The Summers Past

CEBU, Philippines -  I'm a child of the 80s. Madonna was my Katy Perry and Cindy Lauper was my Lady Gaga. And how I went gaga too over Robby da Rosa of Menudo! No, it was not the popular local dish, but the hot boy group of my time.

Menudo's hit song "If You're Not Here By My Side" was playing everywhere, especially over the radio. We waited for the lyrics of the song to come out in the Songhits, a songbook that published the day's hit song list and their lyrics.

Reading Tagalog Komiks was a favorite pastime of many. I myself was able to pass my Filipino subjects largely from reading Tagalog Komiks, copies of which could be rented at the neighborhood sari-sari store at one peso per read.

The summer vacation then meant having to take afternoon naps. I would toss and turn in bed for what would seem like an eternity every time. In my thoughts, there was just a lot of fun to be missed from 1 to 3 p.m. But the promised reward was irresistible too - two hours of playing "tubig-tubig," "Japanese game," "takyan" and "shiatong" afterwards!

Growing up in a hilly suburban district of the city in the 80s, we siblings had access to large open space. It was perfect for playing and running around; the harsh summer heat was softened by the gentle and cool breeze that blew all days. In the first place, the heat then was not as scorching as today.

The other extras that our place offered was the chance to see local stars like Teban and Goliat, who would shoot episodes of their famous Cebuano TV series "Si Goot Da Wanderpol" there. This was at the area near Camp Marina and Girls Scout Camp.

The Cebu Zoo was then a favorite destination of animal lovers. We were startled as kids to see the long haired and barefoot zoo keeper Father Tropa, as he went out daily to Carbon market to buy food for both his workers and the animals. Yes, we saw him and his workers, who sported the same get-up and looked similar to him, fed and took care of the animals at the zoo.

There were a lot of animals to see at Father Tropa's zoo. The area was well-kept, and the animals looked happy. I went back there a few years ago and was greatly saddened to see an almost empty facility, except for the zoo's main attraction now - a tiger named Bogart. Nearby was a sleepy old crocodile feasted on by mosquitoes and flies. This, and a few monkeys and birds are all there were.

Kids of the 80s spoke better English. Why? We did not have only Tagalog and Korean tele-novelas on primetime television; there were good English shows then, like "Superbook," "Flying House," "Punky Brewsters," "Sesame Street," and other American TV hits. There was also "Loveboat," "Falcon Crest" and "Dallas" later evenings. My first screen crush was Pierce Brosnan in "Remington Steele."

The incredible James Bond would never yield to all the years of death-defying adventures! We were tickled by the antics of the "A-Team," got awed with "McGyver's" practical and ingenious skills. And the great prizes the contestants got in "The Price is Right" were just amazing.

We couldn't wait to fill our sticker book of "Carebears," and re-enact scenes from "Superfriends," "He-Man" and "Thundercats"! And Linda Carter was enthralling with her tantalizing and unusually colored eyes and super powers in "Wonder Woman." The same was true with the bulky "The Incredible Hulk," you definitely wouldn't like the green man when angry.

For the Pinoy tear-jerkers, we had "Annaliza" and "Flordeluna."  The common TV set in those days was encased in what looked like a wooden rectangular cabinet, definitely no remote control.

Reading paperbacks also filled our summertime. "Nancy Drew" and the "Hardy Boys" were our handy company; they helped sharpen our wits. The reading habit soon led us to "Enid Blyton," "Sweet Dreams, Sweet Valley High." My mom used to get me old copies from the place called Music House. Well, it was not only music they sold there, but actually everything else second-hand. Our summer readings often made us wish we could be sleuths and solve mysteries, skills we could've honed to catch the perpetrators of today's "pork barrel" scam.

There weren't as plenty of the big malls around then. There were Thrifty Mart, Fairmart, Plaza Fair, Gaw Trading and Felcris. Yes, Best Buy Mart and Happy Mart were already around at the time. We watched movies like "Superman" and "Annie" either at Belvic or Century 21, uptown. My older cousins watched Sharon Cuneta-Gabby Conception movies in Ultravistarama, Seven Arts or Oriente, downtown.

If we got good grades, we could enjoy special halu-halo at White Clouds, which used to be along Jones Avenue, towards the Capitol building. My stationery collections were bought in Alemars or Oriental Bookstore near the University of San Carlos on P. del Rosario Street. I hurt my upper lip once while riding  bump cars at Merry Mart, after hearing Wednesday morning Mass at Redemptorist Church with Papa. It was convenient to get a ride to and from the church, as jeepneys then were also allowed to park right at the church grounds. The so-called King of the Road really ruled with loud radio music playing as it traversed the city streets.

El Tesoro Restaurant and Pete's Kitchenette were the popular restaurants, and donuts only meant Wimpy's. Mama's favorite "francis" bread was bought at Statefair and the "elorde" from Comics Bakery. Gaisano Main was already celebrating Christmas in July back then.

The taxis then were mainly the tiny minicas, and once I had to share a ride with a total stranger because there were not so many taxis available. And you would be lucky to get an air-conditioned taxi. Yes, the taxi fare then was much cheaper, but the value of money before was also more!

I am now a mother of a grade-schooler and another one about to enter high school. More than three long decades have passed since the summers of my teenage past. And the differences I see are disturbing. There are no longer spaces for the children to play outdoor games.

Young people today are either glued on their PCs or other such gadgets, surfing the net or playing computer games. If not, they're out in the malls, still glued to their tablets or smartphones. Once I had to shout at my daughter to get her attention. I only got a blank, clueless look in return. She had her ear phones on.

Life was so simple then; we were young, and we were happy. It's different these days. And it's scary to parents like me that things seem to be headed for the worse. We can only hope that our children now are as happy as we were.

Environmentally-Friendly Digital Newspapers

Approximately two million complimentary print newspapers distributed annually to guests are being replaced with environmentally-friendly digital versions beginning 29 March. Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, a Hong Kong-based luxury hotel group, has partnered with PressReader, a digital newspaper and magazine service, to make connecting to Shangri-La and Kerry hotels and resorts' free Wi-Fi even more convenient. Guests and restaurant patrons now have unlimited, complimentary access to more than 2,000 local, regional and international publications from 100 countries in 60 languages.

To use the service, guests connect to the hotel Wi-Fi using their laptops, tablets or smartphones and go to PressReader.com or download the free PressReader app for Apple, Android, BlackBerry and Windows. Guests then choose the desired country, language and publication from PressReader. The service is available in all Wi-Fi accessible areas in Shangri-La and Kerry hotels and resorts. Guests using the free Wi-Fi in hotel cars will also be able to access the service. 

In addition to PressReader, Shangri-La offers print editions of select newspapers upon request.