Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Hello?

A rainy Monday evening after work, over a hot chocolate drink at the Old Town Kopitiam in One Utama with a friend whom I haven't seen in quite a while, debating on why I should join the elite (?) club of Blackberry users when I suddenly realized that he was without a cell phone.  I asked him where his phone was since he had to call me from a public phone, and I haven't had anyone calling me from a public phone since like forever. He said he lost it and made a comment that life is less stressful when it isn't easy to be reached which left me pondering... have we become easily assessable to the point that sometimes, without realizing, it's suffocating and taking a toll on our lives?

I sleep with my cell phone. I believe that most of us do. I don't turn it off unless the battery goes dead in the middle of the night (which is like never) . The first thing I reach for every morning is my cell phone and I check whether there are any text messages or missed calls. I bring it in with me to meetings, the cinema, and sometimes, though I hate to admit this, the bathroom, you know, just in case I wouldn’t miss that important phone call (iyolah tu).  Slowly, without realizing it, I had let the phone take control of me.It had gotten to a point when one day, I felt like life would be so much better if I wasn't so easily accessible.

I have had colleagues calling me on my sick days and while I was on holidays. Wasn't the point of taking an MC and taking leave was so that you can stay home and not be bothered with work?

I screen my calls. Yes, guilty as charged.

A few people has also had the nerve to actually scream down the line demanding to know as to why I wasn't picking up their calls. Funny thing is, the last time I checked, I was the only one paying for my phone bill. You can ask, nicely,  but don’t demand an answer from me because with you screaming your head off is an invitation for me to press the End button while rolling my eyes and vowing and making a mental note never to pick up when your number appears again.

But then again, I feel that life wouldn’t be complete without my cell phone with me at all times. I would feel so lost. Like Mary losing one of her lambs. *sigh*

Call me. On my cell. I’m available. 24/7. Unless I’m screening my calls.

6 comments:

Dottie with Dots said...

how am I gonna call you, you never share me your digits!!! :P

i too sleep with my cells under my pillow. its a habit, even though i'm not expecting any late night calls.

The Tea Drinker said...

ever watched that movie where the person would get a call from his/her future-about-to-die-horribly self?

i think that movie was to help people like you.

don't pick up that call. ever. really.

Cinta said...

Dottie,
How many cells do you have? :)Can I borrow one? Mine is so chabuk lah. Can't even listen to the radio.

Tea Drinker,
You will NEVER catch me at horror movies. Like EVER.

MAX said...

i used to be like that, inseparable from my cell.

then it slowly changed. i sort of..lost my interest in cells.

now i'm inseparable from my laptop.

there's blogger, and there's deviantart.

i like your writing~~

Dottie with Dots said...

I use maxis line and celcom line. My reason: To feed the needs of my students. But none of them ever call me at night, and you don't wanna borrow my fon, really, they are chabuk-er than yours.

Cinta said...

J. Potter,
And I like yours, always have.