Useless Mobile Plan In Israel

Before I left, I signed up for a local mobile plan in Israel to prevent incurring roaming charges. The card was given to me on the day I checked into the first hotel. Unfortunately, even though I signed up for a data plan, the data was somehow not working. And I was not able to send text messages for a while. So I ended up just using the phone to call.

Later on, I was able to send text messages out using the local number, but still no data plan. Initially, I wanted the phone plan because of data. I thought I could still surf the internet, check my emails, and even send whatsapp messages out.

But then the coach we were in has free Wifi, and the hotel has some Wifi too. So overall, the data plan was not much of a use. My phone ended up more of a white elephant than anything else, with the occasional phone calls and text messages.

And it is not as if the phone plan is that cheap! I had to pay a deposit plus daily rental charges, in USD! The only good thing is that I was able to get a refund on my deposit and the unused portion of the plan upon returning. 

Today I just received an email saying my phone (card) has been returned, so the number and account is officially terminated. Their billing cycle is on the twentieth of every month, hence I would get a refund into my card within five days.

Hence the lesson learnt is that, it is not necessary to get a local number in Israel, because there is Wifi available. Or maybe my tour group happened to be fortunate. Of course I cannot speak for all, especially for those who chose a different mode of travel. But all I can say is that, unless there is absolutely an emergency or something urgent, otherwise one can do without a local plan.

Function Of A Dual-Card Phone ...

After all the gripe about the missing data plan down under, one good thing about my phone is that it has dual-card facilities, which means I can use two lines and numbers simultaneously. When I bought my phone, I already know it has dual-card facilities, but I always thought that means we only need to put in two SIM cards in one phone instead of taking out and replacing the SIM card as per a normal phone.

 

I did not realise just how useful a dual-card phone is until I bought a local Australian number and put it into the second slot. I switched the default number to the Australian number and the default card to use as the second one, so I could call and text my brother and my relatives and not incur a heavy charge.

 

However, when I realised that people back home could call me even though my default number was the Australian number, I was pleasantly amazed! When I received calls back home, it was reflected under my original number, and when I receive calls from my brother and relatives, it was reflected under the Australian number!

 

Same goes for text messaging. I was able to receive text messages back home, and the original number would be reflected, ie the text was sent to my original number, and I was able to receive it on my phone. Similarly, when my brother and relatives sent me a text, I was able to receive their text messages and the Australian number would be reflected.

 

Am I confusing anyone? It took a while for me to register as well, but all I can say is this is really useful, as from this, one need not tell people if they are using an overseas number as people can just call and send a text with the original number and those can still be received even if one is using an overseas number! How good is that?

 

The only disadvantage is that, if I want to reply a text back home, I would have to switch back to the first SIM card and the original number in order to send the text, because the text was sent to my original number, so I could not send out the overseas text in my Australian number. Same goes for calling. If I needed to call people back home, I would need to switch back to the original SIM card and number as my Australian number does not allow me to call overseas.

 

Still, this is a good breakthrough in technology. Perhaps in time to come, there can be several numbers stored in one phone, then one need not keep changing phones and numbers as the phone can truly become all-in-one!

Missing Data Plan

When I bought my smartphone recently, it was with the intention of being able to surf overseas. A few days before my trip, I activated the overseas data roaming which my service provider confirmed. However, when I arrived in Australia, I found that I could not surf at all! What is the use of an overseas roaming plan if I could not even surf? Which means I could not even use the free messaging system that just about every smartphone user is using, so I could not text my brother or my cousin! I had to use the normal text messaging, which would incur charges on both sides.

 

So I called my service provider, and guess what I was told? Apparently, the promotion does not cover Australia, and if I wanted to activate the roaming service in Australia, I would need to pay a flat fee of S$100.00, and the data transfer would be kept at twenty five MB, as it would be a pay for use. It was so totally not worth it since I was going to be in Australia for nine days!

 

In the end, I had to use the normal text messaging. But as soon as possible, I bought a local Australian number, and that made things easier whenever I need to call and text. I hope my service provider does not charge me for any data plan, because if they do, I will give them a real earful!

The Mobility Of Modern Society

I have had my Android for two days now, and I have nothing to complain about, except the fact that it is so addictive! I was playing with my phone all the way even until way past my bed time.

 

I told myself that I would not be a slave to any gadget or technology, but now I am doing exactly the same thing! Being mobile is really a good thing, but too much of anything is not good as well, is that not so?

 

Looks like I have to start disciplining myself to go back to my normal functions, before I become an android to the Android myself!

Moving To An Android ...

