Tag Archives: iPhone XR

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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Bat Alert

7 Nov

We played our second game this morning at Royal Perak Golf Club (RPGC). It was a good challenge duelling with hubby. The game came to a draw after 18 holes.

Always enjoyable to play at RPGC

In RPGC, we saw all types of birds while waiting to take a shot when the pace suddenly slowed. The soaring eagle caught our eyes and was quite breathtaking. There was one particular hole – we even saw bats! How strange to see this creature on a golf course.

This fella had its eyes open unlike the others

The bats were hanging upside down on the branches of the short tree next to the buggy track. Our close presence did not bother the nocturnal creatures at all, and they went about just hanging around, pun intended.

I had to whip out my iPhone XR to take a picture because I’m not sure when I will have the opportunity again to see bats in close range, on a golf course, of all places.

Well, if we return to RPGC again for a round or two of golf, we may still see them at the same tree! Who knows? Only time can tell.

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A Silly Battle

29 Aug

I find myself constantly second-guessing Mother Nature on her mood as far as the weather is concerned. It is a silly battle. The rain and sun are always giving me grief in planning my day. I’m talking about laundry days and not my golf games.

When the sun is out, it’s a good laundry day. But sometimes rain clouds would unexpectedly creep in. This situation then spoils the after-wash drying conditions. I love sun-dried clothes because they feel fresh and have a lovely sun-baked scent. Non-sun-dried clothes pale in satisfaction.

So, over the years, I have learned to look at the sky and gauge the cloud formations before I do laundry, although I could rely on the Weather app on my iPhone XR for better planning.

Yet, despite my efforts, Mother Nature still wins. Yesterday’s laundry load did not have enough sunshine to smell good. They will be out again today to catch some rays. Hopefully, it will stay sunny.

It looks like a silly battle, but instinct and technology cannot compare with Mother Nature.

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Day 2: Jakarta

7 Aug

Last night, we had dinner at PIK2, a new development with a lot of dining choices, as well as tourist attractions. The place was just so happening! So much to see, so much to eat.

People were dancing and enjoying themselves

After a simple meal, it was time to head back to the hotel and rest for golf the next day.

It was 4.45 am when the morning call woke me up. Goodness, such an ungodly hour, but then again, the time is about right because of the time difference. Jakarta is an hour behind KL.

My personal passport at RJGC
Very scenic
The only aircraft I managed to capture

Royale Jakarta Golf Club was an enjoyable course situated next to the airport. Now and then, we could hear the roar of an aircraft’s engine in the background. I was trying hard to capture an image of an airplane descending with my iPhone whenever the sound came about. Not easy when it was rather smoggy in the air. I could only manage a helicopter instead!

Everyone had a caddy each, so a flight of four players had four caddies! For the record, I did 39 putts. Horrid is the only word to describe my efforts, but I enjoyed the outing and the company thoroughly. A good day to remember fondly.

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DIY Project #28, Part 2

11 Apr

Sunday was not a golf day but a good day for some me-time and my craft. I worked on DIY project number 28, and there was much progress. But this project is taking a little longer because we have been traveling up North to hubby’s hometown more frequently than before.

Anyway, back to the project in hand – all the eenie meenie pieces of furniture are on track to being assembled. It’s hard to hold them, so two tweezers are required to hold onto them when I apply the glue. And several times, I messed up because I did not read the instructions properly.

My little Happy House

Then again, the manual is in Chinese, and during those mess-ups, I did not use GoogleTranslate on my iPhone to do the job well. I assumed and thus messed up. One just cannot be complacent when it comes to dealing with tiny things here.

The biggest challenge will be the hinges. This piece is very different from the others that I have worked on. The frontage wall and roof are not glued down but hinged to open and close. Interesting. Well, I hope I can complete the set before the end of the month!

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Double Happiness

14 Mar

Double happiness is when two people discover each other for a lifetime together. Double happiness also means during the wedding, the extended families can gather merrily for a happy celebration.

Two nights ago, my nephew tied the knot. Congratulations to him and his beautiful bride! My heart is bursting with love for the newest member of our family!

