Tag Archives: Skype

Beginnings and Endings

3 Jan

The new year started off rather quietly for us. We stayed home that evening and had a fun time cooking together, preparing dinner for a very leisurely paced New Year’s Eve meal. I felt this was better quality time instead of going out and be squashed in the crowds.

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Ushering in 2020 with some wine and cheese!

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Sautéd mushrooms, baked potato wedges, honey-glazed carrots, pork steak, greens and a pasta. Quite a meal!

By midnight after seeing some of the fireworks that we could see from our windows, we continued to watch Netflix, waiting to Skype with M2. After we finally heard from her, we went to bed after that! No revelry beyond as it felt just like any other day.

The new beginning is supposed to bring new excitement. We have not even fully digested the spirit of Christmas, New Year’s mood, suddenly at the turn, Chinese New Year things popped up! Decorations at the mall were updated, along with cookies, clothes especially Cheongsams and all things Chinese New Year related were on full display. I am so not ready yet for the next festive celebration.

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Roaring display of the lion dance at the mall

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The new beginning means an ending for us. The food trail is coming to an end as M1’s time with us is ending soon. It’s not sadness all over again but acceptance.

As we cherish the next two days before she leaves, we hope to spend quality time with her again in the future. It has been truly wonderful. Maybe we will visit her in the US again? Who knows? The year 2020 will be full of surprises.

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The End of the Road?

15 Nov

Last Saturday at 5.30pm, my iPad Mini – a first gen unit and still on iOS9.3.5 (because it cannot update any further) suddenly died despite having about 50 percent of battery life left. It just went flat when I tried to turn it on. Zero power, nada, zilch, empty…

Within two days, this faithful device of mine pulled this stunt twice – drained to the core without any activity despite having battery life to spare. It has never done this before, so I don’t know why this happened. I’ve had it for seven years and that’s a long time.

I plugged it in to charge (and yes I did turn on the power) but it didn’t seem to respond. Oh dear… I hope it can be revived.

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So now I am sort of iPad-less and I can’t decide if I want to buy a replacement. Then again do I actually need one? As the iOS keeps updating and newer devices flood the market each year, my poor old device can’t keep up and has been left behind.

It’s always quitting unexpectedly on me when I am in the thick of a strategic move especially Candy Crush Soda or it’s spinning endlessly when I try to read the news on Safari. And apps like Skype and Netflix cannot be used anymore because they no longer support older devices.

So I’ve stopped bringing my iPad Mini to the office because of these issues. The performance or lack of it has been very glaring compared to my iPhone XR which serves me well for all my needs.

But I just hope the unfortunate power issue was just a one (or should I say two)-off occurrence and won’t be repeated. I’d have to monitor and hope it’s not the end of the road for my iPad Mini.

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Cat Condo II

6 Sep

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M1 and I had our usual weekly Skype session last week and she told me she read about my Cat Condo stories on my blog. Feeling intrigue about the game, she downloaded the app to play too. Hahahaha…. I was flattered. However, it wasn’t Cat Condo but Cat Condo II that she downloaded. I was surprised to find out that there’s a second edition to this crazy cat game that I’ve been at for days.

So obviously I downloaded the game too! This second edition is much more realistic in terms of the fortune earned, not running into trillions and quadrillions like the original.

As for the cats, they are pretty much the same species but cuter and more plump. Plus there’s more things going on within the app, mini games and opportunity to win accessories to dress up the cats, making it even more engaging than mindless. Nonetheless, both are equally very entertaining for me.

And I have been so so busy with both games. Even at Club Med when I’m supposed to be relaxing, there I was managing the two condos for my cats in between drinks and activities.

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Be Silly or Be Happy

11 Jun

Today’s the day we leave! But there are worries, silly ones and several of it…

Silly #1: my cocoon is still hanging on the front tree and it’s been seven weeks since the giant caterpillar morphed into it; way overdue from what I checked online to be at this stage. Why is the moth not emerging? Is the constant rain stunting its metamorphosis? Is it even still alive and okay? I dare not climb up the ladder to check because it’s way too high. Whatever it is, looks like we will miss the moth emerging from the cocoon if it does decide to come out during our time away.

