Toasty Brown

2009-08-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

I've been privileged to guest write for 8 Asians since last week. I just emailed Ernie (Editor) my second post and hopefully, my final third this week, of which will eventually make me a regular writer on the site after that. Ernie's requirements were pretty straightforward & he made it conducive for potential writers to be more natural & free-flowing with their idea articles.

Needless to say, I'm ecstatic to have found a site dedicated to being Asian. The same principle that I have with Toasty Brown : to connect and dissect, if I must say, the kind of life we live & how we adapted to this foreign culture, we all now call HOME. Surprisingly, Toasty Brown has evolved more into a hub for people looking to connect to other fellow Filipinos in the area. It seem like this is the ONLY FILIPINO blog in Charlotte & sorrounding area. The first link that pops up among the list when you type Filipino in Charlotte according to those who found it. I should give it a try & google these claim. In a sense I'm proud that this blog has found GREAT purpose in blogosphere!

I just wish there were more Filipinos in this side of town.

To read my articles on 8Asians click HERE and share your point of view.

Madame Cory Aquino - Paalam!

2009-08-06T19:16:00.000-07:00

January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009
picture courtesy of wikipedia

I'm saddened to learn today of the recent death of former President Cory Aquino. An Icon that pioneered People Power and the first Female President of the Philippines who has revolutionized the status and power of women all over the world. The President that gave a whole new meaning to the Yellow Ribbon! A plain housewife that rose to power and ruled not just the government but an entire country. It's not surprising that even President Obama himself was saddened by her death. Cory is a legend.

picture courtesy of Inquirer.net

She will always be remembered. Her name will forever be etched in history books. Farewell Madame Cory! You're life has been and always will be an inspiration to all of us Filipinos! Mabuhay ka!

Language Immersion - a Lost Art ?

2009-06-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

I watch in silent disbelief as a couple talk to their child in English. Not that there's anything wrong with English, but the fact that they do, made me shake my head.

The couple are both Filipinos {like me} who speaks fluent Filipino dialect. "Why are they talking to their child in English?" Don't they value their heritage, their language? Enough to teach their child a foreign language rather than theirs? "What gives?"

In my 6 years of living in the US, 95% of Filipinos I know especially those married to fellow Filipino and speaks fluent Filipino language, rears their child speaking only the English language or knows a few words of their parents' native language or not at all. It continues to baffle me as to why this is a common phenomena amongst Filipinos living abroad.

In my case, I'm married to an American which made immersion a rather tricky task for me. It was agreed after debating, that we'll establish English as our daughters' first language since I'm outnumbered anyway. Two to one. At this point, my daughter can banter with me in my language. It's still a work in progress but I'm delighted with the result of my efforts.

Why then is it too difficult for others to pass on their heritage? I personally, don't want mine to end with me. I want my daughter to carry on my heritage and legacy after I'm long gone. It will be a gift she can be proud of.

So, I continue to seek the answer. Just recently, I came across a Filipina with a Filipina mom and American dad. She only speaks English. She is married to a Filipino who speaks fluent Filipino dialect and they have a daughter, who only speaks English as well. I quizzed her why she never learned the Filipino dialect. Her and her Filipina Mom both replied that "her dad forbid it!" I was shocked. I thot it was selfish and cruel. For whatever reason her mom decided not to oppose it, I will never want to know. What about her daughter? I'm beyond puzzlement.

Another Filipina lady I spoke with who have Filipino parents told me that she regretted the fact that her parents never taught her their language. She said that "she'll never understand why they didn't"... That she would have loved it if she knew the language.

These are just few of the many Filipinos I have encountered who are encased in this phenomena. I really don't understand why. Is it the lack of self-esteem rooted in our dysfunctional culture? The hunger to belong and be accepted? Or simply blinded by our own pride?

In comparison, I've noted that Chinese, Indians {from India}, other Asians, even Hispanics have a very strong adherence to keeping their heritage intact as evident in their kids. Why can't we be like them?

Answers still escapes me. I may never know. I will always wonder...

** If you have any comments or opinion in this subject matter, feel free to voice it out. I might just find the answers through you!

Accent what?

