"Wish we could turn back time to the good old days" -Stressed Out, Twenty One Pilots

I woke up because of the loud speakers of our neighbors blasting music. Most song are nostalgic–songs I grew up to such as some Justine Bieber's songs and Taylor Swift's. These remind me of my childhood which I really miss. The result is me reminiscing and writing an article about what I miss from my childhood.

When we are still kids, we wished to grow faster and become a grown-up. Now, we're already adults, we wish to become a kid again and to stay young.

I'm stressed out of growing up. Even though I was just 18, there were so many responsibilities, things that are bugging me, dramas, problems and struggles. I know there are more the adult life could offer. Thinking about it is overwhelming.

Comparing the things said above to our childhood life, there's a huge difference. When we're young, our responsibilities were just our household chores. The thing that bugged us is the question 'why the moon is following me? '. Our drama in life was just 'di na tayo bati'scenarios. Our problems and struggles were just simple like choosing what to buy in the store and balancing the dipper full of water in our heads when taking bath.

Reminiscing about our childhood made me miss it more. So here are the things I miss from my good old days:

One-Peso Dilemma

Choosing is not a piece of cake. It's a struggle especially if there are numerous options and you like all of them

I know I'm not the only one who had a one peso dilemma.

Back then, while on my way to sari-sari store with one peso, I am thinking what should I buy. Then, when I finally reached my destination, I will still stand at the front of the store looking at the goods displayed and still thinking what to buy.

There were so many options from chips like Tattoos,Sweet Corn, Lechong Baka, Cheep 'N Chips, Kiss, Bangus and more. Also among the candies and sweets, there are bubblegum with tattoo, Hany, Polvoron, candied tamarind, chocolate coins, chocolate that looks like a medicines and such. There are also some inedible things like plastic balloon and balloons.

With one peso coin, I can only buy one thing among those multiple choices.

In the end, I always buy my favorite junk foods namely Tattoos, Sweetcorn, and Kiss. The reason I got UTI.

When I have money more than one peso, I still have this dilemma. When buying, I still spend only one peso and go home. Then, when my food was already consumed, I will come back again to the store only spending one peso and having the dilemma of choosing. The cycle repeats until all my money was spent. So if I have ten pesos, I will go to the store ten times. Because of this the store owner is always annoyed.

Now, I miss eating the food I mentioned earlier especially the Kiss, Bangus and Lechong Baka(it used to have a packet of vinegar). I rarely see those here in our province in Visayas, unlike when I was still residing in Cavite and Paranaque.

Do you have the same struggle as mine? What are your favorite 'chichirya'? And what you used to buy in the store?

Afternoon Nap

Afternoon is kids' nap time. It's one of the things children hate.

They said, sleeping in the afternoon makes us taller. But all I get is gound (muta) and salive that dripped when I slept. I used to sleep back then, yet I'm just 5'4".

Anyway, I still miss this thing. After we woke up, there's snack waiting for us like hot bread and orange juice or biscuits partnered with soft drinks. Sometimes, our parents gave us money after we woke up. These things are my motivation to sleep in the afternoon.

There were times that my older brother and sister and I will fake our sleep. We are just talking quietly and fighting so we won't get bored. Also, we put salive on the side of our mouth to make our sleep more convincing and mimic the way we look when I really slept. I know, we're disgusting. Then sometimes, I just faked my sleep by just closing my eyes but later on I will fall asleep.

Of course, there are multiple times we snuck and fled out the house so we can't sleep. The good thing was more play, on the other hand, there's no snack and scolding.

Does sleeping in the afternoon effective for you? And what are your tactics for faking your sleep?

Sources of Income

Even we're kids, we find ways to earn money and some times there's job offers from our parents.

I've experienced plucking white hairs from my parents, for 50 centavos each strand. Also, beard hair from my father and armpit hairs from my mother for the same price.

If I had head lice and nits, my mother would like to hand pick those parasitic organisms. Doing this hurt my scalp so I ran most of the time. But when my mother offers me five pesos, why not? What an easy money besides it's for my own good.

This one is the most enjoyable for me–collecting and selling junks. While carrying a sack or plastic bag, I'm wandering trough the neighborhood. I was collecting plastic bottles, cans and scrap metals along the road or in the empty lots. If I accumulated enough, I sell those to the junk shop. Then my money will go either in my piggy bank or having a dilemma in the store.

How about you? How you earn money when you're a kid?

Outdoor Games

Our childhood won't be complete without outdoor games. It's now part of my life as the scars in my elbows and knees.

My favorite outdoor games are Tagu-taguan/ Bamsak (hide and seek), Langit-lupa, and Habulan(tag). I also loved playing Luksong Baka at Tinik, Tumbang-preso and more.

There are also some games that I love that were stereotyped 'for girls only.' I enjoyed playing Chinese Garter, Piko, and Ten- twenty back then,even though I'm male.

Have you experienced going home when you're the tag in hide and seek? Or tried hiding in your own house and negotiating with the tag when you're the one found first by telling where the others are hiding? Have you experienced saying 'taympers' the moment before the hand of the tag will have contact with you? I know that I'm not the only guilty about these.

What are your favorite childhood outdoor games? Do you have many scars because of playing?

Childhood Friends

In our childhood, we have friends that share this moment with.

I miss those friends I played and have fun with. Because of one childhood friend, I learned how to bike by borrowing his. There is also a childhood friend, that I had fist fight with so I learned that I should never fight. My childhood friends have impact on me.

Sadly, I'm always moving from different provinces so I lost in touch with others. On the bright side, I have friends in different places.

Are you still friends with your childhood friends? Do they have an impact on you? Do you miss them?

Growing up and being adult is not easy. We have responsibilities,things to be worried about, conflicts, struggkes and problems.

So sometimes we just want to be a kid again. We just want to be in our childhood again.

Thinking about this made me miss my childhood and some things about it like my one peso dilemma, afternoon nap, sources of income, outdoor games and childhood games.

One article is not enough to write about the things I miss from the good old days. So there's gonna be a second part soon.

How about you? Do you want to be a kid again? What are the things you miss from your childhood?

Currently, I'm stressed out and want to experience childhood again. I'm not Twenty One Pilots, but I wish we could turn back time to the good old day.

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