"Aanhin ang damo pag patay na ang kabayo?"
(What good is the grass to a horse already dead?)
~ Filipino proverb
Don't be a goody two-shoes, my father said: ma-
among tupa, head bowed meekly, just following
the herd. And don't be balat sibuyas: skin thin
as an onion, tearing up at the slightest injury. Malayo
sa bituka, he'd pronounce—as long as the hurt lands far
from the gut, you won't die. Muster up a thick hide—balat
kalabaw. But remember that nothing comes to those who
don't burn their eyebrows either—magsunog ng kilay, working
hard until dawn. Do you want to succeed, or do you want
to wind up among those kalapating mababa ang lipad?
Beware of scammers and sweet-talkers, those with matamis
na dila. They'll hack their way into your soul and make off
with everything, including the smallest nail, your cheapest
piece of furniture. Don't cry. Don't let anyone see you
cry. You make a wrong turn, you get back in
the saddle. You steer yourself right back again.
