What is the definition of a ‘leave’? Is it just time away from work?
Waking up this morning, realizing I could roll over and keep sleeping, I could stay without having my bath for some extra hours, I could eat when I liked and how much I wanted, felt really good.
But, you know the best part? It is knowing that while you are on leave, work stays on its own lane while you stay on yours. There is no apprehension that if your phone rings, you would have to hurl yourself back to work, especially if you cleared all your to-dos before leaving. For me, it is knowing that I can actually plan my day, with God’s blessings, and not expect some kind of whirlwind rerouting of it all.
This is why for this leave, I have decided to spend ample time with loved ones, Chekwaa being one of them.
I have been asked how the name of my laptop came to be. Was it some random Eunice moment of highdom? Was it inspired from above? Maybe it even has some scriptural basis to it. Today, we tell that story.
But, a quick digression. I was introduced to a movie series, “Black Mirror” by the Knight. I am not a series person and that is why I never saw GOT through. I am not inclined towards seeing the same set of faces over a long period of time, trying to fit themselves into their roles even as twists upon twists are introduced into the storyline just to keep it moving. The one series I thought I could hold on to was “How To Get Away With Murder”, then they killed my crush and that was it for me. No more. I’d rather watch a two hours plus movie with a foreseeable end in sight and have them come up with a part two than subject myself to short clips ending in arguable suspense.
Anyway, Black Mirror first stood out for me because, the episodes were not following one storyline. You could pick up any of the episodes, watch with comprehension and totally enjoy it without having ever had any encounter with the previous episodes. That was a total attraction for me. Also, they had different actors per episode. I think they only ever used a particular actor twice in all the seasons. That is refreshing. My friends know that I listen to music and I read books majorly based on my interest and not because, “Oh, this particular author is so good or this artiste has the best of songs”. If I do take note of an author/artiste as being exceptionally good, well, so be it. But, it does not mean I would keep sticking out my neck, avoiding other books or songs, just so I can get stuff from that exceptionally good one.
You cannot go through the Black Mirror series without getting amazed at technology and the possibilities therein. A whole lot is being done and can and will be done with technology. I got scared at some of the things the writers of the series were able to imagine because I believe these things are not so far from happening. Take the last episode titled, “Black Museum” for instance. It talked about the invention of a device that can connect the doctor to the patient such that without words, the doctor can feel what the patient is feeling, know what is causing the illness and what part of the body is involved. I mean, that covers all of history, examination and a large part of investigations in few minutes or even seconds. All that is left is to offer targeted treatment. Also the device would significantly redeuce the risk of misdiagnosis. Although, one flaw we noticed was the male/female mismatch of the device. That is, if the patient is suffering from a part of the body the doctor does not have based on normal anatomy.
Technology is growing fast. Our dependence on it is growing faster. I am sure some patients would wonder and some may even feel ignored when they see their doctors using their phones or laptops while attending to them, especially in Nigeria. However, what they may not realize is that those devices link us up faster with the outside world of other medical practitioners who can advise us and ensure we do not make mistakes. Also, our books and guidelines are easier carried electronically and we sometimes need to quickly check up on certain criteria for diagnosis, drug dosages and alternative options of treatment. We won’t leave you unattended to then attend to our phones unless we really do have to.
With the importance of these gadgets mounting daily, losing any of them, no matter how old or how malfunctional it has gotten, can be very heartbreaking.
It was barely a week after getting Chekwaa; I had just been dropped off at church by my unit registrar after we quickly saw our patients on the ward. I had earlier asked a friend who was on call to help me serve the evening and morning IV drugs for a patient on the ward and I was supposed to send this friend the details of the patient and the drugs. As I crossed the road, I kept checking my bag for my phone. I wanted to ensure she got the details on time. I knew I was holding the phone before getting into the car. There is a particular side of my bag I use for keeping the phone, so, when I checked there and I did not find it, I knew something had gone wrong. Did I forget it in my registrar’s car? If yes, how do I get across to him to help me watch out for it? What if it is not in his car?
I was almost in panic mode when I just decided to look back and, yep, there was my phone, on the road.
I waited for the cars to pass and trust me, it felt like someone did a repeat of Fast and Furious and opened the floodgate of cars. I kept my eyes on the phone and on people and cars passing, ready to yell at any foul attempt targeted at my precious phone.
I did not get Chekwaa to then lose my phone. God forbid.
Not after the excitement therein. I cover the two both of them with the blood of Jesus. I pay electricity bills majorly for these two ke.
So, how did the naming ceremony happen?
I had gotten every part of starting a laptop well enough. I had successfully started up my Airtel modem and gotten internet access. Then I was to start browsing with Internet Explorer only to realize that everything was written in a language I could not comprehend.
I knew I had to change the “Horo asusu & odinaya” part to International Edition (English) but whether it was ‘Chekwaa’ or ‘Kagbuo’ that was to finalize the step was a mystery seeing as I had no clue what either meant. I tried google but at that moment, google was not being helpful. I clicked on both options about three times with unsuccessful conversion of tongues before Chekwaa finally did the miracle.
I was excited and too overjoyed to bother with the meaning again at that time. I just wanted to share the giddiness with you all.
However, for the sanity of us all, Chekwaa means “SAVE”. At least, that’s what I got.
