Saya solat di masjid gede (bahasa Jawa untuk 'besar') Wangsa Maju, Masjid Usamah bin Zaid. Besaunya.
Biasanya saya ke Masjid Muaz bin Jabal di Setiawangsa, tapi depa slow nak start tadi. Dah 0745 masih belum berkumandang takbir raya.
Dan sebab hari ni Jum'-at banyak masjid hanya membuat ibadah korban esok (Sabtu). Takut syiok lapah lembu tak sempat nak bersihkan diri dan tempat sebelum solat Jum'-at.
Mari kejap jenguk hidup saya tanpa mesin hitam bernama Blackberry.
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In the past two years, I was frightened at being left out of the latest news, the hottest development in the office and happenings around the world.
And then something called push email came into my life.
I bought a Blackberry machine and became an addict, a news junkie. Some people call it Crackberry.
While others chatted, listened to music, talked to family members or just dozed off, you would find me latched onto my black machine, scrolling through the latest email every few minutes.
This happened even while I am at my desk with both my Lotus office email and my Gmail signed on.
You see, Blackberry email works faster, so I could get messages sent by others a few seconds to a few minutes earlier before they get into my Inbox in the office PC.
The Blackberry was the first thing I look for when I opened my eyes in the mornings, and the last thing I stared at before sleeping. Even on weekends.
People have received emails from me - sometimes on, ahem, important news developments, but most times on nonsensical musings - as late as 2am. OK, I lied, make that 3am.
I thought I would be happy indeed if I knew what was the latest news, gossip, and whether some top brass in the office has some important announcement or just scolded somebody for making mistakes.
And I thought colleagues and friends would appreciate the instant replies (and crass jokes).
Then two weeks ago, someone told me he was fed up with his life being 'tied to Blackberry' and has removed it from his life.
I gasped!
That is like saying I have accepted God into my life and has now blasphemed by saying there is no God! Well, almost, I guess.
And then there was the Terminator movies showing Rise of The Machines - how first we controlled them; then we lose control over tem; and then the became self-aware; and then they wanted to kill us.
Oops. We are at the second stage I guess.
So, I have my own doubts about the machine too, actually. After all, with my salary being cut, I now wonder whether it is still worthwhile to pay, from my own pocket, the $150 to $250 a month just to get to know the latest news and gossip and whether some top brass has made key announcements.
The bill used to be around $80 to $150 when I started out but ballooned because of heavier usage.
They didn't call it Crackberry for nothing. You get addicted and must read everything and respond to everything.
Late last week, I have had enough. I turned off my Blackberry as short vacation time started, and flew to my home in Kuala Lumpur.
Well, here I am a few days without turning my machine even once.
And heck, are those real birds chirping outside my window, or the sound of an email coming in?
Those are real birds indeed! (it helps that my KL neighbourhood has a lot of big old trees).
I actually finished reading pages and pages of my favourite magazine, National Geographic, without switching to reading emails in between.
Ah freedom at last.
OK, so now I have decided to return my Blackberry contract, never mind if I will have to pay a quite few hundred dollars to cancel the contract.
What's next?
My next machine should be a Nokia E72 or a Samsung Jet.
I heard they have some nifty email functions.
Well, you know, just in case I get cravings in the middle of the night, and it is too dark to read National Geographic....
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