Shaun Wee
Having a keen interest in design and photography, Shaun Wee loves being behind the camera, but refuses to be in front of it. One can only wonder why, as he really should be showing off his quirky obsession with his hair instead of hiding it. From afro to cornrows to dreadlocks, Shaun continually morphs from one style to the next and loves surprising people with his outrageous hair. Having completed his 5-month attachment programme with IPS Asia-Pacific in 2007, Shaun continues to reminisce about the occasional foot massage and beer at his favourite saxaphone pub, after a long day of work. It is no surprise that he has visited Thailand three times in a span of just one year.
Back when I was using my trusty PC, dearly named Magnolia, I somehow managed to overlook all the flaws it possessed. Never mind how it took nearly three decades to start up, or perhaps how repulsively ugly it looked. For me, I loved my PC and there was nothing that would have made me change my mind (or so I thought).
Many would agree, that just these past few years alone, trying to keep up with technology is like attempting to board a train full of desperate Chinese citizens heading home for the Chinese New Year celebrations. To put it simply, there hardly is any point in the religious following of technology.
What we see in the market today is probably a dozen different brands of almost the same products. Has this multi-billion-dollar industry turned into a mere game of "anything you can do I can do (only slightly) better"? Well, not quite yet. While most of the world just sat in anticipation of the industry's impending doom, some actually told me there was hope; a hope that came from a little fruit.
As skeptical as I initially was, due to my unconditional love for Magnolia, I was indeed tempted to take a bite off this juicy fruit even though there was no instigation from an evil serpent. Needless to say, I did — and it didn't matter anyway because Magnolia eventually died.
My friends laughed at how long I took to realise that computers manufactured by Apple Inc weren't just a mere passing fad. To me, having an Apple computer did sound a little silly though. It's like owning a red sports convertible, and telling your friends, "Hey, check out my new Eggplant". Admittedly, while I was still stubbornly insisting that PCs were the backbone of any functional society, I did secretly steal glances at Apple products during my mundane walks through the tech mall.
Although Apple's product lineup ranges from handheld music/video devices to laptop computers, it's hard to ignore the obvious consistency — its simplicity. Talk about standing out in the crowd, Apple not only does that well, but they continue to impress consumers predictably with their annual Macworld Conference & Expo. Just take a look at this year's latest Apple laptop, the Macbook Air; while most of my mail wouldn't even fit into a standard manila envelope, this nearly-as-thin-as-paper laptop does. It really wouldn't surprise me if next year's Macbook Air upgrade comes with time-travel capabilities.
It was back in the pre-21st century, when Apple Inc initiated its humble beginnings. While typical American families spent most of their time in the living room having dinner by the television, a then young and ambitious Steve Jobs decided to turn his parents' living room into his workshop. It was there that Jobs, and his buddies Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, created their first personal computer, the Apple I. Nevertheless, I had a slight difficulty trying to imagine the facial expressions of guests, when they were being told by Jobs' parents that he "makes apples in their living room". (During the early '80s, perhaps the only thing weirder than that, was witnessing Michael Jackson become white.) Ultimately, though, it was Jobs who had the last laugh, with his current net worth standing at a whopping 5.4 billion U.S. dollars.
Personally, I feel that my initial reluctance to switch from a PC to a Mac was attributed to my self-perceived stupidity. Attempt to teach me how to do something as simple as download Torrents, and you'll probably find that when I'm done, all of mankind would have evolved into a new species of apes.
This, however, was not the case with Rosemary, my 15-inch Powerbook — all it took for me to get used to the Mac operating system (OS) was not more than 24 hours. By Day 2, I had somehow convinced myself that the functionality of the PC was not necessarily advantageous over the Mac's. Using the Mac's hotkeys and shortcuts found on the Internet, the adjustment process from PC to Mac was, in actual fact, a really smooth transition.
Since I am well capable of walking around any shopping mall with a paper bag over my head, and making that look cool, I was pretty sure that using a Mac would be no daunting feat. By deluding myself with this notion, the Mac's missing right-click (among a few other missing functions) became a complete non-issue. In addition to that, Macs were much obviously sexier.
Whenever the thought of Magnolia (God bless her poor soul) crept into my mind, all I had to do, was to open my Powerbook and sweep my cursor across its interactive dock — witnessing how the mini icons would turn into a tsunami of colors, the cheap thrill of this effortless activity kept me pacified and very, very happy indeed.