Frozen

I was searching for a file in my office machine when I came across a logitech email video from the back up of my old hard drive and suddenly fun memories flashed back to my mind. I made the email-video in December, 2001 on a trip to Hongkong. I couldn’t upload the video so decided to just make a copy of the screen (file) for posting here. I was actually just saying “Hello from Hongkong” in said video clip.

Internet shops have not mushroomed yet at that time in Manila but there I was in Hongkong with my friends and I come upon free internet machines in malls, pretty much like ATM machines. I have seen a similar machine in Australia a year before but you have to pay for the service, but the ones in the Hongkong mall were free… totally free!!! Way cool!!!

I thought it would be great to try it and send email back to family and friends. My friends with me in Hongkong were not excited about it, only I was. So one time when we were finally done with our shopping for the day they went to the hotel room which was just at the top of the mall (many malls and hotels are interconnected in Hongkong that you don’t really know anymore where one ends and another begins) and I looked for an available machine. And I tried it, I was able to send a free email… cool!

Then I saw another option, there was a camera and you could take a picture or video and send it too! Geez, I’ve never even tried web cam in the Philippines and I got more excited, so I took a video and then some shots. If I did not like the shot I would delete it immediately and take another, then suddenly the machine froze with my big face still on the screen. I suddenly felt like it was a mug shot! I had to delete it before I get off so I tried to “unfreeze” the machine… it wouldn’t do! My face was stuck there!

I was there a long time trying to figure it out determined not to leave until I remove my face on the screen. Many of the shops were already closing, there were not much people passing me by and those I tried to ask assistance from would wave and gesture that they did not speak English. Ahh… what am I to do???

Finally someone from the mall came, can’t remember if it was security or management and I asked help. He unplugged the machine, waited a bit then plugged it back and it went on again. I checked if my face was still there, it was gone. I was a relieved. I stopped sending emails and ran (hehehe.. not really run but just walked fast) to my hotel room. My friends were asking me why I was gone a long time but I did not tell them immediately feeling embarrassed.

You would have thought that I would not attempt to use the machine for fear from such happening again… but I would find myself still drawn to the machines on subsequent days. I’d look at them until I finally convinced my friends to try it out also. Though they were not really excited, they tried it too (hmmm… probably just to humor me) and the four of us compressed as we posed in the internet machine's camera making sure all of our faces fits the screen and we made a short video which we sent to our email addresseses as souvenir. I couldn’t find that video anymore or the other photos I sent (which I copy furnished my email address) all I have is the one from my old hard disk.

And it certainly brought a smile in my face!

Not a frozen smile but one happy smile!