chinitos, mestizos and in-betweens

My Saturday afternoon siesta took a jolt when son came into room and proudly shoved his newly taken grad pic infront of my face. omg a chinito!! an honest to goodness handsome chinito !! Where on earth did that DNA strain come from in my otherwise pinoy, indio family? Instantly I was transported back to the Arts & Sciences lobby of the UP Diliman campus almost three decades ago where giggly kikay girls (us) would regularly convene to dissect the male specimen parading about -- cute guys categorized into the aloof 'mestizo types' and the more approachable 'chinito'. For these two categories were the only ones worthy of our attention (then). They had that undeniable X, nakaka-kilig, can-you-carry-my-books factor.. While the rest of the male species that came in between (the pinoy indio types) had to have extra doses of personality to qualify. (Actually they were the ones willing to carry our books.) OR, they simply became male 'barkada' and nothing more. I remember having a very intense, take-your-breath-away, I-can't-eat-I-can't-sleep kind of crush on a 6-ft. tall chinito guy with glasses (yes! the glasses were an important accessory to complete the look) who didn't make me pansin because he had a hot mestiza girlfriend. The only time I got over my innocent lust (is there such a thing?) for Mike was when he joined a fraternity and he had to shave his entire head as part of the initiation. I just couldn't help but remember my history books and the Ming Dynasty whenever I'd see him pass. Calbo heads just weren't cool then, unlike now.

Of course evolution (of the mind, heart and soul) has taken place over the past decades and all that shallowness is just a blur .. my friends having gone off and married their mestizo,
chinito and in-between types. WHILE I... suddenly find myself realizing that my baby has grown up to be a true-blue cute chinito who I hope will not end up with some shallow headed gal like those girls of the UP Arts & Sciences lobby. Oh and by the way he wears glasses and is 6 feet tall.