Favourite Filipino expressions

I thought it was time to share with you all some of the common Filipino expressions that have become a part of my daily life.

"Very traffic"
A favourite amongst taxi drivers who say it with gusto to describe the heavy traffic in Manila. I love the fact that a) this expression makes absolutely no grammatical sense b) it is said as if the congested roads and gridlock are an ususual occurrence in this city when actually it is awful everyday. Guess it's like making a comment on the weather?!

"Let's eat"
This expression is a form of greeting and demonstrates just how much Filipinos LOVE to eat. Eating in this country is a communal activity and responding to this greeting with "No I will eat later" is met with puzzled looks. People here just don't seem to understand why you would ever turn down a meal or that you could be happy with just 3 meals a day (as oppossed to the 5 or 6 they seem to have).

"For a while mam"
An expression that drives me nuts! Commonly used by shop assistants and customer service reps I have learned that it means that the person you are dealing with it either does not know the answer to the question you are asking or cannot help you. But rather than tell you that they ask you wait and leave you languishing in the corner.

Related to this expression is the use of "Mam". I have still not got used to people calling me Mam...I know that it is just being polite but it makes me feel 102 years old! When I walk to work in the morning I get a lot of "Good morning Mams" from door men and security dudes. My new strategy is to respond with "Good morning to you sir" which leads to big smiles.