time stopped today

well, my wristwatch stopped today. it stopped at exactly 9:25am (which was really 9:05 a.m. because its always 20 minutes ahead of "internet time"), not a second earlier, not a second later. i found out it stopped a few minutes before noon. and i remember the last time i checked it before it stopped. it was 9:05 a.m. (8:45am in "internet time")

im very mindful of time. i remember back in high school i told my friends i have a very good sense of time. to prove it, i said that i can tell them what time it is after a few minutes by just looking at a watch or clock just once (just to make a reference and serve as my starting point in calculating how much time has expired since i last looked at the clock). so i looked at the watch to find out what time it is and then we started having our normal conversation. then after a few minutes, one of them will disrupt the conversation and ask what time it is on the watch and i would quickly say the time correctly (i dont compute it in my head, i was just simply aware of how many minutes have transpired since the last time i looked at the watch). they did this for almost an hour, asking in different random intervals while we were talking about other stuff. and i said the time correctly in all instances. its not much of a feat but back then, i was happy to know that i have a good grasp of how much time has gone by even if i dont really focus on the time. its like im fully aware of how many seconds have passed or how many minutes have expired without giving it much thought. i cant do that now. when i start guessing the time, im usually off by five minutes. it just shows how much my sense of time has deteriorated over the years.

going back to my wrist watch, it was my graduation present when i finished high school. so its more than a decade old and this would be the third time i will replace its battery. the original battery lasted for more than half a decade. the second battery, the one that just ran out of juice today, took only three years. now im thinking if im going to get an original battery or just another cheap one. if im going to get an original battery, might as well have its scratched surface fixed. i remember where i scratched it. it was at the stairs of Ateneo SEC 1 back in 2001 (cant remember the month though). i remember how pissed i was because the scratch is really obvious. and im the type of guy who likes watches and clocks (aside from knives and gadgets). i try not to look at wrist watch stores so i can stay loyal to my wrist watch and not be tempted to replace it. ive been wearing a wrist watch ever since i was in grade school and i always broke it because i was a very active kid back then. my current wrist watch is the only watch that lasted this long and was able to keep up with me. and im a very demanding person so it means this watch has been through a lot. there was a time when i didnt take it off even when i go to sleep (its not until a person im sleeping with complained that i should not wear my watch while in bed). i dont take it off when i go to the beach (its water resistant up to 50 meters anyway and i have no plans of going that deep. people always tell me that i still have my watch on when im about to hit the water and i just reply that its ok).

anyway, since i wont be able to get a new battery anytime soon, my cellphones and laptop will have to fill that void until then.