What are you like with text/sms messages?

[Arthur Little]

Hmm ... maybe it's an "age" thing, but I'm not really into texting - nor using a *mobile phone [although I do *HAVE one!] if I can possibly help it! Sounds daft, I know, but I find texting quite difficult. And when I was in the Phils, I used to get Myrna to send texts (that I dictated to her as if she were my secretary, instead of my wife ) for transmission to my family back home.

As for mobile phones ... well, ok ... they're very handy sometimes (especially when someone is in the middle of nowhere and the car breaks down). But since neither Myrna nor I are drivers, that particular circumstance is unlikely to crop up with us!

On the whole, though, it seems to me that youngsters nowadays, can barely survive for any length of time - WITHOUT giving into the urge to call and/or text their peers at the slightest whim ... even when paying bus fares.

In so saying, I hope my co-forumers will resist the temptation to come down on me like the proverbial

[Arthur Little]

Oh ... and while on the subject of "gadgetry", readers will, no doubt, have observed my inveterate use of CAPITALS whenever I want to lay emphasis on a particular word or words.

I ought to explain that this [? irritating] "habit" stems from my basic lack of know-how in creating itallics, coloured fonts and other fancy shapes and sizes. I've long been fairly proficient with a manual typewriter ... but, the comparatively little I've gleaned about computers has, I'm afraid, derived from my being largely self-taught.

[somebody]

Oh ... and while on the subject of "gadgetry", readers will, no doubt, have observed my inveterate use of CAPITALS whenever I want to lay emphasis on a particular word or words.

I ought to explain that this [? irritating] "habit" stems from my basic lack of know-how in creating itallics, coloured fonts and other fancy shapes and sizes. I've long been fairly proficient with a manual typewriter ... but, the comparatively little I've gleaned about computers has, I'm afraid, derived from my being largely self-taught.

You seem to be doing well Sir experiment your be amazed what you can do

Very true regarding Mobile phones often there is a day when I wish i never saw a Mobile again, i spend more time in company with my mobiles than i do my missus and family

[South-east boy]

Well, I look pretty tired today as I went to bed earlier and I woke up about 5.15am, then once I thought about things and started worrying that was it-I spent 3 1/2 hours trying to get back to sleep and thinking all kinds of stuff.

I just phoned her mobile again and still no answer. I then phoned her home phone and spoke to one of her brothers. He said that he doesn't know when she will be back and she's on vacation! Seems very strange that Suzie mentioned nothing about this to me, especially when she said that money was tight and all her money goes to the family etc. Maybe it was a Birthday or Christmas gift or it's staying with some relations, but I would have thought they would know when she would be back etc and that she would have told me before going away. I just hope that she's not on vacation with another guy! Wish I'd asked when she went away and who with, but too late now! Wasn't expecting him saying that, so wasn't ready with what to say.

[laurel]

Well, I look pretty tired today as I went to bed earlier and I woke up about 5.15am, then once I thought about things and started worrying that was it-I spent 3 1/2 hours trying to get back to sleep and thinking all kinds of stuff.

I just phoned her mobile again and still no answer. I then phoned her home phone and spoke to her brother. He said that he doesn't know when she will be back and she's on vacation! Seems very strange that Suzie mentioned nothing about this to me, especially when she said that money was tight and all her money goes to the family etc. Maybe it was a Birthday or Christmas gift or it's staying with some relations, but I would have thought they would know when she would be back etc and that she would have told me before going away. I just hope that she's not on vacation with another guy! Wish I'd asked when she went away and who with, but too late now! Wasn't expecting him saying that, so wasn't ready with what to say.

hang in there SEB, .......i can see its not easy, thnx for being so open with us.
Sincerely thinking of you take care

[jam07]

Well, I look pretty tired today as I went to bed earlier and I woke up about 5.15am, then once I thought about things and started worrying that was it-I spent 3 1/2 hours trying to get back to sleep and thinking all kinds of stuff.

I just phoned her mobile again and still no answer. I then phoned her home phone and spoke to one of her brothers. He said that he doesn't know when she will be back and she's on vacation! Seems very strange that Suzie mentioned nothing about this to me, especially when she said that money was tight and all her money goes to the family etc. Maybe it was a Birthday or Christmas gift or it's staying with some relations, but I would have thought they would know when she would be back etc and that she would have told me before going away. I just hope that she's not on vacation with another guy! Wish I'd asked when she went away and who with, but too late now! Wasn't expecting him saying that, so wasn't ready with what to say.

This is really sad. I dont feel good about this actually. I know many filipina's here in the forum will agree to me that it is not typical for a filipina not to communicate with her boyfriend for almost a week. Even at our busiest time, we still find time to send a simple text just to remind our bf that we are still here. I hope you dont mind me asking, do you have any tampuhan before this?

[South-east boy]

This is really sad. I dont feel good about this actually. I know many filipina's here in the forum will agree to me that it is not typical for a filipina not to communicate with her boyfriend for almost a week. Even at our busiest time, we still find time to send a simple text just to remind our bf that we are still here. I hope you dont mind me asking, do you have any tampuhan before this?

Well, we have been in contact for 7 months now and I did notice that she seemed to be e-mailing less a few months back, once I didn't hear anything for a week and once it was longer (this was before we were talking on the phone or texting). She has an old PC at home, but has to share it with the whole family and especially 5 of her brothers and sisters who are studying for College and school. There are 3 PC's at the language school where she teaches, but she said that she has less spare time there as she has more students to teach and as there's only 3, it's not easy to get on them. Obviously she didn't text much to my UK phone number as it was expensive. Then her father passed away, so I couldn't really press her to email more, especially as it meant that the family was more short of money and that she would need to do some private teaching in the evenings.

I then got a special phone number to call her, but that ran out and after joining this forum, I searched on here for other ways to phone her. She did say it was best to phone her after 10pm her time, as she was mostly always in then, but of course the later it was, the more tired she would be. I then bought a 2nd hand unlocked network phone and a Smart roaming sim so she could text me cheaply and we could keep in contact when we were unable to phone or email. I sent her a small amount of load while I was waiting for the sim card and phone to come, but that was used up when she texted me to my UK phone number. I then sent her a 500 pesos load a couple of weeks back, so she should have a lot of that left.

The only time when she has seemed a little off was on Christmas day evening when she thanked me for the presents and I replied with sorry that some were a bit boring (just things like tablets and ointments etc). She replied "Your questions aren't boring. Are you being pessimistic? Don't be. I really don't like it." Then she thanked me again for certain things etc. It seemed quite out of character and she's never been like that before. I did send her a message a couple of days before that when I hadn't heard anything for a couple of days & was feeling a bit down and said sorry for all my boring questions, so maybe she got that message late? But after that message we sent more messages like normal and in the last one she seemed fine. She said she was sitting on the mat and reading the local tourist leaflets that i sent her and mentioned certain ones that she liked. Then she said she hoped I was having a good time, be safe, take care, goodnight and smile xoxoxox.

I tried calling her mobile number again and it was engaged for about 20 minutes and now there's no answer again.