Concern for Angels

Rama: Mommy, pa'no nag-poo-poopoo ang angels, wala namang washroom kay lord?
Me: Hindi natin alam 'yon. Malay mo, may washroom sila.
Rama: Ay, oo nga. Eh, pa'no yung wings nila, mababasa sa toilet?
Me: Na-fo-fold yun. Or yung iba, may sabitan.
Rama: Ahhh, ok.

Ever contemplated angel poo?

Mabuhay!

At the fruit market, we were chatting with the guy at the counter. Rama asked me if the guy at the check-out counter was Filipino. He was, in fact, Chinese. But I verified.

Me to Chinese guy: You're Chinese, right?

Guy says yes. To Rama, he says, "You look Chinese, too!"

Rama: No, I'm Filipino. But I speak English because you can't understand Tagalog.

Mabuhay!

From Stardust to Scatology

I was prepping Rama before we saw Stardust. In the movie, a fallen star (Claire Danes) is on the run from an evil witch who wants to eat her heart out - literally. So we were talking about the physical heart.

Me: Close your fist, Rama. Ganyan kalaki ang heart mo sa loob. Tapos, may mga butas yan.
I proceed to hold my fist up, make quick pumping movements and, add my sound effects, puh-pum, puh-pum, puh-pum.

Me: Alam mo ba kung bakit ganyan ang sound?
Rama: Kasi umuutot siya?

Scents of Childhood and Home

Summers here in Toronto are hot and humid. One evening, it was so humid, I brought out my rationed stash of Johnson's Baby Cologne and enjoyed the cool, fragrant sprays.

Rama: 'Pag naaamoy ko yan, nami-miss ko Pilipinas.

She went on to explain how when I came home from work, this is what she smelled when we hug and kiss.

Attention Mr. Henry Sy

Rama, with some impatience: Bakit dito sa Canada, walang SM? Bakit hindi ko nakikita?

The Shaping Of Identity

I made miso soup for Rama one dinner. She ate all of the tofu and the seaweed, but there was still a lot of broth left.

Me: Rama, pwede mo yang inumin from the bowl. Parang Japanese, ganito sila uminom ng soup.
Rama: Eh bakit ko iinumim na ganun, eh Pilipino naman ako, hindi Japanese! (Pause) Pero ngayon, English ako, because I'm in Canada.

Something About A Man In Uniform?

Over dinner tonight, Rama shared a story on current events.

Rama: Alam mo, may pulis na namatay.

A police officer died in the line of duty last week here in Greater Toronto Area. Grabbed headlines, big funeral, etc. But I little did I know Rama would be up to speed on those things!

Me: Paano mo nalaman?
Rama: Diyaryo!

!?!

Me: Nabasa mo?
Rama: No. Mamu.

Her lola on her dad's side, Mamu, recently paid a visit.

Rama: Bakit siya namatay?
Me: Hero siya. Habang hinuhuli niya yung bad people, sinubukan nilang makatakas. Nakasabit yung police sa car. So nakaladkad siya. Patay.

Through all this, Rama was listening in rapt attention. She seemed very concerned. The mood was not light at all.

Rama: Is it real?
Me. Yes.

I looked around the house for a copy of the paper. I remember seeing the paper with the cover story of the burial lying around. On today's page 3, there was his picture, copied above. So I showed it to Rama.

Me: Eto siya o.
Rama: Uy! Gwapo!

Bibbidi-bobbi-di-Boo

As Rama and I were exiting our building lobby, we were singing The Magic Song from the 1950 Cinderella:

Rama and Me, chorus: Salagadoola Michi Kaboola bibbi-di bobbi-diboo. Put them together and what have you got? Bibbidi bobbidi boo!

Big Black Guy who overheard: That's an interesting language!

Me: It's Disney.

Toronto is home to virtually all the world's culture groups and where more than 100 languages and dialects are spoken. Amusing how residents can never assume that what they're hearing is acually just simple nonsense.

On World War 2

Rama and I, while taking a walk in the neighborhood, chanced upon a war memorial. So I had to explain what it was about.

Me: Ang nakasulat diyan, tungkol sa gera.
Rama: Ano yung gera?
Me Fighting. Big guns. Not nice. So a long time ago, some Canadians were sent to this war. In Korea.
Rama: Oh no! May friend ako, Korean siya!

Cats and Dogs

In child rearing, the question of pets will somehow figure in the equation. Rama and her Papi are contemplating getting a pet.

Rama: Gusto ko, cat.
Papi: Gusto ko, dog.
Rama: Sige. Ganito na lang. Cat na mukhang dog.

Issue unresolved. Discussion shelved for another time.

Unano

At Centre Island, Rama noticed that a boy, maybe 9 years old, was walking by himself. He was going towards us, and he stood out. He was of East Indian descent. Wearing a head scarf. And dressed in adult clothes. Grey slacks, black shoes, sky blue trubinized polo shirt. (Some parents are just that way, I guess). Rama wondered why he was walking solo.

Rama: Yung bata, bakit wala siyang kasamang adult?
Me: I don't know.
Rama: Baka unano siya.

Of Suntans and Sweat

Rama got so dark after a long weekend at Niagara. After a couple of days, some of her friends were peeling. I was explaining to Rama how different people react differently to sun exposure.

Me: Ang tawag diyan, sunburn. Some people just get darker and darker. Some people get dark for a while and then nagbabalat and they go back to their old color. For others, it just fades. Ako, when I stay under the sun for a long time, I get red.

Rama: Haha! Red! Ako, I get pawis.