Sunday, July 16, 2006

Why I Think I'm Still in the Philippines #4

8. Remember the comedian who was famous both for his ludicrous wig and the mother-in-law jokes? Well, the hours I spent watching Pepe Pimentel on TV is exerting their influence. Not that I've taken to combing my hair into a mini-pompadour, but of dear Jeanette, whose only son I happened to marry, I can tell you a hundred and one stories, many of them amusing, a few not so.

My own mother warned me against living with my in-laws. She herself had been coerced into it when, early into her marriage, although she and my dad lived a city away, my paternal grandmother would find an excuse to hound them almost every day, the most famous incident having her arrive with a broken flat iron that she said my father must fix that very hour. The old woman soon wore them down and they lived a not very happy few years with her.

Jeanette has it better that we are just a hundred meters away. In the beginning of our marriage she would walk over once a day bringing usually groceries and cooked food, but sometimes linen and other house stuff. We were fine with that, and she sensed it, so she started visiting more often, at her peak coming five times a day (yes, we counted). I knew that we had to put our foot down the day she came bringing us a flat iron. My mother's voice telling her own Pepe Pimentel stories was echoing in my ears.

So we sat down down with Jeanette and said, "Imagine that your son and his wife were still living in the Philippines, and you need a special visa to go there. The end of the row of grapes is the border to their country, and we're giving you a visa but it's only good for entering their Philippines once a week." Nowadays she mostly adheres to the immigration laws. The few times we caught the Frenchwoman being an illegal alien, she was promptly deported.

[CLICK HERE! Why I Think I'm Still in the Philippines #1, #2, and #3.]

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello Apple, read an article about you at the parlor :–) which directed me to your blogsite. Your French misadventures brought fond memories of my own mishaps while there as a language student. It was ages ago that we worked at Bride Philippines. Yours truly was the design director then. Remember me or not, wish you well. Ever

Anonymous said...
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Apol said...
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ROSENKAVALIER said...

Hi. I find your site interesting.

Is Provence anything like Peter Mayle's description in his books. I read A Year in Provence and its sequel, Toujour Provence in the late nineties and I thoroughly enjoyed his books.

cheers

decorator said...

ahahahaha... i don't think i will ever have that kind of experience atih!

thank heavens!

decorator said...

btw, ang luma ng reference moh!!! ang luma lang talaga!

ka-level ng john and marsha!

Anonymous said...

Success, ati! Finally nakapag-usap tayo! Please feel free to call me anytime during the weekend. Our home phone is 202-419-0477. I am so glad we talked. It made me feel so much better. Mag-iipon kami at mamadaliin namin ang travel documents ko para maka bisita naman kami sa Provence. Magbabaon nalang ako ng Macaroni and Cheese para makakain si Sean, hahaha.

Apol said...

Hi, EVER! I remember you, even if we never directly worked together. Very slim, very tall, very fair-skinned girl, right? I can just imagine you reading my French angsting in the middle of a pedicure :) How are you? Still in design?

Hey, KAT. You sounded so grownup. Kataks! Tumatanda na tayo! Maraming keso dito, macaroni na lang ibaon mo :)

Ang tanong, GWYN: Whatever happened to Misty Blue of That's?

A Year in Provence paints a pretty accurate picture, ROSENK. Di ko na maalala kung ano ang take ko on the sequel eh. In general, the locals are very coloful, very quirky. Feeling ko madalas, nanood ako ng sine.

Anonymous said...

WAAAAAAPS!!!

How are you??? I super miss you na! Love your blog!;-) Huy, luka-luka, i think Pepe Pimentel is not yet "the late"... I just saw him a few months ago in starbucks eh!

And I know misty blue... formerly known as eli rose apple diba? Hahaha!

Apol said...

NOOOO!!!! Eli Rose Apple is NOT Misty Blue. I remember Misty's face like it was yesterday... Hindi yan ang mukha ni Eli Rose. Mygas my apologies to Pepe. I corrected na.

decorator said...

ay di ako fan ng thats! di ko alam...

A said...

Talo kita Mia Fau--nakita ko si Pepe last Sunday sa reunion party ng dati kong ahensya. Hindi pa rin maayos ang peluka niya! Nyar.

Ati, naiiyak pa rin ako sa comment mo. Salamat uli!