Showing posts with label tongue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tongue. Show all posts

Thursday, October 03, 2013

Mother Tongue

The best times in your home were those days filled with laughter, because your mother would say words or speak a language that was so powerful that even now you still know what they meant—long after you’ve gone from there, long after she’s gone.

Your mother’s words we so full of images that she needed not say more to put her message across. She used a language to you, her children, which spoke more than it sounded.

Hers was the kind of language that you now consider very figurative—in its foremost sense, metaphorical—i.e. “expressing something in terms that normally mean another.”

Your mother’s language was graphic that it simply seeped into your consciousness with little effort, or sometimes none at all. You recall these words and phrases and surmise their sense and sensibilities one by one.

At times when your Mother would get angry at you or any of your siblings, upset by what you had done, she would say, "Mga ‘págsusulít kamo! or ‘págsusulít ka!" if she is just addressing one of you. She would say this to you, not so much as a curse but as an expression of resignation—but only when you gravely upset her.

She scolded you using a language that would not necessarily piss you off in turn but rather only make you think. Whether you received her scolding lightly or seriously, her words would still make you think—how could you even manage to ask what they meant if she was fuming mad?

From such words you now create your own meaning. Perhaps it came from the more complete ipágsusulít ka (kamo), extending it to mean, ipagsusulit kamo sa tulak kan ina nindo, which is very much like, “I wish you’ve never been born,” or to that effect.


With those words, she seemed to say that she regretted having given birth to you—this is so sad because she might as well be cursing herself—that perhaps you are one of her wrong decisions.

So you or any of your siblings would try to appease her, but sometimes to no avail. It would take the efforts of your Lolo Miling, her dear father, to make you say sorry to her, or to patch things up—only because she had already fainted and lost consciousness, something that would surely call your grandfather’s attention.

You would regret this because it entitled you to a “date” with the grand patriarch himself, who would “grace” you with his “sermon” once you were summoned to the Libod, your mother’s ancestral house, your grandparents’ domain.

Your grandfather was both a teacher and a military man—which made clear that any of you could not simply break your mother’s heart, or else you face him squarely. And if you’d done so, you’d now brace yourself for a harsher military rhetoric, both well expressed and eloquent. You might as well call it some “repentance regimen,” a bitter pill you deserved for hurting your mother.

When you reasoned out with him, or even started mumbling your own juvenile piece, your regime would now include kneeling on salt or mongo seeds taken from your Lola Eta’s farm. Your dear grandmother never even had a clue how her farm produce would end up helping her husband’s effort to ferret out justice (or you now retort, the lack of it).

All these were done if only to make you realize perhaps how and why you hurt your mother. Such was the extent of the love of one’s father to his daughter—that now you could only deeply desire to write something to immortalize it.

Two Words in Our Time

Recently, I have observed two words that have entered our modern lexicon, both of which merit some discussion and perhaps, appreciation.

Consider the first one: selfie. Announced by Time Magazine as one of the top 10 buzzwords for 2012, “selfie” refers to any self-portrait photograph—taken by the subject himself or herself with the use of a modern technology gadget like a cellular phone, tablet, or just about any portable camera; and later uploaded on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or any other social networking site.

Writing for the BBC news magazine online, Charissa Coulthard says that, owing to the fact that this type of photos has been flooding social media sites in recent months, “selfie” has become commonplace enough to be monitored for inclusion in the online version of the Oxford English Dictionary. Coulthard reports that a search on Instagram retrieves over 23 million photos uploaded with the hashtag #selfie, and a whopping 51 million with the hashtag #me.”

Further, one selfie alone posted by one of my FB friends as her Profile Picture elicited some 90 Like!s from all her friends from across the world. What can be more amazing than that?

But among others, selfie serves some purpose. Upon the very act of posting one’s own picture online, the subject flings himself or herself open to public examination. Because the self becomes the subject of public scrutiny, judging from the likes and comments that the post elicits or draws out from other Internet users, he or she can be made aware of their own charm, or the lack of it.

And if one selfie elicits many reactions, with some of them even citing certain aspects of the photo or features of the subject, the whole exercise can guide the person which of their characteristics can be considered desirable—and which cannot.

The concept of selfie then rises beyond vanity, or some penchant to take pride in and parade one’s own beauty. In a sense, the selfie is able to relay back to the subjects not only how they look good to others but how else they can look better.

The entire online exercise—from choosing which picture to post to enhancing them using software applications to actually posting it to eliciting reactions from others—allows for self-examination and even introspection.

Then, there is the other word—“Bombo” or bombo, functioning both as noun and verb—which I suppose has already been a household name long time ago.

In the provinces and cities across the country, the Bombo Radyo by the Florete Group of Companies from Iloilo has permeated the public consciousness owing to the presence of their radio stations across some 20 major provinces in the archipelago.

