Nostalgia

Once in a while, my friend and I would reminisce our respective childhood memories, since we have a close age gap, just 2 years apart. We think about how things were back in our generation, in contrast to the generation now. There are a lot of things that we used to do or have that the kids now most likely have no idea what they are.

Back in around Grade 2, I think, us girls were making a big fuss about stationery; who has better designs, who has a lot to exchange, stuff like that. And if a plastic envelope full of stationery of a classmate's would be missing, it would even be reported to the class adviser and, in turn, the adviser would check our bags to look who's the "culprit" who "took the envelope". Just recently, when I was fixing my some from the old house, I found my own plastic envelope with stationery. With this technology now, I seriously wonder if kids nowadays even know what a stationary is. I'm also wondering if they know how snail mail works? I mean, of course e-mailing is easier and more convenient for them to reach out to friends and loved ones here and those in other countries; just a click and their letters are sent already, whereas for those who experienced sending snail mails we know how long or short the day/s before our letters reach the recipient, and how the letters would arrive-- either as neat as you mailed them or the other way around.

This definitely was not experienced by children nowadays-- how things were cheaper back then. And things were cheaper before my generation was born. Just last week, my grandmother was telling me that back in the 70s, a tricycle ride here on our area was 20cents and 30cents is expensive already. I believe when I was in elementary, you can buy few pieces of candy already with 50cents, some junk foods (those in small packs) and juices were worth a peso. You can even travel in less than 7 pesos. But now... Well, you can still travel with 6 pesos, if you're a student riding a jeep that is. Jeepney fare increased as of today to a minimum of 8 pesos for a regular passenger! Minimum MRT ticket is 10 pesos while LRT has a minimum of 12 pesos. And come March this year, the prices will drastically increase (boo them!).

Back in the days, every children play physical games to spend their free time, especially before cable channels came. Patintero, Langit-lupa, Garter, Chinese Garter, Agawang Base and Tagu-taguan were the usual games played during recess at school. There was also the jackstone, pog, tex and dampa. Now, with the ever-so changing technology, kids may be seen seated in a corner with their noses buried not in their books, but in their PSPs. There may be a few children I see playing habulan during their breaks/dismissals at school, but a lot are still seen holding their PSPs.

Lastly, we usually are amused by the kids' stroller bags whenever we pass by them after eating lunch with them racing through the hallway dragging their bags along the way. I remember years ago when strollers first came out, I kept nagging my parents to buy me one but they kept saying no since stroller bags were expensive back then. Are they still expensive now? I guess not anymore since they are being used by kids everywhere. One time, while we were eating, we saw bunch of stroller bags lined up and all of them were color pink.

Times have changed, what was once famous in my generation may no longer be known by the generation now. What may be famous now may not suite the taste of the generation I've been. But all I can say now is that I'm happy on what I have experienced back then that this generation won't be able to appreciate. But who knows, those things might "resurrect" and they will also love them the way we once did.