(Dear English readers, please scroll down to find the ‘click’ for English translation.)
这几天, 感觉很奇怪。因为，突然有许多马来西亚的中学朋友加入Facebook, 和他们的联络突然多了。
我加入Facebook 有好几个月了。刚开始时，我也有相同的奇怪感觉。因为，我在Facebook遇上了七年前在尼泊尔旅行认识的英国朋友，还有当地的朋友。那时，我好兴奋，我们也吵着要搞一个尼泊尔七年之痒加重聚之旅。当然也只是说说。
这十多年在外国的生活，我虽从没有和中学朋友失去联络。可也只是我一年回马一次时，出来吃吃，见见面。见的也只是较相熟的几个朋友。偶尔一，两次大型的聚会，可人多，也很少真的聊到什么。平时，大家忙大家的，电邮也很少。现在，大家在Facebook, 虽也没真的聊到什么，感觉还是较‘贴近’了。要‘见’他们也较容易，也不用担心他们的电邮地址有没更新。
刚好也发现有几个中学朋友有写部落。去拜访他们，看看这几年来他们的生活，好像在重拾一些遗落了的时间。
往另一 方想，我和几个有写部落的朋友，也已少写电邮了。想他们时，就上部落找他们。我们有时懒得重复，就会说：上我的部落格看就知道啦。可也是，有些每天生活的细节在电邮也未必可以详述。只是，偶尔会搞不清，到底网际生活是拉近了，还是疏远了，彼此的距离。
在这几个月来，如有时间，我也会读读其他人的部落。因而认识了几个朋友。通过一些留言，我也知道有几个我在现实生活中不认识的朋友常上我的部落。突然间，生活中多了几个部落世界的朋友。
现在，我也常用Skype。虽远在它方， 我可以与家人朋友聊天，可以’见’到他们。 感觉像他们就在我身边。我也听网上电台。 虽住在多伦多， 我听的却是LA的电台。有一天， 心血来朝开香港电台来听，我还以为我已到了香港。 想念澳洲时，只要时间配合好，我可以听到我爱听的澳洲电台。要知道马来西亚或澳洲的新闻，一上网就知道。
有时会疑惑 ： 我到底身在何处? 这到底是我虚拟的世界，还是我真实的生活？网际的生活和真实的生活再也难分。
我想很多人过着这种生活已很久了。我却是刚开始体验。
I feel a little ‘strange’ for the last few days because suddenly have contacts with my many Malaysia high school friends through Facebook.
I have joined Facebook for a few months now. When I first joined Facebook, I had the similar ‘weird’ feelings because I met quite a few English backpackers I met in my Nepal trip seven years ago. I was so excited and we were talking about organising another Nepal trip as an reunion for everyone. Of course, we were only talking without real actions.
Although I never really lost contacts with my high school friends, we only see each other once a year during my annual visit to Malaysia. However, the time is usually brief and I only get to see a few closer friends. Once in a while, we may have some bigger gatherings, but we don’t normally get to chat more deeply due to the crowd. Other than that, we don’t normally write emails to each other because each of us has quite busy life. And now, we get more frequent contacts through Facebook, though we don’t really ‘talk’, at least I feel ‘closer’ with them rather than just once a year contact. Also, I can send them a message through Facebook without worrying if they have changed their email addresses.
In addition, through these contacts, I found out that some of them also blog. I go to visit their blogs, and it is interesting to ‘see’ their life for the past few years, as if reliving their lives through reading their blogs.
On the other hand, I have a few other friends who also write blogs, and since we write emails to each other less often. Sometimes, we are lazy to repeat what we have written in blogs, we simply refer each other to our own blogs to read more. Sometimes, it is true that there are more details in our blogs that is harder to relate in emails. However, sometimes, I wonder if this internet business has made us closer or estrange us instead.
For the last few months, when I am free, I read other people’s blogs too, hence have made a few blogging friends since. My blog also has a few regular readers whom I don’t know in real life. Suddenly, I find myself have made many new friends through blogging.
I use Skype to keep in touch with my family and friends too. Although living overseas, I can ‘see’ them in the Skype live chat easily, as if they are just beside me. I listen to online radios too. I listen to LA radio station more than Toronto radio stations. When I miss Australia radios, I just have to go online though there is time difference. One day, out of curiosity, I found Hong Kong radio stations online. Listening to it, I thought I am in Hong Kong. Anytime, if I want to know Malaysia or Australia news, just a finger click away I can see the full news coverage.
Sometimes, I do wonder – where am now? which country? Is this my virtual world through my own creation, or is this my true reality? It seems like I can’t separate my reality from my virtual world anymore.
I believe many people have been living a life like this for a while, but it is only new to me for the past few months….
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