Shocked!

I am very susceptible to static-charge shocks - meaning I actually can feel static charges that will usually be oblivious to most others. I first knew this when during a shopping trip with my bestfriend, as we were walking side-by-side, and as our arms nearly touched, I heard a tiny crackle and felt a pin-prick. The charges jumped from one of us to the other. And it happened several times. Later, I realised that it happens when I walk with anyone in places with lower temperatures (usually air-conditioned shopping malls). Although the other party don't usually feel the static, I always do.

And then, I realised I also very frequently get static shocks when I alight from a car - whether the journey had been a short or a long one. The moment my fingers touch the metal part of the car door, whether or not my feet have touched the ground, the charges fly. Sometimes, the crackle is louder and the pain is more acute - sometimes, not so. Sometimes, I even see the spark! It's traumatised me so much, especially when shocked off-guard, that sometimes, upon reaching home in the evening, I'd not touch the car doors, but use my foot (protected by the shoe) to kick the door close. Once, when I did that, I got the static shock from the metal gate instead. $*&%#!@

At another time, when I tried to connect the signal cables (for video, L- and R- audios) from my DVD player to the TV, I got a mild shock from touching the metal pins (well, I was stupid enough to have turned the power on before taking hold of those cables). Luckily that was a one-time thing only.

And today - gosh! I finished my lecture, and I shut down the computer. Then, I turned the power off, and I pulled the CPU cable plug from the wall socket. As I prepared to keep it, one of the pins on the plug zapped my hand! It felt like a sharp stab and wasn't it painful! I was sure my hand was numb for a while. It went wobbly and trembly for a while more after that. After I had washed off the stains of my marker pen ink from my hand, I could clearly see a tiny red spot - the burnt mark - on the inside of my palm. Man, this is serious! I still can't believe it actually happened!

From now on, I've gotta be real careful when handling stuff with current - but hey, that's almost everything! Argh!