Tag Archives: iMessage

The ME is Still Me and Not You!

25 Nov

Setting up the phone was not as easy as we thought. Because it was my phone, my name, number and ID was everywhere. It took a while to figure out the ID, Phone, Message and FaceTime settings.

“Why is the ME still me and not you when the phone is in your name already and not mine?” I asked.

M2 was blank and M1 was equally confused.

It sounds convoluted. When test iMessages which was sent to M2 ended up coming back to me on my iPhone5S and my iPad Mini, something was not quite right! I think it was due to the fact that the iTunes and App Store account was linked to my email (which we left it as is) that everything got messed up.

Finally, I figured it out. It was under Mail, Contacts and Calendars that we had to identify ‘My Info’ on top of Phone, Messages and FaceTime settings. Once this was fixed, the ME on the iPhone4 is no longer me but M2.

Phew. It was way past midnight when this was resolved.

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So I Can Have Your Coffee?

10 Jul

Starbucks

I was running late for my lunch appointment when the iMessage came. It was M2 and the Drama Queen act unfolded…

“Can I have the Italian Starbucks? The one in the kitchen.”

“It’s normal coffee that I drink. Are you sure?”
“There’s no sugar in it.”

“Yeah, I’ll add sugar.”

And I thought that was the end of this, then…

“Guess what? I passed 200m and shot put.”

It was standard school sports that morning, so I was getting an update on it.

“That’s good.”
“But I don’t think I passed long jump!”

“Oh well…”

“Cause I fell flat onto the sand”
“It hurts…”
“My leg hurts!!!”

“Oh dear”
“Ouch!”

“My eye hurts…”

“Oh no”
“I call you now…”

“There’s sand in my eyes” then pause, then the request came.

“So I can have your coffee?”

I think Drama Queen was at her best here. Yes, I did call and yes, she did have my coffee with lots of sugar added, as reported by M1 later.

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Staying Connected Anytime, Anywhere

20 May

The mobile phone is truly a wonderful must-have device today, keeping us all connected 24/7. With the variety of smartphones available now and with apps like Viber, WhatsApp, Facetime and iMessage to name the ones I use, we are always connected, be it the normal telco connection or via wifi/3G. During the dinosaur era when I was 17, mobile phones were unheard of and I would be hogging the house phone for hours to continue conversations from school with my best buddies.

But of course, you don’t see that with the children of today, hogging the house phone that is. They tweet, Skype, Instagram or status update on Facebook. However, with more and more social app choices available, it is hard to keep up. All I know is my girls are using something that I am not!

When M1 turned 12, both the hubby and I decided maybe it was time for her to have her very first mobile phone. But being only 12, we felt the phone shouldn’t be very expensive yet has all the cool functions. We got her a Sony Ericsson and put her on a post-paid plan instead of pre-paid. The rational was to monitor the calls instead of capping the usage at a monthly fixed pre-paid cost.

That first year, she must have discovered the wonders of staying connected anytime, anywhere. Ten months into ownership, her bill came to a whopping figure, it shocked the daylights out of dear hubby! The amount was more than what he and me uses—combined—for a month! My goodness, you could see smoke coming out from his ears… The punishment: deductions from the daily allowance to settle the bill.

Since then I guess M1 must have learnt her lesson for whenever I try to call her, it is so difficult to get her. She hardly or never picks up or answers the call promptly and will always go to message, which annoys the daylights out of me. Everytime. Hrmph.

When M2 turned 12 last year, the thought of getting her a mobile phone never crossed our minds after our experience with M1. So we left the situation as it is although she had hinted for a mobile phone every now and then. Whenever the situation arises, and in order to justify her need for a mobile phone, I would gently remind her by asking where is the old Samsung phone that she had inherited from me. Knowing full well the reply would be “I don’t know…” it was a practical reminder to her that she is not ready yet to own a mobile phone.

Undeterred, she found a way to overcome this. Proudly she tells me she has been saving her pocket money to buy one, sharing her dreams to have the latest Samsung models or the Apple iPhone5S. I even encouraged her to keep up the good saving trait. But my child being my child, she daringly pestered me to upgrade my phone to the iPhone5S so that she could inherit my old iPhone4; thus her saved funds can be used for something else! Behind the efforts taken, she was worried the fund was very slow to grow and lamented that by the time it became sufficient, she would be looking at probably, an iPhone10! While I did not budge on the upgrade idea, circumstances had me changing my phone this year. So now I have a spanking new iPhone5S and the old iPhone4 is just laying around, doing nothing but collecting dust waiting for new ownership.

