Oh yeah, I have finally accepted that 25% part of me after 27 years. =) Beyonce variant... to the roots, to the roots.Napag-usapan na rin naman... so what's Chinese about me? (First time ko yata makwent0 to.)
- Physically, only my feet. With my shoe size, I can be a Chinese princess! ;-)
- Nung bata ako, maputi pala ako. Kala ko namana ko, di lang pala ako lumalabas ng bahay, di naaarawan. hihi. Wala talaga sa itsura. Proud ko pang sinasabi nuon na apelido lang ang Chinese sa akin.
- 50% Chinese ang tatay ko. Marunong sya magsalita ng isang Chinese dialect, di ko lang alam kung ano. Nag-Chinese high school din sya, kung san ni-claim nya na kabatch nya si Tony Tan Cak Tiong ng Jollibee. Stir!
- Among my father's 7 siblings, dalawa lang ang may Filipino surname. May mga pinsan akong Yulo, Ching, Chua, Lim, at syempre Yu. Karamihan sa kanila ay marunong mag-Chinese, yung iba nananalo pa ng writing contest (yung pag-draw ng characters, di ko alam ano tawag dun). At lahat sila ay halos pare-pareho ang itsura -payat, maputi, singkit. Obviously, ako ang ugly duckling sa family picture. (Alam nyo naman pano nag-end ang story di ba? hahahaha...). Yung tatay nung isa, pangalawang Alfredo Lim na nakilala ko (yung isa yung Manila mayor).
- 100% Chinese ang lolo ko. Co Lao Seh ang pangalan nya. Di ko pa rin maintindihan pano naging Yu ang family name namin.
- 100% Chinese din ang step-lolo ko.
- Our family home when I was growing up was adjacent/connected to my grandmother's house. Normal lang sa akin makakita ng mahjong table, distinctly Chinese dining sets, chopsticks. Pero natuto akong gumamit ng chopsticks nung nagwork na ako.
- My first close (Chinese) friend siguro was my childhood, kindergarten friend (sabi nila, I wouldn't like to go to school pag di nya ako pinupuntahan sa bahay) -si Gamaliel Lo. I never called him that though. I fondly call him Butchoi.
- I grew up with my father telling histories about old Chinese families in our town, including his own. He also made me appreciate Chinese values which I still admire up to now. Yung pagiging matipid at magaling sa pera at business. Yung pagiging masipag. Yung simpleng lifestyle at down-to-earth personality. Yung community spirit. Nagtutulungan talaga. Naaaliw ako dati na kapag nagsasalitang Chinese na ang tatay ko sa tindahan, nakaka-avail kami ng discounts. Ibang klase ang Chinese community!
- While studying History, I was not as amazed with the Romans, the Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Mesopotamians, as I was with the ancient Chinese. For me, they are the most intelligent and advanced race in ancient history. Promise, kakaiba ang pagkamangha ko sa kanila.
- At some point in my childhood nakatanggap din ako ng ang pao kahit papano. Pero akala ko nuon, para lang sya stationery, pula na may design. =)
- Ang pinaka-close kong pinsan sa father's side tinatawag nilang Shobe. Nung bata ako, clueless talaga ako. I called her Ate Shobe. hahaha!
- Nag-aral ako ng Mandarin basic 3 years ago. Ang natira na lang sa memory ko ay "ni nang pang wo ma" tsaka "wo shuo putonghua". For the first time, nagkaron ako ng Chinese name na ginawa ng Mandarin teacher ko. Jia Xin Mei. Something like beautiful flower (parang inimbento ko lang). Pero feeling ko joke lang sya, parang binaliktad lang ang Janice Mae. Joker talaga yung teacher ko na nahihirapang bigkasin ang word na vowel (wo-wel) at province (prow-wens).
- Ever since, di ko talaga masyado naaappreciate ang pagiging Chinese. Kini-claim ko na peke ako o kaya adopted. The first time I was able to appreciate it was when I met one of my college best friends -Junnie Anne Sia. I was like part of their family. We were both accepted as Metrobank scholars. Yung nag-interview sa amin na Metrobank boss ay yung pangatlong Alfredo Lim na nakilala ko. =) May iba pa akong naging kaibigan na Chinese. Si Ajin Ngo. Si FG Wong. Si Paul Chuahua. Humaba konti ang listahan ng mga kaibigan kong maiikli ang apelido.
- In 2005, I got to appreciate once more that Chinese aspect when I met a whole new bunch of Chinese friends thru Maia. They were some of the kindest, sweetest, coolest, most thoughtful people I've met. My Kalaag friends. We all shared that passion for travel, hence the name. They were my sweetest, shortest love affair. I don't get to see them that much anymore. One I'll never be able to see again. I'm remembering Julie Lee, siblings Stan & Sharon Lu, and Joy Yap (they're cousins). From them, I learned to say "lan ta beh kaw lo" (almost there) but with an Italian accent.
- And of course, there's Maia who claims to be Chinese in her past life. Sabay kami nag-Mandarin. =) And Leng Hong na minsan nakakalimutan kong Chinese pala. =)
- Ngayon naman ang pinakama-influence sa lahat. Si Alvin. Chinese din. Nung kumanta sya ng buchikik, sobrang naaliw yata ako. hahaha! Ang unang Fookien natutunan ko sa kanya ay ochi. May pasa kasi ako nun. =)
- After all I said, di talaga ako masyado Chinese. Sakto lang para sa 25% na share ko sa family namin. =)
P.S.
While writing this blog, Josh Groban's To Where You Are is being played in Myx. Reminded me all the more of Julie Lee. =( It's her birthday today. 3 years ago, she died while co-piloting that Beechcraft Baron that crashed in Zamboanga. Josh Groban was sort of our soundtrack for her during that time. I've been thinking about her since this morning. I especially missed her this year. Maybe because I'm going to the Hot Air Balloon Festival this weekend. Brought back memories from that year. I'm not sure if I'll feel sad because people may not miss her as much as we did before. Or if I'll feel happy because people who loved her have finally moved on and can now smile when remembering her. I guess I feel both. :-)
