Don't be sad, mummy!

For the very first time, I saw my mother crying in front of my father, and me. In the midst of lunch, at a coffee shop. For her to do that, she must have been really sad. And really frustrated.

Her mind must be at the edge these past few days. Being here is not easy, not being welcomed is one thing, but being despised must have rattled her heart. And today's episode must have shattered the last bit of her of her strength to persevere.

I want to talk to her. Be kind to herself, not just to us. Be selfish enough to think of what she wants and do what she wants.

I must remember to control my temper to her too. Life's too short to have regrets, those unnecessary ones. She must not lose hope. She must remember we still support her. I still support her.

Don't be sad, mummy!

Missing in Action

My little brother is missing in action. I have not seen him online and he has not reply the email I dropped earlier this week. Wonder what he is up to.

Normally, whenever he needs to travel, he will inform my parents first. They have weekly standing appointment to chat over the internet, with both being at different ends of the world. So he will thus informed of his travel schedule, whenever he has them, so that my parents will not need to wait for the 'green' colour to appear on his profile.

I don't normally chat-talk with him,but we do chat once in a while, leaving messages to each other. I've been leaving messages to him, but have not got any reply yet. So wonder what is he up now.

I can either continue to leave him messages, or catch his wife for an update. She should have a better idea of his whereabouts, I hope.

All good things happen to those who wait, I hope!

I'm been trying very hard to contact the airline company which I purchased my return ticket to Krung Thep, for the whole day. I was of course, trying very hard using the cheap methods, ie, email, leaving messages on their wall and waiting, very patiently, for my turn in the live chat session. Apart from an acknowledgement of the message posted on their wall, I am still waiting for a real feedback from their customer care.

I could just have called them up, but I don't think I want to rake up so much in telephone bill charges. Yes, calling the sales office and talking to a customer care personnel might be a faster option. I did that once, somewhere about 2 years ago. My phone bill got bombed. At a rate of rm1.95 per minute, which I need to go through recorded answering system first before I can speak to a real customer care personnel, I don't think I want to repeat that, unless there is an absolute necessity.

Hence, my live chat session is now close to 6 hours, come another half an hour. I am still waiting for my turn, down to the 3rd in queue the last time I checked, from number 46th when I logged on. I really hope nothing funny will happen with it gets to my turn, like an error or no one's available because it's a public holiday here. Yes, I pray my turn will be fast and smooth.

I want to know if I need to swim in Krung Thep or grow fat in my historical city, next week. All good things happen to those who wait, they say. I have been patient. I hope I won't get disappointment. I am the 2nd in the queue now.

If you have a problem, face it! Don't faceBOOK it!

Are we shirking our responsibilities of face to face communications because of the birth of social networking sites? Or are we just using it as a tool for us to express ourselves, to allow ourselves to let go some steam of our chest before getting in step to find the solutions? I really hope it's the latter.

It is very normal for us to see postings about ourselves on we social networking pages, famous ones include facebook and twitter. We share our thoughts, our locations, our ambitions, what we are currently up to, our frustrations. Basically everything under sun, which we can think of. Some of us are obsessed with this kind of sharing, well, some of us are using it sparingly. Either way, these social networking sites have become a way of 'telling' in our lives.

It is a very effective way to spread something. One post is able to reach out the masses, if we allow it, within seconds. We grant the permission to others into our lives, to take a sneak peak. It is a good preface for others to know what is going on in our lives.

Many a times, I also see this tool being used as a way to vent out frustrations. While I am not against this and have to admit that I am guilty of doing so, I have also learnt that we cannot just vent out and not do anything. The problem we faced would still need to be addressed personally. The venting serves only as a temporary outlet.

The problem will still be there, infesting itself if the root cause is not dug out. Venting will help us get the sympathetic ears we might be craving for, even unknowingly, but the roots to the problem will continue to spread when the best solutions are not found out to weed out these poisonous roots. Left to rot, it's like a time bomb waiting to explode. I believe face to face communication is the only way to find the best solution in this area.

To vent out a problem and not have guts to find the best solution with the accused party is, to me, a coward's way to address a problem. You may get all the sympathetic support you wish for but if you don't put them to use, to build up your courage, all those kind words are put to waste.

Try to speak out and if for the first time, things fail to live up to your expected outcome, rejoice in knowing that at least you tried. One battle lost but your war will be easier. If you always shirk the battles you create then you definitely will lost in the war. Try whatever reason you want to give, but clearly, if it matters enough for you to post it in your social networking page or to twit it, then it is a battle you need to face.

I saw a post earlier today, which I think is so aptly put,

"If you have a problem, face it! Don't faceBOOK it". Whichever way you would like to argue, it's important to realize that all matters have to be addressed, not just solely facebooking it, or twitting it, or what ever sharing social networking sites we have.