You've Got Mail..

It is new year’s eve and I’ve just hit upon something stimulating enough to actually write about. And in case that thought just popped into your mind, no, I’m not typing this on a smart-phone at a party, waiting for the clock to strike midnight. On a day like this when the brain inadvertently chooses to reflect on the year that flew by, it proves to be pretty strenuous to pass time doing nothing. You feel guilty of having wasted most of the year doing crazy, mostly irrelevant shit, and you also realize that you aren’t really getting any younger. But what really gets to me is the ominous knowledge that despite having had this enlightenment, I’m most probably going to keep at the crazy irrelevant shit throughout the next year, and the years to come, and just waste more time. So much for being a human being, and the thus related theory of evolution. I must be making Darwin a proud skeleton indeed.

The first time I watched ‘You’ve Got Mail’, it just blew me away without really making a mark of any sort. I just enjoyed the sappy moments, and the huge golden dog, which seemed lovable on-screen because it kept its paws on the desk and stared at the computer screen intelligently in a very cute ears-drooped-tongue-hanging-out fashion, something that common dogs aren’t known to be capable of. In practice however, it would most probably be a highly expensive sleep-destroyer, what with all the intuitive yelping and yapping that they think they’re born to do.

The second time I watched it, I was blown away by Meg Ryan’s incredible comic sense, acting prowess and screen presence. It also dawned on me that Tom Hanks was probably the only actor who could actually do sappy movies without having to have 6(+) pack abs on his resume. But the charisma, sheer magnetism and diction that he lends to his characters is jaw dropping.

The third time I watched it, I got nostalgic, misty eyed and sniffy nosed when I heard the orchestra an analog modem made when connecting to the internet. It reminded me of the days when I actually used one, and how much technology has changed ever since.

The fourth time I watched it, I wondered, whatever happened to writing emails for personal communication? Technology has changed so much over the years that even before people really got comfortable with email, along came instant messaging. Yahoo, being the predominantly used instant messenger when I was a kid. It had great smileys, which made communication fun. Google then proceeded to make the future of email even more agonizing, by integrating instant messaging with the email inbox, which resulted in more and more people shrugging off email as a redundant accessory. Today almost every word of personal communication happens over either instant messenger, social networks or voice/video chats. And like the generations before us that rued the annihilation of conventional mail, and the lost art of letter writing, I miss writing and receiving emails. I still make it a point to communicate using email, but the opportunities are extremely scarce.

Writing emails not only improves your writing ability, but also improves diction, which instant messengers have completely eviscerated. Riting stndrds hav decrsd so mch, tht spking with ppl on instant messaging bcums a different language alltogether.

I realized today how old-fashioned I really am. Behind the times I may be, but I’ve got to get some mail..