Finally, after a couple of months of deliberating and wondering if i should have it.. I've got it!! Thanks to my generous godmum, mum and my birthday timing.



I got the iFl.exi Val.ue plan which is more than enough for my monthly SMS and call usage.

The initial 300MB data bundle was a bit iffy. But with a stroke of luck and powerful persistence from my godma, I managed to get 1GB. For free.

When my godma went to buy my phone for me, she tried bargaining for them to give me a 1GB bundle instead of 300MB. The staff there, probably being inexperienced, didn't realise that this promotion ended last year, and thus agreed. Later someone realised this mistake and they tried to call us to inform us that they couldn't do so..

..but they did not realise who they were up against.

Of course they lost. Under the onslaught of anger and scoldings (from what I understand there was a lot of "What is the meaning of this?!" and "I am going to lodge a complaint to your supervisor! Put him on the phone NOW!") from my brilliant godma, they had no choice but to accede to our request (which was their original offer in the first place anyway). So, I am muchly pleased with a triple in amount of my surfing capabilities.

But ST being ST.. fingers crossed that the processing will go through.

In the meantime though, I am fully glad.

Although the battery life is somewhat of a contention. It drains about 60-80% in a day. Hmmmmm.

For my birthday, I'm considering getting a new HP.

It's about time I upgraded my phone plan; even though I've always maintained low handphone use I still think it'll be more prudent to get a plan where I have an option to increase usage, be it talk time or sms.

And this prudence should be especially exercised given recent circumstances.

With all plan upgrades, come a new phone. So my current question is, should I get a new phone? If so, should I get the iPhone?

So anyway, my current plan costs only like $20 bucks and my phone bill is always around this amount. Most of the time anyway.

As of now, I have a few options:
1. Get the iOn.e plan; 100 min out, 500 sms, for about $25, but pay $850 for the iP.hone.
2. Get the 3G Fl.exi plan; 200 min out, 500 sms, 300MB data, for about $60, and pay $500 for the iP.hone.
3. Get the iOn.e plan, get different phone. Cheaper plus can trade in.
4. Get the iO.ne plan, stick to current phone.

Option 4 is of course, the easiest, most economically sound, and most hassle-free. However, it is also the most sian option.

Option 3 is probably quite a sound option as well, however, I am not interested in most phones now except for the iPhone. I don't really want to go back to Nokia again because.. I just don't feel like.

Which brings me to the question if I want the iPhone enough in the first place! It's not exactly like I'm rolling around in cash to splurge on it, even if I could request chip-ins for my birthday present.

Do I also need a $60 plan? I've been consistently spending less than $30 on my phone bill for YEARS and I always use my phone as much as I want. That's how much, or rather how little I use my phone.

And the thought of needing to add all the applications is also quite sian.

So how? Give in to the fad and get a new toy, or be level-headed in poor economic times?

Tsk. And they say the young have no issues to mull over!

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
- Went to Taiwan, got to know Taiwanese people
- Went to Siam Reap and saw Angkor Wat
- Got contact lenses, got braces
- Gambled at a casino.

Among other things. -smirk

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don’t make NYRs, but I probably should resolve to be a nicer person.
To know how to work and to play; I think it’ll be damned sad if my youth is used too much for work. But of course, excellence still has to be maintained and I’m trying to figure out the balance.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope. My friends are, although physically of child-bearing age, mentally and emotionally probably not so. I shouldn’t assume that people are not having sex, but it would be shocking if one of them suddenly produced a child.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No. Thank you, god, for that.

5. What countries did you visit?
Cambodia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia.
Taiwan being the most interesting one of them, of course, even though it wasn’t as fun as I expected.


6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
More money. Less stress. More happiness. More time. More sleep.

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Several, I guess, all for different reasons.
Probably 14/11, 17/11 or 20/12. All personal.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
This won’t be an objective achievement like winning Roland Garros or whatever, but I would say it’s being able to spend less time soaking in my books and able to enjoy myself and still able to maintain a decent grade level.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Hmm, the first thing that jumped to mind was my, ahem, B+ grade, or my less-than-up-to-usual-selfimposed-standard for several tests. But the implications of what my life revolves around would be terribly sad if my biggest failure in 2008 was something so normal as achieving (an actually good) B+ grade.

So I guess, I would say that it’s probably human relationships. I could’ve been closer to my family, or spent more time with them this year.

Didn’t save much money, in fact I spent more and more of my savings until I have practically nothing now, hence am now Job Needing.


10.Did you suffer illness or injury?
Several times I injured my Archilles tendon from tennis, but the strain always only last a few days.

Fell mildly ill once or twice, all when stupid damned flu bugs were circulating.

My liver’s probably getting cirrhotic.

11.What was the best thing you bought?
Hmmm.. I can’t recall anything remarkably pleasing I’ve bought this year. Oh, contact lenses!

12.Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Tammy, for being who she is.
My brother, for maturing into the well-behaved and thoughtful boy he is today.
Ashley and Cheyenne, for always being so sweet, funny, entertaining and wonderful.


13.Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The general behavior of people, sometimes, when you realise what human nature is like.
Mine, at times, for sometimes being so callous or mean. Or dreadfully lazy.


14.Where did most of your money go?
Travel, food, entertainment. Didn’t buy much clothes or stuff for myself this year, am muchly poor.

15.What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I can’t remember being really excited for anything this year. Even for Taiwan I was just mildly anticipating. Oh dear, I’m getting old.

