PB, explained

ever wondered at the title of this blog? rather coincidental, actually. every now and then, i’d sing filipino folk songs to J, so he’d get a bit of exposure to the language. on the day this blog was born, i was singing paruparong bukid while changing J’s nappies and getting him ready for kindergarten. you know how a song sometimes get stuck inside your head and you keep humming it the whole day? well, by the time i was prompted for a username, paruparo came handy.

come to think of it, the name suits me. especially the bukid part. ricefields hold a certain charm for me. when i conjure a picture of a ricefield in my mind, a lot of happy memories surface. i feel calm, peaceful, home. where i grew up, ricefields used to stretch as far as the eye could see. one wouldn’t believe that now, though, as it had gotten more busy and buzzing over the years. but i still prefer to imagine LB as the sleeping town i knew it to be–a university town nestled at the foothills of mt makiling, with a panoramic vista of ricefields and the laguna de bay. this is where i found my wings and learned to fly…

fast forward a couple of decades and here i am, wings still fluttering. i’ve set my tiny feet on different parts of the world during the years in between, fleeting visits though they were. for now, i’ve made my nest, laid an egg. who knows where i’ll fly to next? but ah, next time i’ll be part of a school of butterflies!

“Paruparong Bukid,
na lilipad lipad,
Sa gitna ng daan,
papaga-pagaspas,
Isang bara ang tapis,
isang dangkal ang manggas,
Ang sayang de-kola,
isang piyesa and sayad.
May payneta pa siya uy!
May suklay pa mandin uy!
Nagwas de-ohetes ang palalabasin,
Haharap sa altar at mananalamin
At saka lalakad na pakendeng-kendeng.”

Comments originally posted at Upsaid:

1: a few comments:

1. ang cute ng baby mo.

2. magaling kang magsulat

3. mahilig ka ring mag senti tungkol sa mahal mong bayan.

btw - if ever you’re making the big move to singapore. just send an email to jet and i. we can help to lessen the culture shock. there are some germans studying here. mostly because of the focus of the govt. on electronics, biotechnology and life sciences.

Posted by BatJay at 7:54 am on 03.11.04

2: BatJay, salamat, nakakataba ng puso. Sana nga matuloy kami sa Singapore. At least mas malapit sa Pinas. Will definitely holler for your help if ever. Thanks!

Posted by PB at 10:00 am on 03.11.04

3: oo nga. kami at least twice a year dahil mura lang ang pamasahe. ang mas maganda pa niyan ay mas mura ang manila-singapore. pwede mong dalhin ang mga relatives mo rito for a vacation.

umaabot lang ng $200++ ang weekend special ng manila-sing-manila, kasali na rito ang hotel ang breakfast.

Posted by BatJay at 2:40 pm on 03.11.04

4: kaso ba’t ganun, meron ako’ng mga kakilalang nandyan, parang mas problema pa ata ang discrimination/stereotyping against sa mga pinoy. lalo na pag babae (napagkakamalang DH lahat). parang mas masakit ata maapi ng kapwa asiano. parang mas mahirap lunukin?

Posted by PB at 9:38 pm on 03.11.04

5: mayron din mga mahilig mag stereotype. if you’ve read through my blogs, marami akong mga sinasabi tungkol rito (”a pinoy’s snappy answers to stupid questions”, part 1 and 2), albeit in a joking way, pero halos lahat tutuo.

80% of the more than 100K pinoys here are domestic helpers. i love them. masarap silang kasama at mga kwela sila. are they looked down upon? yes.

minsan, dahil pinoy kami, ergo: misis ko ay domestic helper at ako ay stereotyped na musician. nakikipag away ako pag may mga tao who look down on us. katulad ng mga salesman na kumakatok sa bahay namin and assume that we are household help when in fact we are the masters of the house.

malapit na rin akong makipag away pag naririnig ko na jokingly tinatawag nila ang isang singaporean na mahilig maglinis as a “maria”. in reference to the common name ng mga pinay domestic help dito.

having said that, singapore is a great place to live. it’s clean and green and the crime rate is the lowest in the world. incidents like that do happen pero not in a regular basis as far as i am concerned. if they do, katulad ng ginagawa ninyo ni AnP, we voice it out and fight if needed.

di ka maapi kung di ka magpapa-api. parati kong sinasabi sa wife ko na makipag away if she is wronged and she has scolded so many salesmen visiting our singapore home already. patay na si maria clara at mas kailangan natin ang mag gabriela silang.

Posted by BatJay at 4:25 am on 03.12.04

6: minsan nga lang, nakakapagod nang lumaban. ako, after 3 years living here, i choose my battles. yung mga walang kwenta, pinapalampas na lang. talo na kung talo. at least, hindi nadagdagan ang wrinkles ko, hehehe… salamat ulit. yaan mo, pag natuloy kami, kayo ang una kong bubulabugin…

Posted by PB at 9:05 am on 03.12.04

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