It’s The Phone’s Fault! & Cool Things I Came Across This Week…
It’s The Phone’s Fault!
Hi!
I know I know… I broke my 3x a week rule for the blog! I’ve been busy! Partly because my cell phone (my Sony Ericsson P1i) has stopped syning data with my MacBook Pro entirely! I am constantly having to actually remember to go to meetings, and do tasks (things I never gave a thought to, as my beloved phone always reminded me of everything!). I’ve tried all I can think of. I’ve contact SonEr’s customer service, I’ve even wiped the phone clean of data, and reloaded ths software with the latest patches! NOTHING WORKS!
For the last month I’ve been suffering with this issue. I’ve been hunting for a new phone. Sure, people who know me know I want that sexy-ass iPhone 3G, but I don’t! I’ve found out some very very disturbing things about it (eg., Bluetooth will only work with headsets; you can’t transfer files or contacts etc! AND, you can get email withattachment, but you cannot “save” the attachments on the phone! STUPID!). I’m sure one day the iPhone will be “ready” for me, but today’s not that day! I will wait for the next iPhone release (maybe in a year or 1.5yrs–typical of Apple’s releases of upgraded hardware) to see. But for now, I need a phone, so I’ve done tons of research.
*~ Phone images are copyright of BoyGeniusReport.com ~*
I’ve narrowed my choices down to either the Blackberry Bold, or the Nokia E71: So, will my new phone be a Blackberry? Or (shudder…) will it be a Nokia? I need a phone that will be 100% Compatible with Mac! Now, the Blackberry Bold is hyper hot, and is a “business user’s dream machine,” but it lacks good web browsing, especially for FLASH websites (yes, I use my phone for EVERYTHING).
For Nokia, they just released a new QWERTY phone (I love QWERTY keyboard phones): the Nokia E71. This phone is seriously nicccceeeeee. See the pics, and go “wowwwwwww” in unison! Besides being the thinnest (just 10mm thick….uh 1cm hahaha), and smallest QWERTY smartphone, it has virtually every feature! 3G, WCDMA, WiFi, GPS, ABC, EFG, HIJkLMNOP… You get the idea. The battery life is insane: 10hrs talk time, 17days standby! (and that is with 3G turned on!…so batt will last EVEN LONGER with it off). The phone is sexy too….(yes, that is a requirement!). I should mention, the Blackberry Bold is one of the only two phones who can match the batt life (the other phone being the Nokia E90 Communicator, which I hate).
According to reviews, the Blackberry does email and message better than the E71, but the E71 does everything else bettter. Well duh! Blackberry and “business messaging” are synonyms! But, when I say “better” let me give u a visual. If the Blackberry is a 10 for email/messaging, then the E71 is an 9. But, if the E71 is better for others, such as true web browsing (flash, xhtml, etc), at 9.5, then the Blackberry is a 7 for those items. Also, given the E71 uses Sybian OS, there are thousands of 3rd party applications for it…For blackberry, you will be hard pressed to find even 20 apps. Hmmmm You see my delimma?
*~ I’m 95% sure I will get the Nokia ~*
Cool Things I came Across On the Internet
Anyway, I am reading more and more news on Digg (www.digg.com). I used to dislike the site, but more and more lately, I’ve been really “digging” it hahahaha (forgive the poor pun!). I found some interesting stories! Here are 5 stories that were either informative, cool, or just fun! Ok!
1.
“HK Man Has Sex With Steel Bench & Gets Penis Stuck” – enough said! Basically, he decided to masturbate with a park bench. When his “thing” swelled it was wider than the tiny hole. Since it was tight, blood could not escape, thus he was “stuck.” hahahahaha. The police and to cut the bench from the legs, then rush him, and the bench to the emergency room hahahahahaha.
2.
“Surprise: New iPhone comes loaded with photos of girl who made it” – this is so cool! The girl (she can’t be older than 16) who works in the Chinese factory that assembles and tests the iPhone evidently took photos of herself, at the factory! Am I wrong, do I see a PC in the factory that is making Mac products? Anyway, when the UK owner turned on his new phone, instead of the iPhone default wallpaper, he got a pic of her! hahaha. Click the story title to see other photos of her. She’s so happy and sweet! I really smile when I see her photos. I just hope she did not lose her job over it!
