Reading blogs and writing them have been a huge part of my life in the last ten years (give or take). It makes me really sad that I haven’t been doing that much lately. No thanks to the terrible service we’ve been getting from SkyBroadband. I posted about our ongoing problem with them back in October (Calling @SkyServes), and unfortunately, after giving them several opportunities to redeem themselves, we’re still having this problem.
Our Internet connection has been so unreliable I’ve lost patience waiting and waiting and waiting.
I have had to rely on my phone to check my personal email. Facebook is also limited to mobile, except for the very few times I feel like reloading the page over and over on the PC.
So we’re switching. We’ve put in an application with PLDT for their DSL and we’re just waiting for installation. Hope it pushes through on Wednesday.
If there’s anything good that came out of this, it’s that I’ve had a bit more sleep, and a lot more time making rainbow bands for my fund raising activity – more on this soon!
I love that I have Windows Live Writer up and running again because in times like this, when my Internet connection is so unreliable, I can write offline and post when the connection gets better.
Sky Cable is our service provider for Broadband. Since re-subscribing to them a few years back we’ve had relatively good customer service – better than PLDT DSL. There have been downtimes but they’ve been quite responsive so we didn’t mind. But as of late, things have been getting crappy and crappier. Like our old DSL woes, connectivity seems to be slower every afternoon until early evening, every single day. We’ve called it in but nothing they do has helped. We even signed up for the 6MBPS trial because we needed help to decide whether to stay with Sky or switch PLDT Fibr. Things improved for a day or two, but it was either faster or intermittent connection. Who needs ultra fast Internet that was unreliable?
What holds us back from switching to Fibr is the high cost of that alternative service and our previous bad experience with PLDT’s DSL.
Perhaps Rowena of SkyServes has psychic powers, she gave me a call just now in response to my SMS this afternoon. According to her, there is a signal problem in our area but it was supposedly corrected on October 1. They did verify if our signal improved after their repairs and she says it shows that it still wasn’t the optimum speed we should be receiving. So whatever needs to be done, still has to be done and our 6MBPS trial will likely be extended at no cost to us.
If things don’t improve tomorrow, we’re to report back. So we’ll see.
Rowena is our dedicated CSR. Instead of calling the Sky hotline, we can SMS her. We haven’t always gone that route though, but of late it’s been more convenient. I was surprised she called on a Saturday, but thankful nonetheless.
So let’s give them another chance. What I hate about this whole scenario is that we don’t have a lot of options and we are left at their mercy. Although we are Globe postpaid mobile users, we can’t use Tattoo because signal is so low in this house. Sometimes I get LTE signal outside, but once I come in, even normal mobile signal is a struggle. Feedback for their wired hi-speed service is mixed so we’re not considering it. I don’t even know about SMART or SUN Broadband, but I doubt if their Wi-Fi sticks will be any better.
Who is your Internet Service Provider? Do you highly recommend them? Why or why not? Do weigh in!
In their September 10, 2013 event, Apple officially released the iPhone 5C, along with the launch of it’s more expensive and sleeker sister – the iPhone 5S. Having upgraded to the iPhone 5 almost nine (9) months ago, I’m not too excited about this launch.
I won’t be missing much by not upgrading this year.Buti na lang.
But that is not to say that I don’t like the new iPhones. Even with all the trash talk around Apple copping out by opting for a plastic build, and the choice of candy colors, I actually like the iPhone 5C.
If I didn’t already own an iPhone 5, I’d consider 5C. Of course, I’d probably end up with a 5S, but I’d consider it. If I had a younger sibling still in school that I owed 16 years of presents for – I’d get it for her in time for Christmas. Good thing I don’t have one.
Why let Apple rob me of my hard earned money?
Critics say that only the dumb-witted would fall for the 5C when there are better Android handsets at the same price range – or cheaper. Well that’s not what I’m looking for – I don’t get excited for every Samsung or HTC launch. I am happy with my iOS handset and only look for upgrades every two years or so. Users of the iPhone 3G/4/4S would likely be happy with this.
Who else would the 5C be good for? My Mom.
But the iPhone 5C is still expensive.
Obviously, C is not for CHEAP. With very similar specs to the iPhone 5 (Yugatech has a comparison table), the 5C is priced at just about $130 dollars lower than the 5S. Therein lies the problem. When targeting ‘emerging’ markets, price points are just as critical as design. The 5C might be good enough for existing users of older iPhones, but not affordable enough to convince the uninitiated to give iOS a try.
I will be doing things a little more differently for September – or maybe I should say I will be going back to basics – but the challenge will be in making sure I keep at it until the end of the month. This is the month I hope to once again meet my Scorecard goals and get me some additional shopping money in the process. 🙂
The blog wasn’t a flurry of activity last month, but that meant more sleep for me – Yay! Less movies were viewed, compared to the weekly trips to the cinema last July (some weeks we even went to see two movies!). No personal projects or goals were undertaken, although I did decide to do Project 31 Selfies on the very last day of the month.
I got to wear a dress to work for each week in August, I think. I love it and I don’t care if anyone doesn’t, ha! 🙂 I plan on doing the same thing this September – no matter if I have to recycle them dresses already 🙂
Here are a few goals I’m hoping to meet for September 2013:
WORK
Weekly 1-1s with my direct reports
Weekly Recognition Day for my business unit (I did three, and missed two for August)
Meet scorecard goal
Start a regular education/personal development session with my team
PERSONAL
Edit book collection/audit TBR pile. Will not go to the NBS sale or the MIBF without first doing this.
Budget, budget. Budget!
Finish my Ripple Blanket and start another crochet/knit project
Continue reading
Write more
Map out home organization project
Go to Corregidor
Sleep minimum 5 hours
Get 15 minutes of daily exercise done
Have a 3-day juice fast
Get two facials done
I wonder how many I’ll really keep up with? We’ll see.
How about you? What are your goals for this month?
The video of Ashton Kutcher’s acceptance speech at the 2013 Teen Choice Awards went viral earlier this week. He received the “Ultimate Choice Award,” and decide to dish out some ultimate advise:
>> Opportunities look a lot like work.
>> The sexiest thing in the entire world is being really smart
>> Build your own life.
Wise words. Really, wise words. If only the audience could stop for a second and really listen. Seriously, it was a great message, but the young ones in the live show wasn’t ready for it. Good thing social media is keeping the message going, so even the young girls who couldn’t stop to listen then can just watch the videos over and over, and then hopefully pick up a lesson or two (or three).
For many people, it’s not easy to talk about building your own life. It is a lot easier to conform – to just fall in line and do what’s been done for a very long time. No one ever said that going with the flow was a bad thing. As for myself, I’m still defining the life I want for the future. I think I’m living a good one right now, but what do I really want for the rest of time? 🙂