Through the years, Bombo Radyo has staged commentators and announcers for their news and public affairs department who have criticized on air practically almost everyone whom they consider misbehaving, errant or corrupt both in private and public spheres.

Virtually, the Bombo programs have gained notoriety even as its literal drum noise barrages on air—indeed, in order to parade its subject’s misdemeanors for everyone to hear. While it has gained the ire of its subjects, through time, the commentary culture it has fostered has also helped create a Filipino audience critical of social issues.

So commonly nowadays you would hear how one public figure or even an entirely anonymous person literally “figured in public” because “na-Bombo siya,” meaning—his or her name was mentioned in the Bombo Radyo commentary program), which also means he or she figured in some scam, scandal or anomaly.

During Bombo Hanay or similar commentary  programs, the commentator host raises a particular issue that primarily concerns the public, presents the allegedly errant personalities or officials and then, basing on reports of malfeasance, strips them bare to the bone.

Their accuracy or observance of media ethics notwithstanding, these and the counterpart commentaries in other radio networks keep the public officials and other social leaders in check even as they do not only examine the issue but also more than scrutinize the behavior of the personalities involved.

It is always best to attack the issue as the case in point. At times, however, the verbal criticisms on the radio become vitriol, cannot help but do so “below the belt,” because the host can hardly separate the issue from the personality involved.

As such, the word Bombo performs a function similar to the one delivered by selfie. Through this, Bombo keeps its subjects in check and makes them aware of themselves. And by doing so, the media involved is virtually holding up the mirror of the community to its own constituents to make them see the ills of their own society. Such has always been the mandate of the fourth estate.

In this sense, both “selfie” and “Bombo” subject the personalities or persons to be judged per se; and both forms of criticism create avenues to critique the self, and how it can do better or be better.

While this parallelism may appear new, the thing about self-criticism is not new all. Not surprisingly, such concepts elicited by both words had already been pondered ages and eons ago, particularly by the Greek Socrates,  who said: “The unexamined life is not worth living,” or something to that effect. Trite but true; so trite but so true.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Biernes Santo

Nagpoon na an drama kan mga Hudyo sa radyo, nagdadangog an aki. Sa bintana nata’naw niya paturuyatoy na an mga taga-barangay sa tuytuyan na linagan nin telon sa natad sa may bisita. Makikidalan sinda mapalabas an kapitan kan Ten Commandments. Bago naghali an Tatay kan aki para mag-Disipulo sa kapilya, tinugon siya. Mayo nin malaog ngonyan sa tinapayan. Mayo siyang pinalutong tinapay kansubanggi. Sa agang hapon na pinapabaralik an tumatawo sa bakery. Nag-abot si ilusyon kan katabang nindang si Jonalyn. Hali pang detachment sa Maysalay. Sabi kan daraga sa aki duman niya daa padagoson an bisita sa panaderya. Dai naggirong an aki. Sige na an drama kan mga Hudyo sa radyo. Nagdadangog an aki. Daing sabi-sabi an mag-ilusyon nagsarado sa panaderya. Pagkalaog ninda sa tindahan pigpaparahadukan kan Cafgu an daraga. Dai nakakasayuma an babaye sa purusog na pamugol kan bisita. Dai nagdugay, an irarom kan estante nagpaparayugyog, an mga hurmahan kan katitinapayan saro-sarong nagkakahurulog.




Primerong Lugar sa Kategoryang Rawitdawit
Enot na Gawad Obrang Literaturang Bikolnon
17 Abril 2012, Ciudad nin Naga





Sunday, March 25, 2012

My Brother’s Keeper


Pirang banggi ko nang napapangiturugan
si Manoy. Kadto, ginaupod niya pa ko
sa lawod, nagpapangke kami magpoon
alas tres nin hapon asta nang magdiklom.
Sa ponongan, nagdadakop kaming kasili,
mga halas sa tubig, ta ngani daang
dai maubos an lukon na maaani. Pagkaretira
ko sarong hapon, dai ko na siya naabtan
sa harong. Hambal ni Iloy, nagpakadto kuno
siya sa sarong misyon. Dai man lamang sako
nagpasabong na mapanaw siya gilayon.
Hambal ni Amay, dai na dapat siya halaton
kay indi na siya mabwelta sa amon. An tugon
sa ginikanan, hulaton kuno an panahon
na kaming tanan nga pamilya paapodon
kan masunod na pamayo kan nasyon.


