Fun with Modernized or Bastardized Words

Ah our English! Many things trivial to us Filipinos can sometimes be interesting if not perplexing to our visiting friends. Take this case: I was proudly accompanying a Japmerican friend around the Ilocos. Yep, “Jap” – for Japanese and “merican” for American, that’s what he is since he is/was a true-blue “japon” but now lives in Hawaii – and mind you, about to finish his thesis for a doctoral degree in Asian Studies! Yes, he speaks a few Tagalog and Visayan words (kaya mahirap murahin hehe).

During the bus ride from Vigan to Laoag, I caught him staring at the ceiling more than necessary, instead of looking out the window for the nice countryside views. He was smiling but sometimes would squint his eyes or crease his forehead as if trying to see something clearly or trying to understand something. So I looked in the same direction. Hesumalosep! This was what he was ogling at:


He had questions, so I happily answered hehe:
BodyBuilder – the guys who make the body of a bus not the gym hunks!
Mechanics – mechanical workers at bus factory, not ‘procedures’
Elec3cian – he smiled and said ‘yeah, it looks modern written that way'
Dsigner – I said it was not a typo error, the “e” is useless anyway hehe
Jo2 – I explained it means Jojo, not Jotwo or Joto
PP2 – I explained it’s the name Pepito

He was laughing and said “galing ng Pinoy”! I said a very proud “talaga”! O ha?!

Well, the txt generation of our times!

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