12 Years Ago

12 years ago was the probably the time i felt so free to do anything i want. it's not that i'm constrained by my family right now but rather it's because there was so much i could do back then that i couldn't do now.

I was the same and different as a person before. the same in a sense that i'm still me. Different in a sense of my behavior. i don't think i was ever as candid and extroverted as i was back then. nothing held me back before. i was a skater who bought a board for $170 canadian and skated a lot with a distant cousin and some other friends. my outfit before was an adult sized large shirt and size 38 pants/shorts. i remember the tricks that i used to pull. the ones that i can do pretty well are ollie up on a sidewalk, shove it and nollie. sometimes i can do kickflip but my skateboard would have to stand still. the trick that took me the longest to learn was jumping down 4 steps of stairs. it was a real pain learning all these tricks. my legs were full of blue and red spots. Aside from skateboarding, i did all kinds of other sports. more than what most students get to do in the philippines. Our PE composed of running, basketball, volleyball, hockey and dodgeball. During recess, we would play football and soccer (sometimes tackle football illegally). i was in the volleyball, basketball and track team back in elementary. we never really did well though. we were mediocre whenever we'd compete with other schools like vancouver college. Once in a year, our school would require us to attend skiing lessons. that i have to say is one of the best experience a person can get in a sport. imagine the thrill of rushing down a slope with all these majestical views of the sky above you and the city below you or sitting on a chairlift relaxing.

But even without all these things, there were still other little things i can do back in vancouver that i can't do here anymore :( the most i miss is when i'm bored in my house i would just go out and take a walk around the neighborhood and sometimes beyond it (night times were the best). sleeping over at a friend's house or having friends sleeping over at my house while watching saturday night live (i watched the versions that are even older than the classic SNL on ETC. 1992-1994 baby!).

Vancouver was a good city to me. it's the BBC (Beautiful British Columbia). Growing up in the West is a really fun experience for children since they have so much freedom but it can also be dangerous. Had i stayed longer, i would've been exposed to a lot of "naughty things" by 13 years old. i knew i was probably going to get into those "stuff" before i graduated elementary since i was very curious but before i had the chance to do so, i was brought back home to manila where i had to learn some discipline :)