pinoy sociology

FILIPINO SIGNS OF WIT:

1. The sign in a flower shop in Diliman called Petal Attraction.

2. Anita Bakery

3. A 24-hour restaurant called Doris Day & Night

4. Barber shop called Felix The Cut;

5. A bakery named Bread Pitt

6. Fast-food place selling 'maruya' (banana fritters) called Maruya Carey.

7. Then, there are Christopher Plumbing

8. A boutique called The Way We Wear

9. A video rental shop called Leon King Video Rental

10. A restaurant in Cainta district of Rizal called Caintacky Fried Chicken

11. A local burger restaurant called Mang Donald's

12. A doughnut shop called MacDonuts

13. A shop selling 'lumpia' (egg roll) in Makati called Wrap and Roll

14. And two butcher shops called Meating Place and Meatropolis.

Smart travelers can decipher what may look like baffling signs to

unaccustomed foreigners by simply sounding out the 'Taglish' (The

Philippine version of English words spelled and pronounced with a heavy

Filipino such as:

15. At a restaurant menu in Cebu "We hab sopdrink in can an in batol"

[translation: We have soft drinks in can and in bottle].

16. Then, there is a sewing accessories shop called Bids And Pises -

[translation: Beads and Pieces --or-- Bits and Pieces]

There are also many signs with either badly chosen or misspelled words but they are usually so entertaining that it would be a mistake to 'correct' them like.......

17. In a restaurant in Baguio City , the 'summer capital' of the

Philippines: " Wanted: Boy Waitress"

18. On a highway in Pampanga: "We Make Modern Antique Furniture"

19. On the window of a photography shop in Cabanatuan : "We Shoot You While

You Wait"

20. And on the glass front of a cafe in Panay Avenue in Manila : "Wanted: Waiter, Cashier,

Washier".

Some of the notices can even give a wrong impression such as:

21. A shoe store in Pangasinan which has a sign saying: "We Sell Imported Robber

Shoes" (these could be the 'sneakiest' sneakers);

22. A rental property sign in Jaro reads: "House For Rent, Fully Furnaced" (it must really be hot

inside)!

23. Occasionally, one could come across signs that are truly unique - if not altogether odd. City

in southern Philippines which said: "Adults: 1 peso; Child: 50 centavos; Cadavers: fare

subject to negotiation".

24. European tourists may also be intrigued to discover two competing shops

selling hopia (a Chinese pastry) called Holland Hopia and Poland Hopia -

which are owned and operated by two local Chinese entrepreneurs, Mr. Ho and

Mr. Po respectively - (believe it or not)!

25. Some folks also 'creatively' redesign English to be more efficient.

"The creative confusion between language and culture leads to more than just simple

unintentional errors in syntax, but in the adoption of new

words, "says reader Robert Goodfellow who came across a sign .....House

Fersallarend' (house for sale or rent). Why use five words when two will do?

26. According to Manila businessman, Tonyboy Ongsiako, there is so much wit

in the Philippines because "We are a country where a good sense of humor

is needed to survive". We have a 24-hour comedy show here called the

government and a huge reserve of comedians made up mostly of politicians

and bad actors.

Now I ask you where else in the world would one want to live?