My 13-year old TV set "blacked out" just as Frances, Diane Lane's character in "Under the Tuscan Sky", walks away from the gorgeous Marcelo. The black screen roused me from Marcelo's Italian good looks. What the heck happened? The audio is working but there is no picture on screen. Nothing else to do but turn it off. I felt relieved. I've been watching a lot of TV lately, a form of escape? I skipped my Sunday jog to watch a Michael Jackson video marathon all afternoon. I watch CNN, reruns of CSI, and the Food Channel until the wee hours of morning. Sometimes I would doze off and regain consciousness when I hear Sean Connery's unmistakably sexy Scottish brogue narrating the Beatles'---There are places I remember all my life, though some have changed, some forever, not for better, some have gone and some remain...
Our family didn’t own a TV set when I was growing up. The 13-year old TV set is the first TV set I bought as an adult. When we were in grade school, my younger siblings asked our father to buy us a TV set---I guess they were fed up watching TV from a neighbor's window. But Tatay explained the disadvantages of having a TV at home, how it would affect our reading habits, and added that TV makes people less intelligent. I believed him then, and I still do.
I am happy, and yes, relieved that my TV broke. My first love, the radio, keeps me company. And by
But tomorrow is another day...and I have to face my mother and explain why the TV broke. And I'm telling you, she wouldn't be happy or relieved.
my night stand Posted for Weekend Snapshot
just buy a new one. im sure itll bring a bigger smile to your mom.
ReplyDeletehi, dong. yeah, i'd probably buy a new one to keep my mom in a good mood.:P
ReplyDeletei grew up too with no tv at home. i purhcased my own tv just in 2005 and my daughter is really hooked to it. :( it considerably affected her study habits.
ReplyDeletenow i wish..masira din tv namin. :)
That was so classic! I remember we still had a black and white TV (along with the other one) when I was in highschool, now I wonder where it is.
ReplyDeleteI saw Vicks on your night table and a red phone. Do you remember how long ago it was when the Phils. first hosted the Miss Universe? That was when we got our first TV. We used to watch TV at our "old maids" neighbors' and pay 10 centavos. A few TVs came and went and still have a 13 inch 1997 sony with rabbit antena in my room. Thank goodness, we have cable boxes or less I won't we able to use it. Now I am hooked to blogging, I seldom watch TV. I suggest to get your mom a new one.
ReplyDeletehello, Ebie! i think it was the year Amparo Munoz (Miss Spain) was crowned Miss Universe---was it '73 or '74?:P i was in 3rd grade (haha nabisto tuloy edad ko!). around that time, our neighbor had a 12-inch Nivico tv set powered by a car battery, and as the power discharged, the picture became smaller and smaller (lol). omg, i'm laughing my head off here remembering all these!
ReplyDeletefinally, my aunt bought a Toshiba tv set for my lola in late 70's, with wood stand and casing. vintage na yon ngayon.
yeah, it's best to buy a new one. this was the first time my 13-yr old tv zonked out though. gusto na siguro mag-retire.:P
oh, vicks---i love the stuff (lol)! do you think it's addictive?:P
I grew up with tv, took a broadcasting course just because i thought it was God's gift to man, became a cineaste at one point (just watched anything for the heck of finding out what the techniques of the masters and the mediocre(s))...guess what? I don't even watch anything that moves in a boob tube for a year now! I have a clearer mind definitely! The only time God makes me watch TV is when I ride the long-distance provincial bus going to Manila. :-) I feel like an alien.
ReplyDeleteI don't watch much tv either, I'd rather read a book, listen to the radio, surf the net than watch tv!
ReplyDeleteWe have a nice, new flat screen that never gets used. We only bought it so that we would have something to play the Wii on. ;)
ReplyDeleteSometimes - every once in a while, we turn it on for a movie or sitcom, but it's pretty rare. Books and the outdoors are just so much more entertaining!
hello, Bernadette! i know how it feels, being an alien i mean (lol). my officemates thought it was so weird that i had no tv, and they succeeded in persuading me to buy one. kaya siguro magulo isip ko (lol)!
ReplyDeletetwo days without her favorite telenovelas, my mom barely spoke to me this morning.:P
hi, willa! i wish i could go back to my "hungry years" without tv (lol). but with my mom staying with me half the time, i couldn't bear to deprive her of her entertainment.:P
ReplyDeletethanks for visiting.
hi, Tranquility! you're right, books & the outdoors are much more entertaining. oh well, an LCD tv would certainly delight my mom.:P
ReplyDeletehi, Arlene! you can transfer the tv from the living room to your room to regulate your daughter's viewing time. that's what my SIL did, and it seems effective.:D
ReplyDeletehi, witsandnuts! when we see a vintage tv set nowadays, it always brings a lot of childhood memories. when i think of Wonder Woman, the Six Million Dollar Man and Hawaii Five-O, they're mostly in black & white.
ReplyDeleteyour old tv set may still be in your home's bodega.:P
"TV makes people less intelligent." - My dad used to tell us this as well. Same mentality nila haha. Sayang naman ang TV. Bili nalang bago. I am interested with those books. Namnam. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about your TV but like what you said, you can look at the brighter side of the situation. Television can be quite a big distraction especially to children.
ReplyDeletehello, NenNen! i finally bought a new one this evening, my mom's happy, even my dog was excited.:P
ReplyDeletebaka magkakilala ang mga tatay natin (lol). kahit wala kaming tv no'n, my father made sure we watched good movies. i got hooked on James Bond because of my dad, and of course, the joy of reading---got that from him as well. thanks for visiting.
hello, Heart of Rachel! true, one of my co-workers has been complaining of his son's tv habit. the kid prioritizes tv shows over his homework.
ReplyDeleteHahaha! What we got in '73 was a console TV with wood casing...I love Vicks! When I feel like getting sick and have a sore throat, I rub Vicks and wrap my throat/neck with a kerchief! Vicks does wonders!
ReplyDeletei support you to buy LCD or plasma which ever supports ur wallet i have LCD with home theater of LG quiet awesome but i grew without TV i love to read and really great to travel too...well good luck get one atleast for ur mom
ReplyDeleteI think watching TV also increasing our insight.
ReplyDelete