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Have a great year ahead!!
A journal style blog about anything under the sun! From budget electronics reviews to random experiments by an online-shopaholic to Rants about life!
Samsung A14 LTE review
My iPhone have officially retired from service due to a very very very bloated battery. I see no point in spending money to replace the battery although it's still pretty functional. It does lags here and there but still able to meet the basic usage.
When my friend saw my phone's battery condition (with the screen bulging), she bought me a new phone. And it happened to be a Samsung A14 with 4GB Ram and 128GB memory.
While I am soo grateful for that! I have to admit that my first impression of the phone is:
"If you want to train your patience, get a phone that is slower than your previous."
The Built and Design
I have to say that I love the phone's design. It's nice to hold but I feel the fingerprint sensor (also the power on button) can be better placed. It is also quite small so it is not able to pick up enough of the fingerprint needed to unlock your phone. The unlocking is a hit and miss and quite slow at times.
I kinda like the 3 cameras design at the back and the matte back cover with vertical lines running through. This makes the phone have more grip.
The dedicated miscroSD card slot makes it possible to expand storage for a smaller price and dual SIM function is a plus.
Display and Brightness
The PLS LCD display of the A14 has a resolution of 1080 x 2408 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~400 ppi density).
It's bright even at 50% brightness in indoors situations. It's not so much under the sun/outdoors.
The PLS LCD really have an obvious advantage over the IPS LCD of the Poco X3 pro, it's brighter and more vibrant.
Videos and Music
Surprisingly, the A14 have pretty decent audio and video quality. It's more vibrant display really gives video a more stunning appeal.
I was able o pick up more details - like a more crisp strum of the guitar from the A14 as compared to the Poco x3 pro.
However, it seems that the Poco x3 pro gives slightly more punch overall. The A14 gives a slightly more hollow bass.
Battery
I was out with it for a whole 7 hours and it only went down by 20%. I wasn't using it much though, just some YouTube viewing (less than an hour) and texting.
During gaming, the battery drain relatively faster, at about 1% every 3-5 minutes.
Functionality and Gaming
Well, I have already made my views very clear at the start of the review. It's quite unstable and laggy when it comes to day to day usage. Multitasking is highly NOT recommended while app killing is!
Sometimes it takes more than a second to respond to my clicks and sometimes it loads app so slowly, I thought it hanged. Basically, there is a short lag whenever you click on something and it's especially with the appearance of the keyboard. It's much slower to appear compared to any phone I have used so far, even the Poco M3.
It surprisingly work ok with games like Clash of Clans and Hayday. Leisure games like Candy Crush are very much playable too.
For demanding games like Call of Duty and Mobile Legend, they are playable, but prepare for lags and stutters! And I won't recommend long playing sessions - the phone is gonna heat up and start slowing down.
Camera
The 50MP main camera is decent but some colours get a little too bright and overexposed. The macro and ultrawide cameras are usable but not impressive. Zooming even slightly into macro photos and you'll see it becomes pixelated.
On the left (or top), 50MP camera. On the right (or bottom), macro.
Ultra wide (2x)
1.0x
0.5x
Honestly, the camera are very very basic and photos can be a little dull.
Conclusion
I know I have been complaining a lot about this phone but at the price point is of SG$160-175, it's a decent phone in it's range. There are sacrifice made for the brighter PLS LCD and brand name which made the phone a little less stable in terms of functionality.
You can get a better deal if it's NOT a Samsung phone. Meaning, most of the cost goes into the actually functionality than the branding. But the upside is that Samsung promises more updates than other budget phones.
I think the Poco M3 is a good alternative of similar price range, it does better in many areas when compared to the A14. The M3 is less laggy and runs games better. M3 have slightly better cameras too.
If you're willing to top up a little more, you can get a better budget phone with more RAM and performance!
Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|
| Large battery (5,000mAh) | Slow responding |
| SD Card slot | Doesn't comes with much accessories |
| PLS LCD | Bass in loud speaker is lacking |
| Dual SIM | Quite impossible to game for long session |
| 3.5MM audio jack | Insensitive fingerprint sensor |
[Rant] Do what you can, not what you feel is right!
Yeay, I cursed because that genuinely takes some steam off. Whether you believe it or not.
I am not a positive person and I am also someone who is easily swayed by others. And that's why I am pretty wary of strangers. But am I wary of my close ones? Nope.
But do I talk to them a lot? Nope.
