lips of an angel

Due to my love for social networking websites where I truly come alive, sometimes I think the way I adorn my profile could even draw a larger than life picture, hence there have been occasions where strangers from the virtual communities such as Facebook and Friendster would begin to show interest in my profile rather than me. I didn’t know that I am such a freak magnet. Nah, I am kidding. Actually I knew I was a freak magnet… 

My social networking profiles aren’t that great or interesting, it’s just entertaining perhaps. My profile photo reveals little about me. I don’t know. I hear that if people are very attracted to your profile photo, you may soon see the same photo adorning every Tom, Dick and Harry’s profile and blog. Do you mind? Stolen photos, stolen lives. However, I guess there’s nothing wrong if no one wants to steal your photos. It doesn’t mean that those lives aren’t worth stealing. 

When Friendster first emerged as the leading social networking website back in March 2002, I used to receive messages from strangers (read: men) with really lousy pickup lines like “hlo” and “hi, wanna be friends?”. I always think that for anyone who cannot write anything longer than his own Mr. Happy, there’s obviously something very wrong with the person. One guy was even more hilarious, so hilarious that he sent me a poem on his trials and tribulations taking the LRT to work everyday. Jaysus! I secretly think that he was inspired by my super long and wordy Friendster profile…that must have triggered the writing talent in him. Ahh, the pen is mightier than the sword huh? Sadly, I was not the least attracted, let alone impressed with the bad English though I must admit that his effort was commendable. 

But if I may say so, he could have carved a rewarding and fulfilling career with those Korean and Chinese stationery manufacturers…you know, the type of diary, metal pencil case, bookmark and so on and so forth with really twisted corny cheesy lines such as “you and me be best friends under the sun” and “love greatest with mother care and clouds fly”. These manufacturers have such yin and yang inclination that for every feeling they chose, there must an accompanying element such as the sun and cloud among others. You don’t believe me that such atrocious lines existed? Drop by Popular bookstore and check out one of those items I listed above and tell me what you think of it. 

The stalkers from Friendster got more and more fascinating that I soon decided to lock my profile completely from the lurking eyes of strangers and (tres)passers(by). See, I just love and cannot help but perform word acrobats whenever presented with the opportunity (trespassers, passers, passersby). So today, only friends on my list are allowed to view my full profile. Friends’ friends would only get a mild glimpse of the standard limited profile view. I have met enough nuts and bolts from Friendster, I think they can now keep their eyes and hands off me. 

Or even in Facebook. As most of you would know, I am a fluff(Friend) freak. It’s due to my deprivation of Neopet during those dial-up days….so I guess indeed I was a late bloomer. While my interest for Neopet bloomed, others began to tear away from that kiddy virtual pet site and they soon moved to other online games like Counter-Strike which was obviously out of my league. Soon the virtual pet community was deserted and I too, was deserted for playing that childish game.

People get funny ideas when you just randomly pet their fluff(Friend). soon you get mails in your inbox with friend requests from XX and YY whose fluff(Friend) you just happened to pet yesterday or a few moons ago…some would be kind enough to drop a fluff(Friend) codeword “thanks for petting my …………[the name of their fluff(Friend)]“. 

Honestly, I only pet your fluff(Friend) for 5 munny to buy fluff(Food) to feed my pet. Other than having feelings for my binary constructed fluff(Friend), I honestly don’t bother much about your welfare…really, people should really get a grip (good one) of themselves. Just because I pet your fluff(Friend) it certainly doesn’t mean I am keen to befriend you. I am no Facebook or Friendster friend collector. 

Some friends remarked that I am a different person in real life compared to my writings. A former colleague quipped that I am a much warmer person in writing than in person. Haha, maybe he is better off being my pen pal…my girlfriends thought that I have a way with words. Again, I only developed my writing skills much later, perhaps when I was into adulthood rather than adolescent years in high school. I am such a late bloomer I tell you…that sometimes I wonder that by the time I really bloom, would it already be time to wilt instead.

And because I never really considered carving a living out of journalism, the closest I could get to writing while being at work was business e-mails. One of my managers used to say that I write such lengthy e-mails that it would have bored the readers even before they reach to the part where I describe my problem or express my point. Another one of my managers complimented the way I structure my thoughts and ideas  that the flow of my e-mails were so smooth. However come to think of it, in today’s attention deficit society, catching a reader’s attention requires just the right touch. 

An effective e-mail like a good speech, should pass the Mini Skirt Test; long enough to cover the important parts, yet short enough to be interesting. In today’s attention deficit society, catching a reader’s attention requires just the right touch. Enough said.