What is a Pinoy?
I've always been sure about who and what I am. First, a male. Next, a Filipino. It's often said that our culture defines what we are. How we see ourselves is more likely how other people will see us. We're a sunny kind of people. We laugh at hard times and we smile in spite of everything. The typical Filipino is more likely to take an optimistic view of things, even if things are really bad. One of our better traits is our ability to laugh at ourselves. We'd laugh even if it's ourselves we're laughing at.
Though we're a very mixed race, everything we do is distinctly Filipino. Our identity almost always shows wherever we are. Confused about your identity? Don't know how Filipino you really are? Well, here's a not-so-scientific way to find out. See if you'll find yourself nodding your head more than you're shaking it. You might find that these 101 things are a lot truer than if you took out your birth certificate.
My responses are included.
1. You point with your lips. True
2. You eat using hands and you have it down to a technique. Up until I was 11.
3. Your other piece of luggage is a balikbayan box. I came to the US with one.
4. You nod upwards to greet someone. True
5. You put your foot up on your chair and rest your elbow on your knee while eating. Up until I was 11.
6. You think that half-hatched duck eggs are a delicacy. They are called “Balut”, I’ve had my share.
7. You have to kiss your relative on the cheek as soon as you enter the room. True
8. You're standing next eight big boxes at the airport. N/A
9. You collect items from hotels or restaurants "for souvenir." N/A
10. You smile for no reason. True
11. You flirt by having a foolish grin in your face while raising your eyebrows repeatedly. N/A
12. You go to a department store and try to bargain the prices. Only at Wal-Mart
13. You use an umbrella for shade on hot summer days. Used to.
14. You scratch your head when you don't know the answer. True.
15. You never eat the last morsel of food on the table. True.
16. You like bowling. True
17. You know how to play pusoy and mah-jong. True
18. You find dried up morsels of rice stuck on your shirt. True, He, he.
19. You prefer to sit in the shade instead of basking in the sun. True
20. You add an unwarranted "H" to your name, i.e. "Jhun," Bhoy," "Rhon." N/A
21. You put 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. You guys have seen me do this quite often, I think. I still do it though.
22. Your middle name is your mothers maiden name. N/A
23. You like everything imported or "state-side." N/A
24. You check the labels on clothes to see where it was made before buying. True
25. You hang your clothes out to dry. True.
26. You are perfectly comfortable in a squatting position with your elbows resting on your knees. Yup
27. You consistently arrive 30 minutes late for all events. N/A
28. You always offer food to all your visitors. True
29. You say "comfort room" instead of "bathroom." N/A
30. You say "for take out" instead of "to go" N/A
31. You say "open" or "close" the light. N/A
32. You ask for a "pentel-pen" or a "ball-pen" instead of just "pen." N/A
33. You asked for "Colgate" instead of "toothpaste." True.
34. You refer to the refrigerator as the "ref" or "pridyider." N/A
35. You say "kodakan" instead of take a picture. N/A
36. You order a McDonald's instead of "hamburger" (pronounced ham-boor-jer) N/A
37. You say "Ha" instead of "What." True.
38. You say "Hoy" get someone attention. True.
39. You answer when someone yells "Hoy." True.
40. You turn around when someone says "Psst" True.
41. You say "Cutex" instead of "nail polish." True.
42. You say "he" when you mean "she" and vice versa. Sometimes
43. You say "array" instead of "ouch." Still do sometimes.
44. Your sneeze sounds like "ahh-ching" instead of "ahh-choo." Still do.
45. You prefer to make acronyms for phrases such as "OA: for over acting or "TNT" for, well, you know. N/A
46. You say "air con" instead of "a/c" or air conditioner. True.
47. You say "brown-out" instead of "black-out." True.
48. You use a "walis ting-ting" or "walis tambo" as opposed to a conventional broom. True.
49. You use a "Weapons of Moroland" shield hanging in the living room wall. I’ve been searching for one, but haven’t been lucky.
