If there was an Obama look alike contest…
… this guy could win. He wouldn’t even have to put on make-up nor have his hair redone but he could use an additional ten pounds.
Below, the real Obama.
O, pwede, ‘di ba?
The first photo is an attachment in an e-mail sent a few days ago by my brother-in-law, Sonny. I don’t know who the people in the photo are but the e-mail says that the Obama look alike is a Filipino.
On a totally unrelated note, I was looking at the title of this entry and wondered if it’s grammatically correct. “If there was” or “If there were”? I always write “If there was” but when I do that in my column, there is always the inevitable editing and the phrase becomes “If there were” when the column gets printed. I did a little Googling and came up with this.
From I Came, I Saw, I Learned…
This is a memory aid for this week’s conundrum: “if I was” versus “if I were.” Either of these can be correct, depending on the situation. The difference between these two expressions is that one is talking about reality, and the other is supposing something that is impossible or totally not true. The grammatical terms for these two modes of speaking are indicative (for indicating facts) and subjunctive (for supposing the impossible, or supposing something that is known to be untrue).
On the other hand, English Club says “were” is formal, “was” is informal.
Whatever, so long as I get the message across.
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Geez, he’s a virtual splitting image of Obama. I’m curious how’s Obama being received in the Philippines? Anyone care to comment?
*English prof mode* English club is right. Although “were” is actually correct. Comparing it to German makes it clear. German forms the subjunctiv with the past tense+umlaut+e at the end. Were is used because it makes it clear that someone is speaking in the subjunctive (assuming that the subject is “you” or “I”) instead of the indicative. The use of “was” has become common use, though not necessarily correct.
“Whatever, so long as I get the message across.”
Talaga naman huh… I’ve read from you last time – “Write to express, not to impress.”
Hi Mike, If we’re going to base it from Philippine media spins, Obama is very popular in the Philippines. His favorite word (if he can not refute a thing) “distraction” was even used by one senator in an interview about a week ago.. I’m expecting lots of local politicians will be using that word in the future.
Mike, he’s a byword among the English reading and news watching sectors. The rest, I doubt it.
Cathy, so it’s always “If there were”? I ought to remember that and give my editor less work hehehe
Trosp, wouldn’t it be fun to gather stats on just how many candidates in 2010 will be doing that hehehe
Wow, panalo! naka-coat and tie pa!
pwede syang pang-dobol. i’m sure they could use someone like him at the white house, hehe
hehehe, i didnt realize that obama can passed as a filipino! hehehe
ms. connie ok lang ba kung hiramin ko rin yung picture ng obama look alike to use in my blog?
@ruth: Oo nga. Naalala ko tuloy yung movie na Vantage Point where the “double” of the president was shot instead of the president himself. Mag-ingat na lang siya, ‘no? Haha.
Ruth & Lance, baka maging millionaire yung mama sa suggestion nyo ah. LOL
Jesus, oh sure. It’s not mine naman. Just got it in the mail.
Omg! I can’t stop laughing over this one. Winner and face nya haha
Ms. Connie, can i put this on my blog too? =)
Yes. sure, Trina! Spread the word hahahaha
That’s so funny–they totally look alike.
thanks ms. connie, and i’ll credit you as my source!
The Obama lookalike is Indonesian. (I’m not surprised – they’re nuts about Obama over there!)
It is Malaysian due to the poster Kris, Arjuna. Kris which we know as a weapon has been a status symbol of rank in the Malaysia. The local epic Pandawa Prince Arjuna possessed such Kris from the Gods similar to that of Hindu epic Siva the Destroyer.
Yup!
Sorry folks, it is Indonesian as miketymoc had said earlier.
http://www.hai-online.com/article.php?name=/barack-obama-berkunjung-ke-hai&channel=ur_turn%2Ffoto
“It is Malaysian due to the poster Kris, Arjuna…”
Indonesians speak Bahasa Indonesia, which is not far removed from Bahasa Malaysia. (And it’s not so far removed from Filipino, either – I was in Jogjakarta a few weeks back, and upon eating some street food and talking with my hosts, I realized that Indonesians and Filipinos can both understand the following sentence – ‘I ate togue and nangka from a mongkok with a sandok‘.)
This is a thinner version of obama
Thanks, Cathy.
Strange how this comment thread is turning out. I talked about the English grammar as part of the entry and, now, peeps are discussing Bahasa Indonesian and Bahasa Malaysian. Keep it up, LOL, we’re all learning.
Let’s go OT…
If I’m not mistaken, similarities of Bahasa with our dialect, sometimes is amusing, like our taksi is teksi to them. Or baboy is babi. Bubong is budong. But then payong is also payong.
The thing is, most of the English speaking Malaysians or Indonesians are likely to be influenced with British English. You would find most of them pronouncing “back” as “beck”.
I’ve been used to with pronouncing “status” as “stahtus” and once I was in a meeting with them, almost everybody glared at me when I’ve pronounced it that way. It should be “staytus” as my Singaporean colleague told me later while we were savoring “tomahto” salad. I’m still wondering how it would appeal to the movie audience if Arnold A in the Terminator will say it this way – “I’ll be beck”.
