Filipino Signs of Wit

I read this on a website that was recommended by a friend and I just thought its a nice article worth sharing.

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This week, we shall take a “reading tour” of one of the most spirited communities in Asia. The Philippines is full of word play. The local accent among many Filipinos, in which English words with “F” are spelled and pronounced with the sound of “P” and V is pronounced as “B” (because the Philippine alphabet has no letters F or V), is often used very cleverly, such as, the sign in a flower shop in Diliman called Petal Attraction.

Much of the word play in the Philippines is deliberate with retailers and various businesses favoring a play on names of Western establishments and celebrities (Americans, in particular—movie stars and entertainment personalities, especially).

For example, there is a bread shop in Manila called Anita Bakery, a 24-hour restaurant called Doris Day and Night, a garment shop called Elizabeth Tailoring, and a barber shop called Felix The Cut.

Reader Robert Harland also spotted a bakery named Bread Pitt, and a Makati fast-food place selling “maruya” (banana fritters) called Maruya Carey. Then, there are Christopher Plumbing, and a boutique called The Way We Wear ; a video rental shop called Leon King Video Rental; a local burger restaurant called Mang Donald’s, a doughnut shop called MacDonuts , a shop selling “lumpia” (egg roll) in Makati called Wrap and Roll, and two butcher shops called Meating Place and Meatropolis.

Smart travelers can decipher what may look like baffling signs to unaccustomed foreigners by simply sounding out the “Taglish” (the Philippine version of English words spelled and pronounced with a heavy Filipino accent), such as, at a restaurant menu in Cebu : “We hab sopdrink in can an in batol” [translation: We have soft drinks in can and in bottle]. Then, there is a sewing accessories shop called Bids And Pises (translation: Beads and Pieces –or– Bits and Pieces).

There are also many signs with either badly chosen or misspelled words, but they are usually so entertaining that it would be a mistake to “correct” them. A reader named Antonio “Tonyboy” Ramon T. Ongsiako, (now there’s a truly Filipino name), contributed the following interesting Philippine signs and advertisements:

In a restaurant in Baguio City (the “summer capital” of the Philippines ): “Wanted: Boy Waitress”; on a highway in Pampanga: “We Make Modern Antique Furniture;” on the window of a photography shop in Cabanatuan : “We Shoot You While You Wait;” and on the glass front of a cafe in Panay Avenue in Manila : “Wanted: Waiter, Cashier, Washier.”

Some of the notices can even give a wrong impression, such as, a shoe store in Pangasinan which has a sign saying: “We Sell Imported Robber Shoes” (these could be the “sneakiest” sneakers); and a rental property sign in Jaro, Iloilo reads: “House For Rent, Fully Furnaced” (it must really be hot inside)!

Occasionally, one could come across signs that are truly unique–if not altogether odd. Reader Gunilla Edlund submitted a sign that she saw at the ticket booth in the ferry pier in DavaoCity in southern Philippines , which said: “Adults: 1 peso; Child: 50 centavos; Cadavers: fare subject to negotiation.”

According to Manila businessman, Tonyboy Ongsiako, there is so much wit in the Philippines because “. . .we are a country where a good sense of humor is needed to survive. We have a 24-hour comedy show here called the government and a huge reserve of comedians made up mostly of politicians and retiring actors."

Nury Vittachi - The Far Eastern Economic Review

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Source: http://nakanampucha.wordpress.com/

Top Ten Fake Excuses For Work

Need an excuse to skip work? Try some of these unusual ones that CareerBuilder.com dug up in a recent survey:

1. I dreamt that I had been fired, so I didn't bother to get out of bed.

2. I had to take my cat to the dentist.

3. I got all the way to the office and realised I was still in my pyjamas and had to go home to change.

4. I saw that you weren't in the office, so I went out looking for you.

5. I couldn't find the right tie, so I had to wait for the shops to open to buy one.

6. My son tried to flush our ferret down the toilet and I needed to tend to it.

7. I ran over a goat.

8. I stopped for a muffin, the shop was robbed and the police required everyone to stay for questioning.

9. A bee flew in my car and attacked me and I had to pull over.

10. I wet my pants and went home to change.

According to the survey, one in five employees admits to making up fake excuses and only 35 percent of employers say they don't believe the excuses. So, what are you waiting for? Just make sure your boss belongs to the 65% who would buy these excuses.


Source: Reader's Digest April 2007 Issue

PMD's 'Attitude' Problem

Candid shots after the Awarding of Central Luzon's Best LGU Streamlining Practitioners.

The Science of Love

In the February 2007 issue of the Reader's Digest, Megan Gressor writes about science and love. Believe it or not, scientists are actually researching about this feeling called love. Listed below are 12 scientifically-proven ways to find the perfect match (almost), dismissing certain cliches exploited in romantic movies and novels while justifying others.

1. LIKE SEEKS LIKE

Forget about opposites attract. I guess that can only apply to magnets. It turns out we gravitate towards people who share the same backgrounds, tastes and interests as ours. Studies have also confirmed that we prefer people who look like us, hence some spouses resemble each other.

