. She spoke back in Spanish saying she did not know any Tagalog. What a load of b.s. Her skin was so brown, her nose was so flat and she wasn't that tall either. Even her name was a dead give away, like Ramos, Garcia or Reyes, one of the famous ones. Her attitude of shame epitomizes the result of colonization. The colonizers taught us we were no good, we were good only to be slaves, for labor. The colonizers have left - or have they really? Yet one thing for sure remains, their cultural imperialism still trickles down to many generations.
So pardon me for giving a shout for Jessica.
We have a saying "Filipino ka, sabihin mo", "you are Filipino, say so".
I am saying so.
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15 comments:
Mabuti! My wife is Filipina, my kids mestizos. Having lived in various far-flung places around the world, I am happy to have found Filipinos living in all of them, bringing a bit of civilization and comforts of home through their hospitality and businesses. Who else is so welcoming? A Filipino stranger is practically an oxymoron. God bless the Philippines and all Filipinos.
Hahaha Joel,
We got something in common LOL.
Do you know we have songs about the Filipina? Their sense of family is quite strong, a bit over than the rest as I observe.
Thanks for the blessings Joel.
LPC
Inspiring story, Lito! I have met a lot of Filipinos and have always been impressed by how cheerful and generous they are. My youngest daughter's best friend's mother is a Filipina (she and I are both foreign wives of Japanese), btw. She makes good chicken, too!
Becky
Hi Becky,
Did I tell you my sister is married to a Japanese too?
Ask your friend about chicken Adobo. That might be the one she served you. Every Filipino knows about this dish. It is very easy to cook.
About being cheerful or being funny. This is our coping mechanism. Filipinos can turn anything to a joke and most of the time they joke about themselves and their own customs. This behavior sounds odd because deep down inside they love the place where they were born, at least most of us in my generation do.
I hope you have lasting friendship with them.
LPC
Always good to have national pride. After all, every tribe, tounge, people and nation will gather around the throne someday soon.
I've been away from bloggin for a while. How's the job search?
Of subject, but I'd love to hear from you at:
http://jkjonesthinks.blogspot.com/2009/06/infant-baptism-nows-your-chance-to.html
I need your prayers.
I found one but it lasted only 2 months so I am looking again.
Need your prayers in that regard.
JK, I am quite intrigues about your becoming Presbee. I worshiped at a Presby church for 3-4 years before coming to Wittenberg.
LPC
PS. Will look at your post now.
LPC
LP,
We'll keep praying for you at our house. Job hunting is hard!
The SBC to PCA thing has been years, no, decades, in the making. Infant baptism is the the thing that I am changing my mind on.
SBC is a hard place for a Calvinist to be right now. I feel like I have been hiding things.
Dear Kuya,
My special sem ends tomorrow, with the exam. Back from Bangkok in early June, and am now done with my report on the fiscal policy and sitmulus package plans under the Abhisit Vejjajiva administration.
Will be back on Tuesday!
Keep up the good work, Kuya, my fellow Lutheran, Reformer and big brother in Christ.
The Lord be with you, and your family.+
JK,
I know what you mean. SBC has veered away from its roots. I think the fundamentalistic-dispensational stream has got the upper hand right now and the Calvinistic is the minority.
It is right for you to follow the word of God where ever it leads you.
LPC
A.S.
Been thinking of you bro.
I know you are busy with your studies, God refresh you and give you renewed strength.
May God bless your chosen vocation to be of help to your neighbor.
LPC
Dear Kuya,
I'm done with the special sem!
On Filipinos ashamed of who they are, the same goes for the Chinese too.
Heck, there are many Chinese in the US I gather who prefers 'white' boys than their fellow Chinese men! In other words, they look down on them.
Well, this is life ...
Hi A.S.
The same is true in Manila. Colonial mentality does linger for generations.
When you go to the pharmacy in Manila, you will be greeted with tons of skin whitening products.
We were thought white is beautiful and we are below par.
However, a Scottish wise man said here that one day the yellow race will rule the world.
I am putting my bet that he is correct, in a matter of decades China will be the super power (not a superpower, but THE superpower).
LPC
Dear Kuya,
It's funny that you should be mentioning this ... Currently, I'm also helping one of my bosses (PhD) in her project on branding indigenous knowledge (IK) in the context of the beauty industry. At times the mass media portray the Western notion of beauty as the universal ideal.
AS,
The media indeed is plagued by pop culture which affects the world today. The seat of pop is Hollywood.
The old fashioned oriental idea of beauty is skin deep and subtle charm, it hides it rather flamboyantly displays it for the world to see. Very different no?
Beauty in the old fashioned oriental way is to be discovered (because it is hidden) it is sought after an this involves courtship and the building of relationship. To me this is quite compatible with what the Bible says about finding Proverbs 31 wife, for after all the Bible is oriental, Asian.
So unlike today - today we have the hook up generation. I hope the young people damaged by this might one day realize how they have been short changed and might teach the reverse to their children.
LPC
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