The Incident of the Mobile Phone..

My mobile phone has gone 'kaput'.

What's wrong with it?

Just one thing. I cannot be heard through it. I can hear others but others can't hear me. Every other function still works. Everything bar the second most important function. (The first being able to hear the other persons voice)

How did it happen?

I don't really know but Alex and I have come to this conclusion - I had a Lindt chocolate in my handbag. The weather was rather hot on Sunday and (this part is ironic) when my mobile rang, I stuck my hand into the bag to rummage for it. In the process of rummaging, I effectively smeared the chocolate over the insides of the bag. Without me knowing, the chocolate had melted from the heat. When I finally had the phone in my hands, it was sticky and gooey. I cleaned it up and noticed that some of the chocolate had found its way beyond the casing of the mobile phone. However I thought all was still good because its not like I had dropped my mobile into water right? So logically, there shouldn't have been much damage. How wrong I was! We discovered the damage when the phone next rang. No one could hear me!

And as such, it was a case of death by chocolate.

I have never really had much luck (if I may use that word) with mobile phones. If you haven't heard about my mobile tales, let me speak of them now.

MOBILE #1

I was given this mobile by my dad when I was in Uni. This was back in the day when the technology of colored screens had not yet made its way into phones. You know, the days when phone screens were barely 2 inches wide and had a yellow background? I loved this phone because it was small and fitted into my pencil case - which made for easy transportation while running from one lecture to another. (I don't approve of sticking mobile phones into jeans pockets - for ladies that is - this is a whole different topic which I shall not go into here) This mobile also had a shortcut key for smses which back in the day, was considered a rather cool function. Hence, I really loved this mobile.

On one unfortunate afternoon, I made plans to go hiking with some cell group friends. We drove to the base of a hill, parked and started hiking. It was a habit of most hikers to put their wallets and mobile phones under the seat of the car, out of plain sight to avoid having to carry anything on their sweaty bodies. So discreetly, before turning off the engine and getting out of the car, we had left our stuff that way too. However, a friend had a back pack and had to chuck that in the boot of the car. (this I believe was our fail point) After our hike, I got into the car and started it up. Before moving off, I slid my hand under the seat to retrieve my mobile and my purse. To my horror, it was not there! Instantly everyone checked for theirs.. and yup, all of it was taken. That includes the back pack in the boot.

The thief had the nerve to break into the car without breaking anything, took his time to rummage under every seat, open the boot and cleared the bag out. He even locked my car for me!

And that was demise of mobile# 1

MOBILE# 2

After that loss, I decided to upgrade to a Nokia. At that time I had set my eyes on this beautiful silver Nokia with a butterfly looking motif for its buttons. The technology then had moved on and the screen was no longer yellow but blue! I loved this phone too cos it looked so feminine and pretty! It also had a function where one can compose their own ring tones. I did one based on a song which we were singing very frequently in our youth group at church. I had then sent this tune to another friend and soon the tune was then passed on to other people at the church - I heard it ringing and I knew it was my work! (If you are reading this blog and you remember the title of that song, tell me cos I can't remember the title! I can only remember the tune)

To cut the story short, I was on a holiday in Hong Kong and left my phone back in Malaysia because I knew I wouldn't need it with me. I called back home mid way through the holiday to update my family about my tours when I was told that the house was broken into just that morning at 4am. The thief had pried open our kitchen windows, removed the glass panels and broke the wooden frame. The police was called and a report was made.

Guess what they stole? All the mobile phones in the house, including our cordless hand set. I guess the cordless phone was so small that they thought it was a mobile phone too. Absolutely ridiculous (about the cordless phone) and absolutely devastating (that I lost my mobile).

And that was demise of mobile#2

MOBILE #3

This time around, technology had yet again improved and screens now had color! I decided to buy a Sony Ericsson. Remember that I found out about the burglary while in Hong Kong? So I bought my replacement mobile there. It was a flip phone and had wonderful soft buttons. I loved it for smses. This phone also had sufficient memory for me to save mp3's and make them my ring tone. Sony Ericsson phones are known to have very clear and crisp sounds coming from the speakers of their phones and I loved this phone for this very reason.

Unfortunately while their sound quality is top class, the durability of Sony Ericsson phones are a different matter altogether. (This again is a whole other discussion) My flip phone had trouble with the screen after being flipped open one too many times and I arranged for my parents to take it down to the Sony Ericsson service center for fixing.

To cut the story short once more, the car that my parents were in, got broken into. Yes.... AGAIN. This was a different car to the one before though. The mobile phone was not in plain sight. It wasn't even under the seat! It was in the glove compartment. The other variable in this case was my parents had a dvd player in the boot of the car. It was also on its way to a shop to get fixed. The thief swiped that too. My parents had parked to go have lunch. It was when they got to the service outlet that they discovered the phone was missing. Subsequently they discovered the fate of the dvd player too.

And that, was the demise of mobile#3.

I don't have to speak again of mobile#4. The difference this time around, its yet to be stolen! With mobile#4, I decided to go for a minimal function phone. After my 3 losses, I had gathered that mobile phones, with me, tend to get stolen. And each time, the mobile only stayed with me for ~2years. That has been my track record. Even though mobile#4 is still with me - unstolen - the track record seems to be holding true. 2 years.

Sigh.

What should I get next?

cheryl