Showing posts with label translations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label translations. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Kusóg

An kusóg kan satóng láwas saróng naturál na regálo satô. Puwedeng mapaáyo an satóng lawás kan ehersísyo, pagkakán, kalinígan sa láwas, sagkód an marháy na ginigíbo sa araaldáw. Alágad pirmíng laín an sinasábi kan media; mayô man talagang nahihirá sa naturál tang kusóg. Dai man kitá pwedeng magín mas mabaskog na labáw sa káya kan lawás na iwináras satô.

Ibá na man na uruláy an kusóg o baskóg kan kalág. An mga pílay o inválido o dawâ idtóng mga pigtaratsarán na maluya, sindá pa lugód an nagpapahilíng nin ísog asin báskog. Nakakagíbo nin kangangalásan sa kalág sa ísip sagkód buhay kan táwo an pagmâwot, an pagpursigí.

An síring nga kláse sang kusóg—kadaklán na beses alágad bakóng pírmi—naghaháli sa mga táwong igwáng tinugaán, igwáng baláan nga paninindúgan, may yarâ sang kamâwotan nga labáw o suwáy sa sadíri nindáng kagustúhan.


Sinurublian sa Hiligaynon
mapaáyo, maparahay
nga, na
sang, nin
may yarâ, igwáng
baláan, sagrado, banal


Susog sa “Strength” na yaon sa Worldly Virtues: A Catalogue of Reflections ni Johannes A. Gaertner. New York: Viking Penguin, 1990, 92.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Eat, drink with or without Mary

Dining out and other cafeteria ethics

Any sensible urban worker who is given no choice but fetch food from sources made accessible in a civilized jungle called a city or a university must acquire some neighborly ethics if he is to properly feed himself and achieve something through the day.

 

Eating in cafeterias or similar types of food sources requires that he learn a number of things on how to feed on properly and hopefully be nourished.

 

Dito Po ang Pila

city-data.comKun habo mong dai ka matunawan, magsunod ka sa linya kan mga nagkaerenot nang nag-oororder. Dawa halabaon na an pila, dawa huri ka na sa appointment, dai ka nanggad magsingit sa iba, o samantalahon na magpa-cute sa kabisto mong crew just to get ahead. Mayong maoogma sa bentahuso kundi si Taning sana. Magsala, sa kagagama-gama mong maenot kang makakua nin kakanon, mataon lugod saimo an tutong na torta, tipo kan sinapna, o tunok kan lapu-lapu.

 

Patience is virtue—gustong sabihon, saro ‘ning timeless na kostumbre o pag-uugali na nakakapamarhay sa siisay man na tawo. Dawa idtong barbarong ninuno ta mga perang oras naghalat bago nagluwas an usa sa ampas saka niya nasilô ‘ni. Ngonyan na mga panahon, sa kadlagan na inaapod tang siyudad o unibersidad, dai ka na masiod nin manok bago makanamit nin tinola. Mahalat ka na sanang ilapiga an paa o mailatag an pecho sa saimong plato kaya dai na kaipuhan magpalakpalak o magputakputak ta ngani sana makapanogok.

 

Just follow the crowd, toe the line, keep your cool, then ask for what you want, and dine.

 

Bawal An Dagdag

one.valeski.orgKun bisto mo an crew, pwede ka gayod magpadagdag. But unless you badly need that extra spare rib or cabbage leaves [which are probably pesticides-grown anyway], do not ask for extra amount of anything from the one that dispenses your food. So you insist, okay, ask if you can order half.

 

But you hard worker certainly do not deserve half serving of anything, unless you give your company or your country half of what it deserves from you. Scrimp and scrape you do. Perhaps save in other things like marked-down CDs or cheaper thrills or retail cellphone loads or bargained 3 for P100 FHMs—but for your food, spare this idea of saving.

 

Better yet, order dishes in full, so the idea of dagdag is out of question. The more you are inclined to haggling, the more it will appear to the crew that you are hungry—and this does not help because the crew will never be concerned with your hunger. They are just there assigned to portion and dispense properly for the business. And nowadays, the crew does not dispense the reasonable amount of food you are charged. But it is okay that the food given to you appears “unreasonable.” Just think you will be dispensed more amounts next time.

