Sounds Familiar?

If you were born in the 80's and have played in the streets with your "kalaro", then these would not sound new to you. :-)

• "Monkey-monkey Anabel. How many THE monkeys did you see?" (Let's say) "Five!" 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and a riki-tiki-tik and a blue black sheep. Which is true, YES OR NO? "NO!" N-O. Aaaaa-les!

• Nanay, tatay, gusto kong tinapay. Ate, kuya, gusto kong kape. Lahat ng gusto ko ay susundin ko. Ang magkamali ay pipingutin ko. One! One, two! One, two, three!

• "Si Nena ay bata pa. Ang sabi nya ay (while thumb sucking): "Um-ah-um-ah-ah". Si Nena ay dalaga na. Ang sabi nya ay (while flipping her hair): "Um-ah-um-ah-ah"...."

• "Sen-sen of playmates. C'mon and play with me. Are you my darling friend. For every apple tree." Blah blah blah. I forgot the words.

Sustagen

I was fixing myself an iced tea drink when I saw a box of chocolate-flavored Sustagen drink in our pantry. I was then reminded of the days when promotional people from Sustagen would go to our school when I was still in grade school. Their mascots Susy and Geno would also be there tormenting the students while they're waiting in line to get their drink from the Sustagen ladies. I remember pulling one of Susy's pigtails back then. LOL!

I was really not a drinker of Sustagen. I liked Milo and Ovaltine but I've never tried Sustagen. So when we were asked by our teacher to line up so we could get our taste of Sustagen, I was a bit excited. Hehe! So when I finally got a taste of it, I knew that I would be asking my mom to replace Milo with Sustagen.

As soon as my mom bought one, I started putting a spoonful in a glass filled with cold water. I began stirring and after a few seconds (blame it on the low EQ) I started gulping away. Then I stopped. It tasted different. That was not how it tasted when I drank it in school. So I'd stir the drink again. Nope, it was still the same. Then I figured maybe it wasn't cold enough. So I added some ice. Sheesh! Wala pa din pinagbago! Then it got me thinking. The color of the drink in school was not that dark as compared to what I had in my glass. So I though, what if I put a bit of milk in it. So I did. And obviously it was no near the taste of what the Sustagen ladies gave out in school. Bakit kaya? Up to now I still don't know what they added in there to make it taste that way. Ang sarap non eh! Does anyone know?

Babies and Exercise

Back when I was still studying up until I started working after graduation, I noticed that I've been slowly gaining weight. It is only now that I've realized (after much denial) that I have gained a lot of weight for the past seven years. What kills me is that I saw one of my friends the other day and she looks slim as ever despite the fact that she has a nine-month old baby. I asked her for her secret and she just told me she exercises a lot. I was then puzzled as to how she manages to exercise because I know she doesn't have a nanny and so for sure she's busy taking care of the baby. She probably saw the look on my face and told me that it was all possible because she owns a Bob stroller.

Being the complete single and ignorant friend that I was, I asked her what it was. She said that it's one of the best gifts she's ever had received on her baby shower. Apparently this stroller enables her to go on walks or even jog while her baby is secured in her stroller. She says she doesn't have to use the car anymore while doing small errands. She just walks and brings along her baby with her.

Now that I know her secret, there's only one problem left. I don't have a baby. LOL!

Yearbook Photos

This is so fitting to my blog. Since I'm all about reminiscing the past, here's something that I saw at Em's blog. It's called Yearbook Yourself.

I was literally laughing my @$$ off while editing these pictures. Here's a glimpse of my favorite photos:









And this is from 1994. I don't recall sporting this hairstyle in my sophomore year in high school. LOL!

Old School is Cool

I am a fan of old school. I was born in the late 70's and enjoyed my childhood playing in the streets. Childproofing a house was not that common. We bathe in the rain without having any fear of getting sick. A big yellow bird, a blue monster that loves cookies and a green fuzzy monster that lived in a garbage can were just a few of my favorite characters on TV.

My vocabulary as a teenager did not include text messages, MMS, IM, Friendster, Facebook and MySpace. Most girls back then were not obsessed with their weight. Diet pills and fat burners like Lipovox were unheard of. There wasn't really an easy way to lose weight except to exercise.

Cellphones were only used by the rich people. What you see is what you get when taking pictures. We too had the chance to have music "handy", it's called a Walkman. People don't fight over the remote control because we don't have one.

Pollution was not really a great threat to our environment. There were more trees back then. The weather and climate are normal. The term global warming would be hard to use in a sentence.

All in all, life back then despite its technological drawbacks seems better than what we have now. Stress levels are more lower and basically life is simpler. What do you think?

I Disclose

This is my personal blog. All of the blog's content is written and edited by me. Due to financial constraints, I have decided to join the bandwagon and have started doing a bit of advertising (effective 25 August 2008). I am compensated to provide opinions on the different products, services, websites and various topics provided by advertisers. The compensation provided may affect the kind of content and posts written in this blog. It is best that I inform you that the ad post will not always be identified as such. Posts regarding these ads are purely my opinion. However, all product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question. This blog does not contain any material which might present a conflict of interest.

