Last night, the whole family and some relatives had a buffet dinner at Chinatown Banawe. It was my father-in-law’s Chinese birthday. I was so full that night. We had occupied three tables. Two tables about ten people and the other one had just about five.

My only comment: a relative (Nelson’s relative of course) is looking at me always and I don’t know what’s her fucking problem is!!! I know she doesn’t like Filipinos. But I guess she hates Filipino-Chinese more than Filipinos, Filipino-Chinese that are still of Chinese culture with Chinese behavior that is so foreign to them. I hope one day she wakes up and she founds out that she’s in China!!!

Yesterday is also Uby’s college graduation.

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For the past few days, Nelson’s friends/visitors had stayed at Binondo Suites. They took the hotel’s package of “stay for four days and stay for another two days for free”. They just stayed there for five days and went back to China.

Nelson had decided for the two of us to stay there last night (March 27, 2007) since it was free. Nelson loves frees like free food, free hotel stay, free clothes, and all other that are free. On the other hand, I love freebies like free little notebook when you buy Pringles. What a match hahaha……

I was so happy even though he, without more ado, slept after taking his bath, leaving me watching the Discovery Channel. He was so tired that day. After our marriage, this was the first time we slept in one place with just the two of us. What I mean is there are no other people like family, relatives or his friends sleeping on other rooms. This happy moment includes free breakfast. Yahoooooo!!!

My only comment is that there is no shower heater. I think it was broken because I saw the heater dumped on the toilet sink cabinet. And the mixed nuts costs 93 or 97 pesos. I was craving for something to eat that night. Even with the costly price, I still consumed the whole pack of it, since Nelson won’t pay anything. Next time, I would bring Pringles!

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Last night was the worst wedding disaster I’ve attended, though I’ve never had attended a disastrous wedding reception, party, or whatsoever. I hope last night is the worst, the first and last horrifying event ever!

The wedding ceremony and reception is held on Pampanga. Nelson, his father, his brother and I had decided to attend the wedding reception that should officially starts at 7:00pm. We came late because my father and brother-in-laws needs to close the shop at around 5:00pm, and would arrive at home after more or less an hour from Baclaran.

At the reception, there are only six tables that are set outside the wedding reception hall. Almost all the people that are there are Chinese (from China). The only Filipinos are the bride and her parents. All of the Filipinos had already gone home. They came early because the bride’s relatives and friends are from the local place. As I’ve heard, the bride had taken 20 tables for her guests, and 6 tables for the groom. Hmmmmm 20 tables…. so many….. But the bride’s part had their buffet dinner. While we, of the groom’s side, had our normal Chinese-food-on-receptions type of meal (that is served by waiters/waitresses, one by one, and NO RICE.)

I’ve seen Chinese from China drinking Chivas and playing the jack-en-poy-like game. Whoever loses would drink one glass (or one shot, I didn’t notice because I don’t want to look. They might think I had a crush on them.)

Some of the food are served. Some of us are eating. Some are eating while drinking. And some, are just drinking. They hadn’t been able to eat because they are so drunk. One sitting with us falls down from his chair. Two guys helped him up. He’s trying to eat his noodles with his chopsticks but can hardly hold them. Then later, they decided to bring him to some other place (at the stairs I’ve heard. That’s the only place where other people can’t see him.)

After some minutes, one guy was puking!!! He is sitting right at the back of us! I can see him puke! Well, I don’t want to look. I just took my dinner. He puked a lot. Then later decided to go home. He even took a meat from the serving dish of our table before going home! Someone would ride him home. Poor guy…

One Chinese from China (about at the age of 50 to 60) said that young Chinese from China (age 30 and below) had no shame and that luckily, the Filipinos had gone home or they’ll think all of us are like that, drink until puking. The old guy is angry.

Later, the groom was drunk. Before he puked, three guys held him up and assisted him to the toilet. Poor bride. But she seems not affected. She’s still smiling.

I’ve just noticed. There was one guy who was always on the look-out for the "drunken masters". He is a good-looking young man of age about 20 to 25. He just drank a little then he went back to our table. Maybe he knows what would happen.

