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"Kupal"
is a Filipino slang. Loosely translated it
means someone who doesn't give a rat's bum.
It is at par with the term "Dickhead" as far
as the level of verbal abuse and abhorrence
is concerned. Honestly I cannot remember
when I last used it because I rarely speak
Filipino here given the fact that I don't
have a lot of Filipino friends and
colleagues. But earlier I was presented with
the opportunity to use it in its most potent
form!
My
appearance makes it difficult to accurately
guess my nationality. A lot of times I was
thought of as Chinese, Korean, Japanese,
Icelandic and even Siberian to name a few.
The locals often assume that I'm an ABC
(American Born Chinese) because of my accent
and "American-size". And those two Filipinos
who sat next to me at the station this
evening got it wrong as well. The trains
were running late and while I was taking
pictures to kill time I noticed that they
were talking about me. Hehehe! Here's part
of the conversation:
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Guy 1: |
Pare, tignan mo itnong Intsik na
ito, kodak ng kodak! |
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(Bro, check out this Chinese, he
keeps taking photos!) |
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Guy 2: |
Oo nga, turista siguro. Marami
sigurong pera yan. Ano sa tingin mo?
Dugasin kaya natin yung bag n'ya. |
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(Yeah, must be a tourist. I bet he's
got a lot of cash. What do you
think? Maybe we can grab his bag.) |
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Marvs: |
[Pretending not to understand a word
they're saying.] |
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Guy 1: |
Kun'di lang malaki yan kanina ko
pa 'yan inupakan! |
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|
(If he wasn't so big I would've
punched him already!) |
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Guy 2: |
Kaya natin 'yan. Suntukin mo sa
tyan tapos sisipain ko sa likod. |
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|
(We can take him on. Strike him on
the tummy and I'll kick him from
behind.) |
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Marvs: |
[Still pretending to be clueless!] |
The
whole thing went on for several minutes. I
was trying so hard not to laugh. I was
thinking that they'd probably wet their
pants if all of the sudden I start abusing
them in Filipino and I was just waiting for
the right moment. Then as my train
approached the platform they gave me the
perfect cue!
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Guy 2: |
Bwiset, hindi na yata darating
yung tren natin. Ibang linya ito. |
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|
(Darn, our train might never come.
This one's a different line.) |
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Guy 1: |
Mukha nga! Buti pa mag yosi na
lang muna tayo. |
|
|
(Looks like it! In the meantime
let's just have a smoke.) |
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Guy 1: |
[Pulls out a cigarette from his
brand new pack and borrowed Guy 2's
expensive looking lighter] |
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Marvs: |
[Got off his seat quickly, leaned at
Guy 1's armrest and sticks his index
finger on his forehead ] |
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Marvs: |
Sige, kapag sinindihan mo 'yan
isasaksak ko 'yan sa ilong mo! |
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|
(Go ahead, if you light that up I'll
stick that up your nose!) |
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Guy 1: |
[Is frozen!] |
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Guy 2: |
Pare, Pilipino ka pala? |
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(Bro, you're a Filipino?) |
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Marvs: |
Oo, mga KUPAL! ...o ano? Uupakan
n'yo ako? Hah, sige lang! |
|
|
(Yes, you DICKHEADS! ...so now what?
You guys are gonna beat me up? Well,
go right ahead!) |
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Guy 1: |
[Still frozen!] |
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Guy 2: |
[Also frozen!] |
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Marvs: |
[Grabs Guy 1's pack of cigarettes
and Guy 2's lighter and throws them
both out of the station platform and
down unto the street below.] |
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Guy 1: |
[Still very much frozen!] |
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Guy 2: |
[Same.] |
...I
then boarded my train, looked out the window
and gave them both a really nasty death
stare. They both sat there in shock. Now I
can say for certain that despite not
speaking Filipino for so long I am still
very proficient on its more colorful
applications. Hahaha!
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