Sign
Language
Thursday, February 26, 2004
I was an English Major brat in college. Back then, we were just a
handful so we kind of bonded together in efforts to stay cool,
pseudo-cerebral and geeky with English Literature (make no mistake
though, I almost flunked Math). While many became lawyers, some of us
are now teachers, politicians, writers or bumming around. I drifted towards the
literary arts, but my loyalty to the English language ends there.
You see, I have this particular obsession for street signs, road signs,
store signs, product labels, and anything else my watchful eyes can soak
in at a moment's notice. And not just any sign.
I am an
obsessive-compulsive hoarder of hilarious signs, mistaken labels,
unintentional errors of the written word or foreign literal translations
gone haywire. I adore bloopers, and bask in the glow of accidental
puns (“Hill Side Dreep Wood Furniture”). Believe me, in the Philippines,
they are EVERYWHERE. We are geniuses! Take that small store along
Sandawa Road: “Crash ng Bayan Store.” Let’s just hope a truck doesn’t
run into it.
That is why wherever I go my beloved digital camera (from a point and
shoot Sony Cybershot years ago to a Canon 350D DSLR today) is always
with me. Not only am I able to document my adventures, keeping a record
of these funny signs becomes therapy for me to smile and have my own
private joke without explaining to anyone. This may have started my
journey into serious photography too.
Sometimes even inside a dilapidated public toilet, I find comfort in
laughing at the vandals, and struggle at trying to focus and shoot while
pulling my zipper close (very, very difficult while aiming). Other
times, I shoot while our vehicle whizzes past signs on the road (which
explains the blur).
Pinoys have a witty way of using the spoken language in signs that speak
a thousand puns, more often unintentionally done. Sometimes it is mere
coincidence (in Mati, the Body and Soul Shop is right beside the Lawas
Optical Clinic). It doesn't have to be in English. It's just
the way we play with words.
And while I cannot enumerate the number of times I have laughed on the
road (have you ever seen the Survivor Lechon Manok in GenSan?), nothing
can stop me from cracking up when you take a photo (Hair We Are Salon
along Ma-a road). I had to stop on the road to Wao, Lanao del Sur to
have my photo taken beside "Welcome to Barangay East Kili-Kili." And
yes, they have a West Kili Kili." So imagine yourself having gone to
KiliKili National High School.
While some of the signs I've captured are downright grammatically
horrific ("Chicken for Sales" in Lanao and "We Sale Wine" in Boracay),
the best stuff I've seen are inside 'ukay-ukays' everywhere I go.
There's the problem with spelling. I believe they play it mostly by ear
before jotting down an item. For instance, sweatshirts in Mangagoy are
"Sweet Shirts" while in Tagum, it is more French: "Swit-Shiert". And
while it is downright heaven to find an original GAP shirt in a sign
that says "1 Piso", nothing, no nothing can ever beat the sign under bed
sheets for sale in the ukay of Lanao del Sur:
"DED SHIT. Dipindi sa klase." I am almost tempted to buy for the heck of
it even if it kills me.
****
Thanks to those who emailed with funny contributions and suggestions all
over the globe. These and my original photos will finally be parked in
my overhauled website (www.witerary.com). So take note, Ms. Rose Bridget
Rubi, who waited far too long for my collections to appear. May we have
many more bloopers to come.
JOJIE ALCANTARA, copyright
LOOK MA, MY STORE! (Cagayan de Oro City)
TRIVIA
I started collecting these humorous (intentional or not) materials when I flew to Manado, Indonesia in 1995 and found to my delight that there were so many items to gather. Unfortunately, my camera was still a film cam then, and films were rather costly. So I collected the brochures and reading materials I could get and scanned some of them when I got back to Davao. Am still trying to find the negatives so I can have them film scanned for preservation and post it here. Meanwhile, I will try to salvage what I can find in my BOXES of old documents. Maybe tomorrow. Or next month. Whenever it fancies me (giggle).
- NEW! NEW! NEW!
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