The pros and cons of face book

Just joined FB and I am hooked . Just into day 10 of my confirmed addiction. I find myself asking why, why am I hooked and I the only one ? most definitely not. What makes FB so addictive?

I am not a FB virgin. OH no tis my second go. First time was rubbish and had some nasty side effects , sounds like something else doesn’t it! Honestly though I didn’t like it because I didn’t know what I was doing so I found myself poking people left right and centre. Not a problem if that’s the intention. Second dislike was the strange feelings that emanated from seeing other peoples, somewhat edited lives played out in the photos on their respective walls (only show the good, cool and good looking bits). Why wasn’t I as busy or on such a lovely holiday, I would ask myself. I bailed out after 7 days. My nerves and ego couldn’t take any more. After that I scoffed at all things FB. Tis unnatural I would say, it is evil , ban it, I thoroughly agreed with the Daily Mail on this point (that’s scary, must be getting old). Checking people out and being nosey just wasn’t my style. If I want to communicate with you, then I’ll call or email you, that was my tough no nonsense line.

The years rolled by and I would get the odd friend invite via my hotmail account... That’s how it was Until this Xmas , when I received my own little mac book. Easy access to www meant I felt it easier to sort through work, mummy stuff and even get back to my blog. Then FB sprang back into my mind. I decided to give it a second go. Like a scorned lover I took tentative steps towards opening an account. Second time round I knew what to expect the pros and cons , I set my privacy at the highest level and made sure I only poked those worth poking. I also reminded myself that facebook is about the good times. Down days and poopoo photos are personal and you share that Sxxx with friends over a cup of coffee or glass of wine , not on the www. Now I am hooked. I check it a couple of times a day... Ok maybe times that by 2 or do I mean add a zero, and your getting close to real figure. The kids are getting their own T and the washing hasn’t been done in days. FB is like having kids, what did I do with my time before . The good thing is I am finding that it’s fun and I get to communicate (communicate being the operative word, in that I am not stalking) with friends, some of whom are on the other side of the world or North London , which may as well be. I love seeing pictures of friends and commenting, it’s engaging. So FB is fun fun fun and funny if you use it in a positive way. It can be a fantastic advertising tool too, sharing political views-recipes-good restaurant. Oh and don’t get me started on CHAT, that’s like amazing. Yesterday, I chatted to a friend in Bali . Technology never ceases to astonish me.

What are the (my) rules of engagement for FB ? I have some.. Only good pictures please, I don’t want to see a school hottie that has turned into a 70s Elvis and giving Henry 8th a run for their money. Hey but make sure there not too good , dare I say unrealistic .Remember ...This isn’t a dating site / competition Or is it. Keep you personal info to a minimum, you don’t want some psychopath knocking on your door. It does and has happened you know. Accept friends , not any old Harry. Who cares if you’ve got 8000 mates on FB . Question is have you met them. Some queries are still in the consultation process, as I feel ambivalent about them. Like do you accept friendships from people you went to school with and barely remember, if at all, scary when not even a picture triggers the memory. Is it Ok to contact/poke an old crush?What about de friending. Can you remove someone from your list without offending.
I believe I’ve got to be tough , if I am to use Fb in a way that is conducive to a happy and sound mind.

P>S>
Has anyone checked out the status options and laughed at “it’s complicated.” Isn’t every relationship.

My final thought ..Vive la Face Book. If I haven’t got this obsession under control by next week, I’m checking into rehab.

I’m off to change my profile picture.

PPS I just attempted to remove a couple of FB friends that I have had no communication with and couldn't do it for fear of reprisal and offending someone. Will try again but this time with a stiff drink in my hand.

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Is it coz I is Asian?

If you know me personally you’ll know I am half Irish and half mauritian. My mauritian dad , is of Chinese decent. Hence my oriental look.

This is of relevance to my anecdote because today at work I was told “ hey, you know,you act well Asian.” Interesting statement , I thought, no one has ever said that to me before, prey -tell me more, so I said “why, what do I do?”
“ Oh ...Asian stuff , like cut people off mid sentence, speaking formerly whilst having a jovial conversation.” By this point I was cracking up, this boy had a index or Oriental behaviour right at the tip of his tongue. I was laughing so hard because I recognized the first trait . In my defense I said “ Yeh I do that, because some people need to be put out of there misery.I’m doing them a favour, god damn it everyone knows that at times, interjection is completely necessary." However I couldn’t relate to the latter observation but the first was enough to keep me amused until the accuser explained that there were other Asian behaviours, such as pointing with ones lips...OK difficult to understand but picture this, point your face in any given direction and purse your lips for a milli second, eureka you got PWYL. The second is acknowledging people by simply raising your eyebrows.Curiously my dad and my aunt do this. Ok so this lad may have something.

I have always seen and said that I take after my dad. I can be blunt, terse, cut people off and generally surly. I thought this was a Lai-Cheong thang but maybe I got it wrong , maybe it be a Oriental thang. So now I can say , I can’t help it, it’s in my genes, blame my ancestors.

If you are caucasian, what are you thinking , do you relate to my colleague’s comments. Are you like hell yeh, those Chinese folk are always pointing with their lips, selling dodgy dvds and eating noodles.

The conversation was funny and made stranger when another colleague added a Chinese stereotype would be that they are inscrutable. What the hell does that mean , had to look it up.For those of you how are as ignorant as me, it means impossible to understand, apt! The thesaurus synonyms read like this.. enigmatic, unreadable, opaque, abstruse.

Ok I said, so I have a dead look in my eyes, emotionless face, I point with my lips and I cut people off mid sentence.I thought I only did the latter when inebriated.Or at least that's when I notice it.

The idea still makes me laugh now. My colleague’s observations were funny and not taking maliciously because his girlfriend is half Filipino, so he can’t be racist. You can't beat Asian babes. Hey isn't there a magazine with that title?

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