The top two most prolific, gifted, and well-informed Filipino-American rappers from the American West Coast came together and made an astig-ass music video riddled with FMA (Filipino martial arts).
It’s called “Slow Down,” but Bambu and Prometheus Brown aren’t slowing down anytime soon.
“A parking lot for a motor shop used to be owned by mom and pop, now its where your grande late’s can get bought.”
-Bambu
“You should of been studying WEB instead of WB its WWE this is not TV”
-Prometheus Brown
I don’t know if I got the quotes right because of the lightning-speed flows, but I tried.
Ok, so there wasn’t any isaw, adidas, kwek-kwek, or helmet, but the mango-oatmeal cookies, ube purple velvet cupcakes, adobo burritos, sisig tacos, lumpiang shanghai, mechado, adobong manok, and turon was absol-friggin-lutely MASARAP! Astig ng Pinoy-Amerka!
In the Philippines you’ll find carts selling delicious snacks that are cheap to make and cheap to buy for both the vendors and passers-by. Hot foods are fried, cold foods are sweet, and masarap ang lahat (everything is tasty - excuse my Taglish).
This event in Daly City, CA was no different. These folks were cooking up things that were cheap to make and cheap to buy, but mahal in deliciousness. Almost half of the visiting public, as well as the vendors, weren’t even Filipino, making the event even more meaningful for the community at large.
The crazy guys of Lumpia Cart:
The HUGE pot of adobong manok from Adobo Hobo:
And the hot bartenders serving Lambanog Vodka:
The event helped promote the huge abundance of street food carts popping up in San Francisco in the wake of this “recession.” If recessions push people to push great street food carts like these, spreading culture and foodie-love up and down our neighborhoods, then maybe there is some good we can get from a bad economy.
“Outside-In” @ the Mink Lounge, Daly City, CA:
But the day will come when someone pushes a cart full of grilled chicken feet and deep-fried quail eggs down an “all-American” block… some tunay ng Pilipino street food!
Photo above from http://my_sarisari_store.typepad.com/my_sarisari_store/street_food/.
(Rough English translation is below)
Akala ng mga tao na nasa Pilipinas
kapag nasa America ka akala nila
madami ka ng pera. Ang totoo, madami
kang utang, dahil credit card lahat
ang gamit mo sa pagbili mo ng mga
gamit mo. Kailangan mo gumamit ng
credit card para magka-credit history
ka, kase pag hindi ka umutang o
wala kang utang, hindi ka
pagkakatiwalaan ng mga kano. Pag wala
kang credit card, ibig sabihin wala kang
kapasidad magbayad.
Akala nila mayaman ka na kase may
kotse ka na. Ang totoo, kapag
hindi ka bumili ng kotse sa
America maglalakad ka ng milya-
milya sa ilalim ng init ng araw o kaya sa snow.
Walang jeepney, tricycle o padyak
sa America .
Akala nila masarap ang buhay dito sa
America. Ang totoo, puro ka
trabaho kase pag di ka nagtrabaho,
wala kang pangbayad ng bills mo sa
kotse, credit card, ilaw, tubig,
insurance, bahay at iba pa. Hindi ka na
pwedeng tumambay sa kapitbahay kase
busy din sila maghanap buhay
pangbayad ng bills nila.
Akala nila masaya ka kase nagpadala
ka ng picture mo sa Disneyland,
Seaworld, Six Flags, Universal Studios
at iba pang attractions. Ang
totoo, kailangan mo ngumiti kase
nagbayad ka ng $70+ para makarating ka
dun, kailangan mo na naman ang 10
hours na sweldo mong pinangbayad sa
ticket.
Akala nila malaki na ang kinikita
mo kase dolyar na sweldo mo. Ang
totoo, malaki pagpinalit mo ng peso,
pero dolyar din ang gastos mo sa
America. Ibig sabihin ang dolyar mong
kinita sa presyong dolyar mo din
gagastusin. Ang P15.00 na sardinas sa
Pilipinas $1.00 sa America , ang
isang pakete ng sigarilyo sa pilipinas
P40.00, sa America $ 6.50, ang
upa mo sa bahay na P10,000 sa
Pilipinas, sa America $1,000++.
Akala nila buhay milyonaryo ka na
kase ang ganda ng bahay at kotse
mo. Ang totoo milyon ang utang mo. Ang
bago mong kotse 5 taon mong
huhulugan. Ang bahay 30 taon mong
huhulugan. Ibig sabihin, alipin ka ng
bahay at kotse mo.
Madaming naghahangad na makarating
sa America . Lalo na mga nurses,
mahirap maging normal na manggagawa sa
Pilipinas. Madalas pagod ka sa
trabaho. Pag dating ng sweldo mo,
kulang pa sa pagkain mo. Pero ganun
din sa ibang bansa katulad ng
America . Hindi ibig sabihin dolyar na
ang sweldo mo, yayaman ka na, kailangan mo
ding magbanat ng buto para
mabuhay ka sa ibang bansa.
