Imagine you are going to conduct a full day technical training to government officers. Imagine you have suited up with your best professional appearance.
Imagine you arrived on site on time. You took out a large box containing 21 pieces of equipment from your boot, your 5 kilo working backpack, your water bottle from the car.
Locked the car and proceed walking towards the traffic light junction between the car park and the government building.
Everything is cool and smooth. You felt your pants pockets and…
Shit happened - your car ignition key is missing (imagine the key is not kept together with the remote for security reasons).
You looked frantically around you and the key is no where in sight. You have to deliver the equipment on-time, there are issues requiring your on-time support, and top it all off it is your turn to present soon. You are afraid if the key is picked up by someone else. You are afraid you will not able to go home today.
You’re sweating profusely, your shirt is all wet, after all that trouble you took to look good. Time is ticking, make your choice.
This is not fiction.
I chose to deliver the equipment to my colleague (the current presenter) and fulfill my commitment to support the technician in the Personalization Centre. Apparently there was some unknown (to the technician, at least) error during personalization of test cards, and the issue was very urgent.
I requested the technician to open up the PIN file, but watching the clueless technician staring blankly at the monitor is excruciatingly difficult. Clock is ticking. Calm down, don’t let the personal stuff affect work.
After a good 5 minutes or so he gave up and asked if I could locate it. He should have done so in the first place. I made an educated guess and found the file I’m looking for. Looks like someone was lying, the machine is clearly not pre-configured for test card personalization.
After a few trips back-and-forth the meeting room (where my notebook was) and Personalization Centre, I found out the culprit was just a mistyped SAM PIN. Awesome.
Went back to the meeting room (where the training session was held) and troubleshooted a few participants’ code.
Finally got the chance to continue the search for the key after things have pretty much calmed down.
After searching the grasses, the pavement, the tar roads, under cars, in the boot, on the seat constantly rewinding my memory trying to recall the most possible place the key could have misplaced or dropped, hope was gradually lost. I was going to give up, the search area big and full of obstacles for such a small key.
I texted my family members saying I have lost my keys and might need to tow my car later.
“The Law of Attraction”, I recalled the words someone told me. It’s too early to give up. Kept my cool and restarted the search from my car, searching beneath nearby cars, under the scorching sun.
Underneath one black car a few lots away from my car, there was my key. And then I was like “ZOMG IT’S A MIRACLE I’M SAVEDZZZZ”
Started my car with that key just to double confirm.
End of story.
