Tag Archives: iPhone5S

79 is Not 80

22 May

Mid-year exams are around the corner and motivation needs to be provided for the girls. Unlike M1 whom I am proud to say can achieve her targets, M2 needs a little bit of encouragement. So I offered my old iPhone4 seeing that the need for a mobile phone had cropped up again recently.

There was no tussle over the iPhone4 for ownership after I upgraded because I did not allow a tussle to occur. Although by hierarchy, M1 is entitled to my old phone, she is pretty contented with her hand-me-down Android phone from hubby.

But since M2 has been grousing for a phone, why not just dangle the iPhone to entice her to do well? After all, the iPhone4 is just sitting there collecting dust. All she needs to do is to achieve the 80 percent average target for all her subjects.

M2 is hesitant because firstly, my old iPhone4 was problematic (that’s why I changed) but I convinced her ever since I upgraded, the old phone seems to be okay. The choice was tough: a smartphone or no phone. The second reason being, she wasn’t sure she could achieve the 80 percent overall. So she negotiated with me.

“79? Can ah?” she asked me several days before the exams started.

I merely raised my eyebrow and commented. “79 is not 80. Does it look like 80 to you?”

She cringed. Silence.

Then she tried again.

“What if it was 79.6? Cos if you round up the point six, it would be 80!” she sensed victory in putting her mathematical skills to good use!

Hrmph. We shall see…

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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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Forever 38

27 Apr

A break from the pattern, I don’t usually post on Sundays but today’s special. It’s my birthday and I thought I’d share this…

For the pass several birthdays, I have been getting birthday presents relating to my other passion, golf. From a gorilla cover for my driver and Hello Kitty for the putter to golf shoes, it’s all about golf. I even received a Snoopy golf-theme birthday card once.

Every now and then, M1 will tell me, “Mummy, you are 38 years old and will forever be 38 in our eyes!”

“You know, whenever my teacher asks how old my Mummy is, I tell them you’re 38!” M2 added. Chuckle, mind you this would go on for years!

They feel age is not necessary and is just a number, like the house unit. How my heart would flutter and I would break into a silly grin whenever this topic of conversation comes around.

There was one year I did not receive any golf related presents; instead each made me a card. I am still 38 years old in their eyes but the details in which both inked down on their designs, highlighting all my favorite things brought sniffles and tears. It’s so sweet. I basked in their creative efforts for me. Sniffle (again)…

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The home-made cards by M1 & M2.

Somehow this year’s birthday, things are a bit different. No golf presents but a three-day celebration with my favorite things! A day before, I had a tremendously good time with all my golfing lady friends at the golf club, followed with drinks and merry-making thereafter; the big day itself precious quiet time with some friends and then with the family and a sumptuous crab dinner; and the day after, a little treat to myself at the spa with a massage and a facial. This is on top of the necessary iPhone5S from hubby dearest.

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The salted egg crab dinner!

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A red velvet birthday cake.

 

Thank you from your forever 38 significant other half for the wonderful gift; thank you my M1 and M2 for being wonderful girls that you are and giving me lots of inspiration to write and thank you to all who wished me in one way or another via phone & Facebook, and thank you to all my friends and family for being part of the now good memories forever held in the heart.

I look forward to the year ahead with zest but will stay forever 38!

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I Officially Migrated

21 Apr

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Like a child giddy with excitement over a new toy, I could not tame the butterflies in my tummy as I fiddled with my spanking new Apple iPhone5S. Yes, last Friday I officially migrated to the new device, opening the present ten days before my birthday.

Goodbye iPhone4, I loved you and you served me well but you chose your destiny and I didn’t have a choice; and hello iPhone5S, this is the beginning of a new love. I hope we will have many wonderful moments, build lots of memories and fun together despite my short fingers needing to stretch to reach the top row of apps and the home button on the half inch longer phone.

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It’s Deciding for Me

18 Apr

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I thought all was fine with my iPhone4 after the last few scares; maybe it could last and I don’t have to give it up so soon. But I guess I spoke too soon! Last week, it blacked out on me again at a critical Kodak-moment! I was right about to capture the amazing birthday cake presented at an uncle’s birthday dinner when the phone froze and the Apple icon appeared before a black screen! Aaaargghhhh…. the cake was cut and I do not have a picture of the amazing cake intact. Hrmph…

I was annoyed to say the least. Hubby was sympathetic and suggested that night I should just have the new iPhone5S charged up, ready to be used instead of having to wait until my birthday to open the box.

My dear iPhone4, I love you but you chose your destiny.

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Hubby Insisted

14 Apr

As you know, my beloved iPhone4 has not been very nice to me lately, being cranky and acting up for no reason. Getting old or tired of serving me, I have learnt to deal with it. But I complain. To hubby, to the girls and to no one in particular.

Maybe the hubby is tired of me complaining or he can’t stand the crankiness in me when the phone pulls a fast one, so he insisted to just buy the iPhone5S champagne model for me. While in my heart, the spirits soared with this new toy, much desired in one way, I feel it shouldn’t end this way with my cranky iPhone4. Sniff…

So I am holding on to my cranky phone until it acts up again or at least until my birthday comes along in two weeks, then I open the box to the new phone and feign surprise to receive the present. After all, if the hubby insists, how could I refuse?

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At a Crossroad

10 Apr

I love my iPhone4. It doesn’t matter that it is three years old and has a screen smaller than those gargantuan Samsung models, I love my phone. But lately, I think my phone does not love me anymore.

It has been acting up, as if in revolt and hinting at retirement. Why? Why do this to me? It’s not as if I have overworked it to a pulp, playing games and draining its battery or stabbing at the screen to death. I do that only with my iPad Mini. The phone is strictly for taking pictures, checking emails, sending text messages and occasionally skimming the headlines. So I really don’t understand.

It would blackout and the Apple icon would appear. Stays this way for awhile then reverts back to its standby mode as though it’s perfectly normal and nothing unusual. This occurred several times. Then the clincher came last week… I had 50 per cent of battery life left when it suddenly pulled the blackout act. Then a new revolt! The battery icon appeared, followed by the charging icon! Eeeeks! What is going on? Showed I was zero, nil, zilch in battery life and I needed to charge it up.

I was stumped yet amazingly calm unlike the first time it blacked out on me, I freaked and felt as if my arm got ripped from my body. Maybe I have gotten used to its antics by now?

At this point, I feel I am at a crossroad: I love my phone but do I stick with it still or should I just upgrade to the iPhone5S? A friend suggested that I should wait until the launch of the next model, rumored to be towards the end of the year with a bigger screen and such but can my beloved last until then? I can wait but my phone may not last with its mind of its own acting like this. Alternatively, I could have it fixed or diagnosed to right the problem.

Whatever I decide, hubby and the children knows I have been eyeing the 5S champagne model since its launch but I am in no hurry to get it yet. Then again with my silly phone pulling such stunts lately, I may decide sooner than later.

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