The decision is made. I am finally moving to a smartphone. I had an iPhone a few years back, but I did not like it as it did not function well as a phone. What is the use of a phone if it does not even have good basic phone functions?

 

The phone function of the iphone is quite bad, as in the reception got cut off most of the time and the battery runs out ever so often, so in the end, I went back to using a normal phone. I am not sure how the iPhone 4 or 5 works, but the iPhone 3GS did not function well for me.

 

Since then, I have been resisting smartphones, iPads and other modern gadgets as I did not wish to become a slave to technology and let the gadget control me instead of the other way round.

 

But when I see the convenience a smartphone can give you, like checking the map when one is out, staying updated even while abroad and taking an interest in staying connected at any time and most importantly, texting for free with the whatsapp program, I started toying with the idea of a smartphone.

 

After pondering for many months, I finally resisted the resistance and started sourcing for a smartphone. One thing is clear – no more Apple, at least not for now. I wanted to see if other smartphones can do the job just as well.

 

So I took the plunge today and got a Sony Xperia Tipo, one of the newer models from Sony Mobile, the result of the de-merger of Sony and Ericsson. It is such good timing too, as I can upgrade my plan to a data plan at a minimum rate for two years, and get the phone for free! I just needed to sign some papers and the phone was mine!

 

I am still learning how to use the phone, but so far, it is not letting me down. The only gripe is that the battery is still not as long-lasting as a normal phone as I understand I need to charge it everyday as it will turn flat in no time. But well, the convenience of free texts and being mobile on the go makes up for that!

Smartphone Retirement

It is time. We had great times together, and you have served me relatively well. You have been there for me when I needed some entertainment, some platform to rave and rant, and needed quick access to the net. You have been my map, my information portal, my movie reservations and my games console. As a result, I got you a slick pink cover for you to wear as a reward, and you stood snug and comfortable in it.

Unfortunately, you are breaking down. You are getting ill. You are running out of juice. You are panting. Not a day goes by that I have to feed you. Not a day goes by that you break down in the middle of a service. Not a day goes by that I got despair over your health and welfare.

Hence, I can only do the proper thing for you - retire and leave you in the nursing drawer where all your retired counterparts are. At least you will have company. At least you can take a long break and then be resurrected as and when I ever need your services again.

So rest well, Mr iPhone. I will always remember you and what you have done for me.

Cell-Less ...

I left my mobile phone behind last night. I was about to meet friends and after texting them, I forgot to put my mobile phone back in my bag. Imagine my mini panic attack when I found the phone missing! I was worried anyone could have taken it since it is an Apple after all.

Yet I did not really break down or had withdrawal symptoms. Somehow I knew my phone was safe. I even relishes not having a phone and not be a slave to checking texts and mails. It became a rather peaceful night without being tied to the gadget.

People nowadays cannot live without their mobile phones, especially smartphones where it is not just a normal phone for calling and texting, it can be used for games, checking of mails and social portals, online chatting, current affairs, surfing the net, reading. Just about everything can be done on the phone on the go. Is it any wonder why some, especially a certain WDC, are so addicted to this gadget and get so upset when the phone even leaves his sight for even five minutes?

In any case, when I reached home last night, the person who kept my mobile phone called my home twice, leaving her number and asked me to pick it up from her. Luckily she is working very near my office so I went to pick up my phone from her earlier. All is intact!

I have to make a point not to be so careless again!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

More Updates Via Mobile

So my previous experiment with BlogPress is not such a success. On the phone the post was indicated as published, but when I accessed it, the post was not reflected. I had to go to my laptop and re-publish again!

So it seems like there is still lots of tweaking before I can use this successfully. Strange that other blog portals have no problem with this at all.

Anyway today I finally went back to work. It had been a good break. Only thing was that due to the long break, everybody was in a mad rush and everything was urgent.

But it is good to go back to work, at least it helps to keep me occupied. In any case, it is best I treasure whatever free time I have before Cathechism classes and my lessons start around end of January, after which I will be craving for some free time!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Even Smartphones Have Limitations!

Positive : You finally got a smartphone so as to use it for everything.

Negative : You find that it cannot send to multiple recipients at one time, and you cannot use it to blog.

Double Negative : You realise you are stuck to the subscription for two years, otherwise you pay a heavy penalty. Hence, no downgrading, trading-in or exchanging.

What is the use of having a more advanced phone when in the end it cannot even perform all the functions I really need?! :-(

Finally A Smartphone!

