Two good to be true

The inner child in me is ecstatic!

Two of my favourite Dunkin Donuts flavors are back. At the same time!

As a kid, my allowance would usually go to Choco Jelly Ripple and Split Royale. What's common with these 2 donuts is the abundance of icing. For the Choco Jelly Ripple, it slathered on the top and sides fo the donut, and piped on top. For the Split Royale, it's nicely piped on top to mimic a banana split.

Now, this is where my salary will go.

Super Shocked

But really, I shouldn't be.

I've seen the National Bookstore Superbranch go from 5 floors, to 4, to 3, to 2, and now, to just 1 floor.

And soon, that 1 floor will be gone, too.

They're finally saying goodbye to the Superbranch and moving it to Gateway 2. But as the sign says, an art and community center will be rising in its stead, so that's something to look forward to. 

So, thank you, National Bookstore Superbranch! Thanks for the memories!

Werther's or not

When my parents came back from Bicol, aside from their usual pili pasalubongs, there was one thing they brought home that caught my eye.

Werthe'rs Original!

This caramel candy is a fave since we were kids. Among the many caramel candies, this one really has the rich, creamy caramel taste that feels indulgent, yet light. 

Apparently, Dad saw it at the Duty Free store at the airport and couldn't resist buying one. Good decision because not only did he bring home a bag of candy, he brought home decades worth of childhood memories.

That's sweetness in more ways than one.

Sounds of Childhood

When we were kids, we had a talking alarm clock. It was a Raggedy Ann and Andy alarm clock, and if memory serves me right, it was Ate Lissa's and Ate Bullet's alarm clock.

You'd set the alarm, and once it hits the time when it was set, you could hear Raggedy Ann and Andy have this conversation:

Raggedy Ann: Andy, Andy, please wake up, it's time to play our game.

Andy: Okay, Ann, I'm awake, let's do it all again.

Sometimes, I'd get the clock and adjust the alarm to that exact moment I'm there, just to hear this conversation. And was always fun hearing it.

Recently, I saw that exact clock on the net.

It looks like the same one that we had. Now I'm wondering if it sounds the same, too.

Bake it 'til you make it!

Baking is a part of our family - even at a very young age. Back in my grade school days, I'd buy those pre-packed Devil's Food Cake mixes and try to make it at home. Some would succeed, others would look like burnt cakes on the outside but liquid inside. 

The interest came from my Mom who's a good baker. She'd make apple pie and empanadas for merienda when we were kids. And they were spectacular! Ate Lissa is also a good baker, and her specialty back then was macaroons. 

There was a book at home called "Cooking it up with Nora," written by the legendary Nora Daza. It had a section on cakes and baking, and I'd find myself reading the recipes and imagining that I'd make them.

When I was in high school, my interest in baking was still there. And around that time, I was determined to make that interest something real. So, with money saved from my allowance, I bought my first baking cook book.

And that cook book is still with me until now - 35 years after I bought it.

This book helped me become more confident in my skills. Through this book. I made my first Caramel Butter Tarts (which later became my specialty), my first Mud Pie, and my first attempt at making Dark Fruit Cake. 

Opening the pages of this book brought back so many fond and fun memories. More than that, it made me want to try making these recipes again.

One of these days, I'm going to make those Caramel Butter Tarts again.

Having a ball(pen)

Back then, you could only start using a ballpen when you were able to write in cursive and you were in grade 4. 

Gosh, I looked forward to that day so much.

And when that time came, my only request was that my ballpen be Kilometrico.

It was one of the most famous pens back then, thanks to their commercials that had a jingle and the tagline: "Writes thousand and thousands of words."

My Kilometrico collection was composed of all 3 colours, and in multiples. Couldn't risk not having one of these precious pens in my pencil box or bag.

Why am I recalling all these today? It's because of this:

Yes, Kilometrico is still very much around.

Excuse me while I go to National Bookstore to buy one.

This Singer is a Driver

Chanced upon this photo on the internet that instantly resonated with me.

We had this exact Singer sewing machine at home, and I'd often pretend to drive using the sewing machine wheel. So, I'm basically the kid in the photo.

This made me miss the good old days of my childhood.

Chews childhood

This chewing gum brand bring so many childhood memories.

Hubba Bubba was one of the American chewing gum brands that was all the rage in the 80s. This, along with Bubble Yum, was part of every cool ikds' lunch box. And because our grandparents lived in the US, we'd get this a lot.

There were also PX stores that sold this. Like Hyacinth, Orobelle and Casman drug. So, if our US stash would run out, we'd rush to these stores to get some.

I'm so glad these are readily available now. It's like going back to my childhood, one chew at a time.

Strip Tease

There's something about 80s and 90s cartoon theme songs that make them super memorable.

Among the many songs that continuously plays in my mind is the theme song from the late 80s cartoon series - "Comic Strip."

The concept of this show is just like its namesake. In the 30 minute episode, there are 4 mini-episodes of 4 different cartoon shows. My favourite? TigerSharks, of course.