Sometimes I feel they are not ready to take my shit and sometimes I knw they're not interested in the things that interest me. Is it sad? Not really, because I am more of an introvert and find my ways to relief off ... erm just that sometimes it becomes a rant like this.
I think most of us are told that we should do the right thing but I came to understand we should do what we can. And not force ourselves to do the right thing.
Yes, it sounds selfish but sometimes doing the right thing can be so mentally hurting.
I will be honest here. I don't earn much but I do shoulder some spending of my family. Like my mum's lessons fees and my family online shopping.
My sister buy imported shampoo from Taiwan and that is on me, my mum have needs for costumes and shoes for her performances and I pay for all of those. My family aren't big spender so I can still afford those. (And TBH, these are nothing compare to what my sister have to shoulder)
I pay my own phone bill and my own shopaholic needs (obviously!). I have enough to sustain while saving a little monthly... erm, maybe not monthly.
Then came this BIG thing. My sister and mother wants to go Europe and booked a tour.
Honestly, I wished to join them but then CPF came knocking for me to topup my Medisave again. You think the GST vouchers/Covid relieves come from where? These "New" insurance premiums which are mandatory for all youth to get.
And it increases each year as you aged.
I have to turn them down and was so glad that the tour have been fully booked! So they don't pester me to join in.
BUT THEN! My father have a brilliant idea!
He heard from my sister that the travel agent had another tour group which wasn't full yet and asked my sister to try asking to transfer to that group.
Some to and fro and it was done... as in they had worked out everything with no increase in price or topup for the change or air tickets. I thought it was the right thing to do after everyone (including the travel agent) have gone through and that it's always "the right choice" to choose family (esp old parents) over money.
I bite the bullet and said yes.
Nightmare!
At first, we thought that our winter wear from our last trip will be adequate for this trip - but hell no! We need to buy them again because there is almost a 5-15 degrees of discrepancy!
Our sport shoes won't work because they're expecting rain and if we got our feet wet then it's very bad news! We're advised to get proper winter shoes that are water and wind proof.
All these adds up another $300+/person.
Then there is travel insurance which we have to buy on our own and the 320EUR "tips" which I didn't know about. I have to ask my sister to pay half of the 320 euros for me.
After which, I have just enough for changing the euros needs (estimated by the agent) ... I cannot tell you how guilty I was. I was so stressed up too!
I tried looking for a part time even though I was struggling mentally about it. I know people don't believe in such struggles - they equal it with laziness but I have many sleepless nights after applying for jobs. I fear working and that's why I chose Grabfood but that has become unsustainable and obviously not for quick bucks.
I have mentioned in my previous post, even JOD doesn't want me. Honestly, I was both stressed and relieved about it. I know, contradicting.
I do get some whatsapps response for certain openings but they wanted someone who can work for longer period of times. (esp during the festive seasons which I will be abroad).
I was thinking I should just fucking forego the travel insurance. IDK, I can't really think now.
But that's not the end of it. I know my sister have shouldered too much of the trip expenses and they're still asking me to celebrate my birthday - like ask me to pick a restaurant for my birthday meal.
I told them since we're already going on a trip, we should just leave it. I don't need a birthday meal, it doesn't make me happy, I am just guilty af. But they insisted, I guess partly because my father won't be joining us on the trip and they (sis and mum) doesn't want him to feel further "left out" (and also straining our already bad relationship). Again, this might be the "right thing" to do - for peace and IDK.
They probably didn't know about my guilt and how I feel like shit. I asked them to choose the restaurant instead since they're so insistence. They probably didn't expect the GST and service charge would bring the cost to so much more than expected!
My sister casually joked about "needing to chew bread from now on".
I could already tell how bad the trip would be - with little sleep, rushing a lot and stress I already brought over ... and the shit after I came back.
By the way... I am not blaming anyone... I am just very very stressed.
My experience with free online counselling
Stupid me, accidentally deleted this post and now I must rewrite it... Honestly, I kinda feel it could be a good thing because I feel I can explain myself better now.
Note: This is my personal experience and opinion, and obviously not professional advise!
Firstly, I got into counselling because of:
1) I feel I am stuck in a rut
2) I am extremely afraid to get into a job
3) I hate my life
I have ranted on SGWhisper and some other anonymous rant sites and I sometimes get comments like, "get professional help" or "got for counselling".
