As far as I can remember, the happiest moments of my life always involved a certain TV set. In 1991, my grandparents, who were always concerned about their social status and what other people thought of our family, decided that it was time to upgrade their mode of entertainment. Throughout the 80’s, we made do with a TV that had knobs for changing channels and adjusting the volume. It was around noontime in the month of June that my grandfather, with great show of smugness and ceremony, peeled off the box from the most amazing thing that I had ever seen in my eight years in this world: a 27-inch Sony TV set.
Whenever we had parties, my grandparents never failed to show-off their new and humongous(in the early 90’s standards) TV, and they would trundle out the betamax player and show tapes of Robocop, Rambo and Flowers in the Attic . Sony, was the center of our fervent affections and we vied for her viewing pleasures. She was the bright light that illuminated the fungus-infected corners of my imagination.
On late afternoons, after school, I would position my self on our green-striped sofa and absorbed all the flickering images thru my retinas and let them ricochet all over my synapses. We spent a lot of afternoons, even days, together and my world revolved around her. We were at it for nine years and we last saw each other when I went to college. Since I spent too much time in her company, I detested the company of other people and shunned reality. Sony, was my best friend, nanny and surrogate mother. Freud once said that the true spouse of a man is his mother. In my case, it was my surrogate mother.
So, last June 17, 2007, Christabel and Esther(not their real names) decided to accompany me on my quest for a TV. I am now living the pseudo-independent and bachelor life and I have realized that being unattached can be lonely and uneventful. I needed a TV to bring excitement to my nights.
We first went to Colon Street, the shopping district of the middle and lower classes and the bargain Mecca of Cebu. My guides darted effortlessly through the Sunday throng while I carefully avoided colliding with fast-walking pedestrians. Colon, is an alien world to me. It is the exact opposite of my antiseptic environment, the mall. I dislike being in the midst of a sweaty and smelly crowd because my five-meter radius of personal space gets repeatedly violated. One of the most important things that Sony taught me was self-absorption.
When we entered a shop, the salesman immediately got off his stool and launched into his spiel. He never seemed to make any pauses or draw breaths. I think that his philosophy in marketing is that non-stop blabbering, sells. I tuned out and took a hard look at the merchandise smuggled out of Korea. It was dilapidated and worn out at the sides. It was pathetic and it would never match with my linoleum. If I were to replace Sony in my heart, the candidate must at least have some of her qualities like elegance and clarity.
We went into another shop but their wares were unworthy of me and far below my taste. Christabel, suggested that we should go to Mandaue. Her cousin bought a Panasonic TV there and it was in very good condition. After walking all the way to the Sto. Nino Basilica, we got on a jeepney that took us to SM and then we took another jeepney to Mandaue.
When I laid my eyes on her, I knew that she was the one. She was from the Aiwa family and came all the way from Japan. Sony, was also from Japan. The 24-inch flatscreen on her face was her best feature and her sharp lines and contours exuded elegance. Most of all, she had a very high resolution. She came with a remote control and a ten-foot Baron super antenna.
To celebrate my luck and to express my gratitude, I took Christabel and Esther to our favorite al fresco restaurant near the Capitol site for dinner. We had al dente pasta in chili and lemon sauce with a hint of shrimp and two servings of slices of bologna sautéed with huebos. We capped it off with sparkling lemon-flavored drinks in green bottles.
When I got home, I touched Aiwa’s ON button and we proceeded to entertain each other deep into the night.
Whenever we had parties, my grandparents never failed to show-off their new and humongous(in the early 90’s standards) TV, and they would trundle out the betamax player and show tapes of Robocop, Rambo and Flowers in the Attic . Sony, was the center of our fervent affections and we vied for her viewing pleasures. She was the bright light that illuminated the fungus-infected corners of my imagination.
On late afternoons, after school, I would position my self on our green-striped sofa and absorbed all the flickering images thru my retinas and let them ricochet all over my synapses. We spent a lot of afternoons, even days, together and my world revolved around her. We were at it for nine years and we last saw each other when I went to college. Since I spent too much time in her company, I detested the company of other people and shunned reality. Sony, was my best friend, nanny and surrogate mother. Freud once said that the true spouse of a man is his mother. In my case, it was my surrogate mother.
So, last June 17, 2007, Christabel and Esther(not their real names) decided to accompany me on my quest for a TV. I am now living the pseudo-independent and bachelor life and I have realized that being unattached can be lonely and uneventful. I needed a TV to bring excitement to my nights.
We first went to Colon Street, the shopping district of the middle and lower classes and the bargain Mecca of Cebu. My guides darted effortlessly through the Sunday throng while I carefully avoided colliding with fast-walking pedestrians. Colon, is an alien world to me. It is the exact opposite of my antiseptic environment, the mall. I dislike being in the midst of a sweaty and smelly crowd because my five-meter radius of personal space gets repeatedly violated. One of the most important things that Sony taught me was self-absorption.
When we entered a shop, the salesman immediately got off his stool and launched into his spiel. He never seemed to make any pauses or draw breaths. I think that his philosophy in marketing is that non-stop blabbering, sells. I tuned out and took a hard look at the merchandise smuggled out of Korea. It was dilapidated and worn out at the sides. It was pathetic and it would never match with my linoleum. If I were to replace Sony in my heart, the candidate must at least have some of her qualities like elegance and clarity.
We went into another shop but their wares were unworthy of me and far below my taste. Christabel, suggested that we should go to Mandaue. Her cousin bought a Panasonic TV there and it was in very good condition. After walking all the way to the Sto. Nino Basilica, we got on a jeepney that took us to SM and then we took another jeepney to Mandaue.
When I laid my eyes on her, I knew that she was the one. She was from the Aiwa family and came all the way from Japan. Sony, was also from Japan. The 24-inch flatscreen on her face was her best feature and her sharp lines and contours exuded elegance. Most of all, she had a very high resolution. She came with a remote control and a ten-foot Baron super antenna.
To celebrate my luck and to express my gratitude, I took Christabel and Esther to our favorite al fresco restaurant near the Capitol site for dinner. We had al dente pasta in chili and lemon sauce with a hint of shrimp and two servings of slices of bologna sautéed with huebos. We capped it off with sparkling lemon-flavored drinks in green bottles.
When I got home, I touched Aiwa’s ON button and we proceeded to entertain each other deep into the night.
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