goodbye, old friend

Dear lappu,

As curtains come down on your extraordinary work life, here are a few final nice words. 

You have always been a fighter - you survived countless ordeals and came back strong each time. You braved the tortures of Sham Shui Po, multiple falls from considerable heights and innumerable open-heart surgeries courtesy your ever-accompanying screwdriver buddies. Yet, you always rose up strong and managed to accomplish most things.

You were such an entertainer - you had people breaking up every time you dealt with a xebra, cxar or Ximbabwe. 

You were a facilitator - you spurred me to write this blog. You aided me bond with some of my best friends. You allowed me to create and follow my dreams.  

You have been a wonderful companion - lying quietly at the corner of my bed - always there for me when things became difficult. 

You have been a great wingman - allowing me to stalk high school/university crushes and say "hi!" without the nervousness of real-life. 

You were my pilot to exciting new worlds - despite your shortcomings (and there are quite a few of them), you were crucial in my internship offers, debate stuff and research experiences.

You taught me to overcome constraints - you were never the fanciest thing the world of technology had to offer. You had your fair share of tantrums. People found you cranky and hard to use. But, you taught me to - stop grumbling and make do with what I have. You taught me that the weakest among us still have qualities worth cherishing and defending. You taught me - sometimes, putting along with a temperamental thing may not be so bad after all.   

After your mousepad decided to call it quits, I have been thinking - maybe you should take your hard-earned retirement after so long. Maybe, younger systems should deal with the mess that is computing. Maybe, you should take a vacation to Singapore/Hawaii/Europe, visit a beach town, sit back, relax, sip a martini and take in the fresh air. 

Goodbye, old friend. You will be missed.