Bottomless bag of memories

She stood there, tall, glowing, with short golden hair and a smile as bright as a 100-watt lightbulb. She was the patron saint of the feel-good movies of my childhood, which all ended in hope and a happily-ever after.

I was watching the recent American Screen Actors Guild awards and they were bestowing the Lifetime Achievement Award on 72-year-old Julie Andrews, and suddenly a yellow lightbulb was flicked on in my mind, triggering many happy flashbacks.

I remembered the days I used to have pigtails on my hair, an a-go-go watch on my wrist and fishnet stockings on my fat legs. Those were the days when the only pain you felt was from a toothache on your baby tooth, a scraped knee or an injection during a visit to the pediatrician. No pains from betrayals or disappointments or a broken heart. Everything was taken care of by your parents and grandparents and the only backbiting you ever got was from your playmate who called you "fatso" or a "toothpick," whichever the case might have been.

Those were the days.

Julie was the Mary Poppins amid the storybook world’s Cruella de Villes (or the character played by Rebecca de Mornay in the Hand that Rocks the Cradle). She was the Maria von Trapp in Sound of Music that finally dispelled the notion that all stepmothers were wicked (due to the wicked stepmoms of Hansel and Gretel and Cinderella).

Julie as "Mary" and "Maria" sang her way into the silver screen, into the Betamax, VHS and DVD versions on our TV screens – each time, singing her way into our hearts.

A lot of nursery rhymes and Walt Disney tunes carry golden truths that we validate in adulthood. I know now that "a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down... in a most delightful way" (from Mary Poppins) and that "when the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I’m feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don’t feel so bad!" (from the Sound of Music). One of my favorites is this line from Cinderella (whom Julie also portrayed) which goes, "A wish is a dream your heart makes, when you’re fast asleep."

It was such a delightful treat to watch Mary Poppins. Sound of Music was both entertaining and stirring. It taught one about faith, determination, betrayal (Rolf going against Liesel and her family), and the triumph of love over everything else, including war. I cannot forget it to this day, and so can’t many others – it happens to be the most successful movie of all time. Its repertoire runs the gamut of jam-and-bread to climbing every mountain (not Mt. Sosyal) to following every rainbow till you find your dream.

Listening to the tribute paid to Julie, I couldn’t help but note that long before Jolie, there was Julie, a UN ambassador and children’s book author. One of her projects for disadvantaged children has, in fact, been given the Nobel Peace Prize.

Her most unforgettable screen persona – that of a woman with a loving care heart and boundless love for children – has transcended mediums and crossed over to real life.

Just seeing her unlocks the floodgates of warm and happy memories. It makes my childhood’s happy memories seem like the bag carried by Mary Poppins – bottomless.

* * *

My favorite things, from the bottomless bag of memories, include:

1. Baguio – the nippy air, the scent of pines, the fresh crunchy vegetables from the market, the breathtaking view and the apple pie from the old John Hay. All this in the company of loved ones and the memory couldn’t be more heartwarming.

2. Tropical Hut on Quezon Boulevard, which had the best burgers (better than Inn and Out) bar none. I’m sorry to say the burgers they serve in their diners now don’t compare to a morsel of what they served in the ’70s. After my mom would do her grocery shopping, we would usually head for the counter within the supermarket that served these heavenly burgers. Tropical Hut also had these mechanized horses by the entrance that would jump up and down with a drop of a coin – maybe 10 centavos as that was so long ago!

3. The Carol Burnett Show – if you wanted to laugh till you fell off your seat, this was the show.

4. Popeye, the TV cartoon series – Rescuing Olive Oyle and going out on a limb for her, he taught me what chivalry was all about, something I’ve always expected from men. Popeye is also the reason I forced myself to like spinach.

5. The Luneta and the Manila Zoo – with fresh sea wind blowing over a park with flowers as colorful as the balloons peddled by smiling vendors, Luneta was a favorite weekend destination. I would often rubber neck because there was just so much to see, and eat (Magnolia ice cream sandwich was my favorite). And the Manila Zoo was so clean, so wholesome, so full of healthy animals frolicking in man-made water features, big and small. Nowadays, the only time you pay attention to the Luneta is on Rizal Day, when the President hoists a giant flag or when a visiting head of state lays a wreath at the Rizal Monument. As for Manila Zoo, well, they say there are just too many zoos in Metro Manila, with attractions that we elect to office, that we don’t need to troop to a real zoo any more.

6. Max’s Fried Chicken and Aristocrat’s chicken honey and pork barbecue with Java rice – just like a lot of good things, some of the past’s best memories are still realities today!

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