In the Filipino culture, "tong" is money gained from gambling during a wake.

Several weeks ago, I was at the road with my family when my dad suddenly pointed out a blue tent in the sidewalk. He explained to me it was a wake. I found it odd that a wake be held right in the street, but who am I to judge. Apparently, the reason why there were so many people there is because of the oppurtunity to gamble("pusoy")!

Gambling is illegal in the country except for lotteries. I'm not sure if 'pusoy' is legal, but it is acceptable, at least. People not even related to the deceased howsoever come to the wake, drink and gamble, and the relatives allow it! They reason that the "tong" or proceeds of the gambling would go to the wake, or to the family. In real life, I suppose it is a win-win situation if the family is in need of dire help(which is usually the case), and yet...

I found it terribly ugly and disrespectful. And for the deceased's friends and family to let it happen!

What brought up this memory was the recollection at school today. Recollection is a lot like a whole day for reflection and holy-time. At one point, we were asked to visualize how our own wake would be like. So I saw mine in my mind's eye. There were so many nameless faces! I went downstairs and lo and behold - I saw people playing cards and other 'games' in our living room. The funny thing is, I wasn't angry, or pissed or even surprised. It was nice to see them having a great time.

It just struck me now how parallel the wakes were, but in my case...it was more like a reunion. People coming together to celebrate my life. Spending money in good spirit. Maybe it was really the thought of a wake just as an outlet for man's greediness and stupidity that really annoyed me. Or maybe some things just dont seem acceptable until they happen to you. Because whatever the reasons or intentions, its still the same act isnt it?

The thought makes me just a little bit sad.

Tags: culture, philippines

It's funny how media makes a big deal of beauty. There's almost an obsessive idealism for it. We're just another specie of animals - so why don't people have the same craziness over our furry friends?

There are some who do, actually, and I personally am not one of them. I never liked animals, especially domesticated ones. They don't bother me, but I can't imagine living with them. But of course, I do appreciate animals on a whole scale.

I found an article over at LiveScience, about some of the cutest baby animals.


This small panda is my favourite. He is absolutely adorable! I'd go to a forest just to hug such a cute little thing like him <3


Hello, baby panther! How cute are you!


It's is not possible to deny a baby polar bear. Simply not possible.


This reminds me of a baby cat that my friend, Meg, once "adopted"(for a day). We found it on the street, a recently-born black-and-white kitty. Another friend, Liz, promtly named it Krusty Mole. Meg took it to her home(against my protests. Why take a streetcat home?) and fed and played with it. True enough, Krusty Mole was kind-of cute. It turns out that the maid of Meg's neighbors threw the kitty out, and Meg returned her.

If I did have a pet, I think it would be a dog though.

Tags: animals

There's something strange I realized today: the profound effect parents have on their children.

You know how they say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree? I'm particularly conscious about how much I've been witnessing that saying in action lately. It's simple, and it has a lot of truth in it. When you meet someone's family, you start to understand how he became that way. Things just seem to make much more sense.

I have a godmother who's very close with her daughter. A lot of times I feel awkward watching them, but there's this certain naturality between them that I've seen little anywhere else. The daughter is a friend of mine, and it's not hard to observe how she seems to point out the smallest details. It gets on your nerves after a while, but when you see her with her mom, it's different. It's like her mom brings out the best of that trait. There's a chemistry, a rapport.

We all have different standards for measuring a person's worth. It's not nice to judge, but it is inevitable. There are many times we wonder how ANYONE can like a certain person. It just fully dawned to me now, after so many years, that when you dislike someone, it really doesn't say much not about HIS character, but about YOUR character. Afterall, you dont have to like him, for others to like him. Sometimes even, it turns out you dont like the "others" either! Maybe that's why it can't be helped either that we rub some other people the wrong way too.

There's also reason why there are so many intermarriages between tribes, races and families. I believe it's a lot to do with how they've been brought up the same way. They have an understanding of each other that no outsider can ever comprehend. Maybe that's why it's hard to find people you're closer to than your family. You might hate your mother, or hardly speak to your father, but the bond you share, however distorted it is, is real. 100% real. You can never replace them no matter how hard you try. There'll always be something missing.

So how does this all add up to in the end? Well, try to understand your parents more! Get past your bias of other people! ...that's a cliche, but how well do you truly comprehend its scope? I, for one, can say I've  still a lot to learn about it!

Tags: family, parents