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I'd like to take you back during my childhood days growing up as a kid in Manila. We lived in a modest house (still there) in San Andres Bukid. If I just close my eyes & think real hard, those fun-filled days seemed to be only yesterday. I remember when...

 

1. Taho vendor yelling, "TAHO...uy, ang ganda-ganda niyan!"

2. Other vendors ie strolling down the neighborhood streets (see #23).

3. Playing ping-pong with Mang Pedong & other kids.

4. Playing tumbang preso, patintero, badminton, volleyball, piko.

5. Having Mirinda, Sarsi, Royal Tru Orange (yung may pulp bits siyempre!)

6. Buying plastic balloon at Aling Ema's sari-sari store.

7. My brother playing tabo-lai with Mang Pedong & his friends.

8. Tito Mado's little AM radio on while we eat dinner.

9. Lining up the dining chairs & watching tv with the lights out.

10. Oras ng Ligaya was one of my favorite variety programs.

11. Playing chinese garter & jackstones at school.

12. Eating some leftover icing from the bowl while mama bakes a cake.

13. Watching Inday do the laba, kula & plantsa of our clothes.

14. Collecting posters of the 70s era from Teenbeat magazines.

15. The smell of daddy's cigar.

16. Telling the muslim kids to stop climbing & picking our guava tree.

17. Collecting tanzans during recess & checking out what prizes we got.

18. Eating Choconut, Serg's, Goya chocolates.

19. Watching classic tagalog movies ie Tang-Tarangtang...

20. Listening to DZBM station.

21. Taping songs on the radio.

22. Lunch at Aristocrat after church.

23. Scramble, siopao, banana cue, puto, guinatan, turon, mais, buko vendors.

24. Buying halo halo at the neighbor's stand during summer.

25. Having Aling Aida's hot pandesal in the morning.

26. Having 5 pesos as baon for the day.

27. Getting cash when we bring home test papers with scores of 90 & up.

28. Having sardines, corned beef, sinangag & tasty during typhoon season.

29. Playing the guitar & singing to Jingle's songhits.

30. Listening to Inday's favorite radio program, "Dear Kuya Eddie."

31. Watching "The Sensations" & "Superstar" on tv.

32. Listening to daddy's Julio Iglesia's or Basil Valdez's lp.

33. Singing karaoke on our stereo.

34. Mahjong at home with Tito Amang & family, Pong!

35. Swimming at Pansol Hot Springs in Laguna.

36. Having piano lessons at home with Mrs Villareal.

37. Listening to mama's piano concierto.

38. Drinking softdrinks in a plastic with straw.

39. Going to the palengke with my cousin or our maid.

40. Riding in our old Mercedes Benz where you can see through the floor.

41. Going to QUAD in Makati with my friends after finals.

42. Having our bathroom as a makeshift kitchen during typhoon season.

43. People watching by the window.

44. Seeing all kinds of vendors ie hasa, salamin, bote-diyaryo, shine, payong.

45. Eating halo-halo at Digman's.

46. Valdefuente days, summer of '74.

47. Visiting lolo at the farm.

48. Eating butong-pakwan.

49. Playing pusoy, monopoly, sungka with Boyet.

50. Riding in Tito Mado's yellow jeepney to & from school.

51. Going to Luneta, Manila Bay, Children's Playground & the Zoo.

52. Riding the sidecar or tricycle.

53. Boy's unusual choice of pets ie bibe & sisiw.

54. One time the sisiw got mixed with Inday's load of laundry!

55. Elsa, our favorite helper enjoyed playing games with us.

56. Cousins staying over the whole summer.

57. Daddy's tons of sako ng bigas in our living room during the 70s.

58. Daddy & mama's dining out excuses ie "we're going to the doctor."

59. Smokey, my dog, enjoying pakwan & talong.

60. Peachy giving birth to 6 puppies on New Year's Eve.

61. Starsky or as my brother calls him "Ulo" hiding under the table.

62. Nonoy, mama's mechanic student tags along our Pansol outings.

63. Tito Mado showering outdoors when it rains hard.

64. Sunday dinners at home with Tito Amang & family.

65. The adults exchanging their political views while we listen.

66. Our little collection of 45s & LPs.

67. Daddy's favorite sawsawan: garlic, raw onions, salt & vinegar.

68. Inihaw na talong, longganisa, alimasag were his favorite dishes.

69. Daddy's appetite for puto, kutsinta, sapin-sapin, anything malagkit.

70. Plus his favorite "kesong puti" or keso de bola.

71. Going to our piano lessons with my sister in Nacar St.

72. Climbing over our wall to retrieve our pingpong or badminton balls.

73. Taping the theme songs of Charlie's Angels, Starsky & Hutch, etc.