2009-01-06T00:00:00.000-08:00

"your voice sounds different from the first time I've spoken to you"... said my "penpal" of 20+ some years. Yes, I have a penpal (I was lucky to experience the olden ways of connecting to someone via snail mail} but that's another story to be told. She came to honor me with an after-christmas visit after a few years of respite of not seeing each other. Last time was when my daughter, who is now 4 years old, was born.

Odd too was that now I understand her better. She has the typical southern drawl that to a "virgin" ear, would sound more like nothing but gibberish! Not that it's a bad thing, but to me at that time, it was! Before you'd hear me asking quite a few times this : "say that again" - like a broken record! - it was frustrating at times! So what changed?

I have always spoken english even when I was in the Philippines. It was more of an obligation to, especially when I worked for a Top 500 company that caters to executives, foreign investors and moreso, Government delegates. Speaking it on regular basis has honed my fluency of the language but never considered the fact that it would one day change my "accent" as well.

I'm in the US for 5 years now. Unknowingly, my way of speaking has evolved to something of a different character. My immersion to the different accents and ways it is spoken around me on a daily basis has trained my brain to comprehend words better. I have not spoken my own language on a regular basis for all these 5 years. What's my tongue to do? It adapted itself to what it speaks on daily basis! - English.

There's 170 spoken languages in the Philippines and they've all got their own respective accents, that even when one is speaking our universal language "tagalog", it's easy to define that one is from this region and speaks this dialect. I akin this to the regional accents spoken in the US. The trick to identifying it and adapting to it is all about exposure and immersion.

Even my long time friends back in the Philippines, has noticed this change. Although, I can't say whether it shocked them or awed them. Native speakers here could not tell the difference. Most of them think I was born here, grew up here or has lived in the US before I decided to settle here for good. To give you a definitive idea, my tonal inflictions resembles that of from someone in Main state New York or Florida which to me has no accent at all. Plain and simply spoken english. But, my fluency and way of speaking it has earned respect from fellow Filipinos. Some pure admiration...to me, it's the reward of adapting and learning...

It makes a whole lot of difference just being able to wade through life in a vast culture and come out unscathed. Just like a chameleon...to survive, you blend in with your surroundings...

I speak 3 Filipino dialects, English and a bit of Arabic. I believe, I'm blessed.

How about you? Have you been struggling with transitioning from your "native" accent to that which is "acceptable" where you live right now?

The Dragon Awakes

2009-01-04T12:48:00.000-08:00

It's been forever since I have updated this blog and for the year 2009 - "the Dragon must wake up" and fly to new heights to venture into the world of blogosphere. There's a lot to say, a lot to posts and so many stories to tell...

First off, New Year is the most celebrated holiday in Asia. New Year has come and gone in the US for me, yet every year, I have this great yearning or crazy wish to be right in the Philippines just to experience the excitement akin to New year again. Even if it was only for a day! I miss the noise, the firecrackers and its' grand display of beautiful art that fills the sky at the strike of midnight like if it was 4th of July! Then, there's the Media Noche {Midnight dinner} that culminates the welcoming of the new year. So much of it is missed.

Being in the US is so different. As vastly different as our culture is to it. Yet you learn to adapt. All we did {like how it is for as far as I can remember} was stay home, watch TV {this year, we caught up on our downloaded TV shows} and switched to regular programming close to midnight to partake in the countdown in NY while the ball drops! The honor of turning on the switch went to the Clintons this year {Bill and Hillary} - call that exciting!

ah to be somewhere else during New Year!

Are you like me, hankering for the things gone?

Zen Ventures: My 100th Post and the New Year

ZenVentures: Life in Asia Part II - Conserving H2O with Tabo and Balde

2008-07-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

I have been posting a topic on the way we Asians live and how we can incorporate them in our US life in order to conserve and save some money, especially with how the economy is here right now. Our gas prices have been going up and up away like Superman without the cape! :) - fortunately, just yesterday (saturday), I saw that the prices went down for a bit. The highest in Charlotte that I saw was $4.00+ depending where the gas station is situated. Yesterday was $3.89! not much but promising. Life here is not paradise like everyone thinks back home in Pinas - kayod kabayo ka dito! Kung wala kang training sa "pagtitipid" eh patay ka! The life portrayed in so many US movies and TV series that a lot of Asians watch in their homes doesn't even scratch the surface of the reality of living in the US. It's all but propaganda, if I must say! Those are all but fictions. Sabi nga nila, you can't really understand unless you experience it yourself. Life here is just the same as anywhere else. We earn dollars, we spend dollars! - Anyway, check out my Ec0-frugal tips and if you have any thoughts or ideas to add on, please don't hesitate to let me know. Maraming salamat po!

