All entries for Tuesday 26 December 2006

Phone calls

I usually am very frightened at the idea of talking to an old friend on the phone, especially if it is someone that I have not seen for long. I would be excited and extremely happy if I could see a friend in person, but I have this psychological fear for telephone conversations. Without body language and eye contact, communication becomes so unbearably unpredictable.

I am afraid that the familiar voice from the other side of the world is going to sound strange; I am embarrassed by the question guess who I am which I never am able to make out the right answer; I am freaked out by the blank spots where neither side knows what to say or how to end the call; and worst of all, I hate the sizzling telephone line which always blocks the most essential signal one needs to catch. It is almost like a gambling for me to call some old friend that I have not seen for years. I do not know how many friends I lost on the phone.

Yesterday I received two unexpected phone calls from my friends wishing me merry Christmas. Both however turned out to be great! I was so happy that we can still talk so closely on the phone, and for that long.

Maybe it is not the problem of the phone anyway. When the friendship is working, it works everywhere, even on the worst phone line; when it is not, nothing helps.

Xiu Wang : 26 Dec 2006 07:25 |  Tags: Life |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem