Hey precious hearts !
Do you have some friend or cousin who often calls you and after almost each sentence he or she speak, asks
"So what is new happening around you "
i would pause hummm........think ,what to reply ?
Being a less social person i am uncomfortable with phrase totally.as i have almost no collection of interesting knowledge when it comes to gossip ,specially about others .
when she calls it rings in my head that now she is going to ask me repeatedly "so what's new news huh?
sometimes i try to say "please stop asking " but she is sweet :)
what about you ?
ReplyDeleteIt is probably just a habit, like it comes out of her mouth but she doesn't even realize she keeps asking. It may be her way of saying she is interested in what you have to say. 🤗 Just a guess.
actually it is bit different dear Sandi
Deletemost of my acquaintance ask same question when call or meet ,she is my friend from school and she does the same though she know i have no account of knowledge related to world around me
it is popular habit and is liked to have by almost everyone
"so what new" means tell me something interesting or funny about others " which i cannot for two reason probably
one is i am not smart enough to say stuff funnily which may stored in my memory recent or old :)
my sister is famous for doing it incredibly ,she would not just grab your all attention with her information and style but she can make people laugh
i am so dull (embarrassed :( )
Ooh... 🙁
DeleteIt is sad, though, even if it is told in a funny way. It's good that you don't have those things to say, because other people's feelings could be hurt.
Thus seems to be a universally standard phrase, Baili, and admittedly I have used it as well, but try to find other ones that will show interest.
ReplyDeleteagreed dear Dorothy
Deletemostly people use this phrase to get to know what is going on other side
but once you are all updated about one you called ,sounds weird to repeating this and i know many who ask this to feel amused by gossip
I just say, "I have no idea!"
ReplyDeleteeasy answer but might not work when people like me are hesitant to say so
Deletei keep try to remember things which i can share but only about myself until she would clear
"what about others such as in laws etc"
Dear Baili, the only person who really said that regularly to me was a friend who was about 30 years older than I. When she was in her late 80s, she began to have short-term memory loss. So she would ask the question when we went out to eat--we went for pizza a couple of times a week--and I'd answer and then just a few minutes later, she'd ask again because of her memory loss of what had been said. With "short-term memory loss" a person cannot recall what's just happened, but can recall wonderfully well what happened many years before.
ReplyDeleteBefore we went out for pizza, I would make a list of things I could tell her and each time she asked the question, I'd tell her one more thing from my list. That made the conversation interesting for me too. Peace.
this is overwhelming dear Dee
Deleteyou are such a beautiful person with heart of gold :)
i never encountered with such person though i can remember my father when he got old and would forget that he had meal while ago ,he will ask for it again .
when i would give him meal he would not be able to eat and then he would believe that he had eaten some time ago
If someone says that to me "Oh not much new, how about you?" Then it puts the ball back in their court. :D
ReplyDeleteoh that was easy lol
Deletethank you for wonderful advise my friend
how dumb of me to not saying so
That is a question I often ask my grandchildren when they call. I want them to feel free to talk to me about anything. I hope that provides an opening. At the same time I have my own little adventures. There are family stories to share with them. And I always ask how school or jobs are going. It helps me feel more a part of their lives.
ReplyDeletei can completely understand dear Emma
Deleteand i can relate either ,this is so natural to ask about themselves as they are family and we have privilege to ask anything from each other
it becomes different with friends though specially who want to have good time while having long session gossips
It seems like an odd habit I guess that I might eventually use the opportunity to talk about something that I was interested in. I would not gossip either.
ReplyDeletedo you know people who don't gossip are called "boring" by friends dear Brain :)
DeleteYes, I do get asked that by most people who I talk to - I think it's because I don't say much about "my stuff" unless asked, so they ask and they ask and they ask - ha ha. Mostly now if I'm getting tired of it, I'll say, "nothing much" or "that's about it" and then "how about you? what's new with YOU?" and turn it around to them :D
ReplyDeletehaha well said dear Jenny
Deleteeither i am not one who share all immediately if someone call ,not because i don't want to but because i am not fluent or quick to think and say
they have to ask again and again
it is good until they want to know about exciting and fun news from around :)
Such a question doesn’t bother me but if asked repeatedly I think it would.
ReplyDeleteHope all is well with you, Baili.
yes it does if repeated often dear Marie
Deletethank you for asking ,i know i am being late for visiting blogs of my precious friend like you :)
i don't know how days are running so quickly and it is being hard to blog regularly
still i am trying honestly
may be long summer days will stretch time for me bit more :)
I agree with Sandi, I think this may just be a habit …
ReplyDeleteI do sometimes get a telephone call from a friend who says/asks "anything new to report" invariably there isn't so I just reply no, I'm just enjoying my day, how about you?"
All the best Jan
haha
Deletehope she gets you soon and does not repeat it :)
The same...bothers me too!
ReplyDeleteI heard a lady reply 'the same' when asked 'what's new'
ReplyDeleteeasy reply dear Christine :)
Deletewhat matter, does it work ?
My wife continuously asks me this question. I tell her that I have no time for gossip.
ReplyDeleteoh that can be trouble dear Red :)
Deletesome times you have to extend your limitations ,specially when one of the partner is interested in your "fun side :)
hubby and me both are boring lol
hubby talks mostly about politics ,history and current affairs while i am completely "nature lover and spiritual words attract me most"so when it comes to talk we both try to manage to be a good listener
Sometimes we have to be blunt, baili.
