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Anyone got a spare set of jumper cables?

I am feeling like the light, fluffy, sugar-filled cake that showed so much promise during the baking process and then just flopped – ending up flatter than a French-fussiness approved crepe!

Yip, just not feeling like myself. I think I've been hoarding so much stuff away like a squirrel lately that my proverbial pouch is filled to capacity and my gag reflex is setting in. Apologies for being quite so graphic, but when you feel like you can't vent within your circle of (supposed) trust, then having a blog is a much needed outlet. Why open your mouth and vent to those closest to you, risking all sorts of undesired reactions, when you can post your self-indulgent rubbish online and share it with strangers?

I think that the advent of the blog may have hit the psycho-babble 'come and lie on my couch' sector of society pretty hard. It's like therapy, but it's free, you don't need to make an appointment and your time is never up... it's the perfect 'keep your money in your pocket' solution. However, all online venting arenas are not created equal...

Do not put controversial thoughts or emotional ranting on Facebook, for example – that's about as safe as running out onto the highway with a blindfold on in six-inch stilettos. And don't be fooled, Twitter is equally as risky... it's amazing how much one can actually blurt out in 140 characters. Remaining anonymous and adopting a pseudonym is like wearing a seatbelt – safer – but still won't stop you from reversing into a pillar or having a bumper bashing cos you were preoccupied with applying a quick coat of mascara.

Let me be clear... I love social networking sites. I love being able to see what my mates are up to in Oz and London and other far flung exotic places. I love checking out wedding pics and oh-so-cute (but I don't want one quite yet) baby albums. I love that smart phones have Facebook and Twitter applications – it goes a long way in curing boredom in traffic jams or a doctor's waiting room. I just think that in this age of information overload and instant updates we need to be aware... especially when the old-fashioned, 100% offline, way of actually having a chat face to face can turn into a hornet's nest.

People talk... it's in our nature – I'm not saying it's a good trait, we just do. Things get said, things get taken out of context, things get embellished and ultimately an innocent 2-minute reference to someone or something morphs (via the grapevine) into an atomic bomb of hurt and an 'he said, she said' tug of war. I've also learnt that some people will avoid confrontation at all costs but cause conflicts in the blink of a shimmery eye.

So, be careful what you say and to whom you say it, and be especially careful of putting something out into cyberspace that ten friends and 100 'went to primary school with but haven't seen since' acquaintances can misinterpret.

You may be thinking that the very nature of this post contradicts everything I just typed. Well, it kinda does... but I just had to get some stuff off my chest. It's nibbling away at my usually cheerful, naturally forgiving, all about second (and third and fourth) chances character and it's got to stop.

Like I learned at the age of 22 after a boy took my heart and stuck it in a blender: "Sometimes they just don't love you enough"... and now, 5 years later I've learnt another lesson...

You can't make people like you, if they want to find fault they will and life is too precious to invest in relationships that have more heartache than real heart.

So to my friends and loved ones, the people who add to my world, add to my joy and keep the spring in my step (you know who you are) Thank you for the unconditional love, support, laughs and commitment to telling me what I need, may not want to, but need to hear. Thank you for putting things into perspective, knowing just what to say when I'm sad and always being prepared to listen. Your friendship – especially at this time – means more to me than 'wine o' clock and nachos in my PJs on the couch watching a chick flick' – and that's a LOT!

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