come together

it's funny how filipino families get together.

you invite the whole family (some call 'em clan) for your birthday, and your lucky if three or four of them show up.

you invite them for christmas, they ask for your menu, you tell them you'll be having lechon and about 10% of them show up; tell them you'll be having wanton noodles, and it's sayonara before it even started.

you invite them for new year, and unless you have some serious, kick-ass fireworks display on new year's eve, they'll come up with some lame excuse that they couldn't come because they can't get a cab or something.

and oh, how about those boring family reunions eh? you send out invitations for everyone... mark it with RSVP... about 50% says yes.. then you'll see 30% of them at the party. mostly those who show up are distant uncles who are AA escapees or spinster aunts.

but death... ha! now, that's a different story all together. you don't even have to invite them. they just friggin' show up. it's like they smell it. creepy i tell you.

well as you all know (or don't know... who the fuck cares anyway), we recently had a death in the family... and family members from all over came in droves.. some came from batangas, pangasinan, cavite, ilocos, cagayan, bicol, and manila. i mean, shit! it was like a circus! a lot of them i have never even met, not once, in my life. and somehow these relatives who i've never met have their own little anecdote about me when i was young, how i looked so cute before and shit (ha! big disappointment in front of you eh!?), and how when i was a young kid i always liked to sing in family gatherings and such (fuck!! when did that happen?). and somehow, these relatives always had something good to say about my tito who died... saying he was a good man all his life .. shit! how can you say that... you never even had beer with the guy.

funny. our concept of family, and close family ties and togetherness.. it's really funny. but this much i know is true (hm.. sounded like a spandau ballet song), nothing brings filipino families together more than death... when they have to gather 'round the dead body of a relative they've never even had the chance to have a profound conversation with.. and speak of how he was so good, and so blessed when he was still alive. then you ask them his name.. and they can't even remember his name. funny.

i'm out.