I can see the waiters, waitresses and the guards are smiling and some are laughing. I’m laughing too, inside hahaha…

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To all Chinese coming from China: Before you complain on the tradition of the Chinese here in the Philippines, always look and review yours first.

Different races have different cultures and traditions, and so with people of the same race but different place.

To all those who might not understand especially to the Filipino readers of this very controversial topic of mine. Here is a very good example. The Philippines is divided into many regions and within those regions are still divided into more. We have the Tagalog, Ilocanos, taga-Bagiuo, etc etc etc….. All of them are called Filipinos or Pinoys. All of the same race, but have different cultures, traditions and even language.

On weddings, Filipinos have this wedding dance wherein the guests pins 100, 500, 1,000 Peso bills to the gown or barong of the newly weds. That’s one tradition you wouldn’t find in other races.

The Chinese here in the Philippines have these two red lamps that should be hanged on the ceiling of the newly weds’ room and must be switched on. They say that this gives the newly weds a child. I’m not sure of when it can be switched off.

Well, it’s okay to comment on our belief regarding the lamps. You can also have a little laugh about it. But, don’t complain! Here is my story of what happened yesterday…

I, Nelson, his parents, the parents, aunt and older sister of the bride went to the house of the newly weds. Their house is okay. It’s a three-storey apartment. The newly weds lives on the 3rd floor (with bathroom) but their room is smaller compare to the room on the 2nd floor (without bathroom). This is same case with me and Nelson.

There are some who COMPLAINS WHILE FROWNING that they should transfer to the 2nd floor. And then so on and so on with the complaining of different things. What gets me mad is one woman, not yet old, COMPLAINS that the Chinese here in the Philippines has so many traditions. This is not the first time I’ve heard them complaining on the Tsinoys. They are complaining about the two lamps. They need to play with the traditions of the Chinese in Philippines because the groom is not from China.

First of all, if they would like to complain and make comments while frowning, can’t they wait for me to disappear first on the room? I am the only Tsinoy who had heard the complain. The groom is outside the room talking to the other guys.

Funny but the Chinese from China are weird. They have this tradition of putting the bride on a joke. After the celebration, they would go to the place of the bride and would ask the bride to do what they want. Example, they would ask the bride to dance or sing (of whatever they want you to dance or sing). They can ask her to get them this things and that. Those I’ve mentioned may not be very harassing. That is because I forgot those harassing situations.

Another is that those born on the year of the dragon would intentionally lay down on the bed of the newly weds. He would not get up until you give them money. AGAIN MONEY IS INVOLVED HAHAHA…. (If I were the bride, I would really would not let him get up my bed. Let him sleep there until he’s tired of making fun of me.)

Then on wedding receptions, they would always come late for about an hour or so. Actually, they would arrived one hour late. That’s their normal time on receptions, but that’s one big problem that the Chinese here needs to face. I heard one says that on China, food would be served even if not all people are around. If only half have arrived, they would still serve the food. The other half can still eat the other food being served when they arrive.

See, who has the weirder belief, culture and tradition. And where can you see people calling relatives from around the world to donate money because the "house" or "garden" would be rebuilt. Actually that’s okay with me. That "house" might be very important to them. The "house" I think is something like the home of the old old old old grandparents or ancients, I don’t know. But what’s bugging me is that even those who has no money needs to participate in the contribution. That’s what happened to us with Nelson. We both have no money at that time because we are getting married and he has to pay he’s ACR (and another two ACR of other people just because some China man don’t care for the sake of others!!!). At the end, he donated. We get sad and I am very upset.

I hated them so much! I hope this hate would one day turn into love. Ayyyyy corny!

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It was yesterday, March 4, 2007. I woke up late at around 10:00am, ate my breakfast, played with Nelson’s niece, checked on my sister-in-law’s wedding video if it’s working because they said it’s not, watched my sister-in-law’s wedding video because it’s working, took a bath and fixed my hair, and lastly took my lunch and get ready to attend to Nelson’s cousin’s (bride) wedding in San Agustin Church (Intramuros) at 2:00pm.

I saw the bride’s mother and others at around 11:00pm still at our building. "What are they doing here? They should be together with the bride for their hair dressing and make-up!" I asked myself. On what time would they be able to arrive at Century Hotel? That’s where the bride is at that time.

