Introduction
Greetings
My
name is Avielh Aleczis M. Tolentino; ‘Avielh’ for short. The ‘h’ is silent. My
mom calls me ‘biyaw’, most of my close friends call me ‘viel’. I tend to be
kind. I like to do things properly. I like to help others - but not if it’s
illegal or wrong. Still, I go out of my way to help close friends. I learn
quickly but tend to get bored easily; I love new challenges, problems but not repetitive
tasks. I’m sort of tall about 5’8. I usually wear pants (jeans) or shorts – I
like to wear slippers if I’m wearing shorts. I do try to look nice. I want
people to see that I make an effort to please them, even in my clothes/
appearance. I do try to stay fit as that’s the cheapest way to look good- and
you get to live longer too!
Purpose
Writing an autobiography gives me
the chance to develop my communication skills. I do love to talk once I get
started – I really enjoy it, in fact many people who know me tell me I talk too
much. Writing an autobiography also gives me the opportunity to recall my past,
enjoy memories, and enjoy people I love. It also gives me the opportunity to
share my life with others.
Skill
I’m not really a writer, I don’t
like to write long- or rather I don’t like to think long – that is I tend to
summarize everything, simplify ideas and concepts the most that I can. I’ve
read science fiction novels before, but not too much. I’m not really a reader,
but I do listen a lot to sermons in mp3, and those help my diction a lot – both
in my speech and in my thinking. I do think in English more than tagalong (or
Filipino). Playing games also helps a lot because you get to listen to speeches
in good poetic English, especially in fantasy role playing games. Come to think
of it I did write a couple of game guides on the Internet. I don’t think they
were very good grammatically, but experience does help. Writing has a way of
making you think more clearly. It gives you the opportunity to see your
thoughts more clearly and scrutinize them. Writing is beneficial to anyone who
loves to think about things.
Attitude
I like to share ideas with people
who also love them. I’m a logical person; I got that from my dad. I tend to be
passionate on a one thing at a time, usually neglecting other things in the
process. But that does mean that when I love something or someone I really give
it my best. I like to excel in the things I love.
Style
I
really don’t know what my style is because I really haven’t had a lot of chance
to observe my writing in essay form. I love to argue so that will help. I don’t
like to be too formal, I tend to be natural and authentic; what is in my heart
I tend to speak as is. I’m not really good at lying. Someone said to me that
I’m honest but tactless. I’m witty, I love to add a lot of logic to what I do,
I don’t like things too simple. I love things well thought of, things that
people really put effort into. It shows that they value those things or at
least the people who will read or use them. I am hopeful and confident that
this will be a rewarding activity for me. I feel like I can go on forever : )
My Family
Grandfather
I have no memory of my lolo
(grandfather). ”Salvador Tolentino” – still the account name on our electric
bill, he was the one who bought and constructed our house. He was an accountant
and was a partner in a business (as I understand it). He was rich (most people
today hesitate to use that word; “poorer than the next richer guy” they’d say).
Though, he was relatively rich. I have no memory of him because he died before
I was born.
Grandmother
My lola (grandmother) is the family
I spent the most time with, because when my father and later my mother went to
work abroad, me and my sister were left with her. She used to worked at the
Ministry of Immigration, near Jones Bridge in Manila. I still remember going
there, it seems like the memory is in black and white because it was so long
ago. I remember that she was in charge of the supplies. Me and my sister would
often play in the corridors of that building when we went there.
Mother
My mother was and still is a nurse.
She used to work at Philippine General Hospital (PGH). I remember vaguely how
the parking lot looked like during those days. She was also a Tupper Ware
seller- I vaguely remember the building where the Tupperware office was; in
fact I have no idea where it is today. When my father went to work in Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia, my sister and I were left with her. Though she later also went
abroad to work, to Oman.
