The Old Man

I was having a few good rounds of DOTA with a group of younger school/college-going buddies last night.

As we finished pawning an opponent team, I sat back.

It was then I became conscious of the person sitting next to me.

It was an old guy; plump, balding, bespectacled, with some teeth missing; not your average cybercafe Joe.

He was filled with a glee and passion as he pounded away at the keyboard.

I stole a glance at his screen.

Oh my gosh... it was an all too familiar layout...

He was blog hopping!

Well, as I have shared in the earlier blog entry, I have been quite detached and moodless lately; which I think can be a good thing. But somehow, this appearance of this fellow sitting next to me evoked a lot of thoughts and questions in my head.

I wonder, if many, many years from now, I would be like him, sitting in this huge cybercafe, face lighted up by the glow of the LCD screen.. reading blogs, surfing and mailing with such a passion. Don't I have a family or people waiting for me at home at this hour? Why am I at this place at such an hour?

Sobering... but then I am detached. Minutes later, we jump into the next DOTA game... and the old man is once again forgotten.

By the time I left, the chair was empty.


Comments

me said…
sobering....but then you go back to your game? ha.

i picture you in your old age like this....surrounded by your partner and granchildren.....still you sneaked out to the cybercafe for your daily fix of DOTA games. you don't want the young ones to think you haven't grown up. :-p

but you know.....opportunities don't grow on DOTA trees nor the computer screen.....
KopiSoh said…
I dunno wat to say, I am sliding down the same slippery slope, sigh.
Wuching said…
thats us all u saw in that old man!
K.K. said…
wah jonzz u DOTA? rawk lah liddat! which cyber u go perhaps we can bite each other one nite...
Anonymous said…
I dunno wats DOTA. Hahaha.
sereneannabelle said…
dont we all wonder once in a while what technology has reduced us into - silent nothings staring at the screen all day in our little bubble and oblivious of the world out there where real human interaction takes place. :)
eve said…
Blogging and blog hopping does take up a lot of my time..It makes me realise I am missing out a lot on other things in life..Sigh..
Annie said…
I think it's a fantastic way of interacting with people, learning from different cultures, meeting different minds and so much better than sitting in front of a TV watching Wheel of Fortune and Oprah shows! Maybe it was your blog he was reading and this is what makes his day. I love blogs... as long as it's used responsibly and used positively.

so many minds, so many cultures, so many worlds! Blogging is an amazing way to share a piece of our lives!
winniethepooh said…
At least uncle's still catching up with the new technology..wonder when i'm at his age will I still be able to catch up with the technology? hmm..
just me said…
So blog hopping is for the young and young-at-heart
nyonyapenang said…
i guess for that old man in particular, he is just doing what he enjoys and probably he does not have internet access at home, so the next best place is the cybercafe.
Carys & Cayden said…
Jonzz, I know it does seem weird that I appear out of nowhere. I am PB's friend and happen to drop by your blog then got excited when I saw the word DOTA. I have been dota-ing for the past 2 years but stop lately as am too occupied by my girl. Very surprised that pple still hooked on to DOTA till now. Keep it up!! Long live DOTA!!!!
ChinkinIn said…
Balance. Do not lose contact with the real world i.e. don't forget to keep in touch with your friends in the non-virtual world. We all need physical contact, a hug once in a while.

BTW, did you see what blogs he was checking out?
Jonzz said…
me: Grandchildren! That's a tad ambitious. I haven't even gone past the wife stage yet.

FH: That bad, meh! At least you're married.

wuching: Nolar, you all more younger and better looking!

k.k.: I love DOTA. But cannot find kakis all the time. Normally go to Forbidden City in Lobak since it is quite advanced. LOL, need to get in touch first though. Give your addy to Jimbo. KA KA KA KA KA.

PB: DOTA is short for Defense of the Ancients, an offshoot of the popular Warcraft game. I wrote about it a while back.

goodshithappens: Well, as long as we're aware of it and remind each other, we should be safe. Anyway, gotta admit, it's a lot of fun!

eve: LOL, don't be so hard on yourself. I bet if you had more free time, you won't blog so much either.

annie: Agree 100%. Where else can mad people like us meet up!

winniethepooh: Umm, I think you're already inside the technology loop. No need to catch up.

just me: Yup, we are all so young. We're all still in our 'teens', mah!

nyonyapenang: LOL, probably. But for that night, he seemed so out of place. Maybe I seem out of place to most youngsters there too.

baby's breathe: Welcome, welcome. I guess the popularity of DOTA comes from the fact that it is a team game and 10 people can join and thrash each other. The interaction is what gives it it's addictiveness.

chinkinin: Agree. LOL, I didn't go and look so long. That would be invasion of privacy.
zewt said…
i guess blogs are not only for the young... i was shown that fact when i went to the bloggers gathering last march.
Jonzz said…
zewt: Yes, one day, I'll be the old man being blogged about, ROFL unless I find some newfangled Elixir of Youth!

Popular Posts