I saw an uncle seating in the middle of 2 seats on the bus.

There was an auntie behind me who talked so loudly to her companion I could hear her over my earphones. Is your companion hard of hearing or you are?

I was in the lift today, and even before I could come out, the 2 people who were waiting outside had already came in, effectively blocking the exit by standing in front of me. They had the cheek to look baffled as to why I am in the lift! And.. they wanted to press the close door button when I am still inside. I mean, come on, let me go out first, the lift aint going to run away!

What is wrong with all these people? Zzzzzzzz

Ring ring

I have found myself asking this question quite often these days. “ Can a handphone be really more interesting then a person in the flesh?”. I understand the core function of a handphone is to be contactable. But it seems that not only has it superseded its main function it has become a necessity.

Sometimes I would go out with my friends only to have them fiddling with their phones, smsing or talking to another person on the phone for extended periods of time. Hello, am I invisible? if there are such pressing issues that you have to talk about it now, I suggest you meet the other person instead.

I know you want to know what ringtones your new phone has or you want to let us know what nice songs you have in your phone. But, no, i don't think we, the commuters on the train and bus
are particularly interested. It's better explored in your home, no? Neither do I know want to know what an exciting night you had yesterday or what you had for breakfast - loudly. Try talking a little softer, you will be surprised how easy it is.

The handphone is meant to make our lives a little more convenient, not an inconvenice to others.

Here is the ten commandments which I found on the net relating to the use of handphone.

Netiquette

I think we should all practice some form of etiquette on the net.

Chain emails: Why do people like to send chain emails and why were they even invented in the first place? It chokes up the inbox and can be so irritating. If those things are to be believed, I would meet my "True Love" in the next 15 or 30 days, I would have bad luck for the rest of my life or die of a horrible disease. Actually, I should be dead by now because I don't forward chain emails.

Facebook: We should be mindful of the photos that we put up and who we tagged. The photos might be hilarious but not everyone is going to be pleased that they were made public, especially "candid" photos. Comments should also be left with care as everybody in the friend list can see it. Please do not send out all the applications that you try, I do not want to have a fluff pet or become a vampire!

Blogging: Do not plagiarize. Using someone else's work and passing it off as your own is rude and makes you look bad. A Singapore blogger, Dawn Yang was accused of plagiarizing and many threads and forums on the net were talking about her. Something like this happening would really destroy your credibility. Do not post vicious rumours about other people. Sure, a blog is for posting your own opinions, but that does not mean we should not give a thought to what we write. The web can reach a very large audience and I think no one wants to be at the receiving end of the rumours.

There are more on online etiquette, and some very basic rules, like do not type using all caps which is akin to shouting, refrain from using profanities and treat them like how you would want to be treated.

Here is more on etiquette on the net. Feel free to leave your comments on what you think.

Etiquette

Social etiquette, something so important yet often forgotten. I'm sure we have all been guilty of displaying bad manners. Ever felt annoyed at someone in the bus who puts his bag on the empty seat next to him and the bus is full? We often forget our manners, irking other people in the process.

Why do we need to have proper etiquette and manners? It makes us look good and other people around us will feel good and respected too. It prepares us for the many social situations that we will get caught in. It is also important for business settings. Meeting new friends and acing the job interview will be easier.
Having proper manners also means that you will not embarrass yourself or the person you are with. Not knowing what to do in a social situation is not cool and makes you look bad. Being polite and courteous to others brightens up their day!

And it seems there is etiquette to be observed in the social media as well, I'll write more about that in the next post.