:) I wonder if some of you are now actually sneezing, out of reading my line above. Maybe if you'd wanted to sneeze, you've been perpetually sneezing by now. Or If if you hadn't wanted to sneeze, you'd want to sneeze now. :p Have you?

Sneezing is one of the most contagious act of all. If you see somebody wanting to sneeze, you'll mostly be ignited to sneeze all the while. Amongst other gestures and acts we can also lists some which can influence others on doing the same. Maybe in that very click of the moment, or after quite some while. It's the contagiousness factor of these acts. What you do. What others do. Affects others and affects you. As human being, it's inevitable that we're interconnected to our surroundings....*unless you're put in an asylum *. which you're not, of course.

I'd been reading Malcolm Gladwell's book the Tipping Point and had found that his points are truly reflective of our everyday lives, despite how subtle it may seem. *FYIWIT(For your Information, What I think) it's a truly interesting book for those up for Phsycology, Marketing, Business, Public Relation, Communication, Mass Communication, Anthropology, Sociology...You name it! It's a book for everybody!* Amongst his various topics...I'm interested in peering into the 'Contagiousness' .

I'm not talking about 'radical change, the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point' as noted in the book....I'm more into seeing how we could affect our surroundings in everyday life. One really contagious act I'd really try to share is...TO SMILE.

Have you ever walked down the alley and passed thru a stranger who throws you a smile? It may seem subtle. but smile is a smile everybody can recognize. For the very base of being human, you'd also smile back, no? *if you're not smiling, it may be because the stranger is rather kinky, flirty, or ...perhaps it's you that's lacking of 'human side'?* hehe...

Me? Smiling is not my default face but I'm most certainly be smiling back. More likely, I'd be trying to hold gaze with the stranger on the passing by lane and put a bit of smiling face and expect them to smile back *hey i'm no freak and I don't think my smile for strangers are exxagerated, freakish, nor flirteous--it's just simple smile reflected also in the eyes ;p--I hope *. Dissappointingly, not rare that they'd throw their face and see straight to the pavement, not bothering to smile back. But by then I'd try to hold gaze with the next passer by :p. It may matter if in fact you're feeling blue and doesn't feel like smiling...But believe me, if you try, at least you're making somebody else happy. Well, In the little village i've been living these months, it's rather easy because there's not so many people around. It's rather common to say 'Bonjour, Bon Journee' to passers by, swapping smiles all the way. And in some occasions people are interested in some sort of 'exotic' face I have that they might even 'stare' at me :p --In any case, I'd smile. I know, It'd be frustating to try to gaze to people while walking in Jakarta, or in Mall Ambassador where there are MOB of people.

Smiling is one idea, and product, and messages, and behaviour that spreads just like viruses do. It's the idea of happiness. Just by seeing people smiling, you'd be sensing in yourself some form of happiness. Maybe you're not thinking about YOUR happiness, but more of his or her. And knowing that somebody is utterly happy, DOES make you happy. Doesn't it? Even if he/she's total stranger to you. Good Ideas though, is as easily spread as Bad Ideas. Peeking some in financial theory, negative news is even spread more abruptly than positive news. making the information distribution is skewed more to negative side.

So please beware of the negative aura or idea that you might spread as it might devastate people around you even more than you are yourself....and let's focus on the positive side. Dig in yourself and surely it's mostly important to be happy from within. After, never too shy to embrace all the channels...Be wise and express yourselves as nowadays we're individuals connected to individuals. Of course, It's not just becoming easier and easier to spread some contagion, but also to be infected--for which, we have to behold and be wise. Be wise, in reveiling and spreading things, and be wise in filtering informations coming in. Compared to examples in Tipping Point book on Contagiousness that evoke in decades back, I believe epidemic spread multiple times faster and in multiple dimensions it were at.

Let's also see it as blowing soap buble to the air....It may vanish, but while it's there floating in the air, it's so mesmerizing people would take a look. How long the buble stays, it's a matter of 'stickiness' factor. There's no need to rush blowing the bubbles--even you cannot blow too hard--unlike sneezing! and you can add some stick to add more bubbles, aite?...

Nowadays, it's no more country to country nor company to company relationship that matters. Everybody's holding their own sake. It's between you and me. and all the others around. So, in the light of contagiousness, What Idea / product/ message/ behaviour/knowledge you'd like to spread?, How would it make your surrounding a bit of a better--if not worse-- environment? In this era of interconnected world (oh it sounds superfluous, though it may really is and I'm a bit overwhelmed!).., imagine how openwide channels can help you spread your ideas, the way you think, evoking the beauty inside you, that shines and radiates....!

So...er....I'm ready to be infected! Please!