The Suicidal Mobile

These days, I carry two phones with me. The multi-function Samsung x600, that I bought almost a year ago, and a very cheap, but long lasting Motorola that I usually only use to receive/make calls. One is so I can continue to use my reliable and high quality (though costly) Ufone number and the other is to take advantage of the low call rates of PakTel. The Ufone connection is a pre-paid one so there is no monthly fee for it, nor any extras like free minutes or free SMSs. With PakTel however, I have a monthly package that includes lots of free minutes and about 150 free SMSs. It’s quality however, is atrocious and I can hardly talk to anyone from inside my house and certain other areas.

But this post isn’t about my mobile service. It’s about this morning’s incident. The last few days of unrest and sleepless nights at the office finally caught up with me and I had a severe headache this morning. It was past noon that I started to feel a bit better and could start getting ready to go out.

I’ve developed a habit of taking my phone into the bathroom, just in case somebody important, like the President, calls. I usually put the phone high up on a shelf in the corner and that’s what I did this morning with the Samsung. Half-way through my shower, Majed called from the office and the phone started it’s usual vibration dance. But then it did something I didn’t expect. It dived off the shelf, skipped off the bathroom sink, disengaged it’s battery and crashed onto the steaming wet floor.

But the mobile’s battery had other plans. My bathroom isn’t that big, but the shelf is in one corner, while the urm … toilet seat is in the exact opposite one. That was what the battery decided would be a good landing spot. Unfortunately, it didn’t take into account the murky abyss at the bottom and promptly disappeared down the drain.

At first, I stood scratching my head, wondering what had actually happened. Then quickly picked up the phone and wiped it off as best as I could. The thought of reaching into the abyss to retrieve the battery did cross my mind, but it was immediately dropped and I got a brand new one this evening. It needed replacing anyway. I put the phone on the unsheltered car’s dashboard and let the sun bake it for a while.

To my relief, the phone turned on using the new battery and seems to be ok, though I’m charging it in off mode to dry out any remaining moisture. It might be time to sell it and get a new, flashy one, but I’ll still have to get the camera fixed before that.

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