the day before the revolution

As promised, a new post. :)

I woke up early today after a 10-hour sleeping marathon which was somewhat a luxury for me (and yes, my kind as well). The last days of october are really the most tiring for me each year. It has proven itself to be nonstop, intense, and absolutely draining. Yeah maybe I'm just overreacting on that part but really, it is tiring like hell. It has always given me 40+ hours of no sleep apart from the fatigue it will give me. It has always started during October 31 wherein my ninang and I usually go to the cemetry early to fix everything there with the caretaker (leave some stuff, tents, ETC). Afterwards we would usually go to the grocery to buy food or whatever item we would need for the night. Usually, during October 31, my ninang and I would spend the night in the cemetery. We would be the official guards of lolo's grave for the night. Call it night-shift. For the past 3 or so years, I've been making a run of not sleeping through the night, and also, for that same 3 or so years, my ninang has been sleeping through the night so its always me who'd stay up late. (I digressed sorry) Anyways, before going to the cemetery on October 31, I would usually do my own stuff for the day since at night, I won't be at home so I don't get the chance to sleep or rest for that matter. After the night watch at the cemetery, since we would likely be the first (my ninang and I) to be at watch, we would be the first to leave when my parents arrive. We would only stay around 45mins after my parents arrive then we would set sail for home. After settling in for a few minutes I would begin preparing for the visit to my other lolo's grave. (Mother side) and that's basically the day I guess.

Well, the tiring part is not really that bothering to me. I love being on the move and being productive. Its just that I so love to sleep and not sleeping turns my mood in all the wrong places. Pft. I guess that I really don't have much of a choice. There are bright sides to not sleeping and going to various cemeteries after all. to start things off and maybe the most important is well, you get to spend time paying respects to relatives who have passed on. next is you get the time to appreciate what you have, trust me, you will have a moment. For the last one, I guess I will only say "LOOK UP". Well thats basically Halloween for me.

On to an interesting thought... nowadays, trick or treating has became somewhat of a fad and I really don't understand the reason why people are forcing that culture into our own. Seriously speaking -

DO FILIPINOS EVEN KNOW THE TRADITION OF TRICK OR TREATING?!?

This is what I know about trick or treating: Trick or treating was based on souling, or the visiting of poor people and children to people to say prayers for the dead in exchange for food. This tradition, from what I know, originated in Ireland and Britain. And this tradition migrated to the US by means of the Irish settlers. That's everything I know about trick or treating.

So you may ask about why am I writing about trick or treating? A few days ago, while I was watching a movie, kids knocked on our gate and said trick or treat. OKAY. TRICK OR TREAT!? then a thought came into my mind, my professor 2 semesters ago told a really interesting story. His story told of how he asked children about the trick or treat they were doing when children knocked on his gate. The children were apparently dumbfounded by my professors question and they ran to their parents. The children's parents then confronted the poor professor and in reply he asked the same question to the parents. The parents were also dumbfounded much to the surprise of the class. So we asked our prof what was his question, it turned out to be a simple one -

"Pano pag trick? Alam niyo ba yang ginagawa niyo? (So what if it was trick? Do you know what you are doing?")

Yeah, that was the question. So apparently the children and their parents have a reason to be dumbfounded. I guess, they really don't understand what they are trying to do. The professor explained the reason why he asked that question and I guess the parents understood what he was saying - that trick or treat is not truly "Filipino" and us doing it is somewhat trying hard to be westerners. My professor was right.

Now as that thought came running to my minds I wanted to say the same thing to the kids saying trick or treat outside the gate. Well, I guess my laziness pushed through and spared the kids of a dumbfounding question they won't forget and saved me a branding by other people. So come to think of it, people are forcing trick or treating into our culture. I'm not saying that it is wrong, but please do let the people understand what they are getting themselves into. Its a weak argument but its the kids who will suffer a somewhat embarrassing moment when they would come upon a witty professor or a moody guy who will ask them questions about what they are doing.

I think we should have our own identity when it comes to our halloween traditions. I know there are but nowadays its the western traditions that are becoming mainstream and seriously, its saddening. But i guess that's globalization and there's no stopping that. I just hope that someday our traditions will be embraced as well by our own fellow. Who can blame the kids by the way, instead of singing their lungs out during christmas only to be rewarded by at most, 5pesos, they only say 3 words, then they get candies in return. In econ terms, the indifference curve of trick or treating is on a higher level of satisfaction than that of the caroling's curve. Plus it is more efficient in terms of effort, a song vs 3 words?! give that to me and i'll take it ANYDAY.

So there. that's basically my weird halloween. I just hope the carolers wouldnt show up at our gates soon. It's a totally different story when it comes to carolers. Just the first line of that famous caroling song ticks me off bigtime. but that's another entry. so there thanks for reading

au revoir!


(note: this blog was written in 2 parts. :))
(P.S. I did tell the kids that I don't have candy and they should move on to a house with decor rather than a mundane apartment which looked like it could need a treat of its own. Their costumes were okay though, dressed up as some dead guy and some bloody girl (with chaperons casually dressed for a party hahaha) and they were really expecting candy from me. Sorry!)