The Pinoy as Performer

Advanced Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Now that that's done - I remember finding myself in a karaoke place in Kuala Lumpur in the early 90s with some colleagues in the ratings business. Most of the foreigners were egging us Filipinos to sing as they said that all Pinoys could carry a tune. Generally speaking, perhaps, that is true. And the talent for performing probably started in your days as a baby...

You are probably not a Filipino if you do not understand the following trick commands -usually given by adults to adorable Pinoy babies. And if you are a Filipino, born and raised in the Philippines, and don't recognize the following, you were probably born an adult:

1. Close-open, close open (said in a sing-song manner, at the same time as which, the baby is expected to do just that with his/her hand - close-open).

2. Beautiful eyes (and the kids are expected to flutter their eyelashes like crazy)

3. Where's the light? Where's the moon? (and the baby is expected to look towards or point at the light).

My daughter Ali has started to do these stuff and as my family was at the dinner table that time, my visiting nieces from Belgium had this expression on their faces which sort of said - we had none of those when we were young.

And so we've traced the roots for the Pinoy's love for performing. Now, if only the economy can perform as well. Happy VD! At least tomorrow, the flowershops, cardshops, motels/hotels, and restos will be raking in the moolah. All in the name of love (and lust?) Cheers!