SNIPPETS OF MY LIFE

In the Philippines, we have this so-called “Filipino Time.” It is when someone arrives way past the scheduled time. Fifteen, thirty, forty minutes late. Or when someone texts you “I’m coming” but in reality that person is still about to take a bath. Or when they say, “Getting ready!” but really, they have just woken up. When someone points out that “Filipino Time”, it usually implies something funny to most Filipinos. I admit I used to laugh at it because I can totally relate—I was following that “time” and most of the people I know follow it too. Somehow, we find levity when someone points that out. It has a been a norm in casual occasions that when somebody says meet up at three o’clock, that usually means four o’clock, or if you’re lucky, three thirty. Whenever we have meetings, we always schedule it an hour ahead because we know that our members will arrive an hour late if we set it at the exact time we want to officially start. It is only lately when I realize...