A for apple; P for pokai!*

Of late, I have been contributing to the coffers of a multinational company whose brand is so famous its name need not be mentioned (like Lord Voldemort). Its logo itself suffice, whose interior decoration experts believe in minimalist outlook, the emblem of a partially eaten fruit (the first fruit that we learnt in alphabet class in pre-school) - or is the logo a constant reminder of our exodus from the paradise of Garden of Eden for our original sin? In the modern world, nobody gives a damn about inner beauty and endurance, but of external package and presentation, this telecommunications and computer whiz of a company has managed to make that precisely its selling point.

It all started one day when good old el-cheapo cell phone, due to melancholia, decided to take the plunge inadvertently (or on purpose?) into the monsoon drain as I was coming down the car carrying more than I should. Good old faithful must have been feeling pretty withdrawn and small after seeing all the PYT (pretty young things) strutting their stuff while her overused and abused body had seen better days. And the things the newbies could do with their bodies and the way they flaunt their assets would make any man salivate and go ga-ga!

Not to be confused: The original Apple.

Granny Smith; Founded by Beatles. Lost

in a legal battle to Apple Computer.  Now

collaborating music with iTunes. 

I tried to resuscitate the old one via modified surgery of dismantling its parts and drying it thoroughly. It survived for a couple of days but stopped short never to go again when the LCD panel went berserk. So ended the life of cell phone, which served me for more than 3 years and was a hand-me-down from wifey when my previous RM1 cell phone (after buying a TV set) died suddenly.

About that time, wifey's mobile started giving problems. And my daughter suddenly became obsessed and thought that she could not see another living daylight without possessing a particular brand of a laptop with a logo of a fruit from the same brand of the company of indisputable reputation and nothing doing! There was no talk of Sony or Lenovo, or Asus! Everybody has it, so it must be good, and I want it not now but yesterday!

That started my love affair with the forbidden fruit. I soon realised that the moment I attained the impossible, I realised that it is nothing sacrosanct about it after all. But, on the other hand, with more extraordinary powers come great responsibility, and a greater hole in the pants and thinner the wallet becomes...

*Pokai - colloquial Malay term for being broke (financially). Correct term would be muflis, patah kandar or bangkrap. It must have been popularised by P. Ramlee's movies. In fact, P. Ramlee is credited for introducing many new Malay words into its treasure. Some of the words include pawagam (movie theatre) -shortened from panggong wayang gambar; kugiran (band) - from kugiran gitar rancak! How about bedikari (berdiri atas kaki sendiri) - independent?