Curiouser and Curiouser: Ask and ye may not receive…

Questions. They're an inevitable part of life on the planet.

Why is the sky blue? What is gravity? Why are television ads so much louder than the shows?

But curiosity can become caustic when some questions - the personal ones - appear from out of nowhere, aiming straight for their target like a speeding bullet.

Marina was about to pay for a purchase in a department store recently when the salesgirl became suddenly distracted.

"WHERE did you get that ring? I've been looking for one EXACTLY like it! HOW much did you pay for it?" she fired out.

Marina looked at the ring on her finger, a souvenir from an overseas trip.

 "Uh, it was a gift…" she blurted, and feeling somewhat cornered, left as quickly as possible.

The little white lie was the best approach in this case.

Any other answer would have certainly put Marina into quite a predicament - the presumption box.
Presumption of wealth or poverty until proven otherwise.

Questions regarding money are never to be trod around in carelessly - especially in current financial times where the great divide between the rich and the poor is ever-widening.

Similarly, "How much rent do you pay?" or just what the Joneses got for their old home are equally tricky territory to stumble into.

We live in a society which has taught us to ask and we shall receive. Sometimes we do. Sometimes we don't.

The advent of Google coupled with the omnipresence of 'journalism' in its many shapes and sizes has further nurtured neighbourly nosiness as a national pastime.

Personally, I prefer to handle unwanted personal questions with a standard, flat-packed, one-size-fits-all response: "Why would you like to know?"

It forces stickybeaks to turn the question mark upon themselves. If their answer is convincing enough, I may provide what they're after.

If not, opt for the little white lie or a politely assertive 'no comment.'

After all, in today's world, if you don't mind your own business, someone else will.

Respondez S'il Vous Wait...

Nathan was perplexed.

He'd organised his birthday party a month in advance, eagerly sending out individual invitations to more than a dozen friends from across the years via his Facebook page.

A week before the event, plenty had commented but more than a few had responded with a "Maybe", despite the presence of a prominent 'RSVP' within the p-a-g-e.

He then used the social network's 'reminder' function, to, well, remind his nearest and dearest of the forthcoming event.

A day before, with his mobile phone glowing, he decided to text a few of those he had considered in his closest circle. The silence that followed was deafening.

"I hadn't issued out a general group invite," writes Nathan.
"I'd only wanted to celebrate my birthday at the pub surrounded by my mates - mates, I might add, whose parties I'd often dragged myself out of the house on cold and rainy nights to attend."

The RSVP was once as much a must-have for a special outing or occasion as a new outfit and a social status.

It spoke volumes of the good breeding of the Invited and also served as a way for the Inviter to keep a tally on numbers and gauge just how many devils-on-horseback to whip up.

Today's Facebook invites have an added benefit of letting the Invited know just who will be in attendance.

No longer are Inviters bothered with those tedious phone calls in the busy lead-up to the event to find out "who's coming" or if Rachel will be there because, of course, she's had a falling out with Jenny ever since that day when Tom was seen at the races with her.

Facebook has indeed changed the world of the party invite.

But there is one big pitfall to this easier, more open world of who's in and who's out - and I call it the Respondez S'il Vous Wait.

The Invited can and often do now choose to hold off on their RSVP to an event - for a variety of reasons - thanks to Facebook's Maybe button.

The RSVW may simply be due to rotating work rosters and an inability to confirm their availability on the night.

Or, more sinisterly, it's an opportunity to R-S-V-Wait-and-See who else is attending, or even if there is a better offer coming in the cyber-pipeline.

Whatever the case, it's simply not good form to adopt this approach.

If you're available, make a decision.

There's far too many Maybes in the world. Be a Yes or a No and pick a side.

As for Nathan's Maybes out there, I think it's safe to say you can expect a RSVW at your next event.