After watching Manny Pacquiao destroy Ricky Hatton, Steve Nash mentioned on Twitter his admiration for the Filipino boxer and his desire to become an honorary Filipino. Sorry to break your heart Steve but that honor belongs to my husband, Mr. Ober Da Bakod. To answer Steve Nash's question, here's how you earn your stripes:
Date, marry or just be friends with a Filipino
This is the easiest way to get in the Filipino mafia circle.This is also the easiest way to be an honorary filipino. Warning: Once you're in, there's no turning back. Remember, it's a MAFIA.
Learn basic Filipino words
Unfortunately, the only Filipino words the hubby knows (by heart) are the nasty, ugly & bad words I've taught him throughout the years. I really do not have the patience to teach him a lot of decent filipino (tagalog) words. Plus, I am not a decent woman. Go figure! I appreciate, however that he tries to learn on his own through Twitter & by watching Filipino news or movies with me. I'm really good at translating (maybe I should go work for the UN).
image souce - Gem's laptop. I have a collection of Filipino buffet photos.
Eat Filipino food (without fear)
Filipinos LOVE their food. If you go to a party (discussed in detail later on), there is always a huge spread of food. Salads, burgers, hotdogs & pizza have no place in filipino parties. Expect to eat rice, noodles, pork & beef. Expect some Bizarre food. Do not fear. The trick is not to ask too many questions, just open your mouth, chew and swallow.
When you are invited, just go. You don't wanna piss off the grandmas, uncles & aunties. Expect to be introduced to a lot of relatives. Bring a pen & paper to keep track of the family tree. Expect a lot of food, singing (discussed in detail later on), chismis and laughter. When grandma asks you to eat, just eat and eat like there's no tomorrow. You will gain a lot of weight but you will also gain the admiration of Lola Puring & Tita Nene.
That's me! Singing a Karen Carpenter song at my Grandma's 75th birthday party!
Sing at least one Videoke song
I cannot think of a filipino household that does not own a Magic Mic. The Magic Mic is a microphone that you connect to your TV and has a chip loaded with 5000 songs. It's an All-in-One Karaoke machine. Every filipino has a "singer" in them. Everyone can sing! It is not a surprise that there are a lot of Filipino singers who are world renowned (Arnel Pineda -- Journey, Charise Pempengco, apl.de.ap -- Black Eyed Peas, Lea Salonga). So next time you are at a filipino party, don't be shy, grab that mic and start belting out that Aretha Franklin or Bon Jovi song.
Watch The Filipino Channel
Like the magic mic this is a must have in a filipino household. I, however, do not have TFC at home coz I'm too cheap to include it in our Dish network package. I've brought the hubby to a lot of Filipino parties that he is now very familiar with Wowowee & Kris Aquino. We also have Filipino news (free) on cable that he watches with me. Wowowee, Kris Aquino & Filipino News are the only things you need to know to become an honorary filipino.
You should be able to understand Filipino English.
Aircon is for A/C, CR (Comfort room) is for bathroom & Ref is for fridge. That's how we say it. Learn it, understand it deal with it!
You know what Jollibee is
Simply put, it's the McDonald's of the Philippines. Like it's American counterpart, it has burgers & fries. However what makes Jollibee unique is it's filipino friendly menu: Filipino spaghetti, palabok, peach-mango pie etc. Mmmmm.. yumm-o! The hubby and I may have to visit this week. He loves the chicken joy! It's yummy and it gives him soooo much joy!
You've had rice for breakfast (atleast once)
If the mexicans love their tortilla & beans, the filipinos love their rice. Rice is staple filipino food. We eat it for breakfast, lunch, snacks & dinner. Like pasta, it can be mixed with anything. I grew up eating fried rice with sausage, dried fish & eggs for breakfast. I now eat bagel, yogurt, fruit, cereals for breakfast (ugh!). The hubby has yet to do this & prove to me that he deserves to be an honorary member of the Filipino mafia.
You know Manny Pacquiao
If you do not know who Manny Pacquiao is & you haven't seen a single fight then FORGET IT. You simply do not belong.
Hopefully, I have answered Steve Nash's question. It's not easy to be an honorary member but it sure is a lot of fun!
