I have an online presence and an offline presence. I sometimes wish they’re one and the same, so that I don’t have to keep track of what I can say, and what I cannot say. At other times, i’m glad I have kept them separate, because of the fear that the information contained here might be used against me. Of course, I still try to write with respect to others, as I would do both with my offline self and my online self. I don’t think the character should be different.

Now, there is this lure of anonymity, the lure that if no one knows it’s you, you can get away with almost anything, until you’re caught. I’m not saying i’m doing something criminal, but sometimes, you just want to do something that real world doesn’t permit, like saying something bad about the company / your boss / your colleagues / that ridiculous customer / the annoying sales agent etc. Of course, you can talk about it with your friends, but only with people whom you really trust, or with people who wouldn’t judge you. Somehow, the internet throws up plenty of these people.

I’m still not schizophrenic yet (or so I hope!), but the 2 personalities will have to merge someday. Someday, i will find the courage to “put myself out there”. In the mean time, you’ll just have to know me as my online self for now.