Welcome to the 90's!

I bet many of my peers have received a text message saying...

Kung kabilang ka sa huling taon ng
Dekada '80 at unang taon ng mga '90,

Kilala mo sila shaider, bioman, at
masked rider black.

Kumakain ka ng humpy dumpy at tomi.

Naglaro ka ng 10-20 at langit lupa.

Alam mo ang universal song na
"uwian na!"

Nagsayaw ka ng macarena, boombastic,
at tamagochi.

Alam mo ang ibig sabihin ng "time first!"
(usually pronounced as "taympers!")

Alam mo na importante ang "Period. No erase!"

Nilalagyan mo ng pritos ring bawat daliri mo.

Meron kang pencil case na madaming pindutan.

Kilala mo si Remy, Cedie, Princess Sarah, at
Blue Blink.

It has been a decade since I was born in this world, and I feel like reminiscing those good ol' days where there's no pressure at school, free from problems in life, being able to explore the world out of curiosity, play all day long with your playmates, watch cartoons in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the night, and still be cute no matter how you really look like.

(This was me like 9 years ago. ^o^)

Upon receiving this text message from my dear friend, I was actually smiling like an idiot because I do relate with all these things.

I'm a 90's kid because I was born in that era, and I would say that my childhood days are the most precious part of my life, which I really cherish the most. The first chapters of my life has taught me all the wonders of the world--Utopia as my young mind portrayed it despite of the many flaws and dangers that lurks everywhere. It was the time when I discovered many things on my own. I felt really free. Free from pressure, responsibilities, duties, problems, and even from technology (which, unfortunately, has enslaved the children of this era).

Growing up, I've experienced those things as mentioned above, and I was happy that it became part of my life. I won't forget the time when I met my childhood friends in the neighborhood, and played with them for so many years.

I always feel excited and happy as my brother and I would go out in the morning to play with our friends like running in the streets without the danger of being hit by a car, and sometimes we cycle around the village or just simply chat with each other, talking about toys, imaginary friends, and not-so-realistic stories, while eating a 1 peso-worth chichirya such as boogeyman, snaku, kirei, peewee, oishi, humpy dumpy, tomi, sweet corn, chiz curls, and pritos ring (in which we fondly insert in our fingers. LOL!) I think some of those chichirya's are already phased out.

(Woooooh! Classic!!!)

In school, we are always fond of bringing Pretzels as baon. Hello Panda and Yan-Yan, which we usually greed to our classmates. Champola or Stick-o, which we use as cigarettes, and pretend to be smokers. LOL! Hansel sandwich, in which we remove the filling, roll it until it becomes a ball, and eat it last. Piknik, which we eat piece by piece so that it won't consume easily. And the my all-time favorite, the round biscuit with icing on top in different colors (I forgot how it's called, but somehow it resembles a lit candle), in which I remove the icing, gather it all, and eat it last.

(These were my favorites even up to now)

And remember chewing Bazooka and Texas gum? As well as the Tattoo bubble gum where many kids have put the tattoos in their entire body? Or even eating those mikmik milk powder? How about those mini colorful candies that have free toys or even play money at the end? Have you tried the tira-tira candy before (which resembles a stick of wood)? And how about the whistling candy and the sparkling candy? LOL! I miss those times being so obsessed with candies. It was crazy!

I never miss going out in a sunny afternoon to play "tumbang preso," "touching or touch ball," "agaw base," "ice water," "langit lupa," "taguan," "los banos" and also "mataya-taya." And of course, who would forget the all-time favorite game, the "teks" (or text), which evolved from "pogs." I remember having those filled my lunch box (I've got plenty of 'em!). Printed in those teks are different images of anime, and as you play it, there must be a pamangolo and pamato (I miss those days!). And I also remember the most general term used while playing any of those games mentioned--"Time First!" (Taympers as pronounced by many). Those are really fun to play and are authentic Pinoy street games which you rarely see nowadays because of the invention of computer games, PSP, internet, iPod, cell phone, etc.

And, who would forget those classic anime's in the 90's? Even up to now, my friends and I still talk about how engrossed we were watching those anime series during those times. I could still clearly remember the FIRST and EVER anime that I've watched--Sailormoon, Slam Dunk, and Dragon Ball Z, which was aired in ABC 5 and IBC 13. Even their opening songs are tagalized, which I find really hilarious!

Speaking of tagalized opening songs, I can still clearly remember the lyrics of Blue Blink, which goes like this:

"Ako si Blink,
sa bawat oras nariyan,
tutulong sa nangangailangan,
ako ay maaasahan..."
(nostalgic, isn't it?)

Funny isn't it that some things are still stuck in our heads because we kept on seeing or hearing it. Blue Blink was one of my favorites before, I don't know why (I think it's because I was trying to figure out what kind of animal Blink is. LOL!). And I believe I didn't fail watching every episode of it as I always sing along with its opening song. LOL!

And do you remember these lines?