It was a heartfelt, joyous occasion for everyone present. The younger twin of my only sibling is now a married man and will be starting his family soon. There was so much love and affection throughout the Chinese tea ceremony, which was steep in tradition. A boisterous close family affair that morning.

Then the wedding dinner that night was equally a heartfelt and joyous occasion for the family. I was ecstatic when I reconnected with my cousins again, having not seen them for ages. It was such a nostalgic trip down memory lane as we caught up, reminisced, squealed, and giggled like teenagers until we teared up about the growing-up years with our grandpa around.

Grandpa was the center of our universe, but there was so much fear in us whenever we visited him and Grandma. Nonetheless, my cousins and I have happy childhood memories. Now only our memories remind us because, during the dinosaur era, smartphones to record every moment did not exist yet. Today, the wedding is a memory filed away but captured in print, video, and almost everyone’s smartphones.

As I have said, there was double happiness for everyone during the wedding dinner – not just for the newlyweds but for all the aunts and uncles meeting up again. Many a time, I felt emotionally moved to see the elderlies hugging each other affectionately and catching up, something we all could not do, especially during the peak of Covid. It takes a happy occasion to reconnect with everybody again. And it takes a pandemic to reevaluate the importance of family and being in touch.

A cousin lamented that the clan should not meet only for weddings and, sadly, at times, for funerals, but it should be more frequent now that there are no longer lockdowns and restrictions. Time is precious, likewise family members and our extended families too.

As such, efforts are underway to spur the next generation of cousins to get to know each other better and ensure their bond grows, just like it has been for my cousins and me. As for the newlyweds, a toast to their happiness and the start of a beautiful life together.

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DIY Project #27, Part 2

24 Feb

The latest miniature project, number 27, has kicked off! I opted for the Elegant Studio set. So far, it’s going well. However, the challenge lies in understanding the manual, which is in Chinese and not English. But with the Google Translate app, this minor challenge is hardly one with the phone in hand to do the job!

The bonus of this set is the dust cover that came with it. So upon completion, I don’t have to worry about crowding my Ikea display cabinet. I can decide where to place this Elegant Studio anywhere in the house. Nice!

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Itsy Bitsy Messy

10 Jan

So my new routine is now checking up on Itsy every morning. This morning, I was aghast because it’s a mess out there. What is going on?

I think the weather has a part in this mess. Perhaps the rain and wind have compromised the web, and Itsy decided to expand upwards. And debris has stuck on the web, thus making it look itsy bitsy messy. Sigh.

It’s hard to take a picture of the scenario because the iPhone XR can’t capture the web well, especially with the busy foliage background.

I hope Itsy can clean up the debris and make its home nice and clean again. With the situation as such, I have to check on it more than once daily!

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Itsy Bitsy It Ain’t, Part 2

6 Jan

The long-legged spider is one fascinating critter. Every morning, I check on it, and its intricate web has grown. It is certainly making a home in our front garden.

The golden silk orb-weaver spider

We managed to take better-angle photos of it, and hubby and I decided to google more on it to be sure of its species. And sure enough, photo evidence on the internet supports our initial assumption that it is a golden silk orb-weaver spider.

Commonly found in warm regions, we are lucky to have one in front of the house because some cultures believe such spiders bring good luck. Wow. They symbolize prosperity, abundance, and happiness in many parts of the world. However, it is up to one to believe the significance.

In reality, it is simply beneficial to have them around. I hope the female spider will continue to spin its complex web and nab pesky flies and bugs in the garden. It’s a win-win situation. Less pesky insects for us to deal with, more food for it to survive.

Making a meal out of the fly

I should name it. Hahaha. Any suggestions?

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Itsy Bitsy It Ain’t

3 Jan

There is a new resident living with us! And it’s a creepy crawly long-legged spider. Yikes. While it looks like a Daddy Long Leg species, I suspect it may not be. I tried googling what species, and so far, it’s not easy to narrow down.

Ain’t no Itsy Bitsy spider

I dare not approach the spider any closer to take a better picture for fear it may jump at me. Then again, if it did, would I be empowered with superhero spider power? Hehehe.

One thing is for sure the critter is not an itsy bitsy spider because the legs are darn long, and it looks scary. Shudder.

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