Eyeing for another mobile phone...

Photo Credit

It was only about more than two years ago when I blogged about my plan to buy a new mobile phone.  And now, I'm planning again. :(

Don't get me wrong.  My smartphone is still in excellent condition.  It is just that, the phone I was using while I was in HongKong (especially!) and is using still is about to bid adieu.  And I'm having a separation anxiety already, for sentimental reasons.. :(

Nevertheless, I would want my next mobile phone to have a digital tv feature (fyi, it's more than a year since I've been TV-less).  And because I'm almost always mobile, I would want the inexpensive type, probably P5,000 or less.  But P10,000?  Hmm, I'm thinking..  Is it practical?  I'm not even sure if I'm going to maximize my use of the phone (fyi again, I have been using my old phone mainly as my alarm clock).  And I'm not also sure if TV signal would still be good when I'm at my condo unit, which is about several floors up from the ground.

Please help me decide... :(

My Love for Travelling.. and the blunders of it..

Somewhere in Switzerland..

So much to do right now.. Sad to say, I'm in no mood.. :(

I need to unleash something within me that I've been pondering on since this morning.  That is, my mind is now nagged with the thought of my love for travel.. and well, the spontaneity and adventures that comes with it.  Even just quick hopping from one place to another, just enjoying the view, the sceneries, and the serenity, I would be happy and be contented with that.  Even if I'm alone..

Avenue of the Stars, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Yes, travelling alone is better than being with someone whom you do not share passion for mobility with while expecting and accepting that bloopers might be bumped somewhere along the road.  Things might not turn out the way we expected it to be but it should not have hindered us from savoring every moment of the journey, no matter how perfectly imperfect it may be..

Notre Dame Cathedral, Saigon, Vietnam

That's why I just love to travel alone.  If anything goes wrong, I have no one to blame but myself.  And because I so love myself, I don't physically and mentally torture myself, make a big deal out of petty issues concerning it, waste time fussing about it, and eventually ruin everything just because I made a mistake.  Instead, I just laugh it off and continue making sweet memories out of it.

Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy

Just sayin'.. :(

P.S.  To set things straight, the person I was with during my trips abroad, such as that in the photographs above, is a great travel buddy.  I am looking forward to our next travel together sometime soon! ;)

Opting for an S4

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Now that I have set my mind into buying a new mobile phone which also coincided with the termination of my subscription contract with Smart Communications, Inc., my next step would be to find a new mobile phone.  When I was in HK, I almost bought a Samsung Galaxy which model and features I didn't bother to care about.  I was just too focused on getting a new phone, as a souvenir from HK.

One thing that held me back from buying that phone, aside from the price, of course, was knowing that someday I will regret shelling out a pretty penny without doing any research at all.  As much as I can, I do not want to buy anything on an impulse.  On the other hand however, I tried to justify that I did not have anymore the luxury of time doing my homework while we were in HK.  Good thing, I still listened to my senses.

I found out that the Samsung Galaxy model (I almost had) has features which specifications are lower than that of the S4, not to mention the poor resolution of its camera.  And that model was bigger than the S4!  I could not imagine myself trying to hold a humongous phone in one hand while taking a call. :(

I'm just thankful that I waited this long. :)

Eyeing for a New Mobile Phone

I guess it all started when I yearned for a high-megapixel camera for myself.  I could not even equally reciprocate my colleague's generosity from taking pictures of me while we were having a grand time in Hong Kong.  Our HK memories were beautifully-documented in high-resolution images thanks to her 16-mp Olympus magnificent camera.

No, I was not lost.  I was just talking to a friend over the phone when my colleague took this shot in front of a map at the MTR central station in HK.

Although I had tried to do my share, but my lousy 8-mp camera would barely cooperate at all.  How embarrassing!  I vowed however to properly equip myself for my next travel.  And I mean it!

And not only that, when we took a taxi from the hotel to a friend's house, I let the driver use my phone to talk to my friend and ask for the directions to our destination. He looked at my phone as if it was a Nokia 5110.  I was so amused! Hahaha!

Also, while we were riding a bus going to Admiralty, everyone else was furiously tapping and sliding their fingers on their phones.  Suddenly, my colleague nudged me to take out my phone and compete with them.  And we both giggled in laughter! :)

You see, I am currently using a phone from a non-touchscreen era.  I could even call and text in the middle of a busy street and nobody would dare snatch the phone from me.  Or perhaps, the hold uppers at Cubao would even take pity on me, if not, get the phone and throw it back to me. Whew!

Since I had been planning to buy a new camera and a new mobile phone, I realized I could get the two units in one gadget.  That is, buy a new phone embedded with a high-mp camera.

I was almost at the brink of buying a Samsung Galaxy phone in HK had it not for the very, very limited time that we had.  And I was so haunted by the thought of it even when we were already at the airport to catch for our flight back to Manila, that when I saw the Fortress shop, I literally ran towards it and looked around. Unfortunately, the kuripot in me prevailed, as usual.. Tsk! Tsk!

And it's almost five months since then.  I thought my hunger for a new phone was already a history.  But I was wrong.. Huhuhu

I'm Glad We Didn't Make It

Photo source: goway.com

About two months ago, my sister prodded me to check on the rates for a Hongkong holiday package tour.  Our travel was supposed to be scheduled either at the end of August or 1st half of September.  I even inquired thru my fellow blogger, nikki, who had recently been in Hongkong, about the cost.  She was kind enough to provide me the needed information including the contact no. of her travel agency.

However, the time in our hands was not sufficient for us to properly plan and prepare for the family trip.  I, on the other hand, was not so keen on applying for another vacation leave as I have tons of workload impatiently waiting for me at the office.

Then, it happened.  The August 23 hijacking incident at Quirino Grandstand.  Days after, we watched and listened to various horror stories about how emotional was some of the Chinese that they turned their outrage to the Filipinos in Hongkong.

So sad.  Selfish as one might think, I'm just thankful that my family and I were not able to make it to Hongkong.. :)