ZenVentures: Life in Asia Part II - Conserving H2O with Tabo and Balde

Be the first to comment or react to this post. Promise, it won't kill you :)

Filipino Alert

2008-07-10T09:20:00.001-07:00

After less than 2 months of blogging & being in the ether wave, my main blog Zen Ventures , finally paid off. A Filipina who lives in Mint Hill & works in Mecklenburg County actually found her way to my blog and made contact. This is just great! If you read this post , which is also posted here, only then will you understand why.

I am happy that Joy found me. Isn't it a little ironic in a funny way, that her name is Joy ? Joy found me...nice ring huh! I believe this is the start of a more wonderful encounters to come. Till then, I'll keep crossing my fingers (and toes!) .

Kailan kaya ?

2008-06-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

Philippine inquiry opens as 800 believed dead in Ferry disaster

That's an uncommon headline but it breaks my heart that it never fail to happen every year. Lagi na lang may aksidenteng ganyan. Kelan kaya tayo matututo ?

Filipino Connection

2008-06-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

Blessings come in many forms but most of the time, we are blind to see it...

In this world of Spam and junk mails, it is easy to dismiss email messages that you have no business with whatsoever. So I, like any normal email account holders, go to a deletion spree at any given time. But then there's that occasional instances wherein I would actually spare a few emails here and there, just to check and ponder on for a while until I decide to vanish it forever.

So, this past few weeks, I started getting this email from info9@mygringos.com . I'm like, whaattt ?? Gringo Honasan is spamming now too! (yeah funny!) - turned out, it is a filipino website which was useful for me ! Don't know how they got my email info but I'm Ok with it now.

Since I started this blog about my "Filipino-ness", I needed connection like theirs to keep up with my fellow kababayans' events and such. Blessing in a disguise indeed! So come check it out : FilAm nation (only downside is that all the event is in California) (sob). "wish I live in California"...

Scroll down the bottom of the page to see Gary V. in concert in Cali .

My Filipino-ness

2008-06-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wish I live in California - or Cali, if you wanna call it the hip way. Why ? well, it is a haven for Filipinos. And here's a proof that verify that: Asian Explosion . The figure is just astounding but I'm not surprised since Cali is the closest US state to the Philippines, globally speaking. I have lived in NC for about 5 years now and meeting or even seeing Filipinos in this area is a miracle! Ewan ko ba, mukhang di yata kaya ng powers ng aking kapwa pilipino ang tumira dito. Dahil kaya sa malamig dito ? My mom lives in Cali (thrives in the warm (or hot) weather in the west ) and visited me this year during Spring. As you guessed, her body did not totally appreciate the cooler weather here down east. Nagkasakit si Lola. Wawa! but she recovered and is now back to her home sweet home enjoying the warm weather of the west coast again ( hindi ko sya makumbinsi tumira dito ever! )

Charlotte only have .7% Filipinos in the entire population. Which is why most of the time, I feel like a filipino from a lonely planet (hikbi). But somehow luck was in my favor since the past 2 weeks. Lo and behold! Filipino presence has flocked into my domain- not this domain- I mean at work ! (",) But hey, I would be so flattered if I do get Filipinos to drop by my site and actually say Hi !

So anyway, I was pretty ecstatic including people who know me at work. Like I said, Filipino encounters are very rare and you just learn to appreciate it when they do come along. I met Mimi, a filipina doctor married to an american, who lives in Fort Mill SC and currently enrolled in TaiChi . Then there's the Filipino teenager, Kenneth who was born in Mindanao and was adopted by her american parents when he was 9 months old. His mom is just so hungry to connect to his heritage that she was so happy to meet me (so do I ). He now takes Shaolin. Good for him! Then just today, I got a phone call from someone whose adoptive father is a filipino who lives just outside of Charlotte's City limits. Talk about encounters! I do hope to meet more. The only filipino friend I have unfortunately is not even as fluent with her native language anymore and has sort of lost touch with her "Filipino-ness". In her defense, she's almost old enough to be my mom and have lived here like forever! My daughter adores her, she's a filipino and that's all that matters!