 

The cafeteria business, just like fast-food giants, places importance to one marketing aspect that is called portioning. Because the prices of raw materials and ingredients required for preparing food will never be saved from inflation, profits from this business are sensibly drawn from the quantity of food the business prepares and the quantity of food it can save to feed its own staff. Well, you know. But the advantage here is that the cafeteria food can be assured of the presence of freshness and the absence of trans-fats.

 

Dahil kadaklan na beses bawal an dagdag, mag-andam ka na sanang mag-order nin duwa tolong panira, bako sanang saro. Kun habo mo nanggad mabitin.

 

Logically, when you do, you are not just paying for the food, but essentially the service, services? rendered to you—which includes, among others, a clean washed plate [hopefully free of the smell of dishwashing liquid], a properly bussed table, despite its being in a mess hall; ventilation or air-conditioning, whether or not you personally require it; and of course the food itself that has probably undergone some quality control in the kitchen.

 

No need to argue

Talking about quality control, consider the next ethical principle in cafeteria dining. By all means, despite all tensions and stress pressed on by hunger, never ever argue with the service crew. Certainly in no instance should you get disappointed or intimidated by anyone who gives you your food even though you find it unpleasant or disagreeable.

 

While not all of them arecherylkicksass.blogspot.com likely to be trained to suit your dining ethics, it is important to treat them as if they treat their food like it’s their own. Even if they don’t. Even if you found some foreign matter in your soup, or the dish you were served tasted like Tide or Ariel, deem it important to “suspend disbelief.” In a more familiar term, always give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

Do not raise your voice to complain. Simply reach out to them to query in cool and composure. Clarify that the service rendered is not generally acceptable. Ranting and raving about “some soap in the soup” or plastic straws in the pinakbet will not help.  Just suppose you are given imagination to transcend reality. Or remember one Holocaust survivor named Viktor Frankl famously used his imagination to transcend the tragedy he was forced to witness. In his story it can be deduced that perhaps imagination is more powerful than knowledge. But here in your story, ignorance is indeed bliss. Not having known that there’s a fly in your soup makes a whole lot of difference from having known it.

 

Although, sabi nga nila, Kung malayo sa bituka, okay lang yan. Therefore, check your system, whether your food indeed passes through your stomach. If it doesn’t, you are one lucky organism—feeding on using your other organs.

 

But seriously, consider this. Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea is not about dining until the marlin is cooked by old Santiago [which he does not]—but it’s certainly about survival. There is a part there which says “a man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”

 

The crew may poison you but it should not destroy your willingness to seek medication from the nearby doctor in case you get to swallow some plastic served with your pochero.

 

Ask For Receipt

istorya.netKun dai man kaipuhan na bayaran kan opisina mo an kinakakan mo dawa na ngani on official business ka, dai mo na gayod kaipuhan maghagad nin recibo. Dakula an karatula kan BIR na nakapaskil sa cashier na an sabi ASK FOR RECEIPT, alagad dai ka maglaom na tata’wan ka nin recibo pag bayad mo. Mag-andam ka na sanang sabihan kan cashier na hinahalat pa ninda an stub kan recibo hale sa BIR. Dai ka na magngalas dawa maaaraman mo ara-atyan na an kakanan na iyan since 1962 pa nagsisirbi sa mga employees alagad mayo pa nanggad recibo. If at all, you were taught in high school to be considerate. Think of good manners and right conduct. It is never good to intimidate people.

 

So unless it’s a matter of life and death, do not ask for a receipt. Mas orog na gayod kun cooperative an kinakakanan mo—such business involves benefiting a big number of underprivileged families and their sensibilities. Garo man sana naghulog ka na ka’yan nin pirang sensilyo sa lata kan Bantay Bata 163. Sabihan ka pa kaiyan, “an darakulang business ngani mga tax evaders, alagad mas concerned sindang magsingil sa mga small businesses na arog mi.”

 

Ano na sana an pulos kan nanu’dan mo sa social responsibility o sa moral philosophy? Think of social justice. It won’t hurt to give to small people. Dai ka ngani nag-aangal sa VAT kan bago mong Wrangler jeans. What right have you to question the purpose of this representative of the lesser evil? Sige lang, because the food you are about to eat is not evil. No food is evil. Unless it comes from one.

 

Hala ka.

