My Firsts with My First Phone

My First Phone

It was in the year 1999 when I had my very first cellular phone.  It was a black and sleek Motorola phone. If I can remember it right, it was a Motorola 8800.  It was the first cellular phone in the Philippines that introduced short messaging system or SMS or better known as text messaging.

Although my Motorola phone was of no comparison of today's smartphone.  But at that timer it was introduced, only professionals and some rich kids were able to own it.  It was a little pricey.  Uniquely, it had only two lines for screen display of messages.

Although there were already Nokia phones available at that time but they were not meant for text messaging. They were only for calls and for plans too.

My First Network

As far as I know, it was Globe who brought and introduced this text messaging technology in our country.  Smart network at that time was focused on calls yet and still tried to introduce the text messaging in the market.  Hence, Globe was able to establish its name in terms of innovation in cellphone technology.

There was no unlimited calls nor unlimited text messaging at that time.  There was even no electronic loads available.  I would have to buy a card to load my phone in 250 and in 500 denominations.  The same as today, the cost per message sent was one peso.

Despite the cost, I did not complain the my spending.  Even if my card load of 250 pesos for that matter may last only for 1 week, that time, to spend some money for the phone was no big deal.  There was even a time that I used to decorate my cards load in our room in Mindanao State University.  Even if totaling the price in buying those cards would be able me to buy more than one of Levi's Jeans, but I simply did not mind it.

My First Textmate

Because of the text messaging, I was able to have friends whom I never met in my entire life.  We became friends only through texts.  There was one text friend of mine whom I was able to establish some connections with.

She was my first serious textmate.  She was from Cagayan de Oro City.  Truly, in the world of text messaging, everybody hides and conceals his/her identity.  My textmate was no exception.  I said to her that I was 21 years old at that time. I was honest. She responded that she was a little bit older.  So, I said, what the heck anyway.  Age does not matter right?

So after months of text messaging, we decided to finally meet.  At that moment, it was not called an eye ball yet.  I guess the term was coined or used 5 or 10 years later.

We agreed to meet in Gaisano Mall of Cagayan de Oro City.  I wore the color of shirt as what we have agreed upon.  After how many minutes my phone rang and a message popped telling me that my textmate was already at the venue looking at me already.  I gazed and tried to search her location.  But I was not able to find her.  Until she approached me and introduced her name.  I was surprised because she was not telling the whole truth about her age.  I was expecting that she would only be older a bit than me and not that almost a score of age gap.  Imagine that my age was almost doubled to hers.

After that horrible experience, I never ventured to text messaging just to find friends again.

A Balut Affair to Remember

A Balut image grabbed from bing images.

A balut or balot is a developing duck embryo that is boiled alive and eaten in the shell. It is commonly sold as streetfood in the Philippines. They are common food in countries in Southeast Asia, such as Laos (khai look ໄຂ່ລູກ in Lao, Cambodia (pong tia koon ពងទាកូន in Cambodian)^[1] and Vietnam (trứng vịt lộn or hột vịt lộn in Vietnamese). They are often served with beer says http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut_%28egg%29.

Halo-Halo Festival

Halo-halo (from Tagalog word halò, "mix") is a popular Filipino dessert that is a mixture of shaved ice and evaporated milk to which are added various boiled sweet beans and fruits, and served in a tall glass or bowl.

Halo Halo Dessert picture grabbed from the Wikipedia.

Ingredients include boiled kidney beans, garbanzos, sugar palm fruit (kaong), coconut sport (macapuno), and plantains caramelized in sugar, jackfruit (langkâ), gulaman, tapioca, nata de coco, sweet potato (kamote), cheese, pounded crushed young rice (pinipig). In terms of arrangement, most of the ingredients (fruits, beans, and other sweets) are first placed inside the tall glass, followed by the shaved ice. This is then sprinkled with sugar, and topped with either (or a combination of) leche flan, purple yam (ubeng pula), or ice cream. Evaporated milk is poured into the mixture upon serving, says the Wikipedia.

An AFS Experience 2

This is a continuation of my post with regards to our experiences in hosting an AFS scholar.

I have posted herein some photos where our foster daughter Camille Prudent did the first in her lifetime I guess.  This would be her memories that she would never forget here in the Philippines.

It is her first time to wash her dirty clothes, the Filipino style.  Although we have a washing machine here, but my wife taught her how to wash her clothes using her hands.  At first, my wife would rewash what Camille had washed because she felt not contended the way the latter did it.  But now, Camille has already learned the art of handwashing.

Our foster daughter French girl Camille Prudent doing the laundry.

A Christmas to Remember

When I was still living in our remote sitio of Ruparan in Digos, celebrating a yuletide season was not that very lavish.  The people there are really living below poverty threshold level.  Just imagine a family of five for that matter earning only 120 pesos a day.  Usually what were prepared in our dining table were loaves of bread sandwiched with pancit and then partnered with a bottle of soft drinks.  

photo grabbed from bing images

If a family prepared some viands stuffed with meat already, they were considered rich in our place.

MSU Christmas Alphabet

With the advent of the christmas season, especially in our dormitory Rajah Solaiman Hall, we used to sing christmas songs already.  Although, MSU is in the muslim city of Marawi City, it did not hamper our christmas celebration.  One of the christmas songs we sang is the famous christmas alphabet song but we changed what each letter of the christmas stands for.  I really miss my alma mater already.  Thus, I am looking back what my life was in MSU.

