Chinese today and I think I wrote a rather startling piece for 报章读后感, essentially, newspaper report. It was really intriguing subject matter and I think really hit home for many candidates out there. The topic in English essentially went like this: 90% of teenagers polled today say they cannot live without their mobile phones and that it has become inextricably part of their lives. Comment.

I doubt the accuracy of the poll which I assume was put together by some Chinese editor at the local gossipy tabloid, who nonetheless must have gossipy sms-addict teenage friends (oh the stereotypes), but despite what I think is merely a numeral inaccuracy, the fact of the matter is, yes, we (every individual in society) are gaining traction to be so reliant on our mobile phone, that we cannot live without it.

Scary, no?

On a Friday night when I was happily chatting with Danial and Yun Sol and Jun Rong I was so engrossed in conversing that I did not even bother checking the phone. When I finally did, I realized I had 6 unread messages and I was like Shit, I've lost touch with the world. It was only then I've realized that I've never lost touched with the world, and the world was right in front of me.

What we are so dependent on is not our phones per se. It is the fact that our phones represent the continual presence of our friends, whether we are physically apart or not. And when we do have to communicate by phone the lines between the world and this virtual world are very blurred. When conversing with a friend at starbucks and then receiving a message that will lead to a conversation will you converse with the friend in front of you or the friend on your phone? I would say, most likely, both.

But the fact is that the friend in front of you should deserve your full attention because, after all, he is in front of you. But that isn't the case anymore. Not with the invention of our mobile phone. And who knows what will happen when we put MSN on it ;)