#gobs

It’s my pinsan’s 18th birthday. Grabe, ang dami na palang ganap sa debut no? Nakita ko rin online that aside from the usual 18 roses, candles, and treasures, meron na ngayong 18 blue bills, lipsticks, shoes, shots, gadgets, and so on (depende sa theme or sa amats ng debutant)

Sa birthday ng pinsan ko, I was chosen as one of the "blue bills." Naisip ko lang, It feels a bit compulsory to give 1k. Don’t get me wrong ha, okay lang sakin magbigay ng pera sa pinsan ko, but I don’t think it would feel the same if it were someone I’m not close to. Besides, 1k is 1k. Medyo curious rin ako, sino kaya nagpauso neto? at bakit kailangan 1k? Pwede naman 500? 100? etc. It kind of proves the point ng isang post online na parang budol siya, kasi 1k is our biggest currency, right?

This makes me think one of the wedding tradition where guests pin money on the newlyweds’ clothes pero the big difference is, walang fixed amount. If you can only give 100, oks lang. Pero sa debut, minimum of 1k kasi nga “blue bills.”

I also looked into the cultural background of this tradition. Originally, the debut had only three parts: roses (for men), candles (for women), and treasures (any gender). This whole tradition is actually a Spanish influence pati ang wedding money dance. Wala lang. Share ko lang. Nakita ko lang ‘to while looking for the origin of this tradition.

Well, its good to know din how we embrace these traditions and add our own Filipino touch, which makes them feel truly ours. Ang galing lang how these are passed on and continue to evolve from generation to generation.

Pero sa totoo lang, in my personal opinion, habang nagpo-progress ang tradition na 'to, I hope we don't lose sight of the guests' experience. I know we’re all doing these things to celebrate our daughters’ “legalization” into adulthood; and yes, this has already become part of our culture, and we respect that. Pero sana, as the tradition continues to evolve, debutante’s parents also consider the guests. Baka kasi if we keep adding more and more unreasonable “18 somethings,” dumating yung point na instead of feeling honored to be included, the guests might feel burdened or pressured. Imbes na ma-excite, baka matakot pa silang mapasama sa list.

The Genital Obsessed

My ceramic reproductions are modeled after Victorian examples, but fivestones is such a ubiquitous game that it can be found all over the world for the last 2000 years or longer. Not only does the game have many names, but many rules as well!

Want a set? They go up on Etsy Nov 7th at 6pm ET 👐