Krazy Krystal's Laboratory

It's a small world after all: Part 2

It still amazes me that even though i am on the other side of the world it is still a small world after all. Since I began this blog, several of my dearest darling friends have taken up the blog habit too. It's not technically classified as an addiction, but I have got them hooked through passive blog-reading. Blogging has proven to be an excellent way to keep in touch, albeit indirectly. So even if i haven't spoken to my friends, i still know if they take up martial arts or have altered sleeping habits, which means that I am still part of their lives through the sharing of experiences.

And then there is Skype. Skype is cool. I cannot praise the concept of Skype enough. Skype is like an internet telephone system which provides a FREE way to talk to people, no matter what time zone you are in. It is great. All you need is a puter, decent net-access, a microphone and some speakers.. though a headset is the coolest. I got a skype headset as a present from the other Dr.K before I left Melbourne. But never mind technology, if the person I want to call doesn't have an on-line set up, then I can call Australia using Skype for only a few p' a minute. And if the person i want to talk to isn't at home i can call their mobile and chat at a rate per minute which about the same as sending one international text message. You can fit a large number of 160 character messages into 60 seconds of real-time chat. Today I spoke to my sister in Canberra, my girlfriend in Melbourne and my boyfriend in Wollongong and spent all of £1.33. That's $AU 3.30 (or $US 2.50) for over 4 hours of chat. Nice :)

Email is cool. Specifically Gmail is cool and G-chat is cooler. It is almost beyond belief that chatting online is now an accepted form of communication. Ten years ago (yes, I am getting old huh) I was ashamed to admit that i'd met my boyfriend online in a *gasp* chatroom. Now this method of meeting people is not only socially acceptable, but probably the way most teenagers facilitate their love lives.

With all these ways of staying in touch, it would be possible for me to live in a little Australian bubble. In some ways I'm concerned that I will so spend much of my time interacting with all the people back home that I won't have the motivation to meet people here. I could sit at my 'puter and skype and g-talk and blog and eat my tim tams and twisties and listen to the waifs and nick cave and dwell entirely within my australia-simulation. I would hardly have the chance to feel homesick or miss anyone, because in the press of a button, they are here.

Of course, I do know that it's not the same. One thing that struck me the most is that I am not on hugging terms with anyone here! Who will I turn to when i need a hug?!?? That cannot be simulated online, no matter what the second-life players say.

I suppose that, like everything in life, moderation is the key. Moderation doesn't sit so well with my extremist nature, but I am sure I will find the right balance for me. I love the fact that moving overseas doesn't mean that i lose people from my life. In fact, the cool thing is that I get to keep all my old friends and get to make new ones all at the same time. Collect the whole set. It's a pretty good deal. So yeah, i'm kinda glad it's a small world after all..

... apologies if that song is now stuck in your head... it's now firmly stuck in mine...

....it's a world of laugher a world of tears it's a world of hope and a world of fears there's so much that we share that it's time we're aware it's a small world after all it's a small world after all it's a small world after all it's a small world after all it's a small small world it's a world of laugher a world of tears it's a world of hope and a world of fears there's so much that we share that it's time we're aware it's a small world after all it's a small world after all it's a small world after all it's a small world after all it's a small small world it's a world of laugher a world of tears it's a world of hope and a world of fears there's so much that we share that it's time we're aware it's a small world after all it's a small world after all it's a small world after all it's a small world after all it's a small small world it's a world of laugher a world of tears it's a world of hope and a world of fears there's so much that we share that it's time we're aware it's a small world after all it's a small world after all it's a small world after all it's a small world after all it's a small small world it's a world of laugher a world of tears it's a world of hope and a world of fears there's so much that we share that it's time we're aware it's a small world after all it's a small world after all it's a small world after all it's a small world after all it's a small small world..... AARRRGGGHHHHH !!!!

posted by Dr Krystal @ 5:13 pm