musings.....

This city is beautiful. As in breathtakingly picturesque. Perfect setting for a rom-com. On a different note, I've been wondering a lot lately. Ruminating. Are we living our lives virtually ? Has social media changed inter-personal dynamics? Where does one draw the line between work and play?

I am on social networking sites, and somehow as luck would have it, I am in the position of using social media as a career tool as well. I've had this blog for almost five years now and I've managed to keep it personal. Religiously so. Not once has a little sliver of what I do for a living somehow mysteriously find it's way in one random post. Never. And I work hard to keep it that way. No accidental posts on FB, no tweeting a particular post I am proud of. That's one of the reasons I love this space. It's a personal part of me.

But I find myself almost paranoid to write about this very beautiful city that I am in this week. There are stories to be told, pictures to be described. There are tales about lost heroes to be written about, yearnings, the peace in solitude but mostly just the old world charm. The idyllic boat-rides, the horse drawn carriages, the winding river , the fairy-tale like setting in the Venice of America. The bases, the uniformed men, the guy with ten kids , and the really sexy crew cuts. But I hesitate to use the words, I know Uncle Sam is looking over your shoulder, and the last thing I want is some random traffic just because I was specific about a location. Security concerns, you see. Where are the days when all you blogged about was Sonu Nigam. And that worked out just fine :)

And then there are these posts about the year that has been. Losing grandma, moving, the travels, the people, the experiences. Wondering about life, wondering about yourself.It's what someone once called "delicious ambiguity". You know, talking about embarrassing moments or how your back hurts like hell. But that requires displaying a certain kind of vulnerability and you sometimes forget how to. Sticking to music posts seems a safer option, you know.

A lot has been said about creating your "personal brand" online. Using social media to "market yourself". It's about defining your persona, give people a glimpse into your personal life - to basically humanize yourself. That's all great but what happens to the real you? At what point do you feel safe enough to let people see you, in all your imperfect glory?

I could use a place of no pretense, no judgement right about now.No need to choose words to express yourself. Just silence. No words.