THE OFFLINE EXPERIENCE & MERRY
CHRISTMAS.
24/12/12
Seventy Three days. Offline. Or almost
offline.
For seventy three days since we
migrated to Australia, my family and I did not have complete access
to an internet connection. We used the internet when it was
available in my brother's and sister's place for the first month and
a half we were in Caniaba and Leeville, New South Wales.
There were days when we had a good
amount of Gigabytes to eat up, and days when we limited ourselves to
email and a bit of Facebook due to the limited bandwidth supply.
When we transferred to our own flat in
Lismore twenty seven days ago, it took the telecom company almost a
month to hook up the phone and ADSL Broadband connection ( I placed
the order about a week before we moved).
For the past ten years or so, I usually
spent almost every waking hour online. Checking my email and
facebook accounts the moment I wake up. Using mobile Twitter when I
am on the road or in the toilet. Using Google, Wikipedia and other
websites in my work all day. And using my iPad to check my Email
and Facebook while in bed before sleeping.
Even when I am with other people, I
would usually go online with my smartphone to search for information
on a movie or an actor in IMDB, or settle a debate by checking the
correct facts and information on the web.
Family and friends who were aware of my
situation were probably wondering how I was coping with the
internet-free life. Many of them are also as hooked online as I am
and probably commiserated with my situation.
It was an interesting – sometimes
difficult, sometimes refreshing - experience to be almost offline
for about two and a half months.
Combined with having no television this
past month, books and the occasional DVD made up for the time usually
devoted to online activities. It wasn't such a bad situation
actually. It was kind of relaxing. And being able to finish a
couple of books was enjoyable and felt great.
A week ago, on the 17th of
December, the phone connection was installed. I immediately assumed
that the internet access would be activated at once the same way
connections were installed in the Philippines. Alas, they do things
different in Australia. More systematic and organised, but different.
I was told that I had to wait another 7 days till the ADSL access
would be activated.
After 2 days, the Modem / Wifi Kit
arrived and I thought the internet access would be up and running.
But, I found out that it would be activated as scheduled, on Dec. 24.
After 4 more days, on the 23rd of
December, the telecom company made a mistake of sending me a 2nd
modem. Upon clarifying this with them, and looking at the 1st
Modem unit I already set up, I wondered if they would really wait
till the last minute to activate it as scheduled. I decided to power
it up and lo and behold, I was online.
I immediately configured the three
laptops, a PC, an iPad and two iPhones the family uses to go online
and we all spent the next three hours glued to our gadgets, catching
up on the online stuff that went untouched for the past seventy three
days.
As I announced on facebook that I was
back online, somebody greeted me, “Welcome to the world of the
living”.
Another friend told me that “it's the
best Christmas gift ever”.
Is it ?
Being offline had it's merits. The
books and movies I was able to watch. The stuff around the house I
was able to fix.
But am I glad to be online?
You bet....Merry Christmas.
