How I Became a Semi-Geek

The DAY was October 14, 2003. Maybe I should say October 15, because it happened after midnight. Well, I didn't become a total semi-geek on that particular day. But on that day, my life took a turn to the right and there was no coming back to Square One. 

It was about ten minutes past midnight when I realized Guizmo--female cat--had been missing since the afternoon. Recalling that she hadn't been looking too well when I'd seen her around lunchtime, I decided to go looking. Poupie, my late doggy best friend, faithfully tagged along. We managed to locate Guizmo, and seeing she didn't look so bad, I turned around--a bit too suddenly--and bumped into Poupie who had decided to lie down. The rest happened in one breath. Poupie, feeling my foot in his rib, jolted and I found myself flying over him and back onto the hard concrete floor. My right wrist was screaming at me. At that very moment, I was compelled to become a right-brained person until the wrist healed. 

However, I learnt--the hard way--that Right Wrist had a mind of its own. While in the cast--six weeks--something happened and the joint became a disjoint. I was left with less than 50% of the function of my right hand and there was no chance of operating without the risk of losing the use of my fingers. My career as a scientist came to a halt. One can't juggle test-tubes and chemicals with one arm. The GEEK was about to convert. 

To cut a never-ending story short, I started using my left hand more and more especially for drawing and painting--which I had started a year before. The shift from right to left was accompanied by moments of utter confusion. I'd always had trouble with left and right and the shift made it worse. 

The Geek had turned to a Semi-Geek, with perks and drawbacks. I had a NEW LIFE, thanks to Guizmo and Poupie. Poupie died in the early morning of December 21, 2005 after a short illness and Guizmo left us on March 5, 2006. I hope they're happy in their new surroundings now. I still miss them and will always be indebted to them for having shown me that there's so much more to life than a day job in a pharmaceutical factory.