SMS-ing does not tell everything ... thankfully

SMS-ing does not tell everything ... thankfully

Message failed. Resend?

The three words appeared on my cell phone screen while
attempting to send short messages to friends and family a few
minutes after the beginning of the new year.

Not only did I miss the cherished moment to surprise and
celebrate with my friends but, to my disappointment, I couldn't
even send short messages until the evening of Jan. 2.

The operator at Telkomsel (I use the pre-paid Simpati card)
blamed it on an overloading of messages. I accepted the reason
because three main cellular operators in this country have just
agreed to a joint-SMS service last May, and SMS-ing (look for
that term in the dictionary soon) has been surpassing the normal
phone conversation in sheer quantity.

I can also understand the fact that not all cellular operators
are equipped with the technology to cope with the surging demand
for better service (no late SMS, provide cell broadcast to inform
you on the weather, stock exchange, sports results or even your
location, to name a few examples), while they periodically
increase air time fees. What a shame.

Despite the frustration, I opted to look on the bright side.

It was like a miracle to me when I discovered some three years
ago that I could actually relay short messages to anyone I wanted
with a mobile phone.

I remembered telling a superior in my office about SMS and how
to send it, helping him to type the service center number on his
phone and calling the operator to activate it (it took a few
hours before we could get going).

SMS was not so popular at that time, maybe because there was
next to no publicity. To me, SMS-ing has come to mean cutting
down on my phone bill.

The to-the-point nature of SMS, moreover, can save my breath,
while allowing me to tactfully engage in sometimes difficult
conversations.

Across the continent, I can still SMS.

I was on a safari adventure oceans away from Indonesia last
March, for example, watching two lionesses dining on a baby
antelope, and the communication with my boyfriend in Jakarta
could still go on. I sent uninterrupted messages describing what
I saw, and I got the response, just as if we were chatting on the
phone.

I made sure that he could "see" nearly the same way I did in
less than 160 characters ("Do you send live reportage to your
editor?" a colleague joked).

While my colleagues were tickled pink to see me practically
glued to my mobile (as those traveling with me can testify), I
was wondering why they, who came from more techno-hip lands like
Malaysia and the Philippines, were unaware of this means of
economical communication, although some of them traveled with
their mobiles activated.

And when they found out and gave it a try, some of them even
had difficulties in setting the service center number!

After that day, I saw my Filipino colleague SMS-ing all the
time, instead of making international calls which were, of
course, expensive. She is a phone freak, according to her co-
worker, and has several mobile phones to accommodate various
kinds of people.

SMS-ing from abroad to Indonesia with Telkomsel cost US$4
cents. So as to enhance the sensation, I also SMS-ed the
aforementioned chief during my travels to shock him.

It's worth noting that I don't lose touch with my loved one
whenever I travel out of town or overseas, but that's if we're
both equipped with the appropriate device, and we're willing to
respond at any given moment.

If I can't use my mobile, I can still send messages worldwide
from any free SMS websites in the Internet. Now we can even SMS
graphics and ringtones. Some colleagues of mine have developed
the habit of flirting with porn graphics and erotic messages. To
them, those are the good things about SMS, anyway.

But something is indeed missing. It's always difficult to dig
up one's motivation through phone conversation, let alone through
SMS.

True, you can send tons of "I love you" graphics, accompanied
by the most romantic ringtone to your loved one until your
fingers cramp, but you may not feel any true passion spring from
a mobile phone screen.

There is no "tender grasping" sense that pops up at times when
we realize that nature will take care of everything when we're
off-balance.

I think there is no best way to express ourselves, it just
depends on one's personal preference. SMS is a medium, like
letters, e-mail, newspapers, TV, radio, books and pamphlets. We
can choose which one is the best for us. Whichever they are, just
make sure that what we have to say to others comes from the
heart, if we're serious about making the world a better place in
which to live.

Question: I have hard feelings toward a person, but can't
avoid talking to him/her. How am I supposed to deal with it?

Answer: Be thrifty with your words and let it go naturally.
And, at these times, try SMS to convey your intentions:-)).

-- Ivy Susanti