74. Going to Maxim, Miramar, Galaxy theatres in Quiapo with Zeny.

75. Tito Mado & Boy spending their Sundays in Ongpin to see movies.

76. Watching movies with my cousins for free, daddy's treat.

77. Playing hide & seek with Smokey or Cutie Pie.

78. Going through my old clothes & giving them away to our helpers.

79. Eating champorado, nilagang mais, banana cue, or guinatan.

80. Having soft drinks ie Pop cola with our soda crackers for merienda.

81. Watching The Waltons all summer with some cornflakes.

82. Hearing daddy memorize his speeches in the bathroom.

83. Nothing to watch on tv around Holy Week.

84. Daddy listening to the Siete Palabras on the radio.

85. Lots of napping during typhoon season.

86. Chasing the dogs around the house so we can give them a bath.

87. Feeding the dogs under the table with some scraps of food.

88. Smelling mama's perfume from their room to the hallway.

89. Daddy's complaints at mama's slowness when they're going out.

90. Mixing laundry detergent & water to make/blow bubbles.

91. Eating banana turon with langka.

92. Making kites out of walis ting-ting & newspaper.

93. Reading comics.

94. Neighbors that have rental stands for their comics.

95. Tito Mado's childhood stories ie 5 centavo lugaw. 96. Preparing our handa for Noche Buena.

97. Making our own Xmas ornaments.

98. Having lusis, watusi, bawang, baby rocket for New Years Eve.

99. Street kids playing race in the canal.

100. Playing pick up sticks.

101. Having sorbetes or "dirty icecream".

102. Viva, vicks, rabbit, champoy, curly tops, jelly ace, hiro & jolly cookies.

103. Having bbq dish at Bungalow restaurant.

104. Daddy ordering dinuguan, chicken bbq, chopsuey, adobo at Aristocrat.

105. His CUP office was on the 2nd floor above Mabini Bowling Lanes.

106. Noni, Teroy, Mang Ben were his loyal employees.

107. Riding at Mang Ben's motorcycle.

108. Daddy's frequent stops at San Andres Market.

109. He used to send Teroy to La Moderna for his favorite pork liempo.

110. Evelyn & Zeny's car washing days while waiting for our neighbor, Sam.

111. Evelyn rushing to play "Portrait of my Love" when Paquito visits.

112. Inday making comparisons between Tikboy's chin & a sandok.

113. The smell of Johnson's floor wax on our stairs & wooden floor.

114. Using the bunot (coconut husk) to polish the floor.

115. Inday's "Toning" with Johnny Midnight.

116. Listening to Inday's childhhood stories of manananggal & aswang.

117. Eating manggang hilaw & bagoong.

118. Having duhat, siniguelas, singkamas, guava, Indian mango, lanzones.

119. Seeing the "mag-bobomba" man roaming the streets.

120. Being afraid of our neighbor, the bumbay.

121. Inday teasing us that he has a basket of snakes for naughty kids.

122. Asim (sour) endurance of sampaloc, kamias, santol & green mangos.

123. Tinkering with mama's jewelry collection.

124. Hearing the roosters crow in the middle of the night.

125. A neighbor collecting kanin baboy for her pig.

126. Getting intimidated by the istambays at the corner streets.

127. Watching the 60s comedy movies of Dolphy, Nida, Susan, Eddie, etc.

128. Tapping playmates with V sign (Victory Joe) when we see planes.

129. Eating Goldilock's caramel popcorn.

130. Tasting the nectar from some flowers.

131. Having fun when a cockroach or bee flies around the house.

132. Tito Mado's mouse trap in his room.

133. Saying "Tawad, sa Pasko na" to the kids when they carol.

134. Having icecream sundaes at Magnolia soda fountain.

135. Having Ernie & Bert, Brown Derby, Merry Go Round, Choo-choo Train.

136. Smelling Tito Mado's pomade.

137. Santacruzan & Fiestas in May.

138. Eating Pan de lemon, de coco or de leche with local icecream.

139. Watching Inday's meticulous ironing & folding of daddy's carsoncillo.

140. Getting fascinated with "Caronia" nail polish commercial.

141. Jeepney rides were 20 centavos.

142. Sarsi & Pop Cola were 15 centavos.

143. With P20 one can see a movie for 2 & have softdrinks & 3M pizza.

144. School bags on wheels & lunch boxes of Hardy Boys.

145. Boy's batman costume & bat mobile car or combat outfit.

146. His collection of toy soldiers & matchbox cars.

147. Mama's collection of Nescafe glasses or Tang pitchers.

148. Listening to America, James Taylor, Chicago & Seals & Crofts music.

149. Dymo tapes & exchanging them with classmates.

150. Buying "chits" at school.

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