I have resisted a smartphone or blackberry for ages, simply because firstly, I have no patience to learn how to utilise a smartphone. Secondly, if I use a smartphone or blackberry, I will be expected to tie it up with my company's network system and I will then have no peace as anyone can get me anytime of the day be it via emails or messages. Thirdly, a smartphone or blackberry is too bulky for me, and I always like small and handy things!

However, when my mobile service provider finally started selling the iPhone at such an incredible rate, I simply cannot resist it anymore. I caved in. I pre-ordered the iPhone, hoping to collect it when it launched.

Unfortunately, within days of launching, I was told the 32S was out of stock island wide. What a letdown! To add insult to my injury, my dear has a cousin working in the company, so he got a iPhone for free! Talk about connections!

Last Friday, the company sent me a message saying the iPhone I ordered can be collected. So I quickly rushed down to get the iPhone. It was quite a long wait, so we went shopping for a while before going back. Just as well, because when we went back, our number was called.

In short, I changed my plan to a iPhone plan. For less than a hundred a month, I can get seven hundred minutes of talk time, five hundred text or multimedia messages, free calls to three numbers under the same network (luckily he is also using the same mobile service provider so we can call each other as many times and talk as long as we like for free!), auto-roaming, caller number display, and best of all, unlimited data bundle, which means I can surf internet, check emails and maybe even blog as long as I like without any extra charge! It is really an amazing deal! And all for just the price of less than a hundred for the phone!

So I thought better to grab the opportunity while it last. Hence after so long, I finally have a smartphone! I am still trying to learn how to use the phone, so it may be a while before I finally start using, but I am so excited about my new gadget!

Finally I can have a phone that not only calls, texts, take pictures, take videos, surf net, check emails, has an in-built GPS to check directions, acts like an iPod, and all by just touching the screen. I have always been behind technology, so this is considered another notch up for me!

Defecting Back To The Old Monopoly ....

I am always one to "break a monopoly". Years ago when I still had a pager (beeper), I had no choice but to use the only service provider available. After that the monopoly was broken by the influx of a few other service providers. Now, there are two main rivalling companies, three actually, but the third one's scope of business is more on cable television.

So when I first got my mobile, I went under the main rival. At that point in time, I did not like the main service provider. It had been a monopoly for so long, so the attitude of the customer service people left much to be desired. The rival just came up not too long ago, so the pricing plans were very competitive. Besides, almost everyone I knew then were under the main provider, so I thought why not be different, since the company was brave enough to infiltrate the market and break the long monopoly?

Since then, I have always been under the rival. Through the years, I changed my number once and service plans a couple of times and my monthly bills increased a lot. Although I cancelled a lot of "value-added" services and downgraded the plans twice, I still end up paying quite a bit every month.

My dad has always been a major fan of the main service provider. Ever since he got a mobile phone, he had always been under them. Then the internet, and now the wireless. Our entire house is wired up by them. Since then, my mum also went under them. So did my youngest brother. Only my first brother went under the third service provider. Recently, my brother switched over, so now my entire family is under the main service provider.

When my mum told me how much she is paying per month, I got a big shock. She is paying just one third of what I am paying, and has more functions than me! I have to pay for things like auto-roaming, Caller ID, IDD, Video Call (if I use it), Voicemail and just five hundred text messages, which I almost always end up exceeding, plus I also have to pay whenever I send out a multimedia message. Not worth it for the amount I am paying!

I checked out the promotion plans for my mum's service provider, and it turns out I can get a 3G plan for twenty bucks lesser, with free auto-roaming, VoiceMail, Caller ID, Video Call and five hundred text and multimedia messages. My parents do not use the phone like I do, at least my mum does not. Her mobile is only for emergencies, not like me, who uses it for just about anything. So definitely she will be paying much lesser bills than me, but still, the 3G plan I saw is much more worth it than my current plan!

Hence, I finally caved in and decide to defect. It is not that I do not wish to remain faithful, but after being such a faithful customer for so long, somehow I do not seem to get any rewards. I do not even get any perks like discounts on bills or free mobiles. Whenever my contract is renewed and my phone is due for upgrade, I still have to pay to get a new phone if I want to!

The last time I renewed my contract (some time last year), I paid an extra two hundred bucks just to get a 3G phone - the Nokia 6600 Fold. And it was not even the phone I wanted, even though it is a nice enough phone. I could not even choose the colour! I got it only because I thought I was going to Japan and need to use a 3G phone there, and that was the only one that was small enough and fitted my budget at the same time.

However in the end, my mum let me use her old 3G phone in Japan instead, so the Nokia became a spare phone which I started using only recently when my old phone is finally retired. User-friendly as it is, somehow I dislike Nokia phones because they tend to be bulky. It is a practical phone, but not high in terms of presentation and light-weight. But still I used it as I need a phone.