Netflix, please bring this show back. Please.

Shy boy

Unearthed this very old photo of me and my cousin, Maricel.

This was taken during the wedding of Tito Tony and Auntie Eden. To make their wedding different, they asked their young nephews and nieces (including me and Maricel) to be the secondary sponsors. This was novel because boys and girls were usually relegated to flower girls and the bearer boys. But they gave us "adult" responsibilities.

It's easy to see my shyness in this photo. Looking at this made me smile and reminded me of how shy I was as a kid.

Then again, I'm still a shy kid now. Albeit inside.

What's the beef?

It's Cow Label dried beef!

This is an iconic childhood snack that we used to buy in Unimart. They've changed the packaging format, but the label and graphics are still the same.

Gave this to my Gen X officemates and they said that it tastes the same.

Some good things never change.

Siniguel-uel-uel-as

You know it's summer when siniguelas is back in season.

This fruit really takes me back to my childhood. Particularly eating it while sitting on a tree branch in Lolo's place in Bicol.

Ah yes, the fruits of my childhood.

Memorable

This Sesame Street sketch pops in my head during grocery runs.

It's probably 40 years old by now, and the visuals are very telling of the decade it was done. But the story itself - remember things - is so timeless. And the way it was executed is both intelligent and child friendly.

Now, it's time to go to the grocery to get a loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter!

A little bit of Sunshine

Today's snack brought me straight back to my grade school years.

Sunshine Green Peas still taste as good now as it did then.

When life gives you Delimons

This is one of my core memories from my childhood days in Bicol.

We went to a nearby sari-sari store and there was a big jar of multi-coloured candies covered in sugar. The bright hues made it instantly attractive, and my curiosity was piqued.

It turned out that they were candies called "Delimon."

I'm not sure where the name came from. Maybe because of the lemon-y undertones of the candy. But since then, I'd go back and forth to that little store near Lolo's beach house and buy these candies. The tindera would carefully roll a phone directory page and put the delimon inside.

Haven't been to a sari-sari store nor seen delimon in my recent trips to Bicol. But next time I'm going there, this will definitely be part of the agenda.

Taste of Childhood

It was one random weekend.

Suddenly thought of checking out Merced Bakehouse - a classic bakeshop that has been around since my childhood.

This is where my parents used to buy our birthday cakes. They also had a Russian tart that they'd buy for me whenever I'm sick. And they also had a restaurant that served classic Pinoy fare.

On that random visit, the memory of their sotanghon soup popped in my head. Et voila!

Ah yes! It's still as good as my childhood.

Way back Wafer

 Lola Dita would always have a lot of food in their room. In fact, they even had a double door fridge inside their room, and they would keep a stash of goodies there, like ice cream, chocolates and gummies from Spain.

Another thing that Lola would always have was a can of Nissin Chocolate Wafers. Back then, my eyes would always gravitate to the big, brown can with a very interesting vintage graphic. It showed a street scene from (what I felt like was) the 1940s, and had different women in bikes. 

They stopped producing that can here in the Philippines, and that memorable visual was gone from our shelves.

But apparently, it's still pretty much alive in Malaysia.

You could just imagine my thrill after seeing this. It felt like being back in my childhood, inside Lola Dita & Lolo Iking's room in Morato.

Amazing how snacks can be a way of going back.

FMM: Romantics, isn't it?

Yes, this Friday Magic Madness song is a hangover from the post about Romantic Baboy.

In the 80s, there was a super popular rock band called "The Romantics.."

If you listen to their songs, it's like a cross between rock and new wave. It's heavy on the percussions, but not too overbearing. Their songs make you want to dance, but in a way that's very subdued and low key.

One of their biggest hits that I'd listen to as a kid was "Talking in your sleep." It was one of their biggest hits and came out in 1983.

This song reminds me of how my sisters would perform this song during dance programs in Bicol. It was always well-received, and was always a crowd pleaser. 

It was so good, we're still talking about it until now.

Gather round...

It's been many decades since my last visit to Claret Church. Until today, that is:

During my grade school days, I'd be an acolyte during the masses here. 

The altar still looks the same. It's still as majestic and as beautiful just like it was during my childhood. The wooden seats at the altar remains the same - it's the same spot where we acolytes would sit during the mass.

Being there was like going back to my childhood. And at this moment, the song of Claret School suddenly rang in my head:

"Gather round o sons of great Claret, fill the air with joy and love."

FMM: Talk Bubble

When they would show re-runs of Sesame Street, this was one short feature that I'd always look out for.

"B is for Bubble" resonated with me because of my affinity with bubble gum. After seeing this for the first time, I'd always sing this song in my head each time I'm chewing Chiclet, BigBoy, Bazooka Joe, Tarzan, Hubba Bubba, Bubble Yum and Bubble Yum.

Thankfully, the Sesame Street Youtube channel archives these classics. It allows me to look back with a smile on Friday Magic Madness days.