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