Sunday, July 25, 2010

Misfortunes

One thing I know about misfortunes is that like a pack of wolves, they never strike alone. At least that's how I experienced it.

The first misfortune struck me the earliest and fastest, before I even had time to blink. It involved my ATM card, which was sucked back into the ATM because I did not take my card out immediately after I punched in my withdrawal. I was taking my sweet time rifling through my wallet and throwing out some old receipts as there was no one else in queue. Never in my imagination would I expect that to happen. Of course, if you really think it through, it is possible and probably needed for safety measures. Unfortunately, humans only start thinking AFTER something had happened. I was one of the unfortunate ones who learn things the hard way while many people knew it through their friends. That was really a 'WTF!' moment, like being stunned for one second before digesting what had happened.

Sickness. This second misfortune is my biggest bane. It creeps in slowly and lingers, at times coming out at full force to torment me. The few days rehearsing in Chancellor's Hall had been an agonizing period for me. I was having a cold, which I lightly regarded as due to the lack of sleep or the long period of being cooped inside the air-conditioned CH. However, things worsen from here. I developed a throbbing headache, which paired with a fit of sneezy and runny nose is enough to make you want to lie in bed the whole day and rest. I would have been glad if I'm sick on my off-day so I could recuperate but no, it had to be on the day of the our first full-dress rehearsal, which everyone must be present. Do I need to mention, when one is sick, being tucked inside a set of stuffy formal attire with a tight coat is not a happy thing to do? Worse, with my aching body, I have to contribute my part to the logistic labour of moving the chairs and stands up the stage and down again in my most 'comfortable' attire. That day indeed made it to my list of worst days ever in my life. Luckily after a good night's sleep and drinking in a lot more water, I felt much better the next day, although there was still some occasional sneezing and a dull sensation in my head.

The 3rd (and thankfully last) misfortune was stealthy and only attack in short successions periodically, until the situation aggravated to the point of no return. It happened on my W910 Walkman phone, which have been my good companian on long-distance bus journeys and my evening's joggings. After more than 1 and half year, it had finally broken down. It started with the 'cancel' button being less sensitive and eventually damaged, which I don't mind because it is not really important. But soon, more buttons start losing thier sensitivites (including the call button). At least I could still survive with the bare minimum of texting messages and receiving calls. That was what I thought until the last button also gave away, leaving me with a handicapped phone that could only receive calls and do nothing more.

The notion of having to start the semester with a physically unfit body, a financially constrained wallet, and a handicapped phone that can't save my life when I need it to is really depressing and demotivating indeed. Not to mention, more commitments will rear their ugly heads soon if I'm not steadfast and let these misfortunes weight me down. I was very determined to at least resolve one of them before the semester begins.

Luckily, this weekend I finally had a break and went down to Ipoh with some of my CO pals. Eating good food and watching Inception was on my priorities, but nothing top buying a new phone! After borrowing a huge sum of money from my friends (which left me with a bigger debt), I finally bought a new phone. It is a Sony Ericsson classic phone, which I feel is sturdier. I'm still partially blaming the sliding mechanism of my previous phone for its demise, as it was more fragile and prone to wear and damage.

I tried to watch "Inception" but due to its bad timing and with most of my friends preferring "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", in the end I watched the latter. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" left me with no taste whatsover. It's neither good or bad, just neutral and so-so to me. The storyline is the typical happily-ever-after fairy-tale ending type and is predictable. But I have to give credits to the cool special effects, the characters, and the nice soundtrack in it.

Sunday is long over as I'm ending this. Monday and a new semester is here to greet me with a fresh wave of new expectations. Thankfully, I am now in good health and feeling more of normal healthy self. It's only soon (I hope) before I finally get a hold on my ATM card.

3 comments:

Vyner said...

its a good thing that u don't eatch inception cause you literally 'mind-fucked" and worsen ur headache...

but the bad thing is, u just miss one hell of a movie..greatest movie i've ever watched in my life. should watch it!

Hector Hon said...

movies by disney... a bit so so...

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