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It’s nice in here, I’m not ready for the world

Silly #2: my 1000 and more Days trek on the Daily Bonus for Candy Crush Soda on the retired iPhone5S will be broken because I am not bringing the phone along. And will the iPhone XR and iPad Mini have the trek broken too being in different time zones? I told myself I should stop this obsession but I just can’t shake it off. Silly.

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Day 1016 for the iPhone5S and Day 1023 for both the iPad Mini and iPhone XR

Silly #3: will Rooney, official pet number one miss us?

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Should I chew on it or not? Hmm…

Silly worries aside, there are some happy reasons too…

Happy #1: the pineapple in the garden. It’s been more than two years that hubby’s been taking care of it, and thank goodness it decided to ripen on time before we leave. Harvested last Friday, the fruit of labor and love weighed a whopping two kilos! Needless to say, the juicy and home-grown pineapple was thoroughly enjoyed.

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Juiciest pineapple ever!

Happy #2: the constant rain seems to be good for the habanero plant for it has thrived well and we had a bumper harvest. So much chillies! I ate a little on Wednesday night and oh my goodness, almost died from the fiery burn. This batch is super duper spicy.

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The spicy level of the reds win hands down over the greens

Happy #3: we will be meeting up with M2 in Amsterdam! Yes, our baby will fly tomorrow from Ireland to meet us at Schiphol. And she will miss a few days of Summer classes which unfortunately can’t be helped. I feel it’s important for her to attend her only sister’s Commencement ceremony, hence the plan as such.

Happy #4: we will finally be seeing M1. The last time the family unit was complete was when she came back for Christmas in 2017, so that’s like a year and a half since we last saw our firstborn in person. The weekly Skype video sessions do not count. Can’t wait. A 12 hours and 40 minutes flight for the first leg, then a four-hour transit before the second leg of 10 hours and 17 minutes flight (hopefully no delays) before the family will be whole again. Yay!!!

I guess with the happy reasons outweighing the silly ones, I shouldn’t be too silly and just be happy.

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Becoming Obsolete, Part 2

7 May

I couldn’t believe that I cannot download Pinterest on my iPad Mini yesterday. However, right after that problem, I had things to do in the office so I didn’t pursue further. But I didn’t give up to fix it.

When I had a little breather and time, I went back to the App Store to fiddle again. And thank goodness, the Cloud icon showed up for Pinterest along with a compatibility list that included devices that has iOS9.3 or later. Phew… But unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Skype and iFlix, both still need iOS10.

So Pinterest is back on the iPad Mini and perhaps, its lifespan has just been extended a little bit more than the rest of the devices by the bedside.

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Becoming Obsolete

6 May

My iPad Mini is slowly becoming obsolete. Last week Pinterest couldn’t update and it riles me to have that number sitting in the corner of the App Store icon for a few days. But I left it as is because there was no mention of needing iOS10 and I could still use it.

However, this morning Pinterest was suddenly being installed although I didn’t do anything and it looked like it was stuck. So I restarted the iPad Mini, thinking this would help. The next thing I knew, my Pinterest icon was gone from the iPad! Yikes.

I then went into App Store to try to reinstall but there’s nothing for me to even click on to download. Why? Why? Why? It looks like arm twisting tactics here to push me to get a new iPad Mini.

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How do I download PInterest when there’s nothing to click on?

Two weeks ago, it was something else. I found out I couldn’t launch iFlix (not Netflix but similar entertainment provider) because it required iOS10 and my Mini cannot update beyond iOS9.3.5. Sigh…

And several weeks ago, it was Skype that couldn’t be used because it also required iOS10. I checked online if there were anymore older versions of Skype (that can run on iOS9.3.5) but apparently, Microsoft no longer support old devices for it. The only solution if I wanted to use Skype is to buy a new iPad Mini, according to discussions on community forums out there!

Gee… I don’t think I want to do this especially when I now have an iPhone XR that is much faster and sufficient for my needs. Anyway, I didn’t download Skype on the phone nor do I want to have the app on my desktop computer. I simply resolved the usage predicament by bringing my MacBook Air to the office for the weekly Skype session with M1. Easy peasy. As for Pinterest, it is on the phone too.

