My recent trip to the Manila SEA Games brought back some happy memories of my childhood. I could still remember the happiness and freedom my young friends, neighbours and I enjoyed on the streets and open fields, whether playing backlane badminton or the game of hide and seek, kicking the rubber ball around in the field, catching spiders hiding between the leaves and scooping up guppies from the monsoon drain with our bare hands or just plain sitting down and telling stories. The sights that I saw that morning walking down the street where I lived brought back happy images of my past. It was play, play and more play under the sun. There was always laughter in the air and sometimes cries when someone had a nasty fall from the bicycle or when bitten by red ants while climbing up the tree. And we thrived on unrestricted abandonment so reminiscent of what I saw of the activities conjured up by some of the Manila kids during that morning walk. Those were happy days indeed! Here are some pics that I have captured that morning. One thing is for sure, Manila youths love to have their photos taken.