50. You have a portrait of "The Last Supper" hanging in your dining room. Wait till I find one.
51. You own a karaoke system. Not yet.
52. You own a piano that no one ever plays. Does a keyboard count?
53. You have a tabo in the bathroom. N/A
54. Your house has too many burloloys. N/A
55. You have two to three pairs of tsinelas at your doorstep. N/A
56. Your house has an ornate wrought iron gate in front of it. N/A
57. You have a rose garden. N/A
58. You have a shrine of the "Santo Niño" in your living room. N/A
59. You have a "barrel man" (you pull up the barrel and you see something that looks familiar. Schwing...) Had one
60. You cover the living room furniture with bedsheets. I’m fixing to.
61. Your lamp shades still have the plastic cover on them. If I ever buy a lamp, I just may leave the plastic on.
62. You have plastic runners to cover the carpets in your house. N/A
63. You refer to your VCR as a "beytamax." He, he.
64. You have a rice dispenser. True.
65. You own a turbo boiler. True.
66. You own one of those fiber optic flower lamps. Oh sure, laugh at the guy with the fiber optic flower lamp.
67. You own a lamp with oil that drips down the strings. Too dangerous around kids.
68. You have a giant wooden fork and spoon hanging somewhere in the dining room. This is so funny. My mom still has our old ones.
69. You have a giant wooden tinikling dancer on the wall. N/A
70. You have capiz shells chandeliers, lamps, or placemats. I almost bought one last week.
71. You have a Mercedes Benz and you call it "chedeng." N/A
72. You own a huge van conversion. We used to ! We used to!
73. Your car chirps like a bird or plays a tune when it is in reverse. N/A
74. Your car horn can make 2 or 3 different sounds. N/A
75. Your car has curb feelers or curb detectors. He, he.
76. Your car has too many "burloloys" like a Jeepneys back in P.I. N/A
77. You hang a rosary on your car's rear view mirror. N/A
78. You have an air freshener in your car. True
79. You have aunts and uncles named "Baby," "Girlie," or "Boy." My youngest uncle is named Boy.
80. You were raised to believe that every Filipino is a aunt, uncle or cousin. This is so true it hurts my side everytime I laugh.
81. Your Dad was in the Navy. O Lord.
82. Your mom or sister or wife is a nurse. Kill me now…
83. You have a family member or relative that works in the Post Office. My youngest uncle works(ed) for the post office.
84. Your parents call each other "Mommy" and "Daddy" or "ma" and "pa." Never. Thank God.
85. You have family member that has a nickname that repeats itself, i.e."Deng-Deng," Ling-Ling" or "Bing-Bing" We call my sister Helena “Ning-Ning”
86. You put hot dogs in your spaghetti. Used to. Oh my God, I miss that meal!
87. You consider dilis the Filipino equivalent to French fries. True
88. You think that eating chocolate rice pudding and dried fish is a great morning meal. Oh Yeah.
89. You order things like tapsilog, tocsilog, or longsilog at restaurants. Fried rice, bacon, sweet sausage. Used to.
90. You instinctively grab a toothpick after each meal. Boy do I ever.
91. You order a "soft drink" instead of a "soda." Yep.
92. You dip bread in your morning coffee. You’ve never lived unless you dipped several slices of bread in your morning coffee.
93. You refer to seasonings and all other forms of monosodium glutamate as "Ajinomoto." Ok, ok…let me get off the floor first. My sides are starting to split.
94. Your cupboards are full of Spam, Vienna Sausage, Ligo, and Corned Beef, which you refer to as Karne Norte. Thank God, no, but all these things covered my cupboard while in the military.
95. Goldilocks means more to you than just a character in a fairy tale. Don’t know.
96. You appreciate a fresh pot of rice. Yum.
97. You bring your "baon" most of the time to work. Packed lunch, lunch box.
98. Your "baon" is usually something over rice. True.
99. Your neighbors complain about the smell of tuyo on Sunday mornings. Never.
100. You eat rice for breakfast. True.
101. You use your fingers to measure the water when cooking rice. This is old Filipino practice of cooking rice. Instead of using measuring cup, we measure the amount of water to put with the rice using fingers.
