Second Childhood and High School Crushes in our 30s!

The new Transformers movie is out and thanks to typhoon Feria’s threat, classes were suspended coincidentally on its opening day and as usual, it ironically turned out to be a clear morning after all so off to the malls the students flocked – Kean and us included. Thanks to a new Cubao secret (not too secret anymore now) – Ali Mall’s newly refurbished Cineplex – we were able to bury our bottoms very comfortably. While everyone else in the metro endured the long lines and the “standing room only” viewing, my family and I practically had the shiny new Ali Mall all to ourselves. I love it that we just live a street away from the classic Cubao landmark! Araneta Center is our backyard.



Speaking of Transformers 2 and in the light of Michael Jackson’s demise, the perfect song for my husband these days would have to be “Have You Seen my Childhood?” Like a “spoiled” kid in a candy store, his current indulgence is shopping for Transformers toys. And he really plays with them!!! The good news – he and Kean are totally bonding over it. The bad news – these toys cost at least P300 to P500 a pop! It may sound silly but this is really serious stuff for Joseph. Compared to my toy-filled childhood, he resents that his parents didn’t get him any of these robots back then. He recalls his mom saying, “It’s beyond your toy budget…” So the poor little boy had to live through watching those Uncle Bob’s Lucky Seven Club’s toy commercials without ever getting at least one of them. Awww… So now, I’m playing “mommy” to his reincarnated JJ (his nickname back then) and buying him these robots. Good thing that I’m also a fan and an ‘80s buff so I understand the need to feed the nostalgia.

So while my husband is going back to being 7 years old, I on the other hand had my own trip back to my 16 year old self by having a very ridiculous high school like crush on Zachary Quinto. Sigh… the name alone creates psychedelic hearts on my eyes. Let me just shriek! He’s soooo cuuuute!!! OMG my face is flushing just thinking about him.



Okay, before I go on any further, you might be wondering who the heck is Zachary Quinto? Well, for most people now he’s Spock from the new Star Trek movie but before that he’s been Sylar to me and to the legions of Heroes fans. I have never missed an episode of Heroes and even if the TV series has become too preposterous in its recent plot developments, there’s no stopping me from following Sylar – the super-powered serial killer who hunts the super-humans in order to steal their powers! He’s primarily a villain but I know there’s more to that psychotic persona… I know there’s a heart buried deep within that hate… I was thrilled when the series showed the character’s soft side as the plot’s paradox in the “Villains” season.

Anyway I could go and on about my own character analysis of Sylar – originally Gabriel Gray – but that would be too much of a geek talk. Yes, my husband and I are self-confessed Heroes freaks. We even plan to name our first daughter (IF EVER) Claire – after the show’s cheerleader character with the regenerative powers. Alright enough Heroes gab. Let me go back to Zachary.

I’ve always been attracted to him but the adulation was just limited within the show. I’ve had plenty of major celebrity crushes in my teenage years – you know that type of silly obsession that make you cut out their photos from magazines and stick them on your walls (don’t laugh!)— but I never thought I would actually have one again in my 30s! The last major celebrity crush I had that lasted all throughout my adolescent years was Keanu Reeves (don’t laugh again!) Hey if you saw him on “Pointbreak” you’d know what I’m talking about. And now ZQ makes me gush.

Like I said, before I was just in love with Sylar the character but now I AM IN LOVE WITH ZQ – the man who plays Sylar & Spock! This video did it all for me. Check out ZQ’s interview on Ellen last May.



Isn’t he totally adorable! Nothing kills me more than a guy who’s cool enough to strut some dance moves on national TV! Kilig to max! And so that got me hooked! I went online and plunged into Google ZQ Mode. I found his official website, grabbed his ooh-la-la GQ photos, put them interchangeably on my desktop (I’ve just recently named my laptop ZQ), became his fan on Facebook, and now having my own toy shopping spree by getting these Sylar and Spock action figures online!


I’ve been reading immensely about him and following his updates on FB. I even sent him a relatively long (giddy-sounding) birthday message last June 2. Actually his birth date stopped me in my tracks. The date was all too familiar and after jogging my memory about its significance, I stammered. He shares a birth date with some guy I used to “know”. Let’s just not expound on the meaning of “know” alright? I’m now a happily married woman. Enough said. But guess what, I also realized that ZQ and this so-called birthday twin actually have some semblances here and there. Hmmm… now this is the part where it kinda gets weird and worrisome. And I don’t know how else to end this blog so I’ll just trail off…

I Heart Cubao!

Cubao has character; loads of it if I may say. I am falling in love with this district more and more because of the many quirks that I stumble upon every time my husband and I go about on our weekend roaming. Of course, Cubao X is an obvious haven for oddities and vintage stuff. However, my idea of thrift heaven is not found inside this pop art compound. My place of worship would have to be MSM Surplus Shop, found right across the entrance of Cubao X.

From the outside, it doesn’t look much. Nothing fancy. Nothing artsy-fartsy. Nothing pa-cool. It’s just plain as day – a US surplus thrift shop. The store is not trying to be anything more than what it is. While everyone’s raving about Cubao X, I on the other hand am a big fan of this store because it’s really reminiscent of the old Cubao. I appreciate X but somehow I just get the feeling that it has been too consumed with commercialism. It sort of irks me when “fortunate” (in less sensitive terms: rich) kids hang out there and act as if they have given Cubao (or at least that part of the district) the biggest favor by giving this forgotten neighborhood a face-lift. The grit has been glamorized, and that kinda makes my nose wrinkle a bit.

