Cebu  − 1 April, 1987

Left Zamboanga City, moved to Cebu. My stay in Cebu was filled with lots of wonderful memories. We lived in a neat house that my dad renovated. We had a big lawn with sunflowers in the middle (which my dad soon had it cut, but not before my first taste of fresh sunflower seeds). The lawn had 3 swings and a slide, and across it was a tennis court. The backyard had a tree, the first tree I ever really climbed, it had small edible red fruits (but later it was cut down). We also had pidgeons which I sometimes feed on my palm. And my cute dog Chichi of 11 years, in Cebu's where I got her, when I was in 3rd grade, I think. Every now and then an oil tanker will dock at the pier, to my dad, that meant bussiness, but to me and my siblings, that meant time to eat out, ice-cream, a trip to Bread and Butter. And company parties, although were really for employees, were enjoyed by us kids as well. Every summer, we'd board a ship to Manila and our visit to my grandparents became regular, and I got to know my cousins more.

But the best part is having my friends on weekends. My best friend's dad and a couple other men would visit and play in the tennis court every weekend. That was how i met Eunice with other week-end friends. So every Saturday and Sunday they'd go to our place, and while our dads were playing in the court, we were playing all over the place, catching grasshopers, cycling, playing house, climbing trees, getting through wired fences, exploring the whole depot. We were lucky to have a huge playground. And as if that wasn't enough, we'd sometimes barge in my dad's office and print greeting cards with Printmaster (or was that Printshop?), the computer was a new toy. We never tire. It was the perfect childhood.