sparkslife

I still remember some points in my life where my friends will ask me whether if it’s possible for me to survive without my iPod. What a statement to make. Me. And iPod. Separated.

I did not dare to answer them immediately. Inside, my mind try to contemplate a life without my iPod. But in just a few nanosecond, my mind shifted into a shut down mode due to some horrifying and unbearable traumatizing effects. It will be a life without a life, I thought to myself. Well, since iPod is MY life after all.

But to avoid sounding like someone who thinks that iPod is one of his lifetime partner, I lied. And to top it all up, I’m a good liar. So there goes.

"Well, why not? It’s just an Mp3 player. (heart aching cuz I just insulted my iPod. iPod is never, I say never, just an Mp3 player!!) I could live without it any day"

Oops….

Did I just hear my late iPod shuffle turn in his grave?? If this is an old black and white movie, I would usually get cursed and turn into an iPod myself so that I could suffer the consequences of becoming the coolest Mp3 ever! Woo.. hit me with that any day. I would love to become one. Well, but just make sure I could turn back into human form again (well iPod couldn’t listen to another iPod, you see).

Anyway, I knew one day I gonna kena from saying something so obscene and inhuman to iPod. But the thing I don’t know is that day would come so fast….

>>FLASHBACK<<

It is 11.30 am on a Saturday morning. I’m sitting on a Rapid KL bus with my BIG yellow luggage bag in front of me and my equally BIG Johhny Walker bag on my lap. So I kinda looks like the person obssesed with BIG bags (or anything else that are BIG in that matter). So that’s why the old man was staring at me! (Know he is up to no good).

Well, anyway besides the creppy old fella, the rest of the bus is fine. (Oh.. i mean beside the crazy school kids crowd, the weird auntie with funny hairstyle, another freaky uncle, a VERY talkative couple, the girl who sleep all the way in the bus, a boy who sit next to me who have a problem with excessive body odour (ugh)…. yea… the rest of the bus STILL fine).

*OK I gotta stop doin that. Being observant is good… but this is way toooo much.*

Anyway, like usual, I would casually fish out my iPod from my pocket and plug in it my ears. And like they say, it just drowns out the whole shits in the bus. (Especially the talkative couple… for the last time I don’t care if your daughter Bahasa Melayu dropped from 95 to 89. And by the way please give it break OK).

When the bus reaches the Jusco bus stop, most of the crazy school kid crowd went down and so is the noise pollution index in the bus. I lower down the volume in the bus and switch the song. Better Than Ezra’s come into play. I look behind and saw that weird Uncle No.1 still looking at my direction. GULP. Pretending I did not see him, I grab my iPod and started to fiddle with it. Next song. Next song. Next song.

That’s when it happens.

The 4th time I press NEXT, my iPod just went into paralysis mode. My mouth just open wide for a couple of minutes before my brain started to shout "Do somethin!! Do somethin!!". The screen just locked in that way and it won’t respond to anything I’m pressing. Damn. What I did?? And like a saviour from the heavenly kingdom above, my hands started to sweat. A LOT. PERFECT. Just the thing I need.

The next thing I know my mind went into a frenzy information search stage. C’mon think. C’mon think. FAST. Ok I got it. I put my iPod back into my sock and I literally chuck it inside my HUGE Johhny Walker bag. (Like that gonna help) Luckily my little drama did not attract much attention. (I guess the endless talk by the talkative couple about their daughter academic performance kinda steal all the limelight)

The next few minutes are spent thinking about the fate of my iPod. Then like the impact of an Auntie langgar-ing you in pasar malam, an idea hit me hard. By pressing the MENU and CENTER button simutaneously, you can actually reset your iPod!! With shaking fingers, I reached into my bag and grab my iPod out. Behind me the talkative couple is now engaging in a heated argument about their daughter tuition center. I took it outta the sock and press the two buttons with equal pressure.

1 minute. Nothin happen. 2 minutes. No changes. 3 minutes. OK I give up. Next stop: Apple Center Mid Valley.

>>End Of FLASHBACK<<

And here I am. Standing in front of Apple Center clutching my iPod as if it’s the most important thing in my life. I knew somehow, inside there, a patroit will come and save my iPod. I step inside the shop gingerly, avoiding the stare of some salesperson. I’m not interested in salesperson. I need your technician, I thought to myself.

Arriving at the counter, I put my iPod on the table and say "My iPod hang". Calm down Teck Fui. You did good. Your tone is demanding but you know… not TOO demanding. Instead of responding politely like a trained salesperson, this guy I’m talking to just grab my iPod roughly (Argh) and pass it to the guy next to it. The other guy, completely oblivious of my existence, grab my iPod nonchalantly and started fiddle with it.

Sensing his unwillingness to coorperate, I started to ask questions to the 1st guy I talk to.

"So you know why is it hanged? I mean it won’t just hang like that right??" I said, trying a bit to hard to sound funny.

The guy, who don’t get my joke and seem to think that talking to me will be a complete waste of his precious time, just shrugged it off and say, "Ask him… he’s the technician". And with that, he just move away.

Either this guy did not understand customer service or he is just plain freaking ignorant, but what the hell, I do not care. Turning my attention to the other guy, I noticed that he does not look like a technician at all. Reading a newspaper, this guy have a long soft dyed hair, a pair of big eyes, and pierced ears. This would be the guy that Sue Ling would referred to as "cute".

I looked at him and saw that he was pressing the MENU and CENTER button. My heart skipped a beat. OMG I did the right thing!! I’m so damn right with iPod. But I thought it still won’t respond that way right?

"I try that way before. But it won’t respond." I says, trying my best sounds like I know a lot about iPod myself (Who am I kiddin? This is an iPod technician I’m talking to).

The guy just stare at me without saying anything. Like for a few minutes. Okaaay. He don’t like to talk. Fine. I just be a good boy and will not disturb professional at work.

Few minutes later, the iPod screen come blazing into life and the famous and comforting APPLE logo appear in the middle of the screen. Without thinking I just ask him how he did it.

"That is so cool. How you do that. Like wow??"

He raised his head slowly and look at me straight in the eyes. This goes on for a while. Okaay. I guess he don’t understand English. Which language should I use then?? Erm… Cantonese, Mandarin, Malay or Hakka?? (why would I even consider Hakka?? why??) At this point, I think the guy saw me grimaced and decided to open his mouth and talk. Thank God. This guy can actually talk!!

After explaining in perfect English about what I should do when I iPod hang the next time, he goes on to tell me what’s the reason it hanged. (Yea the software thingy again) This guy is not bad after all (Well apart from the fact that he need warming up before opening his  mouth!).

After thanking him, I left the store with a feeling of liberation. (my iPod is saved!!). Then something else dawned upon me. I just met two completely different people today.

One who can’t stop talking and the other can’t wait to stop talking.

Now that gives you something to talk about in bus.