You've Got E-Mail?!

After a long week, I'm back in Blogosphere!

Just today morning, when I was checking my emails it occurred to me how indispensable "email" has become in our lives.

Back in India, I used to check my email accounts sometime during the day after I've done all other stuff (housework/watching t.v./other mundane stuff), and then I would switch on my computer, and get some more stuff done (yeah, as usual, windows XP takes a looooooong time to boot up!), and then connect to the Internet and wait for the Internet Explorer to fire up, and then press the Gmail button on my Google toolbar, and then get some more stuff done (the pages take time to load!) and then come back to check my mail! Phew! One looooong procedure! Those days email was just a small part of my day. I never used to check my mails more than once a day. Or once during every Internet browsing session.

Now, here in the US, my day starts off with email, and only then I have my morning cup of coffee!!! Internet is fast here, fortunately, but in some ways unfortunately, because now I cant really use the time for the page to load, to do some other stuff! I guess this morning-email-checking syndrome is pretty common here in the US. Especially students like me who come here to study. A very good friend of mine, J, has his laptop right next to his bed making it convenient for him to check his inbox as soon as he wakes up; even before he brushes his teeth! That reminds of me the time when my grandma used to ask me to look at my palms as soon as I wake up; it is said that all the gods are present in the different parts of your palms. Ha ha! Now the "palm" has become "laptop"! And we students consider the people who send us emails as "gods"! I'll explain why I say that.

Receiving an email is quite an exciting experience. I call it an experience because there is a string of emotions being felt consequently.
1. Received email notification
- excitement - "Oh wow! I've got mail! Gotta check it out!"
- anxiety - "Who would have sent me the mail? What does it contain? Is it a job interview? Is it an orkut friend request? Is it from a secret admirer?" add a bit of disgust - "Or is it another stupid spam?"
2. Viewing the inbox
- excitement - "Wow! From someone unknown! Lemme see if its a job interview!"
- surprise - "Hey, this guy/girl hasn't mailed me in years! What does he/she want with me now?"
- disappointment - "(Sigh) A stupid orkut/linked in/twitter/facebook/... notification/ forward. My life is boring."
- disgust - "Aaarrrrggghhh... Spam!"
3. Viewing the mail
- touched - "Awww... What a cute kitty! (forward)", "I miss my mom and dad too! (mails from family)", "Such a sweet friend!"
- excitement - "Wow! I got an interview call!!!" (Very rare for people like me!!!)
- disappointment - "Man! They sent me a mail saying I don't seem to be a good fit for the job! :( "
- disgust - "Oh God! Why why why! Chain mails!", "Damn! Stupid guy from a stupid place telling me that I'm his heir! Stupid spams again, nicely disguised. X( "
- something beyond the most excitement can be - "No class today! Yaaaay!!!!"
4. Appropriate action taken thereafter. :)

Wow! Can you imagine? So many emotions in just a few seconds?! Email surely has changed our life! Nowadays I end up checking my inbox every minute! I always have a tab with my inbox open! Something that started as a very professional means of communication in the corporate world is now an indispensable part of our lives! Heck, even kids in the 1st grade have their email ids!

Oops, gotta go now! Got an email!

XOXO,

Excited 'n' Emailed

P.S. This topic was suggested to me by my roommate S, who also happens to be smitten by the email-mania!