80s and 90s thingie...

I received a forwarded text message from a friend that goes on like this:

Are you part of the late 80s and early 90s era?

- you know Shaider, Bioman, Maskman, Masked Rider Black and Optimus Prime

- you know the Nano-nano jingle

- you played 10-20

- you know the universal song "uwian na" (it's time to go home")

- you danced Macarena and Boombastic

- you know the meaning of "time first"

- you put Pritos Ring in your fingers

- you have a pencil case with so many buttons to press

Then that means you're old!

Hell yeah I'm getting old and I don't realy deny it. I have to admit that I hate it though. What makes this notion really depressing for me is the fact that at this age, I'm still a nobody. I haven't achieved anything that I can really be proud of. Oh well...

I'd like to put some other details about the text message though

- I also watched (and liked) Turbo Ranger, Fiveman, Machine Man, Poseidon and various Ultraman series

- I really liked the Nano-nano candy especially the purple, orange and green flavor. They tasted like umeboshi (sweeeeeet, sour and salty....what it does to meeeeehhh... nano nano, nano nano...)

- I also played chinese garter despite the fact that I really sucked on it hehehe

- I didn't dance Macarena or Boombastic but I know the dance steps since they were really popular that time

- Damn those pencil cases, they were like a status symbol of the students LOL!

I also realized that before I got addicted to anime, I've watched a lot of them during this era (Voltes V, Daimos, Cedie, Mary and the Family Bontrap, Sarah, Remi (boy version), Peter Pan, Heidi, Georgie, Charlotte, Poly Anna, Anne of Green Gables, Romeo, Marco, Julio & Julia, Robin Hood, Zenki, B't X, Saber Marionette, Sailor Moon, etc.)

Oh yeah, I've got addicted to komiks other than Funny Komiks before. I just can't remember the titles because I don't really follow any series back then. I read one shot stories. I remember when I was in grade 4, I save at least P1-2 from my allowance so I can go to the public market after school and rent komiks. There were stalls in the public market where you can sit and read various selection of komiks for only 50c/issue. But I cheated because I read more than what I paid for since there's really no way that the vendors would know because there are too many customers. Back then I really enjoyed fantasy stories. I think I owe my knowledge about the Philippine myth icons (manananggal, duwende, engkanto, tikbalang, etc.) from komiks.

It's a little frustrating that this form of Phil. Lit have died. I think cable TV killed it. There are a lot of local comics available nowadays but most are really trying hard to capture the manga (art and story) style. I'm addicted to manga but what's wrong to use our own style? I mean the komiks style.

My friend, who is a teacher, tells me how she could feel the generation gap between her and her students. She told me how different students are nowadays. They hardly ever read the books for their assignment, they always realy on the internet and that they are too caught up with their mobile phones and gadgets. When we were on higschool (we're not classmates but we're from the same era), the bonding moments of different groupies would be playing guitar and singing. And who can forget the "songhits". I never bought one back then but I remember borrowing from my classmates hehehe....

How can life be so simple back then?