Let me describe the ambiance. We’re over at a friend’s house in Bataan sitting around the pool. No one’s swimming. Three of us have our laptops out. Two of us have a Globe Visibility dongle dangling from the respective USB ports, surfing the net. The remaining friend is finishing a presentation and playing a podcast.
We’re supposed to be on vacation.
I remember in my early childhood education classes that it is quite normal for children to do “group play” – a term that describes how several children can be found in one group, but engaged in their own activity. The developmental logic here is that young children may not be ready to engage in group activities like playground time, but may be ready to “socialize” with others in the form of similar activities – like playing with building blocks, clay or … surfing the net with laptops.
I’ve been to similar events – like the “wala lang” PhilMUG meets where we used to doing group surfing at Seattle’s Best in Alabang and talk once in a while in between refreshing Mac OS X updates.
But the true reality is, we enjoy this time together. 
Have a peaceful Holy Week!
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