Vintage Finds: Typewriter

Recently found a portable typewriter in my childhood home. It reminded me of Mom's huge Olympia typewriter. She used it to teach me the proper way to type. I remember I was so amazed with it I even had them put it beside my bed on the floor. It was so heavy though, so it stayed there until my parents got annoyed with me typing in their bedroom.

I don't know if Mom kept the Olympia typewriter. It looked like the one I saw in a museum in Singapore back in 2012. I haven't seen it for a long time now, so Mom may have given it away. It's my first time to see the portable one, so it must be Titay's. I brought it home to clean it up and see if it's still working. I miss typing on a typewriter. 

I enjoyed it and was thrilled we had typing classes in high school. My college batch was the last one that had typing classes. Actually we only had it for a semester because they changed all the typewriters and we had basic computer classes in the next semester. Remember the game "Typing Tutor"? I loved that game and always tried to beat my speed, haha. 

Also watched Howie Severino's documentary, "Type Kita". I originally thought it was a Valentine episode! Turned out to be about typewriters, haha. At least now I know where I can have the portable one repaired (if needed) and where to buy a new one (if I want to). It was funny to see how the younger generation didn't know how to use a typewriter. Sorry na, I'm from the last generation that experienced the offline and online world. Anyway, you can watch the documentary here.

Did you know that there's a strange trend in our country? There's always a spike for the search term "typewriter" every May/June (moreso from 2004-2014). I guess it's because it's usually the start of the schoolyear?

Given the chance, would you still use a typewriter?

#BeKind #StaySafe

Throwback Thursdays: Mrs. Ponce's Typing Class

Sweetie asked me the other day, "How do kids learn how to type nowadays?" It was a curious question since we both learned to type on a typewriter. Miggy learned to type on a computer keyboard. I don't think he experienced using a typewriter even though we still had Mom's Olympia typewriter when he was growing up. 

I think I was just in second or third grade when my Mom started teaching me how to use the typewriter. It was a fascinating gadget for me. I even slept on the floor with the typewriter beside my bed. Mom had a lot of scratch paper and just let me play with the typewriter as much as I wanted. 

We had typing class in high school. Our teacher, Mrs. Ponce, had us decorate brown paper bags. We used it as our "blindfold" whenever we had typing tests. She'd play some music whenever we had exams. That was supposed to help us type faster since the songs were pretty upbeat. My seatmate, Rica, shared the playlist of the songs on Spotify (look for "Mrs. Ponce's Typing Class Playlist). 

We also had a typing class when I was a froshie in college. The typewriters were soon replaced by computers. We were the last batch that had typing class. Kids nowadays won't experience getting their hands dirty changing the typewriter ribbon. They also won't experience getting their fingers stuck between keys. Also, no need to use liquid paper whenever you make a mistake. And they won't be able to prank others by interchanging the keys. 

The heavy typewriter may be gone now, but I have many happy memories of using it. A portable one made me editor-in-chief of our literary folio in college. I just borrowed the portable typewriter then from a friend. It was also the last typewriter I used, since I've been using computers eversince that fateful day. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

 

The Typewriter

My Mom used to have the exact same typewriter when I was a kid and I think I was just about ten when she started to teach me how to type properly. I breezed through typing class in high school and college because I learned how to type early.
I was so enamoured with the typewriter, I used to put it beside me when I slept. Aside from writing mundane stuff I remember typing up song lyrics too. Unfortunately the book I made was destroyed during Typhoon Ondoy.
My son has never experienced using this old school device. Too bad he won't be able to feel getting his fingers stuck in between keys.