Hokkien, on the tongues of Tsinoys, has grown and evolved, taking on a life of its own. Sometimes words simply fail us. With some creativity, Tsinoys have strung together words to form colorful phrases that simply hit the bull’s eye. Here are some expressions unique to Hokkien as favored by Tsinoys. 氣腸氣肚 k’i téng k’i […]
If you’re often on the road, you must have witnessed angry drivers shouting at each other. Sometimes, this argument ends up with just evil stares and horn blowing. That’s all right. No harm done. However, there are instances when the fight escalates with one person physically mauling or using a weapon to hurt another. This […]
He bought his first car at 25, his first 350 sq. meter home at 28. This is Sean Si. He’s now reaping the rewards from running several successful technology-based businesses that he started at the age of 22. But it wasn’t always that way. Technology is how he’s making a comfortable living now, but it’s […]
June has always been a busy month for the Tsinoy community as organizations come together to commemorate Philippine Independence Day and celebrate Philippines-China relations. Last June 9 and 10, led by the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. and the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Associations of the Philippines, the community again celebrated the […]
I have always been fascinated by what lies above us in the heavenly skies. In my teens, I would browse through pictures on different encyclopedia and books featuring our galaxies and the different constellations. Although the heavenly bodies above seem stationary, we know that the earth is constantly moving. All we can see are the […]
According to legend, a child enters the world with a mirror that holds his soul, and this mirror reflects not only his image but also the love shaping his soul. Should the mirror break, the child’s soul will be marred forever. This metaphor forms the basis of Broken Mirror: Inside a Chinese Marriage, the story […]
I have finished my Buddhist studies with wise senior Buddhist nuns in a nunnery on top of a hill. Time to take the final exams – attend a Nepali wedding! A word of caution: Do not take the same curriculum –this ‘exam’ only happens once in a blue moon! It just so happen that the […]
Hokkien, on the tongues of Tsinoys, has grown and evolved, taking on a life of its own. Sometimes words simply fail us. With some creativity, Tsinoys have strung together words to form colorful phrases that simply hit the bull’s eye. Here are some expressions unique to Hokkien as favored by Tsinoys. 個個猛 kê kê bi-eng […]
Growing up in Binondo, I always wondered about other Overseas Chinese communities. What fascinates me is the integration process – how they combine their culture with that of the country they now call home. So, whenever I visit a country that has a Chinatown, I check it out. When I visited Japan this year, I […]
My father grew up in Davao but left in the late 1930s to study in Shanghai. When he returned in 1947, he decided to settle in Manila where he married. My sister and I were both born and raised in Manila. I was about five when I took my first plane ride, my mother bringing […]