Trivia Time!

Valentine's Day's just around the corner, but I've had enough of hearts and doodles for this month. Now my randomness strikes out and I'll present to you guys some useless info from around the world.

We, the Filipino people, have some things to share too.

Di dahil Pinoy ka, wala kang maibubuga sa mga banyaga.

Pinoy-trivia I've compiled, and info from the information superhighway itself. So, here goes nothin'.

• PINOY MARTIAL ARTS

When I was a tot, I used to envy the Orientals for their uncanny abilities to defy the universal laws of Physics and how they’d apply gravity on the jaws of their spectators as they gaze upon purely epic Kung-Fu moves.

But did you know that the roots of Filipino history also has its own set of deadly moves? I’m not talking about the movies that show the sluggish Filipino tribesmen dim-wittingly charging into an enemy with advanced weaponry, heck NO.

I’m talkin’ about lightning-fast deathblows, wrist-bending boxing, eye-popping throat-slitting knife-action, ankle-breaking footwork and adrenaline-pumping stick fighting. The art of killing, crafted by none other than our very own Filipino tribesmen.

Government Warning: Filipino Martial Arts is not for the faint-hearted, but who freakin’ cares about what the government says anyways?

• WORST DI-SEAS-TER

I’d rather fall out of a plane than to sink off with a ship. Why? Because I can’t swim; yet others can. At least when we’d all fall down from the sky, we’re all equal – trying our best to fly. Setting jokes aside, according to the Guinness Book of World Records:

The MV Doña Paz was a Philippine-registered passenger ferry that sank after colliding with the MT Vector on December 20, 1987. With a death toll of at most 4,375 people, the collision resulted in the deadliest ferry disaster in history and is widely cited as the worst ever peace-time maritime disaster.

No one listens to warnings anymore, overloading a boat is like pushing its luck to stay afloat. Asia’s very own Titanic. Wait, remember the M.V. Princess of the Stars? Both are (were) operated by Sulpicio Lines, now ain't that scary?

• STARSHIP PINOYTROOPERS

I guess you’ve squished some bugs so nicely you’ve seen their insides spew out like a toothpaste-filled watermelon dropped off a 1083-ft high skyscraper. Now reminisce those gigantic, butt-ugly bugs from Klendathu on Starship Troopers and start asking yourselves this question, “What if they fought back?”

Have no fear, Johnnie Rico is here!

And now I’m guessing you weren’t expecting him to be a Kababayan after all, with a matching “WHAT? REALLY?!” monologue. Pinoy si Johnnie Rico, kaya itaas mo na ang baba mo.

Juan "Johnnie" Rico is the fictitious protagonist of Robert A. Heinlein's 1958 science-fiction novel Starship Troopers. Rico is the son of a wealthy Filipino family who joined the Terran Mobile Infantry almost on impulse and over his parents' objections. -Wikipedia-

• A GUN, JUST FOR US.

Resiliency. The ability to spring back from and successfully adapt to adversity.

But did you know that we’re also known for our persistence to live and motivation? Traits feared from all across the globe. A trait so frightening that the Americans even designed a gun AGAINST us.

No Image Attached. Gun Too Awesome To Post.

Introducing the 1911 .45 ACP Automatic Pistol, with a stopping power enough to blow away a full-grown adult 3 meters away from where the poor fellow used to stand.

During the same time frame that John Browning was working on many of his 128 patents, a tribe of warriors, the Moro, were giving the U.S. Army a very hard time in the Philippines. To prepare for battle, the Moro would bind their limbs with leather, take narcotics, and use religious ritual to gain an altered state of consciousness, this turned them into virtual Supermen. The .38 Long Colt pistol round the U.S. soldiers had simply would not stop the Moro. Of note is the fact that the Krag rifles the U.S. issued were also barely more than useless. [Article link]

Those warriors, the Moro, do you know the fighting-style they used? Refer to the first trivia above. They were that scary.