The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Hi! No I’m not dead. I’m just not online. Many of you (sweethearts) have called or sent me emails asking if I’m alright, how I’m doing or if everything is okay.

Yes, my dears, I’m fine.
I just haven’t been living in my online sphere that’s all.

 

I’m still kicking and very much alive – in a place called the real world.

There’s such a thing, you know? 😛

 

 

Two weeks ago, I sent in my iPhone 5S to Maxis for some troubleshooting due to some battery issues. It all started a month ago.

When my iPhone’s usual 6-7 hour battery life took a nosedive into a miserable 3 hour lifespan, I began to think something was amiss.

 

 

But I only knew for certain that something was dreadfully wrong was when one night’s sleep – without touching my iPhone, could deplete its juice from 100% down to 17%.

DribbleDribbleDribbleDribbleDribbleDribble

Before any of you techies jump to conclusion, yes – all my apps are turned off, battery-draining features/settings are disabled and nothing is running in the background.

Chop sign confirm la. Cool
Okay, back to the story.
So I sent it in and I was told that within 14 working days, Apple’s standard practice usually has customers getting back a new iPhone of the same model to replace their faulty current one! Hurrah! New iPhone. Laughing

 

Looks like I won’t be needing to get my iPhone 6 after all hehe. Big Smile

 

Anyway, it has been almost 2 weeks and I’ve been having pretty mixed feelings about being deprived of a smartphone in today’s fast-paced bubble, home to my own kind, Generation X & Y. Here’s what I have to say.

 

THE GOOD Ha Ha

 

1.     I actually READ THE NEWSPAPER now.

No, it isn’t an ‘old-man thing to do’.  I am sitting in San Francisco Coffee as we speak and I’ve just finished reading the New Straits Times, The Star and the New York Times.

 

It has been a long time since I’ve touched a hard copy of a periodical.

And hey look – my fingers are darkened with carbon-stained ink. Laughing This reminds me of my high school days where my fingers will all be blackened after reading the newspaper!

I’ve begun to continue where I left off in my daily reading habits.
Truth be told, there’s nothing like the tactile pleasure of flipping pages. Not e-pages or Kindles, mind you, I’m referring to actual paperback novels.

 


My bookmarks and bookshelves at home now play more than just decoration feigning intelligence. I used to be such an avid reader when I was younger and now… I’m back to reading bedtime stories! (Gee, I hope this lasts)

 


Oh and you know when I see well-dressed guys in geeky glasses reading a novel while waiting at a café, a bus stop or whatever?  That is so sexy. Just saying.Cool

 

 
2.    I pay attention to my surroundings!
Ergo, I realize I don’t bump into objects/people while walking.

OR walk into the wrong bathroom as often anymore. Damn. Been one too many times… Yell

 

 

I tend to look around more around the suburbs, towns and cities I’m in and the places I go, instead of keeping my eyes fixated on my phone running my blog, replying emails, replying texts and keeping updated with social media feeds & digital marketing pointers on all platforms. Surprised

Hey, don’t blame me. Social media is my profession.

That’s the industry that puts the food on my plate.

 

Sometimes, I take multitasking too seriously when I’m with my iPhone.

 

 

 
3.    I am closer to the people around me.
Chatting with my loved ones and friends face-to-face beats typing on a touch screen, hands down! Social media…? More like anti-social media, because most smartphone savvy & social media junkies neglect their nearest and dearest way too often.

It is not only disrespectful to be glued to your phones whilst out with anyone, but it also implies that whatever it is on your screen is more interesting that the person/company you’re with. Undecided

 

Guilty?

 

Talking to other people when you’re supposed to be talking to the ones in close proximity?

Not a very nice thing to do.
Being apart from my iPhone has brought me even closer to my bestest buddies during outings and I’m thankful for those real moments spent side by side.

Thankfully, I never ever have this problem with moo, as we naturally put away our phones when we’re spending quality time together or out on dates. Kiss Yay!

 

 

4.    Living in the moment instead of always trying to capture the moment.
This is where photographic memory kicked in. During those two weeks, I got to live in the moment and depended on my memory to smile back on, instead of trying relentlessly to capture everything on my camera roll and video stream.

