The Ulikba Diaries

A friend and I talked about a girl she perpetually calls ulikba. This entry is not really about her, but started from her.

Ulikba, as I have read from several online dictionaries and articles, means maitim na manok, ‘yung sagad hanggang buto sa kaitiman. The girl we talked about wasn’t entirely black. For Filipinos, brown skin is normal, fair skin is nice, but “overcooked” brown is unwelcome. Well, I have to be honest. She is pretty overcooked, a bit of an eye sore compared to my friend’s complexion or mine. I have nothing against her apart from the fact that my friend’s disgust towards her affects me as well. I’m just such a user that I had to include her in the introduction. She fits the properties and attributes of being an ulikba, anyway.

People tend to use words in different contexts, ways, and forms. Even the expression “eew“, which may mean abhorrence or repulsion over something sickening, unattractive, or filthy, can actually become a noun: “eew-ness“. And people do use such terms in daily conversations. I call this vocabulary evolution. I don’t know who coined the terminology and if I’m right to call it that way. I think it just suits the idea and that’s it.

Another close friend came by and joined the conversation. All of a sudden, she just dropped a question out of the blue.

“Kung ulikba ay si babae, ano’ng tawag sa lalakeng ulikba?“

The other answered, a bit unsure, “Ulikbo?“

Calmly, the other one rectified, “Hindi. Ulikboy.“

There came a smooth roaring laughter and the birth of a lasting friendship.