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A Filipino House Warming Party!

πŸ“… 2022-08-09⏱ 18:15
πŸ“… 2022-08-09 Β |Β  ⏱️ 18:15 Β |Β  πŸ‘οΈ 28.9K views Β |Β  πŸ‘ 3.5K likes Β |Β  πŸ’¬ 1K comments

Pea vlogs her family's housewarming party for the house she paid to have built for her parents, which doubles as her dad's 60th birthday and her parents' 27th wedding anniversary celebration. The video showcases several Filipino housewarming traditions (priestly blessing, coin-throwing, chicken blood in the foundation), introduces various family members with Pea's trademark irreverent interviewing style, and answers viewer questions about the house's cost and construction.

House blessing by a Catholic priest ​

  • First tradition for a new Filipino home: have a priest come and bless it
  • Not just houses β€” Filipinos also get new cars and businesses blessed
  • The priest sprinkles holy water in every single room, including the bathroom β€” Pea jokes that's probably smart since "if I was an evil spirit, I'd hang out near the toilet so I could invade people's bodies when they're most vulnerable"
  • Family members follow the priest around holding candles, reciting the Lord's Prayer and Hail Marys
  • The service costs 1,000 pesos (about $20 USD)
  • The priest gets first pick of the food β€” "fighting evil can work up an appetite"
  • Pea interviews Father Eric, the priest who did the blessing, and asks if the blessing is "concentrated" since he only did one house that day
  • She also asks if being friends with him gets her "express admittance" upstairs

The party itself β€” family chaos ​

  • Guests poured in nonstop β€” people she hadn't seen in years, people she'd never seen, and "people I wish I'd never seen," all drawn by "the irresistibly delicious smell of free food"
  • She compares it to Bilbo Baggins with unexpected visitors, "but more like 50 dwarves instead of 13"
  • People were upstairs, downstairs, and out back
  • Food included lechon (roast pig) and fried chicken β€” by the time she filmed the lechon, it had already been "ravaged" and the apple was gone

Family interviews ​

  • Lawrence (turning 20): Single, "no boyfriend since birth" (NBSB), looking for anyone with a "good personality" β€” when pressed, she says "ugly and rich, anything"
  • A younger relative (volleyball player, ~20): Also NBSB, studying Bachelor of Science in Nursing; Pea notes her brother is also studying nursing β€” "another nurse in the family"
  • Tita Pressy (66 years old): Never married, no kids, looking for a foreign partner β€” specifically an American around age 70, wants to live in California
  • Pea's dad (the birthday celebrant, turning 60): She calls him "the Charles Bronson of the Philippines" β€” he doesn't know who Charles Bronson is
  • Pea's mom: When asked the secret to 27 years of marriage, mom says dad is afraid of her machete; she gets emotional and tearful thanking Pea for being a kind daughter who paid for the house β€” Pea deflects with humor: "I told you I'm gonna send you the bill"
  • Her dad's side of the family shown drinking tuba (fermented coconut wine)

Filipino housewarming traditions ​

  • Coin and rice throwing: A bowl of uncooked rice represents abundance; coins placed on top for luck and prosperity. The coins (plus chocolate gold coins for the kids) are thrown on the ground and children scramble to grab them β€” sharing blessings that in return give luck, prosperity, abundance, and health to the homeowners
  • Chicken blood in the foundation: When building a house, the family mixes chicken blood with the concrete and pours blood on each corner of the house to keep away bad spirits. Pea notes "that's not my thing, it's quite barbaric, I cannot show that on YouTube" but it's her family's house so she let them do their thing

Practical house details (responding to viewer questions) ​

  • Total cost: $25,500 USD including labor β€” family members built the house from the ground up, which saved enormously; hiring a contractor would have cost double (contractors charge 18,000-25,000 pesos per square meter)
  • Flooding concerns addressed: The pathway is sloped away from the house, the house sits on sloped land, there's a deep drainage ditch at the back; they've already weathered several bad storms with no water getting inside
  • Fire extinguisher placement: Viewers pointed out it was placed under the cooktop (where fires start); Pea took the advice and moved it to the far side of the fridge for easy access
  • Pea doesn't have her own bedroom in the house because she doesn't live there β€” she's in her 30s and doesn't think moving back in with her parents is a good idea; she stays in her brother Mark's bedroom when visiting

Rescued stray kitten update ​

  • The stray kitten she rescued (previously shown to Patreon supporters) is now named Tyrion
  • Turned out to be a boy; has slightly oozy eyes but is energetic and playful

Karaoke and celebration ​

  • The party included karaoke (a Filipino party staple), but that footage couldn't be posted on YouTube due to copyright issues
  • Patreon members got to see her "another failed attempt at karaoke"
  • Her parents confirmed they still love each other after 27 years; her dad was emotional β€” his first birthday cake ever, first party

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