Mechanical Wonder: The Typewriter

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In a world full of modernity and use of the highest technology possible, I have a strange fascination for the things that had once used as a part of the daily lives of the people of the yesteryears - and this is my love for the typewriters. A majestic piece of a mechanical marvel that brings us all back in time where wifi, facebook, IG and Twitter haven't been invented yet. A time where post offices are so busy tending all the paper letters because the email has not yet been born. Typewriters are the writer's best friend and companion; it is their musical instrument as for a musician is the piano.

My fascination with typewriters I guess started when I was 8. An aunt of mine gave me her Olympia portable typewriter complete with case and ribbons. As a child, I don't have much interest then, all I want is to play with my friends and indulge in arcade games during the weekends. Some nights when I wasn't been able to go outside, I usually type poems or short stories that only my mother can appreciate, lol. 'Til I find the pleasure of using it from time to time. I enjoy the sound that it makes every time I type. It sounds like music for a passionate typist and writer. I also remember doing my homework using the typewriter rather than going to a computer shop to have a printed one, and surprisingly, my classmates are somewhat amazed by the typewriter's letterpress quality. For me, it seems like the letters are coming to life every time the carbon-filled metal letter molds touches the pure white bond paper.

 Today, in Manila, there are some shops and enthusiasts that are offering refurbished typewriters. It is a happy feeling for me, being a vintage item lover that the millennials are going fond of this old machine. If you are a writer or an enthusiast like me, it is better to write using the typewriter because it has fewer distractions unlike when you are using your laptop where you can use the different media simultaneously while writing. I am looking forward to more young people finding this marvelous vintage machine its relevance and importance in this modern world.












Location: Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines

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