 

Eating Utensils

leec.co.ukA cafeteria is a public place, so don’t expect that the utensils you are using are germs-free. One pair of spoon and fork must have fed all types of mouths or more than you can count. Kaya Bawal an masiri pagkakan sa cafeteria. Wisikon mo na sana an kutsara sagkod tinidor na nakapalbag kairiba kan mga sanggatos na iba pa. Magpasalamat kang dakul kun an la’ganan kan mga utensils nabuhusan nin nagkakalakagang tubig, tapos napaso ka pa kan kapotan mo. Mainit-init pa pagkakan mo. Okun habo mong magkahelang ka, magkakan ka sa cafeteria nin aga pa, mantang an mga kakanon nag-aaralusuos pa. By the time, swerte ka ta pati an mga utensils tibaad maray an pagkakahurugas. Bagong karigos pa sana si naghugas.

 

Alagad dai ka maghadit dawa dai disinfected an kutsara sagkod tinidor mo. Kun may pag-alaman man na mag-abot, an magiging helang mo tibaad helang man kan iba, kaya mas makakaantos kamo—nin huli ta igwa siempre sindang maiimbentong bulong para sa helang kan kadaklan saindo. In principle, in order to sell, pharmaceuticals as business in themselves have ISO-certified R&D arms that know the needs of the common good. Here, think collective. Hindi ka nag-iisa.

 

Alagad. Sabi kan mga gurang, maraot man an grabeng pagkatubis o masirî (squeamish). Garo idtong nabasa mo sa Reader’s Digest kaidto na don’t be too clean; it impoverishes the blood. By being too squeamish and obsessive-compulsive (OC) about not catching dirt or germs, you do not develop immunities to germs. You don’t make your antibodies work. You reduce your own resistance to the world, which is one of dirt. But washing hands properly is enough. Proper is just enough. Over is more than enough.

 

Don’t Just Grab A Bite, Eat Your Food.

fem-fatl.comAny meal is the most important meal of the day—kaya dai paglingawing kakanon an inorder mong kakanon. Yeah, you cram to go somewhere: an appointment, a fieldwork, a meeting—yes, nourish your career, nourish your soul [araatyan masimba ka, makihilingan sa amiga, mayaba-yaba] alagad ngonyan nourish your body first—make your cells tissues organs systems work. Girisa an mahibog, daula an matagas, sapaa an malumhok, halona an saradit. Maaskad an adobo, malagtok an maluto o minsan parareho an namit kan tolo mong panira—kumakan ka sana. Mayo ngani kaiyan an iba. Sa pagkahapay ngani nagagadan an iba. At least ika igwa.

 

Eat, drink, with or without Mary—in other words, eat for the sake of eating, regardless of whether you like it or not. Pagkatapos mong magdighay, rumdumang marhay. Food alone can’t save you. It fills but it hardly nourishes.

 

First finish or get done with your salivation; perhaps only after then can you start & think of your salvation.


Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Ngonyan Nga Aga

Ngonyan nga aga pasiring ka sa saimong obra pigpaparapaypay ka kan traffic enforcer mag-diretso kuno sana. Sa tungâ sang kalsada siya nakapostura, ginaagda an mga motorista nga magpadayon sana. Mayad pa siya kay kabalo kun diin makadto ka; guro an destino sang tanan nga nag-aaragi bal-an niya. Pagkalihis mo saiya pag-abot sa bangga indi mo mabal-an kun matoo ka ukon mawala.



Sinurublian sa Hiligaynon

nga, na

kuno, daa

tungâ, tahaw

sang, kan

ginaagda, inaagda

magpadayon, magpadagos

mayad, marhay

kabalo, aram, nasasabotan

diin, saen

makadto, maduman

bal-an, aram

indi, dae

guro, gayod

destino, destinasyon

tanan, gabos

mabal-an, maaraman, aram

bangga, kanto

ukon, o

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Pagtúyaw

Síring sa pagsílot, an pagtúyaw sa sarong bágay itataó mo saná kun hágadon saímo, úkon pigbayádan ka. Dawâ nanggigiríil ka na, nungka ka magtabúgâ o magtúyaw na garong ika na sana an igwang aram—na daw tanan nga salâ lang ang ginapangítâ mo, o na garóng ika na an butugón. Kakádlawan ka ninda; magsalâ, dakul kang makakaíwal. 

