Is it Any Wonder

Further blog surfing has made me realise that:

It's a small world after all

Despite the well-intended connotations of friendliness and familiarity associated with the song, I am very uncomfortable knowing that my peers back home are separated by very small degrees.

It seems almost impossible to meet strangers anymore. I opine that it is invasive as information re: oneself and others get passed on so carelessly, especially since everyone is "one of my closest friends". I used to think Vancouver was small but being a FOB has its rewards in anonymity.

You see, I enjoy meeting complete strangers, getting to know another person without any sort of attachment lent by "oh-I-know-XXX-too, he/she-is-one-of-my-closest-friends!". I like hearing about people's stories and experiences from they themselves, not from a third party. I want to hear about both good and bad news from the involved parties, not from known busybodies.

Most of all, I appreciate being given a fair opportunity to present myself to another person without preconceived judgment or biases, and starting on a clean slate.

I don't miss home all that much after all

With the exception of the likes of Suz, Li, Matt, BK and a certain few variously dispersed relatives, I don't miss being home as much as I thought I would/did. I miss the food terribly but even so, not enough to make me wish I was home.

Instead, I want to move again as soon as I can to re-live the experience of up-rooting and adapting and living all over again. Except this time, I'll befriend cooler people, avoid the mistakes of first timers and I won't be doing it alone or be accountable to anyone except myself.

It used to be that blogs made me wish I was back home so I could partake in all the coolness that thrives even in my absence; these days, I spend 20 hours of a day in bed and still feel cooler than the people on these blogs.