WORDS, ETC.

Day after day, new words are coined as a result of our experiences, of events that transpired or of people that made an impact. Some of these new words have been accepted as already part of our regular vocabulary while some are just acceptable to a group of people like the gay lingo.

I remember when I was still in College, Jade, Dennis and even Dinah have invented words which became part of the vocabulary of the Weekly Sillimanian staff and those people who were close to us. Words like “pleeshor” which came from the word pleasure. The two words do not exactly mean the same. “Pleeshor” refers to somebody who is good-looking and yummy. It could also mean to have fun (i.e. gimmick).

Of course, I wouldn’t be able to forget the word “Orocan”, a brand of plastic which was used to refer to people worst than an ordinary “plastic”. A “plastic” person of course is a two-faced person who would say something nice when in front of you, but would tell the opposite once your not around.

There is of course the word “To-Shin”. This is a computer game but was used to refer to a fight or to someone who is feisty.

Now, here are two new words that are internationally accepted. The reason why I am talking about this in my blog is because they mean something to me.

First word is “GROBANITES”. I know that you already knew the meaning of this word. In case you don’t, Grobanites refers to the millions of Josh Groban fans. Simply speaking, you're a grobanite if you are a fan of josh groban. And I happen to be one. In fact, if you notice I have added Josh Groban’s website as part of my links.

Do I need to say more.

Another new word is “METROSEXUAL”. New York Times defines this as “straight men who are willing to embrace their feminine side.” The Word Spy define it also as, "an urban male with a strong aesthetic sense who spends a great deal of time and money on his appearance and lifestyle."

The person the exemplifies this is this guy:



(for more pictures of this guy, i recommend this)

Yes, yes, yes, that is David Beckham, England’s soccer hero and husband of Posh Spice.

A metrosexual is not a gay guy, they are straight guys who love to shop, are updated in terms of fashion, and would go to salons for facial, spa, and other forms of beauty regimens.

Well, what can I say? In this world of commercialism, its high time the people in the fashion industry should also look into men more than the usual way they look at them. It would also mean that someday you won’t fear being ostracized as gay just because you are trying to be fashionable (to be gay, of course, is no reason to ridicule people, but that is another story).

To know if you are a Metrosexual, please answer this quiz. (Just in case you will ask, I scored 60%, but then again I am not really a metrosexual guy. If you don't know why, you are the most clueless person that I've ever met!)

Now, talking coining of words, here’s an interesting article entitled “From Lincoln to Lacson” written by Butch Dalisay in his column “Penman” at the Philippine Star last December 15.

Leave it to professional worrywarts like me to find a problem where none exists. I’ve been losing sleep lately over what adjective to employ for our next President, whoever he or she may turn out to be.

I don’t mean adjectives like "cutesy," "incompetent," "arrogant," or "bloodthirsty." (Now why would anyone think of such unkind words to describe our distinguished aspirants?) I mean the splendiferous and grandiloquent adjectives that historians make of the names of presidents and leaders who apparently contributed something memorable to the nation and to its vocabulary – words like "Lincolnesque" and "Churchillian" and "Kennedyesque."

Admittedly, we haven’t had much of a tradition in this area. "Quezonian" comes to mind, ideally in the lofty context of "the Quezonian quest for independence," but the word has simply come to mean "someone from Quezon Province," as the members of the Quezonian Club of Edmonton and the Quezonian Association of Macau should have no trouble acknowledging. (On the other hand, I’d have to opine that the old "Tayabense" – now applicable only to the denizens of Tayabas town – had more character to it.)

x x x

We’d have to wonder if Raul Roco will leave a "Roconian" legacy behind (at least for flowery red shirts, a claim we can expect to be fiercely contested by believers in the Atienzan contribution to sartorial intemperance). In the same phonic neighborhood, there was that 7th-century BC politician Draco, who codified Athenian law into something so fair and yet also so severe that he lent his name to things no self-respecting trapo will consider, like draconian budget cuts.

Ah, and what of our albeit often absent and silent man of the hour, Fernando Poe Jr.? Here things get a little more complicated – linguistically, at least, if not politically and economically. The tradition in English adjective formation is that names ending in —OW or —AW sounds acquire a V, to wit: "Marlovian" for Christopher Marlowe and "Shavian" for George Bernard Shaw. (Roco and De Castro – whose camp followers might rightly be called De Castroites – get away with a short —OH in Pinoy pronunciation, as in "Vicky Toh.") This means that we can look forward (or not) to a Povian regime, in which will prominently figure certain Angaran and Enrilic notions, to be processed by FPJ’s spokesman into, uhm, Sottonic verses.

The most euphonically resonant moniker actually belongs to Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who has the good fortune of a surname that rhymes with Lincoln and who might therefore be expected to bequeath to us a grand Lacsonian tradition – whatever that may be, although a propensity for political bombast might be one of its elements. Ping should also influence a new generation of speechwriters and speechmakers with the niceties of Lacsonesque prose, such as "Alam ba ni Misis ‘toh!" – which, while decidedly short on the Latinate eloquence of the Gettysburg Address, has all the bite of a red ant trapped in that part of you where the sun never shines.

For the complete article, please see it here.