But now that I am defecting, I signed up for the 3G plan with the rival company of my service provider. Guess what? I can retain my number at no charge, plus get a Sony Ericsson T707 for free! And I can choose the colour, so I got the pink one! I fell in love with Maria Sharapova's phone at first sight, and I am so lucky to be able to get it! So I now have a new cool and chic phone for free, at a much lesser rate!

This is what comes of being the main service provider. I guess there must be a reason why majority of the people are still using it. The rival gives good service too, but it does not have as many perks and good promotions, sad to say. If this is the good deal I can get, then I hope there are more good deals to come as a customer!

Cellphone : Want Or Need?

In this age of technology, having a mobile has become a basic necessity. What is luxury is the brand of mobile. In fact, having one that can take pictures and listen to music is already a necessity to most people. In the past mobile phones is just for convenience sake and to receive and return calls, it progressed to the age of text messages, then now to taking pictures, listening to music, and even checking emails and stock index for some.

Technology has progressed so much that landlines, house phones and public phones are now redundant. How many public coin or card phones do one see nowadays? Even little kids use mobile phones now! Many of my friends no longer have a house phone or landline because those are now under utilized, so their families cancel the line altogether.

Which was why I panicked when I left my phone back in the office yesterday. Wonder what could have happened? I was going to a seminar at my alma mater, and was just going to whip up my phone to check the time (makes watches unnecessary as well) when I realized it was not around.

I literally had a heart attack! If my phone is lost, all my contacts, contacts which I have built up all these years, pictures, songs, will all be gone! I was wondering how in the world was I ever going to replace everything, when I thought I could have left it in the office, since there was no where else I had gone.

So when I reached home and called my number, I was relieved to find that the phone actually rang. So it had not been stolen after all! If someone had taken the phone, he / she would have removed the SIM card immediately, and my phone would not have rung at all.

Or unless an honest person happened to find it and was waiting for me to call? But if the person was really honest, he could have just scrolled my phone book and called my mum, my brother or my home to report a lost phone. Thus I came to the conclusion that my phone was in my office after all.

I felt really lost without my phone. All these gadgets to make things convenient, I have taken for granted. How in the world did I survive not having a mobile in the past? In the past, people were able to reach me somehow by using the landline. And if we asked someone out, that person would turn up because there was no way he / she could have gotten a message across indicating he / she would be late or something cropped up.

Now, with modern technology, people tend to be late, or worse, stand you up altogether. All it took was a short message saying he would be late, or that he had something on at the last minute and could not come after all.

Granted at times there are emergencies, but seems like with modern technology and fancy gadgets, people become more irresponsible and unreliable. Their stress levels are higher, because once they send a short message or call you, they expect an answer immediately. Otherwise they will just keep calling until they reach you.

In the era of no mobile phones, people tend to be more patient. They would call your home to reach you, and if they could not reach you, so be it. They either left a message waiting for you to call back, or they would call back a while later, hoping to reach you again. With mobile phones, people get flustered once you did not pick up the phone, then they tried calling every few minutes, or rang your landline.

The thing is, if you are not answering the phone, it means something cropped up. You could be in a meeting, or you could be somewhere where phones were not allowed. To tell the truth, I will never bring my mobile out to lunch during weekdays. I do not entertain anyone during lunch hour, because I only have that time to interact with colleagues, or run errands, so I prefer not to be disturbed.

Even with a mobile, do people seriously expect you to be available to answer the call twenty four seven? I need time for myself too! My mobile may not be with me all the time! Thus, with modern technology, people seem to become worse than before – more stressed up, flustered, impatient, unreliable, irresponsible and more cowardly – because if you ask them a question they have no answer to, they totally just ignore and not reply. Sad that things have to become like this!

Tri-Lo-Gy

Ever since I confirmed my trip, I planned to rent a phone this week as Japan is on full 3G network, and my phone is still not on 3G. In terms of phones, I go for the sleek and classy look rather than technology, thus as long as the phone has normal functions like calling, messaging, checking of mails, auto roaming, photo taking, MMS and GPRS, I do not see the need to have a 3G phone since I do not do video calls or any of the high technology stuff.

My kind of mobile phone has to be a clamshell, as that is smaller, lighter and sleeker than the normal phones. Which is why I am using a Samsung after the series of Nokias and Motorolas, as I find them too fat and bulky for me. Samsung phones are pretty good. I have been using this model for almost two years and it has never given me any cause for complaint.

