Saturday 19 February 2011

Damn you, facebook!

I moved around a lot as a kid, different cities, different countries (okay, to be fair there has only ever been two countries), different friends. And I loved every minute of it. I'm always terrified starting somewhere new, I'd get a bout of this horrible, crippling, stomach wrenching feeling of complete and utter helplessness. But there's always, always, always, someone there. Always. That one girl or boy who'd give a confident grin, someone who'd take my hands and share a book with me, or ask me if I wanted a snack. Sometimes it was just a shared smile over someone else's stupidity. And that single moment in time would cement my love of this strange, new place.

More often than not, I'd end up making other new friends, and that initial contact is soon forgotten. And these friends I made - I always thought I'd keep them for life.

On the one hand, I love how facebook got me reconnected with them, letting me glimpse into their life again. But that's just it - it's just a glimpse. It's not a real connection, and sometimes it's just not enough. I miss the people I knew, but I know those people on facebook... the ones posing with their kids, or in togas, or travelling the world.. I don't know them. And when the mood hits, I feel like shit.

It also feels extra awful when it's a fairly recent connection.

I saw a picture today. A friend who smiled. And I wondered how they were doing.

4 comments:

calvin said...

karaoke next month after salary? what do you say? ;)

colson said...

Unfortunately I'm a nitwit in the world of social media ( and have planned to stay a nitwit). So it's hard to feel the pain of never getting to the heart and soul of a 'friend'.

However real friends of flesh and blood are around the corner. And going by my own experience ( and similar moods), I discovered I didn't really know them after they had vanished in thin air.

But hey. What the heck. They probably didn't really know me either. It's no big deal after all.

By the way: Hope you and Calvin will record the karaoke session. I would like to see/hear it :).

calvin said...

or maybe we should have karaoke session together when you're here in July ;D

Chuzai Living said...

It's so true. It's exciting to find someone you made friends with many years ago on Facebook, but it's true that it's just getting a glimpse of their lives. It's a strange form of friendship.