To facebook or not to facebook

I've been having a bit of an internal struggle. Facebook is a social networking phenomenon. Everywhere I go it seems people have their own facebook page. And alongside this is the expectation that you will update it everyday, meet new friends and generally live your life on facebook, including lining up social engagements.

The problem is, I don't particularly like it. For starters I don't like meeting people over the internet, maybe I'm just an uncool person but it seems that increasingly facebook is being used as an alternative to actually meeting people face to face. It feels dehumanising to me. And then there's all this friending and unfriending stuff.

But I guess what really gets to me is the plethora of mindless drivel that gets put on facebook pages. I really don't need to know where a person is 24/7 and I really don't need to know what they are doing every minute of the day. I wonder whether the internet is actually a bad way to make friends and connect with people.

As I am writing this I am being told that there is (yet another) website that provides an online forum to discuss why/how so many people are leaving church and not coming back; and invites such people to take part in this forum. I'm actually going to suggest that the presence of this website is symptomatic of the problem - connection. There seems to be a train of thought that believes we are living in an age where we can substitute real meaningful, face-to-face relationship for an online chat forum. I wonder if we haven't been sold the dummy of believing that emails can replace a phone call, texting can replace conversation and real friendship can be fostered on facebook, myspace, twitter and any number of social networking chat sites. I'm not that certain anymore that we can!

Don't get me wrong, I have an iphone, I'm on my laptop daily and I have a blog. I can pretty much communicate with people without ever seeing them face to face. I'm alone in front of my laptop communicating my thoughts and feelings to the world without ever hearing another voice, seeing another human being or speaking another word. I could do that if I want to, I'm naturally an introvert so its no real problem to me. But I choose not to, I think I need people, I think I need physical presence, I think I need to hear another voice, to see another face and speak thoughts out loud. And I think God wired me that way.

Once more into the breach...!

Yep, back again after a long hiatus. Why so long you may ask. Well I guess there are a couple of reasons behind it.

Firstly we have had a plethora of holidays, long weekends and stuff that have been going on. Its kind of hard to write something when there are kids underfoot who are bored and always looking for Dad to entertain them. My life sort of went on hold during holidays. now the kids are back at school, long weekends are all over and I have the house to myself; which means I am free to journal, blog and, oh yes, look for work.

On the work front...

Still haven't found a job... and yes I have been looking. I do want to work, I feel rested and ready, but truthfully I can't seem to get an interview. I am trying my best to avoid going to Centrelink. I have been there before and they were no help at all. I don't mind being on benefits but seriously the hoops you have to jump through to get them are not worth the money they give out. I went there in the hopes that they would have a couple of options in helping me find work (even some re-training maybe) but no way - they took my details and then told me I was on my own and that I was expected to apply for any and every job that came along! Really? Does that include applying for jobs such as a company CEO, an airline pilot, maybe an investment banker?

Now I know they didn't mean that of course, what they actually meant was that I should consider jobs that sat outside my skills and experience. stuff like cleaning or kitchen hand. I don't mind those jobs either... except I have a wife and kids who expect me to bring home enough money to put food on their table and keep a roof over their heads; and those sorts of jobs won't do that. Hence my strong desire to stay as far away from Centrelink as possible.

OK enough of that. Yes I am looking for work and no I'm not sitting in front of the TV waiting for something to turn up. I am reading, journaling, blogging, cooking, listening to some good sermons, writing applications and cleaning the house.

Melbourne again...

While I was in Melbourne we went to the zoo (something we always enjoyed doing when we lived there). I managed to bring along my iphone with a camera app called 'best camera' (you can get it from the app store). I'm not an expert photographer by any means but this little app is quite useful in letting you edit and change the look of your pictures. It was pretty easy to work with and fun to use as well. Here are some of the results...                           

Well, OK this last one isn't strictly a zoo animal, but sometimes....