MiXing  It

 “Wot? Say dat agn plz. I got dc.” L
“R u cumin 2 da beach 2mrw?”
“ya. Wen I c u, il giv u da oda cd I bawt 4 u k?”
“Gr8! Tanx! J b bak l8r.”

While I was so caught up in this riveting conversation (and other simultaneous ones), I found myself sitting opposite my mom in complete silence (apart from my constantly tapping keypad which I’m sure by now has its own pulse), due to my swift departure from the real world into Chat World. Let’s not even mention the new ‘improved’ lingo, but if you need some help with translation, here’s the conversation in English:

“Excuse me, could you please repeat that? I was disconnected.” (sad face)
“Will you be visiting the beach tomorrow?”
“Yes- when we meet, I will give you the other c.d I bought for you, okay?”
“Great! Thank you! (smiley face) I will be back later.”

Of course this would require a tremendous effort in terms of thumb-work and time and at roughly 2c per message, MxiT gets the message across. As a service that allows the teen socialite to chat to his or her groupies at any time of the day, provided they’re logged on, MxiT ensures you’re kept up to date on the latest gossip 24/7! This is the latest addiction. Once again, communication with family is threatened, but that doesn’t come close to the fear of being ‘dc’d’ or, horror of all horrors – being logged off and not being able to log back on for an entire hour! This hour is now devoted to smsing friends to share your pain and vent some rage at MxiT, who now have too many users and cannot keep up, a position I found myself in the other night when I realized the ugly truth – I was addicted. And I’m not the only one hooked to the MxiT lifeline, considering my friend in the middle of matric finals, who couldn’t bear to log off, another friend not being able to dress up on Eid day because she just could not pry herself away from her phone, and one who is now having nightmares of being spontaneously logged off. ‘The MxiT Generation,’ as my mum calls us, has definitely lived up to MxiT’s motto, ‘Join the Evolution’ as we have evolved to have an extremely vital adaptation  the cellphone, which has to be attached to the thumb (which is twice its original size.) While MxiT can be downloaded for free and is quite irresistible, I had to admit that it is a huge distraction. So much so, that as I write this, I’m wondering which of my friends is online and I can almost feel my attention span shrinking. So today I start rehab. I tell myself that I do not have to log on 24/7, that my social life will still exist without chatting for a day…and that the world as I know it will not crumble without it. If anything, ‘rehab’ might just help me regain my manners and respect for the most important person in my life sitting across me, my mum, as I chat to a real person and I take the big step and…logoff.

Teen tips: How to Heal

Healing after a loss can seem impossible especially as a teen, when emotions can lead to dark feelings of loneliness and emptiness. Be it death, betrayal or a broken heart, healing those deep wounds that may not be visible, is a process we all need help with. These five tips can help make the journey to healing a little lighter:

1. Think About It: Don’t push the sad event out of your mind as this will only disregard your emotions.
2. Talk About It: You have a right to your feelings – talk to a close friend or parent. Don’t bottle your feelings.
3. Take Control: To avoid feeling helpless, volunteer or work to make yourself feel that you have a purpose.
4. Try To Get On With Life: Try to keep focused on work and deadlines, but also allow your feelings a voice.
5. Take Your Time: Don’t rush the healing process. Some people take longer to heal, but remember that life has to go on.

Lastly and most importantly, know that you are never alone and that Allah SWT is always with you. Things happen for a reason and that which does not kill you only makes you stronger. Allah SWT would never place a burden on your shoulders that you could not handle.