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I’m totally hyped ! It’s an animated adaptation of a popular comics serialization from the Phliippines, titled TRESE , Season 1 ( Trese, meaning 13th, to be shown on Netflix on June 11, 2021. The summary says ” When it comes to the supernatural, the cops have Alexandra Trese on speed dial. Set in Manila, Philippines and based on award -winning Filipino comics, Trese , ( first published in 2005 ) Trese brings horror folklore like you’ve never heard before. ” It has English, Japanese, Spanish, and German dubbings, besides the original Filipino language .

What’s so different about this Philippine animated comics from others is that the ” monsters and spirits ” in this comics have not been fabricated out of thin air by the Filipino authors. Even in this day and age, most Filipinos still believe in this “mythological folklore, such as the aswangs, witches, etc. I can confirm this personally. When I was in the Philippines on vacation in 2014 , my childhood friends and I were walking around our subdivision when we saw what looked like an anthill. ( Most probably a mound of termites, ugh !) Then , I heard them say ” Tabi – tabi po. “. ( You can hear the main character in the English dub utter these Filipino words ) . Then they told me to say it as well. And I was like, What did you say ? What does it mean ? Why ? — Well, it means, ” Excuse us, we’re just passing through. ” This is a sign of respect for the “dwende or nuno ” dwelling in that mound, ( or in forests, or a sacred tree like the Balete Tree ) . ” Just say it Ren ! It’s no big deal. ”

The dwende ( dwarf) is not really evil , just mischievous. If the person doesn’t show respect, he/she will end up suffering, at most, from diarrhea. The aswangs is another matter. They will——– eat you.

I’ll write more details on my other blogsite devoted to animes, mangas, video games. https://2megaworthitwordpresscomblog.wordpress.com

Anyway,

Here’s the Netflix Ad for Trese. ( or 13th , pronounced treh-seh )

SB19 from the Philippines.

SB19 just uploaded a lyric video for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. The lyric is so heartfelt and heartwarming. This song is why I like this group so much. Although they are a typical Boyband, the sing and dance type, y’know, their songs are deep and meaningful. They compose their own songs. That’s a plus, big time.

This new song made me cry buckets of tears. The words are so relatable to me. My parents have done so much for me and my siblings, so waaaay beyond their obligation as parents.

I’m sad SB19 didn’t win BBMA ,( Billboard Best Artist ) this year. They got 3rd place. ( Ariana Grande was second, BTS was first … *pout *) It’s okay, SB19 is a newcomer. I’m surprised they even got nominated. They’re such newbies.

The title of the song is MAPA. ( Map ) It’s not your typical Hallmark Mother’s Day, Father’s Day message. ” Mama, close your eyes. Rest first. I’ll take care of it. ” Papa, I have the map that you have given me. I won’t get lost because I know where I came from. “ The words pierced my heart. Okay, don’t mind me. I did mention I was a Drama Queen, remember ?

Please click to listen. It’s so heartwarming. It’s in Filipino language , but with English subtitles.

Bye for now. Stay safe.

I’m thinking… are there any positives we can take from this horrible pandemic?

Since almost 100 % of workforce at Dad’s office are working at home ( except a few newly-hired who come everyday to man the fort…. Dad saw 3 employees in their building the other day, out of about 300 employees. ) , the area has turned into a wildlife sanctuary. Dad has to check for rattlesnakes under the car….. and seen bobcats lurking around the building. Cayotes , owls and fox , too. I don’t like snakes ( shivers ) but we welcome the other wildlife. This is a positive, right ?

And, do you notice the sky has turned bluer ?

We ran out of bread this morning. I went to the grocery without brushing my teeth and dressing up….just wore a mask to cover the morning breath, lol… that’s a positive, right ? *_*

Less cars on the road, less pollution.

We’ve also learned to take care and protect our loved ones, now more than ever.

We’ve also gotten closer to our next door neighbors, especially the elderly Vietnamese couple. They always send us food ! Just last week, they gave us 2 family size pizzas. I have to buy ensaimada from a Filipino bakery this weekend. Ensaimada is a Filipino brioche filled with sugary whipped butter and topped with aged cheese * Edam cheese or what Filipinos call queso de bola. * The Vietnamese couple love this bread. ( shown in the pic, the one with lots of cheese topping. ) so I guess I’ll buy this for them again.

Thank goodness Hamas and Israel have finally agreed to a ceasefire. Gah ! Who started the bombings ?

And what are these anti-vaccine and anti-mask thinking ? Because, FreedomS ? Just spread the virus among yourselves, please do. You are a walking disease. You’re putting my parents’ lives at risk. ! ! Okay, do whatever you want…… May your tribe decrease. ………

*****************************

Ponders

Pres. Biden was spared from deciding re Palestine and Israel conflict. That’s a positive for us Americans , right ? If that one escalates further, America will be blamed again.

In the US, although the rate of vaccination is just 38. 6 %, the highest rate of those fully vaccinated are concentrated on Eastern and Western coasts, like New York , California, Massachusets, Oregon, etc.and those with the lowest rate are from the South. Mississippi has the lowest. Heh. Why am I not surprised ? We are aiming for herd immunity here in California. We would appreciate it if you don’t travel here in the meantime. Kindly spare us.

Will Japan postpone the Summer Olympics ? Japan has already spent so much for this year’s Olympics and my heart goes out to the country , but now is not the time to hold this event, no matter how important it is ( it’s supposed to be 2020 Summer Olympics but was postponed for this year, and I guess they’re going to postpone it again? ) Japan, it’s alright. Never mind the Olympics , Your health is more important.