Though we're a very mixed race, everything we do is distinctly Filipino. Our identity almost always shows wherever we are. Confused about your identity? Don't know how Filipino you really are? Well, here's a not-so-scientific way to find out. See if you'll find yourself nodding your head more than you're shaking it. You might find that these 101 things are a lot truer than if you took out your birth certificate.
My responses are included.
1. You point with your lips. True
2. You eat using hands and you have it down to a technique. Up until I was 11.
3. Your other piece of luggage is a balikbayan box. I came to the US with one.
4. You nod upwards to greet someone. True
5. You put your foot up on your chair and rest your elbow on your knee while eating. Up until I was 11.
6. You think that half-hatched duck eggs are a delicacy. They are called “Balut”, I’ve had my share.
7. You have to kiss your relative on the cheek as soon as you enter the room. True
8. You're standing next eight big boxes at the airport. N/A
9. You collect items from hotels or restaurants "for souvenir." N/A
10. You smile for no reason. True
11. You flirt by having a foolish grin in your face while raising your eyebrows repeatedly. N/A
12. You go to a department store and try to bargain the prices. Only at Wal-Mart
13. You use an umbrella for shade on hot summer days. Used to.
14. You scratch your head when you don't know the answer. True.
15. You never eat the last morsel of food on the table. True.
16. You like bowling. True
17. You know how to play pusoy and mah-jong. True
18. You find dried up morsels of rice stuck on your shirt. True, He, he.
19. You prefer to sit in the shade instead of basking in the sun. True
20. You add an unwarranted "H" to your name, i.e. "Jhun," Bhoy," "Rhon." N/A
21. You put 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. You guys have seen me do this quite often, I think. I still do it though.
22. Your middle name is your mothers maiden name. N/A
23. You like everything imported or "state-side." N/A
24. You check the labels on clothes to see where it was made before buying. True
25. You hang your clothes out to dry. True.
26. You are perfectly comfortable in a squatting position with your elbows resting on your knees. Yup
27. You consistently arrive 30 minutes late for all events. N/A
28. You always offer food to all your visitors. True
29. You say "comfort room" instead of "bathroom." N/A
30. You say "for take out" instead of "to go" N/A
31. You say "open" or "close" the light. N/A
32. You ask for a "pentel-pen" or a "ball-pen" instead of just "pen." N/A
33. You asked for "Colgate" instead of "toothpaste." True.
34. You refer to the refrigerator as the "ref" or "pridyider." N/A
35. You say "kodakan" instead of take a picture. N/A
36. You order a McDonald's instead of "hamburger" (pronounced ham-boor-jer) N/A
37. You say "Ha" instead of "What." True.
38. You say "Hoy" get someone attention. True.
39. You answer when someone yells "Hoy." True.
40. You turn around when someone says "Psst" True.
41. You say "Cutex" instead of "nail polish." True.
42. You say "he" when you mean "she" and vice versa. Sometimes
43. You say "array" instead of "ouch." Still do sometimes.
44. Your sneeze sounds like "ahh-ching" instead of "ahh-choo." Still do.
45. You prefer to make acronyms for phrases such as "OA: for over acting or "TNT" for, well, you know. N/A
46. You say "air con" instead of "a/c" or air conditioner. True.
47. You say "brown-out" instead of "black-out." True.
48. You use a "walis ting-ting" or "walis tambo" as opposed to a conventional broom. True.
49. You use a "Weapons of Moroland" shield hanging in the living room wall. I’ve been searching for one, but haven’t been lucky.
