Significant or Famous

Last week Amir told me that one of his classmates have a very significant grandfather. So their teacher googled the said grandpa's name and Amir was so amazed/impressed to see his friend's grandpa's name on the Internet. "There were many but too bad it was all in Bahasa Indonesia, so my teacher did not understand," he said.

So I told him to google my full name. He had a shock! He... He...:) So he asked if I am significant or famous or I am both. Mmmm... I said I could not be famous because I am not in Wikipedia but I could be a bit significant, maybe not me per se but what I had written in the paper could have been considered by others as significant enough to befit some mention in the Internet. I'd like to think lah...

I remember when I was working dulu2. Whenever I felt bored sitting at my tiny desk and when no one (read BOSSES) is looking, I would start googling. Not just my name but anyone's name, from my old classmates, former teachers, lecturers, colleagues, my husband to even my parents' names. When Facebook was non-existent, my siblings' names were non-existent too while my dad's name, thanks to me, was of course in the Net. But to see Google does its search and came out within .35 seconds of over 6,000 of my name is not impressive. What impressed me is when I googled someone's name and I see he/she is in Wikipedia.... NOW that's something else!

A guy in my office, he sat just about 10m away from me and he's in Wiki! And for a while there, I was in awe. Not of him but more of the fact that I was working with someone who is in that free encylopedia! So I was in awe of myself?? Ha..ha..

Then a week later, Daphne Iking walked into the newsroom and again out of boredom, I googled her and found out she's in Wiki too! And I was like : WTH?? What has she done to deserve a mention??? My colleague tu I can so understand why... he wrote a book and can be considered "Malaysia's prominent writer" (and it was him who taught me that it is "nerve RACKING" and not "nerve WRECKING"). But Ms Iking?? Mmmm...

Back during the pre-Internet age, an Encylopedia was, in my opinion a very reliable and valuable source of information to me. Then came Wikipedia and for a while there, I thought, this maybe not the best thing ever, but it is the quickest site for fast information to find out about something/someone significant. Not anymore.... not after Ms Iking is in it too (By the way, I have nothing against this lovely lady). Now you just need to be famous, and you're in!

I just found out that my former colleague/prominent writer is divorced, for the second time! Was that info really necessary??? So tak class this Wikipedia!