I learnt a thing or two about myself over this weekend. I
don’t know whether to think it is just my thought process or whether it is
human nature in general. I will be keeping it in mind now on.
About a month back, I bought a new smart phone. An HTC 8X.
The thing about me and phones is, I am never too sure of which one to buy. I
never narrow down on any one. My way of buying phones is – go to the shop, go
through the collection, compare the prices, see which one suits my personality.
3 days later buy one. I don’t know whether this way is wrong or right. It is my
way. I also end up using my phone till the very end. I manage to find every
reason to keep on using the tattered-looking model as long as I can.
This year, after my results, I could have asked for a new
phone straightaway. Exactly what all my friends did. I thought, my current
model is good, let’s continue with it. Until, those days came, when the model
started going to pieces. I started with an online screening of phones. And
there it was, that HTC 8X. Standing tall in that California Blue matt finish
colour, the Windows Phone tiles emitting an eerie glow, that big screen telling
me to come get it…..It had everything I wanted and more. The only issue was its
price.
I have never stubbornly asked for anything. I am always
practical and adjusting (at least where phones are concerned :-p). This time
however, I had to fight tooth and nail to get what I wanted. I wasn’t sure I
was getting it, until the very last moment, when that guy finally opened the
box. I still remember that moment. I fell in love. Again. With my HTC 8X. With
my Blue HTC 8X.
Over the past month, I have been so careful about this
phone. I wash my hands before touching it, I clean it every weekend, that
screen may have gorilla glass, but I still put a scratch guard. There is a
fixed place in my bedroom for it (away from dust, dirt and any danger of
falling down). I can spend hours just looking at it as it gets charged. Yes, I
can be passionately in love and possessive about something. That’s the first
thing I learnt.
This weekend, as a part of our Annual Family Trip, we
visited Della Resort in Lonavla. Wonderful place by the way….there’s an
Adventure Park there and I did all that there was – Ziplining, Rock Climbing,
Rapelling, High Ropes, Zorbing, Reverse Bungee Jumping, Archery and the Arcade
games. Lots of fun in lots of rain…getting wet in the rain is an
out-of-the-world feeling!! Everything went well, until Lunch time when my phone
stopped working. It refused to start. And it kept vibrating every 40 secs.
Charging did not help, it worsened the condition. And there went my awesome
happy mood down the drain. All I wanted to do was get back to Pune and repair
that phone. I couldn’t stop worrying about it. I couldn’t stop thinking about
it. My phone was sick and I was helpless. The feeling of helplessness is the
worst feeling in the world. I had thought of not taking this phone to Lonavla.
I regretted not taking that thought seriously. I just wanted my phone switched
on. I didn’t care about the data, I didn’t care about the formatting. I just
wanted it show signs of life. Signs of being around for some time more. I
couldn’t sleep for two whole nights. In fact, as the end of our trip came
closer, my tension, apprehension and jitteriness increased. I don’t know how I
managed to sleep through that Sunday night. I had to get to the Service Centre
on Monday. Whatever happened.
They called yesterday and said that phone had been repaired.
There had been water there, so my warranty period is over now. All my data is
lost. But, you know what, I don’t care. I don’t care about the contacts, I don’t
care about the videos, the images, the songs, those notes I keep on my phone.
All I care about is seeing my phone in a working condition again.
What did I learn? You love your phone, right? Don’t test it
and its tolerance capacity. I might call myself moderation personified, but
when it comes to the things I desperately love, I am an Extreme. In every way. I
also learnt that I can desperately love something. I can be desperately worried
about something. I can be desperate about something. That scares me and makes
me feel good about myself too. When you feel too much about something, you are
more liable to get hurt, more liable to harbor grudges, more liable to
senseless action. That is scary. But, when you feel too much about something,
you are motivated to work at it, more dedicated towards it, you don’t lose
yourself when things go bad. That is a part of the recipe for success.
I am more of the Moderate and the Extreme. But, I have the
tendency to become an Extreme. Do I need to work to change this? Only time will
tell….
