Facebook Filipinos.

[Adventurer]

Also one thing I noticed if you are in a car, taxi, bus or whatever people on the street or sidewalk gaze into the windows of nearly every vehicle, I have never witnessed this in my home country. Next time you go for a drive check it out!

Edited May 25, 2013 by Adventurer

[MikeB]

Also one thing I noticed if you are in a car, taxi, bus or whatever people on the street or sidewalk gaze into the windows of nearly every vehicle, I have never witnessed this in my home country. Next time you go for a drive check it out!

But don't stare back. One morning I was in a taxi on B. Rodriguez looking vacantly at the crowd of vendors (mostly fish). A girl, maybe 16, thought I was staring at them and started cursing me. She threw something as we drove off hitting the cab, I think it was a mango. The driver was pretty surprised, he had no idea what or why it happened.

[JJReyes]

Adventurer, on 24 May 2013 - 4:02 PM, said:Also one thing I noticed if you are in a car, taxi, bus or whatever people on the street or sidewalk gaze into the windows of nearly every vehicle, I have never witnessed this in my home country. Next time you go for a drive check it out!But don't stare back. One morning I was in a taxi on B. Rodroguez looking vacantly at the crowd of vendors (mostly fish). A girl, maybe 16, thought I was staring at them and started cursing me. She threw something as we drove off hitting the cab, I think it was a mango. The driver was pretty surprised, he had no idea what or why it happened.

 

Simple explanation MikeB. She mistakenly thought you were giving her the "evil eye," which is looking at her in a sexual way. Staring back is also considered confrontational between men. It is sometimes interpreted as a challenge to fight. If you stare back and either nod your head, smile or wave, the interpretation for both men and women is that you are being friendly. Normally, they will smile back.

 

While photographing monkeys at George Dewey Hospital in Subic Bay, one of the women with the group smiled and tried to approach them. Friendly gesture for humans. The monkeys became agitated and the pack went into an attack mode. She screamed and ran away. For monkeys, showing your teeth is hostile.

Edited May 25, 2013 by JJReyes

[MikeB]

She mistakenly thought you were giving her the "evil eye," which is looking at her in a sexual way.

I don't think so, more likely she was embarrassed because a "rich" kano in an aircon taxi was viewing their poverty. She was also overweight and appeared angry at the world. It is a paradox, however, that staring is considered to be very rude in Asian cultures, including the Philippines, but it doesn't stop them from staring at us. I often wish I was invisible.

[Thomas]

Thomas's theory that it is a cheap hobby which everyone can indulge in is probably partly true too. However, if this is the main reason why don't they photograph anything and everything rather than their own face 100 times over?

I believe your theory is BETTER than mine   :)

 

 

(By the way Thomas I love the anecdotal stories you include in your posts about your ancestors, and families in Sweden in the past.)

My family is some odd, so it had became many anecdotes collected during the years. But not so suprising we are odd, when we have ansestors as e g Attila the Hun and Vlad Tepes (=suppoused historic person behind Count Dracula)   :)

But mainly I have collected funny anecdotes about OTHERS than my family, and I have written some books about e g school life. During last year in elementary school, they put almost all funny students in same school class!  I forgot how one funny incident happened, so it didn't became so funny when I tried to tell it from my memory. After that teachers notised I worked very hard making notes, I suppose that was a big part of the reason they gave me the best average grades that year, but mainly I didn't made notes of the school subjects but of the funny coments/actions   :hystery:

 

 

Surely one of the best ways to do this is to say to the world- "Look where I came from and look at me now,"- not to deny their heritage?

Yes. But I GUESS many Filipins don't want, because of their family orientation, to say they have improved their life much SELF since childhood, because such would kind of be talking bad of their parents. But many of the poor born with higher education exams, which I know, say they have managed to get their exams by ASSISTANCE from parents/siblings. 

(E g it's impressing all 4 daughters to a poor ex Mindanao farmer - "ex" because he lost the farm by alcohol problems - have by supporting each other managed to get university/college educations, three teachers and one with computer exam! )

Edited May 25, 2013 by Thomas

[Adventurer]

But don't stare back. One morning I was in a taxi on B. Rodriguez looking vacantly at the crowd of vendors (mostly fish). A girl, maybe 16, thought I was staring at them and started cursing me. She threw something as we drove off hitting the cab, I think it was a mango. The driver was pretty surprised, he had no idea what or why it happened.

 

remind me not to buy my mangos from there :)

[jpbago]

Many people would start a gallery with 100 photos of themselves posing to the camera in all manner of ridiculous positions.

However, if this is the main reason why don't they photograph anything and everything rather than their own face 100 times over?

 

I thought that it was just me with this observation among my group that I saw immediately. I don't understand the ridiculous poses with their tongues sticking out, lips pursed in different ways, their eyes rolled back and at a sideways stance bending over. They stick the index finger up along the face with the thumb along the bottom of the chin. We go to the beach or a resort and I give my camera to someone to use. Of the 400 pics that she takes, I keep only about 10. They will spend hours and hours on facebook looking at pics. They are not interested in foreigner pics, only theirs. They are not interested in Niagara Falls, Golden Gate Bridge, Taj Mahal or anything like that. They know nothing about the rest of the world. But they can name off 60 relatives from various mixed up relationships. What did they do before the digital cameras came out? Anyone want to talk about the cell phones and the slipper shuffle?

[ForADay]

 

I don't understand the ridiculous poses with their tongues sticking out, lips pursed in different ways, their eyes rolled back and at a sideways stance bending over. They stick the index finger up along the face with the thumb along the bottom of the chin.

 

 

that is funny, I used to think the same too but I don't use facebook much these days so have not seen it lately. I guess it's just a cultural differece which we have to accept.

[Tukaram (Tim)]

 

 

I don't understand the ridiculous poses with their tongues sticking out, lips pursed in different ways, their eyes rolled back and at a sideways stance bending over. They stick the index finger up along the face with the thumb along the bottom of the chin.

 

 

that is funny, I used to think the same too but I don't use facebook much these days so have not seen it lately. I guess it's just a cultural differece which we have to accept.

 

 

It is not just Filipino's.  It is an Asian thing for sure.  Here is a mockumentary about "The history and evolution of the "Peace Sign" "

 

[brock]

Had a few girls do the victory sign to me with their fingers either side of their mouth with their tongue sticking out,  :36_6_3[1]: