Sitting at a bar at the end of a long day, Jane Chong hears the unmistakable 'beep' from her Blackberry. Without looking, she reaches into her jacket pocket and pulls out the personal digital assistant (PDA). She momentarily breaks eye contact with the people around her as she checks her e-mail. After a quick note to the sender, she returns it to her pocket and rejoins the conversation.
Chong's actions are similar to those of many other executives in cities all over the world. What businessperson these days isn't in 24-hour contact with their office, customers, friends and family? What makes Chong different is that she checks her Blackberry over 200 times a day; if she is half-way to the airport and has forgotten it (which is extremely unlikely) she would risk missing her plane by returning home to collect it; she gets tense if she can't respond immediately to its electronic summons; and relations with her friends and family have become strained since she refuses to turn it off at mealtimes.
If Chong's story sounds familiar - if her behaviour isn't very different from your own - then you too could be a modern-day obsessive.
Technology and science touch every aspect of our lives: the way we communicate, what we buy, how we look and how we live. Improvements in the standard of living and a steady increase in disposable income mean we have more money to spend, more things to spend it on and more time to enjoy it. In recent years, health experts have urged us to take time out from our full-on daily routines to sit back and relax.
Advertisements for Pilates, shiatsu, thalassotherapy and aquatic exercise jostle for space in magazines, while the classes themselves fill an increasing number of time-slots in our electronic diaries. Holistic medicine and aromatherapy now compete on a level playing field with established western medicines, as people search for ways to maintain optimum health.
A trip to Mannings reveals whole aisles devoted to supplements and herbal remedies. Omega 3, Ginkboa, Nu-Liver, Amoryn Mood Booster and Radiant Wonder are among the brand names packing the shelves, and the great thing is you don't need a prescription to buy as many as you want.
Lives have been made easier through wireless internet and 3G communications, enabling us to download music and movies, buy drugs, date, apply for and max out a credit card in a matter of minutes, all from the comfort of our armchair.