The End of an Era
Posted on August 18, 2009 by Ching under Family.
I found out about my grandfather’s passing via Twitter.
I am more shocked about the means by which I found out, than Papa Osing’s passing. After all, it is the natural course of things. We are born, we get old, and we die. The life cycle is as predictable as it is certain. But to find out through a tweet. Wow.
My mother didn’t call me on my cellphone, nor did she call me at work. I found when I checked my text messages on the way home. Before you guys freak out, Brian was driving (as always) so it’s not like I was texting and driving.
In mom’s defense, she knows I don’t like taking personal calls at work (unless, of course, it’s urgent). I’m a bit of a workaholic. Even Brian knows not to bother me when I’m at work. When he calls me, he knows he has 30 seconds (at most).
My cellphone is always on silent, so it’s not the best way to reach me. It might get turned on briefly at lunch, but it otherwise goes unnoticed inside my purse as the day progresses.
This news, urgent or otherwise, might have qualified for an actual phone call. It’s not like I could do anything, but it might have been nice to know before the rest of the world did. Then again, I probably wouldn’t have been available to take the call anyhow. Perhaps a tweet or text was best.
Papa Osing’s passing marks the end of an era. It marks the end of a more conservative way of life and the end of old-fashioned communication.
Dad is flying to the Philippines this Thursday to the tune of $2500. That’s what happens when you have to fly across the globe on such short notice. Too bad transportation hasn’t advanced as quickly as communication. Teleportation would come in handy right about now.
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Replies to "The End of an Era"
« Brian and Wild Animals « this post » In Memory of Papa Osing »
Jo on August 19, 2009
Teleportation. A means of transportation which requires a very sterile environment! Rico would have done that but afraid that when he disintergrate into atoms and gets re-assembled at the other end, it might get contaminated with foreign substance that he can”t return to original form. Might as well pay the price.