I think my thoughts have started to meander. It’s time to stop and say my goodbyes.

Bye bye !

The country is the Philippines, of course.

How come there are 175 languages spoken in such a small country ? Answer : It’s an archipelago of 7,641 islands. The inhabitants of each island in ancient times developed their own language.

So, how do they understand each other ? Answer : They don’t … and didn’t , until Spain came to the scene, united the islands and named the country Las Islas Filipinas ( formerly ???….actually, nameless )in honor of King Philip ll of Spain , and later Anglicized as Philippines by the Americans.

So, why do Filipinos not speak Spanish like South America ? Answer : With the inhabitants speaking 175 different languages, I ;m sure the Spaniards thought it was too troublesome so they just gave up and fortunately, didn’t even try to impose their language on the inhabitants, unlike what they did in Latin America. Speak Spanish or die.

So, how did the Filipinos communicate with each other ? Answer: They had to learn Spanish so that they could communicate with different groups and, most importantly , with the ruling government. I assume it was easier for Filipinos to learn one new language than to learn 175 ones. LOL Filipinos that time did speak Spanish as a second language. Under Spanish rule for 377 years, that was a given.

( ponders )

377 years ! That’s hardcore. Not complaining though. I mean, I wouldn’t be here blogging / existing if not for one adventurous Spaniard from Segovia, Spain . Sorry, off topic. ^_^”

But, how come Filipinos don’t speak Spanish ? The US colonized the Philippines in 1898, ( after the Spanish – American War) and made English the official language and the medium of instruction in schools , in all levels, so those born during American colonial rule grew up learning English , while the rest had to learn another language, yet again . And though the Philippines acquired its independence in 1946, English remained an official language up to present, together with Filipino language, which is based in Tagalog , the lingua franca in the capital region ( Manila ) Tagalog non-speakers had to learn another language for the third time. Filipino language based on Tagalog was added to school curriculum. ( Although , for a time, people from the island of Cebu complained that since there were more Cebuano speakers than Tagalog speakers, the national language should be based on Cebuano ) Anyway, all Filipinos can now understand and speak Tagalog , and that’s a good thing. Native Tagalog speakers , however, still cannot understand the other languages. (+_+ )

So, how different is Tagalog from other Filipino languages ? Answer : As different as Greek from German.

Ex : Where are you going ?

Tagalog : Saan ka pupunta ?

Pampagueno: Nun ka munta ? ( The province of Pampanga is just 66 km. or 41 miles from Manila )

Ilocano: Ayanna papanam ? ( Ilocos Sur is about 297 km / 184 miles from Manila )

Cebuano : Asa ka padulong ? ( Cebu is an island south of Manila, about 573 km. /356 miles )

Ilongo : Diin ka makadto ? ( Ilo-ilo , where Ilongo is spoken, is an island south of Manila , about 465 km/ 289 miles)

Chavacano : Donde ta anda tu ? ( Zamboanga where Chavacano is spoken , is part of Mindanao Island, south of Manila, about 859 km/534 miles)

Although these languages are so different from each other, they sound the same to non-Filipinos.

Except Chavacano.

Check out a Tagalog music video , Dahil Sa ‘ Yo ( Because of You )on my previous post and see if you can detect the difference between Tagalog and Chavacano. Oh, alright, I;m reposting it here. I know you busy folks won’t bother. ( “_” )

So here’s a Chavacano song, Porque ( Because ), sang by Aria Clemente and David DiMuzio. Can you detect the difference between the 2 songs?

Listen to a foreign song, be curious, be entertained.

Please comment down below if you’ve detected the difference.. I’d love to hear from you, dear readers.

Bye for now. Be Safe . Keep your mask on.

Before anything else, I would like to offer my prayers to India for their speedy recovery from Covid. I’ve been watching the news ( mainly from Gravitas/Wion and BBC ) and the images I see are incomprehensible…… over a million infections in 3 days ! People are dying on the streets, gasping for breath on sidewalks, inside cars or whatever vehicle they use to get to hospitals…….. but to no avail. No help is immediately available. It’s unbelievable . If you are a reader from India, please tell us, are the images exagerrated , perhaps ? I hope so, because , darn it, it’s like watching a disaster/ apocalyptic movie ,except this one is real.

Meanwhile, here in the US, there is a spate of mass shootings going on. Sadly, I am already inured to this kind of violence.

Japan is being jolted by earthquakes of different magnitude these past few months, the highest of which is 7.2 Thank goodness there are no accompanying tsunamis. Watching on TV the tsunami disaster in Japan in March, 2011 had traumatized me……… not to mention the tsunami that occured in Indonesia.

Currently , there is a spike in volcanic activities worldwide. Japan, Indonesia, Italy , South America. Last year in Jan. 2020, Taal Volcano in the Philippines erupted , 3 weeks before my scheduled vacation in the Philippines. The volcano is just 30 miles from Manila, so I got to see the volcano while it was still actively spewing smoke and steam. There are currently an ongoing elevated seismic activities around the volcano, sparking fears that it will erupt again.

So, what else can we pile up on top of these man-made and natural disasters?

Oh, wait, I haven’t mentioned typhoons, cyclones and hurricanes that have become more vicious and destructive due to climate change.

This is like Murphy’s Law being put to work in 2020 and 2021.

These are indeed interesting times.

sigh

I can feel a negative aura surrounding me .

• turns on in denial mode. *

Bye for now. Stay safe. Keep the mask on.