Kyong Hee Wat Tsai

(This column appears in today's edition of the Leyte-Samar Daily Express)

Hi there! It’s another weekend. And yes, EVRAA 2011 ends today. The Closing ceremony is set a one o’clock this afternoon. It will be followed by the Paalam Night dinner at the NwSSU Oval. Before the grand party, all EVRAA delegates will be treated to a concert by the popular group AEGIS.

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Just in case you’d like to know, today’s title is “Happy New Year” in Fookien. Anyway, as expected a good number of our kababayan got busy yesterday and the day before to prepare stuff in celebration of no need to say, the Chinese New Year. I’m tempted to refer to that day “that other day of the year” (you know, like the way I refer to Valentine’s day). We have our own set of beliefs as Catholic (Christian) Filipinos. What I do not understand is why many of us should go gaga abut this and that trinket and this and that ceremony for Chinese New Year. Es la vida.

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Just a piece of trivia. Like any other sports events, there was the lighting of the friendship flame during this year’s EVRAA meet. It is always nice to observe that ceremony. I’m dreaming one day to see in the region the torch ceremony being done in the manner by which the Olympic cities did their Olympic flames. Anyway, it’s the history buff in me again. If my memory serves me right, that ceremony on the lighting of the Olympic flame first happened in Nazi Germany. Yup, it was supposedly Hitler who conceived the idea and the drama and flare of the ceremony. Well, at least there is something (kinda) nice that we can remember about that troubled man.

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And my comments about the world around me? Thanks to the regional sports meet, I got tired thinking about what to say about what’s happening around me. But I did watch the news though. Anyway, my column would not be complete without some (opinionated) snippets about what’s going on.

Let me take some lines from The Professional Heckler:

Modernong Kahulugan ng Ilang Salita o Parirala

• Pasalubong: Bonus sa trabahong hindi pa nagagawa
  Halimbawang pangungusap: “Uy, General, mainit na pagbati sa inyong appointment! Bago po kayo magsimula sa inyong trabaho, heto po ang sampung milyong pisong pasalubong. Enjoy!”

• Pabaon: Bonus sa trabahong walang katiyakan kung nagawa
  Halimbawang pangungusap: “Uy, General, maraming salamat po sa inyong paglilingkod sa bayan. Heto po ang limampung milyong pisong pabaon. Pa-burger ka naman! Burger! Burger!”

• Set up: Kapag ‘di mo matanggap na adik ang iyong anak
  Halimbawang pangungusap: “’Tang-i*a kasi ‘yong kasama niya eh. ‘Nilaglag ang anak ko. ‘Ayun, na-set up kaya inaresto. Ukininam!”

• Plea bargain agreement: Ibang katawagan sa “Why not coconut?! Malay mo makalusot!”
  Halimbawang pangungusap: “Ombudsman, baka naman magawan natin ng paraan ‘tong kaso ko. Ibabalik ko ang one-third ng ninakaw ko pero dapat malinaw ang plea bargain agreement natin. Kailangang abswelto ang aking asawa’t mga anak na kasing-kakapal ko ang mukha.”
  
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This is it for now. Have a nice weekend everyone! Ciao!