"Kami'y narito, asahan niyo magtatanggol.
Makikipaglaban para sa kapayapaan.
(electric guitar plays)
Ang lahat ng nilalang dito ay may karapatan
(sa magandang bukas!)..."

(Guess which anime OP song is it)

RIGHT! It's Magic Knight Rayearth! I love that anime as well. Hikaru (Lucy)... Umi (Marina)... and Fuu (Animoni). And my favorite character was Umi because she's color blue! LOL! I must say, It was one of the must watch anime during those times, especially most suitable for kids. I remember having drawn them way back, and it was really ugly! (EPIC FAIL!) And I think I did have a VCD of it in English before (of course it was a pirated one!). LOL!

Remember Ghost Fighter??? Like it was one of the best anime I've seen!!! Eugene... Alfred... Dennis... and Vincent. I was always glued to our television every dusk just to watch it. I must say it was one of the favorites of many kids during those days. I even had Ghost Fighter shirts and those teks. When we were kids, my friends and I were always portraying the role of each character, and I play Dennis because he is smart (^o^). I actually screamed "Latigong Rosas!" before, which is kind of insane thinking about it! LOL! And I'd say Taguro is a freakin' beast! LOL!

I also couldn't forget Doraemon. It was like an all-time fave of mine because it gives me hope for every stuffs that Doraemon gets from his pocket. Sometimes, I even imagine myself having Doraemon as my roommate! When we were kids, my friends and I were imitating every character in Doraemon because it suits us all. I would be Dekisugi because I'm (ehem!) smart; my brother would be Nobita becase he was, somehow, clumsy (before); my big fella plays the role of Damulag; our friend, who's a girl, plays Shizuka; and our "sort of" conceited friend would be Suneo. It fitted us, right? LOL!

And of course, who would forget morning cartoons like, Heidi, Cedie ang munting Prinsipe, Sarah ang munting Prinsesa, Remi, Georgie, Judy Abbott, Tom Sawyer, Julio at Julia, Cinderella (long story version), Dragon Tales, Toothbrush family, Alice in Wonderland, Sunny Pig, Takoyaki Mantouman, Snow White (long story version), Charlotte, UFO Baby, Cardcaptor Sakura, WHEW! And night cartoons like Flame of Recca, Lupin the 3rd, Sorcerer Hunter, Pokemon, Mosquiton, Hell Teacher Nube, Monster Rancher, Fushigi Yuugi, Digimon, Hunter X Hunter, Time Quest, Super Boink... what else? (^o^)

Actually anime before is what I consider classic (kumbaga kailangan mo talagang abangan sa tv), because some are hard to find now. Not in the internet, and definitely not in DVD stores. Unlike anime today, you could just visit animeseason.com or youtube, and there you have it. You can watch it instantly and anytime you like.

(SIGH!) I really miss my childhood days, and if I only have given a time machine, I would definitely visit the past where I felt really free. Being a kid was one of the most unforgettable chapters of my life because if you'll compare this era to 90's, life is definitely much simpler.

Ang tanda ko na eh, no? LOL! (^o^)V

Images got from:

• https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1QxZavFfRZoBy2M-3vUWcRI-xytAvFLwgV8sIaTY-M7XRWrgMsvR3-tGFIqCmGHH7mcr6WQ5Kzhrf4xYb1bHxZHGb2bp7DWndDe4l-1ORYDnR89RfFsJ2j_7aRZUadmdSqqWG5yiLuw/s1600/tumblr_l0yk2qASo31qbzblho1_400.jpg

• http://www.wangsoriental.com/chocolate%20yan%20yan.jpg

• http://www.asianfoodgrocer.com/img/prods/chocolate-snacks/10770-meiji-hello-panda-choco-lg.jpg

• http://dgt1.net/manny/mblog/images/bazooka_joe_the_movie.jpg

• http://blographics.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/tumbang-preso.jpg

• https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI7B_tJbnSqLxIm8r8Zsw4OIt9svNzVhx3GojjO2UxTRius2ohTnmlwM7viiDgMqd3_fU9Fsr14CV0hVhZW6DiZ9Gb9n7b5t0N_L4GLSVNfR6muAijENtBDCKAFUYJWBtygGy7pTD8ZJI7/s400/taguan.jpg

• http://i41.tinypic.com/23mat0z.jpg

• http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa87/sicnarf16/SlamDunk.jpg

• http://mystuffspace.com/graphic/dragonball-z-anime-0.jpg

• http://www.retrogame-shop.com/shop/images/Blue_Blink.jpg

• http://www.lupinencyclopedia.com/avrc/images/series/castMKR.jpg

• http://cyber-snatcher29.blog.friendster.com/files/ghost-fighter.jpg

• https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLKIpA0uja12CuqFaWxWvbDOZOJ26LuJiIdRvhwkKsqCCJTan_z2dJ6FSHjgYoWHI76h8BA6UcnBi254RyOdpblJQj0-c1mxUFy0tnkCZ8aYLrwvSD0qMagM58fhaiMaVvvjFuW4UwMNQ/s400/x7004.jpg