Well, we are not! The Americans, the English, the Chinese, and most certainly many others elsewhere in the world are just as avid text-messagers as Filipinos. In the world of text-messaging, according to Informa Telecoms & Media, in the third quarter of 2005 China sent text messages totaling 76.4 billion, the Philippines 21.4 billion, the United States 19.4 billion, and the United Kingdom 8.1 billion.

“Texting,” as all cellphone and computer users know very well, a new language that uses letters, numbers, symbols, and punctuation marks to create shorthand messages, is the quickest, cheapest, and coolest way to send messages. Thus, one can use text-messaging by either the cellphone or the Internet.

The book I just read provides a list of essential acronyms, abbreviations, and emoticons that can be used by text-messagers.

Text-messaging, says Charles McGrath in his Times magazine article, is a refinement of computer instant messaging which came into vogue five or six years ago. But because the typical cellphone screen can accommodate no more than 160 characters, text-messaging puts a greater premium on conciseness. Compared with the rest of the world, McGrath reveals, Americans are actually laggards when it comes to text-messaging. This is partly for technical reasons. Because we don’t have a single national phone company and at the same time actual voice calls are far cheaper here (in the US) than in most places, so there is less incentive for texting. In many developing nations, however, mobile phone technology has so far outstripped land-line availability that cellphones are preferred, and text messages are cheaper than voice calls. And the most avid text-messagers are, he said, are clustered in Southeast Asia, particularly Singapore and the Philippines. He should have added China which has turned out to be the world’s No. 1 sender of text-messages. In that country, China, text messaging is preferred to the voice call. Many Chinese believe that leaving voice mail is rude, and that it is a loss of face to make a call to someone important and have it answered by an underling. To them text messaging preserves everyone’s dignity by eliminating the human voice.

Well, in other countries, like the Philippines, Filipinos have found that text-messaging is the fastest way of communicating with friends, relatives and even business associates. It is no wonder that all avid texters, as we call them in Manila, love text-messaging. As one may well write, “if u cn rd this and if your thumbs are nimble enough so that u cn als snd, you can transmit and receive messages on the screen of your cellphone or computer.”

Why, one can even flirt there, arrange a date, send a joke, dirty or political. For instance, from an editor in Manila, out here in New York I just read on my mobile phone the latest political joke now doing the rounds there: “ Mski Mysakit Madaya SiGMA. AngDAYAgnosis ngDoc... Sakit PalaNyaAy DAYA-rria!”

Of course, there are not so dirty jokes, too. “DrDr IKEpGetnSmlr” (Doctor, Doctor, I keep getting smaller.) Or, “ILuvEurEBOnInYaBodE.” (I love every bone in your body.) Or, if you are smooching your honey, then write AML (All my love); BGWM (Be gentle with me.); CW2CU (Can’t wait to see you.) ; CSThnknAU (Can’t stop thinking about you.) ;

IC**WenUXMe (I see stars when you kiss me.); HOHOH (Hugs and kisses.); ILuvUMED (I love you more each day.); (I love you, heart!.); LuvYa (Love you!.). Yes, my friends, you all can compose the perfect message, send endearing words to your sweetheart, make your friends laugh, cry or cry with laughter through Txt Msgs.