A new toy

When this handphone hit the shelves some years ago, it was almost a revolution. Handphones before it had horns. Horns like unicorns. Yeah, those ugly antennas jutting out from from the corner. So, the lucky folks who got their hands onto this set were the enviable ones, the trend setters.

"See, my handphone got no antenna one!"

Remember those days not so long ago? Those days, only a handful of people got handphones. These days, only a handful don't.

Then its little brother the Nokia 3315 came along. Mum bought it for me in Sep 2002, just before I left for working life in The Land Below The Wind. Cool! My phone got no horn too! Yeah!

It has served me faithfuly for 6 years. We went thru thick and thin together. Despite all the knocks and bumps in life, the Nokia 3315 never gave up. A really tough fella. Never taken a day sick leave, never gone to the phone-clinic. Never bought fake MC.

Time really flies. 6 years just gone by like that. New models came along; uncompetitive brands fade away, like that Alcatel thingy. (The compact size of Alcatels were really cool at one time).

However, it's time to move on. The ol' ye faithful is showing signs of aging. The battery has lost its stamina, I needed to carry a charger to accompany it all the time (believe it or not, I did that for a year). The bulk has become a bit of a burden. It's not all bad though. I can leave it unattended for a day or so, and be at peace knowing that nobody will even bother to steal it. :-) And yes, seeing raised eyebrows when I flash that Nokia around gives me a feel-good thrill, for whatever going through their minds.

I would sure love to get a high tech toy. Like my trend-setting friend in KL who got an iPHONE. AN iPHONE! Man, that's a four digit price-tag beginning with the number 2. Its good to be rich sometimes.

Then again, there are nurses in the hospital who are using handphones that cost their whole month's dough. Things like that make you wonder whether anybody is bothered about barang naik harga.

Apa boleh buat, have to ubah gaya hidup. Not the BN politicians' style. Kiam siap style.

MISSION: Get a handphone with a decent camera with flash, light and compact, can listen to radio, play music, and whatever other good things in life, and comes with a handsome face.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: Budget below RM 500. Ori even better (got good warranty ma).

With that in mind, we went to the shop in Center Point.

I hoped to remain loyal to Nokia; but thier offerings were all above the RM 500 bar. And they do not look cool.

"Uncle ah, my father want to find a new handphone la."

"Choose lo. Got so many models here."

"Err... his old handphone, trade in can get how much ah?"

(Can't believe still got people using that handphone) "Emm... that one ah... emm... can keep as collection la. Hehehe. Or you carry it lo. If got dog chase you, throw at the dog lo. Hehehe."

"Very funny huh."

And we got a new toy, a Sony. And placed the Nokia into retirement.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: RM 450, piece of art, with 2 years warranty.

"See, the new toy can take picture one!"

"Can use to take my handsome face."

"Me and my mummy."

"Guess where I had lunch."

"The cool little boy look."

"My father bought a new toy, and passed me his piece of Nokia brick! So unfair!"

THIS.