Once upon a Promdi

I have a little secret. It was only in my second year in college (I was 18 at that time) when I first learned to surf the internet. I entered college with zero knowledge on computer. I mean ZERO knowledge. Yeah, I'm Tarzan who is now enjoying the city.

I grew up in one of the poorest (they actually say it's THE poorest) provinces of the Philippines. My eyes grew in wonder like an awed caveman when I first saw the bright light of an electric bulb when I was 7 years old. I watched my first television show when I was nine. Life was so simple back then. We are way behind the latest technology but we are blessed with fresh clean air, stones-throw beaches, fresh seafood, and there's a gold mine in our little town

I passed the entrance exam of one of the universities (the BEST they say) in the country so I got to see a more civilized world. Then I have to confront myself of the reality that computer is going to be an important part of my college life. You could imagine the frustration! I didn't even know how and where to turn it on and off. I used to spend hours and hours of typing just a page of an essay because I didn't know about choosing and adjusting font, doing the margins... you know, those stuff a grade-schooler can chew like a bubble gum. In many instances, I lost my files and start all over again because I didn't know that you actually save them. Yeah, you can call me Tarzan now. Thanks to my kind friends from the small fellowship I was attending who taught me how to use Microsoft Office.

Then the internet. I used to just watch my friends do stuff with the computer. Internet is quite a popular word but I was a complete dumb. Then one frustrating night and nothing to talk to, I mustered my strength, gathered all my courage and went to a computer cafe near the university. Internet here I come... It was just the "e" I thought. That's what my friends usually click! Good thing I can read and I just followed what the screen told me after the clicking the "e".

So yeah, it's a long journey to computer literacy and sometimes I feel embarrassed telling people about it. However, it's also good to take a pause and look back and see how far you've been. Makes you continue with the journey with a fresh wide-eyed anticipation of life's next treats. Who would have known that I have been a hardware support technician for Dell computers? And that the girl I love most would break my heart through Skype?

Yeah, you live and you learn. Tarzan will continue to swing his way amidst the highways and by-ways and skyscraper of life's sweet and bitter surprises.