Father
My father was a mechanical engineer,
then later also a programmer. He really was that type of guy- very theoretical,
logical. He is an idealist, he expects systems (whether in computers or in the
society) to work at their best. He tends to hate systemic faults; as a result
he really doesn’t like the Philippines. He tends to be very western in
thinking. He’s not very talkative and doesn’t socialize much, very quiet. In
fact I didn’t talk to him a lot. It seems very awkward to talk to him; most of
my childhood conversations with him were more of questions and answer
conversations.
Sister
My sister Ginelle – we’d get along
together when we were kids. Though I remember I was really mean then. I
remember stealing from her savings and I always wanted toys, food for myself… I
was really selfish.
Home
An
Old house
The
house we grew up in was an old house. It used to be really well maintained but
when my Lola died it fell to disrepair. When I was young it was a rich house –
a house that looked like it was owned by rich people, I know this house very
well; I’ve played around it, inside it, hid in every place possible, climbed
the roof – it was a big playground for me.
Ginelle
My
sister and I played all around the house. When we were young we had a Family
Computer as it was called, or more commonly called today NES (Nintendo
Entertainment System). It was placed on the third floor and during lazy days
we’d played all day long. I still remember the first game cartridges we had :
Galaxian, Mario Bros, Pacman and 1942. Also during Saturday mornings, there
used to be an all morning cartoon marathon on channel 13 and we’d watch that
every week.
Buboy
and Aian
Buboy and (ate) Aian are brother and
sister, our cousins. They were from the province (from Aklan). They’d usually
come on vacations and we’d play with them. They were noticeably faster and more
agile than us and most of the kids here. They were good at climbing trees,
using sling shots, running and feinting during outdoor games like tag or Langit
Lupa. We spent a lot of time playing with them and learned a lot from them.
Jereth
and Marco
Jereth and Marco are brothers, also
our cousins, this time on our father’s side. They are also neighbors living
right in front of our house. They were the first ones to own a bicycle, one
with a side car. Eventually almost every kid on our street owned bikes. We’d
bike together with them, fight other kids with them, have fights with them – it
was a blast.
Dogs
We have had lots of dogs growing up.
I must admit we were cruel on them and treated them like toys especially when
we were very young. Brownie and Blackie; our first dogs – as I remember. Those
names tended to stay on later generation of dogs. It seems we never had more
interesting names for our dogs. Still I love dogs, I’m so used to them I hardly
get scared of other dogs even when they’re barking or moving as if to chase me,
I just yawn cause I’m so used to them. I still own a dog to this day.
School
Lutheran
“Immanuel
Lutheran School”, it used to be just a church using the rooms below the main
chapel hall for Nursery and Kinder. I was funded by a foreign mission from
Norway, even then it had a big lot. They later expanded it and would build
buildings for grade I to VI. They later would also have a High School. It was close
by, walking distance but on a different lot. It was a Lutheran school and so
we’d had chapel service every Wednesday.
Picked
On
Early on in school I remember being
picked on by other kids, being called names or made fun of. A lot of the kids
during my Elementary Grade School then were mean. Though I suppose they were
still mean through High School but I’ve gotten taller and bigger so they didn’t
pick on me anymore
Poor
Performance
I didn’t do well in school both
academically and socially. I didn’t like school at all. I did make it to the
top ten once or twice, but I think it was really more because my tutor was also
our class teacher. I think the thing I really liked in school was talking about
toys and cartoons with other kids.
Macross
and Transformers
I guess I’ve always been childish
and it was during my grade school days that the Japanese cartoon series Macross
came out on local TV. I really loved that cartoon; my circle of friends was
really focused on things like that. I guess every kid had some cartoon they’d
really love. Transformers also came out during those days and it was really big
in those days, I remember my schoolmates would have heated arguments over which
robot was better this or that.
Walking
. I love to walk even during my
elementary/ grade school days. Even then a one kilometer walk was not a problem
for me. I got that from my dad, he also loved to walk. I remember that after
school I would really be annoyed that the school security guard wouldn’t let me
out of the school and insist that I wait for my service (tricycle rented to
fetch me)- and a lot of times he would be late. And so the friends I had in
school was also like me, we loved cartoons, toys, and games. A lot of these
characteristics tended to stay with me even today. That’s all.