I am quite tight on money so I actually thought about going to family service centers but while I was searching online, I actually stumble upon free online counselling on the CPH website.
I decided to try it and filled up the form and was surprised that I got a respond within 2 or 3 days. The counsellor enquired about a few things and then asked me how I want to conduct the session.
I could choose to have the sessions via:
1) Phone
2) Face to face
3) Whatsapp
4) email
I opted for email because I didn't want to provide too much of my personal information. She is respectful of my choice and we started a session.
She did some background check about my past and values. We quickly got into some of my problems/issues.
I told her about my anxiety with my looks, my fear of social interactions and how I fear commitments and relationships.
I just have a believe that people will start to hate on each other as they interact more and more. And this is linked to me having this "automatic hypocrite mode" whereby I try to sound correct and hide my honest opinions. I am not the most lovable person and can be quite argumentative (for the sake of it), so that will make me kinda irritating.
Anyways, I was struggling to get a job at that time. I tried JOD (jobs on demand) but I kept getting rejected. (like 5 in a row!) I guess it has got to do with my previous job with them.
I applied and got a position as waitress back in October last year. I have 0 experience (they didn't ask for someone with experience) but I decided to try out since it's just 4 or 5 hours.
I received 10 minutes of training and started the job. I must say it's way too fast pace for me and I didn't have time to adapt and settle in. My social anxiety just make things worst. The manager told me that he didn't feel like paying me towards the last hour of my job.
I stayed and completed the final hour and then left feeling like shit. I guess the manager must have feedback to the platform because after that, I wasn't able to get selected for any job on JOD.
At first I thought it's because I wasn't a "frequent" user and I just apply once in a while but it seems like that's not the case. I have been trying for a few weeks already and still nothing!
Anyways, out of the issues we discussed, the counsellor seems to pick up more on my anxieties, especially about expectations.
I don't know how to put it across. I do think the counsellor is very professional and eloquent but ... how do I put it across ... I don't feel close with her.
Maybe because she is too professional to the point that she discusses issues more than trying to address/validating my feelings. I don't feel better after talking to her sometimes.
I know counselling is never an easy process, it's about digging deep into yourself to find the (most probably) decades old "root cause" of the problems you're facing now. It can be painful and sometimes draining. I kinda grew tired of it.
Sometimes, I just put off replying to the email till I was more ready and positive. Because there are times I wrote a long email about what I feel and my problems and she came back with a short respond with explanations that I knew already.
I really don't know what the sessions will lead to. I mean we have been exchanging emails for a month now ... I don't feel more motivated or better. Perhaps, I do understand myself a little better and then?
I am not saying that counselling is bad or that counselling should solve all problems. But perhaps I have the impression that counselling should make things better (from my personal believe and the comments I get online).
Honestly, I am disappointed. But maybe it's because counselling is better when face to face? IDK...
I bought Compatible refillable Ink cartridges for my Canon printer and ... I regretted!
Not surprising that the ink cartridges are the most expensive part of getting a printer. I mean a printer cost around $70+ - way over $1K, depending on what you're getting. And the perishable ink cartridges (XL size) can cost up to $50 for one. You need at least 2 to print.
I have been using a Canon PIXMA TS5170 printer for almost 3(?) years now. I think it's a good printer if you have the correct paper else, it just prints bad on normal A4/matte paper.
The ink usage is quite reasonable - the Black ink can usually last over a 9 months (depending on usage) - I do print 1-2 pieces of text/b&w/musical scores about once a week. Sometimes much more.
For colour ink wise, it tend to run out much faster. I do print some stickers/labels once in awhile especially for festive seasons so I guess that's why. Colour ink usually runs out in 6-7 months. And it's almost always because 1 colour ran out!
This printer doesn't comes with individual colour cartridges which means if one colour ran out, the cartridge will have to be replaced, even if say the other colours still have more than 50% left. This kind of "single" colour cartridge are usually cheaper (~$40-50 for XL version) compared to individual colours costing $15-30 each. Some printers needs 4 colours cartridges.
I find it quite wasteful tbh. And the problem with printers is (at least this printer) that it refuse to function when it's out of ink. I can't even use the scanner function! When the colour ink ran out, I can't even print in black and white.
So I thought, "Why not get a compatible refillable ink cartridge? I mean this would solve the wasteful problem and stop myself from getting frustrated over a non-function printer.
I got one from Shopee for about half the price of the original that comes with ink refills.
