Philippine Election

　This picture was taken during the presidential election last May 2010.  That election was not only for the president and vice-president but also for the senators, governors, board members, congressmen, mayors, vice-mayors and councilors.

In the towns and cities posters were pasted or stapled anywhere.  And on election day, so many sample ballots were given or thrown anywhere.  Towns and cities got very dirty.

 Different political parties had different color themes . .  . yellow, red, green, orange.  I liked Pnoy's color yellow.  The party’s colors could be seen in T-shirts, wrist bands, key holders, fans and even watches.

  I also liked listening to little kids and old people cheer their candidates during the meetings and parades.   But what I really found interesting was listening to the jingles that used popular songs with changed lyrics and were broadcast on radiom on television or on cars with sound systems. 

 I think elections in the Philippines is a merry time.

Kekkonshiki and Kasal

Since my stay in the Philippines, I have attended weddings and receptions three times.  I was surprised that the bride and groom don't ask for monetary gifts.  Instead, both bride and groom pay for all their expenses.

   I told some of my Filipino friends, "We have a custom of giving monetary gifts if we attend wedding receptions.  It is expected that we give about P15,000.00 pesos as gift to the newly married couple."  Their reaction would be: " Really? Then I will not attend if we have to give something just to attend the reception."

    
  In Japan we celebrate birthdays but in a way opposite the way it is done in the Philippines.  Japanese friends will pay for all the expenses of your birthday party.  All you have to do is to enjoy your birthday. 

We have different ways of paying for the expenses of weddings and birthday parties but whoever pays for these events,  our attendance should be a cause for celebration.

  

My favorite Dessert

     Whenever I think about dessert, I always know what I am going to talk about : halo-halo.  Halo-halo means “mix everything”.  This is a popular dessert in the Philippines.  The right way to eat it is to first mix all the ingredients, different fruits, jelly, beans, rice crispies, milk, ice shavings and even ice cream.  So instead of saying to my friends, "Let's drink something and have a ‘chika’, I would say instead, “Let’s have halo-halo”. Then I would know I would have a wonderful time with this sweet cool all-time favorite. I'm sure Japanese will like the halo halo's taste too.

  This is the Japanese equivalent of a halo-halo:  shaved ice with a few beans and a small slice of rice cake.  It is a simple dessert.

"A 3rd Gender?"

Special thanks to my lovely friends!! Colby!

   Homosexuals abound in the Philippines. There are more gays or "Bayots", than there are lesbians or "Tomboys". Some have even confessed that they had their sex changed in the Philippines.

  A recognizable feature among "Bayots" are their unrestricted humor and talkativeness. Vice Ganda, a gay comedian host in one of Philippines' famous noon time show, is as popular as he is loved by millions. His antics and his show are a big hit. I'm even convinced that the wonderful humor and the gossips shared by the show are the reasons for its popularity.

And Michelle!

  
  Gays really love themselves and are skilled in pampering their features - make up-wise. Moreover, they have no problem expressing their feminine feelings and liberated opinions anytime in public.This respected freedom to express one's feelings is one of the things I admire and love about the Philippine culture.

    Unfortunately in Japan, homosexuals still could not display their "true feelings" before the masses. They have to "hide" their gender preference in a society where people are as judgmental as they are prejudiced. One of my Japanes friends (a Tomboy) even confided to me that "It's difficult to date openly during daytime".

 I hope someday the Japanese society would be more understanding on its view on the third sex.