每日英語跟讀 Ep.K431: About the Philippines - Growing ‘mermaiding’ subculture makes a splash

There was a pivotal moment in Queen Pangke Tabora’s life that eclipsed all others: It was the moment, she says, when she first slid her legs into a mermaid tail.

在潘奇．塔波拉皇后的生命中，有一個關鍵時刻令其它時刻都黯然失色：她說，就是當她第一次把雙腳滑進一個美人魚尾巴的時刻。

For the transgender Filipina woman approaching middle age, seeing her legs encased in vibrant, scaly-looking neoprene three years ago was the realization of a childhood dream. And it marked the beginning of her immersion into a watery world where she would find acceptance.

對這位即將步入中年的菲律賓跨性別女性來說，三年前看到她的雙腿被包覆在充滿活力、鱗片狀的紐普韌橡膠中，是兒時夢想的實現。代表著她開始沉浸在一個自己能夠獲得接受的水世界。

The former insurance company worker described the experience of gliding under water, half-human and half-fish, as “meditation in motion.”“The feeling was mermai-zing,”Tabora said one recent morning while lounging in a fiery red tail on a rocky beach south of Manila, where she now teaches mermaiding and freediving full-time.

這位保險公司前員工把在水下滑行、半人半魚的經驗描述成「運動中的冥想」。最近一個早晨在馬尼拉南方一處礁石海灘休息時，身著火紅魚尾服的塔波拉說，「這種美人魚的感覺太驚人了」，她在這裡全職教授如何像美人魚般游泳和自由潛水。

In recent years, a growing number have gleefully flocked to mermaid conventions and competitions, formed local groups called“pods,” launched mermaid magazines and poured their savings into a multimillion-dollar mermaid tail industry.

在最近幾年，越來越多人歡喜地湧向美人魚大會和競賽，形成各個叫做「pods」的地方團體，發行美人魚雜誌，把他們的積蓄投入這個價值數百萬美元的美人魚尾巴行業。

Next Article

Philippine collector amasses super-sized collection of fast-food restaurant toys 菲律賓收藏家蒐集極大量速食餐廳玩具

From the age of 5, Filipino graphic artist Percival Lugue has had a passion for collecting toys from fast-food restaurant chains like McDonald’s, Burger King and home-country favorite Jollibee.

菲律賓平面設計師帕西瓦爾‧魯格，從5歲開始就滿腔熱血地蒐集麥當勞、漢堡王及當地人最愛的快樂蜂等速食連鎖餐廳的玩具。

Now, the 50-year-old has about 20,000 toys packed from floor to ceiling in his home and holds a Guinness World Record from 2014, when his collection reached more than 10,000 items.

現在，50歲的魯格擁有約2萬組玩具，在家裡從地板堆到天花板，且2014年起持續保持金氏世界紀錄，當時他收藏的玩具已超過1萬組。

Lugue built his home especially to house his collection. He likens the excitement that getting new toys gives him to Christmas morning. "The toy is like a storyteller in itself."

魯格蓋了自己的房子就是為了放藏品，他把得到新玩具的興奮感比擬成耶誕節早晨，「玩具本身就像個說故事的人。」

While most of his toys were obtained through personal purchases, some were donated by friends and family.

儘管大部分玩具都是他自己花錢買的，但也有朋友和家人送的。

His dream now is to eventually put his collection on display for the public or even open a museum to "give others a chance to revisit their own childhood memories."

他現在的夢想是，最終可以向大眾展示他的藏品，甚至開一間博物館，「讓其他人有機會重溫自己的童年記憶。」Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1529024 ; https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/1464916