*~ Update: According to a spokesman from the Chinese factory, which makes the majority of iPhones and iPods sold around the world, She did not lose her job. The girl was shocked her photo was seen by so many and that she became so famous, as she had no idea her coworker (who shot the photos of her, as a test of the camera) forgot to delete the photos. But fame has a downside: lots of Internet weirdos iPhone users want to meet her! Some are even planning trips to the factory (can you say “scary” boys and girls?) ~*
3.
“Superman Franchise To Be Rebooted” – THANK YOU, GOD! Nonono..I am not a Superman hater. I love the Superman movies, EXCEPT THE LAST ONE: SUPERMAN RETURNS! I waited 20 years, TWENTY YEARS for that movie! I waited through 6 Batman, 4 Star Wars, 3 Matrix, 3 X-Men, and 6-Star Trek movies, to get my beloved Superman movie. And, what did I get? Disappointment! It was a horrid movie for a number of reasons. I am so glad DC and Warner Bros will “ignore that horrid movie was ever made”, fire the idiot director, fire that “new superman” and cast, and start from scratch: Similar to how Marvel did with Hulk. lol
4.
10 People with Unbelievable Health Conditions” – Such as the woman who is allergic to water, the man who can’t stop hiccuping, and the woman (pictured here) who has 200 orgasms a day (no joke!). For ‘Miss O.” she has a hyper sensitivity issue: vibrations (from almost anything, anywhere, on any body part) make her ummm…. you know. She cant even go to movies with loud Dolby speakers, as the vibrations make her… uh…ohhh ohhhhhhh uhhhhhhh ….. sorry. LOL
5. “Police Arrest Ninja Nerds Claiming To Target Drug Dealers” – (no picture: ninjas are never seen hahaha) This story is just stupid funny. It’s like they saw “Iron Monkey” and decided to do the same stuff!
Anyway, I will write more tomorrow night!
Mail Call…
This post will be very fast. I just wanted to answer more emails that I received:
Lisa Wrote: “Hi, Rodney. Do you still do humanitarian photography? “
Yes, I do! But with this new job, which is quite demanding, I onlyh can go on weekends, after planning it. I am starting a new project in the very near future!
Justin Wrote: “What do you think of the politics there?”
Hmm, That is a sensitive topic for Indonesia! I can say they believe in diversity for political parties. While America has two main parties, and a bunch of smaller ones which rarely are even herad of, Indonesia has like 30+ parties, and all the candidates really get heard from by the people. I think more mainstream parties in the USA would be a blessing.
Janice Wrote: “I heard Jakarta has many malls. Which do you like the least?”
Wow, that is an interesting spin. First, yes, there are tons of malls in this city. Back in Norfolk, VA, there were only 2 malls that I can remember (MacAuthor Mall, and Military Circle). Here, I can’t count them all, and each one here is hugeeeeeee in size. (MacAutorh was just barely 3 floors, with the 3rd having a food court and movie theatre hahaha, and Military Circle is 1 floor only!” If people from Norfolk came here, they’d be shocked. Taman Anggrek Mall, alone, would scare them due to its size and 8 floors, with a full-sized ice skating rink (plus dozens of other stores still) on the 3rd level! Second, of all the malls, I HATE Plaza Semangi! My friends all seem to like it. I hate it. It is like floor after floor of circles. Each floor is just a circle. I hate the place. I hate going there. I do not have a favorite mall yet.
Keiko Wrote: “You have been there over a year now. Do you feel comfortable there as non-typical American Bule?”
Hi, Most people here do not see me as American. To them, Americans are whites. When they see black guys, they tend to think Nigerian (even though my friends say blacks from Nigeria and black from the West look very diff, I do not see how though). Also, Bule is only used with whites. Indonesians will say it is for all foreigners, but from what I’ve seen, it is only used with Whites. The very word means “pale” (its origins are from the old days of the dutch, when Indonesians would jokingly call the Dutch “bule” cos they were pale skinned).
My experience here is that people in Indonesia tend to be more open to “dark” people than most other Asian countries. EX: In Bangkok, they will bend over backwards to smile and “thank you! thank you!” to whites, but for me, they ignore me until they hear my voice, then suddenly “oh, you are American! ” and I get “thank you!” (but not 2 thank yous hahahaha). I think Indonesia is similar: they treat me diff once they know where I am from, but even beforehand, they are not as rude as most other Asian countries. Maybe because Indonesians have “dark” skinned Indonesians here (in the East), they are more used to seeing dark people. I find that if you are poliet, and treat people in a fair way, you will be ok here.
