This is Me: Growing Up in the 90's

How do I go about this without sounding giddy, OA or over-emotional? I decided to write this piece because one warm afternoon, while I was basking in the sunlight and closing my eyes just to simmer in that moment, I was suddenly reminded of a warm summer not so long ago. It was dusty, but it was part of the game. It was hot, really hot yet I haven't been introduced to a sunblock yet so what's the difference. Mini-me versions of some of my neighbors were jeering, apparently someone was loosing. Me? Yes, me. Well, we do get old but some things never change: I was never good at physical activities then and the same is true today. But that didn't stop me from playing around and running a lot. Such was my childhood. And anyone who grew up in the same decade would nod in approval. But it's not just the games I miss 90's kids. There's a WHOLE lot more.

The Games

I already started on this note so I'll just play with the tune. The game I was referring to at the start of this article is the bati cobra or sato (variation siato) in the Waray vernacular and I was always at the loosing end. But there were other things that I was quiet good at like sungka or jackstone. I was one of the boys though and in the summer my skin would turn really dark because of too much sun exposure. Of course I would shun that kind of activity nowadays but back then it was just an evidence of how much fun you had! :)

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The TV Shows

Of course, if I wasn't out in the sun, I was tuned in to my favorite TV shows at that time. Admit it. Once upon a time, you wanted to be Pink Ranger. Or Blue. Or Red. And that you still remember the tune that plays when they were being called to duty.

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But there were also shows from ABS-CBN which have contributed to the shaping my moral values and to my learning. I still credit these shows for teaching me some of the most basic but important things in life. I wish that there would be something similar for the future generation.

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Of course the cartoons are part of the list! I found this photo on Facebook and it couldn't be more right. I'm familiar with all of them but I've already forgotten some of the titles.:D

This photo just makes me grin!

..But some favorites of mine didn't make it to this collage so I decided to add 'em. Like, it's a crime to forget Zenki, Thunder Jet, BT-X and Saber Marionette.

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The Foodies

Now I'm pretty sure that you had your own favorites but these were the ones I was pretty fond of. The bobot with the free sing sing. The cherry flavored red bubblegum which made your lips look um, red. And the bazooka bubblegum which produced really durable bubbles but were kinda fatal when they got stuck in your hair. Or clothes. Or wherever. :(

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The Music

Do you know how long it took for me to fall inlove with Britney Spears? About 5 seconds of looking into B's big brown eyes and I was hooked. And who could forget ..Baby One More Time? But it was just a prelude to how she would rule the charts in the 2000's.

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Of course there was the Spice Girls when I was younger, with all their girl power anthem. I was singing '2 Become 1' before I even knew what it meant. Hahaha. But we all wanted to be Baby Spice. And I never thought that Victoria Adams will eventually become my karibal for David Beckham's love. :(

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The Crushables

Aaron Carter. He was probably my first ever celebrity crush. Don't even ask why. Sometimes I adore his older brother Nick from the Backstreet Boys. And that guy who played the human form of Casper the Friendly Ghost.....he was cute.

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..And lots of other things like..

1. Cassette Tapes, VHS and Betamax. These are my cassette tape collection from way back. They cost Php 150.00 each and I had to save my money from my baon just to afford these! I was a diehard BSB Fan. KTBSPA!

2. Old Superstition: If you won't let nanay take your kuto and lisa (head lice and its eggs) huge birds will swoop down on you and they will fly you off to Dau. Wherever that was, it seemed to be a horrible place. Another one was that if you cut you finger and it bleeds, a padi (priest) will come out to celebrate a mass. Will these things ever work with my daughter now?

3. Doing whatever was uso at the moment like hunting maya birds in the ricefields or taking fishes for pets.

4. Not being allowed to watch Titanic and finding a way to watch it anyway. And closing my eyes when it came toTHAT part. Uh oh!

5. Crying over The Lion King. If I could I would have saved Simba's father!

6. Princess Diana's death and asking for the nth time why she had to die. But also taking the chance to sneak a peek of the young princes William and Harry. 

7. Hanging upside down from a bayabas tree while consuming the fruits. 

8. Having a piso with the kalabaw and the weirdly shaped 2 pesos with the coconut! Like OMG! And the 50 centavos still counted.

Truly, there are still plenty of things that could describe my life in the 90's but these are the ones that I have a vivid recollection of right now. I'm alternating between laughing and typing as I do this and I could go on all day and more memories would still pop up. I have only one regret though: I never learned to ride a bike when I was younger. But here we are and here I am, looking at the younger generation who grew up under different circumstances. I don't judge them, I mean, it's their moment and let them have it. :) I'll end this post with a meme and if you understand what it means, and you recognize the guy, you truly are from my generation. 

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Did I miss anything? Certainly theres something you wanna share. I grew up in Burauen, Leyte, maybe you had a different thing going on in your place. Don't be intimidated by my comment box, please share.:)

XO,

Carissa