The Orange Idle Status

Blocked! My office has blocked Google Talk! I cannot believe it.
My office has blocked virtually all web IMs and GTalk is the one and only sole survivor. We reasoned that perhaps some important people in the office are on GTalk. Apparently, this was a flawed assumption.

Day 1 of Google Talk Withdrawal Syndrome

The inconvenience is annoying. I actually find dialing for my colleagues a chore. Yes, it feels like a C-H-O-R-E. I'm so used to dialing for my colleagues only when their status is a GREEN Available. I know I will be greeted with a "Hello" and I could have a discussion with him/her. There is certainty.

But, on this very first day without GTalk, it is like attending school for the very first day and learning the alphabets all over again. I relearn that someone is probably busy or away from his/her desk if it I still do not get a "Hello" by the tenth ring. It would seem that I have wasted some time trying to dial for him/her, cranking my neck and trying to balance the phone between my ear and shoulder.

It does not help matters when our desk phones do not have IDD caller that show any missed call. I realized it must have been one of those days that I hear the most number of the "ring ring" tone. (Disregarding those days when I was a tele-marketer.)

Day 2 of Google Talk Withdrawal Syndrome

I surprise myself that I feel less annoyed. I'm starting to feel more comfortable with using the primitive telephony to "spy" on my colleagues' whereabouts.

Besides the primitive telephony, I'm beginning to appreciate the non-instant messenger, emails. They are less intrusive. For IM, I have this sense of urgency to reply instantaneously. Thus, I always do so in short phrases. For emails, I could take some time to think and reply in full complete sentences. There is probably more thought process involved for emails. I'll think twice if I've missed out anything before hitting the send button. I'm wondering how many more days it'll take, before my emails will get shorter and shorter and shorter... Hmmmm.