2. DECLARE YOUR DESIRE

According to social psychologist Dr. Arthur Aron, a major turn-on is the simple realization that someone fancies you. We warm up to people who are nice to us. Haven't you noticed that most of the men who get the good girls are bolero?

3. THE EYES HAVE IT

Love at first sight? Not quite, but scientists have proven that the longer you stare at the eyes of a prospective partner, the more you like what you see. And it's a plus if your pupils are dilated (kind of like being on drugs, don't you think so?). According to a research conducted by University of Chicago professor Eckard Hess, having dilated pupils is the most attractive attribute we find in the opposite sex. Subjects who were shown two identical photos (save for the pupil size) of the opposite sex preferred the photos of the subject with larger pupils. The reason? Apparently, enlarged pupils signal intense arousal.

4. BODY LANGUAGE

The saving grace of people who don't have anything intelligent to say. The most effective ones include staring and smiling, and playing with your hair. What turns on men, according to author Allan Pease (The Definitive Guide to Body Language), is female "submission" gestures. These "submission" gestures include exposure of vulnerable areas such as the wrists or neck, or the leg twine maneuver popularized by Princess Diana.

5. BE BEAUTIFUL

I'm talking about physical beauty not the inner beauty that we've been told a thousand times to value when seeking a partner. Good-looking people, according to Gressor, are almost universally viewed as smarter, sexier and more successful than their simpler counterparts. Evolutionary social theorists say that we prefer attributes that improve the chances of successful reproduction. Now you know why men go for younger women with long, shiny hair and full hips, and women like taller and older men.

6. HOME IS WHERE IT'S AT

So that's why long-distance relationships don't work. Forget about the cliche 'absence makes the heart grow fonder.' Apparently, repeated exposure to the object of our desire is more beneficial as it makes us like the other person more, unless we dislike them the first time we set eyes on them. Propinquity, indeed, makes the heart grow fonder.

7. AVOID COMPARISONS

Never compare your prospective partners to the "it" boys and girls on glossy magazine covers. A study made by Sara Gutierres and Douglas Kenrick of Arizona State University's psychology department showed that men gave their prospective partners lower scores after being shown Playboy centerfolds and watching a TV show with pretty female stars.

8. LOVE AT FIRST FRIGHT

They say the more aroused we are when we're with a prospective partner, the more attractive we're likely to find them. This was tested by University of Texas psychologists Cindy Meston and Penny Frohlich when they asked subjects to rate members of the opposite sex before and after a roller coaster ride. It turns out that whatever the cause of our thumping heart, if we ascribe it to the person we're with, we feel attracted to her or him. I think they call it excitation transfer.

9. NAMING GAME

What's in a name? Apparently, a lot, according to Dr. Albert Mehrabian of the University of California's psychology department. People perceive that you share the same attributes with well-known person just because you share their name. Some names are also linked to negative attributes such as Roxanne, Bertha or Darcy. So parents, think wisely when it comes to naming your kids. People would definitely have second thoughts dating people named Adolf, Homer, Saddam or Randy. Although here in the Philippines, I know a lot of people named Randy. Look it up the dictionary if you don't get what I mean.

10. BEER GOGGLES

I haven't stayed that long in a bar to see this effect, but studies have shown that single people seeking partners in bars are less picky as closing time approaches. This finding was dubbed as the "beer-goggles effect." Professor Jamie Pennebaker of the University of Texas asked subjects to rate potential partners thrice, from 9 pm, 10:30 pm and midnight. The results? The subjects rated their potential dates highest by midnight.

11. KEEP THEM HAPPY

In short, the better we feel, the more we like whomever we're with. So men, cheer her up fast.

12. CHOOSE YOUR WORDS

Research shows that women who advertise themselves focus on their appearances while men emphasize their resources. The older a man is, the more replies he gets while the opposite is true for women. But if you don't have the looks or the resources, it's important to put in the word "warm" in your ad. I guess that would suffice for most people.

BOTTOM LINE:

The bottom line, according to Gressor, in scoring the perfect partner: "... take your date bungy-jumping or sky diving to ensure they are well-aroused, catch a movie featuring lots of ugly actors, then finish the evening in a dimly lit bar. Even if the beer-goggles effect doesn't kick in, the darkness should dilate your pupils and enhance your chances."

Source: The Science of Love by Megan Gressor (Reader's Digest, February 2007 Issue)

For the full article, click here.

11 Degrees in Baguio

CL Investment Promotion Officers in Baguio City, where the 2007 Assessment and Planning was held from January 29-30... Very very very cold.... Brrrr.

Revisiting Tam-Awan Village

Spending the day at Tam-Awan Village in Baguio City. This trip was well worth our 'eskapo.'

New Year Breakfast at Grayline

It has been our family's tradition since my grandmother died to visit Grayline Memorial Park on special occasions. This New Year is no exception. So despite our late 'til early morning New Year's Eve dinner-party, we made sure that we would wake up early (hence, the "kagigising" look we all have) and have our breakfast at the park.