24 May 2007

Reminiscing Grade School...

1. I did not attend nursery or kindergarten. I went straight to Grade One. My mom explained that she forgot to enroll me for nursery and kindergarten. So I had to attend a special summer class to determine if I was ready for Grade One.

2. I rode a school bus to and from school. On the first day of school each year, my mom would go with me. The following days, I rode the school bus. Once, I got left behind (being new and all, the driver and conductor forgot about me). I remember sitting all alone on the stairs of the grade school building waiting for the conductor to get me. But it was already getting dark, around 6pm. One sister, bless her soul, saw me and brought me to the convent or wherever, and gave me ice cream. Fortunately, my mom’s officemate whose kid was also attending the same school saw me (same batch too). They brought me home.

3. I used to sell Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet posters to my classmates in grade school. I buy these from Gibson’s (or was that Goodwill?) in Makati. It used to be where Shangri-la Makati now stands. Rizal Theatre and Dulcinea also used to be there. I always tagged along with my uncle every time he would pick up my mom from her office in Makati (Ramon Cojuangco Building aka PLDT). Dulcinea was beside the bookstore. I remember Dulcinea because it was always filled with mestizo looking people every time I go inside to buy rhum cake *wink*.

4. When I was in grade 6, my crush was Rick Springfield (Love Somebody, Jessie’s Girl, Taxi Dancing—one of my favorites).

5. I was bitten by our Japanese Spitz “Peewee” on my upper lip (my left), twice on the left arm, all in 5 seconds. The dog was lying down on the edge of the bed. As I was about to kiss my mom good night, all of a sudden he went after me and bit me on my lip. I raised my arm to shield myself but bit me there twice. I was rushed to the hospital and was stitched up. They used local anesthesia so I was awake the whole time. Although the dog just stayed inside the house and got his shots regularly, the doctors still suggested that since I was bitten on the upper part of the body (head, very near the brain), I should get anti-rabies shots, just to be sure.

6. I miss and love the spaghetti (with toasted bread) served in the restaurant inside the Makati Supermarket (in the 80’s). Myum!

7. I miss our old Toyota Hi-Ace (the family car we had when I was in grade school until high school).

8. I remember my lolo (my dad’s father) would go to our house every weekend and bring us egg pie (from the nearby bake shop) and tamales. (My lola, from my father side, died young).

9. My lola (my mom’s mother) would go to our house (she’d walk) everyday to look after us while our parents went to work.

10. There were times that we did not have helpers. Kaya ako, I know how to prepare the table, cook, wash clothes (using the washing machine), wash the dishes, etc. Kaya totoo yung sinasabi nila na napabayaan ako sa kusina.

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