Monthly Archives: January 2012

It's more fun in the Philippines

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Just came from the 2nd annual Kulinarya event put together by the Philippine Department of Tourism and Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco. To promote the Philippines, the new slogan “It’s more fun in the Philippines” was all over the place. It inspired me to quickly make a Baybayin version saying “Mas masaya sa Pilipinas”.

Feel free to pass it around. With this already so recognizable to Filipinos, this image will help people learn Baybayin. You can download a high-res version on my Baybayin Facebook page

Here’s the original

Baybayin Bible

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The Baybayin Buhayin team is at it again and recently announced that they are coming out with a Baybayin Bible.

I have mixed feelings about this because while the current studies show that the Spanish didn’t seem to outlaw or limit use of Baybayin, it was naturally phased out with their agressive colonization and quest for gold and glory.

However, from a writing system perspective, it’s great and a welcome addition. If the design team from Liquid and Liquid is involved, it will look awesome. It will be interesting how handle chapter and verse numbers.

Here’s a teaser video of the project

UST Baybayin collection shown to public

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The University Of Santo Tomas (UST) has the biggest collection of extant ancient baybayin scripts in the world, according to Christopher Miller, a Canadian linguistics scholar who has been studying the ancient Philippine syllabary at the UST Archives and UST Heritage Library.

Active Baybayin community member, Christopher Miller is promenantly featured in the Inquirer article quoting:

Miller said he had also discovered that baybayin had formal usage among the locals, and between them and the colonizers. He saw in the archives land deeds, petitions, testimonies and legal proceedings written in the old script.

I hope to see the archive documents in person when I visit Manila this year.
Check it out

Baybayin with no Baybayin

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image

I’m releasing a new hat to follow my collaboration with WIPCaps from Manila. This time it will be a sample black on black with white outlining that simply says BAYBAYIN. Plain and simple but with no Baybayin on it. My reason for this is to promote Baybayin without showing it. I could’ve easily had the text in the script but the goal of this piece is to get an inquiry from someone as to what Baybayin is. If I had the script, it would be obviously foreign to most people and intimidating as well. Using a writing system and language familiar breaks down that wall and can lead to conversation. I’ve had the hat only for 1/2 a day and had 2 inquiries already from strangers. A cashier and someone on the train. This is a similar strategy I’m using when I launch Baybayin School.

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr as to when this will be released.