16.What song will always remind you of 2008?
I’m Yours, Jason Mraz.
Along many others.

17.Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
Probably a bit of both.
Happier, because it’s a different year, slightly different life (in the best way possible), and I always look forward to the future.
Sadder, cos now I’m a year older, and this current posting is just rubbish.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I think I’ve done enough weights, but I wish I had done them more properly with a better routine.
Probably more cardio.

Spend more time with family, with friends.
More time just lazing around all day.

19.What do you wish you'd done less of?
Stoning.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
At Ashley’s place having dinner for Xmas Eve, then went to Ant’s house for poker and games with the gang.

21. What was your biggest loss of 2008?
Hands down – XW. But I wish him all the best in his endeavours and chosen life.

23. How many one-night stands?
Zero. Sheesh.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Coffee Prince. No fight. Even if Korean dramas are just so damned draggy sometimes.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don’t hate people. I think.

26. What was the best book you read?
Twilight, Stephanie Meyer.
Ok so it was crap, but somehow I liked it, OKAY?

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I know I’m probably a little slow on the uptake, because she’s been popular for like forever.. but Beyonce?

28. What did you want and get?
Many things.
Happy stuff.

29. What did you want and not get?
A+ for microb.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
For reason, High School Musical 3.

Honorable mentions: Dark Knight, Vantage Point.

Jialat-until-teng-kor-die-laughing: 20th Century Boys.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Dinner with family at Mezza9, was 21 (sob, soon to be no more.)
Before that I spent my day in school. Until like, 5 pm. Wtf.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More money.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Due to work dress code, no choice but to be formal.

But outside, T-shirt and jeans.

34. What kept you sane?
The internet, youtube, facebook, tennis, gym.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
As always, my hero Federer. Even though his Wimbledon loss was just devastating. I think I’ll never recover.

Histrionics aside, I would say Britney. Such a messed up life on such a person, and then.. what a comeback with Womanizer.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Apathetic. Don’t know don’t care f-off.
Maybe aside from Obama, whose victory made me really glad.

37. Who did you miss?
Maria, for missing the season after Wimbledon. Women’s tennis is never the same without her.


38. Who was the best new person you met?
Cheyenne, for being so lovely.
Tristan, for being so damned hilarious.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
Valuable life lesson? Hmmm… don’t worry, be happy?

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
I tried to be chill, but you’re so hot that I melted.

Actually I don’t know. My year has too many different seasons to be summarised so easily.

And so today marks the end of my 1 week of holidays.

This week had just ridiculously seeped away into the tiny crevices of time. Before I knew it, Christmas came and went; a most drama-less and yet enjoyable affair.

This year, it was tranquil. For one thing, I only started my holidays 5 days before Christmas, and maybe that was a contributing factor to a lack of festive feeling. Also, the gang only met up once (on xmas eve) this entire period of time. And I didn't watch Love Actually this year. So, I never got the feeling of the winter holiday that I'm so used to having.

But anyway, that was fine. Had Amir's birthday party, then Kim's christmas party, then a family christmas eve dinner, then my gang's christmas gathering, and then Ashley's birthday dinner.

'Twas a great week, and much, much more.

I wish it could've been longer, because the thought of school starting again so soon is just dreadful, but oh well.. c'est la vie.


Frankie J - Obsession (No Es Amor)(Acoustic) - Frankie J

I've been trying to find a way to rip this video off the web and convert to mp3, but have not been able to thus far. Anyone got any method that doesn't involve downloading software that will overload my laptop with more spyware?

Anyway, I'm kinda liking the way I look now. I've always liked the idea of being big sized and when I shrunk I wasn't sure if I liked it this way. Then the compliments started rolling in (maybe it's also due to the contacts) and I figured, what the hell.. maybe this is for the best after all! I don't need to fill up my shirts so much!

Hmmm. Maybe one of my new year's resolutions should be to blog more. Blogging can be a joy.

=)

Here's to the best Christmas in years.

The last post was exactly 5 months ago.

So much has transpired over this period of time, and yet at the same time nothing seems to have happened.

Daily life has seen its share of both excitement and mundanities. I've trudged through days just wishing for useless lessons or activities to end, and also days where I've stepped out of wherever I came from feeling exhuasted yet exhilarated, and completely fulfilled.

I've swung between extreme stress and tension (medical students will know exactly which period I'm referring to) and lulls of complete tranquility. (FAM MED, ANYONE?)

Time was spent in school, in the hospitals, in the gym, on the tennis court, in the study room, in front of my computer, in my bed.. ; and when there was excess permitted, anywhere else. With my friends, chilling; parties, partying.. (and drinking a lot more alcohol in these few months than I've ever had in probably my entire life.)

My house has its very own pageant queen, and cos of that, for the first time, I did not study at all for a test and only spent a couple of hours doing past-year questions. (Didn't matter, not like I didn't ace the test anyway. =D)

I've had my fair share of drama, but mostly I've had peace, which I'm thankful for.

Variety is the spice of life, and I haven't had much, but it's still some, and it's enough.

And for that I say, it's been a good 5 months.

It's one day post Christmas, and for the first time I didn't have the usual emo, whining Xmas Eve crap that I usually produce when I start hearing Xmas songs.

Cos I didn't have the usual Xmas emo, whiny shit.

And that's cos now, I'm on the other side.

=)

Once again, the terminus of an entire year looms.

What has 2008 done for me? Or rather, what have I done in 2008?

That's a post for another day.