Help!
I feel I've been spending too much time with the computer. After dinner, I switch on my computer and normally do not get off until 2 or 3 hours later. I first check my multiply to see if there are additional updates. Then I visit a few regulars or wander around searching for information. Often, however, one thing leads to another and without realizing, it is 11 PM already.
There are just so many good stuffs out there. To switch off my mind, I like to idly read the wikipedia. Discovering a new TV series I love? I do my research so I get updated on the story as well as the biography of each crew, both fictional and real, annoying my husband. I search the internet on how not to kill pots of indoor basil and end up at a food blog and an urban garden page. You get the idea.
Sure I gain knowledge although not always. But I also develop a dangerous habit: speed reading. I tend to read a few lines of each paragraph because I'm pressured to finish the interesting articles I've bookmarked or opened so I can move on to other activities. The habit extends to my professional life, by the way, and now it takes me longer than normal to read proper documents just to understand them.
To limit my overload, I've done a few things: a. I prune my multiply contact lists from time to time. The first to get eliminated are often those who never peek at my page but post endless short stories themselves ranging from what they eat that dawn to how their cuticles are doing. In addition, their buddies write endless strings of supportive but meaningless comments which doesn't add value to the discussion. I can't bear the same updates; then b. I utilize the cross icon in multiply to ensure that I do not get them. c. I review my bookmarks from time to time: sites which I have not visited for weeks, get thrown to the trash. If I don't visit regularly, then I do not like them that much.
Despite all that, the list grows instead of shrinking. I used to have only 4 tabs of bookmarks (food and wine, travel, communication, and fun). Now it's 16! Food takes up 2 to differentiate between recipes and references and general food blogs. Travel also grows to wish list and traveling. In addition, there are shopping and magazines pages as well as various knowledge-based websites. I am again overwhelmed.
There are just so many good information out there written in such enticing manner. Everyone strives to present a blog useful (and beautiful) for his/her own market and tries their best to maintain their market share. How can I turn these free, good stuffs away? Where do I get the will and courage?
Eventually, if I'm honest with myself, these are the only blogs I frequent religiously in addition to my multiply contacts':
a. On a daily basis, it's Jenzcorner: this blog provides a great guide to dining scene in Jakarta (and Indonesia to certain extent). I love reading people's comments there too. Of course, she's a friend. The only draw back is... more frequent updates please!
b. On a weekly basis, they are: for French Laundry's cooking book and contemplating whether to buy it after I borrowed it from a friend. Writing style is excellent and content very unique. + Chuplin: this is a blog of friends and I need my fix on their antics.
There are some other columns, photography pages, and food blog (s) I frequent. The first I read for fun, the second for knowledge, and the third for porn. Food porn seem to have the same formula: good quality, mouth-watering photographs accompanied by either recipes or stories in excellent English. Some are focused, most are general. After a while, they all look the same but provide nothing more but pressure on what I should do with my own food-related postings. (Right, I'm jealous).
I realize the most interesting blogs are the ones I feel connected to rather than gain information from. That is on top of witty writing, accountable content, and agreeable overall style. Chubby Hubby, for example, is not merely about food but also about his relationship with his wife (through food of course) and about his passions, food included. Even without personal photographs (like some silly audience asked of Jenzcorner), we get a picture of what this person is all about. He doesn't hide behind his anonymity yet he remains unknown.
Another factor is a unique endeavour. FLAH is a great example. I know Julie and Julia exists and FLAH is an imitator but the value added is clear: how many people actually attempt FL cookbook and share it to the world in a consistent, comprehensive and stylish manner? Who really has the time, perseverance, and money?
Those are my attempts to reduce this insane overload. It's not a pleasant feeling not to be visited after hours of meticulous crafting. I do get disappointed when my readership falls and I do realize I often, particularly recently, go across the line of being one of those bores (another recipe? Yawn...). However, I understand that everyone has his/her own filter, just like I do, and I just need to be more market-friendly if I choose to do so. Otherwise, convincing myself, albeit feebly, that I do this for me and readership is a bonus, should help
Having blabbing all that, I sincerely thank you for reading. It sure made my (Fri)day!
 | *reading (a)*
*look into own blog*
*hoping i dont give details of my cuticles too often to not get deleted :P*
anyways, am also on a 'speed-reading' mode lately.
I just finished reading an instructional email in simple, conversational english, in which i know each and every word contain there.
At the last dot, i realize i totally didnt understand what it means.
Feels like reading some japanese paragraph (in which we can pronun it but absolutely clueless to what it means)
btw, i'm about to post how my cuticles fare today. You have make me re-think haha.. |
| me? light? short? funny?
you talking about me writing or me physical appearance?? *jadi berasa bodoh, pendek, dan lucu* huehhe....
weh.. malah gue kali ven yang pengen banget bisa nulis panjang2 insightful kaya loe, sungguh.
But thanks for the compliment. I am now working on the cuticles post :D |
 | Venny, Have a great and blessed friday! Shut down your computer; switch off your smart phone...at least until Sunday evening....and fully enjoy the fresh weather in beautiful Swiss famous mountain regions, just few hours drive from your home. ....Can u do that? hahaha.. it's really hard, isn't it? Rgds |
 | elisa3da wrote on May 16, edited on May 17  Now it's 16!  Ahhhh ... Ven, kalau suami gua baca ini, pasti dia bilang, 'tuh kann, I've told you ...' hihihi....
