The Childhood That Shaped My Curiosity

Being a child in the early 2000s felt like living in a world that didn’t know stress.

I spent most of my time outdoors, playing with friends in the streets. It felt like the whole world was our playground.

• No smartphones.
• No distractions.
• Just pure laughter and the spirit of childhood rebellion, which sometimes led to minor scrapes and bruises.

If you weren’t home on time, you’d get punished. If things went really bad, a spanking was waiting.

But in my mind, it was worth it.

I was part of a group of friends. We didn’t do anything truly bad. But it made us feel cool.

Later, I discovered computer games. It opened a whole new world for me. I started asking constantly for more time in front of the screen. On a few occasions, I secretly took ₱1,000 from my parents to play at the café. We also sold junk to earn money for gaming.

Over time, I managed to take almost ₱6,000 for gaming experiments.

You know the feeling. It’s never just a game.

Then something crazy happened.

My account was hacked. The son of the café owner had installed a keylogger on the computers. Everything I had was gone.

That moment pulled me deeper into curiosity.

• How do systems work?
• How do people cheat?
• How do you outsmart what’s trying to outsmart you?

Notice it. The lesson hides in the loss.

Even back then, I felt that systems, people, and life in general are the greatest teachers. Constantly trying to show you something.

Even if it hurts in the process.