Date, marry or just be friends with a Filipino
This is the easiest way to get in the Filipino mafia circle.This is also the easiest way to be an honorary filipino. Warning: Once you're in, there's no turning back. Remember, it's a MAFIA.
Learn basic Filipino words
Unfortunately, the only Filipino words the hubby knows (by heart) are the nasty, ugly & bad words I've taught him throughout the years. I really do not have the patience to teach him a lot of decent filipino (tagalog) words. Plus, I am not a decent woman. Go figure! I appreciate, however that he tries to learn on his own through Twitter & by watching Filipino news or movies with me. I'm really good at translating (maybe I should go work for the UN).
image souce - Gem's laptop. I have a collection of Filipino buffet photos.Filipinos LOVE their food. If you go to a party (discussed in detail later on), there is always a huge spread of food. Salads, burgers, hotdogs & pizza have no place in filipino parties. Expect to eat rice, noodles, pork & beef. Expect some Bizarre food. Do not fear. The trick is not to ask too many questions, just open your mouth, chew and swallow.
image is from our family reunion I attended in 2005. This is just half of the whole group.
Go to a filipino party (birthday, anniversary and graduation)When you are invited, just go. You don't wanna piss off the grandmas, uncles & aunties. Expect to be introduced to a lot of relatives. Bring a pen & paper to keep track of the family tree. Expect a lot of food, singing (discussed in detail later on), chismis and laughter. When grandma asks you to eat, just eat and eat like there's no tomorrow. You will gain a lot of weight but you will also gain the admiration of Lola Puring & Tita Nene.
That's me! Singing a Karen Carpenter song at my Grandma's 75th birthday party!I cannot think of a filipino household that does not own a Magic Mic. The Magic Mic is a microphone that you connect to your TV and has a chip loaded with 5000 songs. It's an All-in-One Karaoke machine. Every filipino has a "singer" in them. Everyone can sing! It is not a surprise that there are a lot of Filipino singers who are world renowned (Arnel Pineda -- Journey, Charise Pempengco, apl.de.ap -- Black Eyed Peas, Lea Salonga). So next time you are at a filipino party, don't be shy, grab that mic and start belting out that Aretha Franklin or Bon Jovi song.
Watch The Filipino Channel
Like the magic mic this is a must have in a filipino household. I, however, do not have TFC at home coz I'm too cheap to include it in our Dish network package. I've brought the hubby to a lot of Filipino parties that he is now very familiar with Wowowee & Kris Aquino. We also have Filipino news (free) on cable that he watches with me. Wowowee, Kris Aquino & Filipino News are the only things you need to know to become an honorary filipino.
You should be able to understand Filipino English.
Aircon is for A/C, CR (Comfort room) is for bathroom & Ref is for fridge. That's how we say it. Learn it, understand it deal with it!
You know what Jollibee is
Simply put, it's the McDonald's of the Philippines. Like it's American counterpart, it has burgers & fries. However what makes Jollibee unique is it's filipino friendly menu: Filipino spaghetti, palabok, peach-mango pie etc. Mmmmm.. yumm-o! The hubby and I may have to visit this week. He loves the chicken joy! It's yummy and it gives him soooo much joy!
You've had rice for breakfast (atleast once)
If the mexicans love their tortilla & beans, the filipinos love their rice. Rice is staple filipino food. We eat it for breakfast, lunch, snacks & dinner. Like pasta, it can be mixed with anything. I grew up eating fried rice with sausage, dried fish & eggs for breakfast. I now eat bagel, yogurt, fruit, cereals for breakfast (ugh!). The hubby has yet to do this & prove to me that he deserves to be an honorary member of the Filipino mafia.
You know Manny Pacquiao
If you do not know who Manny Pacquiao is & you haven't seen a single fight then FORGET IT. You simply do not belong.
Hopefully, I have answered Steve Nash's question. It's not easy to be an honorary member but it sure is a lot of fun!
You were right when you said you cant find a Filipino home without a magic mic... We even have 2 magic sing mic in our home... Filipinos do love to sing that's why even if they dont own a magic mic you will surely find a lot of them singing in front of videoke machines.
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