Kun matúyaw ka, kaipuhan itong bakong suway sa háwak. Pwede ka man magtúyaw sa magalang na paági. Ihámbal mo an pagtúyaw sa mahinay na tataramon, itong dai nanduduhágî, itong dai nangrarátak. Ipasábot mo sa tinutúyaw an tanán na kaayúhan siní; dangan hatági sing damô nga konsiderasyon. Uróg na marhay na sabihon mo kun ano an kapás mong magtúyaw; silíngon mo man kun wâáy ka gid diretso nga magsilíng sang amó. 

Salâ nganing pagtaram an ginasilíng nilang “constructive criticism.” Kabáli kaya digdi an mga gigibúhon mo ta nganing an nasambit nang bagay mahímô sing mas manámî kag mas maáyo. Kun siring, ini saro nang marhay na sílot; buót silíngon siní, liliwaton mo an mismong bagay na saimong tinutuyaw. Ini nangangahulugan saro nang bâgong obra, saro nang bâgong bagay; bakô na ning pagtuyaw.

Susog sa “Criticism” na yaon sa Worldly Virtues ni Johannes Gaertner. New York: Viking Press, 1990, 33.


Sinurublian sa Hiligaynon

ukon, o kun

daw, garo

tanan, gabos

ginapangítâ, hinahanap

kakádlawan, ngingirisihan

ihámbal, sabihon, taramon

mahínay, luway-luway

kaayúhan, karahayan

siní, kaini

hatági, tau-hán, ta’wan, ta’wi

sing, nin

damô, dakul

nga, na

silíngon, sabihon

wâáy, mayo

gid, nanggad

magsilíng, magtaram, magsabi

sang amó, kaiyan, kaini

ginasilíng, sinasabi

nilang, nindang

mahímô sing, magibong

manamî, marhay

maáyo, marhay

obrá, gíbo


Bikol Etymology


Silot, n.

1. Tibaad hali sa “Zealot.” Sa Biblia, sarong sekta sa tiempo ni Hesukristo na kun makatúyaw ki Hesus garong sinda na sana an maray na tawo, na daw sinda na sana an mga aki nin Diyos).

2. Sa Espanyol, abíso; sa Filipino, páyo; sa Ingles, advice.



Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Relihyón



Buót silingón siní igwáng mas oróg kalangkáw na Kaglaláng na kun dai ta man kinakámo’tan, satong kinakahádlokan. Kadto, dai mo nanggad pagpaángguton an mga aníto ta nganing bulígan ka ninda, ta ngarig ihátag nila saimo an ginapangáyô mo. Ngonyan na panahon, sa pagtubód kan ibang mga agít-agitán na relihyón, mas igwa nin kamanungdanan kun an kinaugalíngon nagatúo sa mga linaláng na mas halangkáw saíya, o bagáman minátubod dángan nag-uutób sa mga gawí-gáwi o mga pagkasábot na makakabúlig saíya kun pa’no mabuhay, o sa pagpangítâ kun ano an ginapanúmdon kan Bathala, kan Diyos, kan Palíbot, kan Tao o kun ano man na Kusóg na nagpapapangyári sa gabos. Dawa anong relihyón marhay man basta dai ni minapalangkábâ o magpaháslô sa táwo. Magi kang relihyoso, sábi, alágad magi kang síring ta ngáni sanáng mapaáyo an sadíri mo. Mayo ni saro satô an may áram kan kamatuóran. Siling ganî ka’yan ni San Pablo, “an iba bal-an ta kag an ibán pa tinotôdan ta na sana.”



Mga Sinurublian sa Hiligaynon

Silingón, sabihon

Siní, kaini

Kinakahádlokan, kinakatakutan

Ihátag, itao

Nilá, ninda

Ginapangáyô, hinahagad

Kinaugalíngon, sadiri

Nagatúo, matubod

Pagpangítâ, paghanap, pag-áram

Ginapanúmdom, iniisip

Magpaháslô, maparaot

Mapaáyo, mapamarhay

Kamatuóran, katotoohan

Gáni, ngani

Bál-an, áram

Kag, dangan

Ibán, ibá




Biligaynon [Binikol sagkod Hiniligayon] kan “Religion.” Yaon sa Worldy Virtues: A Catalogue of Reflections ni Johannes A. Gaertner, Viking Press, 1990.


Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Pag-intindí


Sarong dakulaon na pabor na puwedeng itao o ipangdalók sa tawo. Gabos kita muyá kag kinahánglan et aténsyon, apwera na sana sa pirang santo (mâwot ninda an pag-intindí sang Ginóo). Kun kita binibisto, kinikilala, pinaparada, kita iniintindí nin labí-lábi. An ungâ ngani nagpaparahibi kun dai siya iniintindí. Kita gabos siring man—maski ngani an pinakamalaot na tawong inaapod nindang kriminal. Tibaad nagi siyang pusakal ta mayo saiyang nag-intindí kadtong mga oras na kinahanglan niya ‘ni. Sa Belgium, na enot na nagrumpág kan capital punishment, daí pig-iirintindí an mga príso. Nag-aabot iní sa puntong an iba saíla nagpapabirítay na sana. An pag-intindí
 iyo na gayod an pinakahalangkáw na klase kan pagrespeto sa tawo. Bako an grabeng pagkaungís kundi an dai saiya pagbúgno, an minalúgad sa puso kan tawo. Sa istorya kan satong kalibútan, an mámimidbídan tang mga tawo iyo idtong mga naghátag sang atensyon samga pangangaípo kag kamâwotan, sa mga sákit budâ kaogmahan, sa mga isip asin kanigóan kan ibá.


Mga Sinurublian

Malahalon, Hiligaynon, mamahalon
Nga, Hiligaynon, na
Ipangdalok, Hiligaynon, ipag-imot
Kinahanglan, Hiligaynon, kaipuhan
Et, Akeanon, nin
Sang, Hiligaynon, kan
Ginóo, Hiligaynon, Diyos
Unga, Hiligaynon, aki, pusngak
Pinakamalaot, Hiligaynon, pinakamaraot
Saila, Hiligaynon, sainda
Pagbugno, Hiligaynon, pag-tîno
Kalibutan, Hiligaynon, kinâban
Naghatag, Hiligaynon, nagtao


Biligaynon [Binikol sagkod Hiniligayon] kan “Attention.” Yaon sa Worldy Virtues: A Catalogue of Reflections ni Johannes A. Gaertner, Viking Press, 1990.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Mánggad

An mánggad o kwarta bakong grasya, bako man disgrasya. Ini segun sa kun pa’no nákua sagkod kun pa’no ginagamit. Pwede nganing sabihon na mas hapós an magin matinao, kag pirming naghihirás kaini kaysa mayo kaini. An ikinaiba sana kan igwang kwarta sa mayo, iyo an gahum, o kapangyarihan. Kaya gayod an mayaman labi na sana man an pagkahambog sagkod paabaw-abaw. Alagad ngonyan, uminabót na an tiempong an kayamanan saro nang kaulangan. Ngonyan, kaipuhan kan mga mayaman bakong magasto, bakong gayong magarbo. Mas marhay saindang dai nabibisto; mas marhay ngani na dai sinda bisto. Gabos nauuri sainda. Hinaharanap sinda kan mga taga-luwas. Dinudurukot sinda kan mga bandido; tinitirira sinda kan mga terorista. Huruphurupon ta, mas mayád man giraray an palakaw kan mga matuod na manggaranon kaysa sa gobiernong puwedeng imukna kan sarong ambisyosong pigado. Pag-abot kan tiempong yaon na siya sa poder, siya maha’bon kan yaman kan banwaan, malangkaba kan kapangyarihan, dangan papatioson itong mga nagpasakit saiya.  


Susog sa “Wealth” na hale sa Worldly Virtues: A Catalogue of Reflections ni Johannes A. Gaertner, Viking Press, 1990.

Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Pag-antós


Minapoon ini sa baskog na pagtubod na an kada kadipisilan igwang kalutasan; oras sagkod kapas sana an kaipuhan mo ta ngani na mapangyari ini. Naaagód kan ibang tawo ano man na kagabatan, an kada kadipisilan, mantang an iba nariribongan dangan naluluki-luki kan mga bagay na nungka ninda mina’wot o inasahan na mangyari. 

Ta ngani kang maka-antos, dai kaipuhan na matali ka, basta igwa kang sentido kumon sana—asin kusog na makagurapay sa mga pangyayari o bagay-bagay na saimo minaparatay. Ta ngani kang makaantós, kaipuhan maisog ka, magian an disposisyon, manginisi, nahihiling an gayon asin oportunidad sa gabos na bagay, pirming igwang diskarteng magpangyari an mga bagay na kaipuhan gibohon. Ta ngani kang makaantós, urog na kaipuhan na maisog ka.

