Linguist by Wishful Thinking

The older I get, I more I get fascinated with languages.

Back home, it's more unusual for someone to speak only one language (or dialect) than be the normal bililingual Pinoy. Those from Manila know at least two (Tagalog and English). Those from outside Manila know at least one more dialect. The Filipino-Chinese are often fluent in Fookien (sp?), some also in Mandarin, and if they come from outside of Manila, oh boy, that's another one!

I wish I thought this way when I had to learn Spanish in college. I never got into it. My reason? "It's not like I'll ever use it!" Then what do I do? Move to Texas, that's what! We have as many people here who speak English and Spanish as we do tri-lingual people in the Philippines... Geezzz...

Now I started thinking about all these because this afternoon, for some weird reason, two of my crazy guy co-workers wanted to know what's "good-looking" and "hot" in Filipino. Being the sweet and always-willing-to-help Pinay that I am, I helped them. I don't know how it happened (*insert innocent look here*) but at the end of the whole conversation, hot is bantot, and sexy is pangit. I think they plan on practicing it on some Filipinos tomorrow. That is sooooo wrong in sooooo many ways - the less obvious one being, why would they call our Pinoy co-workers (who happen to be men) hot?!!! I'd rather not go there...

Should I warn them? Which "them"? Let's see how it goes...