Sinurublian sa Hiligaynon
ginaupod, iniiba
ponongan, fish pond
lukon, sugpo, o darakulang pasayan
hambal, sabi
Iloy, Nanay
nagpakadto, nagduman
kuno, daa
mapanaw, mahali
Amay, Tatay
kay, ta
indi, dai
sa amon, samuya
ginikanan, magurang
hulaton, halaton
tanan, gabos

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Pakikiúlay


Iyó gayód ‘ni an kahulugán kan búhay. Kadaklán na béses, kitá nagtatarám o nakikipag-úlay: trangkílo tang kinakaúlay an sadíri ta; kun sa ibáng táwo man, nadadangóg kan ibá.  Kun kitá man minaísip, iniistoryá ta an sadíri ta saná, alágad bakô na ‘ni an kíha kun igwá kitáng ginigiromdóm o nagahímo nin áwit o komposisyón. Háros tanán na impluwénsya ta sa ibá ukón an gahúm náton na mapahúlag silá kawásâ sa áton nga pag-inistoryá. Sunód sa pagbása, mas dakúl kitáng naaaráman kun kitá nakikipag-úlay, bágay na mas kabaló kunó an mga báyi. Sa matúod lang, kaipúhan ta nga makipag-úlay. Makatakóton an búhay kun máyong istoryahánay. Atíd-atídon ta na saná an istórya kan bartolína, o an daíng pagtirînúhan sa saróng iribáhan, o bisán an daíng tararáman sa laóg kan presohán. An tawo nakikiibá ta ngáning may maistoryá. Kun kís-a, daw matak-án kitá sa mga inistórya, tibáad kayâ bastós an nagtatarám, waáy-pulós an ginahambál, máyong kamanungdánan an yinayamútam. Sa húsay na istoryahánay, an kalág ta nagkakamálay, an ísip ta naliliwanagáy, kitá nalilípay, nagsusûpáy.


Sinurublian sa Hiligaynon
iníistoryá, kinakaúlay
nagahímo, naggigíbo
tanán, gabós
ukón, o
gahúm, kapangyaríhan
náton, niyáto, ta
mapahúlag, mapahirô
silá, sindá
áton, satúya
Nga, na
Pag-inistoryá, pagtarám, pakikiúlay
kabaló, áram
kunó, daá
báyi, babáye
matúod, totoó
istoryahánay, urúlay
bisán, dáwa, maskí
maistoryá, makaúlay
kís-a, kadaklán na béses
daw, garó
matak-án, nasusúyâ, nababangít
inistórya, uruláy-úlay
waáy-pulós, máyong sáysay
ginahambál, tinátaram
húsay, marháy
nalilípay, naoogmá


Susog sa “Talk” na yaon sa Worldly Virtues: A Catalogue of Reflections ni Johannes Gaertner. New York: Viking Press, 1990, 56.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Hugas


Pinada’tol an maitom niyang poklo
Sa labi kan lababong porselana.
Siya man nakahigda sa balyong kuwarto,
Nagsisigarilyo, nakatukro
Sa may bintana. Dangog-dangog niya,
An pagkuru-kuso niya kan saiyang bulbol.
Dangan an pag-awas kan tubig sa lababo.
An maragsik na pitik kan tuwalya.
An naghugas yaon na,
Nakangirit saiya, mayo nang ga’not,
Mayo nang angsod; nakahiling saiya
An nakatihaya sa rurunot nang kama,
Natatagalpo sa sadistang kagayonan,
Mantang an sadiring hawak, ralanog,
Namamarong. An saiya, malinig na,
Bako nang mapolot, nakapanlingaw na tulos


Sinublian sa Hiligaynon
pag-awas, pag-umbaw


Susog sa “Bathing” ni Kate Daniels, 1988


Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Nag-Fiesta sa Jaro si Mariano Perfecto



Pag-labáy kan banda sa saindong iskinita, nagbugtaw ka na. Mas maáyo kay aga ka nagsimba. Pasiring sa kapilya, tinangro ka nin esperma ni Santa Maria, nagsulô ka nin lima. Makipangúdto ka ki Santa Marta. Kun daindata an saiyang afritada, luwagá saná. Nalalántaw mo sa Jaro an ginasiling na Reyna sa patio kan Cathedral ninda pinaparáda, guyod-guyod an kapa ni Santa Catalina. Uy, maoogmá an mga tindang kamunsil ni Santa Bárbara sa bangketa. Mga tatlo ka kilo, dai na man pagtawáda. Sa hapon, ma-derby si San Pedro sa plaza; rinibo daá an pwedeng magána—pumili ka na, sa puti, sa pulá. Pag abot kan sinárom, magpasádpasad ka sa bisitá. Si Magdalena dai naglaog sa panaderya, kiblita na balá. Bilog na aldaw nagbaligya si Dios Ama, mais na sinugbá, sa plaza asta may talipapa, nagpidir ka kuta miski pira.





Panay News, September 25, 2011, D2.

Saturday, April 09, 2011

Aftertastes

Some years ago, I came to Iloilo for a number of reasons. Yet, none of them is the fact that I would have to enjoy, among others, the food in this part of our country.

