Serenity in a Turmoil

This morning my eyes were glued to TV Mobile. Last night, NYSE tumbled the worst since The Great Depression, as the US house of parliament rejected the bailout bill of US$700B. Dow Jones dipped by a historic rate of -7%, Citigroup by -12%, ExxonMobil by -10%.

The world seemed to be entering into a complete turmoil. And so am I, when I suddenly realised that I left my hp at home!?! I panicked.

The first thing I thought of was how I can contact Desmond as we are meeting tonight. Then I wondered if someone from the school or my vendor will call me (God! the sense of urgency from EM days is still with me!). I also needed to call the Chinese doctor to confirm my appointment later this evening. So many things to do!

When I reach SP, I went to the staff office to beg for a desk phone to call Desmond. During lunch, I borrowed another phone at the reception to call my Chinese doctor. After training, I used a public phone to call Desmond to inform him of the time of my arrival. ~Job done~

After the anxiety to make calls set in, a strong sense of tranquility overcame me. Throughout the day, there was no hp to lose, no silent mode to switch to, no constant checking of missed calls and receiving of junk SMS. I was able to concentrate on my training, and no longer fidgeting with that candy bar. It was a surprisingly pleasant and serene feeling.

I remember that some time ago Serena told me that she does not wear watches on weekends. That was when we were colleagues in EM and everyday was spent fighting one war after another. So on weekends, she said it is therapeutic to lose track of time, sink yourself in whatever you are doing, and enjoy...just like a child. I find this comment intriguing, in fact who cares about wearing a watch these days, when all you really need is your hp.

At that time, I did not think that the same concept can be applied to hp. But after today, I was convinced that technology does not have such a strong power over me, after all.