Everday I FB, updating friends of my latest (almost real time) updates - feelings, concerns, worries, yadda...yadda... n keeping abreast of other friends' lives - to show that there's a friendship going on & strong. I write on their walls on every opportunity present. Some lives hundreds of miles away, but most live within half an hour drive from where i live. Then i realized, even sometimes I pass by their houses on my way to The Curve, Pyramid or Bkt Bintang, it never occured to me to drop by and say 'hi' personally. The cyberworld is the (only)place we mingle nowadays. Probably because we know what each other is up to almost everyday (if not every hour), we don't see the need to see each other in person anymore because if we do, we don't have much to talk about as we have said it all on our FB/frenster/WAYN/etc... To get together with friends used to be the time all of us update our friends of 'what's-going-ons' of our lives, we gossip, make fun of others, bitch about girls we hate, etc. We still do that, via YM/IM/skype/etc. So, when do the need to see each other in person arises? When someone pass away? Gets married? Very rare ocassions.
Recently I attended a 'majlis cukur jambul' of my nieces' son, we realized that we only see each other once a year - during raya, at my mum's place or her mum's (my sis). That's all. We both were glad to see each other that day, but we didn't have much time to do any catching ups, so before we parted, she told me to add her as a friend on FB. I smiled, promised & left but silently wondered; how 'distant' the 'invitation' was. In our Malay culture, for an immediate family member, we normally invite them to visit our home. I only get to 'add her'. I guessed family ties nowadays has evolved from 'come-over-spend-some-nights-at-my-place-anytime-you-like-aunt' to 'add-me-in-your-FB-n-write-on-my-wall-sometime-aunt?'
3 comments:
It's the sign of time, Che Noe, and sadly enough, it's the world we live in now. 'Amenities' that were meant to make our lives simpler, easier, better etc sometimes do have a way of getting back at us. FB for instance, it is supposed to facilitate communication, it does that well, but at times proved to be counterproductive, like in your case.
I am sure your niece didn't mean it that way,. It is just modernism talking. I am afraid, we, fossils by the young ones' standard, would have to adapt to that reality.
I like your style of writing, you communicate personally with your reader. Keep on blogging!
thanks Lambert!
hah i missed those letter-writing days! u wud send me 4 pcs letters EASILY written front & back!!!
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