Transfixed on technology.

It's tradition that me and Mom would go to lunch every Saturday, usually with her friend, Aunty Chris. This week, mom decided we head off to a nearby western-fusion restaurant called Herbs and Spices near Sri Petaling. I loved that place, they served the most scrumptous Nasi Dagang with curry sauce so addictive that you'd be crawling back for more. In the car, a conversation ensued between mom and Aunty Chris, they were both enthusiastic property investors and they'd often share strategies and know-how on the latest property.

The place was crowded as usual, and Aunty had to double-park. I swear, after the next 5 years, once the new school and apartment has gone up, Sri Petaling would be damn near inhabitable. Mom was busy rummaging her purse for a spare piece of paper so that Aunty Chris could write down her number and display it on the dashboard, just in case any murderous drivers needed to head off in a hurry. She waved her hand in a distressed way, signalling for me to find a seat first. As I followed the instructions clearly presented on the restaurant door, I pushed it open and casually stuck up 3 fingers to the Vietnamese waiter, the amount of menus he needed to take.

I sat down on a quiet table at the corner of the restaurant and surveyed the other customers around the restaurant, a long-lived habit of mine. One table caught my eye instantly, it was the very table in front of us. From the looks of it, I could tell that it was probably a mother bringing her 3 children for lunch, a daugther and two sons. But there was a strange atmosphere surrounding that table, something I couldn't quite put my tongue on at first glance. Not a single word of conversation was exchanged, not for a long time. Even after placing our respective orders, the table I was observing remained awfully silent, and I knew exactly why.

As mom and Aunty Chris resumed their heated conversation over property investment, I couldn't help but observe that very peculiar table to confirm my suspicions. Just as I thought, all four members of that table held some sort of device in their hands. Their eyes focused and blank as they stare into their respective screens, fidgeting the various buttons and touchscreens with their fingers at light speed. At that distance, I could make out an I-phone and an I-pad. Steve jobs, you've done it again. You've stolen the souls of these good people with your enticing and interactive devices.

They hardly looked up from their handheld devices, their eyes were like pools of emotionless shadows, lost on the screen. When their food arrived, their actions hardly changed. Not a word of thanks to the waiter. Not a quick glance of hunger at the delicious food before them. They didn't even look up. All they did was shift their elbows a little, so that the plates of food did not interrupt their 'session' with their devices. God damn, I peeled my eyes at the scene before, refusing to look on. Such a sight of was as gruesome as murder. It WAS murder! Murder at a subliminal level. MADNESS!

I stripped my thoughts away from that family and enjoyed my meal. The chewy beef curry proved to be more than a filler for my appetite. As I headed out of that restaurant, I whispered a silent word of thanks to my mother. I too, requested for such devices a while back. And while we were clearly able to afford them, Mom knew that this would happen to me and firmly turned me down.

She saw it coming.
Damned little soul stealers.