Jasmine of All Trades

Jasmine of All Trades by Margaux Ortiz

When I was in grade seven, I received a call from The Philippine Daily Inquirer saying that I was nominated for kids’r'rrific, a section that features talented kids. At first, I thought it was a prank. I was going to slam the receiver when the person said I was nominated by Precious Basilonia and Anna Arcellana, who were coincidentally hanging out at my house along with the rest of my PJAM barkada. Forgetting that I had someone on the phone, I screamed at my friends, “Ninominate ninyo ako?“

Read Full Post »

Childhood Game: Daganan Mo Si Errol

Cruz family. Errol is the kid on the left. He is holding his hat and is eating something.

If you’ve read Taguan Mo Si Errol,  you’d probably be wondering why my cousin was the target of evil childhood games. Well, here’s another. It’s called daganan mo si Errol. 

Read Full Post »

Childhood Crush

He hit me accidentally when he was playing in the classroom; I cried. The teacher made him say sorry because he was too young to instinctively know that what he did hurt me.

During the Christmas play, I played Mary and he played Joseph. We were too young to truly fall in love, but I had enough craziness to be obsessed.

Read Full Post »

La Usurpadora Beauty, La Usurpadora Personality

When I was a kid, I wished I was born beautiful. Since I thought my genes had forsaken me, I had to find another way to transform into a swan. I had this crazy idea that imitating the personalities of beautiful people will do the trick. I don’t know why I thought that way, but that led me to imitate characters in cartoons and telenovelas.

Read Full Post »

Childhood Randomness: Reading Signs

As the Toyota Crown wobbled through Manila, Little Ja proudly read the street signs, restaurant names, and slogans on billboards. Andok’s Manok, Aling Neneng’s Eatery, Escolta Street, No left turn–Little Ja would read anything and everything, even turning around to follow the sign as the car sped by.

Read Full Post »