my first sony experience is with the sony colored TV and betamax!

i’m an 80’s kid who loves music to the max, but i’m not one of those who were fortunate enough to get a sony walkman way back.

in fact, what i had then was SUNNY. my mom told me it’s the same, but i knew she just said that because there were too many bills to pay and our budget’s too tight for that “if-you-have-it-you’re-in” gadget.

even if that’s the case, my parents didn’t let our family get left behind the trend. truth is, S-O-N-Y were among the first english letters that i learned to read and pronounce because they are embossed on the front panel of our first colored television set and on the bottom left corner of our heavy, all black super betamax.

the word betamax then was a big deal high tech home appliance. so when my playmates and i were in a fight, it’s one of the things that i boast: “do you even have BETAMAX at home??? ’cause we do.”

the original tagalog version is: “e kayo ba may betamax??? kame, meron!”

i just think it’s funny to hear that brag today after the world of electronics has gone far, evolved fast and improved our lives with lighter, slimmer, multi-functional and smarter gadgets. but wait, there are things that remained in tact: the signs!

it’s through the betamax where i learned that the square means stop, the triangle pointing right means play, the parallel rectangles for freeze, and the button that my eldest brother taught me to NEVER EVER dare touch, the red rectangle button, which is to record.

like any curious and persistent kid who’s already been warned, i pressed it multiple times just to see what’s so dangerous about it. and guess what, it ruined the movie on the tape that we just rented. the spanking after that was worth it though. because at least i understood what “record” does. and yes, it amazed me. wow!

decades have passed and we’re still a sony family. our television kept being replaced over the years for something wider and better, and it’s just the brand that remained the same. currently we have the 36-inch silver sony kd series which mom requested as our christmas present for her two years ago.

and as for the betamax, it’s sad to have witnessed it phase out after i recorded some episodes of one of my favorite tv programs during that time: the animated and tagalized maria and the von trapp family singers.

by the way, here’s one picture of me in 1988 when i was in first grade and was dressed for my very first stage performance of the chinese fan dance in school:

so there you go. click the image and zoom in to check out the red record button on the betamax that put me in trouble. and look at my hairdo! so 80’s!

now there must be a reason why my mom had me pose that way before taking a shot when the TV really had nothing to do with the occasion that day. she must have predicted that i will need to post this picture on my blog after 20 years! and believe it or not, this same trinitron television set is still alive and kicking as of this writing.

as you have read, these appliances definitely gave significance in my life just like the sony’s world’s first motionflow 240Hz LCD TV bravia Z450 which outstandingly transformed the traditional film viewing at home, bringing comfort and total entertainment to every household. long live sony! yehey!