Waxing nostalgic and becoming a Nostalgia Bloggista

I had fun answering the questions sent me by Nostalgia Manila for its Nostalgia Bloggista feature. I am reprinting the questions (and my answers here) but you can still hop on over to the Nostalgia site for more of my childhood photos, haha.

1. Where did you grow up, and what made that place special?<

I was raised by my late grandparents in this remote place called Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte. This is a coastal town of which the famed Limasawa island is a part of. We had this nice concrete bungalow fronting the sea from where you can see the mountains of Surigao in the far horizon. The place was horrible during the typhoon season but it was completely perfect during the rest of the year since we always went boating and I caught this little shells and colorful little fishes during low tide. Everything was special because it was the closest thing to nature one can get. I actually slept hearing the waves lapping on the shore.

2. What was your favorite tv show, cartoon, or children’s show growing up? What did you like about these shows that made them your favorite?

Growing up, we didn’t have any TV! Just this transistor radio from where we heard the news and all these dramas dubbed in Cebuano.I also devoured a lot of those komiks like Wakasan and Aliwan where I read the tales of Zuma and all that stuff. Everything would change when I went to rejoin my mom and my siblings in Manila by the time I turned 12. I stayed up the whole afternoon to listen to Casey kasem’s Top 40 Countdown. I contributed poetry to Jingle Songhits. Am from the 80s era and it was all about immersing myself with the works of the Police, Bruce Springsteen, the GoGos, Madonna, New Order and all those artists which made it such a fab era. I even remember dancing to “I Can dream About You” and “Boys Do Fall In Love” during our JS Prom…. ewweee!

3. Favorite music group or artist? Most memorable song?

One guilty confession: my sister and I lined up to watch Sharon Cuneta concerts. During my teenage years, I was a Sharonian all the way. Went to see her concerts and all her movies, lol. I am glad that Sharon, and another favorite artist, Madonna, remain the classic, immortal icons that they are.

4. Share with our readers one of your fondest memories of growing up.

My favorite memories growing up are not media or entertainment-related. Although I remember staying up late to watch Charlie’s Angels (!!) and Little House on the Prairie. My favorite memories were those spent climbing the boondocks to collect carabao manure for my elementary gardening class. I also learned to grow real eggplant and tomatoes during this time.

5. What do you miss from back then that’s not available today?

Back then, we played Jackstones and all those childhood games requiring you to run, jump or walk. It was most exciting to play hide and seek, build castles in the sand and catch little fishes near our house by the sea. Obviously, my children – who are city-bred- don’t have these now. Today’s children have the luxury of the TV and all those portable toys but none of the affinity with nature. Where’s the justice, and the poetry, in all of that?