I’ve got used with their British accent that I always find myself adapting it also with the way I speak.
Once our Malaysian lady office assistant got her face so reddened when I asked her for some rehbber behnds. I just told her I will used it to hold my socks.
Dear C,
Way to go! I like Trosp’s comments best. Asians mimicking British accents and getting a good laugh at themselves for it. A lot of Filipinos speak better English than the Americans, yes? But think of how funny it is if we Filipinos all took afternoon tea wearing white eyelet dresses at the gazebo and spoke in British accents? Talk about pushing the limit! I always envy ex-British colonies when I compare how and where our Islamic-Spanish-American colonial heritage has taken us. They say Filipinos are well-loved in Madrid and Barcelona because of the colonizers affiliation with the colonized? But whining after comparison is also a typical Filipino trait, right? Between the two of us, girl, envy is a good place as long as its to start with lang.
At least the similar words mean that “green” jokes go over just as well. Some, anyway. Like the riddle, “what do you call the private parts of a girl ghost?” e di “Spooky!” Same word in Bahasa, FYI.
(Joke courtesy of Gary Lising. Don’t kill the messenger.)
Trosp, I’m not sure if it’s connected with your “beck” observation but I have noticed that in my mother’s generation — they said “bleck” instead of “black.” And I thought it was a difference in phonetics. The sound of “A” in out abakada is not the same as the short “a” in American English. So, “bleck” was like an approximation of the sound of the short “a” but not quite getting it right. And I have this strong suspicion that it was something passed on by Filipino teachers who learned to speak English as adults.
my_life_in_a_teacup, re “A lot of Filipinos speak better English than the Americans, yes?” Grammatically, oh yes! When I read blogs written by SOME Americans, I can hardly understand what they’re saying. One common mistake: “I should of” instead of “I should have” (eg., I should have called sooner).
Re “I always envy ex-British colonies…” I’m not so sure that India is doing much better than we are.
Micketymoc, so the Filipino word and the Bahasa word is the same? I mean, for vagina?
Yup!
LOL so it is! But the similarities shouldn’t really be surprising since history says the Indonesians and the Malays constituted the two largest migratory groups to the Philippines during the pre-Spanish era.
Ooops, I didn’t mean to make fun or to offend anybody in my previous comment. I was not stereotyping. It was just a plain personal amusement with what I’ve observed. In fact, I enjoy much watching movies and TV series with British actors and actresses.
Actually, in the case of Indonesians, Malaysians, and Singaporeans, IMO, they are not mimicking the British accent per se. It’s by default. One has to communicate in English and for them what’s available for them is the continental one.
Once when I was in Singapore, I was invited by a vendor for a dinner. Syempre VIP ako. It was in an exclusive club – members and their guest only. Right away I’ve noticed that most of the club’s staff particularly the waiters are Indians and they are all pleasant looking and were always acting with finesse. Their accent I would say are 100% British. It is an exclusive club but it was full of diners and most of them were Singaporeans in their teens or in early 20s which have really surprised me. The explanation as may baby sitter has told me – they’re from rich families and are refining their “sociability quotient” and their English 101. (Singaporeans have a hard time pronouncing words with r, l, and h).
Talagang OT na he he he…
In our country, once one has seen a caucasian, the thinking would most likely go to be – “it’s an American”. Same is true with Korea. We always consider a Tisoy as Amboy or Amgirl for Tisay. In Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, the thinking would most likely go to be – “it’s a British”. For them, Tisoy is Eurasian.
For me, English grammar is not one among my strong points (or my lack of it…he he he). And one other thing, I still have to meet a kababayan with British accent when speaking in English.
Here I am again going OT…
Talking about vagina. There is this story -
The new teacher introduced herself to the students as Ms. Pruque as the class was just starting.
“You may call me Ms. Pruque in and out of the class. Please always be reminded of the letter ‘r’” she told her class.
Before the class ends, she again asked one student if he can remember her name. Unfortunately, she has picked the most forgetful student whom as expected has forgotten her name.
“Remember the ‘r’” the teacher coached.
“Of course,” the student said, “you’re Ms Krepias!”
(You can tell this joke to those who can not understand the vernacular by using Ms Vragina and Ms Prussy names respectively.)
Cheers!
Yup!! He’s Indonesian. His name is Ilham Anas. He live in Bandung, Indonesia as a Photographer. B-)
“If I was” vs “If I were.”
It is nice to see someone talking about correct grammar nowadays. And you can see how being clear grammatically actually affects the clarity of what you are trying to say. I’ve was taught that the difference is one of possibility. If the situation could possibly be true (no matter how much of a stretch), then you use “was,” but if there is no way it could be possible, then use “were.” An example:
If I was President, I would not raise taxes. (It is possible I could be President, but it is a long stretch.)
If I were a tape recorder, then I would be a good one. (Impossible.)
This actually brings up the question of what IS possible in reality. Some people believe anything is possible, so for that crowd, they should always use “was.” For those who are more realistic, then they have to decide each time whether what they are saying is realistically possible or not.
Good question though!