Christi Wrote: “What food have you not tried yet, that you hear a lot about? Why have you not tried it yet?”
Gado-gado! I hear about Gado-gado so much and often, yet not tried it, because of the horrid description of it (horrid to me). It seems to be a mix of everything else, even chips! I also have not tried Durian yet, which is a real shame. I want to try both of these!
Ok, enough email for now. Please take care!
Get Your Own Damn Fries!
Why Why Why. “Why” is the question-word of the day.
The Evil Twin (who insists on feeding her cat despite the fact it keeps it alive with a shiny coat) and I were talking recently, when I saw some girl at a the food court keep reaching for the guy’s food, even when she had her own. It reminded me of something I am sure every guy can relate to, and wonder about. I have a question for women:
Why do women (in general) want the guy’s food, instead of buying her own, especially when he is perfectly willing to buy it for her? Let me give an example of an old McDonald’s commercial from the USA…
- McD Girl: “Hello, may I take your order please?”
- Guy: “Yeah, I’d like the Big Mac value meal, “go large”"
- Girl: “I’ll have the cheeseburger and medium coke, please.”
- Guy: “You don’t want fries? You can get the combo.”
- Girl: *big smile* “Oh, it’s ok, I’ll just have some of yours.”
- Guy: *looking perplexed* “Uh no. Those are my fries. I ordered the size I wanted. You can order fries for yourself.”
- Girl: “No, I will just have a few of yours. I not want a full order.”
- Guy: *voice starting to strain* “Nooooo, I want my fries. If you only want a few, just order the small size then. I want my fries!”
- McD Girl: *looking back and forth between them like it’s a tennis match*
- Girl: *more stern voice* “I’ll have some of his.”
- Guy: *pissed and grumbling*
And he is out of fries! WTF? Why do women do that!? And it happens for a lot of things: sodas, movie popcorn, you name it! Why do women declining their own yummy munchies, yet want part of the guy’s? Why must he go with fewer snacks, especially when he is perfectly willing to buy her some of her own?
Maybe this is selfish sounding to women, but I am sure EVERY guy out there knows what I am talking about. I can hear Adam now, talking to Eve:
*~ Give Me My Damn Rib Back! ~*
Yes yes yes, from the beginning of creation, women have been taking men’s stuff! Now we have one less rib to protect or sensitive innards! Ok, I’m just kidding on the Adam/Eve part, but you get my drift!
As for my circle of friends, The Evil Us’s, we tend to pool our munchies resources every time: We pass around buckets of popcorn, drinks, and Quickly Slush Ice drinks (always a new 3-flavor combo, to keep the others guessing) I always sneak into theaters. It is understood we share it all, and everyone contributes. But, for couples, it changes! It really seems to me women want some sort of proof she’s special, but denying the guy munchies!
If you notice, it never the opposite: where the guy intentionally under-orders, so he can eat hers on purpose. And I do not want to hear anything about “men are provider” bullshit, cos he wanted to buy her her own fries, which IS providing! He wanted to provide even MORE fries. This is a case of women purely wanting the guy to have less!
So, for every guy out there, who must fake a smile while she happily takes MANY MORE THAT JUST A FEW FRIES, I will say it for you:
*~ Women: Get Your Own Damn Fries! ~*
Thank you
Tommy Hilfiger, Apples and Lemons…
I love colognes. I have used a few over the years, from Calvin Klein’s Eternity to Aigner Black (my recent fav), and I still love them all, but decided to try something new. So, I got a very nice Hugo Boss, and a yummy Tommy Hilfiger scent! I will let The Evil Twin’s sister, Princess Blackstar, be the judge of these new ones.
Ok, enough about how I smell. I have a funny (maybe tragic, but funny) story to share. And it is a REAL true story! As you know, China and Hong Kong are known for their pirated items. For example, you may see a very cool Snoopy T-shirt, but when you get closer to it, it says “SHOOPY” instead, and the dog looks slightly “different.” This is a story about such a thing: A friend’s father is in China, and doing some shopping. He made a purchase, and is so happy he calls the his daughter…
- Dewi: “Hello?”
