Hail to our student days

Few more weeks and we're going to say goodbye to summer. Yup, it's back to school season as evidenced by the “Back To School” sale promos. Once again, the malls will be flooded with students who are joining the crowd for those school supplies, with lots of excitement plastered on their faces, thrilled to the bone to be reunited with their classmates and barkada, having rested, recharged and feeling refreshed after the summer vacation. Oh yes, they're all at it - all set and ready to welcome School Year 2013-2014.

Looking back, our very own student days are no different from today's dot.com gen except for these hi-tech gadgets and amenities which were unheard of then during our time. As students of the Yeah Yeah Vonnel generation, we all had a grand and exciting time during the first few days of classes, and the varied school activities that followed  - periodical tests, home works, school projects, ball games, intramurals, cheering squad, drum and bugle practice, science fair, literary musical contests, signing autographs, penpal writing, listening to those 45 rpm records of Matt Monro, the Beatles, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, etc., going gaga over movie stars who would come to our hometown for a caravan show or personal appearance, collecting and sharing photos of Amalia-Susan, Guy & Pip and their Maria Leonora Theresa, Vi & Bot, and all the rest of the Sampaguita Stars '66, munching popcorn while watching To Sir With Love, The Sound of Music, etc., dropping coins into the jukebox to listen to The End of the World, There's Always Me, Black is Black, Bus Stop, Homeward Bound, and other such hits.

There were also the combo groups of Jose Mari and the Electromaniacs, Eddie Mesa and the Hijacks, Tilt Down Men, among others, with their electric guitars and drums. Those were music to our ears. Oh, just how we enjoyed dancing the Twist, Jerk, Limbo Rock, Elephant Walk, Grind, Soul, Bye-Bye, etc. during jam sessions held in our classmate's house.

There was Graphic, Wakasan, Song Cavalcade songhits, Junior Illustrated Classic comics, Kislap, Liwayway, the Philippine Herald, and other such reading materials. All these and more... as part and parcel of our student days during the rolling '50s and the fabulous '60s.

Fast Forward... Hail, hail, the gang is here! But this time, not as the students but the parents of the students. As we look back to our glorious past as, we thank God for the gifts of life, fellowship and camaraderie, for friends and good times together... May we have more.