Grubbs n Critters

August 12, 2009

Phantom Acquaintances

As evolved as we are as human beings, there seems to be a piece of an etiquette missing in the world of social networking. Have all of the modern technologies suddenly make people morally retarded, and, lacking all forms of regard for a socially acceptable interaction?

By that, I do mean the sheer courtesy of using that send message feature on Facebook where you can first say hello, before clicking on that “add as friend” request. I mean, just adding someone you have not spoken to for more than 18 years without first sending any message is just plain rude!

I have been particularly annoyed with the recent influx of requests in my Facebook account from such acquaintances. Sure, we were once schoolmates and what nots. Fortunately, fate has it that we go on our separate ways. I certainly have my reasons for retreating away from them back then, mainly because of negative vibes and unnecessary nonsensical politics in the group dynamics. It was a conscious effort on my part to happily back away from all of that. I didn’t think I mattered to them then, so why should I suddenly matter to them now? Vice versa for me, too. These people never did matter to me. If they were, we’d still somehow be in touch. Somehow, some way.

I don’t understand the psyche of these people. Really, the least they could do is just send me a message. It’s not like we talked and had coffee yesterday! It has been almost 20 years now without news nor interest to contact of any kind , and suddenly these etiquette-idiots decide to reconnect with me via “add friend” request? Errr… excuse me, at which point of my life in the last 2 decades since we lost touch have you actually added value to my life that ascertain life-long friendships?

I mean, really. At what point do these people suddenly feel they have the right to intrude in my life to “just reconnect and catch up”? These are not even friends to me, rather, phantom acquaintances. Blasts from my pasts, in which I have no interest or inclination to rekindle the lost connections. Not when you didn’t bother to first send me a message. I add them when they request for it, yet we never message each other and they float around silently in my lists like ghosts, probably trying to snoop around once in a while. (good thing for privacy settings!). I am only just another number of connections they have to show the world how popular they are.

It’s hard to feign friendship. Believe it or not, my really, really close friends are far and between. I can literally use my ten fingers to count them, and probably with a few more fingers to spare. I’ll take quality over quantity anytime. They may not even be on Facebook.

How are they wired?

Category: Rant and Thoughts

Every visit to the dentist is a perpetual nightmare for me. I would rather pierce my belly 10x more than having to lie down on a dentist’s chair with those obtrusive and annoying sounding instruments in my mouth. I just hate, hate, hate going to the dentist. Unless I absolutely have to and that’s usually when my state is quite dire. There is really nothing pleasant about having to go to the dentist…each time, it’s about getting something in there fixed. I hate the experience, the feeling and just even having to think of it.

Yet, each time I succumbed myself to the dentist’s chair, I never cease to wonder why people ever want to become a dentist. It is of course, a noble profession. My guess is the money is really good. But still, why would any sane person want to make it their life-long career? What motivates them when they decide to pursue this profession? Did they then realize the amount of scrutiny they have to go through each time they say “open wide” to their patients? Do they actually enjoy looking into people’s mouth looking for cavity-filled molars, build up tartar and plagues, bleeding gums, root canal and finding more holes to fill? Doesn’t the sight of left-over food bits in every nook and cranny of each tooth disgust them? What about the sight of coffee and cigarette stained teeth and a garlic and onion-scented mouth? Are they not repel by that? That’s what I don’t get. It must be some kind of a fetish this; with having to scrutinize people’s mouth and get paid good money for it.

Each time after an appointment, I’m itching to ask my dentist(s) those questions. But, so far I have managed to restrain myself. It seems like quite a personal question to ask considering I am not exactly on a first name basis with them, isn’t it?

Still, as much as I hate the dentist’s chair experience, I’m glad there are people out there who are willing to do this “dirty’ job. Maybe, one of these days, I would just blurt the questions out-right to them.

That doesn’t mean to say that I’m looking forward to my next visit to the dentist, though.

Just kooky

Category: Random

“Coffee in your jelly. Jelly in your coffee”

Did you just say “Huh?!”. Good. Let’s try again.

Say that again slowly in your head, digest the words and go over it once more in your head with a “would you like to have coffee in your jelly and jelly in your coffee?” Then, imagine yourself saying that in a sing-song sort of a way to anyone random in the office and offer your wide-eyed, huge mouth white teeth exposed grin right after you finish saying that sentence.

There! It made my day.