Memoirs of an Amnesiac

As if summoned by an alien force of unknown magnitude, I woke up today to familiar tunes my brother played over his small speaker at the living room where my two nephews lay fast asleep. I wondered just how they are able to slumber with such tunes as "Hi Ho, Hi Ho!" and "Under the Sea". What an irony for somebody who had known the tunes so much, with them having been a great part of her childhood while the rest of the young ones lay oblivious to them. Just to whet my curiosity even before I got to make my bed, I went downstairs like a zombie called forth by an evil charm. Then, like a child whose face brightened with the passage of a new idea (complete with a lighting bulb), I sat there listening while our helper comments, "Ate, good morning. Kalkag lage kaayo kag buhok."

Nostalgic episodes of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto assail me once more as I stumbled down the memory lane. In my young mind, never had I questioned just why Mickey Mouse (a mouse by all definitions) had a pet dog named Pluto while his friend, Goofy (also a dog) talks the same way as he does. I guess that's just how it is in the cartoon world-- there is a suspension of disbelief, like Gabriel Garcia Marquez's magical realism. I get amazed at how Minnie Mouse wears her over-sized heels while strutting her coquettish moves toward Mickey Mouse. Daisy Duck is also a 'duck' to be reckoned with as I fondly recall her batting eyelashes (and also her over-sized heels). And who would forget Donald Duck's three impish nephews --Huey, Louie and Dewey? Until now I still couldn't pronounce their names quite clearly. But I adore them for their impish and cute ways. They always look up to their uncle while playing truant and relaxed as they explore 'duckworld.' I guess young kids way back then had a fair glimpse of unclehood through those episodes.

Then came those fairy tales, most if not all, were adapted from the Grimm Brothers. Which little girl way back then hasn't been enamored by Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Alladin (to name a few)? Albeit their original versions had rather tragic endings, Walt Disney's ingenious adaptations have placed (and probably impregnated) in the young girl's unadulterated minds the concept of finding her very own Prince Charming in the most unlikely of all places---the woods, atop a magic carpet (or desert), behind a hideous face, or a grand ballroom; believing in positive outcomes despite difficult circumstances while thinking that even when today appears grim, tomorrow's another day.

These and my other nostalgic longings for those bygone days when things were simpler and marriage means great people around, a beautiful wreath of flowers on one's head while saying "I DO" (and smooching with the Prince Charming) were what struck me. I know I'll forever hold dear in my heart those fond memories.

Now, I'll just be content with listening to their soundtracks.