Kumusta na mga kababayan ko ?

Originally posted in Zenventures of a working mom

Asian Explosion

2008-06-19T14:02:00.000-07:00

Some interesting facts about Asians and Filipinos by the US Census Bureau. We're definitely taking over the US ! Read on and be amazed...

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month: May 2008
By the U.S. Census Bureau

Asians

14.9 millionThe estimated number of U.S. residents in July 2006 who said they were Asian alone or Asian in combination with one or more other races. This group comprised about 5 percent of the total population. Source: Population estimates <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/010048.html>

5 millionThe Asian population in California, the state that had the largest Asian population (either alone or in combination with one or more other races) on July 1, 2006, as well as the largest numerical increase from 2005 to 2006 (114,000). New York (1.4 million) and Texas (882,000) followed in population. Texas (43,000) and New York (34,000) followed in numerical increase. In Hawaii, Asians made up the highest proportion of the total population (56 percent), with California (14 percent) and New Jersey and Washington (8 percent each) next. Source: Population estimates <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/010048.html>

3.6 millionNumber of Asians of Chinese descent in the U.S. Chinese-Americans are the largest Asian group, followed by Filipinos (2.9 million), Asian Indians (2.7 million), Vietnamese (1.6 million), Koreans (1.5 million) and Japanese (1.2 million). These estimates represent the number of people who are either of a particular Asian group only or are of that group in combination with one or more other Asian groups or races. Source: 2006 American Community Survey <http://factfinder.census.gov>

Languages

2.5 millionThe number of people 5 and older who speak Chinese at home. After Spanish, Chinese is the most widely spoken non-English language in the country. Tagalog, Vietnamese and Korean are each spoken at home by more than 1 million people. Source: 2006 American Community Survey <http://factfinder.census.gov>

The Future

33.4 millionThe projected number of U.S. residents in 2050 who will identify themselves as single-race Asians. They would comprise 8 percent of the total population by that year. Source: Population projections <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001720.html>

213%The projected percentage increase between 2000 and 2050 in the population of people who identify themselves as single-race Asian. This compares with a 49 percent increase in the population as a whole over the same period of time. Source: Population projections <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001720.html>

DIG THIS !

Races in Charlotte:

White Non-Hispanic (55.1%)
Black (32.7%)
Hispanic (7.4%)
Other race (3.6%)
Two or more races (1.7%)
Asian Indian (0.9%)
Vietnamese (0.8%)
American Indian (0.7%)
Other Asian (0.7%)

Only .7% ! No wonder I feel like I'm the only Filipino in this part of town!

And the Saga begins...

2008-06-13T09:58:00.001-07:00

Ako ay Filipina ! Ako ay Kulay Kayumanggi...

Yes, I am a Filipina and I'm proud of my color! Brown and beautiful ... No matter what others say...I stand proud of who I am or where I am ! Our color makes us stand out in the midst of a crowd or even from a far...That is what makes us special.

But there is more to it... It is what we have made ourselves to be that spells who we truly are! Brown or no brown, culture or no culture. The essence of our own persona is all that matters in the end...

How have we all become, being transplanted away from our native lands and native ways ? How have we survived the test of time and temptation of becoming someone else to blend in with the new culture we have come to adapt to?

Do we still see ourselves as brown-skinned or trying to be fair-skinned - maging puti o kasing-puti tulad ng espasol ? Is that why, most of us try so hard to color our hair blonde ?! - parang mga maninisid sa dagat na nakula ang buhok sa init ng araw at ng alat ng tubig-dagat? - just so to look like caucasian !? -awwww gimme a break!
look at ourselves. We're no closer to looking like them. - That just remind me of a lyric in a song that was popular back then and now... "Ako ay Pilipino, ang ilong ko ay pango..." It is not to degrade but it is more to be aware of who we are and to be proud of it- which unfortunately not most of us do.

This blog intends to chronicle the ways, culture and lifestyle of Filipinos and Asians including all the race of color like us in America directly from the eyes of a Filipino herself...

The truth be told...