Facebook Consumes Your Soul!!

Ladies and Gentlemen (and all those who identify themselves as anything else), this is true; Facebook does consume your soul. It is not hidden that the per capita amount of hours spent on this social networking site is increasing with each passing day. The fact that this is effecting the grades of self-respecting college students like me notwithstanding, the Facebookmania has actually become a pandemic.

It is imperative to note why Facebook, of all the networking sites available on the www, has been felicitated with this honor. The website is user-friendly to most of those who have ever had the time to explore it. With ever-increasing applications that offer gazillions of features, the website has been able to attract new users from all over the globe. Facebook also provides, by far, the best security and privacy options available to its users. When compared to other social networking websites such as Orkut, Myspace or Hi5, Facebook is relatively secure. That is not to say that it is completely secure, but we will come back to it later.

The relative ease with which one can promote oneself has been one of the biggest assets of Facebook. The surge of groups, and pages, that support one cause or the other is a testament to this fact. I, myself, have used the website to promote my campaign for the Student Government at my University. With the implementation of the newest feature of turning "pages" into something resembling a profile, the appeal for such medium has gone up drastically.

Another facility that adds to Facebook's appeal, and I am sure many would agree, is its games. The surge in third-party games on the website, along with the number of users playing those games, has even surpassed websites dedicated solely to gaming. These simple, easy and entertaining games have become a huge part of a Facebook user's life.

The relative ease with which Facebook presents all of these features, wrapped into the neat package of a social networking site, gives it an edge over its competitors. Why go to any other site for stuff if one can find everything on Facebook, right? You have chatting, gaming, networking, gossip, and god knows what, available on that site just waiting to be used. One of my friends actually caught a thief using the website's unique search system, while another found his significant other through the dating service. Some of my friends use it as a blog, while others use it to further their political aspirations (like I have, too).

One has to wonder, though, that how beneficial is Facebook in terms of the time it consumes from our schedule. While its benefits can't be ignored - where else can you find all your friends, and their entire life, all in one place - one has to be cognizant of the fact that this can be detrimental to a lot of things you never thought of. The most obvious, and glaringly visible, is that it is addictive. How many times have you seen status messages that proclaim that the user needs to get off of Facebook and do something important that he/she needed to do? Quite often. Also, while a user has considerable freedom over what details non-friends, and even groups of friends, can see on their profile, their daily activity is laid bare on the "news feed" of their friends; and by that definition, friend of their friends, and so on. It makes me question the actual "privacy" that this website provides.

The most damaging effect, though, that Facebook has on its users is that it actually makes them un-social. A paradox, if I might say so, for a "social" networking site. I, personally, have had people talking to me on Facebook, to the extent of chatting even, and yet, when I meet them in person, they fail to recognize me. There is a difference in meeting people you have chatted with in anonymous chat-rooms and meeting people who are in your Facebook friend-list. It made me realize that while we have bridged gaps in the e-world, we have proportionately increased the gap in the real world.

I concede the fact that Facebook is a wonderful tool that makes our lives easier. However, like all other tools science has provided us with, it needs to be used with a great deal of caution as well as reason. After all, who likes to admit that they are addicted to something. With that said, let me get back to Facebook and post this piece in my notes.

Ciao

Bikram

Hmmmm....

So, what does one do at 4am in the morning while one is studying AND working the front desk of a residence hall? Write a blog post, is all! ;-)

Well, what do I write about - that is a question I always ask when I open my browser to my blog-site. Do I write about the nuances of college life, or do I delve into the misdeeds that us collegiates get into? Do I write about the way Americans have corrupted almost every definition in history (take Liberals, for example), or do I write about the eccentric sense of humor they have?

Well, I could write about almost anything, but seeing as I am in a ranting, bitching mood right now and want to take a dig at someone, or something, I am going to do just that.

Hmmmm....Let's see. There are so many topics to choose from - Obama's Nobel prize, AU's pathetic dining services, the shitty weather - to name a few.

Wait! I have one just in mind! So, here goes -

Background Information - I work as a Front Desk Receptionist (DR) for the Tenley Campus. Desk Coordinators (DC) are also a part of this wonderful workforce.

When I woke up this morning and checked my e-mail, I was greeted with this wonderful message -

Good Morning Desk Staff!

... and happy DR/DC Recognition Day! It is the National Residence Hall Honorary's STARS Recognition Week and today is our day to thank YOU for being a RESIDENCE HALL ROCKSTAR! We know that it can be difficult and stressful at times, but we want to make sure that you know how much we value you and your service. Thank you for everything that you do. Be sure to stop by the desk where you work to pick up a special treat today!