I let it sit around for a few weeks because my current cartridge is still not emptied. Just today I start to use it and realised that the nozzle/alignment is just bleh!
There are lines and gaps everywhere and this image printing I showed above is one of the better printed ones already. I tried aligning the print head, deep cleaning, restart the machine etc. it just cannot get to the quality that the original printer can produce. And the problem always seems to be on the red colour!!
I am glad I only bought the colour cartridge to try. It's totally not worth the money!!
Edited (31 Oct): I found a way to get the compatible ink cartridges to work!
When the Canon printer ink error message indicating that your ink is low or empty. You can bypass these error messages by holding down your printer's RESUME, STOP/RESET, or COLOR START button for 5 to 15 sec.
The ink level will still be empty but then you can print as per normal. I tried that and then did many deep cleaning (3 times) and now the quality is MUCH better. Not perfect but passable!
Majority of the jobs advertisements on Facebook are Job Scams!!
I have been on Facebook recently and realised that there have been a lot of WFH jobs advertisements!
I decided to apply for one of them. It's advertised as "Simple packing job".
I Whatsapp the number provided and quickly got a respond. Turned out that it's just another job scam like the one I talked about in this post >>> I got contacted by a job scam scammer! And 'scammed' them of $11!
To test my theory, I decided to try out a few more other WFH jobs advertising on Facebook.
Basically, whether it's virtual assistant/sales assistant/shop assistant/packer or whatever from Goggle/Amazon/Shopback etc, they're all the same - you'll end up being asked to signup and do "marketing".
The rest is the same - you do reviews/submit orders (just some stupid boring clicking work) and
Edited: They no longer pay you anymore until you deposit first! Meaning ... they will ask you to topup and complete the 60/30/20 (up to them) tasks before you can withdraw. But we all know, you can never get that deposit back because it will just continue to have "bundle orders/lucky jackpots" which make your balance negative! And then you have to topup again to continue. But hell are they so cheap to think someone will be so desperate to topup $200 for the $15 they have earned previously, which they aren't even sure if it can be withdrawn...
I have noticed a "trend" while communicating with all these scammers, that they'll usually reply you in Mandarin even if you texted them in English. They'll respond in translate English if you request for them to communicate in English.
Also most of their website have no authentication - you can enter 99999999 as your mobile number or XXX@tsdffsmail.com and it still works.
What worsen appearance anxiety?
I am still struggling with appearance anxiety, can't deny, can't lie. I can't do much about it, other than doing something that makes me feel I am doing something ... Lol, sound contradicting?
Basically, doing something will makes you less hopeless - at least you feel that something could be done and there is hope!
Anyways, I have been doing some simple massage on my face and applying facial mask. These are little things I can do without burning a hole in my pocket.
But today, I am not going to talk about the massages or facial masks but what escalate or worsen your anxiety!
Checking yourself out too often
From my personal experience, the fastest and most "easily happen" way is - always checking your appearance - whether in the mirror or in photos.
The funny part about all these physical anxieties is that, you feel you're ugly BUT you just want to kept checking on how ugly you are! It's just weird ... but it will just happen. So the thing is, try to reframe from checking yourself out so often!
Comparison
The other thing has to do with social media + comparison. For example, when you hear about someone praising an idol/someone else for something - like small face, high nose or nice jaw lines, you'll want to check if you have those too!
And then you get into "depressive mode" because you don't have those qualities/features.
But you have to know that, those qualities (or perfect features) may not suits your face! You can go on YouTube or make-up blogs to find out what styles suits you and will bring the best out of you!
Deeper Inferiority
This is somewhat I discovered after digging a little deeper inside, so it may not apply to you. I am so concerned about my looks now is because of my unfulfilled dream and a deep sense of regret.
I often wishes that I would be braver and prettier in my next life. I kinda want to give up on my current life already. No, no, it's not that I want to end it all but I feel it's too late for me to make changes to fulfil my dreams now, so I just let things auto-pilot.
I can be honest here - I have wanted to be a celebrity when I was a kid. (Don't laugh!!) And I told myself that if I grew up to be pretty, I will become a celebrity but things didn't turn out the way I wanted. Doesn't help when I have extremely low self confidence, shy and that I was losing hair at 19!
I was balding at 19!?! Can you imagine that!? Anyways, I am still balding now, it didn't improved at all! I have tried some expensive products, they do help a little but they will probably drain my bank faster than my hair!
