Where’d all the time go?:

A throwback on Pinoy

‘puppy love’ dating culture

ARTICLE: ALYSSA BAUTISTA | FEBRUARY 10, 2024.

Bumble? Tinder? Omegle? What happened to all the corny-yet-kilig dating scenes before humanity evolved to just swiping left or right? Don't get me wrong—it is not that bad! But while it might seem rather rare to encounter “meet-cute” tales over tons of dating app success stories all over the internet, who wouldn’t love a hit of nostalgia?

To our millennial people out there, we hear you! Here are not one but five old-normal-slash-Pinoy “puppy love” dating cultures that you miss before your favorite online games (oops)!

#GM (Group Message)

Most of the time, it is sent to many—as it should be—hence the name, but for the Filipino dating dictionary, it means the total opposite. In the early days, GMs were usually used as an alibi to make it seem like it was a text message intended for the whole contact list, when in reality, don’t we all just have this one person in mind?

A cute, shy attempt to send a signal of flirtatious intent, it makes for a wise choice for the thrifty.

Would you want to waste a good amount of mobile load to text irrelevant people “Good morning!”? I don’t think so!

Blue Magic ambassador

The gift that keeps on giving. The national representative shop, and a heaven for every gift-givers.

Gone were the days when Valentines used to be full of people carrying this ever-iconic blue paper bag with cute stuffed animals inside. And it lives up to its name because the magic in here is that you’ll never guess which is it that you’re gonna get. Is it a huge teddy bear? A fluffy stuffed dog? The perfect must-have and a must-buy for couples on hearts day, Blue Magic was ‘THAT’ thing!

A sorry flex on all the singles out there, this right here automatically sets your status to take—a literal “sana all” of its time.

Hallway live band experience

“Idadaan nalang sa gitara,” Who says you even need karaoke to score a 100?

Serenading your crush in school hallways doesn't only make it one's core memory, but rather of the whole campus, as they get a VIP seat on a whole live band experience. Talk about being the main character of a musical, there’s just something about learning how to play the guitar, or having your musician friends help you with your grand confession, that could get you a perfect score on that person’s heart.

It is such a power move even for not-so-powerful vocals, it never goes wrong with being traditional!

Cartolina pro(m)posal

“I’d marry you with paper rings” except this is a proposal—on huge paper.

I bet you can't find anyone who hasn't witnessed someone getting proposed to with cartolina/manila paper. It just had to be a universal experience.

Looking at it now may appear to be childish but years back, it is considered to be the most romantic thing ever. Growing up to the peak of rom-com movies, this hopeless romantic gesture of a public confession was every girl's childhood dream come true!

Just be careful, it’s either this could be the start of a cute Love Actually-inspired romance or a very “Okay, thank you, Group 1” moment—there’s no in-between.

F.L.A.M.E.S

Personality tests this, astrological reading that—this right here was compelling enough that it stood above fate and destiny. What would you be if you didn't even bother checking who will be your soulmate?

Before everything else, FLAMES was the classic compatibility test-slash game that had everybody crowding the room. A love reading based on your and your crush’s names, sign me up!

Although Pinoy dating has drastically changed over time, these young and innocent efforts are proof that we all went through a phase. Regardless if it may look like a whole cringe fest for a throwback, it cannot be denied that this era was indeed something else.

Phew, where’d all the time go?