It's been ages since I last participated in ASEAN Hive Community Challenge, so I'm excited to do so again. For challenge 173, we are to share "ASEAN Expressions".
People in the Philippines love inventing words or phrases. It's like we're creating a new language out of the original one. For instance, we say "LODI" instead of "IDOL. It's just idol but backwards. The same goes for "SAKALAM" instead of "MALAKAS".
It's interesting, and people here tend to follow some trends. However, for this post, I'm going to share a few proverbs we grew up with. We call it "Salawikain".
They're quotes to live by, but I'm also going to include some twists that Filipinos do to these quotes. Consider it a glimpse of "Filipino Humor".
"Ang di lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan."
He who does not look back at his origin will not reach his destination.
In our culture, the concept of "gratitude" is very important. We believe that we won't be what we are today if it weren't for the people and situations that helped us in the past.
In addition, it's also a reminder to always be humble... to keep your feet on the ground. If you're successful now, you shouldn't forget your roots or your humble beginnings.
- With a Humorous Twist:
Ang di lumingon sa pinanggalingan, may stiff neck. ---> He who does not look back at his origin has a stiff neck.
"Ang buhay ay parang gulong... minsan nasa taas, minsan nasa ilalim."
"Life is like a wheel... sometimes you're up, and sometimes you're down"
Life is a cycle... You experience both good and bad times. It makes sense, right? The only constant in this world is change, after all.
This quote reminds us that when we're "up", we have to stay humble and not belittle others because the wheel can turn, so our successful life could change for the worse.
And when we're "down", we shouldn't lose hope because if we keep moving forward, the wheels will turn and our situation will get better.
- With a Humorous Twist:
"Ang buhay ay parang gulong... minsan nasa taas, minsan nasa repair shop. ---> "Life is like a wheel... sometimes you're up, and sometimes you're in the repair shop.
"Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo?"
"What good is the grass if the horse is already dead?"
This quote means that something is useless if it's too late. It's similar to the English phrase "too little, too late".
This reminds us to be mindful of time... and to act on chances to do something or help someone when it's still possible. Sometimes, we only realize how important something or someone is when it's too late and all that's left is regret.
- With a Humorous Twist:
"Aanhin mo pa ang damo kung ang hardin mo ay sementado?" ---> What good is the grass if your garden is already paved with cement?
Filipinos can turn something serious into something funny. I guess it's just as we are. We're resilient, and we try to use humor to mellow things down, like our problems and other issues.
There's a song lyric that goes "Tawanan mo ang iyong problema!" which translates to "Laugh at your problems".
Ohh... before I end, I want to share one more. This is like a joke between someone who's beautiful, and someone who's not that beautiful.
- What is beauty if your brain is empty?
- What is knowledge if your face is damaged?
XD
I'll end my post here. Thanks for reading! See you around! (^^,)/