Isang malaking sakripisyo ang pag
alis mo sa bansang pinagsilangan
at malungkot iwanan ang mga mahal mo
sa buhay. Hindi pinupulot ang pera
dito o pinipitas. Hindi ako naninira
ng pangarap, gusto ko lang buksan
ang bintana ng katotohanan..
Translation:
Filipinos think that if you’re in
America, you have a lot of money.
The truth is you have a lot of debt
because credit is one of the main
ways to buy. If you don’t borrow
or if you have debt, you are not
trusted by Americans. If you don’t
have a credit card, you are saying
you cannot pay.
They think you are rich since you
have a car. The truth is if you
don’t buy a car in America, you
will walk miles. Miles under the
heat of the sun or the snow.
There are no jeepneys, tricycles, or ?
in America.
They think life is sweet in America.
The truth is it is full of work, because
if you don’t work, you can pay bills for
your car, credit cart, light, water, insurance,
house, and more. YOu can’t stay with
your neighbors because they also have
busy lives, paying their bills.
They think you have fun because you
bring photos of Disneyland, Sea World, Six Flags,
Universal Studios, and other attractions.
The truth is you must smile in these
photos because you had to pay $70
to get there, 10 hours of pay to buy
the ticket.
They think you have a large income because
your salary is in dollars. The truth is,
the dollar is stronger than the peso, but
the dollar also costs more in America.
The dollar buys more, so it costs more.
P15 pesos of sardines in the Philippines,
is $1 dollar in America, one pack of
cigarettes in the Philippines is P40, in America
it is $6.50, your rent in the Philippines
is P10,000 pesos, in America it is $1,000 plus.
They think you have a millionaire life because
you have a nice house and a nice car. The truth
is you are a million dollars in debt. You owe 5 years
for your new car. Your house, 30 years. In other words,
you are a slave to your house and car.
Many want more in America.
Especially nurses, who work hard in the
Philippines. Tired of work. Your salary
is not enough for food. It is the same
in other countries like America. (I can’t discern
the translation for this last sentence).
It is a huge sacrifice to visit the Philippines,
and sad to leave your loved ones. I don’t want to
bash your dreams, I want to open the window
of truth.
(from kayie48.multiply.com/journal/item/16)
This is a Filipino telling other Filipinos how America is really like. What would an American tell another American how the Philippines is really like?
As I was doing further research on Lapu-Lapu, I fell upon some archival footage of Chief Paksiw’s tribe meeting the Tribu Wak Wak from Siquijor for the first time.
In this footage you can hear the authentic language that was spoken up and down the archipelago before the Tagalogs made Tagalog the national language. This ancient, long forgotten language was called “Bisaya,” or “Language of the cool people.”
A few years later, they made a blood compact that eventually led to the demise of Ferdinand Magellan, and the success of the Jollibee franchise.
Lastly, always remember…
“No history, no self. Know history, nope still bored.”
Translation (thanks to professor Balangtot Balastakalak PhD):
Paksiw: Who’s there? Who’s there?!
Bahag-Hari: I am their known king wearing T-back and they call me Bahag-Hari. Its ok for me to let you search for “kaka” in our surroundings since my tribe are living in peace but if you do something wrong to us then you will be thrown away from here.
Stranger: (offered fishes to Bahag-Hari)
Bahag-Hari: Its already rotten.
Stranger: Just take a look if its rotten.
Bahag-Hari: Where did you get it?
Stranger: From Pasil.
Bahag-Hari: Good!
Paksiw: What group are you bai?
Stranger: Move forward brod……. We are members of Wakwak tribe who lost during the Sinulog.
Paksiw: Because you always sniff rugby thats why.
Stranger: Maybe its you….. because your face looks like a mosquito leg.
Paksiw: You asshole!
Bahag-Hari: PAKSIW!
Paksiw: Get back here
Bahag-Hari: PAKSIW! Don’t mind him, come let’s go home
Scene 2
(the sound of kikiks who follows the Wakwak tribe)
Bahag-Hari: The Wakwak tribe they started in Siquijor. They are known vampires in the island.
Fatguy: Ahhhh vampires…. the one who wears nose rings.
Bahag-Hari: (Giving the fatguy an unapproving look)
Fatguy: oh….. sorry.
Bahag-Hari: Mom and Dad are from Wakwak tribe.
Paksiw: We are descendants of vampires?
Bahag-Hari: Yes…. Morning, Night they look for victims….. young, old, pregnant as long as its fresh blood…. But I didn’t continue and move away from their tribe because I never get used to eating raw….. When I was little its always spaghetti and regular yum in Jollibee but now I’m a vegetarian….”Original Rastafarai”. Sometimes I’m also a “Punk” oh here it is take it lets go home……
I’ve realized today that one way I can empower myself state-side is to watch great investigative reports by Filipino journalists. My new discovery today is a woman named Winnie Monsod.
The topic is Manny Villar, a presidential candidate for this year’s Philippine elections on May 10th, 2010. He is accused of using government funds to… well, in the end, increase the value of a few of his properties.
