I figured, if I could give up food, something that was actually essential to the human body, I could give up technology right? Technology was something I merely used, and not needed. It couldn’t be that hard right?

I began at 8pm on a Wednesday night. I instantly felt the effect of not having technology around me. I sat in the common room of my boarding house with my friends after doing prep at about 9pm and I could see all my friends on their phones, texting, going on Facebook or listening to music.

Some even had their MacBooks and were showing each other clothes they were buying online. I just sat there, trying to make conversation with those who weren’t engrossed with their devices. My hands felt rather awkward; I couldn’t check my phone even for the time. It felt weird and it was only one hour in.

At about 10pm, I went back to my room and started cleaning my room. I opened my laptop, but then realised I couldn’t use it. I normally listen to music or play an episode of “Modern Family” in the background as I clean my room everyday but this time I obviously couldn’t and it felt strangely silent.

As I got ready for bed, it was still incredibly silent and I forgot how much I depended on my laptop to entertain me. I went to sleep at about 2am that night, simply because I had to do some homework and without the Internet, I couldn’t do the research I wanted and had to spend a lot of time rummaging through bits of paper in my bag and through the textbooks I paid a fortune for, but hardly ever used.

Likewise, I couldn’t ask my friends either because I couldn’t call, text, email or inbox them on Facebook. It was extremely frustrating and there were so many times where I was tempted to just log onto my computer and Google something. However, I managed to restrain myself, yes restrain myself, it was that annoying, from going online.

I didn’t want my Godmother to make fun of me the next time she saw me about how I only survived about 4 hours into this challenge. Going to sleep was equally weird, I normally set my alarm on my phone but this time I went into bed and simply tried to go to sleep. As someone who spends the last 10 minutes in bed at night checking my Twitter and Facebook and also replying to WhatsApps and BBMs, I felt disconnected from the world.

When I woke up, I instinctively reached for my phone. It wasn’t there. It took me a few seconds to remember that I had locked it in my drawer to prevent me from accidentally using it. I couldn’t check my email in the morning, making me fear the unknown. What if a teacher emailed me about an assignment that was due? It was the first time, since I’ve been at my school starting in 2011 that I had gone to school without my phone.

Even on some days when I had forgotten my phone, I normally convinced a gap student working in the boarding house to let me in and grab my phone. Once again it felt unusually quiet because I normally blast music out loud to wake me up early in the morning as I go about brushing my teeth and getting ready for school. I just couldn’t help wondering what was going on Facebook without me.

My first lesson of the day was Chinese. I felt pretty optimistic about how I was going. I had managed to organise all my plans on the weekend without using my phone. Rather unfortunately, when I went to class, most of my friends had their MacBooks out.

At first I didn’t even think twice about it and just continued doing my work. It was only when my friend asked me what the word “concert” was in Chinese, I automatically used my friend’s laptop and used Google Translate. Without thinking I had used the Internet and I even went back to my work without realising what I just did.

After a few minutes, my friend silently said to me, “Kim… I thought you weren’t supposed to use the internet?” It was only then did it dawn on me that after only 14 hours at 10am the next day that I had already failed.

It was an instant reflex, using Google Translate. I didn’t think twice about using the laptop and going on the Internet. It felt awful not having gotten even halfway through the challenge, and I felt that I had just confirmed the stereotype that all teenagers are too attached to their electronics.

I have to admit though, after failing to accomplish the 48-hour target, even though school was still going on, I went back to the boarding house and convinced the gap students to let me in and grab my Blackberry instead of waiting till the end of the school day.

Although I only survived for a mere 14 hours, 6 hours of which I was asleep, I now know how frustrating it is not being able to use technology as freely as I could, especially as I was brought up around technology.

Being born in 1994 amidst all the technology, it was weird not having access to it and it also made me realise how hard it must have been back in my parents’ generation to communicate with other people and yet, they have done an amazing job doing so.

Note: Unplugged 480 is our experiment to see how tech addicts can survive without the Internet or their devices for two working days. There are clear rules of engagement but a lot of course depends on the honesty and integrity of our willing participants. We will be sharing their stories at the WIT Conference, Oct 15-17, at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. This experiment is a joint initiative by WIT and Discovery Channel Magazine.