My Laptop, the Culprit - Essay Example

Your Full Your 22 November My Laptop, the Culprit. Being a person of simple tastes, and meager means, I have never owned much in my life; I think it has more to do with the latter than the former, but let’s not be too picky. Whether it be the new android phones that everyone seems to be gushing over, or gaming consoles that seem to be keeping everyone entertainingly busy day in and day out, I have never owned, or dared to own, one. Then there was the question about designer wear; I seemed to have answered it pretty adequately with a nonchalant shrug, along with mumbling about how it was not the clothing that made the person. Admitting lack of funds, one discovers, is not a great conversational piece, nor does it leave one with many friends. However, upon acquiring some wealth of my own, hard earned I should add, I decided to replace my comatose computer with a new laptop. This necessitated a trip to the nearest retail store to buy the best laptop I could afford, which in turn resulted in my triumphant return with a brand new shiny, black laptop. The laptop is efficient, silent (a much appreciated quality after having to endure the noise of the previous computer) and very much in line with current technology. Of course, I dare not mention the model and make of the laptop for fear that one man’s treasure is another’s garbage. Suffice it to say that I hold it very dear to me and it is one of my most prized possessions. I have noticed, however, that this acquisition has resulted in a few changes in my character. Firstly, whereas before I had time for all of my friends and family, now I want to be glued to the screen of my laptop, either playing some online game, or reading some article, or just mindlessly surfing on the internet – working on assignments is kept to a minimum. My old computer barely functioned, so I had limited myself to only working on my assignments on it – how it managed to run Microsoft Office is beyond me, but thank God it did, because otherwise I would have had to resort to going to the public library for even the smallest of assignments and for even the shortest of emails (yes, surprisingly, I could check my email on it too). Now, however, I can run just about any application on my laptop. So, I can be spotted sitting in my room alone, either trying to master some obscure technique to finish some obscure level of some obscure game, or watching a movie, or just surfing around looking for anything I might find interesting. My friends complain about it, but I cannot help myself. Moreover, there is the question of me questioning their questioning of me, as I shall explain. My laptop has made me more suspicious of those around me. Most of the people around me are in the same economic boat as I am, which is not saying much. Let’s just say the waters are choppy and the boat is actually a raft. Anyway, I never gave much thought to the economic prowess, or lack thereof, of those around me. That, alas, has changed. With my new acquisition, I now end up trying to remember whether my friend has a decent laptop or computer at home or not. I often end up trying to gauge whether a person is around me because of a certain affinity for me, or because my computer would give them an easier access to getting their homework (or recreation) done. Why bother going to the library when your pal has a fully equipped laptop within easy reach? Of course, it is not much to share one’s laptop with one’s pals, but sharing has its limits – admittedly the limits I have drawn are pretty stingy. I find myself searching for clues as to whether the friendship I am proffered is limited to me alone, or whether it extends to my laptop as well. This is not an easy task in any respect, and mostly I catch myself trying to notice nuances that are not there in the first place, but I really do need to know the answer to the question. This brings us to the third problem; my self esteem has suffered a huge blow because of the acquisition. Because I am suspicious of those around me (a flaw in my thinking, nobody’s fault), I feel that nobody wants to be around me because I am a fun person to be around, but rather for the chance of getting to use my laptop. Let’s just say that because of my laptop, I end up considering the idea of nobody loving me for me. That is pretty shallow of me, yes, but then I can conveniently lay the blame on the recent purchase of the laptop. I never had this worry before; those who wanted to hang around with me did so and I never questioned their motives, whereas those who did not want to hang around with me did not and I did not question their motives either. After all, people have their own reasons for wanting to be with someone and I never thought I could question them – if someone likes me enough to be with me for most of the day, why should I ask them why? I should just take it as a compliment. Which I did, but with the possession of the new laptop, I cannot take it as a compliment anymore: for what if the person is with me just because they can use the laptop and not because they like me? Such are the thoughts that mull around in my brain ever since I have bought my new laptop and such are the thoughts that never ventured to enter it before. I refuse to believe that these thoughts were always there before, latent, only to come to the forefront now – for that would be me labeling myself as a paranoid person and we all know the constitution gives us protection from incriminating ourselves – therefore, I lay the blame squarely on my new laptop – the culprit behind all the discord. Read More