The Ilonggo are food-loving people, which is not very much different from the culture of the people in Bicol where I grew up. Through the years, I must say I have come to love Iloilo food. In fact, my palate has not craved for more, probably because some Ilonggo dishes only remind me of those I have also tasted savored & relished back home.

Bakareta
I first ate bakareta in 2005, when a fellow high school teacher suggested after our morning classes that we order it for our lunch from a lutong bahay in Magsaysay Village in La Paz. I found it was not different from our very own inadobong baka. After all, bakareta is the combined form of baka and kaldereta, both terms and dishes we also have in Bicol.

I always enjoy bakareta’s tender beef and gravy, which I suppose should not be too much. One day, when my father-in-law put just pepper into the tenderest beef he must have bought from Super (Iloilo’s largest public market), I could only utter ohhs ahhs & mouthfuls of praises. Holy cow. The treat was unforgettable.

Laswa
Around the same year, I was introduced to láswa (soft a in the second syllable), a sticky hodgepodge of okra, kalabasa, beans and some leafy vegetables like saluyot or (if budget permits, pasayan or shrimps and dayok, or small shrimps). While the viscous dish is because of the okra, I relish the soft squash and the nutritious tastelessness of the leaves that this dish offers. 


Every time I eat laswa, I think of my liver my heart & my lungs being able to breathe rejuvenate & renew after I have eaten tons of peanuts or indulged in lechon or fastfoodstuff (Stuff is the right word for all fast food since they just stuff you with salt sugar & spice and other hardly soluble ingredients). I am grateful with laswa because I become aware how the leaves roots & fiber would help absorb douse or wash down the oil salt & sweets accumulated in my system.

For the supply of greens, Bikolanos would put ugbos kamote (young camote leaves), okra, or other tender leafy vegetables over the simmering rice. Or we cook them in other ways. While Bikolanos have no laswa, with its exact ingredients and cooking procedure, we enjoy kettlefuls of vegetables which are best cooked with small fish or smaller chunks of meat in ohhsome coconut milk (gutâ) or else. Besides the regular sili or labuyo, I wonder where else we would get the gusto for everything without the gutâ?

Paksiw
In the 1980s, my mother would ask me to buy paksiw from Tiya Deling who owned a nearby carinderia. A classic bestseller in those days, the Bikol paksiw is virtually sinigang na baboy with lubás leaves that flavor and douse off the porky smell of the pork. But one day in Iloilo, I was surprised when a friend ordered paksiw and was given some small fish onioned peppered & soaked in langgaw, their homemade vinegar. There, I found out that Iloilo’s paksiw is Bicol’sinón-on, where ginger or garlic is used to douse the fishy smell of the fish. I sip inon-on’s gravy that is langgaw that comes in any paksiw treat as long as it is not onioned. We hardly used onions for inon-on (these two words are almost anagrams); otherwise, it would really smell different. Or inonions.

In Bicol, ginger or lâya best douses the smell of any fish, except perhaps pági or patíng, with which bigger aromatic leaves like lubas (libas) or ibâ (kamias) are cooked. Whenever I am treated to paksiw or whenever I cook inón-on myself, I make sure there is more vinegar. If not, I set aside something from the dish which I could fry later. Sure, once I cook it in little oil, the small fish soaked cooked & intimated in langgaw would become crunchy mouthfuls of stories to tell.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Pagbúhay kan Lengwáhe


Kadaklán na beses, kun saén an saróng lengwahe nagngángarongátong mawará o magadán, dakúl an puwédeng gibóhon tangáning buháyon iní. Kun maaráman nanggád kan saróng komunidád na tibáad magadán an lengwahe nindá, magíbo sindá nin mga paági pára buháyon o padagúson pa iní.


Kaipúhan na mísmong an komunidád an mámuyang magsalbár kan saindáng sadíring lengwáhe. Mas oróg na makabuluhán kun paháhalagahán sa mísmong mga gawégawé o kultura kan mga táwong iní an lengwáheng ginagámit kan dikit sa saindá, o an ináapod na minoríya. Kaipúhan man na gástusan an mga gigibóhon na iní— puwédeng magmukná nin mga kurso o maggámit nin disiplínang ma-ádal dapít sa lengwáhe, mag-andám nin mga materyáles dángan mag-engganyár nin mga paratukdó na iyó an mabalangíbog kan lengwáhe.

Oróg na kaipúhan an mga lingwísta—sinda iyó an mga magámit kan lengwáhe—an katuyuhán iyó na maitalá, mahimáyhimáy, saká maisúrat iní. Kaipúhan kan mga táwong magbása dángan magsúrat sa sadiri nindáng lengwáhe, kun ma’wot nindáng magpadágos iní; kun má’wot nindáng sindá mísmo magdánay.


Villa, Ciudad Iloilo

Hunio 2008

Songs of Ourselves

If music is wine for the soul, I suppose I have had my satisfying share of this liquor of life, one that has sustained me all these years. A...