Tuesday, August 15, 2006

A father's chronicle (Writing to home)

I still prefer the old ways even though I am a techki. I like pen and paper. There is a certain magical touch to it. Handwriting is a beautiful thing. I betrays the mood of the writer. It shows the insight to words. I like a handwritten letter, even though I am reading emails everyday - it can be so impersonal (even with the ending words - Best Regards).

I have taken the chance to write to Theophilus and Yan in this trip overseas. To 'betray' my feelings. To feel vunerable to those I love. To show them my inner thoughts, my feelings. Not just in the crafting of words. But how the characters are formed. The strength of writing... the angle and presentation form of my feelings. In conversation, we have tones... in writing, it takes a keen eye to read between the lines and even behind the pages (the strength used in the writing). It amazes me sometimes that people don't take note of such things. Certainly, we write with force and convictions... we shows more than just the arrangement of words.

I am going to the Post Office soon (after written the mails and cards for 2 days... I was not able to find the time to post it off... will do it during lunch break today).

Oh, on Saturday, I was visiting downtown Philadelphia... and was at one of the place where I read one of Benjamin Franklin's mail to his wife (Deborah Franklin). I like the letter... I wish I could see it in its original form...




It reads like this:

".... I sent you two saucepans, plated inside with silver instead of tinning. I bought them at Sheffield, because I thought they would please you..."

I thought of Yan when I read that. I miss her. Benajamin is so sweet. He was away. He bought them not just from a functional point of view. It was also because he thought "they would please" Deborah.

I hope my letters will arrive in the same way... that they might please them.