Tag Archives: iPad Mini

Back-to-back Breaks

2 Sep

Time has flown by so fast, suddenly. September has arrived with several public holidays for the month. Over the weekend, Malaysia celebrated its 68th National Day. Since the auspicious day fell on a Sunday, Monday was a replacement holiday. The coming Friday is also another public holiday, making the work week the shortest with only three days in between. 

I could get used to this short work week/long weekend schedule, because it is so relaxing and I have ample time to do things at a leisurely pace. But I chose to immerse myself in a new game on my iPad Mini. Silly, as it takes so much of my time, and I could have done more productive things instead! 

The game I normally play, Homescapes, has become so routine that there is not much challenge any longer. Yet I’m still at it, I don’t know why. And I wait patiently for new levels to open every single week. For the record, as of today, I am at Level 18292.

So, a few days ago, I downloaded Tasty Travels innocently, thinking to just try it for variation, but I found myself hooked on it, playing it into the wee hours of the past few nights! Terrible, isn’t it?

Will I continue to be hooked by it with the back-to-back breaks? We will find out.

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A Lovely Gift

13 May

Mother’s Day is always a family affair, celebrating the three mothers in the family on Sunday – Mom, myself, and my sister-in-law. A sumptuous lunch and fun jabber to catch up with everyone.

This year, I received a lovely gift. It’s been almost two years since I last worked on building miniatures, and this gift is the perfect one to kickstart this activity again.

Project number 32 was the last miniature I worked on from October 2023, but sadly, I never completed it. I had golf, travel, and games on the iPad Mini, keeping me busy. At this point, I’m not sure if I can complete the set because it’s too tiny.

Anyway, maybe it’s long overdue to spend time building miniatures again. And of late, my golf sucks, and I find no joy in playing, so the timing is just nice to go back to doing things that gave me so much joy.

My Mother’s Day gift. Love it!

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Pickleball Anyone, Part 2

19 Nov

We play pickleball once a week now. I find myself looking forward to it more than my regular golf games. Uh oh, does this mean I have lost my passion for golf?

There are various reasons for this new sentiment. It is the end of the year, and we are facing the rainy monsoon season! Golf is not enjoyable when the round is interrupted by rain and thunder. Then we have to wait out the rain. By then, the body has turned cold, and the momentum and mood are lost. Ugh.

It is even more unenjoyable when the siren does not go off, and collectively, everyone wants to continue playing in wet conditions. Ugh. I find wearing my raincoat to play very uncomfortable, but needed to stay dry. Then there are other challenges – wet gloves, slippery grips, heavy shots, and soggy fairways. The list can be endless! Ugh.

As pickleball is an indoor activity, covered and not subjected to crappy weather, it is a better option than golf, especially during this time of the year. And the best part is I can play with my left hand without aggravating my tennis elbow! Yay.

So, if I play less golf, it’s okay because I have an alternative activity to sweat instead of being a couch potato at home and perpetually glued to my iPad Mini.

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The Mini Games

24 Sep

I have been unable to stop playing Homescapes, even though I have to wait for new levels to be released, usually on Friday, week after week. The app cleverly has mini-games to keep one hooked. And yes, I am hooked.

I am now waiting for Level 15851 to be released. In the meantime, the mini-games are keeping me occupied. I don’t foresee myself giving up the game. It is by far the longest game that I have played. Amazing.

Waiting again…

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Stalled at Homescapes, Part 3

26 Jul

I was stalled at Homescapes again the past few days. It looks like the updates are for only 50 levels each time. I was at Level 15398, thinking I could go on, but I had to wait for Level 15401 to open when I completed the last two levels in no time.

Why is this game so addictive?

Well, it’s good that I had a packed golf schedule to occupy my time rather than being home to play Homescapes. I didn’t even sit at my workstation to look at my incomplete miniature, left unattended and collecting dust for the last six months.

Level 15401 opened this morning, and I’m just taking my time to play until I get stalled again. I’m too fast for the developer of the game!