Okay, the time has come and we had to drove off to the church. We got two cars. One is our own car and the other is a ??? (I forgot but it’s like LX-300 type). They are following our car to the church because they don’t know the way.

Nelson is good at driving and directions. But wait, he’s not so good with names written in Tagalog and English!!! We ended up in the wrong church!!! And I forgot the name of the church written on the wedding invitation. By that time, we tried walking to San Agustin (the right church!!!). They are some two kids needed to carry so Nelson decided to go back and get the car.

Now we’re at the right church. Thank you. There were lots of people all around, both those who are attending the wedding ceremony and tourist. All were there except the bride. They came late! I hadn’t checked my mobile phone’s clock but I know they are late because leave home at around 1:30pm.

The wedding march has started. Everything was okay. And here comes the picture taking. The newly weds had taken their shots with the principal sponsors, and then with the secondary sponsors. And that’s all!!! Because the ceremony started late, there are no more time for the family and the all-family-relative shots. Good thing, the photographers has set-up a small room on the wedding reception. They took the family shots and "some" relative shots.

The reception started late at 8:30pm. I’m not so sure but I think it’s later than that time. Why? because the bride’s relatives and friends are Chinese from China. They have this manner of arriving very late at any reception. The groom’s relatives and friends had arrived early. Their side was almost full when we arrived. We arrived at around 7:30pm and the invitation card has been written "… reception will follow at Gloria Maris Greenhills at 7:00 in the evening." Our arrival time is still okay since the Chinese has this "culture" of alotting an hour before the reception really starts.

It’s just around 7:08pm and the brother of the bride is calling us. Telling that where we are and why we hadn’t arrived yet. Funny but I guess when they themselves are attending a wedding reception, they would also prepare late and arrive very late. I don’t know if they arrived very late at my wedding hahahahaha……

There are less than 10 tables on the bride’s side that are occupied. I’m guessing and counting right now. I think it’s only 7 or 8 tables. And not all seats of those tables are occupied. Because the reception is on the place where Chinese from China hadn’t gone yet.**

The reception had finished and we got a fondant souvenir cake. I would eat them later. This would be my first fondant cake.

NOTE :

** If they would only go to Greenhills, Makati, Ortigas or some other places that they hadn’t attempted to go or hadn’t to BUSINESS REASON OF ANY SORT to attend to, they would see that many Filipinos are so much far far ahead of them. They should actually realize that there are lots of Filipinos who are better than them when in terms of dressing, beauty, business, money and other stuff.

They thought Filipinos are what we call the maids, drives, tinderas and kargadors in Baclaran hahaha…… I don’t want to be racist (Is it called racist if you look down on the people of the same race but with different culture and from different place?). But it seems like they are pushing me to be against them on many instances. The Filipino-Chinese are like them too but not all. I, I hope, am not a racist against the Filipinos. But the Chinese from China, all of them are like that.

On every over-the-lunch topic or talking with relatives and families (my husband’s part), most had some topics regarding the Filipinos are like that and that and that…… all the bad things. There are also topics regarding Filipino-Chinese. I told my husband that yes the Filipinos are like that, we the Filipino-Chinese had also bad traits. And they the Chinese from China had super bad traits. Where do you see a father or a grandfather smoking cigarettes beside their children, their own baby and even their pregnant wife? Maybe there are people of all races are like that. I can see some on Starbucks. But I mean that that unacceptable trait (for me) is one of their ACCEPTED culture and manner. ACCEPTED!!! All of them does it. For those non-smokers and pregnant women, they just simply don’t care.

Is it because they are from the province of China or is it because they are poor? Do the squatters here in the Philippines accepts that kind of CULTURE?

I hope my husband would stop smoking when there’s a child, a baby or a pregnant woman around, or when in a restaurant. He has been very kind of changing his THAT CULTURE for me, and for the better. But I hope he is when I’m not around.

Going back… I hadn’t thought that they would be like that inspite of their hard living here in the Philippines. Is it right to look down on others when you yourself is one of them or maybe worst than them? Should this note be written here or should this be in another blog title? We’ll never know…

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