An MSUan Life

Kadto istudyante pa ako sa Mindanao State University - Marawi City, ang amo paagi para mawala ang kamingaw sa amo mama ug papa mao ang maghisgot sa mga kinabuhi sa mga istudyante.  In short, manglibak mi sauna.  Usa sa amo nga ginalibak, mao ang mahitungod sa istudyante sa Biology 1 sa College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

Sa dihang nag experiment sila sa ila klase mahitungod sa langaw, nagkuha siya ug usa kadako nga langaw.  Iya kini nga gipalupad, ug ang langaw nilupad.  Ang iya observation mao nga ang langaw nga adunay upat ka pako, makalupad.

The Client

Since I was assigned as a Public Attorney in Midsayap, North Cotabato in the year 2009, most of the cases I handled were Rape, Murder and Drug-Related.  It was hard to defend especially rape cases when it runs against your conviction.

I am a father of an 8-year old daughter.  Defending the accused of raping their daughters is quite a job.  I have no choice, have I?  It is my job to defend my client at all cost.  No matter what my beliefs are and my conviction is, I would stand for my client.

In defending my clients however, I need to detach myself especially when it comes to emotional department.  Considering that I have hundreds of clients to attend to, to absorb all the emotions my clients confided at me will make my sanity burst and go beyond its threshold level.

An AFS Experience

The American Field Services or AFS provides intercultural learning experiences that brings global cultures together by helping people connect, transforming the lives of thousands of students, families, and individuals every year. With exchange programs in more than 50 countries and a large network of volunteers, educators, and staff, AFS is committed to helping participants understand their immersion experiences in a foreign culture, says the website www.afs.org.

In the Philippines, particularly here in General Santos City, the AFS is headed by the energetic social worker Ma'am Jang Odoya.  She is the one who is in-charged when it comes to hosting AFS student or volunteer.  Also when a Filipino student wishes to travel, stay and study abroad via AFS, she is one of the persons who would sit in the selection process.

Fortunately, Ma'am Jang is one of the social workers in my court of assignment.  She asked me if I would be interested to host a foreign student.  The idea was suddenly approved by my wife considering that it would be our first time to host any foreign blood individual.  The idea of speaking to a foreigner excites us already, the more so if he or she is living with us for a period of 10 months.

But to be a foster family, is not that easy as eating the icing of the cake.  Your application shall be evaluated after considering into the welfare of the exchange student.  Anyway, our application was approved.

Last May 2013, we were informed already that our foster daughter is Camille Prudent, an 18-year old student of Troyes, France.  Days after we got her contact information, we then added her in our Facebook account and started to exchange some thoughts.  One of her concerns was something to a peace and order here in General Santos City because there were negative things her parents have read and heard about our place. After giving her an assurance that while it is true that there are some isolated security problems in some part of the country especially in Mindanao, but General Santos is relatively a safe place to stay.

Exactly on July 23, 2013, this year's batch of AFS scholars touched down in the airport of General Santos City.  There are 13 AFS scholars who are from Sweden, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Thailand and Dominican Republic.  See, it seems these scholars are candidates in a Miss Universe pageant.  They are of different races, colors and cultures.

The AFS scholars stroke a pose at the arrival area of the airport of General Santos City.

Gwen's Firsts

Gwen took a pose before going to NDDU-IBED

Our Gwen's first day of school had a lot of firsts.  It was the first time for her to carry a big-pink-trolley bag that would fit 8 books and 9 notebooks.  It was also her first time to wear a trademark green-checkered uniform of Notre Dame of Dadiangas University - Integrated Basic Education Department (NDDU-IBED).  Likewise, it was her first to step the portals of NDDU-IBED.  And lastly, she stayed on her school unchaperoned.

A Tale of a Buck and a Singing Wall Clock

When my family moved in a remote barrio of Ruparan, Digos City, Davao del Sur last 1986, our first ever precious possession was a buck or a male goat. It was so dear and lovely. It was acting as if it was a dog because we did not have to pull its rope, it would just follow us wherever we may go. In fact, if it would sense that we were near already, this cute and acting-as-a-dog goat would scream to its heart content to get our attention. 

One day, there was a mobile merchant who came to our house to sell anything and that included his infamous singing wall clock. He enticed us by letting his wall clock sing at every hour. Considering that it was also our first time to see and hear such a marvelous wall clock, we were awed so much. However, the wall clock did not cost a penny. It costed a whooping P 600.00, at least that was according to the wise mobile merchant. 

Considering that we did not have the money to buy the singing wall clock, our parents could not do anything but declined.. When the mobile merchant was about to leave our house, coincidentally, my brother came and with him our goat followed. The mobile merchant's eyes were glued to our goat. He then returned to our house. He proposed to have a barter of his singing wall clock with that of our goat. At first, we said no. Our goat would cost more than his singing wall clock after all. But the merchant incessantly persuaded us and he too let his singing wall clock sing, our parents gave in then. Thus, we traded our goat to the singing wall clock. 

However after almost 2 months of singing, our wall clock did not sing anymore.