On behalf of the National Residence Hall Honorary and the entire Housing & Dining Programs (HDP) Staff

Naturally when I saw this e-mail, I, in my typical flashy (read: flamboyant) manner, went - Awwwww....Thanks, HDP, you didn't have to do that!

I am sure you'd have noticed that I underlined a part of the last sentence in the quote. It is done for a reason. See, when someone tells you that you have a special treat waiting for you at some place, and it is free, you will definitely go there to collect it. Tenley Campus is not that far from Main Campus, but it is far enough on a day that is near-freezing AND raining.

So, I take great pains to bundle up in the warmest clothes possible, stand in the rain to wait for the shuttle (which is a rant in itself), and reach Tenley; to find that, to my consternation and in usual Tenley style, there is NOTHING waiting for me.

Way to go, Tenley. You have done it again and showed us DRs and DCs that, while every other Hall appreciates the effort its DR/DC staff puts in, you do not! Do you even know how frustrating it is to find those nice, attractive mugs and the much-needed Perch gift-coupons at display behind other Front Desks for their DRs/DCs and not behind ours?

I think seeing that broke my heart. /Insert pouting face/ I know I love my Tenley-ians and I put in a lot of effort too, as do my colleagues. To see our effort not being appreciated IS. NOT. NICE.

Something needs to be done for this outrageousness. Might I suggest that, in revolt, we "crash" the packaging system till we are felicitated with the promised goodies?

Anyone? Anyone?

Drats! Everyone needs their packages, and even I am not that cruel to deprive our "nice" residents of the pleasure they receive from coming up to the front desk and asking, in accents from all over the globe, "I think I have a package."

/Start Naughty thoughts/ You're damn right you do!! /End Naughty thoughts/

/Insert devilish grin/

Bikram

Myriad of thoughts....

Thoughts....how can one person have so many thoughts at a single point in time? It is kinda hard to fathom, when one stops to think about it, thereby giving that person more to think about. The bigger question, however, is how to put those thoughts in words. I always like to put my thoughts into words 'cause it gives me a clarity that wouldn't otherwise be there.

I guess I am rambling as I don't have much to put here. That brings me to the point - do I need to have a topic in order to blog? I mean, I can just ramble on and on pointlessly if I wanted to. I have had conversations with people where I have rambled on without much thought on what I was saying; the focus was just on keeping the conversation going. Is a blog much different than that? It is, after all, an online version of a personal journal, and if I can write pretty much anything in my journal, I can surely do the same with my blog.

So, do I have anything to talk about in this post? Not likely. Will I continue posting like this in the future? Probably, or probably not. What I do know is that it feels great to write again and I am glad that I have got my muse back. Writing has always been a great outlet for me and my thoughts. I felt lost without it and a huge part of me felt deprived.

So, with that said (or written), I am going to get back to my studying, 'cause I am sure that while writing is a great profession, it is not going to put food on my table!! ;-)

Ciao!

Bikram

Psshht!

Dang! What was I thinking? Seriously, going off on my last post, who am I kidding? After being an agony aunt for so long, hearing other people gripe about their lives, and offering them advice, I am now hearing the same things....funny being on the other side of the dais. Kinda makes me realize how fickle these things are.

Bah! Humbug!

Life's too short to piss it away. As I sit at the Tenley front desk, working my shift, epiphany after epiphany hit me. Why am I letting a few small failures bring me down? I can't let them dictate my life. Sure, it hurts....it makes me feel like shit, but how many times have I heard, said, and advocated the theory of "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade"? I can't count. So, to all those who have rejected me because they found someone better to do the job.....to all who those who refused to tell me what the fuck was wrong....I say GO TO HELL!

I am not letting this affect me. Yes, I might mope around for some short bursts of time, but I don't want these setbacks to take control of me. Rather, I want to take them by the neck, strangle them, and after they beg for mercy, throw them in a trashcan (after all, AU is a green campus).... ;-)

One thing that I can take away from this experience as positive would be that Beast - my muse - is BACK, and boy is he back with a BANG!! All my unfinished novels, short stories, and poems are going DOWN! *Insert cheeky grin*

If life's a bitch, rebounds are a whore!! And everyone knows I am a slut, right!!! :P ;-)

Ciao

Bikram

Aaaaargh!

It sucks to feel unwanted. It. Just. Sucks.

I admit that I have never been one of those persons with a high self-image. The only area where I consider myself to be good is writing; I pride over my skills as a writer. But when other aspects of your life give you the impression that you are not worth their time, it feels like crap. And I have been feeling like crap for the past few days.

