I am Legend

Do you remember the movie with Will Smith and a dog? It’s called I am Legend.

Well, somehow I’ve been feeling a lot like Will Smith’s character there. But instead of a dog, I have my sister’s semi-extended family who keep me company. Specifically speaking, I have 3 sane adult females, 1 equally sane adult male, and a cute 8-month old to interact with on a daily basis. But being used to going out especially on weekdays, having that few people to hang out with falls a few notches below normal.

Since not a lot of people talk Filipino here, you can actually babble in public without being understood. And since the way I see it, individuality prevails in this land, no one would really care what you are up to. Or at least what you are saying.

Thus leading me to something similar to the predicament of Will Smith’s character: With my dawgs on the side (I’m really sorry for calling you “my dawgs”! I figured it’s better than “dogs.”), I feel somewhat alone.

The people here are not nearly vampires, unlike in the movie I’ve been referring to. But just like the vampires, they have their own thing going on. I couldn’t help but feel like an outsider. Perhaps if someone bites me, I’d turn into the likes of them which wouldn’t be nearly as bad.

But tonight my sister and her husband brought me to this Zion—now I’m alluding to another different movie, think Matrix—where people like us are found. And the race is flourishing.

Among the pool of locals—Chinese, Malays and Indians—live the Pinoys. And, apparently, the community is growing. In the first party I crashed (with permission—so it’s not actually crashing), there are at least 3 kids to comprise the new generation of Pinoys who I think were all born here. And another one is about to be born soon.

It’s fascinating to see a whole new generation bloom.

Perhaps I am no legend. Those babies are.