The camera is good enough to take photos. There is quite a lot of storage space. The font is nice and good, the display is colourful and the LCD screen on the front flap doubles up as a makeup mirror as well. I can check emails and send MMS on it. There is even infra red and bluetooth, so I do not need a USB cable at all! Best is it is the same size as my palm, so it stays in my hand snugly, and my hands are already pretty small even for a lady! That is the kind of phone I like – small yet classy! Even if I am to carry a small clutch bag or evening bag, it is still small enough to fit inside a small handbag!

The only gripe is that it does not have enough storage for messages, thus after three hundred messages (Inbox, Drafts and Sent Items inclusive), I have to start deleting to make space for new incoming messages or to send messages. It also does not have enough storage for a phonebook, so after two hundred and fifty contacts, I have to start screening whose number to delete in order to make way for new contacts.

Hence I am pretty happy with my phone and was not intending to change anytime soon. Plus last year, my family members managed to get new phones, but they were more comfortable with their old phones so gave all the new ones to me. Thus I inherited quite a lot of phones last year, including the Samsung 3.5G HSDPA phone, Nokia N76 and Moto Razr. So I was not lacking of any phones.

However, since I was a little short of cash a few months back, I decided to sell all the phones away. Yes, I sold away the N76 without using it, which was a stupid decision and I regretted it, but at that point in time, I was desperate. At times like these, one has to assess which is more important – to have a cool phone for future use or to get rid of unnecessary things to tide things over.

I made quite a loss selling away all the phones, but at least it was enough to tide me over for another month or so. Recently, I wanted to see if I could get the N76 back, but unfortunately, the model was already off the market and there were no more around. Too bad. :-( So I called my service provider intending to rent a phone.

I had to wait until tomorrow in order to rent a phone so I would not incur more charges, and was happily waiting until I came across this phone. The Nokia 6600 Fold 3G version. Another cool, sleek, small clamshell phone. What is even better is that my line is due for an upgrade anyway, so I only need to renew the contract and get the phone at a very big discount, with a complimentary 3G SIM card thrown in! Plus if I order from the online shop, delivery charges will be waived too!

What can be better than that? I need a 3G phone anyway, because if I am to rent a local phone in Japan, I cannot call overseas, and what if my parents are trying to get me? At least I need to be able to send messages overseas in order to let my mum know I have arrived safely. Besides, the local phone rental may not necessarily cost any less than just getting a new phone.

So even though I was not intending to get a new phone, at times, when one comes across a good deal, one should just strike while the iron is hot. My new phone just arrived earlier, and even though it is slightly heavier than my current one, it is just as small and sleek. Another “palm top”. At least the extra phone can last me for another few years or so before it is due for another upgrade!

Mobile Woes

I just blew up at the poor customer service officer of my mobile service provider. All these years when I have been using the service, nothing happens. Last year, because of my laptop, I signed up for their broadband service and rented a modem in order to use my laptop. However, the modem never did manage to work, so I terminated the line.

That was about a year ago. I thought everything was terminated, and there was nothing much to settle. All of a sudden, on Saturday, I realised I was not able to use my phone in Malaysia at all! So when I called my mobile service provider after coming back, I was told I had incurred charges on my broadband subscription, and until the outstanding charges were cleared, all extra services on my mobile line would be cut off!

Is that not so ridiculous?! In the first place, nobody told me I had outstanding charges due to the termination of the broadband line! In the second place, even if I had incurred outstanding charges on this related account, resulting in my phone line being cut off, I could have at least have some notification! What gives them the right to just cut off without any warning when I was not in the know?

Besides, the problem lies with the broadband line, not my mobile phone! So how can my mobile services be terminated because of the broadband line? These are two totally different lines and totally different accounts! It is so unfair! I as much as told the customer service officer that. Just like for a mother with two kids, she does not punish one kid for the wrongdoings of the other, is it not?

So why must my services be cut off without any notice because of unpaid charges (when I had no idea about) on my broadband line, when it has nothing to do with my mobile phone line? Which was why I blew up at the poor girl. Honestly, am I being unreasonable for being pissed? It is okay if they sue me for non-payment for the outstanding balance, because if the bill was really unpaid, they have every right to sue me for default, but they have no right to terminate services on my mobile phone line when it was my broadband line that was the issue!

In the end, the girl said she had checked and if I returned the broadband device(s), all charges would be waived and my auto-roaming and international dialing will resume as per normal. So I said in that case, can they not re-activate my auto-roaming services first? But the girl said she has no control over it because it is her Finance department that gave the order to terminate the line, as both lines are under my name, so they do not care which line it is. Can you believe that?!

