Why nostalgia is hip, and 90's kids puke rainbows. (Part 1)

I once read a line that says "Remember the past but don't dwell on it." As for me, I have one period which I want to always remember, if not dwell on. It's the 90's.

I would always love to remember my childhood; I had such a rich one. My parents never prohibited me to play on the streets and on neighbors' houses. Physical activities were the norm back then; Video games were just second option.

Ask any kid my age and most of them know habulan, tumbang-preso, luksong tinik, luksong baka, pog, teks (not SMS, but the little cards. The more teks you have, the more pogi you are), piko, ten-twenti, taguan, and langit-lupa. Langit lupa impyerno. Im, im, impyerno. Saksak puso tulo ang dugo. Patay, buhay, umalis ka na di-yan! (If you're a 90's kid or older, you read that line with a certain hymn).

Little did I know, those were my first lessons of camaraderie. Little did I know that all the games were a practice on how to win friends.

But ask kids nowadays if they know these games. They would probably roll their eyeballs and hit you with their PSPs or SDs.

So I am proud of my childhood. 

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Another thing that I like the most about my childhood is the TV. Aside from being laman ng kalye, I am also a certified couch potato. 

I remember the days when I would arrive from school and watch Akazukin Chacha, Mojacko and Ghost Fighter. My brother used to watch Dragon Ball Z, although it seems that he hadn't been a fan. I also remember how my mom and I would fight over what channel to watch, because they wanted to watch Mula sa Puso (or was it Esperanza?) while I wanted to watch Lupin III on channel 7 (malabo pa noon ang 7). Who would forget the epic death of Selina in Mula sa Puso?

During mornngs, the usual shows were not "laban-laban" but cartoons that have touching, emotional stories. Such were Remi, Nobody's Girl; Judy Abbott with Daddy Long Legs who turned out to be Jervis Pendleton (what was the title again?); Cinderella; and Julio & Julia (Kambal ng Tadhana). Before the talk shows, there were 5-minute Bananas in Pyjamas episodes. I also had a crush on Steve (Blue's Clues). And what thrilled me the most were the times damsel in distress Sailormoon was about to lose, but then Tuxedo Mask came to the rescue (weeeeee!).

Here are some pics I retrieved from google. See if you could remember these characters from film and TV!

Hope you had nostalgic and fun reading as much as I had writing/reminiscing! :D


Next nostalgic post: Toys from the 90's!

Graduation thoughts 2: the leap of faith.

I just finished the draft 3 of my thesis. And I hope this would be the last draft I would ever write.



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That sentence written above was a draft I made for this blog while I was writing the last drafts of my thesis. And as of the moment, the thesis has been binded. BINDED! Also, I was able to partially complete my clearance. Wow!

It was not easy to get to this point. I took a roller coaster ride of data gathering, coding, recoding, analyzing, writing, rewriting, editing, hardcore editing and editing some more. Many times I would face the ceiling of our room, thinking if I could ever finish this long process of research. But then, Someone who wants me to graduate this semester helped me. He took me through the leap of faith. He took me through the furnace, because He said that "gold is tested with fire" (cf. Sirach 2:5).

In fact, I think the entire process of my education was a test in the fire. I had to go through a lot of sleepless nights. I had to go to different places so that I could gather the data I need for my requirements. I did the things unimaginable, such as pitting a toad (BIO 2), singing in front of the class to get extra points in an exam, asking an array of saints to help me pass a course (okay, that was STAT1), and many others. And, having come out from all these furnaces, I am expected to be a competent UP graduate in an ever competitive world.

However, I realized that I still need a lot of things to learn. Not that the university failed to teach me the things I need to learn, but one could not grasp all lessons in life in the academe. The "outside world" (as they put it) is quite an environment different from the university life. Much of our learnings come from the curriculum, yes, but others, from our dealing with others. Even from our dealing with the self.

I completed my thesis not only because of my knowledge in research that was taught to me in 197 and 198. I managed to finish it because I dealt with others for my data gathering. Because I learned to exhaust the resources I need. Because I struggled to overcome my timidness. Because I talked to people. Because I asked for help. Because of some things I learned in the university that were not discussed in the four corners of the room.

Because I took a leap of faith.

And taking the leap of faith is the greatest lesson the thesis taught me.

Go, dream. Think. Ask for help; you cannot possible make it alone. Have doubts and fears, but don't give up. Take the leap of faith. And keep learning even in the failures.

Ah, the leap of faith. I thought I would stumble but then, I was flown. :)