"Parang kailan lang, ang mga pangarap ko'y kay hirap abutin. Dahil sa inyo napunta ako sa aking nais marating. Nais ko kayong pasalamatan!" (Handog)
Wow! Time sure flies... one year! I remember it clearly when I first started Nostalgia Manila. It was this day, September 10th of last year, when I was somehow bitten by the nostalgia bug. You see I wasn't quite happy with the state of the world at the time. When we're not happy of how things are going in the present, we instinctively look back to our past for some comfort.
I looked through old photo albums while listening to old songs. I surfed the web and tried to find all sorts of things that reminded me of my childhood. I continued to absorb everything I could find, and I was soon engulfed in this unshakable state of pure nostalgia. It was this strange bittersweet feeling. You felt happy, laughing and smiling while remembering things you thought you've forgotten, but at the same time you felt a bit sad because you've learned that even after all these years, you still miss those things that made your life special.
This sort of time-travel experience made me realize how colorful Pinoy Pop Culture history was, and it was a shame that I couldn't find a place online that documented all this in detail. I felt so strongly about this new connection I had made with the past, and I felt that I had to do something with it.
Blogging was such a new concept for me back then. I didn't even know how to start my own blog. I didn't have any ideas of what to do as I really didn't have any material to post, except for my memories. So I started simply by making a list of all the random things I could remember of my childhood. Nostalgia List #01 was my first post in this blog. A lot of people somehow found that particular post and started leaving comments. This interaction encouraged me to dig up my personal files for more material to add onto my new posts. More comments came! It was clear that my audience was slowly growing, and Nostalgia Fever was beginning to spread.
After only a few weeks, I came up with a weekly posting schedule that contained weekly features. My readers always looked forward to seeing all the new features that were coming up. I made new friends and teamed up with people who were also into old things of the 60's, 70's, and 80's. People slowly started taking notice of this blog, and since its first conception, Nostalgia Manila has been featured in newspapers, magazines, television shows, and has even been nominated several times in the first annual Phil Blog Awards. It has become one of the favorite blogs by many Filipinos at home and abroad. It has brought people together, and has become a spacial treasure chest of memories for everyone.
I'd like to thank all of the people that have helped make this blog what it is today. Many thanks to the Nostalgia Manila family, the regular contributors of this blog: Sir Nicholas Stoodley, Gerry Alanguilan, Totoy Time Machine, Shawn Robare, Kim Castro, and the newest member of the family, Jojo Devera.
But most importantly I'd like to thank ALL OF YOU Nostalgia Fanatics! Thanks for sharing your wonderful memories! Let's continue to relive the wonderful days of yesteryear, and continue to spread Nostalgia Fever!
With sincerest gratitude, I'd like to thank you all! Thank you for making this a very special day!
Always,
--NM
Technorati Tags:70s, 80s, nostalgia
