Friday, November 26, 2010

Globe SIM and Tattoo

Ok, this is probably pretty lame, but I previously thought Globe's Tattoo mobile broadband required a different SIM from the regular one -- a "broadband data-only SIM", if you will. When we bought our HP Mini 110 after the Typhoon Ondoy last year, it came with a free Globe Tattoo USB dongle and prepaid SIM. But when the free prepaid load ran out, I never bothered to reload it since I usually connect my Nokia phone directly to my notebook via USB cable (ie. tethered mode) and surf via 3G. Granted that it drains the phone battery quickly, but since I rarely surf via 3G, it was cost-effective.

Tonight, I decided to test out a theory that I've long suspected. I pulled out the SIM from my regular Globe Handyphone and plugged it into the USB dongle. Voila! It worked! I can surf and send SMS using the dongle-installed software. So I guess there is no difference after all between a Tattoo broadband SIM and a regular Handyphone SIM. So if I need to do long surfing and don't want to drain my phone battery, I guess I just have to take out the SIM and insert it into the Tattoo dongle.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Who Am I?

I had a meeting at PSBank building this morning. The lobby guard asked me for an ID. I left my new drivers license at my portfolio bag at the office. I realized that my "temporary" wallet (which is a really old wallet of mine) had practically no means of proving my identity. I had no company ID, no government-issued ID or anything that will identity me. If a real important situation arose, I could not really prove who I am since there are no government-sponsored biometrics program that would be able to identify me just through my physical characteristics. Our society is very reliant on old-style ID's (which are actually very easy to fake).

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Farewell Ma'am Beta

I got a call from HR this morning and received the sad news. Our chairperson (and Mozcom majority owner) Beta Gan passed away. Beta has been battling leukemia for over a year. She has put up a strong fight, and I have always admired her courage and strength in facing the disease. Even when she broke the news to me about her illness, her mind seemed very clear on what needs to be done. No panics or hysterics. While Beta did not really come from a technical background, I have always been amazed also at how easily she can grasp technical concepts. I have always relied on her to make the tough decisions especially when it comes to dealing with people, since admittedly, I'm not much of a people-person. She will be missed. Goodbye, BBG!

Monday, November 22, 2010

A Looong Day

I called my banks this morning to cancel my credit cards since I'm now sure my wallet is really gone. As fate would have it, I actually had to call the bank report-a-lost-card for real!

Then I went straight to the LTO Pasig office this morning to apply for a drivers license replacement. Of course, it follows that I had to drive there first without a license, he he. Luckily, no untoward incident happened along the way. A license replacement is much simpler than a renewal. No need to go through the drug tests, eye/vision exam, etc. You just need to file an affidavit, pay the fees; take a photo; and wait.

The wait was particularly long this morning though. I was there by 9am and I did not get my card until a little past noon. There were not that many people so I don't know what is the main cause of the delay.

The traffic coming home at night was horrendous. It rained and because of that, Metro Manila traffic just got unexplicably congested. It took me 3-hours to get from the office back home. In the meantime, Cols called saying her pain from the kidney stones were getting unbearable. I had to call Dr. Meguizo for some pain killers in the meantime and had the driver buy it since I'm stuck in White Plains. By the time I got home, the driver came back with the medicine and the relief was quite immediately.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

I Lost My Wallet!

Cols just had her shockwave treatment for kidney stones yesterday so she is still recovering from the pain. Since she was supposed to be the godmother in the baptism of Sharon's son, Jacob, I had to proxy for her at the church. Then lunch reception was held at the Valle Verde 1 clubhouse. I brought the kids with me to the party.

Later in the evening, Herman treated us for dinner at Lugang Cafe. Its the hot, new restaurant along Connecticut that has a very long queue all the time. Clarice supposedly had to make reservations 2 weeks in advance for us to eat here tonight. Since its very difficult to park along that street at night, I drove on quite a bit further until Ford Greenhills where I parked our Montero.

While walking halfway to the restaurant, I realized that I did not have my wallet in my back pocket. I did not feel like going back to the car to check if I left it there. Or if its not there, it must be at home. Anyway, I took the risk and drove us home afterwards without a license.

When we got home, I started checking around where I could have left my wallet -- from the usual side drawer, to the work area at the den, to the Altis which I drove earlier this morning to church. No luck. My wallet was nowhere to be found. Inside were 2 credit cards, drivers license, company ID, discount cards, and about P2.5k+ in cash. Bummer! This is the first time that I've ever lost a wallet in 40 years of existence!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Life Begins @ 40?

The day I've been dreading the whole year has finally arrived. Its my birthday today! And I guess it had to happen sooner or later -- I turned 40 today. :( Yeah, maybe some people are excited about reaching the milestone, but honestly, I feel kind of depressed about the whole "getting old" thing.

I rushed Cols to the Medical City ER this past Sunday night due to severe pain in the lower back. The ER doctor advised us to see a urologist because they suspect its kidney stones. So we went back to Medical City today to look for one under Medicard. When Cols called Medicard to get the list of accredited urologists in Medical City, surprise surprise, the name that came up was Dr. Donald Meguizo!

Donald's an old batchmate from Grace. I haven't really seen him since graduation and I probably wouldn't really have recognized him anymore if I met him randomly on the street. But it was good to see a familiar face. After exchanging some basic pleasantries, he confirmed the initial diagnosis from ER that Cols has kidney stones. We arranged to have the "shockwave" treatment done this weekend to get it over with.

We had a small dinner celebration tonight at our house. The folks and Cols' siblings came over to add to the merriment. Dad brought a lechon; we ordered some food at Conti's; then Cols did the rest!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Doctor Who Season 5

Just watched my first episode of Dr. Who Season 5 starring Matt Smith. I have to admit I had a lot of preconceived biases going into this season. The last three seasons with David Tennant really redefined The Doctor to the new generation of TV viewers. And for all intents and purposes, David Tennant was THE Doctor. He is a fantastic actor and is a very tough act to follow. But since they "killed" him at the last episode, he regenerated as the 11th doctor with Matt Smith playing the role.

Season 5 Episode 1 gave a good preview of what to expect for the rest of the season. And it does look exciting. Matt seems like a good fit for the role. His British accent is a bit stronger and harder to understand. But I guess that is part of The Doctor's charm.

Amy Pond, The Doctor's new companion played by Scottish actress Karen Gillan, is certainly a refreshing look compared to the previous season's Donna Noble. Some Dr. Who fans think she's the best looking companion so far. I'm not much a fan of redheads, I guess. I still vote for Season 3's Frema Agyeman as the best looking companion to date. :) But that doesn't take anything away from Karen who also dabbled in modeling and minor TV and movie roles.

Here's looking forward to watching the next 12 episodes.