It tooks me 10 seconds to accept the fact that I just dumped a bowl of soup over my laptop and a full 1 minute to think clearly.
It was in the middle of an ordinary afternoon when it happened. At that time I was working at the CNRC-BRI for my master’s. I was hungry so I boiled some water for a bowl of korean instant noodle. Nong Shim’s Kimchi flavored noodle was and still is my favorite. Yum! After filling it with hot water, I came around my desk and set the bowl in front of the laptop and in between my arms so I can reach the keyboard and still be able to do some work. I was stupid and careless.
After a few dozen minutes and my unsuspecting self, I reached for the keyboard for some fresh ideas. *knock, and down goes the bowl.
I quickly redressed that bowl but it was too late. Water is a wonderous substance. The soup quickly soaked into the heart of the laptop through the keyboard. Five seconds later, my laptop had shut down. It’s over, or is it?
I nearly fainted because all that I had done in my life is now trapped in that computer, and possible gone forever! It almost felt like coming to a near-death experience, not that I really had one. I imagine that would be as close as I would get to the real experience! I cleared my head and quickly realized I could still save my data. Action reaction. Responding to my desperation, I took the lab screwdriver and pulled the hard drive out from the Kimchi-flavored laptop. *relief, the hard drive was dry.
Now I felt much better knowning that the saved files are safe. I had one thought lingering: I must save my laptop.