50. You have a portrait of "The Last Supper" hanging in your dining room. Wait till I find one.
51. You own a karaoke system. Not yet.
52. You own a piano that no one ever plays. Does a keyboard count?
53. You have a tabo in the bathroom. N/A
54. Your house has too many burloloys. N/A
55. You have two to three pairs of tsinelas at your doorstep. N/A
56. Your house has an ornate wrought iron gate in front of it. N/A
57. You have a rose garden. N/A
58. You have a shrine of the "Santo Niño" in your living room. N/A
59. You have a "barrel man" (you pull up the barrel and you see something that looks familiar. Schwing...) Had one
60. You cover the living room furniture with bedsheets. I’m fixing to.
61. Your lamp shades still have the plastic cover on them. If I ever buy a lamp, I just may leave the plastic on.
62. You have plastic runners to cover the carpets in your house. N/A
63. You refer to your VCR as a "beytamax." He, he.
64. You have a rice dispenser. True.
65. You own a turbo boiler. True.
66. You own one of those fiber optic flower lamps. Oh sure, laugh at the guy with the fiber optic flower lamp.
67. You own a lamp with oil that drips down the strings. Too dangerous around kids.
68. You have a giant wooden fork and spoon hanging somewhere in the dining room. This is so funny. My mom still has our old ones.
69. You have a giant wooden tinikling dancer on the wall. N/A
70. You have capiz shells chandeliers, lamps, or placemats. I almost bought one last week.
71. You have a Mercedes Benz and you call it "chedeng." N/A
72. You own a huge van conversion. We used to ! We used to!
73. Your car chirps like a bird or plays a tune when it is in reverse. N/A
74. Your car horn can make 2 or 3 different sounds. N/A
75. Your car has curb feelers or curb detectors. He, he.
76. Your car has too many "burloloys" like a Jeepneys back in P.I. N/A
77. You hang a rosary on your car's rear view mirror. N/A
78. You have an air freshener in your car. True
79. You have aunts and uncles named "Baby," "Girlie," or "Boy." My youngest uncle is named Boy.
80. You were raised to believe that every Filipino is a aunt, uncle or cousin. This is so true it hurts my side everytime I laugh.
81. Your Dad was in the Navy. O Lord.
82. Your mom or sister or wife is a nurse. Kill me now…
83. You have a family member or relative that works in the Post Office. My youngest uncle works(ed) for the post office.
84. Your parents call each other "Mommy" and "Daddy" or "ma" and "pa." Never. Thank God.
85. You have family member that has a nickname that repeats itself, i.e."Deng-Deng," Ling-Ling" or "Bing-Bing" We call my sister Helena “Ning-Ning”
86. You put hot dogs in your spaghetti. Used to. Oh my God, I miss that meal!
87. You consider dilis the Filipino equivalent to French fries. True
88. You think that eating chocolate rice pudding and dried fish is a great morning meal. Oh Yeah.
89. You order things like tapsilog, tocsilog, or longsilog at restaurants. Fried rice, bacon, sweet sausage. Used to.
90. You instinctively grab a toothpick after each meal. Boy do I ever.
91. You order a "soft drink" instead of a "soda." Yep.
92. You dip bread in your morning coffee. You’ve never lived unless you dipped several slices of bread in your morning coffee.
93. You refer to seasonings and all other forms of monosodium glutamate as "Ajinomoto." Ok, ok…let me get off the floor first. My sides are starting to split.
94. Your cupboards are full of Spam, Vienna Sausage, Ligo, and Corned Beef, which you refer to as Karne Norte. Thank God, no, but all these things covered my cupboard while in the military.
95. Goldilocks means more to you than just a character in a fairy tale. Don’t know.
96. You appreciate a fresh pot of rice. Yum.
97. You bring your "baon" most of the time to work. Packed lunch, lunch box.
98. Your "baon" is usually something over rice. True.
99. Your neighbors complain about the smell of tuyo on Sunday mornings. Never.
100. You eat rice for breakfast. True.
101. You use your fingers to measure the water when cooking rice. This is old Filipino practice of cooking rice. Instead of using measuring cup, we measure the amount of water to put with the rice using fingers.
posted by Noel | 10:13 PM
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