Hello!
Hopefully this topic is not reserved for Australians only since only (mainly) Australian are posting.
As some was mentioned, people (most often) always say that past was better. The world is spinning around with faster and faster speed. What was one fast is now slow. As Bob Dylan sings "you better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone, for the time they a changing...).
As my ex boss said: life mainly consists of disappointments. We were younger, we didn't care for some things, we believe that world is not black hole, etc.
The best thing is to say hakuna matata and try not to worry too much.
This is my cup. Maybe you will find it interesting since it's coming from Central/Southern/Eastern Europe (for tiny country as ours it really doesn't matter where it belongs).
I've also noticed / got felling than most of you are at least few years older than me.
So...
around '90 was time:
When I was most free in probably whole of my life. Spent all days outside, on rollerskates, bike, etc.
When I liked driving bicycle.
When kids played outside not hanging in front of monitors.
When I had huge nightmares when watching "scary" movies (X Files, It (Clown), etc.).
When I didn't like Germans and Italians because they invaded our country during WW2.
When we were meeting with friends/neighbours so that we imitate wolfs/train. We went outside and just yell "uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"... Young wolfs.
When I spent more time in DOS than Windows.
When I probably couldn't write but could write commands into DOS, which I knew by heart.
When The Lost Vikings was the best game ever.
When we have to ran to shelters (cellars) when alarm went off for Yugoslavian fight plane were flying over our country.
When best thing for me was to go watching "Yugoslavian" soldiers on train stations in nearby town and army barracks in our city. They all looked very sad.
When my favourite book was one about our "Independence day" (war).
When we have our own currency.
When ice cream was less than 100 SIT (Slovenian Tolar). It's now 1. (1 is 239,640 of ex currency). So ice cream went up for at least 2,4 if not more.
When I have (wrongfully) accused of some things. When I looked back I think this affected my life almost more than anything else. One of rare things that really pisses me off is people accusing me for things I didn't done.
When my grandma took me to Ivan Kramberger's speeches (presidential candidate; he was well known for charity). He brought a little monkey with him. He pointed his finger towards block of flats and yelled "looked those stealing army "staff", communist thiefs, etc.". I fall asleep. Few weeks/months after the speech in our "city" he was shot at another speech. The official explanation is that he was shot by some drunk guy because he couldn't sleep. Theories go that he was assassinated (he had plenty of enemies)... In one of the recent articles he was described as people "tribune" (latin word; look Julius Caesar - also assassinated...)
When I've learnt fist English words (tiger, television).
When I couldn't pronounce letter "k" and was saying "t".
When my ex schoolmate wasn't Playboy bunny.
When one of my favorite movie was Thrashin' (
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092085/?ref_=sr_1)]skate or die

.
When we could bought (despite being kids) ice cream with rum.
etc.
