It must be destiny ! From grade 2 to grade 6, my seatmate was the best looking girl in our class. Our seat was not by choice since we were arranged alphabetically. Every boy in class had a crush on her so I have to be better in some way. I became a class clown, and excelled in almost all subjects except mathematics. That's when I learned I have to read to be better. From grade 2 onward I read my books on science, history and literature cover to cover. At home, we always get a copy of Taliba, a tagalog broadsheet newspaper in the 1960's.
I woke up early at 4:30 a.m. to prepare myself for school and to be able to watch on TV the early morning shows on channel 7. The TV station was owned by an American who called himself Uncle Bob, graced the TV screen every morning for the 5 a.m. sign in. The first program of the day was some Popeye cartoons, then Laurel and Hardy and at 6, My Favorite Martian. Class starts at 7 so after the 30 minute Martian comedy, I had to hurry walk 7 blocks for the daily flag ceremony. Class ended at 12 noon so I hurry home just in time for the 12:30 Japanese action series "The Samurai". That's the last show I could watch freely since my elder sisters arrive from school and they like to watch noontime variety show, "Tayo'y Mag-happy Happy". I did not like the show much but I only have no choice so I usually sulk in a corner and just read the newspapers.
Mom was real strict and I was not allowed to play outside with other kids. So while other kids play "Tumbang preso" and "patintero", I was at home practicing my skills in "pick-up sticks" and "jack 'n stone". There were no other programs on TV after 3 p.m. other than old movies, tagalog movies on channel 2 and 5, english movies on channel 13, and some film documentaries and talk shows at channel 7 and 11. Again at 6 p.m., another variety show, "Oras ng Ligaya" which I in some way enjoy because of the comedy and debate portions, usually capped by Apeng Daldal and Sylvia La Torre. Apeng was my guy, witty and smart, and able to debate ala "balagtasan", arguing his case in poetic ways. For that I was called "Apeng" by neighboring kids who made fun of me, and bully me every time I go out.
School was the best place for me then, seated near my first crush and being ranked high especially in class recitations. School is where I got to play boys' games but I like playing marbles best though I could not excel in the game. One of my close friend lives on "the easy street" and he brings to school some of his Marvel Comics collection which I got to read during recess time. That was the start of my addiction to comics, the locally published ones since Marvel and DC comics cost a fortune even in those days. Mom always buy "Liwayway" and "Kislap" magazine, my sisters "Wakasan" and "Tagalog Classics", while I opted for "Pogi Comics". My favorite comics character was "Singko Nire", a comical secret agent patterned from the James Bond 007 star, Sean Connery. It was the time when "singko" (5 centavos) can buy you a cup of rice, and another "singko" for some fried tuyo or "galunggong". So for the monicker, Sinko Nire's favorite place was a turo-turo where he gets his regular meal before going to his secret mission.
What really tickled my curiosity in my grade school days was the magazine my Mom buys but hide under the mattresses after reading. So one time while Mom was outside vending fruits, I took the magazine out and read what it was all about. It was the "Tiktik Magazine", mostly about murder, rape and other brutal crimes taken from police files. It was a rated R type of reading material that was not suited for kids my age, but even in those days grade schoolers talk about those X-rated things so were not really that innocent.
I don't know how I get to remember this things in clear details. I must really be getting old. Old is when you forget the simple things like where you placed your keys and the like, but recall things that you thought you have forgotten. The funny thing is, you get to smile about the stupid and embarassing situations you got yourself into, but feel like crying each time you remember the happy moments you had with people you love. That's what makes reading a "real" pleasure - you get to relive the old times you've had, and get immersed in the flow of the story as if you were living it. How hard it is to explain this feeling to someone who sees nothing but bookprints and ask "how can you enjoy this stuff, over an inch thick with no pictures ?"
I came to know why... and that's how it all started.
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