It’s just a matter of time before the iPad Mini will be relegated to being another bedside clock, along with iPod, M2’s old iPhone 5C and my recently retired iPhone 5S. Sigh…

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Newbie Emerge, Part 2

12 Oct

Unlike M2, who requested for an Octopus and a garden gnome, I decided to carve an owl, a special one though, for M1 and we Skyped on the idea several weeks ago. Finally, it was decided it should have something to do with what she is pursuing, which is Food Science at university.

Since she’s pretty much into research, the new character called Lab Owl has a lab coat. Don’t you agree that this little Citizen looks adorable and smart?

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Trying Not To Cry

5 Jan

After three wonderful weeks with M1 home with us for her Christmas holidays, she left for the US this morning. Sniffle…

We had to wake up in the wee hours of the morning, and left for the airport by 4.20am for her 8.00am departure for Japan’s Narita International.

Heaviness filled my heart. No words can express the void a mother feels every time the child leaves home for the pursuit of education. No matter how grown up they have become, they still remain our baby. 

I shouldn’t cry or feel sad. After all, she starts the year as a Junior, midway towards her Food Science degree. Seemed like only yesterday when she left home to bravely travel by herself to start her Freshman year at university. But a Junior now and a seasoned traveler. How time flies.

I must say thank goodness for Skype and WhatsApp. With technology, we are able to get updates during the course of her journey when phones are allowed to be used. And with Skype, we talk frequently during school terms unlike the dinosaur era when I was in college. The only mode of contact was phone calls which were very short and expensive and of course, snail mail which Dad wrote me. A lot.

As always, I will be tracking her on flightaware.com and probably with anxiety as well. By the time this post is published, she would have flown almost two hours for the first leg. Hopefully, there’s no weather delay enroute to San Francisco thereafter.

Safe travels and pleasant flight while I try not to cry… Sniffle.

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Times Have Changed, Part 3

18 Nov

It’s situations like these that remind me of my dinosaur status and how times have changed. Sigh… these days school-going teenagers are purposely skipping school especially after exams. Not so much to go out but to stay home instead. Yes, M2. When her big exam was over, according to her, there is no reason to go to school anymore! What?! I don’t even remember M1 doing this when she was still here.

When I was a school-going teenager, skipping school was not even an option. No ifs, ands or buts about it as there was no negotiation with Mom and Dad whether I could give school a miss. And I don’t recall being sick qualified an absence. Also during the dinosaur era, there were no distractions like these days – the internet and smart phones, to want to skip school.

Going to school was fun especially after the exams because I could be with all my friends to pass the time. We could talk or play all we want, do fun things or nothing, and not worry about studying or homework. We could even be silly and brave in front of even the most fierce teacher because we knew we would be forgiven when the school holidays kicked in. Aaahh… Those were the days. Innocent and carefree dinosaur days.

These days? Going to school after the exams are no fun for M2 because according to her, none of her friends would go and she would be bored to death. She pointed out that there’s nothing to do, the friendliest teachers are always busy and there’s no one to talk to. Geez… making it sound as if she has been banished to no man’s land and is the only lonely surviving soul! 

So being at home is better because in this comfort zone, she and her friends are able to do Skype sessions with each other, hang out virtually to listen to music, watch a movie together or just talk the whole day! Unbelievable. Why can’t they just interact in person at school? I cannot understand them.

With six weeks of holidays ahead, today being the last day of school and us busy with work, it looks like this pattern of activity will continue… unless we go away again for a family road trip or escapade… Hmm.

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Two Weeks Break

6 Jun

M2 is having her school holiday break for two weeks. And like the first break, we are staying put. She is having her big important exam this year so we feel any trips taken will only be after the exams.

So far, she has been good at it – going to the mall only once with friends. The other days are spent studying during the daytime but mixing in some pleasure on her iPad or chatting with friends on WhatsApp or with M1 on Skype. A week has passed and another to go. Pretty soon it will be back to school. Can’t believe we are halfway through the year already.

Pretty soon the big exam crunch time will be here! I hope she will be ready for it by then.

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