How Much is your Baon?

Do you still remember how much your parents would give you for baon (school money)? I remember my mom would give me 10pesos because I love eating siopao then. I would buy from the school canteen and drink whatever my mom prepared for me. In high school, I would be given 30pesos, almost the same when I was in college. Prices of food and drinks were not yet high then, so that amount was enough for a meal.

How about you did your parents gave you lunch money or were you given packed lunch instead?

Eggnog

Do you remember getting sick when you were a kid and being made to drink Sarsi (rootbeer) with egg? It tasted like eggnog actually. My great grandma would tell me that it would make me strong and immune to viruses. I doubted it but drank every glass of Sarsi with egg given to me. It might have made me strong because I rarely get sick even now. Then again, it might have just been a cool drink guaranteed to take away the blistering heat.

Puppy Love

I am not exactly sure why being infatuated with your playmate or your next-door neighbor is being called that way but there you are. I remember thinking that I would love to spend the whole day with this neighbor of ours. I was ten or eleven that time. He lived next door, a much older guy who smiled a lot at me and would tease me about being too fair-complexioned. About a year later, he went to the province to continue studying there.

I still remember his name. Jun. Oh, he gave me a sandwich and an ice cream. That’s why I fell in (puppy) love.

And I moved on to the next great love of my life.

A Haven

Sometimes, when the world seems so cruel and relentless, there is nothing left to do but retreat. When other people retreat to other places physically, I retreat inside my mind. I reminisce… I envision the future.

But I love the former the most. I love looking back and reminiscing about all the good things from the past. Those things somehow, one way or another, have inspired me in each and everyday of my life.

Welcome to my Vertical Haven!