MacGyver

This morning while we were having our exams, a classmate of ours forgot to turn off his cellphone. We were all startled when it started to ring. We were irritated at first but we couldn't help but laugh because his ring tone was the theme song from the TV series MacGyver.

Do you still remember this TV series back in the late 80's? My family loved this show. We were all glued to the tube when it's on. Most of us, especially my brother was particularly curious as to what kind of "clever solutions" he would come up with using his ever trusty Swiss army knife.

It was a great show because it didn't have much violence and it taught its viewers how to be resourceful. I haven't really put my resourcefulness to the test but does using my hairdryer to have my chocolate bars in room temperature count?

Game and Watch

I've always been a video game freak. My fingers would all get cramps from playing too long and I would have to blink a couple of times just to keep my eyes moist because it has gone dry from not blinking while playing. My favorite PSP game at the moment is the Gods of War. I'm now at the Spartan level.





But before the birth of the PSP, Wii and Xbox 360, kids of the 80's had the Nintendo Game and Watch. It was such a small video game but the kids back then had no point of comparison so it was all good. Haha! I remember the first time I held our very own Game and Watch Popeye game, my brother can't stop fighting on who gets to play with it the longest. My parents would always keep the video game during weekdays so we wouldn't get distracted while doing our school work. Come weekend, my dad would give us the Game and Watch and my brother and I would take turns playing. I love playing Popeye and Octopus. I remember bringing the Popeye game to school without my parents knowing it. Unfortunately, I lost it. I don't know if it fell from my bag or someone stole it but it's gone. Ssshh! Our little secret. Hehehe!

Does anyone remember these video games? What's your favorite game?

Scrumptious Sunday: Appetizer

This is my first time to join Scrumptious Sunday and I just can't help but feel hungry at thought of this meme. :-)

Sunday is considered to be "family day" and no matter what food is served (but it's better if you like the food. LOL!) as long as it is with good company like family and friends, then you're all set!



This has got to be one of my favorite appetizers. It's called Papadum Masala. It's an Indian appetizer made of thin crisp bread. It is fried and tastes absolutely yummy. I prefer eating it with chopped tomatoes and onions on top of it just like the one in the picture. I wasn't able to get a picture of the one that we had (though this photo was taken from the restaurant where we usually order this... what a coincidence!) because I'd always remember to take a picture of the food when we're done eating it. Haha! That's how much we love it.

Visit more yummy stuff in this week's Scrumptious Sunday.

Saturday 9: Just Our Choices in Music

This is my first time to join and my first meme for this blog too. Hee! Here goes nothing...

1. What was your first favorite song? It would probably be 1-12 pinball music from Sesame Street.

2. Who was your first favorite female singer? My first favorite singer would probably be Whitney Houston. Don't laugh, I was an 80's kid. LOL!

3. Who was your first favorite male singer? First male singer was hmmm... Tom Jones. Blame it on my dad. He kept playing his records every weekend and without knowing it I was singing (and dancing) "It's Not Unusual". LOL!

4. Who was your first favorite band? Duran Duran. I've always loved the song "Wild Boys"

5. Who is your all time favorite band? My all time favorite band would have to be Eraserheads ( a local band in the Philippines) and No Doubt

6. Who is your all time favorite male singer? This is tough but I guess it would have to be Bob Marley

7. Who is your all time favorite female singer? Hands down... Madonna!

8. What is your all time favorite LP/CD album? Official Soundtrack of Reality Bites

9. What was your first favorite radio station? 92.3 DWFM/MRS/Joey @ 92.3 and now known as Cool Rhythms because my dad worked there before.

More Saturday 9 entries here.

Moving

Settling in a new place is a tough job. It is really stressful from all the moving and unpackinhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifg plus a new neighborhood needs exploring to get familiarized with the place. I've done a couple of moving myself and it's really not easy especially when you're alone. That's why when my old friend told me that after two weeks when she moved to San Francisco, she could finally say that she is now familiar with the place. All she has to do now is look for lists of San Francisco jobs. I'm sure she won't have a hard time finding a job. She even joked that finding a job seems a lot easier than unpacking all her stuff in her new apartment.

The best things in life are Free

It's funny when we ignore certain things when we see them in the stores but when the same things are seen being given away for free, we automatically line up to get the freebies. I am a member of this population. Let's get real here, who doesn't like free stuff? Promotional products are one of the best freebies you can receive. Well, actually it depends on the company giving out these goodies because you can only have enough coffee mugs. I remember I was once given a really nice looking wristwatch. It was smart of that company to make their logo discreet, that way you can wear the watch without looking like a walking ad. December is fast approaching and Christmas parties is one of those events where they hand these freebies. Wee! I can't wait.

Sesame Street Moment # 4

Here's another Sesame Street moment. The star of the video is one of my favorite characters -- Ernie (and rubber duckie). Up until now I still sing this song whenever I go to a store and see a rubber duckie. LOL! Enough of the explaining. Here's the video. Enjoy! :-)

One big Sacrifice

How come when I am up to my neck with school work this is the time that I get invitations to a lot of trips? Out of town trips I can easily pass but getting an invitation to European cruises is a different story.