Everytime I watch the TV and see all these youngsters with the courage, determination and talent to be on TV, I stabbed myself in the heart secretly out of regrets and hoped that I find that "Reset" or "recarnate" button. Even though deep down, I feel I will drown in the harsh conditions of the entertainment circle (toxic anti-fans and competitions)
See, I am such a contradicting person, I ... LOL.
Amyways, I can just try to deal with my problems one at a time ... And I don't even know why I am writing this post - I have obviously deviated from the topic ...
JBL GO 3 Bluetooth Speaker Biased Review
I actually didn't want to write a review on this speaker since I have little knowledge about speakers BUT I just feel so disappointed with it's performance that I kinda want to rant about it.
So disclaimer: This is personal opinion and is biased and not professional!
It all started with my mother wanting to look for an easy to carry speaker which she could use during her practice. She is part of a dancing interest group which will occasionally gets invited to perform for small local celebrations.
Often, they'll have to practice on their own because if they want to practice as a large group, they'll need to get approval or book some places for a small fee. If they keep it small, they can just practice in the void deck or any empty spaces they can find as long as they don't affect others.
Anyways, I got her a JBL Go 3 after reading some reviews online + a simple chat with the seller.
Ok, fine, I admit that my research wasn't thorough enough as I was rushing to get one during the sales. Because if I did research slightly more, I'd come across a review that gave this speaker only 6ish/10.
Well, honestly, even thought I am disappointed with the GO 3, it still have its pros. The GO 3 has a very attractive physical appearance and I absolutely love the colour options. It's also very small and light (just about 0.209kg). It can fit into most bags unless you're talking about those branded bags that can hardly fit an iPhone. Honestly, what's the purpose of those bags??
But do take note that it's lightweight is also it's weakness because it moves around when the bass gets boomy. So if you place it at close enough to the edge of the table, it won't hesitate to commit suicide!
Another thing I feel OK-ish about the GO 3 is that the bass is obviously amplified and clarified when compare to just using the iPhone speakers. (I am comparing to the iPhone 13 pro max). The higher notes are clearer and somehow forward enough for me in most cases.
However, I feel it can get a little too bassy at times. I have watched a short video clip of a performance with the speaker and I feel the conversations are very clear, but if there are anything in the lower register, with low drums/beats, things gets muffled and drown by the drums.
The buttons on the speaker are also well placed and you can easily pause the music with a press of button. The same goes with volume up and down. Connection is as easy as ABC too.
The problem I have with the GO 3 is it's volume. I think it's not that much louder than the default iPhone speakers. I don't think it will be loud enough for a small group of 3-4 in an open area. If it's an enclosed area, probably yes.
However, I must admit that there is zero distortion even at full volume.
I did not bother to do a waterproof test but it can survive toppling on top of a puddle of water left by a cup of McDonald's coke.
Overall, I kinda regret getting the JBL GO 3 speaker. It's not a bad speaker, but it definitely doesn't suit my need of a loud Bluetooth speaker.
Let's talk about appearance anxiety!
I have appearance anxiety, not gonna lie.
It started when I was in primary school when my teacher suddenly mentioned that she don't understand why I am sitting at the back of the class. Because, my eyes are so small, she couldn't tell if they're open or not! So she thought that I am always sleeping in class!
Yeah, very kind of her.
As I grew older, I kind of developed this inferiority for my looks because I realised that my eyes wouldn't get bigger as I grow, but my face will... so my eye will only just appear smaller year by year ...
And ... I do hope to be seen, like I have some need for attention, for praises and ... IDK. Anyways, it just suck, because it's an eternal torment --> it's just like having fire meet water in your mind all the time. Knowing that you're ugly but you have this desire to be seen ...
It doesn't help when the people around you will start to remind you of how ugly you're or they just feel more confident taking photos with you. Admit it, we're all shallow at that age ... we all secretly feel we are better than someone else in some ways ...
The sad thing is, appearance anxiety still hits me, on and off even now. And I often wonder why. Is it because of the media (those Kpop/Cpop stars)? Is it because I just long to be recognised for something good? (Well, I obviously doesn't have an outstanding talent or skill nor am I kind, funny or helpful)
At my peak, I was obsessed with my weight. Well, you see, I am not pretty, not tall, not curvy, the only think considered "good" about my physical appearance is my slim built. I am lucky to have really small bone structure so I can be "Kpop star thin" (but I am not). So I hold on very dearly to that.
