*a little something I wrote back in 2000
Back in 2000, in the dark ages of my existence, songwriting was my hobby (or at least trying to write a song). I wrote this supposed-to-be-a-song-lyric “Nuon Yun’ while reminiscing about my elementary days in Jalajala. I remembered back in grade 1, I thought the Philippine history begins and ends with the Japanese invasion back in the second world war. I suspiciously look over the mountain tops, thinking that the Japanese forces were there, looking down at the hapless Filipinos, just waiting for the right time to shout “Banzai!” and attack again.
That is why when I was assigned in flag raising ceremonies, I was always aware not to put the red side of the flag on top, instead of the blue, because a classmate told me that during the war, Philippine flags are raised that way, with the red side on top. But of course, my fear happened one day. The Japanese didn’t attacked, probably they’re too busy making Toyotas, but my classmate and I raised the flag the wrong way. We only noticed our error when the other children started laughing at us. Since then, whenever asked, I always decline to do the flag raising again, instead, I’d rather do the Panatang Makabayan recitation with mic in hand. Yeah, I memorized that nationalistic pledge back then but now, all I can remember is “panatang makabayan, iniibig ko ang Pilipinas…” and that’s all.
The Marcoses, in their desire to nourish their hungry constituents, introduces the “healthy” and cheap Nutri-buns. Those bread were indeed cheap but healthy? That is why I asked “anong palaman?” because it was said that some pupils found cockroaches inside the buns. Crunchy. Yummy.
Cheating, in school work and in games outside the classrooms, were a fact of pupil-life back then. “Everybody is doing it so why shouldn’t I?” That was the thinking then and besides, we’re still kids, we still don’t know what is right and what is wrong, right? Wrong.
“Kapag nakulto, balik ka sa uno”. This is a rule from our childhood version of golf. It was a “Jolen” game, not the actress, but marbles. From a starting line, we try to “shoot” the jolen in little holes dug in the dirt. From hole number 1 to, say, hole number 5 then back again. If your jolen ended up in the wrong hole, you’re said to be “nakulto” and you have to start all over again.
They say when one starts reminiscing about their time, it was a sign of getting old. You are old when you say “nuong panahon namin, blah-blah-blah…” but who cares, it’s fun reminiscing about the good ol’ time. As one starts getting older, it was harder and harder to have clean, cheap fun.
Di gaya nuong panahon namin, laro lang ng laro, masaya na, wag lang laging taya.
Ang akala ko nuon
Walang ibang panahon
At muling darating
Ang hukbo ng Hapon.
Pag-angat ng bandera
Nasa taas ang pula.
Magagalit ang titser,
Magtatawanan ang iba.
Di ko malilimutan
Ang panatang makabayan.
Meron pang nutribun,
At ano ang palaman?
Di marunong mahiya.
Ayos lang ang mandaya.
At kapag nakulto,
Balik ka sa uno.
Natatandaan mo pa ba
Nuong ika’y bata pa?
Di ba’t madaling magsaya?
Wag lang laging taya.
Walang ibang panahon
At muling darating
Ang hukbo ng Hapon.
Pag-angat ng bandera
Nasa taas ang pula.
Magagalit ang titser,
Magtatawanan ang iba.
Di ko malilimutan
Ang panatang makabayan.
Meron pang nutribun,
At ano ang palaman?
Di marunong mahiya.
Ayos lang ang mandaya.
At kapag nakulto,
Balik ka sa uno.
Natatandaan mo pa ba
Nuong ika’y bata pa?
Di ba’t madaling magsaya?
Wag lang laging taya.
Back in 2000, in the dark ages of my existence, songwriting was my hobby (or at least trying to write a song). I wrote this supposed-to-be-a-song-lyric “Nuon Yun’ while reminiscing about my elementary days in Jalajala. I remembered back in grade 1, I thought the Philippine history begins and ends with the Japanese invasion back in the second world war. I suspiciously look over the mountain tops, thinking that the Japanese forces were there, looking down at the hapless Filipinos, just waiting for the right time to shout “Banzai!” and attack again.
That is why when I was assigned in flag raising ceremonies, I was always aware not to put the red side of the flag on top, instead of the blue, because a classmate told me that during the war, Philippine flags are raised that way, with the red side on top. But of course, my fear happened one day. The Japanese didn’t attacked, probably they’re too busy making Toyotas, but my classmate and I raised the flag the wrong way. We only noticed our error when the other children started laughing at us. Since then, whenever asked, I always decline to do the flag raising again, instead, I’d rather do the Panatang Makabayan recitation with mic in hand. Yeah, I memorized that nationalistic pledge back then but now, all I can remember is “panatang makabayan, iniibig ko ang Pilipinas…” and that’s all.
The Marcoses, in their desire to nourish their hungry constituents, introduces the “healthy” and cheap Nutri-buns. Those bread were indeed cheap but healthy? That is why I asked “anong palaman?” because it was said that some pupils found cockroaches inside the buns. Crunchy. Yummy.
Cheating, in school work and in games outside the classrooms, were a fact of pupil-life back then. “Everybody is doing it so why shouldn’t I?” That was the thinking then and besides, we’re still kids, we still don’t know what is right and what is wrong, right? Wrong.
“Kapag nakulto, balik ka sa uno”. This is a rule from our childhood version of golf. It was a “Jolen” game, not the actress, but marbles. From a starting line, we try to “shoot” the jolen in little holes dug in the dirt. From hole number 1 to, say, hole number 5 then back again. If your jolen ended up in the wrong hole, you’re said to be “nakulto” and you have to start all over again.
They say when one starts reminiscing about their time, it was a sign of getting old. You are old when you say “nuong panahon namin, blah-blah-blah…” but who cares, it’s fun reminiscing about the good ol’ time. As one starts getting older, it was harder and harder to have clean, cheap fun.
Di gaya nuong panahon namin, laro lang ng laro, masaya na, wag lang laging taya.
