Glossary and Cultural Notes
Ate (AH-teh)/Kuya (KOO-yah) - Older Sister/Older Brother, sort of like oneechan and oniisan in Japanese
Barangay tanod (bah-RAHNG-guy TAH-nod) - kind of like community crime watchers, but they're part of the local government. they keep the peace within the barangay, or the community Bathala (bat-HA-la) - the Philippine deity, God Cubao (koo-BOW) - one of the shopping districts in Manila, SM is one of the most popular malls Divisoria (dih-vih-SO-reea) - a wild, chaotic, teeming market place, a devoted bargain-hunter's paradise Eat Bulaga (BU-laga) - a long-running noontime variety show on TV. I have NO idea what the title of the show means engkanto (eng-KAN-to) - fairy or elemental ensaymada (en-sai-MAH-dah) - bread with melted butter and grated cheese. Yum. fish balls - little balls made of flour and fish paste, deep-fried in oil and dipped in a spicy-sweet sauce. Any UP student knows that fish balls are the staple of life. Ginebra (hee-NEH-brah) - a popular brand of gin, manufactured by the San Miguel Corporation, who also makes the San Mig Dry beer I keep mentioning iho (ee-ho) - male equivalent of ineng, a young boy ineng (eee-NEHNG) - a pet name for a young girl, like a Scotsman calling someone lassie isaw (EEE-sao) - barbecued pig or chicken intestines. Goes well with beer, for obvious reasons. iskolar ng bayan (i-SKO-lar nahng BA-yan) - "scholar of the state or country", what students of the University of the Philippines are called. Since UP is a state-funded university, tuition fees are heavily funded by the government. kare-kare (KAH-reh kah-reh) - an elaborate and very delicious stew with a peanut-based sauce kumpadre/kumadre (koom-PAH-dre/koo-MAH-dre) - title given by older adults to peers and friends. English translations are comrade, but the meanings aren't quite the same. lambanog (LAM-ba-NOG) - wine made from coconut, with around 80-90% alcohol content...or something lapu-lapu (LAH-pu LAH-pu) - a kind of grouper fish in the Philippines, which when boiled turns a lovely red-pink color 'ling (as in ling) - a contraction of "darling", a term of endearment between spouses and lovers, sort of like "honey" Lolo/Lola - Grandfather/Grandmother Makati (mah-KA-tee) - the business and financial center of Metro Manila, quite a distance away from the campus Malate (mah-LAH-teh) - a happ'nin area in the City of Manila, full of bars and dance clubs. Er, don't really know much about this place because I hardly go there mano (pronounced like 'mano' or hand in Spanish) - the act of pressing the back of someone's hand to your forehead. It's a traditional gesture of respect made by children or younger persons to their elders, especially their elder relatives. It's supposed to be a way of asking their blessings or something. Nanay (NAH-nay) - Mother National Book Store - biggest book store/school and office supplies chain in the country pancit (PAHN-sit) - a stir-fried noodle dish that's always a mainstay during celebrations. Parokya ni Edgar (pah-ROH-kyah ni Edgar) - lit., Edgar's Parish, an extremely popular Filipino novelty rock band pork adobo (ah-doe-bo) - a quintessential Filipino dish. It's pretty well described in the story, but you might want to Google the recipe. Sex Bomb Dancers - at the time of the story, a group of sexy dancers stainless - a slang word for either Ginebra or gin, due to its clear, gleaming color Susmariosep (SUS-maryosep) - a mild-ish expletive, a contraction of Jesus (J = H, Latin-style), Maria and Joseph (or Jose). Try saying those three names really fast. "Ay sus" is another contraction, this time of "Ay, Jesus" tagayan (TAH-ga-YAN) - a kind of drinking ritual where men would sit in a circle and take turns drinking shots from a cup placed in the middle of the group Tandang Sora (TAHN-dang SO-ra) - a major street in Quezon City, named after Melchora Aquino, an old lady who was one of the heroines of the Philippine revolution Tatay (TAH-tay) - Father tender juicy hotdogs - complete name is actually Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs, a hotdog brand selling in the Philippines. Used in the context below...ah, you figure it out, guys. The debut party - in our country, girls, especially high-society girls, celebrate their 18th birthday with a come-out party or ball, where they make their debut into society. Therere several traditions associated with this, such as the 18 Candles (18 of the celebrants best girlfriends paying a tribute to her), the 18 Roses (18 of the celebrants special male friends and relatives dancing with her, beginning with her father and ending with her significant other), andother things related to the number 18. tinikling (tee-nee-KLEENG) - a traditional Filipino folk dance, performed with two bamboo poles that are tapped on the ground and against each other while one or more dancers step over and in between the poles. The beat goes one-two-three, one-two-three, with the bamboo poles tapped on the ground on beats one and two, then against each other on three. You can Google it to see how the dance is done. Tita (TEE-tah) - roughly "Auntie," also used to address older non-related females Tito (TEE-toh) - roughly "Uncle," also used to address older non-related males Transportation in the Philippines - The common mode of transportation within a suburban area is via tricycle—a motorcycle with a single-wheeled passenger cab attached to its right side, just large enough for two, or three of you're really in a hurry. On the major thoroughfares, you can ride a jeepney—a colorfully painted, elongated version of the American Jeep, with a seating capacity of twenty or more. |
Guide to Pronunciation
Filipino consonants are always hard, and the vowels are flat, like so:
a - as in "father" e - as in "egg" i - as in "teeth" o - as in "oval" or "omen" but without the closing of the lips u - as in the long "oo" sound in "super" More details on pronunciation here. Other resources: Learn to Speak Filipino (Tagalog) Filipino Directory Tagalog Lang UP Diliman
The University of the Philippines (UP) is the country's national university. This premier institution of higher learning was established in 1908 and is now a university system composed of seven constituent universities and one autonomous college spread throughout 15 campuses in the archipelago. As of 2010, the UP System’s student population was almost 52,000.
UP Diliman, the University's flagship campus, offers the most number of undergraduate and graduate degree programs and is composed of almost 50 percent of the entire UP System student population. Aside from the 493-hectare main campus in Quezon City—home to the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology—this constituent university also administers the UP Diliman Extension Program in Pampanga. The latter is located at the Clark Special Economic Zone which is less than 20 kilometers north of Manila. The statue of the naked man with his arms outstretched, seen in the photo above, is the Oblation, symbol of UP. Information from the UP System website, www.up.edu.ph. You can find a map of UP Diliman here. Quezon City, Metro Manila
The city where most of the story takes place. According to Wikipedia, Quezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L. Quezon, President of the Philippines, who founded the city and developed it to replace Manila as the country's capital. The main campuses of two noteworthy universities, the Ateneo de Manila University and the country's national university, the University of the Philippines Diliman, are located in the city.
Transportation in the Philippines
Two popular modes of public transportation are mentioned in the story: the jeepney and the tricycle.
Above: The jeepney (photo from this site). Specifically, the UP-Ikot jeep, which plies a route round and round the campus, hence the term "ikot", meaning "around".
Below: The tricycle, a vehicle used often in villages, subdivisions and residential areas. Photo by Albert Wesker The Return. |