Anyway, back to my favorite place – MSM Surplus Shop. One of the things that really made me fall in love with the shop is their “holocaust” looking pile of Barbie Dolls! Okay, don’t get all Freudian with me now! =) Barbie Dolls, at least for my generation, were iconic of my childhood. Growing up, I would always get a Barbie on any of the following occasions: When I was an honor student… when I was sick… on my birthday… and on Christmas! Considering that I was quite a bright kid growing up, and I was also a bit of a weakling, plus the fact that birthdays and Christmases do happen every year, you could imagine that I did have a lot of these Mattel mini-mannequins when I was a kid.



Seeing a pile of “naked” Barbie Dolls, some with chopped off limbs and shaven heads, is undeniably quite grotesque. I would have to admit that. It seems that all you need to do is brush them with a jar of thick BBQ sauce and they all look like they’re ready for grilling. Nevertheless, regardless of how gnarly they looked like inside that store, the sight of 80s Barbies and limited edition Ken dolls truly stirred my heart. Oh, I miss my childhood!

Here are some other peculiar items that I found in that shop that really tickled my guts...

No wonder Dorothy can't go back to Kansas. Her ruby slippers are for sale at 35 pesos here at MSM.

Before Carrie Bradshaw, Dr. Ruth was the "sexpert" in the 80s. Who knew that we can get sex ed from a German grandma? =)

Because I saw this old board game, can't help but think about how Dra. Margie would compare to Dr. Ruth...

A Sexperts Face-Off!
Whose sex advice would you take? =)
Dr. Ruth Westheimer vs Dr. Margie Holmes

From Kuya Bodjie to Lolo Basyong!

For Kean’s 1^st Musical Happening @ his new school The Learning Tree, he played middle-sized Gruff in the Billy Goats Gruff Story.

But actually, the highlight of the day was the appearance of KUYA BODJIE from Batibot! It was just so funny because it seemed the parents were more excited about him. Malay ba ng mga bata kung sino siya… hehe. Man he looked old! He’s not Kuya Bodjie anymore… more like LOLO BODJIE! or LOLO BASYONG because he's still deemed as the Master Storyteller!

Sayang wala si Pong Pagong at si Kiko Matsing. I had to explain to Kean who he was and what he did. I told him Batibot was a show like Sesame Street. He was still kinda confused after that ‘cos the Sesame Street characters he knows now are mostly Elmo and Cookie Monster. So to make things more clear I told him he’s like Johnny in “Johnny and the Sprites”, one of his favorite shows on Playhouse Disney. Sigh… talk about Generation Gap.

Anyway, speaking of Batibot, who grew up watching it? Itaas ang inyong mga kamay! Who was your favorite character? Mine would have to be Manang Bola… “Perlas na Bilog huwag patulog-tulog sabihin sa akin ang sagot. Bah Beh Bih Boh Boooh” It still cracks me up ‘til now. And I can’t resist reciting it every time I hold anything round.

Of course who can forget the sisters Ning-Ning and Ging-Ging, the superhero Kapitan Basa, the aliens Sitsiritsit and Alibangbang, and Ate Sienna! (Did Ate Sienna and Kuya Bodjie ever date? Hahaha)

There were other muppets in the show but these were by the far the more popular ones next to Pong Pagong and Kiko Matsing. Batibot was more known to be as a spin-off of Sesame Street but I don’t know if you’re aware of this, Batibot was actually an original production of Children’s Television Workshop. So it was a real franchise and not just a copycat. CTW broke this relation with the local production PCTW (Phil Children’s Television Workshop) in 1989.

In 1994, while the show was airing on GMA after being tossed around the networks, RPN, PTV and ABS-CBN, the main muppets Pong Pagong and Kiko Matsing were pulled out due to licensing issues. That explains why it’s so hard for us to see them these days even for just cameo roles on wherever. CTW owns them. So what we know as the icons of Pinoy Pre-School Education are actually American properties. So isn’t that ironic? Another one of our Pinoy Paradoxes! Go figure! =p

Anyway, seeing Kuya Bodjie brought back a lot of kiddie memories. Oh the ‘80s…

I’m sure by now this song is humming in your head…

Pagmulat ng mata
Langit nakatawa
Sa Batibot
Sa Batibot

Tayo nang magpunta
Tuklasin sa Batibot
Ang tuwa, ang saya

Doon sa Batibot
Tayo na, tayo na
Mga bata sa Batibot
Maliksi, Masigla (2x)

Dali, sundan natin
Ang ngiti ng araw
Doon sa Batibot (2x)

Tayo nang magpunta
Tuklasin sa Batibot
Ang tuwa, ang saya

Doon sa Batibot
Tayo na, tayo na
Mga bata sa Batibot
Maliksi, Masigla (2x)

Hahaha! You still memorize it, I bet! How about this one?

Alin? Alin?
Alin ang naiba?
Isipin kung alin ang naiba?
Isiping mabuti
Isipin kung alin
Isipin kung alin ang naiba?

I don’t think there’s any other Filipino TV program for kids that could level up to Batibot’s credibility. I don’t know if were we just easier to please back then, while the kids today are more sophisticated. Well things may have been more simple back then but I would not trade climbing on a tree and playing in the rain to having the latest PSP.