Digital Lockdown.

The unsettling thing about losing my computer for 2 entire months wasn't that it took excruciatingly long for it to be fixed but the pure fact that I could actually still stand to breathe and wait for its return. Yeap, I'm proud I survived it - which isn't an easy task to achieve considering that I'm quite dependent on that electrically-charged machine. Basically, what happened was that, I return from a holiday trip just to discover that the computer has gone mute for no apparent reasons and after numerous and various futile attempts at reviving its volume, I had to go to jiu for help. Well, I wasn't prepared at what was going to happen next. So get this, he came and collected the computer after officially announcing its muteness and I've not seen or heard of it ever since up till about a month ago. I did, however, receive phone calls occasionally informing me about the arising number of problems, therefore prolonging the "hospital stay". It was one thing after another (take a deaf ear, coupled with a few strokes and a kidney failure - figuratively speaking of course - it only took time before it dies) and before I knew it, I was on my knees begging for mom and dad to get me a substitute.

If that wasn't agonizing enough for a modern day teenager who's 80% of his daily activities has to deal with the computer screen, the television set broke down about a week after the demise of the computer. Not to leave you in murky waters, if I'm not hogging the computer, I'd be a couch potato. Apparently, my next source of entertainment and connection to the outside world has also failed me. Astro (satellite TV decoder) came to a screeching halt all of a sudden - and I mean, total blackout. After deciding that the breakdown of 2 electrical appliances at once has got something to do with the bone-chilling storm (think thunder and lightning ripping the skies apart while I was unaffected in KL) dad did send it for a repair. Well, the old man needs his TV too, I suppose. The repair took about 4 days and when it came back, it still wasn't working well. It was just in and out of the hospital (figuratively speaking again) and since we hate the idea of having your show get cut off all of a sudden, we stopped watching TV. Till now, the decoder's a bit off, I have to admit, suffering sudden aneurisms. So what's a poor boy like me gotta do at a time like this?

It's true that I felt lost at a time when my digital world came crashing down. With nothing to click on or type on, I resorted to books that I've successfully neglected all these times with me putting it off thinking I have more important things to do on the computer (like downloading music). Sadly, I am one of the many procrastinators out there. Thankfully though, there were more than a few books for me to devour at a time of loss. Managed to finish about 3 novels at the time without my computer (the TV came back earlier) and that is saying something given that the average Malaysian only read about 2 books a year, so I've heard. Other than that, I got reconnected with outdoor activities like cycling and badminton. Photography was impossible considering I had nowhere to upload the pictures to or edit them. But most of all, I did rekindle my almost forgotten relationship with mother nature and am still trying to keep that fire burning in me. Surprisingly, the sores and the body aches at first (it was natural since I don't play much) didn't stop me from having fun with Edmund with a frisbee. I had to get used to sweating all over again, I tell you.

Although, I must say that I have quite the supportive family. Ah jiu and Adrian was kind enough to allow me to use their computers anytime I needed to. Initially, I had scholarships applications to print and such which I went to jiu's place for and subsequently, jie's assignments to help out with which had me utilizing Adrian's computer instead. I did however check my emails regularly at jiu's which is just a 10minutes walk away from my place, which I think was what triggered the outdoor mojo in me seeing that the park was just the same distance as ah jiu's place. But all in all, I didn't have my inbox flooded with spams over the months and I'm still pretty updated with the latest releases of music artists, even more so compared to Adrian at one point. I also had the time to read blogs which URL I remember and even got t hang around at Flickr. It was more than I could actually ask for for a digitally crippled boy. Though, I think anyone would agree, it's never the same feeling on someone else's computer. Yeah sure, jiu even allowed me to create a folder of my own to keep my junk (which is a very rare thing for him to do) but that couldn't keep me from missing my own computer and long for it to come back.

So, after having it back, I had so many updates to do which pretty much kept me busy for the next 2 weeks - downloading program updates, drivers (some files were messed up during the repair), restoring files, catching up with bookmarked blogs and emails and etc. etc.. Well, I must admit that I was trying to push blogging to the bottom of my list up till one point when I got really convinced I've lost it and was thinking of a new blog and all that nonsense. I mean, there were too many gaps and empty spaces to fill, events and emotions that I've forgotten about along the way, which became frustrating in the end to even try to fill or remember them. I even tried jump-starting my groove with a new template (the old one with a few changes) but to no avail. Somehow, I convinced myself that I owe nobody any explanations and that I'll be able to fill those missing pieces sooner or later and I guess it pretty much explains this particular one I'm writing here. The blog is mine, after all.

Oh, and I have to mention, I had to play host to a string of visiting friends and relatives after the 2 weeks I took returning my computer to the way it previously was. Let's just say I had to stop and breathe a bit. Life was just speeding on and I was just on it, striding along. And after all those crazy stuff, I had to go straight back to my former life with the beginning of a new school term. Now, if that isn't hectic, I don't know what is. Looking back, I can even convince myself that I really didn't have the time to sit down and write on my blog, instead of me putting it off. But what's important now is that I'm back and ready for action. I know, it's been quite a few times I've used the term "I'm back" but never seem to fully return. Well, I honestly hope this would be the last time I might need to use it. Then again, you'll never know when the lightning's gonna strike, right?