28 Ways to know if you are Filipino-Chinese

My dad e-mailed me this article a few weeks ago, and we had a nice big laugh as we read it since most of it holds true for our family. It deals mostly with how the Chinese families are stingy and "money-conscious".

28 WAYS TO KNOW IF YOU ARE FILIPINO CHINESE

1. You unwrap gifts very carefully, so you can save
and reuse the wrapping (and especially those ribbons).

2. When there is a 50% sale on shirts, blouses,
shoes, you buy them even if you don’t really like the
color or style, even if they’re one size bigger or
smaller than your size.  You convince yourself, your
spouse or your kids to wear them.  And if they
disagree, you rationalize your insane act of buying up
everything on sale by saying that you’ll think of
someone to give it to that’s one size bigger or
smaller than yourself, your spouse or your kids.

3. You or your parents keep a Thermos of hot water
available at all times.

4. You save grocery bags and plastic containers. You
use the grocery bags to hold garbage.

5. You hate to waste food:

a ) If someone says they're going to throw away the
leftovers on the table, you'll finish them, even if
you’re really full.  (Your mom will give a lecture
about starving kids in Africa)

b ) You have Tupperware in your fridge with a few
spoonfuls of rice or one leftover chicken wing.

6. You don't own any real Tupperware - only a
cupboard full of used but carefully rinsed take out
containers, distilled water bottles, ice cream
containers.  You re-use peanut butter jars as
containers for your sugar, coffee creamer and powdered
juice.

7. You have a collection of miniature shampoo
bottles, soaps, toothbrushes, mini-tubes of toothpaste
that you take every time you stay in a hotel.

8. You wipe your plate and tableware or wash them
with hot water before you eat every time you go to a
restaurant.

9. You own a rice cooker and a slow cooker.

10. You wash your rice at least 2-3 times before
cooking it.

11. You hunt for Chinese restaurants offering a
special promo when eating out with friends but you
fight (verbally) over who pays the dinner bill.  You
never leave a tip if you see the words "service
charge" on your bill.

12. You convince your kids not to destroy the box of the new toy and to play with
it carefully but only for a little while so that you
can give it to someone else’s kid as a birthday or
Christmas gift.

13. If you're under age 30, you own an iPod; if
you're over 30, you own a good digital camera,
expensive mobile phone and a cheap 2nd phone.

14. Your other mobile line is Sun cell because of
their 24/7 promo.  You do your darnest best to max out
this promo.  You never use your other mobile phone to
call a Sun subscriber.

15.You only make overseas calls using cheaper
networks or during off-peak hours.

16. You prefer your shrimp with the heads and legs
still attached - it means they're fresh.

17. You buy shirts, shoes for your kids one size
bigger so that your kids can wear them longer.

18. If you don't live at home, when your parents
call, they'll ask if you've eaten, even if it's
midnight or way past meal time.

19. When you are sick, your parents tell you to stay
inside, drink lots of water, not to eat fried foods
because they're “hot” (“ya dyet”).

20. You text or e-mail your Chinese friends at work,
even though you only sit 10 feet apart.  You YM your
friends overseas instead of calling them because it’s
free.

21. You always cook too much but starve yourself at
home so you'll look slim in case you happen to meet
your high school and college friends.

22. You eat every last grain of rice in your bowl.

23. You starve yourself before going to an
all-you-can-eat buffet.

24. You know someone who can get you a good deal on
jewelry, electronics, appliances.

25.You are aware of every 3-day sale that goes on in
town and buy stuff marked 50% off even if you don’t
need them right away or want them at all.  You peel
off the "50% off" label and save them till you can
give them away as Christmas presents or birthday
gifts.

26. Your toothpaste tubes are all squeezed paper-thin
before they are thrown away.

27. You wrap with napkins all the knives, spoons and
forks of the airline you fly on and put them in your
travel bag as souvenirs.

28. You never forget to take with you all the unused
bath and facial tissues when you check out from the
hotel because you believe that you have paid it all.