More than skin deep

Since I bought my cell phone, a Motorola V3i, I've had to vehemently defend my choice to almost everyone who showed any interest in it.  Be it the 'poor user interface' or the lack of memory or the 'tinny sound quality' ,the Nokia and Sony Erricsson user's have each had their jab at it.I am very attached to my phone, but through these various arguments, my only defense has been that it looks absolutely 'brilliant!!!'. Today, on 26th January 2009, after three years, I have another.

Hogenakkal, is a very scenic waterfall on the Karnataka-TN border. The black volcanic rock formations encasing the meandering Cauvery are some of the most captivating sights I've ever seen. Yesterday, I decided to visit Hogenakkal falls with 4 other friends. On reaching the falls, our coracle ride took us all around the river and finally deposited us on an island on the river. But  we wanted to cross the river and head to a more secluded region to have our lunch. To do this, we had to cross the river on foot. The water was only waist deep so it wasn't really a big deal. I had my precious camera with me, which I protected very diligently. Not a drop got onto the camera. We reached the other side safely. The moment I reached, Sid asked " hey whats that in your pocket?". In the blink of an eye, all the blood drained from my face, all the beauty sorrounding me seemed irrelavant. I realized what was in the pocket of my dripping shorts- my precious V3i. 

Putting all my emotions aside, the engineer in me jumped to the rescue. My first reaction was to remove the batteries, lest there should be any short circuit. And then, as I stood there on the banks of the Cauvery,with each drop of water dripping from the phone, reality began to set in- my phone was dead. 

Like freshly washed laundry, I put my v3i in the sun, and waited.  Hours passed, I finally gathered the courage to turn it back on. But it didn't. After 4 tries, I gave up.

On the way back from Hogenakkal, for reasons that I will never know, I decided to try putting Harki's batteries (he has a V3i too) in my phone. It was magic. In bright blue and white, the letters "Hello Moto" gleamed proudly on the screen. 

The V3i not only looks absolutely "brilliant" but is also a survivor.