Friends

This must sound crazy to a lot of people, but I am not really interested in making lots and lots of friends. It does not mean I want to have no friends, just not a lot of them that I would get calls from friends on a daily (or even weekly) basis, or have people that I would see every day. Curiously enough, often when I am by myself I feel liberating rather than lonely. This contrasts strongly with studies that shows the average Korean kid would be anxious if he or she does not get a phone call every 10 minutes throughout the day.

It is not that I dislike people or their presence, but maintaining a friendly relationship requires investing time doing activities and communicating with the friend. More often than not I would rather spend that time carrying out my own agenda. In other words, I treat time as if it is money, choosing very carefully where I will spend it. Perhaps my attitude would be different if I have unlimited time.

While on the subject of friends, while I may give the impression I am a shy or quiet person, this is simply not the case. While it may be true that I am not good at generating conversations, it is also true that I believe in saying as much as necessary and nothing more. If there is nothing more I want to tell or learn from you, I cease talking. There is no reason to invent a topic that interests neither you nor me. Some people apparently cannot stand the silence and in order to fill the void, they start blurting out random jokes or comments that only cause a laugh because of its vulgarity. Truth be told at times I too feel uncomfortable at these quiet situations but I prefer to be perceived as shy than foolish. If, however, the other party and I share some common interest or knowledge you can be sure I will talk non-stop for a very long time.