If it is not because the service provider has given me lots of perks during the years, coupled with the fact that it has one of the cheaper executive plans and auto-roaming services, I would have switched to another service provider immediately! Perhaps I shall, but before I give a death sentence, it is only fair to give another chance for a fair trial. Hopefully this will not happen again!

A Series Of Unfortunate Events?

Finally I managed to gain access! This was supposed to be updated a couple of days ago, but for some reason, the entire blogger server was down. It had been one tumultuous week, culminating in bad luck and stupidity. Perhaps calling them a series of unfortunate events is a bit too drastic and exaggerated, but it is not denying that I have had a bad week. A busy, stressful, tiring, grueling, unlucky week!

First, due to the upcoming renovations in my office, I realise I have so much more things I was supposed to do, but no one ever updated me on anything, and I had no idea until the file was given to me by someone from another department. Apparently, due to the coming and going of people in the last three or four years or so, certain things were not handed over properly, and now I realise that there is a file that contains the summary of terms of all the documents which my department (or rather, me) was supposed to keep track and update, and that had not been done since May 2003! During that period, at least a few hundred documents have been executed, and some expired, so how am I to trace back everything? That is the problem when people leave and no one else bothers to monitor anything.

Not only that, the new Head of the department wanted me to revamp the entire filing system. Instead of keeping the masterlist of documents according to the name of documents, he wants the documents to be categorised and filed according to project name instead, so all the documents of the various projects will be together in one place instead of being in different places. This is a better idea actually, but for the fact that several others from different departments will access the masterlist and take out documents as well, so if I am to change, how am I to explain to the rest that the documents are no longer at the same place?

I almost got into trouble with one of the secretaries for not updating the list properly when I first joined, resulting in her not being able to find and trace that particular document. This is unfortunate indeed as not only will I get more work (which I do not mind), but I have to end up trying to change people's mindsets into getting used to a new system altogether, and that is something I do not enjoy as once people get used to something for so long, it is rather hard for them to change and I had bad experiences on this before.

Secondly, Wednesday evening I went to redeem the free webcam I got for signing up for free wireless access. The picture above shows the webcam, an odd-looking thing if I ever saw one, but it really works! After redeeming it, I went to wander around at the nearby shopping mall, and all of a sudden I realise my phone was lost. I was positive I had my phone with me when I left the office, but in the interim of redeeming the webcam and wandering at the shopping mall, my phone went missing.

The new red Motorola which I got just a few weeks back! I panicked and quickly went to a public phone booth and called my number, but it was off and it was not a battery problem. I suspected it could have dropped out when I was reaching for my wallet, and someone picked it up and probably removed my SIM card and kept the phone for him / herself. I immediately contacted my mobile service provider and had the card cancelled, and got a new replacement card instantly.

Two consolations though. One, I backed up my entire address book in my old phone before I started using the new one. Two, my youngest brother got a new phone for renewing his contract with his mobile service provider, and he thought the new phone too small for his liking, so offered it to me. Even though I still have the spare Motorola, nevertheless I accepted his gracious offer, so now I am using the Samsung SGH-E900! Sleek and cool-looking! For once I am using a slider, after all the years of using a normal mobile and the clamshell. The best thing is I only needed to copy the address book into my new card and everything is intact! Oh I am so glad I backed up all my data! Never again will I be so stupid and careless to lose my phone again! It is real heartbreaking indeed!

Another piece of bad news. It seems that our upcoming trip may not be feasible after all. My cousin requested for us to be in Malta from the 5th to 10th July, but before that, the trip to Spain may be shelved. The flight we booked, Emirates, stopped going to Spain for some reason or another, and the alternative flight is a direct flight from Singapore Airlines which my mum is reluctant as she finds it overpriced. Ironically for a born and bred local, I have never taken Singapore Airlines before, despite the almost yearly trips overseas! So we are now seeing if the less expensive KLM goes to Spain at the right time, if not then our plans have to be shelved, and if we are not going, the trip will either be changed to somewhere else, or cancelled altogether, which means we will not even go to Malta for the wedding! :-(

As if all these are not enough, I realise I am not able to use my laptop for the time being, because the wireless access is not available to my house, either that, the signal is too weak around my area. Even though I signed up for an inexpensive broadband connection that comes with a portable USB modem, it turns out that the modem can only be used on Windows XP, and not the new Vista which my laptop is equipped with. Now what possessed me to get something so advanced that most other programs are not compatible with it? I love my new laptop, but it will be a white elephant if I am not able to use it! Then the huge amount I spent on it will come to nought!

