Have you ever had a connection with something that seemed like it was given to you by default? It is like a birthright where you were born with a particular gift or purpose that is handed to you right from birth. There are those who were born with a vocal cord of a flute who practically sang instead of cry at the first sight of the delivery room. There are those who were born with missing joints who seem to have danced their way out of their mothers’ wombs. And then there was me… and broken gadgets.
Now before your imagination wanders off to Alice’s wonderland, where everything is possible, I can assure you I was not holding a pair of pliers and a screwdriver when I was born. Come on!!! I don’t even think it is possible, is it? But from when I can remember, I can’t think of any instance when a nearby broken gadget has not found a way to my pair of probing hands.
I have fixed my first ever broken transistor radio when I was eight years old. I am no genius so don’t ask about capacitors, resistors and IC boards. I don’t even fully understand until now how those things work together to make up an electronic gadget. All I know is, that broken transistor radio was fixed by yours truly using only a dilapidated screwdriver and a hammer. Now go figure!
My inclination to fixing broken gadgets started when I first got my wireless remote-controlled toy car, a luxury of a toy that was not as accessible to young kids as they are now. It was a silver die-cast metal Porsche car with a fancy flexible antenna and a black remote-control that my dad bought from overseas. Of course it was not broken when he gave it to me. But given my affinity to broken gadgets and fixing them, it was only a matter of time before my parents saw the car in pieces, on top of my operating table. You know how the elders would say, “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it”? I did just that, I broke it, so I can fix it. Smart, eh?
I learned three valuable things that day: (1) I learned that if you break something, you fix it and you learn from it; (2) I learned that you need a lot of patience and a truckload of determination to fix anything that is broken – giving up is just never an option; and (3) I have learned that after fixing something, no matter how hard you try, you always end up with an extra screw. Little did I know that these three things were my first three lessons in life. Allow me to expound…
Life is made up of people and relationships, and sadly, at one point or another, we will break people. When we do, just like when we break things, we have to fix it. Fixing people is just like fixing things, you need a lot of patience and a truckload of determination to pull it through - giving up is just not an option. And in the end, when you end up fixing people, no matter how hard you try, you will most likely end up with an extra screw, i.e. chances are, the person you fixed will be missing a screw or two. Ever wondered why your friends end up being crazy after being friends with you for years? There is your answer.
Going back to gadgets, my childhood was centered on finding broken things to be fixed, and occasionally breaking things so they can be fixed. There is just no rush compared to seeing something you fixed put back in commission. It is just got so addictive for me that at one point I saw my dad’s temper gauge go from 0 – 100 in 2 seconds at the mere sight of my bedroom being turned into a workshop -- pliers and screwdrivers and practically any tool you would see in a workshop lying in my clothes drawer, right beside my clothes.
My dad saw my inclination, and he began guiding me into becoming the DIY man that he is. He taught me many valuable things that I never would have learned on my own, without hurting myself. The very first thing he taught me was, “Safety First”. It was a priceless knowledge applicable both to the hobby and in life. After all, how can you enjoy your hobby and your life, if your life-form has left you because you did not pay attention to safety? He also taught me that “when you decide to do something, do it right and do it well, or just don’t do it at all”. A man’s character is measured by the quality of the finished product that he fashioned from his intent or vision - another valuable lesson in life. And although he agreed that me, using a bubble gum to hold a piece of wire in place is ingenious, it also tells him that I did not bother doing it properly. Which brings me to the next lesson from him: in order to do the job right, “You have to use the right tools for the job”. That bit is self-explanatory and very practical. It will not only save you time but also save you money by not buying replacement tools for those you broke through inappropriate use. It would also make your end product look good and professionally done. And just to demonstrate how important this particular bit is, let me ask you this question, “If you have a broken TV and you brought it to a repair man, would you pay for it if it works fine but you see a hardened bubble gum holding one of the AV ports at the back?” Enough said.
Equipped with my new found knowledge, I went on a fixing spree that I am still on to this day. I still do mostly gadgets (phones, PCs, Laptops, etc.), but I also do mechanical, electrical and plumbing every now and then. I am no repair man by trade. I do it more as a hobby. In fact, it is what I do when I need peace and calm. For some reason, fixing broken things is one of the very few things that have this “calming effect” on me. I do not really understand what it is in this hobby that soothes me. Perhaps it is the feeling of power and control, where you have the fate of something in your hands and you sort of have the power to “bring it back to life”, in human terms. It could also be just the sheer pleasure of the “little wins” – your daily source of success in a world usually filled with failures and frustrations. It could also possibly be the new knowledge or skill that comes with every successful, or even unsuccessful, repair attempt.
Finding your real purpose in this world can sometimes take a lifetime. Now here is the irony that life is; the feeling of meaninglessness and emptiness predictably comes before your purpose is revealed. It is in this “trying” times where you need to have a solid anchor and an infinite source of strength that would fuel you to keep on going. Something that you are good at, either acquired or by accident (which is my case), that would give you your daily dose of feelings of accomplishment and purpose – your little pockets of happiness. If you have not found yours yet, maybe you are looking for something big. They don’t need to be something grand or legendary. I found mine in broken gadgets.