And the lure of owning a phone has cropped up again with the 13-year old M2 who aspires to stay connected anytime anywhere with her friends, more than her parents. It remains to be seen whether the old iPhone4 remains to collect dust or be adopted.

So the house phone still has its usage after all.

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Oh! Pixar Lights!

12 May

The study areas were created and both girls were extremely happy with the result. To top off the space, we needed to get lights for them. So I promised them after work, we will run off to IKEA to buy the lights. I was even reminded every hour via iMessage after they came home from school. Such was their excitement especially M2.

So at the lighting department in IKEA, hubby and I were debating between aesthetics and practicality. He decided it shouldn’t be halogen-based to minimize heat issues when used over a prolonged period. I pushed for those swing arm worklights that uses energy saving bulbs because I used to have them when I was in college and secondly, I thought they were the most practical. Braced to a furniture, it looks sturdy and won’t topple over even if handled too roughly but hubby thought they weren’t pretty. But in the end, my insistence for practicality won over the pretty table lamp choice that he had in mind.

When we came home, both girls waited excitedly by the door because we called ahead to announce our return with lights for them. The front door opened and dramatically, the lights were shoved forward to present to them.

“Oh! We got Pixar lights! Yay!!!” one of them exclaimed. Wow. I never even made that association and in my mind I knew it was the right choice. Without giving us a chance to have dinner, the lights were quickly assembled and put in place with our help of course. The two study areas are now complete with Pixar lights.

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This is Not a Review of iOS7

26 Sep

Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I reach for is my iPhone to look at the time, then the iPad to play Zookeeper Battle, followed by Candy Crush. This morning is no different from always but I groaned when I saw a prompt on the iPad to update the OS to iOS7!

Oh no! Do I have to?

Two days ago, I gave in to update my iPhone4. Initially I was skeptical to do so, knowing there will be limited features that my phone is capable of; so I wanted to wait it out and hear a little more feedback from friends to be sure before taking the plunge. I am also a creature of habit and don’t like my comfort zone disrupted; my phone being what it is now is a comfort and I am in my zone. But when I did hear nothing but positive raves, I went ahead and updated.

Right after I did the update, I felt so let down. My phone is now so ugly, flat and devoid of depth. I kept comparing it with my iPad to see the difference and without hesitation, decided to not update my iPad for as long as I can.

iOS7-iPhone

See how flat and unappealing it looks.

iOS7-iPad

So pretty, no?

It didn’t help that on the homefront prior to the update, M2 kept pestering me when will I buy the new phone so that she could inherit the current model. She even dispensed with manners and just came right to the point asking when will I change my phone? When I stared daggers at her, she changed tactic and nagged me at when will I update the OS instead? Hrmph.

That night, I lamented about the flatness of the phone, M2 quickly pounced on it and pointed out that since it’s now ugly, and I don’t like it (and she does) she will just take my phone! Eeesh… The child is just notorious.

But ugly as it is, I have to learn to like it. After all, there’s no turning back to iOS6 (and silly to pay or hack to downgrade) or heaven forbid, consider migrating to an Android phone! So learn I did.

Despite its lack of depth and being so flat in looks, it is nice in terms of operating system, definitely an upgrade. There’s a range of new ring tones besides the many features already reviewed by techies and all out there, so I will not delve in this. It’s the look that I am not used to, it’s so flat. I was horrified to see the message bubble coming out so green, Granny Smith would be envious of the green being more green than their apples. When highlights and depths are taken away, what you end up with is a flat horrid shade that totally lacks character. Having said that, the iMessage blue is no better.

Also, I miss the green felt in GameCenter. I feel so lost in the new layout.

So will I update my iPad? I think I will wait a while longer.

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Separation Anxiety, Part 2

21 Jul

This has been a busy month for us, traveling again in a spate of two weeks. I think both M1 and M2 are used to it already by now, being older and having more activities to keep them occupied.

Tonight as we prepare to fly off for another six-days of separation, I sincerely think separation anxiety should not be happening. After all, since our first trip away from them (to Hong Kong), over the years we’ve done more than a week for each of our trips to the far and the exotic, they did not seem to mind our absence.

They are much older now and with our lived-in maid taking care of them (and Grandma not troubled), they also have the pets to keep them company and school work to keep them busy, six days will fly by very soon. Anyway, there’s always Skype, iMessage and Facetime if we have to see or hear them…

Wish us a great holiday!

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