Men At Work: Painting House is Always Fun

Our house in Bohol is getting a "face lift".

No, no. Ninjas did not come with me from Nagoya. Besides, ninjas don't dress this colorfully. Do they?

These guys also know how to party.

On desperas (the eve of our fiesta) we all went to the baile (the "disco") with them.

Speaking of the baile, it is quite an interesting scene. The girls and boys formed separate circles, and danced within their own group. BORING! So I grabbed them hardcore painters and my handsome friend Ruji by the hands, and dragged them, literally, onto the dance floor to dance with us ladies.

Now, the way they dance is quite... um, how do I say... put it this way: there's a Visayan folksong by Max Surban that goes like this:

Man: Pasayawa ko 'day (Dance with me, lady)
Woman: Sayaw lang sa uban (Dance with another)
Man: Ikaw may gusto ko (I want [to dance with] you)
Woman: Nganong ako nga ana may uban (Why me, there are others)
Man: Nganong dili ka day (Why won't you, lady?)

Woman: Kay imong sinayawan kinara'an (Because your dance is outdated)

But, unlike the old days, the songs at today's bailes are all hip hop. Whatever happened to the cha-cha? The salsa? The tango? The sweet slow dance? Oh, and my favorite, the Flower Dance?! I couldn't wait to get home to dance a sweet with my hottie husband.

Mag flower dance kita,

Kay hapit na mo abot ang pista...

Oh, wait... 5-star doesn't dance. Hmph!

I digress. Where were we? Men at work. WORK.

This is Richel. It's very easy to spot him because he's the one in charge. He holds the gun. The paint gun, anyway. He gives the orders. He's "The Little One".

The morning after the baile, he was curled up on his side, incapacitated by what I first thought was a hangover. Turned out, the guys had eaten a bunch of raw shellfish when they came home from the baile, and it left him with an acute case of heartburn.

Here's one thing about these hard working men: they work through hot humid heat, wrapped up in garments from head to ankles, AND they pass pain by the grit of their teeth. I know this because he didn't take the heartburn meds I gave him. In fact, the Indian giver that I am, I asked for one of those pills back when I in turn got a mild case of indigestion later that day.

One of the ladies in the village offered to massage his tummy... Boy, that made him get up in a hurry!

Ah, makes me think of another Visayan folksong by Max Surban:

May buta nga albularyo
Manghinambal sa among baryo
Bisan tuod siya buotan
Usahay may pagka-pilyado

Tanang sakit iyang tambalan
Bisan pa ma-engkanto
Ang uban kanila mamaayo
Ang uban usab mamenteryo

Dunay babayeng masakiton
Gitambalan niya'g orasyon
Ang albularyong mapahiyumon
Nihapuhap sa sakit sa pus-on

Ang babaye sab diay alisto
Nanagang ug dayon palayo
Kai kung mohikap ang buta na albularyo
Basin mahikapan ang dili mao

I digress again...

Work.

This is Elmer. They call him "The Tall One".

This is Timoy.

I think that's his name...

He didn't stay long.

This is Sidro. Probably short for Isidro.

Sidro and Timoy do wonders with wood, considering the rudimentary tools they have to work with.

They're master masons as well.

Rudimentary tool: A two-inch nail to grout the stone.

These men's work go by slow. Painfully slow - well, for me anyway, who's in the construction business in the U.S. But they work long hours. They start at 7am, stop for a one-hour lunch and siesta, back to work, end at 5pm for dinner and brief socializing, and then continue from 7-10pm. This goes on everyday, except for the day of The Fiesta.

They work by the light of halogen bulbs.

And their work is amazingly good, considering the lighting conditions and equipment.

I don't know this fellow's real name. But the ladies call him "Babes".

Mr. Babes never said one word to me. Then again, I didn't either. To him, that is. There's this universal eye language in the Philippines. You make eye contact, even for the briefest instant, pair it with a very subtle nod, and "Hello, how are you today? I'm fine thanks. Have a good day!" is the silent exchange that passes.

Notice the scaffolding that Elmer is standing on. That is one serious OSHA violation in the US of A.

Not in the Philippines!

These are REAL men at work.