“Let the beauty of what you love
be what you do.” ― Rumi
If there is one thing that struck out the most to me during my time shooting with Karla and Tommy is that they are the first couple that I have met that are not on any social media platform. That means they are not on Instagram, Facebook nor Twitter. But if you were to meet them in person, I can't blame you if you assume that they could be those instagram couples with thousands of followers. Seeing as how they are both strikingly very good-looking people, you'd think they'll be on their phones taking selfies all the time. But surprisingly this statement is far from the truth. They are actually both camera shy. Eventhough their engagement photos shows otherwise. But it is refreshing to meet a couple who you won't find a selfie of them posing together with a heavily edited snapchat filter with cartoon bunny ears. In fact, they don't have any qualms about being so detached from the internet either. As unusual as it is in this digital age, in a way, I could tell their choice in living without having to scroll through endless feeds, just made them more intimate and interactive with each other as a couple. And so my curiosity got the best of me and I asked them:
"WHY U NO FACEBOOK?"
And their answer was rather simple. They don't have FOMO or otherwise known by millenials as "fear of missing out". Which begged me to wonder if it is such a rarity nowadays to withhold posting photos from your trip to Thailand, so that you can actually tell all your friends about it over dinner instead? To be honest, it is. Even I myself, think that idea is too far-fetched for this day and age. I mean, just imagine the instant gratification that those little hearts and those thumbs up provide that i'll be missing out on. But Tommy did offer a response. For them, they would rather see you in person, and then hear about your vacation over dinner and a bottle of wine as compared to seeing it on a 6in. slab of glass and aluminum. They just prefer talking with you rather than at you through comments. Conversations hold much more meaning for them when everyone is engaged and immersed. Especially when photos can be shown in person and stories are told face to face. As opposed to everyone's head looking down on their phones since they already "saw" your vacation photos.
So as we get close to ending our dinner over at Habana, it dawned on me on how conversating is starting look like a lost artform. As we chatted, I too, found myself reaching over my pocket, feeling my phone and then having to use all my will power to restrain myself from even glancing at it. And this is the world we live in. Unfortunately. Where it's almost impossible to spend a day without checking your phone. But with all these technology and products promoting more connectivity, it is satisfying to know that there are still genuine people out there like Tommy and Karla who prefers a more human connection. With all the pauses, the awkwardness, and all the exciting bits that comes along with it.
*Now excuse me, while I update everyone on my newsfeed with my latest blog post.
