Games for Rainy Days

You wake up early, go through the same routine–eat breakfast, brush teeth, take a bath–when the radio announcer says: “Wala pong pasok sa lahat ng mga eskwelahan sa NCR mula sa mababang paaralan hanggang sekundaryang paaralan dahil sa Signal #4!” (No classes for schools in NCR from elementary until high school because of Signal #4).

In the nineties, late stormy weather forecasts occured a lot in the Philippines. PAGASA back then did not seem to invest in the proper equipment in order to tell the weather. As if to add insult to injury, the bad weather cuts the electricity. What to do, what to do?

We had no generator before so my mom bought board games (so that my siblings and I could entertain ourselves). Of course, a deck of cards was a household staple. My favorite board games for the rainy days are Snakes and Ladders, Boggle, Monopoly, Pictionary, and Uno Stacko! I would compete with my siblings until we get bored or someone gets pikon.

The most ‘nakakapikon’ board games are Monopoly and Uno Stacko. Nobody leaves the living room unhurt or unoffended after those…at least in my family. Here’s a reminder of how Uno Stacko got famous.