Sometimes my own stupidity disgusts me. Hopefully, this will be a much better week ahead.

A Good Year Wannabe

Just when I was fretting over what I thought would be a bad year, the past couple of days regained my confidence that this may turn out to be a good year after all. Hopefully, it will be the best year of my life, but perhaps that is a bit too far to hope for. Things seem to be going well, especially due to a gathering I am organising for next week. The response has been quite positive so far. I am looking forward to it so much, as I get to meet new friends and widen my social circle. Hopefully that will be a success.

I have been grinning from ear to ear the past couple of days. Seems like working in a more prestigious company has its advantages. Not even when I was in the public sector did I have all these advantages! First, all of a sudden, more banks are willing to give me credit, and automatically giving me gold and platinum cards. Anyway nowadays, one need not need to earn so much to get a gold or platinum card, just the minimum amount will do. Thus, I received my first gold and platinum card in a matter of days!

Secondly, I renewed my mobile contract. I was contemplating whether to change my number so as to cut off contact from people I no longer wish to hear from. However, if I change my number, it will be a hassle letting everyone know. Besides, I love my number. If I change, I will not be able to get such a nice number again! So I decided to stick to the number, and since I renewed the line, I was able to get a new phone at plan price instead of retail price.

Thus, I am now the owner of the pink Motorola Razr v3x! A 3G phone no less, at slightly less than S$40! And it is not baby pink, but bright fuchsia pink, a cheery colour. Initially I wanted to get the limited edition red Motorola Razr v3, as proceeds will go to the Global Fund in aid of AIDS victims in third-world countries. Unfortunately, the phone is only for new subscribers. :-(

Thirdly, because of a certain card promotion, I am able to get a laptop at a certain shop by instalments for two years with no interest. Not only that, I am able to get cash back, so the bank itself will send me a cheque for 2% of what I spent. Since I have such a good deal, why not utilise it? So I called up and reserved the laptop I wanted. It will arrive next week, and after that, I can then be the owner of a white Fujitsu LifeBook P7230!

Fourthly, I signed up for a free wireless internet access under Qmax. Due to that, I am able to get a free webcam from Creative Technologies. I can go to the Creative office to redeem the webcam, and my brothers and I can then start having video-conferencing or chat with people face to face, instead of hiding behind our PC.

But the best news is my brother made peace with me that day. He was actually angry with my mum for being too harsh, but he felt guilty towards me, thus could not bear to face me, but he apologised and said he did not know that affected me so much, and kept assuring me he never once blamed me. So all's well ends well. For that, I treated him to two shows last night - "Dreamgirls" and the new local show by talented director Neo "Just Follow Law".

"Dreamgirls" is absolutely amazing! From the storyline to the acting to the songs, everything is perfect! Just like another "Chicago", but each show has its own distinctions and good in their own rights. And the voices! Goodness, Jennifer Hudson's voice alone can out-sing everyone else! If only I can have a voice like that! One wonders how in the world she got rejected from Amerian Idol? Her voice is better than any of the winners!

Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson are truly deserving of their Best Supporting wins at the Golden Globes. Hopefully they will win the Oscars too. One wonders why is this show not nominated for a Best Picture? There is hardly any show that can enable me to give it a standing ovation at the end, but this is one show that I did. The others are "Forrest Gump", "Chicago" and "The Pianist". Even "Titanic" did not give me that reaction.

Is it due to it being an "all-black movie" as speculated by some? But a good movie is a good movie. One hardly sees a real good movie nowadays. Does it matter who writes or directs or acts in it? So if a show with an all-Asian cast can make it into the Best Picture nomination, why not one with an all African-American cast?

When Your Phone Dies On You ....

Positive : You always bring along three batteries just in case.

Negative : All three batteries are flat.

Double Negative : You forgot to bring out the portable charger and have to be phone-less for the day.

I must start charging once one battery is used up, instead of using all up before charging....

Are We Becoming Slaves To Electronic Gizmos?

Within a week, 2 people I know have lost their handphones. One dropped it in the restaurant where he had his lunch, went back to find it and it was gone; another put it on the table while talking to someone, and the moment his back was turned, the phone disappeared. I feel so sad that there are still dishonest people around.

If you have read Sonic's article on being a slave to his handphone, I can relate very well to it. I lost my handphone twice before. The same type of panic and drama unfolded that period of time when I lost my phone. All my contacts got flushed down the toilet (literally, as the girl who took my phone hid it by flushing it down the toilet). My then-boyfriend could not contact me and I had to use the phone in the staff room to call him. The trouble was he did not have a handphone then, so it was hard to contact him especially if he was out.

