"Hi Mugs... Wala lang, tawag lang."
It was a text message I already received twice in a row. The first one I got yesterday. It was from a friend from Diliman. I don't know what she's getting at, but the SMS left me slightly annoyed.
Maybe it meant nothing. It might be a "papansin" moment hoping to stir a response. Maybe the female classmate has all the time in the world to try to connect to long lost acquaintances. Perhaps, she might be experiencing some life turbulences and is trying to see if the world still cares.
Sadly, I chose not to reply.
Forgive me for the arrogance but it is hard to break a habit. I have always known that I'm not a fan of SMS messaging. And during the very rare occasions I engaged myself in exchanging text messages with someone - for more than an hour, expect it for reasons of self-interest.
I guess this is the sad part of growing up a loner. You're so used to creating imaginary worlds and friends that it is easy to stay withdrawn from those who try to see if you're still breathing.
But how can I be a loner when I was very sociable as a kid. In fact, if its possible to sleep in the streets on weekends, I might have done so. While my social circle at school was more fluid, I didn't lack the skills to find kids to hang out with. I was even happier when I go solo on my little expeditions. Same thing happened in high school and college, I may not be part of the A-Listers, but I always belong to a tight-knit group that is notoriously known for its exclusivity.
So why has it become a pet-peeve?
I guess it all boils down to being straight to the point. If someone wishes to speak with me, that person should already throw a topic. If the friend wanted to ask if I was able to enroll at the university, I would promptly reply to her inquiry. I guess this same line of thinking is what irked me when another friend asked "anong balita sa iyo?" on Facebook. Maybe I was expecting her to read my recently updated timeline as we chat, or maybe I just got tired after all her whining about the greatest love that got away.
I hope that revealing my pet peeves would not be used against me. It shows a crack in character, as well as my intolerance as to how other people conduct their affairs. I wish there is a way to feel, how its like to be helplessly dependent on other people's attention, like when begging someone for a walk, or texting someone to share your thoughts, which in my case, I tend to shrug.
But how can you do it Mugs, when you use your Twitter to blabber, Blog to ruminate and the Almighty to run to when your soul is being crushed?
Only then, will I truly understand and appreciate the need to reply.
12 comments:
I have a lot of pet peeves specially when it comes to texting. Like the one you just blogged about, I never reply to anyone who is obviously just longing for attention. Unless there is a dire need to do so based on what was sent to me, I will not reply.
Perhaps the hermit inside of me just withdraws itself from the rest of the world and is not a little bit interested to spend time on such minor conversations.
In the physical world, I'm a very sociable person, but when I am at my far way refuge, home; I chose to detach myself from the rest of everyone.
I can relate to this one, perhaps the solitude seekers, think alike.
Loners are not necessarily lonely.
like you, hindi ako mahilig mag text back lalo na kung nakikita mo naman regularly yung mga taong nagtetext sayo parang nawawalan ng meaning kung para saan ba talaga ang use ng SMS.
Siguro katulad mo minsan pinipili ko ring maging mag isa pero di naman ibig sabihin na kapag mag isa ka e' malungkot ka!..
God Bless you. Keep safe :)
Beating around the bushes and not asking the right question on SMS.
That's just so retard.
I agree but sometimes wordplay is fun!
*raises his hand.... grumpily*
Pag SMS kasi, people tend to be vague. Ayoko ng masyadong open sa maraming interpretations. I prefer face to face communication but with today's technology, one just have to figure it a way to use it to one's own good. Surprisingly, mas maraming hindi nagkakaintindihan nowadays kahit na marami nang avenues to communicate.
Pet peeve: I hate getting emoticons as replies when I text.
but but... i like being papansin :,(
Hmmm Hi Mugs! wala lang. Napadaan lang. LOL
ang reply jan..
:)
(tapos na usapan...)
ako i always make a conscious effort to reply. unless busy at nakalimutan which is unintentional. kasi, except for chain messages and forwarded na kung ano-ano, i consider that the person on the other end of the message spent time, effort, and money (kahit unli pa sya pera pa rin yun) to keep in touch with me and if only for that i oblige myself to reply kahit na gano ka igsi.
ang inis lang ako sa mga jejemon pero kahit sa kanila nagre-reply pa din ako spelling out each word correctly. hehehe.
pag may-grey area sa message at concerned ako na ma-misinterpret ang tone, i try to call instead.
a message containing a word or two or just an emoticon that may appear trite and nonsense to us are sometimes distress signals waiting to be picked up. but how do we know if we filter them out and ignore them?
ang iniiwasan lang natin minsan once we the exchange has been established hahaba lang. that's when creativity and prudence comes in.
naalala ko yung thrust ng alay kapwa, sharing: time, talent, and treasure. the hardest of which is time.
agree ako kay thirdy, :) lang katapat nyan. i hate replying too, mapaano pa man ang tinext. just too lazy to text, no other reason.
Pet peeve ko sa text is still jejemon text. I haaaate seeing "aq" for ako and "xe" for kasi. Nakakainis.
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