Have you ever seen this movie?
“The story is about a son trying to learn more about his dying father by reliving stories and myths his father told him about himself.” — The Internet Movie Database
I just saw it last night on DVD. It was a beautiful piece of storytelling. No wonder I was enchanted by each story that unfolded. I learned a lot from the film and `to cherish family stories’ is the best one that I’ve learned. I did cry during the movie, more so towards the end when I started remembering my own childhood stories. They may not be as exaggerated as the movie’s but they are still very much memorable.
Here are some of the stories. I plan to block out a whole day just to scribble childhood memories and eventually compile them. This would be a great family activity. Maybe I should suggest that to my Mom the next time I visit her.
- When I was about 6, I intentionally dropped a santol on my younger sister’s head because I wanted to see if the santol would bounce on a person’s head. It did bounce and made my sister cry out in pain. Many years later, I was doing homework when something hit me on the head. Turned out that my sis wanted to see if an apple would bounce on my head. Revenge is sweet.
- My cousins and I would bury our toys in our grandparents’ backyard. Later on we’d write clues on leaves, the bark of a guava tree, and pretend we’re hunting for buried treasure.
- When I was a toddler, I would drink Coke from a baby’s milk bottle. Same goes for OJ.
- My sisters and I would get a big bottle of Magnolia Chocolait, pour the drink into plastic glasses and place them in the freezer. When the Chocolait was frozen, we’d take the glasses out and eat our frosted Chocolait with our spoons. Mmmmm. By the way, Magnolia Chocolait is back on grocery shelves. It tastes the same.
- During naptime and bedtime, Maymee (my grandma) would sing me and my cousins to sleep with “Yellow Bird”.
- During our birthdays, Maymee would bake our birthday cakes from scratch. There was one time she placed our Barbie dolls as cake decoration, and she fashioned the dolls’ dresses out of icing. I think I still have the picture of that particular birthday.
- Mama asked me to watch over my 6-month-old sister for awhile. I was 6 then. I was watching TV, and my lil sis was lying on the sofa. I was sitting beside her. I wanted to change the channel. A second wouldn’t hurt right? I stand up and walk towards the TV to turn the channel knob (no remote controls back then!). When I turn back to the sofa, my little sister is bawling on the floor. Uh-oh. I get a scolding of course.
- During summer vacations, as soon as our parents went to work, my sisters and I would lock the master’s bedroom and play with our Mom’s clothes and make-up. I loved wearing her long flowing skirts. My sisters liked her make-up and the high heels. We had a blast putting make-up on our Rainbow Brite doll. I got into trouble for putting too much hair gel into her hair (or was it my sister’s hair?). Good fun.
I can’t wait to start scribbling more of my stories. What childhood memories do you cherish the most?
Hi! I'm Toni Tiu,
and I've been blogging at
at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.