Life then......

This is originally posted on July 18, 2008 but I decided to post it here again so that it will be included in this category....... A Toast to life

Nostalgic once more!

Yesterday, arriving from my office, I noticed I have only few bananas left on the table. I want to go back to the mini wet market few blocks from the subdivision I and my family live, but it was raining cats and dogs so i decided not to.

My two sons and my husband eat only very few tropical fruits which can be found abundantly in the market such as mangoes, apples, oranges, dalanghita, tsiko, guava…..(my 3 men hate papaya-because of its smell and texture)
1n 60’s available fruits to us were different, yes we do have banana, but there were many more that my children may not recognize. if they have a chance to see them now…..makopa, anonas, duhat, paho, star apple, granada, which were available free of charge. courtesy of the neighborhood……

We had this neighbor, her name is na Toyang, (RIP) while my mom was busy sewing uniform and customized dresses for the teachers from elementary and intermediate schools and while my Tatay was busy earning a living, I hanged out with her sons and grandchildren ( we were about 6-8 years old then. . What we used to do was to go to Patubig, it’s a Filipino term, used to refer to a machine pump to irrigate large rice plantation fields taken care of by Na Toyang and her husband. The big volume of water with a circumference of at least the size of a basin falls to a mini rectangular meter deep concrete structure that served as our pool. After gathering all the available fruits around the palayan or the rice plantation, we freshened ourselves by taking a bath in the pool.

Life was simply eating fruits together, playing traditional games, getting around the field, riding in “paragos”, ( a platform usually made of bamboo or wood pulled by a carabao to transport people and products around. ) smiling with people we passed by,greeting friends and relatives, and watching dragon flies fly from grasses to grasses.

Our nail polish then was organic, we used to gather heart or nail shaped gumamela buds, chose the size that will fit our nails attached the 10 red young petals on our tiny nails, .. then voila ! instantly we had this bloody red polished fingernails.

Whenever there was a party, called “ tilapyaan”, a party held on a plaza, attended by almost if not all the wives and husbands of the community to serve simply as a celebration of life. The wives would ask for leftover beer from “sari sari store” and used it as a spray net for their hair. After styling the hair, and to maintain the “tis” style and height of their hair, they sprinkle beer on top of the styled hair and after a few minutes hair was already stiff and stay as it is for the rest of the night while dancing to their delight.

Summing it up, my life then being simple and basic, in the absence of Internet, I-Pod, IPhone, Mobile phone, Camcorder, and so many more to mention gadgets and entertainment tools, exudes contentment and enjoyment, why? because I chose to be happy with my family, with my friends and with the only resources available yesteryears. And most of all I was so carefree and young!. Eating fruits then, to me was heaven and to date my most comforting moment after a hard day’s work is when I am eating my comfort food , atis, avocado and banana.

Till next time!

It's me Corazon Roxas

Keep blogging and be happy!