Just like the old times – wasn’t life much easier to take in all you see with your OWN RETINA instead of that retina display?

 

 

 I know how good memories ought to be recorded for keepsake and good things ought to be shared; but to a certain extent. Having the liberty and the growing dependency on my iPhone has exceeded this ‘certain extent’ to every hour and every day.

 

 

5.    Admittedly, I now pay rock solid attention on the road.
Don’t chide me for this. I know how dangerous it is, but I’ve been doing this throughout all my years of driving. Maybe I’m just good at it – LOL I shouldn’t speak too soon.

But I’ve got a clean track record of driving to prove it. Nothing to be proud of but yes, just putting it out there 😛 #JustSaying

 

This only becomes a bane when you’re stuck in a merciless traffic jam alone and there’s absolutely nothing to do and no one to chat with or nothing to entertain yourself with.

I used to smoke while driving on the road but ever since I quit smoking, I now have even lesser things to do. 

 

6.    Safety reasons.
My phone is now always snugly in my bag instead of exposed to snatch thieves.

As mentioned in previous blog posts, my iPhone never leaves the palm of my hand. I like being extremely contactable and almost all my replies are instant – sue me.

But for the past 2 weeks, I’m hardly ever contactable so I didn’t see the point of holding my phone 24/7 anymore. Surprised

 

 

Sometimes, I even forget that I have my phone in my bag at all! Which is a good thing… I think. Since this exhibits a significant detachment to my phone.

Yay! Progress. Big Smile

Crap. I sound like I need rehab for mobile phone & internet addiction. Surprised

 

 
THE BAD  Furious

 

1.    I get lost on the road!

 


I am a hopeless nut on the road without my GPS, Waze or even Google Maps, resulting in unnecessary time wasted in traffic gridlocks due to all the wrong turns and detours.

Time & fuel wasted – now that’s frustrating. Yell

 

 

2.    Moo & I can’t get in touch
We talk and chat on a daily (more like hourly! Haha) basis and without my phone, we weren’t able to text via Whatsapp! That really sucks. Cry

Sure, there’s always SMS but seriously…? This isn’t the year 2002 anymore.

Nobody CHATS via SMS, unless you’re willing to pay for each time a text is sent. Yikes. That’s not chatting to me.

So we resorted to things like Gtalk, emails and Skype when I’m on the computer.

 

For the record, I use SMS too but the only SMS I receive is from Maxis.

 

 

3.    Similar to the above, I am unreachable instantly.
None of my clients are able to quickly get in touch with me or invite me to their events.

It will leave them wondering why I’m not keen all of a sudden. I also don’t get to chat with my family in our chatroom anymore.

 

Random (silly) Whatsapp chats with mom.

 

My friends also wonder why I’ve stopped replying them on Whatsapp…

 

 

4.    No access to details and information.
You know how sometimes when you just want a quick check of information, names, prices, dates, spelling, location and so on? Google is always your best friend.

 

Yeah, being able to access details like that in under 5 seconds now leaves me hanging in the dark and struggling to retrieve information I need, especially when I really need to know something on the spot. Cry 

It absolutely sucks when you’re just so used to finding out the answers to your questions almost immediately!

 

 

Looks like we’ve weighed both the bad and the good… so which one triumphs?

 

Being away from your phone for so long makes you realize u can actually live without it and maximize LIFE as it is, nature, surroundings, people and everything around you instead of occupying yourself with only your phone.

 

 

 

First world problems, indeed. Ahh!

That said, of course you can easily say ‘why not just put it down or turn it off?’ Easier said than done, darling. People have become so attached to their gadgets that it’s as though their lives depended on it.

There’s more to life than the windows in your gadget.

 

Using the mobile phone is inevitable, but I guess being apart from my iPhone for what feels like eternity was a very interesting life lesson. A kind of lesson that reminds you of what really matters most.

 

 

Now… moving on, dear Maxis, would you give me back my phone already?

I think you’ve done me a good favour by teaching me this wonderful lesson. Also, I think I’ve had enough isolation. 😛 I promise I won’t abuse this freedom again. Teehee. Laughing

 

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