Soal bookmark, gua dulu pernah ampir nangis gara2 komputer gua kudu diformat, data yang lain bisa diselamatkan, sedangkan bookmarknya tidak dpt diselematkan... ihiikkkk ... sekarang bookmark gua ada 30 folder an, belum termasuk sub folder bookmarknya, semakin lama semakin terorganisir, hahaha ...
|
 | I'm checking my own bookmarks while reading this and found myself too lazy to even count how many folders I have hahahah
Same here, I think I'm experiencing the same 'problem'. I get a bit stressed when I'm away from computer (read: internet) for too long. I couldn't even go through a day. Sigh.. -_-"
Btw, thanks for the FLAH link. I'm bookmarking it! (*uhm.. oops)
p.s: Lucky I'm not that 'productive' anymore, as in posting daily rubbish into my blog. Or else I think my name would reach the bin cihihih.. x) |
 | have a good weekend...Ven..... |
 | I'm guilty as charged for keeping, what seems to be, an endless list in my ever numerous bookmarks. I have to qualify though that the bookmarks are shared, albeit unequally, with my husband. *excuses, excuses* :)
I also tried to prune my lists, but to no avail. Now, I just resort to limit the time spent on the Mac. That's a start, right? Hehe. |
 | Masa cuma satu? *gak percaya* |
| bookshop wrote on May 16, edited on May 16 *excuses, excuses* :) Huahahhahah! Yes, that's what I do too. I just make it a point to switch off my mac and move to another computer to watch... ehem... The Closer which hubby has kindly downloaded. When is the end to all these? :(( |
 | eh bener loh - gue suka lupa waktu kalo udah online.
oi oi oi gue jangan di delete yahh...gue demen baca tulisan2 elo n foto2 jalan2 lo, biar kata gue paling males baca - soal nya level intelektual nya kurang tinggi hahaha
tapi emang kadang gue juga berasa contact list gue banyak yg cuman ngintip2 ga pernah komen - trus sibuk posting sepotong2 blog iseng hihihi..mo di delete tar gak enak ati :p
well..have a nice weekend yah!
|
| bookshop wrote on May 16, edited on May 16 oi oi oi gue jangan di delete yahh.. Oh tentu gak bakal :)) Ntar gue gimana kalo mo intip2 Heidi? Justru gue yg jgn di delete karena kebanyakan komen: abis anak lo tuh gemesin banget! Ada2 aja tingkahnya :))
Met wiken juga :D |
 | sounds familiar nih ampe kalo malam2 masih online suka di betein ama misoa tapi kalo di bilang addicted, ngelesnya daripada keluyuran or shoping2 hehehe....btw, Ven,sesama alumni tarki gak boleh di delete loh :))...Have a great weekend ( bukan di depan compi ) ^_^ |
 | iya ya, sekarang hidup tanpa internet connection ampir sama kayak hidup tanpa ngemil dan makan.. sekali gak ada, bener2 panik :) apalagi disini kan kdg mati lampu lamaa :(
Untungnya gua emang males baca, jadi gua hanya baca yg gua suka en buat gua menarik. ya honestly, reason gua resurrected di MP ya gua masih baca blog lo juga dan pengen comment juga (esp yg Therme Vals gua kagak tahan mesti comment haha) en rindu ama beberapa blognya Multipliers, e.g. elisa, etc. (kalo jenzcorner punya sih bible buat gua lagi mikirin mo makan apa disini hehehe.. bikin ngiler en kasih ide buat perut)
Kalo gua di flickr juga sama, cuman bukan baca tulisan org, tapi liat foto2 org yg tiap hari itu bykkkk bgt yg di upload (kebayang dong kalo nulis kan lama, kalo upload foto kan bisa bejibun).. takes time banget buat liat2 haha..
tapi emang bener sih, sekali lo kebiasaan skim read, pas beneran baca document, mesti di ulang2, padahal bbrp sentences aja haahaah... :) apalagi email dari bos, mesti diulang2 bacanya hehe.. |
| biar lebih rapih, hehe, contohnya gini : Manga, lalu subforlder nya: shoujo, raw, scangroup dll .. atau Architecture didalamnya ada sub folder Works, Architect, Theory, wakakaka ... okay .. emang gua kurang kerjaan .... |
| Life yah? Ntar gue google *hehehehe*
Gue suka semua crew dia sih, terutama Provenza yg tolol2 begitu sama maminya si Brenda Lee! :)). Karakternya lucu2, gak ganteng/keren tapi menarik. Dan dialognya juga pinter. |
 | I only browse a handful of blogs, mainly of my multiply contacts (including you :D) and Daylight Atheism. However, what I lacked in blogwalking is more than made up with the time I spent reading news. And worse, I didn't develop any "skim" reading habit because I like to read something in detail, no doubt because of my line of work as translator. I often have to restrain and ask myself, "is this really important to know?" Yet, I'm still tempted to read news such as this or this :( |
| |