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Stalled at Homescapes, Part 2

23 Jul

Last week, I thought I had a break from Homescapes when I could not progress beyond Level 15350 – the game released the new levels the next day! Uh oh. So, building miniatures is a no-go again.

I try to limit my time on my iPad Mini, keeping the activity to just reading the news and watching videos on YouTube. But, as far as Homescapes is concerned, it’s hard not to play it.

I am now at Level 15398. Will I complete all the latest levels before I hit a snag again and stall? We will find out.

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Stalled at Homescapes

19 Jul

My three-year-old iPad Mini5 has always been my go-to device at home instead of my iPhone for games, news, and movies. The game I have been playing a lot is Homescapes, having downloaded the game a year later after getting the iPad and playing daily.

But yesterday, I found I could not progress further! I have completed Level 15350, and Level 15351, in black and white, is not ready. Wow. Perhaps the timing is right with this pause because I find myself staring at my device too much if I am at home.

What do I do now that my favorite game has stalled? Hmm, I should revert to crafting my miniatures! That’s what I should do – something to consider and rethink my dependency on the iPad at home.

Waiting for Level 15351 to release!

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The Gaming Sloth, Part 2

16 Apr

Thank goodness the two-day public holidays are over, and I return to my routine. During those two days, I was such a gaming sloth at home, being horizontal at poking away at my iPad Mini nonstop. What was the game? Hexa Sort. It’s such an addictive game!

I had to discipline myself to only three rounds after that because if I went on, I would not stop, and nothing gets done at home. And what’s terrible about this obsession is that my iPad heats up so fast, it’s alarming.

My other games do not create such intense heat on my iPad. So, to preserve my device and manage my time, I have to limit my time playing Hexa Sort.

Maybe I should delete the game because it’s taking up too much of my time. Hmm? I should not be a sloth at home, or worse – a gaming sloth.

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The Gaming Sloth

12 Apr

We had two days of public holiday on Wednesday and Thursday because of Hari Raya celebrations. And this threw off the weekday routine. I was the ultimate sloth on Wednesday as I opted not to play golf. Instead, we stayed put to enjoy the coziness of the home.

I hardly moved and was on my iPad Mini the whole day. What made it worse was I downloaded a new game and was on it from sunrise until sundown. By the end of the day, I clocked 11 hours and 30 minutes on the iPad, playing this new game! I think a real sloth would not be so diligent at gaming.

The next day, thank goodness, I had a game with friends. Otherwise, the addiction to the new game continues.

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A Clever Hack?

29 Mar

Nowadays, we see people staying connected with their devices all the time, regardless of location. It’s so bad being so attached and dependent on our devices 24/7. If it wasn’t for staying updated with news or social media, it is for games, music, or movies. It is as if a minute of not being connected, one will be so out of touch. Isn’t this terrible?

I confess I am just as guilty, but only at home, with my attachment to my devices. The iPad Mini is mostly for games and movies, and the old iPhone 5S or iPhone XR is for my Spotify music on loop. I leave my iPhone 14Plus for communication and occasional news updates. Separately, I have a Kobo eReader for reading my novels, sparing my eyes from the glare of the iPad.

However, when I travel, I abide by the airline rules and don’t fuss with my devices, keeping them in the bag and turning on the flight mode. After all, the airline does offer some entertainment as an alternative, especially the long hauls. And anything less than a three-hour flight, I have learned and can live without my devices for that few hours being airborne.

On my recent return journey from Hanoi, the passenger in front did not put away his iPhone as he was deeply engrossed in watching the sitcom “Friends.” I couldn’t help but admire his clever hack of using the Air Sickness Bag to feed his sitcom fixation.

The tray table had to be closed, so he used the bag to hold his phone in place to watch hands-free! So clever. But clever as it seems, you won’t catch me doing this for my trips on a flight and leaving the bag intact for its actual usage.

Hand-free using the Air Sickness Bag

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