You know something’s wrong with you when things don’t go your way both personally and professionally. You know that something must be wrong somewhere, and if you are me, you are bound to come to the conclusion that there is something wrong with yourself. Things have been such a downward spiral lately, giving me the feeling that I am just going through the mechanics of life; that I am somehow disconnected from myself and someone else is holding the reins. It is scary; really, really scary. I haven’t felt like this in a long time and the last time I felt like this, the outcome wasn’t nice.

Keeping that in mind, I try getting out of the funk that I find myself in, only to get dragged back in. Kudos to Saveri for trying, and succeeding, to lift my mood last night; but as news keeps pouring in, I keep getting fucked. All I want to do is scream… and scream so hard that my lungs run out of air. After that is accomplished, I want to just break down, let go of the façade that I’ve been holding together for such the past few days. It fucking hurts so much!

Rationally, I know that my insecurities aren’t true. I have so many good people around me; friends, who keep reiterating that I am good enough and that I need to reconsider how I perceive myself. But, on the other hand, I am failing miserably in my personal and professional life (not classes – those are going great and, according to two of my professors, I am doing awesome. It is extra-curricular, something that I have always prided myself in). It only reinforces the belief that I am not good enough.

Don’t get me wrong, I have had rejection in the past and have taken it quite well. But all of those have come with accompanying success in other venues, balancing the rejection. Lately, though, it has been a deluge of rejections. I know that there are people better than me out there, but am I not better than anyone in at least one field?

I hate feeling like this. It is not in my nature to sulk and pine over things, and yet, I find myself doing exactly that these past few days. I seriously don’t know what to do ‘cause it feels like I no longer have control over what I am doing.

I better stop before I make a mess all over my laptop, and of myself.

Ciao

Bikram

And here we go again!

Wow!

Where do I even begin? So much has happened since I last wrote that if I even began to describe all of it, the entry will run into a full story. What I can do is provide a short summary. I think that should satisfy (hopefully) all those who have been eagerly waiting for updates from me.

Let me begin with where I left off. I left off in New York. After visiting my aunt there, Dad and I visited my uncle in New Jersey. I got a call from the people that I had applied for a job and they scheduled an interview, which was a success. Housing and Dining (the employer at the University) was kind enough to tell me that the training will be starting on the 6^th of August and that I would need to be there. Well, as my original plans included me being in DC that early, it wasn’t a big deal. They were also kind enough to tell me that I can move in early if I wanted to – the deal clincher.

We came to DC on the 5^th and stayed with my uncle’s friend in Virginia. (I have a lot of uncles in US, but for the benefit of those who are lost; this uncle is my Dad’s younger brother.) The family was incredibly nice and accommodating, considering that we had never met them before. I shifted to the Univ the next day and went through training for my job as a Desk Receptionist at one of the resident halls on campus.

And with that I settled in for, what proved to be, an incredible journey that is still going on. There are so many things that I want to say here, so let me jump right into it. Life in the US is not easy. It is certainly not a bed of roses, but it is surely worthwhile. As I was telling one of my professors, in India, one can take some time off to take a deep breath and relax. Here, if you do that, you’d find yourself left behind. I knew that intellectually before coming here, but actually having it happen to me was...scary.

People – they are another aspect that is so intriguing here. (Well, duh!) They are so accommodating, understanding, and accepting. Maybe that is an AU thing, but I have yet to come across a person who would not return my “Hi” with an equal enthusiasm as mine. Also, there will always be someone waving to you as you walk down, always a familiar face that’ll be smiling at you. In short, it is such a close-knit campus that it can be quite overwhelming sometimes.

My floor-mates – they are some of the best, some of the goofiest, and some of the most diverse people I can ever hope to come across. From being extremely quiet to being extremely loud – you’ll find ‘em all on this floor. And I LOVE THEM TO DEATH. They have made a special place in my heart in such short a time that I find it really amazing that I just knew them for more than two months.

The professors are also awesome here. They are nothing like the teachers back home (well, some are). The curriculum is also very demanding. God, and everyone, knows that I love to read, but even I can’t keep pace with the amount of reading that we have to do for each class. It is a nightmare trying to get everything finished up and ready before the next class is upon us.

The food SUCKS! Like every hostel, the food really sucks. I have no other adjective for it. It is tasteless, bland, and variety-less. Er, maybe I did have adjectives. LOL... There aren’t many dining options available on campus that are included in the fees, so I end up paying for everything that I eat, almost every day.

I think that should suffice for now. The gist is that I am having the time of my life here. The place is awesome, the environment is even better, and the people are the best. If only I can keep up with my writing and this blog, life will be bliss.

Ciao

Bikram