Lepak... The New Way!

I'm not much your conventional lepak (yup this word is in Urban Dictionary..LOL!) fan. But of late, I must admit that I do participate in some form of lepak... the digital kind. I've become one of those people who can't do without a Net connection. Conversations with friends far and near is a norm now. It's not your regular lepak-ing over a cup of coffee at a kopitiam or one of the joints in town but thru the cables and wires... sometimes even thru the waves in the air. But it's not a 100% lepak in the sense cos it's mostly done in-between tasks. Of course, I think research is underway into how this new lepak culture is eating into productivity time. And multi-tasking is no good for us, I read recently. Aiyo!

I used talk with friends mostly over Skype but somehow since FaceBook became the flavour of the moment... I've also jumped onto that bandwagon. It has found me many old friends. I'm ecstatic to be able to reconnect with friends near and far. Interaction with my kids' friends has also taken on this dimension. I now have 'conversations' with them via FB, online and offline.

Interactions between the adults and kids used to take place when they go to each other's house or at church... for those who don't have the latter, the interaction was kinda limited. These days.. I even know what they have for lunch before their parents do!

As for me, it's usually lepak cum some other task. We drop notes here and there, exchange info of the latest gossip, tag each other, throw our thoughts, share our hobbies and exploits, ooh and aah over the littlest of things, laugh over jokes.. And my horizon just keeps expanding... I think my mom and dad will probably not comprehend all these.

Yet... in all these, I see the good for the old, for my parents' generation. This form of communication is actually rather liberating in the sense that you can reach out and be reached at whims. They could be so in touch with their children and grandchildren... distance not a problem.

And being social creatures as well as having a lot of time on our hands and also sometimes not much to do, I think this cyber lepak-ing is good for many groups of people. The fun part is the interaction continues even after you have signed off... cos you can pick it up from where you left.

So this new way of lepak.. it actually has it many good points. But like the 2 sides of a coin, there are also the cons we have to look at. But with some discipline I'd say there are many plus points. For parents.. get on, try it out.. it'll also help you understand your children's worlds. For the older gen, it's great to stay connected after the line dancing, tai-chis, kopitiam sessions.... or in the dead of the night, when you sometimes find the need to 'talk', the lines are opened, channels running.... it keeps the mind active too... perhaps we may need bigger screens for our failing eyesights, and more comfy chairs but it's well worth it. Everyone needs to lepak every now and then.