You made a lot of people happy today.
Arigatou Kami-sama.

-ONWARD!

Refuse to be average. Let your soul soar as high as it will
-A. W. Tozer

-ONWARD!

Xperia Sola

The last time I bought a new phone was in late 2007, I traded-in my Nokia N72, a nice phone that takes decent pictures and had great sound but it's slow operation drove me crazy so I got an N82.

The N82 has a 5 Megapixel camera with Xenon flash, it takes great photos and I've been more than satisfied with it until I discovered whatsapp, the messaging app that wants to run all the time on Symbian devices. My battery usage took a hit once I started using this app so I recently got a new battery for the N82 to help me get through the day. The sound quality is also above average especially with nice headphones. I've told myself I don't need a smartphone, my phone is smart enough but alas I have succumbed to my fleshly desires.

These days having a smartphone has become a necessity, it makes life so much easier especially now that most of the airlines prefer their customers to use their respective apps to check-in and stuff, not that I'm a frequent flier but the time has come to bit the bullet.

I chose Android, after looking at Windows Phone. I'm a big fan of the OS and I think it has potential to be great but it's not ready for prime time and as a Symbian user for so many years, there are things that I have gotten used to and have come to expect from my device that Windows Phone has not offered yet. I'm optimistic that they will get there someday. I didn't an iPhone because you its expensive, and to play in Apple's ecosystem, you have to be willing to spend more than the average amount for everything. Maybe someday when I'm earning enough money it will make sense but not right now. I never liked Blackberrys so I didn't even consider it.

Android is also the cheapest option available to me. My N82 cost me MYR 1200 which is a little under USD 400. I didn't want to spend that kind of money on a phone again. I bought a Sony Xperia Sola today for MYR 750 670 at a phone shop in Imperial Mall Miri. It comes after weeks, maybe months of comparing phones and specs, watching reviews and weighing the pros and cons. Sony makes decent mid to low end phones though historically they have been reluctant to push out Android updates to their older models. The Sola runs on Gingerbread but will be upgradable to Ice Cream Sandwich or Android 4.0, the latest version of Android is at 4.2 as of the time of writing.

I don't have much to say about the phone, there are reviews on youtube so I'll leave you with some pictures.


I got the white one. Its also available in Red and Black


Power button on the top left side


volume rocker and camera button on the right side


three capacitive touch buttons on the bottom


Micro usb put on the top right side


the sola next to my old sony ericsson w810i

-ONWARD!

its not turkey day

In the spirit of thanksgiving, even though I'm not American, you don't have to be to give thanks. It's not enough to be thankful in general. It's important to know who you are ascribing thanks to.

All things considered I'm very blessed. I was just thinking today while a friend picked me up at the bus stop that I'm surrounded by people who have been such a blessing in my life. People I didn't even know existed a few years ago.

I don't say this to brag but to give thanks to God for good health. Besides flu and headaches I don't get sick. It's amazing. I used to get sick during exam periods but not any more.

I've been blessed by an awesome family that supports me, they're really the best. I've been blessed by my church where I receive encouragement every week to be the best I can be. I've been so blessed and I am so grateful, but is it enough to be grateful? Is more required from me?

One of the reasons I still keep writing here after so many failed attempts to quit is because it's kind of my outlet. I'm not a good Christian, if such a thing exists, but I hope that I can do this small thing to help anyone who wonders around these parts seeking for hope or comfort or encouragement. Is that enough? Absolutely not but it is something I can do.

Teach us dear Lord to be grateful and to give you thanks for all that you do every day in our lives.

-ONWARD!

holding a grudge

My Pastor always says unforgiveness is like drinking poison and wishing the other person die. It's silly. God knows how to speak to each one of us in a specific way, a way we can understand. Today two things happened that made me realise that I've been holding a grudge for a long time. I thought I had taken the high road but I guess not.

We're good at masking our true feelings towards people and its easy to keep faking it but thank God for that little voice of truth inside. If things are unresolved, no matter how small, I never truly forget. I might put it out of my mind for a while but it will bubble up again so here I am facing this unresolved grudge.

Words truly are powerful, be careful how you use them.

-ONWARD!