- Dad: “Hi! I got a new laptop!”
- Dewi: “Wow! That is great! What kind is it?”
- Dad: “It’s that popular one that you see a lot of in Jakarta, with that Apple logo”
- Dewi: “Wow, you got a MacBook! Can I have it?”
- Dad: “No way! It’s mine! I love how that apple glows. That full apple looks like a full moon glowing and….”
- Dewi: “Wait….. A full apple? Apple’s logo has a bite take out of its side! You must have bought a fake MacBook!”
*~ Wow wow wow ~*
Maybe the Logo looked like: 
instead of 
I wonder what the box looked like??? Anyway, the moral of the story is be careful what you buy!
S$1900 for iPhone 3G: Am I Stu-Stu-Stu-Stupid?…
Yensi and I had a super time in Singapore during my visit there! We went all over the place, including a new (to me) mall: Cathay. She really helped to keep me calm and cheered up there (see previous blog about being terminally ill in Changi Airport).
Anyway, before there, we went to tech-heaven: Sim Lim Square!
I wanted to see what the iPhone 3G was selling for and play with one to see how easy it is to write SMS messages on a touch screen. In the USA, it’s US$199 (8GB) and US$299 (16GB). Add about US$100 for the “unlocked” (non AT&T) ones. So, US$399 is great still.
There are many levels in Sim Lim Square. The first floor, and vendors near the first floor entrance are always the priciest shops. It’s ok to get their prices, but never immediately buy from them! Check the other shops, and play them against each other for the best prices! So, I go to the first shop I see on the first floor with mobile phones. I saw the yummy iPhone 3G box in the glass display, so I asked the price:
- Rod: Hi! Is that the new iPhone 3G? How much is it?”
- Blood Sucking Salesman: “S$1750″ He said this with such big, smug smile on his face that said “Yeah, and what you gonna do about it?”
- Rod: “What??? S$1750??? Why on Earth would anyone play so much, when it can be bought in America for just $399!?”
- BS: “Maybe you should buy it in America then and buy it.” *~ What!? !@#$@! It’s on now! ~*
- Rod: “For S$1000 I actually could fly to America and buy it!” *~ Smack-down, bitch! You’ve been served! ~*
- BS: “Uh, ummm, uhhh, uhhhhh….” Thinking of what to say… forget it…
Yensi and I went around the mall, various floors asking. The prices ranged from S$1650 to S$1900!
At an Apple dealer, we aske their price. They did not have it yet. Nor did SingTel. Ahhhhh, then I realized the iPhone is not officially released in Singapore, and those Sim Lim Blood Suckers thought they would ask incredible + S$1000 prices!
I want the iPhone, but Dang! I’ll just wait for it to be released! (I’ll prob have to order it: no telling how long it will be before Jakarta gets it hahaha).
I’m Terminally Ill *~ Cryyy ~*…
No No No. I’m not dying, literally. I’m stuck here in Terminal 1 of Changi Airport, just like Tom Hanks in “The Terminal!” These last few days have been a test of patience, agility, self-control, and anger management!
Ok, let me get this off my chest: I hate my company’s travel agent! I hate hate hate her! I hate how she never has copies of paperwork. I hate how she says she I must call airline (she’s the f-ing travel agent, that is HER !@#$ job), and I HATE HOW SHE FLIRTS (I’m not kidding. I had to threaten her with telling my HR what she is doing)! She’s as deadly as Agent Orange! And just like Agent Orange, she’s making me sick on every level of existance!
*~ To Agent Orange: I not care that your Korean husband is not f-ing you! I not want to hear it again, and I not care your hair used to be longer than in your Yahoo picture! I just want my flight, Damn It!~*
The Story:
Ok, you all know I’m in Singapore getting my work Visa (yes, still trying). Normally, it takes 2 business days to get it processed (unless your company is nice enough to hire an agent, then u get it in hours, but my co is not that nice). I went there early Thursday morning, stood in queue almost 3 hours, then turned my application and passport in. I was told it will be ready on Monday, between 3 and 5 PM.
*~ You’re thinking “Wait! If it’s Thursday, it should be ready by Friday’s 3-5 PM! ~*
Well, Wednesday was an Indonesian holiday, so they lost a day’s work. so they are backed up! The end result is 3 business days!