ReplyDeleteKung Hei Fat Choi!
may be i will be when grown more old dear Pedro :)
DeleteIf I like to discuss but not talking about the ugliness of others. I like to talk about things related to my life such as about economics, business and others
ReplyDeleteHere it is a pretty common greeting where no real answer is expected. Almost always the response is "Not much...same old same old."
ReplyDeleteit means Mrs C is also not into gossip dear Joe
Deleteotherwise you must have known that how long reply to this question can be if is asked to "right " person lol
Just tell the truth maybe
ReplyDeleteand truth is hard to tell Salman ,well sometimes when you doubt you can can hurt someone's feeling
Deleteoh i can so relate to you dear Laurie
ReplyDeletei wish they can figure out who can entertain and who cannot lol
Always remember, if they will gossip to you, they will gossip about you.
ReplyDeleteBaili I am the SAME...I never know what to say. A few years ago, I was out shopping and I bumped into a girl I knew from high school. Can you believe she said to me "So what have you been up to?" and we hadn't seen each other since 1985 lol??? How on earth do I answer that, my initial response was "not much" lol....it seems to futile. How are you supposed to answer 35 years of "what I've been up to" in a 2 minute conversation? I ended up just saying "oh you know, working, living..." she said "oh cool" then we parted ways. It's so silly.
ReplyDeleteI think she just wants to be with/talk to you.
ReplyDeleteThe question is her way of starting a conversation she could just as easily started talking about the weather or some other trivial point.
I often start a conversation with someone I haven't spoken to for some time with 'How are you? Then I would go on to ask them what they had been doing recently (meaning holidays, family life, work, anything that fires their passion).
I often feel that what I do is boring to others but friends are always interested and listen to what I have to say. It goes without saying, I always listen to what others want to say to me.
*smiles*...I am totally with you on this subject, baili!!
ReplyDeleteI, too, never really know what to say in situations like these...because I never believe people could possibly be interested in anything I may have to say...plus, I dislike gossiping about other people, because I think that is unfair.
Social interaction is rather difficult for shy people like us, I guess. That is where blogging is really useful...we can express our feelings and thoughts...hopefully without offending anyone! ;))
Thank you for another wonderfully thought-provoking post, my dear friend. You never fail to get me thinking! :))
All my Love & Hugs xxxxxxx
Oh yes, sticky beaks in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteDon't care for people asking that question at all, usually I put my guard up.
now that requires guts dear Margaret :)
DeleteI have to laugh, because everyone knows I'm hopeless when it comes to "news." I'm always the last to know most things. My closest friend here moved to Arizona four years ago, lived in two homes there, returned to Colorado two years ago, bought a new home nearby but not in our development, and she still knows everything that's going on where I live. She fills me in, even though I don't ask. I'm perfectly okay with that ~ LOL
ReplyDeletedear Louise how resemble we in our nature lol
Deleteeither i am okay with lack of unnecessary knowledge that made me most bored person among my cousins and girlfriends back in native town and school
what is astonishing for them is that haven,t changed bit
I don't participate in gossip, so I try to change the topic. I'd rather talk about interesting subjects than people :)
ReplyDeleteunfortunately i have almost no one around to whom i can have conversations over my favorite topics
Deleteit kept me bothered for so long in past
but i have accepted it now
i try to catch the flow and be part of their talks ,that makes me feel good :)
I don't accept phone calls, lol. Except from my sis or kids. I'm a loner .... . But when the kids call they say ..so what's new..." I just say same ole thing - hiking or sketching. I think I bore them.
ReplyDeletethat is brave of you dear Sandy :)
Deletei can't do this because later i am not good with excuses for doing so :)
I think it kind of just evolved that way - losing touch with friends in the past. It happened more when grandkids started being born and i just found i didn't have much time for anything else other than helping babysit ..same with my friends - we went our own way so I really don't get that many calls - actually hardly any, lol ... but if I did - i agree with you it would be hard to not take them...
DeleteTalvez seja apenas aquilo que se chama uma "bengala" para fazer conversa… Mas deve ser irritante.
ReplyDeleteUma boa semana.
Um beijo.
Eu tenho uma amiga, que vive me perguntando isso!... :-))
ReplyDeleteComo se a vida estivesse carregada de acontecimentos extraordinários a acontecerem à nossa volta, o tempo todo!... Às vezes, em dias de menor paciência, lá lhe respondo com um... "não há novidades! Não se passa nada! E por aí? Igual, não é?..." :-)
Mas acho sempre a pergunta muito invasiva, e irritante... por ser perguntado, antes da gente ter tempo ou vontade de contar algo, não é? Pelo menos, eu interpreto assim!...
Beijinhos! Feliz semana!
Ana
Yes, I know what you mean - that can be an awkward question. There's so much to say when someone asks that, and we wonder if they want us to get into detail and tell them all and everything that's been happening in our lives, or just a quick description of what's been going on. This is a fun post today, Baili, and it looks like your readers enjoyed it too. ; )
ReplyDelete~Sheri
I think I would probably just say, "I can't think of anything," to answer the question, and then change the subject and talk about the weather or some other easy topic. If you repeat that often enough, maybe she will get the hint and quit asking you.
ReplyDelete