Idtong mga tawong nagtutubód na katabang ninda an Diyos o naggigiya sainda [an ano man na dyinodiyos ninda]  mas orog na makakaantós kaysa mga tawong an pagmate ninda garo mayo nang pag-asa o naghuhuna na pinabayaan na sinda. Likayan mo an mga tawong matalaw, o matapo’ sa kasakitan—apwera na sana kun ika doktor, padi o social worker. Dai nanggad paglingawi—an pagturog, an pagdiskanso, an pagkamoot sa ibang tawo, an interes na mabuhay sa kalibutan sagkod an pangamuyo amo an saimong pansagang, iyo an mapahapos sa tiempo nin kadipisilan, sa panahon nin sakit.


Susog sa “Coping” na yaon sa Worldly Virtues: A Catalogue of Reflections ni Johannes Gaertner [1912-1996], Viking Press, 1990.


Monday, March 22, 2010

Babayi ginkawatan sa simbahan



“Babayi ginkawatan sa simbahan”—thus read the headline in Hublas several months ago. I was traveling to Roxas City at the time when I caught glance of this banner printed in big boldface. Just as I was about to make out something further on the paper, the Ceres bus had already wheeled away from the Tagbak terminal.

I thought it was fine. I did not need to read the news story anymore. The headline in Hiligaynon was enough for me, a Bikolano, to assume what it was about. I smiled.

I knew what the Hublas headline meant in Hiligaynon—a woman must have been pick-pocketed or stolen of her property while she was inside the church. Yet, if I found roughly the same headline on a Bikol newspaper, the headline would rather mean something more sinister than petty theft.

There were at least three words in the headline which I readily understood. In Bikol, “babayi” also means woman, and “simbahan,” obviously one coined from Tagalog, means church.

The third word—kawat—is also a Bikol word. The anomaly lies in the word “kawat” which is the content word in the headline, even as it determines the “what” of the news story. Minus the Hiligaynon prefix gin- (the Bikol parallel prefix is pig-), the word “kawat” in Bikol means “to play.”

Depending on the context given, the word “kawat” in Bikol means “leisure,” but can even be used to infer sexual connotation, as in “sexual play,” or like someone “played with something or someone and took for leisure,” as in “kinawatan” or “pigkawatan.”

It thrills me to know and understand these two amazing languages—Bikol and Hiligaynon. While there are countless words in both Bikol and Hiligaynon which have the same meanings or interpretations, there are instances wherein the meaning of one word means two different things, or extremely the opposite.

Take the case of the word “daog.” In Hiligaynon, daog is an adjective meaning “winning, or ruling over.” In Bikol, however, the same concept of competition is indicated by the word daog, only that it means the opposite—“daog” means someone who has lost, ironically not the one who won. Furthermore, the counterpart of Hiligaynon’s “daog” is Bikol’s “gana” or “nanggana;” while Hiligaynon’s loser, “perde,” is also “loser” in Bikol.

Bikol and Hiligaynon are two distinct languages perhaps born of the same parent. Or is it safe to say they are two peas in a pod? Sometimes, words in both languages mean the same thing; but in many other instances, they do not.

And as it turned out in this example of a newspaper headline so well phrased to capture the short-attention span of the street reader, the Bikol language turns out to be the more sinister, only if we consider the word “kawat.”

Reading it normally as a Bikolano, I found the story behind the Hublas headline rather tragic—a woman was sexually abused, or worse, raped in the church.

If at all permitted, the full Bikol headline would now read—Babayi pigkawatan sa simbahan” or “babayi pigkarawan sa simbahan,” which extends the meaning further away. Here, the use of the word “karaw” subjects the woman to all possible forms of abuse, superstitious, real, imagined or otherwise.

If we think a bit further, perhaps the woman who was stolen of her belongings in the church—if at all that was the story in the Hublas issue—was nothing but the Hiligaynon language itself being raped by the Bikol sensibility.

The expression is innocently accurate and truthful in Hiligaynon, but the Bikol’s understanding departs from its original sense.

It thrills me to know two languages—Bikol and Hiligaynon. Given a certain expression containing words that are actively used in both languages, I am flung open to endless possibilities of meaning.



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...