Conversations from the Cretaceous Period
Your mom: Hello, party line, puedeng makigamit ng telepono?
The party line: Sandali lang, importante ‘to.
Your mom: Dalawang oras na kayong nagchichismisan, pakibaba na.
The party line: Sinabi nang sandali lang, eh.
Your mom: Hoy, kanina pa kami naghihintay.
The party line: Antipatika! Sino ka ba?
Your mom: At ikaw, sino ka? Bastos! Walang modo!
In Emotional Weather Report, today in the Star.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
January 19th, 2007 at 13:05
loved today’s column! as one longer in tooth myself, i am totally excited by your forthcoming pop archeological series. Typewriters! Vinyl! Maybe even beepers and fax machines! Ah the detritus of jurassic technology. (Even the adjectival use of the word jurassic.) Can’t wait!
January 23rd, 2007 at 00:48
If I remember right, PLDT gave us a choice of party line and my folks chose my cousins who lived down the road. There were no teenagers yet in either household so the arrangement sat well among the blood-related adults and was peaceful enough. No comment on the non-bloods.
Did you know that you could call your party line? Dialing 1994 then holding the plunger down connected you to your phone’s umbilical twin. Your unit would ring which meant your party line’s unit was ringing as well. When the ringing stopped it meant your party line just picked up, which was your signal to let go of the plunger and commence hostilities.