by Kuan Hur Tan

Created on: June 15, 2009

Computer in my life

I got my first computer at the age of 12, year 1993. In fact, it was a computer for the whole family. So, what have I been doing before that? Undeniably, I can live with my computer shutdown for a day based on the fact that I had no experience at all before the age of 12 and that was 11 years without a computer.

I have a degree in Business and Information Technology and my career has always been related to computing and information technology. I have to have a computer when I am working and anything that I do at work is always about computer and my work can only be done with computer. If the network is down, I have no access to my user account and virtually, I have nothing to do at work. I only shutdown my work computer when I have finished for the day.

Other than work, I use computer

- to pay and view my bills

- to stay in touch with my friends

- to call my family

- as leisure and entertainment

- to read news

- to purchase and sell things

- to blog

- and many more.

One of the automated processes every time I reach home from work is to switch on the computer and check my emails. After that, the computer will be left switched on.

I can live without computer

Having said all that, I had just come back from a five days trip in Italy and I did not switch on my netbook for the first three days in Italy. Cool, huh? For the last two days of my trip, I used my netbook just to transfer the photos from my camera.

The 'real' childhood

Thinking back the 11 years without computer, it was a real childhood to me. Sadly, not every child nowadays has had a real childhood. All they have in their minds is computer games, video games or internet games. Stamps collecting hobby, chess, hide and seek, table tennis, cycling and a lot more childhood games are almost non-existence. Some children may have played hundreds of chess games but they may have played against Chessmasters rather than real humans with real chess sets.

To people who are obsessive with computers, shutdown day will definitely make them realise that there are other things to do and so many places to see. Fortunately, I do not have to be reminded by shutdown day as I have joined workout classes as to keep myself fit and healthy. In addition, visiting other countries and meeting different people have also been one of my objectives. These activities are not solely for the sake of shutdown day but the benefit to me and to widen my knowledge.

Final thoughts

Unknowingly, sometimes you just switch on your computer without any purposes. Earth Hours only requires every house to switch off their lights for an hour. Imagine the energy we save if we have a Shutdown day!

I can go without my computer for a day but not any one day. And not without thinking what will happen when I switch on my computer on that day.

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