sad :-(

We've been together for over 11 years... through thick and thin, happiness and sadness, ups and downs, laughs and tears... everywhere I go, everything I do... never apart in the entire 4000+ days.

The attraction was immediate from the very beginning. Since then, I've never looked at another. Well... I did but just sekadar *browsing*. I remained faithful... walaupun better ones came along. Nothing else felt comfortable... didn't feel like it was *me*. When I experimented with an alternative, nothing worked... selalunya sehari je.

So today when the shopkeeper told me "Sorry lah, sudah rosak... something wrong with the circuit. Tukar battery pun still cannot"... grief washed through me. Really... I'm not kidding nor am I exaggerating... it was heartbreaking. All I could utter was "nooo"...

These past few days, my eyes have been drawn towards similar objects on the arms of two people who have exactly the same model and design albeit male version. Should have taken that as a sign... And this morning when someone mentioned that the second hand was *skipping time* I thought that it just required new batteries. Never did it cross my mind that it would be something more serious...

I still remember where and when I bought my Tag. It was at the old Subang airport... upon arrival balik from umrah. Told Papa that I was interested to acquire a Tag Heuer... his response was "Are you sure? It's mahal. But it's your money... up to you". Back then although it had only cost RM1400 which is *cheap* relative to the prices today, it was a large sum of money to me... bought it using 100% of my own savings. My first ever big purchase. I had turned 21 years old that year... somewhat of a coming of age thing for me.

Masa tu tak banyak to choose from... but bila tengok display I immediately knew which one I wanted. Never have I felt regret... au contraire pride was frequent, even until today. It's simple... nothing flashy... timeless. It suits every occasion... work, leisure, formal. It's an extension of me... one of my limbs.

My Tag has seen better days. Now it has scratches all over... the logo dah hilang... the sides dah haus... but despite the wear & tear, I still love it. It is still perfect... and I feel *naked* without it. I've observed that many who own a Tag Heuer remain faithful to the brand. Even when they change watches, they will still buy another Tag. I've never felt so totally comfortable with an inanimate object like the way I feel about my Tag.

Told some people of my loss... all said *kesian*. One said "tak apa, boleh beli lain", another said "maybe it's a blessing and time to start another longer lasting relationship with something new", sorang went deeper and said "nothing lasts forever". But it was another Tag-er who said something which cheered me a bit "Jgn sedih. Try repair. Maybe ok lagi"... it takes another Tag-er to understand how I feel and the attachment we have with our Tags. I can't explain it... why I have such strong bond with my watch... others will say that it's just an object, why so sentimental and emotionally involved. As I said... I can't explain why... I just do.

So I have not given up hope... there is still a chance that my Tag and I will have many more years together ahead of us. I pray for that...