A Connected World?

The photos on my desk shows us in happier times when we were together as a very united team.

Pongtip’s face stands out: two days ago she had sms-ed me to say her husband had died of leukaemia the day before. I rang her immediately to see how she was.

Today, her country is in the news again – the military coup to oust Thaksin. I had sent her an sms to wish her well.

And just last week, some of us in the ‘’united team’’ were engaged in a five-way email exchange (Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand-Hongkong-Taiwan), updating one another about another ex-colleague from Japan.

Last week, too, Pongtip had sms-ed us to notify about her new mobile number. In my reply, I had told her that I was in France. Her reply:

‘’I just returned from Hanoi, Agnes is in Singapore, you are in France, and my captain is in Milan. What a world.’’

Yes, indeed, what a world. A small, connected, electronic world, where all my good friends are so near, yet so far.

We can ‘’miss’’ each other in our home countries: Agnes missed Pongtip while she was in Bangkok for her business trip – Pongtip was in Hongkong then!

Agnes missed me while she was in Singapore for business too – I was in France.

Emails, IM, sms, phone calls… nothing beats a hug. No matter how ‘’connected’’ or instant our messages may be, I long to give Pongtip a hug. I want to give Winny a hug too, and perhaps cry together, over her recently broken relationship.

I guess I will hold my hugs, until I meet them, hopefully, soon.

I sure miss you, gals.