New Year's Eve 2014

This New Year's Eve is different. Unlike the past New Year's Eve where I was feeling pumped up and excited, I just wanted this one to be over with. It is not because I've come to hate this day. It is because I've learned that it is just a pause. Amidst all the celebration and hopefulness we have for the coming year, you have to put in the work if you want to get somewhere. There is no luck or good fortune involved. Maybe just a little bit. But the bulk of it is just work.

And that is why I was not excited about New Year's Eve unlike before.

And so what I am doing now is starting to work on 2015. I got some 365 days projects that I am thinking of like 365 days blogging, speed painting, programming, selling, print designing, etc.

Smartphones as Desktop Replacement

People used to need a desktop computers to do many tasks. But these days, smartphones have gotten so powerful - you could practically do most of your work using it.

It is amazing just thinking about it.

In fact, from now on, I'm thinking of doing all my writing jobs using only my phone.

I could imagine myself just sitting in a coffeeshop, in some mall, tapping away on the virtual keyboard.

If I get bored with my surroundings, I could get up, walk, find a park, sit, and continue what I am doing.

The only problem that I see is battery life.  Simply leaving the screen on for a long time drains the battery already. What more if I have a couple of Apps open?

And also, working outside will require me to bring an extra battery, a powerbank or find a 7-Eleven store where they provide free smartphone chargers.

Nevertheless, we are living in exciting times. The convenience of doing work wherever we like to was not available before.

Six Days of Cycling

Today I rode the bike for two hours. I must have pedaled for about 12 kilometers. I started doing this last March 10, 2014. It is almost one week now.

There are still no changes to my body. I still carry a lot of fats around. Anyway, it has just been a week. But I notice that I'm feel more energetic now which is strange, because when I go cycling, my goal is always to to perspire and get tired.

But if you read health journals you will find that this effect is normal if you exercise. You expend energy and yet you will get back more energy.

Now I am asking myself why I haven't done it a couple of years ago.

How I Started Cycling

I tried jogging for health reasons. But whenever I am jogging, I look around at the people I'm passing by and I don't feel comfortable. In my mind I thought they are probably thinking, “lol at the fat guy trying to lose weight and struggling with every stride”.

But when I am on a bike, I don't feel that way. Because it looks like I am doing something. I am riding a bike. And as I pass by I think the people around would just give me a short glance and say, “Oh, it is just a fat guy riding a bike”.

I think my ego can handle that. And that is when I decided that cycling would be my form of exercise.

March 2014

Just like that, we are now at the last month of the first quarter of 2014.  It seems just yesterday when I wrote this New Year's post.

So where am I now?

Uhm. Time moves so fast.  I think I need to run faster.

CDR King: 3G Broadband USB Modem

Very early in the morning of January 8, 2014 my Globe WiMAX modem rebooted. After it restarted I found that I could no longer connect to any cellsite.  I called the Customer Service and asked for support. The lady at the other end said that their technicians are all tied up at the moment. They would only be able to check my modem after three days.

These days it is unimaginable for anyone to have no internet access for three days. More so if you are an online worker.

So I borrowed my sister's old Smart 3G USB stick. I also bought a CDR King WR-NET-032-CC (WU260) 3G Broadband USB Modem. My sister's 3G USB was very old. I think it was the first model that came out when smart started offering 3G internet.  I thought that CDR King's 3G USB might perform better because it is a newer model.

Here are my findings:


CDR King 3G USB Advantages
1. Open line. You can use Smart, Globe, or Sun Cellular SIM.
2. Burst Speed 7.2 Mbps. I've seen it burst to 3 Mbps

Disadvantages
1. Weak Signal Reception.  I've tested it many times at different locations in the house and the old
Smart USB stick's reception always comes out better.
2. Average Bandwidth is Slower. Weaker signal results to slower internet speed.
3. Can't register to UNLISURF.  For some reason my unit would not allow me to subscribe to Unlisurf.
If anyone experienced a different result with regards to this issue, please feel free to leave a comment.

In conclusion, I could not recommend buying it because of weaker performance compared to even a very old Smart Starter Plug It.

Early 2014

The second day of January 2014 is about to end. Every late in the year people await December 31, the last day of the year. Everyone is full of hope because everyone gets a sense of renewal. If we made a mess during the previous months of the year, we can all start again, everything resets during midnight of the last day of the year.

But now it is January 2. Tomorrow is January 3. The days will pass quickly and then we will find ourselves staring at another new year. The question at the end of the year is, what change happened to us? Did we progress? Did we regress? The hope is, we come out a better person every time. Whatever your definition of a better person is: whether achieving goals you've set out for yourselves, or becoming kinder, more compassionate, being able to do something that benefits many, or gaining a better understanding of ourselves which can help in a lot of areas in our lives.

It is January 2. The rest of the year is like a blank canvas. What image will you paint? Will you paint something happy? Will you paint something sad unaware? Will you paint your year neutral? Will you paint something vibrant? What ever you do during the coming days will determine the outcome of your personal painting.

Here is to working and hoping that we end up with our personal masterpiece.