The problem is my return flight was for 10 AM on Monday. I notified my HR department, who told me they will handle it. Friday comes, and they want me to fax my e-ticket paper (single sheet) to Agent Orange. All of this conversation takes place in SMS (which costs a lot when roaming internationally!:
- HR: “Rod, uh can you fax to me your e-ticket paper? The travel agent needs info from it”
- Rod: “I’m not near the hotel. The agent should have everything I have. That’s their job!”
- HR: “She says she not has it. She needs your copy. Sorry, Rod”
- Rod: “Why does she not have it!? This happened last trip, too! I will have to go back to hotel and fax it”
This was friday. I give the information to HR. HR tells me all wil be taken care of, and she will contact me with the new flight information. Friday passes. Saturday, Sunday, now it is Monday and still no information! I spend more $ sending SMS back and forth with HR:
12 PM: I’m sitting in Starbucks, working in PowerPoint, preparing my presentation I’m giving the senior directors and managers…
- Rod: “Hi, <name>. Can you give me an update about my flight back?”
- HR: “Uh, yes. The agent says she can’t change the flight right now. She suggests you do it yourself.”
- Rod: “If I do it myself, why do we need an agent? And what happen Friday and Sat when she was supposed to be doing it????”
*~ Yes, I’m pissed off to the highest of pisstivity! ~*
- HR: “Yeah, I know. But she said you can do it. And you will need to pay for the new ticket…”
- Rod: *sizzle* “The current ticket is good until 30-August! Why can’t she change the flight! If she contacted them on Friday, as she said, it would have been easy! And why should I be the one to pay? If an new ticket must be purchased, it should be the company pay for it, through that horrid travel agent if you want! I strongly feel it is not my place to pay for a ticket that is already purchased, and still good for another 26 days!!!”
- Rod: “Even if I were to agree to pay it myself, I can’t because I have to have my passport, which is being processed still! If another ticket is needed, why can’t she do it? You really need to get a new travel agent. She can’t do anything beyond booking flights? We can do that online ourselves!
- HR: “Ok, let me check…”
5:30 PM: 5.5hrs Stilllll at Starbucks waiting… PowerPoint Presentation is done, and I’m working my way through my 3rd Venti Ice Mocha Frappuccino… I SMS HR…
- Rod: “Hello? has there been any progress at all?????????????”
- HR: “Hi, Rod, sorry. You can take the 10:55 PM flight, in business class, but you will have to pay US$50, which we will reimburse you for, of course. Please don’t be mad, Rod…”
- Rod: “Ok, thanks…” I leave Starbucks and go to the hotel to get my suitcase, which is in storage (I had to check-out by 12 noon) and head directly to the airport from the hotel.
6:40 PM: At Garuda’s customer service Desk…
- Rod: “Hi, I am Rodney. I was told by my agent to come here, and pay a fee for changing flights”
- Garuda Lady: “Hello, Rodney…. Hmmm, I see no change by any agent. We see you missed your 10 AM flight only.”
- Rod: “My agent called and arranged my ticket change, but there would be a fee as it was a missed flight”
- GL: “No, we have not and any contact with any agent, since the ticket was originally purchased over a week ago”
*~ What! The Agent Lied! ~*
- Rod: “I was told to pay US$50, and take the 10:55 Flight in Business Class…”
- GL: “We have one seat available in Business Class. That will be S$224 please…”
*~ WTF! S$224 is a LOT MORE than US$50! ~*
- Rod: “Ok……”
6:50PM: Walking from Garuda counter, to the executive lounge, to wait for 3.5 hours for my boarding time. I might as well enjoy the free food and drinks, damn it! But, I had to let HR know what happened. More SMS:
- Rod: “Hi, <name>. The agent never contacted Garuda, even last week after having me fax that doc she should have already had. And, it is S$224, not US$50…..take care.”
- HR: “Sorry, Rod…
“
Now it is 7:53. I’m full of “savory rice with chicken and mushrooms” and pineapple juice. I’m writing this blog to vent, while chatting with Yensi, who is about to log out to go home…
Oh, in case you not noticed, I’ve added my Twitter Feed to my blog. I tend to update Twitter with current stuff a few times a day. Anyway, time to start hitting the apple juice!
Cheers…