The second time I lost my phone the same thing happened. People could not contact me and I could not contact others, especially parents who wanted to call me for an appointment. As a result, they did not know when to drop by and see me and I did not know when they would be coming by. A whole lot of misunderstandings ensued.

We are indeed slaves to our handphones. Not just handphones, but computers, and nowadays PDAs as well. I had my first handphone only in 1999, yet now I cannot live without it. I had forgotten those days where I could survive without a pager or handphone. I started using a computer for school assignments as early as 1989, but once I had internet and email access in 1996, I cannot live without my computer anymore. I stopped writing letters and sent e-mail instead. I used to have several pen pals from around the world, but now we have stopped writing to each other and just e-mailed each other occasionally. I have yet to own a PDA, but if I do, it will probably be another electronic gadget that will take control of my life.

Super Charger?

There is either something wrong with my battery or my charger. My low battery alert kept beeping so I went to plug in the charger. The moment I plugged it in the message on the screen stated that the battery is full with all four bars. Five minutes later, my battery was empty again. So I tried charging my phone again and the battery full alert came on again. Very smart of the phone, to start behaving funnily just after the warranty period.

10 more entries to centenary post! Counting down.....

Ode to a Mobile Phone

I started carrying a mobile phone the day I turned 21. My first phone was a gift from my dad for my 21st birthday as per my request. Actually it was the only request he agreed to; the other 3 birthday requests, i.e. my own personal laptop, a supplementary credit card and my own car, were thrown out with no appeals allowed. :( Anyway, the phone was a red colour flip phone called the Ericsson GSM 768. Yes, it is practically non-existent now, but at that point in time, it was the coolest phone around.

Since then, I have upgraded several times. After the 768, I received a red Phillips Genie as part of a package deal through a 1-year's subscription to TODAY newspaper. (The similarity in colour was just a coincidence.) Alas, the poor phone only lasted 3 months, as it was stolen by a student when I was undergoing a school attachment as part of my teacher training programme. Thus, I could not even remember what it looked like. Needless to say, I never got it back, so I had to buy another phone - Nokia 3210, the oldest and biggest Nokia model around. It was big and bulky and heavy, but since I was still an undergraduate and footing my own bills, I could not complain. Afterall, beggars can't be choosers.

The 3210 lasted me several years, until after the time I graduated and started teaching. Then, it was stolen by another student. (Why do these things keep happening to me?!) Luckily, I replaced the grey casing with my own fancy Winnie the Pooh casing, so I was lucky to get it back the very next day from the second-hand mobile phone shop where that particular student had sold it to.

Later, the 3210 gave way to a smaller, sleeker phone - Nokia 8250. It was a gift from my then-boyfriend, complete with a Winnie the Pooh casing. I loved the phone. It was small and handy and light and I could download my favourite tunes into it.

Then, in 2003, I got lucky. I won a series of contests organised by M1, i.e. the Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Weakest Link SMS Games. I won 2 Motorola mobile phones for being the top scorer for both games. The first Motorola phone was a pink Motorola E360. The features were pretty alright, but it was not that user-friendly. I took a while to get used to it. Besides, it was quite big, bigger than my old 8250, and the battery was not long-lasting. I had to charge every 1 to 2 days. The second Motorola was a silver T720 with a flipcase. That was a cooler phone with polyphonic ringtones and a colour LCD display screen. Then, I won a Motorola lucky draw by dropping in my waranty card, and lo and behold, I won another T720! I gave that to my boyfriend so we could have "couple" phones.

Last week, I made a major decision to change my phone. I wanted a phone with MMS, Email, Camera and Video functions. So, I bought the Nokia 6170 - a sleek phone with a silver flipcase, colour LCD screen, camera with zoom, Video Recording, GPRS Email and MMS functions. This is the most expensive phone I ever own. Ah, what bliss to be a working person with disposable income. I can at last indulge myself a little bit more. xp

What happened to my previous phones? The 768 was given to my ex boyfriend, who broke it when he threw the phone at me for making him angry. The 3210 was given to my first brother, who needed a phone when he went overseas to study. Alas, he lost it in the big country down under. The 8250 is still with me, albeit not in working order anymore. The E360 was lent to my friend, who lost the charger and scratched the original casing before giving back to me. And the 2 T720s? Both are still with me, although with the display gone for one and the sound gone for the other.

As you can see, my phones only have shelf lives of 2 years at the most. I am hoping my new 6170 will last me for much longer. Perhaps the title of this piece should be changed to "Ode to 7 Mobile Phones" instead?