Nilait ng taong-grasa (Insulted by the homeless): The sequel
You know how very close friends sometimes quarrel over the most trivial things? The other night we were recalling how two of our friends had had a spat over a comment one of them made about the other’s outfit. Eventually they forgot what they had quarreled about and resumed being good friends.
“An insult over fashion?” we said. “Wala yan. Naaalala niyo noong nilait ako ng taong-grasa?” (That’s nothing. Remember when we were insulted by the homeless?)
We have these funny earrings we’re very fond of, made of empty super-glue tubes. One day we wore them to lunch with Chus at a cafe near Burgos. After the lunch, we were waiting for a taxi when we were approached by a homeless person completely covered in soot and grime. She walked up to us, stared at our earrings and said, with great concern, “Ate, bakit ganyan ang hikaw mo?” (Why are your earrings like that?) Yes, our fashion accessories were dissed by a street person.
After he had finished laughing, Leo suggested that we wear the super-glue earrings to a formal function or someplace where people are really dressed-up. As luck would have it, we had a lunch appointment with Toni and Martha the following day at Terraz in the new Zuellig Building on Makati Avenue.
We have been curious about the Zuellig Building, which not only has an arresting facade but is a certified Green building. It’s their corporate headquarters so we figured the people in it would be in business attire, i.e. not likely to be wearing earrings made of empty super-glue tubes.
So we found our super-glue earrings, which we haven’t worn since we were doing rugby coverage (They were an in-joke: rugby? super-glue?).
We were having coffee and dessert when the European man at the next table approached us. “I just want to say that I like your earrings!”
The moral of the story is—Well, there is no moral in this story. File under Differences in Taste/Cultural Differences: What may seem quirky/interesting to a foreigner can look like garbage to a street person. This is also true for cinema.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
August 2nd, 2013 at 03:19
maybe the homeless guy would’ve been more interested if the glue is not empty, you know, so he could sniff it
August 2nd, 2013 at 04:43
here’s one more for Differences in Taste/Cultural Differences: years ago I saw pictures of this Japanese couple that got married in the Philippines. She wore a saya with butterfly sleeves but the sleeves were removable. their wedding pictures included the couple riding a pedicab (?) – he’s the one biking and she’s in the sidecar. the wedding party (parents included) rode a jeepney to and from the wedding ceremony and reception.
it was so cute. because they’re foreigners.
but have an upper-class pinoy/tsinoy couple do that and their parents would faint at the idea of taking a jeepney instead of a mercedes.
August 2nd, 2013 at 09:09
Sushal talaga ang mga taong grasa sa pinas. I remember nung hindi pa mashadong uso ang cell phones at maski ako ay hindi pa nakakabili, nakakita ko ng taong-grasa sa kalsada na gumagamit ng cell phone habang nakasakay ako sa jeep. Nag-self-pity tuloy ako bigla. Hahaha!
P.S. i love your earrings! Very unique. :)
August 2nd, 2013 at 15:19
“The moral of the story is—Well, there is no moral in this story.”
Diyan ako natuwa’.
Okay, the rest of the story was okay too. ;-)
August 2nd, 2013 at 15:59
Since it’s Cinemalaya season, sino pinaparinggan mo nito: “What may seem quirky/interesting to a foreigner can look like garbage to a street person. This is also true for cinema.” LOL CHOZ! :))
August 3rd, 2013 at 00:25
PinayTG: Ay hindi yan blind item! Nakakatuwa nga, wala pa kaming nakikitang poverty porn.
Panoorin mo ang Quick Change! Ang pangunahing tauhan ay isang transgender na tumuturok ng collagen sa mga kliyenteng transgender, lalo na sa mga sumasali sa beauty pageant.