Hey — It’s Toffer.
Destination done. Now to fix this time machine, I need to know my starting point — which is easy if I knew where I was — I didn’t.
Estimated read time: 5 minutes
This is the second part in this series. Check out the first here: Lost in Time 1
So, I might as well go back. I turned the knob to the 90s.
“Toffer, you coming?” Papa called out to join him for his pandesal walk.
It was dawn. I was 8. No wonder I’m always up early. No wonder I like carbs.
We didn’t really talk, but he spoke to everyone else, saying hello as if he’s the Barangay Captain. I was just watching him. What a guy.
Black. Back again. Knobbed to the early 2000s.
People were crying, but I was laughing — I was on stage acting. I remember being told that the key in telling a sad story is to smile, laugh, then they'll cry.
They stood, clapping. That was something.
Again, back. Finally, I was in 2024. But to move forward with this time machine, I needed to encode 10 truths about me. Ok, let’s do this:
I speak my mind, even when it’s uncomfortable—especially when I can sense something’s off.
I respect people with wealth who don’t feel the need to show it off. It’s about having integrity, not making a scene.
I see my wife in my daughter, and that makes me proud. But when I see myself in my son, it makes me pause and think.
I’m overweight and not exactly healthy, and I know that. But deep down, I also know I can change if I really commit to it.
I admire people who get things done, and I know I have that in me too—when I really set my mind to it.
I love a clean car, probably because it gives me a sense of control, even when the rest of life feels a bit messy.
I tend to buy more books than I can finish, but the excitement for learning something new is always there.
I’m a bit of a showman, though I still get stage fright. I love the spotlight, but the nerves are real.
I want my kids to be cool, brave, and kind, and I know that starts with me showing them how it’s done.
I think a good pair of shoes can really make a man, because how you present yourself in the world says a lot.
…to be continued.
Your Friend in Time,
Toffer