OK, here's the situation: it's Saturday afternoon, you're all alone at home, done with laundry, and with nothing else to do. Quick, what do you do?

Why, you take a piano apart, of course.

Those of you who had the honor of playing with my piano -- hmm, why did it come out kinkier than I'd intended -- know that one of the keys sticks. Recently, it has gotten worse; two more started acting up.

And so, with three sticky keys, I finally sighed and picked up that phone, calling the Yamaha Service Center. The lady asked me which three keys exactly. Trust me, despite what you read on this blog, I'm a lousy musician; I didn't even know the model of my own friggin' piano! So, I had to wait until I was home and checked. The next morning, I told her that they were E3, G4, and D5. I guess now I'm officially cool, knowing all those keys.

Fine, she said, they would send someone down this weekend with the three replacement keys. That's great, I said, but could you please tell me how much this all would cost me? That would be 88 dollars, she replied. Hmm, must be the prosperity thing, I thought. Then she added, and 12 dollars for each of the keys replaced.

Whoa, 124 bucks! That's, like, almost one-eighth of what I spent for the whole piano!

BTW, I told you I was stingy, didn't I?

I thus politely -- kindly, if you will -- informed her that I would like to re-consider this before having the guy come over. That's fine, she said, just let us know if you have decided. Thank you for calling.

Man, if only everyone could be like this Yamaha lady. I'm looking at you, Insurance Agents -- sorry, Financial Consultants -- and Orchard Conmen.

Anyway. It's Saturday and I'm home alone. Inspired by this, I jumped out of my bed and went to work.

After a few hours -- kid you not -- of work, what you see in that photo above was the result.

Took the keyboard out, shook it some, even tried to completely dismantle the keys. I could not find anything wrong with it. Nothing could tell me what caused the sticky keys.

Meanwhile, the sun was getting too low and the mess started to scare me. Now I know how Will Smith must've been feeling in I Am Legend. So, I hurriedly put everything back.

After a few more hours, my Clavinova was finally back in one piece. Not without scratches -- both on it and yours truly -- and plenty of cursing, unfortunately. No photo this time, you've just got to take my word for it.

Now, after all the commotion, what did I end up with?

Still the three sticky keys, of course, what did you expect?

Oh well. At least now I can proudly state that I took a piano apart and yes, it was scary, but I managed to put everything back in the end.

Time to give myself a treat: a football match at Boat Quay. Does anyone care to join me?

Updated Feb 17 00:34 WIB
So much for the treat, huh? This is when the mantra comes handy: true love is letting your loved one know that they will never, ever walk alone. There.

Current music: The Beatles - Tell Me What You See
Current mood: happy