Major thumbs down for being different?! What the?!!
I am getting hooked on Yahoo! Answers. It started out as just an initiative for one of our goals at work but I found myself eventually answering other questions that were no longer relevant to our corporate purpose.
Two days ago, I saw that someone posted this question:
Could you live a normal life without a cellular phone? Reason out please…?
I salivated the whole time – from when the query captured my interest until I hit submit to publish my reply. Why? Everyone that has answered before me claimed that they CAN live without a cell phone. I thought that was weird – especially for this age! I mean, cynical as I am, at least I’m honest (read: non-hypocrite) enough to admit that I CAN’T last with the perpetual absence of a mobile communications matchbox (a phone, d’oh). Half-angry but half-chuckling, I threw this answer in their faces:
I bet the first instinct you have in answering this question is say, ‘Yes, I CAN live without it.’
I, on the other hand, have to say I CAN’T. Make no mistake there are days when I virtually don’t need it but then… if there are days when you don’t need it, there will be days when you’ll be desperate for it.
Imagine you’ll be going out for a blind date. Then you and your date get individually lost or can’t find each other.
Teehee.
Joni and Anna teasingly gave me the link to this question today and told me that my answer has already garnered six thumbs down! Wha’d I do?! Yahoo! even hides it on the page for having such a horrifying rating: 0 thumbs up to the 6 down. Hehe. You know what, though? I like it. It’s exactly what I mean on my About page.
Bow. 
April 21st, 2007 at 10:59 pm
Don’t worry mister, I totally agree with you. I used to think that I can live without my mobile. But when I left it at home once, I was restless and I felt totally disconnected from the world. I had to call home every few hours or so to have my sis check on my messages.
Bah Joni and Anna. I’m sure if they left their mobile at home, they’d feel lost too. Peace! =P
April 24th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
LOL! I had a similar experience, too. I used to live in northern QC and drove to work in Makati everyday. Once, when I left my mobile at home, I made up an excuse so that I could go back home and get the darned phone. Two hours later, I finally arrived home to check my messages. Result: 0 missed calls and 1 text message from my boss - asking me to go back to work ‘coz a client inexplicably popped into the office to meet me. Joskopo - a total of six hours wasted all because I couldn’t bear leaving a phone behind.
If I were to answer the Y! question, though, I wouldn’t have had the guts to go against the status quo. So, kudos to you.
April 24th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
Haha Kim. I know. The anxiety of not having your phone with you is more excruciating compared to realizing that you didn’t really miss any important msgs when you finally get a hold of it.
June 11th, 2007 at 11:54 pm
hi! a friend of mine shared your link via ym(i’ve no idea why…) but after going through your entries…i thought…”hmmm, i like the writing style”. it’s soo fuss-free
anyway, i think you’re brave enough to claim that you can’t live without your cellphone (just the thought of admitting you’re that dependent with something is just too scary for me). I on the other hand CAN LIVE WITHOUT A CELLPHONE… i’ve been living without one for more than a year now (on and off of course, i only bring a phone when i have to meet up with people for business) and it’s quite liberating really.
my friends can’t bother me with forwarded messages and chain SMS’s. when i meet up with friends, i call them before i leave the house and there’s no changing of what time and where we’d meet up (they have no choice but to be there on the dot and i don’t have to wait)… i don’t have to worry about loading and charging and checking for messages every now and then. most of all…i can dissapear from anyone anytime i want! waherher
…i’m a sick-sick-freak:P
June 12th, 2007 at 3:09 am
Hey chelot. Thanks for visiting, I appreciate your comments about the writing style.
About admitting the need for a cellphone, I cringed exactly at how everyone saw the opportunity to stereotype i.e., for most of them to say that they can live without a mobile phone (just to look good, if you get my drift). It is though - of course - on a case to case basis. I actually applaud you for being able to live without one.
June 18th, 2007 at 6:47 am
tama ba, MImon? You wrote this topic to prove a point..hindi dahil lang sa cellphone..dun mo lang na compare..ewan ko pero ganun ko sha naintindihan e..na minsan, sa sobrang nakasanayan mo yung isang tao or bagay, pag wala sha sa tabi mo or sa katawan mo, you really feel so helpless and para bang may kulang…na hindi ka mapakali hanggat di mo nalalaman or nakikita yung taong yun o bagay na yun….sense of completeness….haaay!!!