Sometimes I even wonder if it is me who fixes broken gadgets, or if it is the broken gadgets that fix me? Weird, I know. But sometimes it feels as if the latter is the case... Or maybe I am just missing screw?
Now before your imagination wanders off to Alice’s wonderland, where everything is possible, I can assure you I was not holding a pair of pliers and a screwdriver when I was born. Come on!!! I don’t even think it is possible, is it? But from when I can remember, I can’t think of any instance when a nearby broken gadget has not found a way to my pair of probing hands.
I have fixed my first ever broken transistor radio when I was eight years old. I am no genius so don’t ask about capacitors, resistors and IC boards. I don’t even fully understand until now how those things work together to make up an electronic gadget. All I know is, that broken transistor radio was fixed by yours truly using only a dilapidated screwdriver and a hammer. Now go figure!
My inclination to fixing broken gadgets started when I first got my wireless remote-controlled toy car, a luxury of a toy that was not as accessible to young kids as they are now. It was a silver die-cast metal Porsche car with a fancy flexible antenna and a black remote-control that my dad bought from overseas. Of course it was not broken when he gave it to me. But given my affinity to broken gadgets and fixing them, it was only a matter of time before my parents saw the car in pieces, on top of my operating table. You know how the elders would say, “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it”? I did just that, I broke it, so I can fix it. Smart, eh?
I learned three valuable things that day: (1) I learned that if you break something, you fix it and you learn from it; (2) I learned that you need a lot of patience and a truckload of determination to fix anything that is broken – giving up is just never an option; and (3) I have learned that after fixing something, no matter how hard you try, you always end up with an extra screw. Little did I know that these three things were my first three lessons in life. Allow me to expound…
Life is made up of people and relationships, and sadly, at one point or another, we will break people. When we do, just like when we break things, we have to fix it. Fixing people is just like fixing things, you need a lot of patience and a truckload of determination to pull it through - giving up is just not an option. And in the end, when you end up fixing people, no matter how hard you try, you will most likely end up with an extra screw, i.e. chances are, the person you fixed will be missing a screw or two. Ever wondered why your friends end up being crazy after being friends with you for years? There is your answer.
Going back to gadgets, my childhood was centered on finding broken things to be fixed, and occasionally breaking things so they can be fixed. There is just no rush compared to seeing something you fixed put back in commission. It is just got so addictive for me that at one point I saw my dad’s temper gauge go from 0 – 100 in 2 seconds at the mere sight of my bedroom being turned into a workshop -- pliers and screwdrivers and practically any tool you would see in a workshop lying in my clothes drawer, right beside my clothes.
My dad saw my inclination, and he began guiding me into becoming the DIY man that he is. He taught me many valuable things that I never would have learned on my own, without hurting myself. The very first thing he taught me was, “Safety First”. It was a priceless knowledge applicable both to the hobby and in life. After all, how can you enjoy your hobby and your life, if your life-form has left you because you did not pay attention to safety? He also taught me that “when you decide to do something, do it right and do it well, or just don’t do it at all”. A man’s character is measured by the quality of the finished product that he fashioned from his intent or vision - another valuable lesson in life. And although he agreed that me, using a bubble gum to hold a piece of wire in place is ingenious, it also tells him that I did not bother doing it properly. Which brings me to the next lesson from him: in order to do the job right, “You have to use the right tools for the job”. That bit is self-explanatory and very practical. It will not only save you time but also save you money by not buying replacement tools for those you broke through inappropriate use. It would also make your end product look good and professionally done. And just to demonstrate how important this particular bit is, let me ask you this question, “If you have a broken TV and you brought it to a repair man, would you pay for it if it works fine but you see a hardened bubble gum holding one of the AV ports at the back?” Enough said.
Equipped with my new found knowledge, I went on a fixing spree that I am still on to this day. I still do mostly gadgets (phones, PCs, Laptops, etc.), but I also do mechanical, electrical and plumbing every now and then. I am no repair man by trade. I do it more as a hobby. In fact, it is what I do when I need peace and calm. For some reason, fixing broken things is one of the very few things that have this “calming effect” on me. I do not really understand what it is in this hobby that soothes me. Perhaps it is the feeling of power and control, where you have the fate of something in your hands and you sort of have the power to “bring it back to life”, in human terms. It could also be just the sheer pleasure of the “little wins” – your daily source of success in a world usually filled with failures and frustrations. It could also possibly be the new knowledge or skill that comes with every successful, or even unsuccessful, repair attempt.
Finding your real purpose in this world can sometimes take a lifetime. Now here is the irony that life is; the feeling of meaninglessness and emptiness predictably comes before your purpose is revealed. It is in this “trying” times where you need to have a solid anchor and an infinite source of strength that would fuel you to keep on going. Something that you are good at, either acquired or by accident (which is my case), that would give you your daily dose of feelings of accomplishment and purpose – your little pockets of happiness. If you have not found yours yet, maybe you are looking for something big. They don’t need to be something grand or legendary. I found mine in broken gadgets.
Sometimes I even wonder if it is me who fixes broken gadgets, or if it is the broken gadgets that fix me? Weird, I know. But sometimes it feels as if the latter is the case... Or maybe I am just missing screw?
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