Amis Tribal Feelings Dance

This is another fun tribal dance video. I guess my obsession with Taiwanese milk tea (and the tea leaves are grown from Mt. Alishan) got me into this. Also, the tea brand Tealive (which is a Malaysian brand) got me more interested in this video.

Using Google translate, the song title "部落情懷" (Bùluò qínghuái) means "Tribal Feelings". It's a good thing to have Google translate these days especially when one is trying to learn the Chinese language.

A Small List of Malay/Indo Words Found in the Tagalog Language

I wrote a blog entry where I discussed about trying to find links between Filipino languages and Southeast Asian languages . It wasn't surprising that while I was researching the song "Dayang Dayang", I found out that there was an Indonesian version sung by Virvina Vica in the 1990s. There was also another singer named Hainun Pangilan from Mindanao (where Indonesian and Malaysian influence survived). Bahasa is simply another word for language. From Mastering Bahasa , here are some words in Tagalog which are borrowed from the Indonesians and Malaysians: 1.[/td] [td]Abo[/td] [td]Abu[/td] [td]Ash 2.[/td] [td]Ako[/td] [td]Aku[/td] [td]I (informal) 3.[/td] [td]Apoy[/td] [td]Api[/td] [td]Fire 4.[/td] [td]Balita[/td] [td]Berita[/td] [td]News 5.[/td] [td]Gulay[/td] [td]Gulai[/td] [td]Vegetables; Curry 6.[/td] [td]Hangin[/td] [td]Angin[/td] [td]Wind 7.[/td] [td]Hari[/td] [td]Hari[/td] [td]King; Day 8.[/td] [td]Kulang[/td] [td]Kurang[/td] [td]Less 9.[/td] [td]Salamat[/td] [td]Sela...

Mahatma Gandhi's Use of Tax Evasion, as a Form of Protest?

The 40th anniversary of the 1986 EDSA Revolution came last month. Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" A. Aquino Jr. said these words: "According to Gandhi, the willing sacrifice of the innocent is the most powerful answer to insolent tyranny that has yet been conceived by God and man." Basically, EDSA 1986 can't claim to be all too unique. Ninoy had made Gandhi an inspiration. The dictatorship of the First Marcos Administration may be over . However, the Philippines is still stuck in another dictatorship called the dictatorship of the Filipino First Policy . It does sound stupid, but even without Marcos or foreign colonization (please stop mistaking foreign investment with foreign invasion ), there's still some oppression to fight. You can think about decades of overly high taxes and restrictions on foreign investments. Now, we need to look at the historical context in which Gandhi's "tax evasion" occurred. According to a Jagran Josh article written by ...

Filipinos Calling Indians as "Bumbay"

The song "Dayang Dayang" was given a parody cover called "Dayang Daya". Oftentimes, the song "Dayang Dayang" is thought to be Indian. Instead, it's arguably said to be from Muslim Mindanao or was brought in either from Malaysia or Indonesia. Historically, some of the settlers in the Philippines were Malaysians and Indonesians. So, it's probably safe to say that most Filipinos of brown skin descent are mixed Malay and Indonesian. I was even reminded how I mistook a Malaysian woman for a Filipino woman. Back on topic, the parody song has an introduction that says, "Kami Bumbay galing sa India..." (We're Bombay coming from India). I even tend to refer to Indians as Bombay--something I ended up tactlessly saying during my first trip to Singapore. Many times, Filipinos tend to use Bumbay not as a racial slur but to simply refer to an Indian. Some Filipino-Indians don't even mind being called Bumbay for a reason. I guess they got accust...

Taiwan Aboriginal Culture Park Indigenous Bamboo Dance

This is another bamboo dance done by what I believe are Atayal dancers. The dance steps are very similar to what one might find in Nueva Ecija or any indigenous region of the Philippines. What makes it more appealing to me is the absence of Taiwanese Mandarin in the lyrics. Instead, it's lyrics that would sound like the chanting of Filipino indigenous dancers. There are similar yet different movements between Taiwanese aborigines and Filipino aborigines. The Malaysians and Indonesians have settled in several places. The dance movements between Taiwanese aborigines and Filipino aborigines are too similar to be ignored. Even the indigenous language might be very similar.

Learning About Chinese Dialects

As I look back on my college days, I recall learning more about Chinese history in a Chinese Language Class elective. Yes, it was going back to Grade 1 Chinese, but doing Grade 1 Chinese right. I looked at this video and thought of China's many dialects. A dialect is defined by the Oxford dictionary as, "a particular form of a language which is peculiar to a specific region or social group." The subject was taught in English, not requiring students to learn Hokkien first, and it was how the Chinese school system should've been. Most Chinese Filipinos (like myself) are Hokkien speakers. Amoy is known as Xiamen today, a coastal city of the Fujian Province. I was shocked to learn there are many different types of Chinese, such as Cantonese (used in Hong Kong), and I wasn't shocked to learn that Hainan and Hakka are other dialects in China. Similar to Filipino, China has several languages too! In the Philippines, we have Tagalog, Cebuano, Kapampangan, Waray, and Hilig...

A Business Graduate's Reviewing History Blog

Search This Blog