Monday, June 30, 2008

Autobots...Transform!

I don't bother reminding people I was an IT grad who was once notorious for being a technophile - the girl who once had 2 computers running simultaneously 24 hours a day with AIM running all night long, programming away for the Language Department, and constantly scouring for new gadgets to add to her wishlist. That was then.

Nowadays, I can't be bothered. Ask me what processor I use and I'd probably reply Kenwood FP626, titanium blade. Very good on the tomato puree.

Although I'm still the resident Microsoft Office 'how-to' person at the office (yes my 4 years of college was not entirely wasted), I still call up the IT department for petty things. Slowly but surely I've become the IT-ignoramus I once despised - the one that calls up ICT services to tell them my Excel file just froze by its own accord through no fault of my own, the one that makes a fuss when my email-account password has expired and needs updating, the one that thinks shutting down the laptop is the answer to every problem.

So when I finally decided to rid my old cell phone for one that would serve me better at work (and by serve me better I mean have the ability to make calls without dying every 5 seconds) I found myself struggling to understand what the technoblogs and reviews were saying. What was once a language I spoke so fluently was now some ancient foreign language spoken to me by a toothless man with a lisp. It made me wonder how a simple concept of 2 plastic cups and a string could have turned so complex.

It's like the time they changed good ol' Small, Medium, Large to Tall, Grande, Venti. Gone are the days you could come in a coffee shop and scream "One bloody coffee, no cream!" Now it takes at least 2 minutes before you get to make your order, and even then you'll be lucky if you speak the language. "One upside-down venti ristretto Caramel Macchiato at 140 degrees, no foam, breve milk and extra whipped cream, please!"

I finally resorted to emailing pictures of the phones I had in mind to my IT counterparts and telling them to brief me on their specs. That was the day I finally graduated into an IT-illiterate. I can almost hear my professors cry in shame.

However, all is not lost. There are days when I am still able to weave my way through an IT/technological conversation without being discovered a fraud (mostly those held with my Mum or my chronically IT-challenged pharmacist sister), and of course I am still able to impart my knowledge to my accountant colleagues who still are in the belief that I am an IT God (my words of wisdom: Control-Alt-Delete). While some may laugh at my poor attempt of regaining any honor I have left as an IT graduate, I shall not cry defeat until the day comes where I forget how to Blog.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I find that outrightly shameful that you are leaving behind the pearly gates of CMU for the lowly realms of IT-illiteracy. but i guess it's through no fault of your own that once you step out of the loop, the train will just rush by you and miss you altogether :( at least you're still imparting the wisdom of Ctrl-Alt-Del. CMU has taught you well. Took me a while to find this blog of yours. So c'mon you IT graduate. Don't lose your blogging bug!

yazmin said...

Hahahaha! Hi Dahlia!!!!!

How's Australia treating you? Yes I hang my head in shame :(

So what's up? Any news? Wedding bells?? Nyaha :p~