My grade school friend is getting married and would like to start the celebration with a cruise. Argh! I am green with envy. All my other friends are going while I'm left behind. If only they could move their wedding till next summer. LOL! I guess I'll have to settle with their postcards and the pictures they'll be dying to show me when they get back. Sigh. The sacrifices I have to make for our future.

Slum Book

It's funny what treasures from the past you could find once you go rummaging through your old stuff. This is what happened to me the other day as I was looking for my old planners. As I start opening boxes labeled Elementary stuff, I was laughing out loud when I saw my old slum book or more commonly known as autograph book. Does anyone have these back in those days? I'm sure you all have especially the girls.



Remember having your classmates and particularly your crush sign in your slum book? Do you recall having to sign one of your friends' slum books? Answering questions like: "What is Love?", "What is your motto?" or "Describe your crush".

I was really laughing out loud at the answers of my friends. There were probably a couple who defined love "like a rosary that has many mysteries". LOL! I couldn't help but cringe at the name of my crush in one of the pages. I was planning on asking him to sign it but I was too shy to ask him so I didn't.

Care to share your favorite or most embarrassing slum book moment?

Bye Bye Friend

As a kid, the concept of 'goodbyes' were introduced to me early. I've had friends AKA playmates that have left and moved to different parts of the country. I remember back in the early 90's one of my friends was moving to California. I was devastated when I found out about it. My parents even hid it from me because they knew I'd be affected by it. When I saw the mover NYC in front of their house, it was only then that I cried. I think that was the first time I cried that hard.

I know this is not something that was popular back then because people come and go in our lives but all these reminiscing of the past made me think of that friend of mine that left. How about you? Care to share your 'goodbye friend' moment?

Supersonic

I was surprised to see an old friend of mine in the mall the other day. We were good friends in elementary. We really didn't have the chance to catch up so we decided to meet up on another day. She invited me to her home for a late lunch and coffee. We were laughing while we reminisced our grade school days. Both of us would laugh hysterically at the mere mention of our crushes back then.

As we were having coffee, she led me to their home entertainment room because she wanted to show me something. I was shocked to see the inside of it. It was like entering a miniature theater. It had mood lights, cinema chairs plus home theater carpet. So anyway, she showed me the cassette tape that we used when we performed in our grade 4 Christmas party. We danced to the music of J.J. Fad's Supersonic. Remember that song? I just couldn't help but laugh. It was one of the hit songs in the late 80's. I remember the moment the teacher asked us what would be the song we would use for our dance number, all four of us agreed it had to be Supersonic. I think it wasn't just us who used that song for their Christmas party performance. LOL!

Mountain Biking

As I have mentioned in a previous post, we have a lot of games that we play when we were kids in the early 90's. These games are not the ones you normally see these days like video games. The games that I'm talking about are those that require running (as opposed to sitting for how many hours in front of the computer or television) and interacting with other children (and by this I didn't mean the cyberworld, instead in real life).

After we got past the "street games" phase as I call them, there was this one fad that almost a lot of kids were into. It was the mountain bike. I don't know how it started but ever since mountain bikes became available, most of the kids (and even adults) have one.

I remember I'd ride my bike in the morning and at the afternoon. My friends and I would roam the streets of our village. We may have stopped running around playing games on the streets but biking was a better alternative. It was such a hit that there were even contests from certain soda companies where the prizes are hundreds of mountain bikes. Remember that contest? I had to beg my dad to buy a couple of cases of soda so I could get a better chance of winning a new mountain bike. Haha!

So anyway, in short, we had a lot of exercise. Kids were active. We were active. If only we maintained that kind of lifestyle then maybe we wouldn't be bothering ourselves into going to the gym, dieting and buying Orovo detox or other weight loss alternatives. If only I didn't sell my mountain bike then I'd still be in my normal weight range. Hehe! Oh well... It's not too late.

Folded Sleeves and Pants

It's funny how before some people would dress up in the coolest outfits only to find out after a decade that what was once cool would make you cringe at the sight of it.

I say this because as I was rummaging in the moving boxes that were in our garage when I saw a couple of my high school pictures. They were taken in the early 90's when it was cool to make two to three folds on the sleeves of your shirt and to fold your high waisted jeans up. No, it wasn't because the sleeves nor the pants were too long. It was just a 'fashion statement' at that time.

That was too much to take in on an early Wednesday morning. I was merely looking for my baby photos when these were the ones that surfaced. I thought I got rid of those photos.

My eyes were wide with disbelief that I actually looked proud wearing those pants and shirt. Hahaha! I know, I shouldn't be embarrassed about my past but that didn't mean I should not laugh at myself and the people with me in the picture right? LOL!

In order to save face and to avoid getting arrested by the fashion police, I refuse to post those pictures (plus the fact that I have buried them already). LOL! Instead, I saw this picture in Google images. It kind of looks like the ones in my photos only they look cooler than me. Haha!



So, do you have any cringing moment with your past outfits?