The first 3:40 is for all of you who don’t have Attention Deficit Disorder. For college drop outs like myself, I needed her “thousand-word picture” at 3:41 =).
YouTube: “Winnie Monsod explains C-5 road extension unnecessary…”
For Filipino-Americans, I recommend following Rodel Rodis, a columnist and advocate for OFW’s in the US. Here is one of his latest editorials “Hate the sinner, love the sin.”
I love teacher’s who can successfully give us information we didn’t think we needed, but there’s nothing like a teacher who can give us something we didn’t think we had: curiosity!
I love this show! In this skit rich kids are discussing how much it sucks that political campaigns always involve helping the poor.
“It’s always about the poor… What about me? I can get kidnapped! Poor people don’t get kidnapped! Rich people are voters too! Where’s my ya-ya (nanny)?”
This sign has more meaning than the average Filipino thinks.
To not piss on a wall means to hold a natural, human urge for an extended amount of time, just for the sake of cleanliness. And that’s it. No law and no government is threatening the life of a filipino for urinating in a public space, and no one dies whenever he urinates on a wall.
However it is this very action, the action of not “sacrificing” 10 minutes of time and perhaps 40 feet of walking distance to the nearest public restroom that more than likely prevents the Filipino from living in a country where he wants to live.
It is this action that pushes Filipinos away from the stench of poverty and corruption. To places of “greener pastures”, pastures fed by the water of forward-thought, and not the urine of instant relief.
So how do you stop pissing on a wall when everyone else does it, and no one cares if you do? How do you make that “sacrifice?”
Well, what do you sacrifice for today? You child, your parents, your spouse, your loved ones. Your job, your school, your friends… You sacrifice for them because you LOVE them.
So in order to sacrifice for something that others have no faith in, the only other way for it to work and for it to become better, is to love it.
The love a mother has for a child who cannot walk, see, or hear. The love of a man for another man whose union means nothing to those of “faith.”
The love of a child for a mother who cannot fend for herself.
That is a love the Filipino must have for his country. How can you grow a child you do not love?
The Filipino must love the women his kababayan womanize and the political positions his leaders putrify.
But first, the Filipino must love the walls that line his streets. Then he will be AMAZED at what this love can do. Not only to his country, but to himself.
It is not about sacrifice for an unseen future. It is not sacrifice, or dying for the Filipino that will make the Philippines better.
It is your LOVE for the Philippines that will make YOU better. Nothing more and nothing less.
Photo by Oliver “Jojo” Pensica Jr. Flickr: Jobarracuda
Graphic by Paul Sherwin Ang. Tumblr: Techodium
Spread it on everything. Chicken thighs, rice, and even vegetables.
Star Margarine: The WD-40 of spreads.
(via Fuckyeahfilipinofoods. Now THAT’S a website name.)
With myself being ignorant to Philippine politics as a whole, this was a good introduction to this pivotal period in Philippine history .
From what I took from the movie, Benigno Aquino Jr. came from a long line of leaders, and had an innate ability to empathize with whomever he was talking to. It was upon interviewing a person the Philippine government regarded as a “communist rebel” did he realize two things:
- That “communists” and “rebels” in the Philippines don’t talk about political ideologies, they talk about suffering.
- That the majority of the Philippine people were suffering in the same way.
The movie then goes on to show Aquino slowly venturing out in to a mission of identifying anything that prevented the betterment of the Filipino people.
Years later, Marcos started funneling and hoarding money away from social and economic programs and into the pockets of his friends, thereby stopping growth and increasing poverty. After accurately predicting Marcos’ plans to declare Martial Law, Aquino was thrown in jail for 7 years.
In the meantime, South Korea’s Kim Dae Jung was jailed around the same time after speaking out against similar atrocities in South Korea. The movie notes that Cory Aquino, Benigno’s wife, wrote letters to the wife of Kim Dae Jung about their similar struggles . A few years after Aquino’s death, Kim Dae Jung soon became president of South Korea, further democratizing the country.
I can go on, but there was a lot of information in this movie. So i’d like to end my review-turned-rant with a few points that stuck out to me the most:
- Marcos had the potential to make a better Philippines, but changed his path.
- Aquino was very much inspired by Gandhi and the practice of non-violent protests to make a point.
- Aquino knew he was going to die.
“The moment you say no to tyranny, you are beginning the struggle, the long lonely road to freedom.” -Benigno Aquino Jr.
The screening was preceded by a short film called “66 Years, 2 Months, 21 Days… and Still Counting” by Mona Lisa Yuchengco.
The San Francisco International Asian-American Film Festival.
(Sonic boom image, Getty Images/J.Jacobson)
Maraming people thought that the Pacquiao vs. Akon fight was “boring” but on the contrary it was fun to watch based on the following 3 climactic events that occurred during the fight:
- Me having spicy butt-hole after eating 2 large hotlinks.
- Akon’s “cobra dance.”
- Manny’s double punch, FPJ punch, or SONIC BOOM! It turns out, it was part of Manny’s strategy after all.
