G* Nice: Obsessive streaks

I have observed in many ways and through observing many people that we are all becoming increasingly more obsessive about the stuff in our lives.

I think technology is having a big impact in that respect. We have computers that sync with phones so that all our appointments are set out before us, our futures are literally mapped out on electronic grids.

With the explosion of Social Networking we see a different dynamic at play. As opposed to the future being plotted before us, it's suddenly about the celebration of the moment - it's all about now! This is what I am thinking, this is what I am doing, this is where I am going!

I have also noticed a peculiar thing with the advent of Facebook. Birthday celebrations and work leaving parties have become less a celebration of the friendship to the host, but an extensive photo opportunity for everyone's profile pages. No one seems to be aware, or care for that matter, that the hunger to snap hundreds of rather un-special moments has become an obsession.

Maybe the ever-shifting sands of social pressures have given us all borderline Obsessive Compulsive Disorder...Or OCD. Surely it should be CDO so that all the letters are in an orderly sequence? I understand that for those who are affected by the condition it's no laughing matter. It can disrupt a person's entire way of being, and I am not mocking this by any means, but I truly think that we are all picking up these traits.

I have long been aware that I am by nature a "collector" of whatever it is that I like in my life. In terms of wardrobe, for example, it's often been pointed out that I have more shoes than the average man should have. For me it's not really about the shoes as such, these are just needed to accessorise my vast collection of suits. I have so many suits in so many colours that I need to find the perfect shoes to make my full sartorial statement.

I have a rainbow of footwear, from the simple black and brown through to patent blue and purple. Did I also mention that I get shirts and breast pocket hankies made as well, in addition to 12 pairs of glasses with coloured clear frames? When I wear my purple suit, with the look going from head to toe, I think I resemble the Joker from Batman!

My own obsessions exist right across the spectrum of my life. I went to the cinema recently, and despite having previously eaten a rather hearty dinner, I just had to buy popcorn. I don't know what it is about watching a film in a big dark room, but despite not being hungry, I just have to have sweet popcorn.

Why is that?… I know that I am not alone! Compounding the buying of a bucket of popcorn when not really needing it, I am even more shocked by the mechanical manner in which I consumed it! It was as if I was breaking a day-long fast, rhythmically shovelling it in like my life depended on it. I have noticed how much I resemble the Toshiba Robot that surrounds the Premier League games on Showtime. Anyone who spends their time wondering what I look like, just needs to check the sting where the blue robot is flicking the popcorn into its mouth. That, my friends, is quite literally me!

From the album art that I feel I need to have on my iPod to my current obsession with tinkering with my team line-up on the Fantasy League, I am increasingly aware that these little distractions are becoming central to my thoughts. My only consolation is that I get the feeling that I am not alone!

G* Nice…is a Dubai-based columnist who writes an exclusive column for Friday

Folks, just in case you want to get back to G*Nice, please do. E-mail: friday@gulfnews.com  He will return the favour and then you will get back to him and he will get back to you… before you know it you have a friend. (Believe that?!)