bubbles These Filipino-foreigners to whom we impose our culture and our identity should make the first claim of having Filipino origins. After all, it is not they that require attention; it is we who are hungry for positive world acknowledgment and praise. [ more ]

i wonder if he realizes that most of the time filipinos in america, those who've been born and raised here, think that they're imposing themselvs on their parents' culture if they do this? that they don't want to look like idiots for reaching out to a culture they know might very well reject them anyways.

ionno. one of my friends (one year out of the philippines with intentions of returning) complained about that, that out here, you hafta plan everything way in advance - for example, you call people tuesday to make sure they can come out to a saturday event; better, you plan that saturday already to make sure people commit to coming back the saturday next.

my friend thinks that's way too formal for things between friends, and went, "tigilan mo nga ako!" ahahaha -

it reminds me of the western psychological theory of "the individual bubble," where out here in the u.s. individuals' notion of personal space extends at least a meter from the body. that if you step closer to someone within that meter, you want a closer type relationship, like maybe actually become better acquainted if you're classmates. if you already spend a lot of time together and start hitting and tapping each other, you wanna go further... ahaha. tama nga naman, coz out here, no matter what your relationship, people already call each other by first name and rarely physically touch each other.

interesting.

my argument against the planning thing way in advance is that you only have a certain amount of time and aside from friends you hafta balance school and work and other circles of friends, and you have to have time online and time to yourself and blah blah... resulting in friends going, "whatever!" ahahahaha -   ¶ 11/04/2004 03:07:00 AM