Kulotology: Episode I

I was able to tweak the title and logo sections of my blog template. How do you like them? The baby in the logo represents me, kulot. The pet name somehow stuck with me. Wanna know the reason behind it?

Here's how it all began...

*** harp plays... flashback ***

Thirty-plus years ago, when my Mom first held me in her arms, she knew right then and there, her first-born son was going to be different.

A sliver of hair by the upper side of the baby's head became the sign. It curled into a "J".

"Ayy, kulot." was all my Mom could say.

As I grew up, mingling with the other kids, I realized that my hair was different. Most of my playmates had straight, evenly-layered hair while mine was wavy and curled as it grew longer.

When my family moved to our new home in a then-barely-developed subdivision here in Pasig, I had to adjust to my new set of playmates. I easily got along with them though. And our community, being made up mostly of family-starters with kids my age, there were lots of new playmates to befriend. Yippee!

Being a relatively small community of kids then, word spread out about the new kid on the block. That kid who just moved into that newly-built house. That kid who has a high forehead. That kid who has a different-looking hair from the rest of the kids. That kid who has curly hair.

Hintay pa tayo ng isa. Kulang pa tayo e. Di pa tayo pwede maglaro ng touching rubber (that's how we called the game "Cops and Robbers", paki mo?!)

Oo nga. Di bale, maya-maya lalabas na rin si kulot.

Anong kulot? Sinong kulot?

Yung bagong lipat dun sa bahay na yun o.

Ahh, yung batang kulot yung buhok? Ano ba pangalan nya?

Ewan ko! Nalimutan ko eh. Nakilala namin kahapon pero nalimutan ko kung ano pangalan nya eh. Basta siya yung kulot.

And so my new playmates and friends baptized me as kulot.

It was kinda weird at first. But as I grew up, I got used to the pet name. There came many variations to that name, or alias if you will. There's kulotski. Kulotis. Curly. Curly tops. Cutie. Last one doesn't fit in? This is my story, remember?

Some of my close friends still endearingly call me with different versions of that pet name. No problems for me - yet.

But I just hope that the day wouldn't come when kids would call me "Mang Kulot". Sagwa!