I am not anorexia or anything, instead, I was eating whatever I wish, WHILE having anxiety about my weight ... sometime, I don't understand why am I like this.
I realised this happens too for make up and camera filters. I don't like to put on make up and I don't really use camera filter. I just don't take or share my photos on social media altogether.
Why?
Because I am afraid. I am afraid of facing the drastic differences once I had them removed. Yes, we all will look slightly better with make up on and A LOT better with camera filters (Yeah, I can get big, shiny eyes I wished for).
But once you turned those off, reality hits hard! I honestly doesn't like having to face that disappointment. I know it sound like I am a difficult person - "Give you solution also don't want to accept!" But I have deal with such disappointment before and it's kinda hard for me.
Recently, I thought hard about it, why am I so afraid to be ugly? I mean pretty people are far lesser than average or ugly people, I am the majority ...
I realised it COULD BE (MAYBE) linked with competitiveness. We all know prettier people have an edge over the less good looking ones. I know many people will try to challenge me on this but there are social experiments and surveys that proved this point. I also have personal experiences whereby my boss admitted that he will consider a prettier person over an average looking people if they have the same qualification.
It translates to "if you're uglier, you have to work harder to make your qualifications better". IDK, that's what I think.
Things you need to know before porting over/Signing up to Simba
Note: All the information shared in this post is to the best of my knowledge and experience. If you wish to know more, it's best to contact Simba.
I have been a Simba user from the time they're known as TPG. I must admit that TPG is quite bad initially, with very limited coverage and no connection in undergrounds. But it has improved very much and I have no problem staying connected where ever I go, within Singapore, of course. And the best part is, Simba's plans are really cheap and comes with free roaming data, free Incoming Calls and free Caller ID.
However, nothing is perfect and Simba do have some "tradeoffs".
1) Limited Talk Time and SMS
While Simba plans comes with lots of data, most of their plans doesn't comes with a lot of Talk time or SMS. For example, although their SIM ONLY 100GB plan comes unlimited Talk time and SMS to MOBILE lines, there are only 30 free local SMS and 300 minutes of free Talk time if you call/SMS to fix local lines.
fix local lines = traditional phone services that use cables, rather than mobile phone services. AKA Landlines.
300 minutes means you can only can use 10 minutes per day. That's not a lot, really, especially if you're calling to people without mobile or companies that only provided landlines. Sometimes the transferring time will eat up a lot of the talk time already.
2) Simba plans are prepaid, cut off when exceeded
You really need to understand your usage before porting to Simba. Ask yourself if you need data or talk time/SMS more. Because once you exhausted the provided talk time/SMS, you won't be able to use that service anymore.
Unless, of course if you have cash in your Simba account. They'll deduct your exceeded usage accordingly from your account (charges as per chart below). OR you can choose to renew your plan, but take note that there will be some waiting time for processing payment and reactivation of service. (If I am not wrong, they will only renew plans during business days)
3) Termination
I'm glad they get rid of the immediate termination rule if you miss a payment! They now allow a grace period.
There will be a 30-day grace period (21 days for some plans) to renew your Prepaid plan before Simba terminate the unpaid plan. During this grace period, you will continue to receive incoming calls and SMS. All data usage, outgoing calls and SMS will be blocked until you renew your plan.
(Do check out the CRITICAL INFORMATION SUMMARY PDFs for your particular plan here)
Your plan will be terminated for non-payment after the 30 days grace period. All payments made are non-refundable or exchangeable for cash. (Which means, all the cash in your account wallet will be gone if your account get terminated)
So you have to be very careful if you didn't choose GIRO or auto payment as your payment method because your service will be limited until your plan is renewed.
4) Porting Out and Switching Plans
There will be an activation fee of $30 for port-out within 30 days (21 days for some plans) of plan activation. (Do check out the CRITICAL INFORMATION SUMMARY PDFs for your particular plans here)
If you intend to port-out, try to do so at least 7 business days before your next renewal cycle to avoid further charges. Your account will automatically be terminated upon successful port out from Simba. The same goes for termination of your line, it's best to give them at least 7 business days.
As for switching plans, you're only allow to do so between 1st - 25th days of your billing cycle. I emailed them about my wish to switch plan and was provided with a link to a webpage. There I can choose the plan I wish to switch to and then make payment. The switch is almost immediate and hassle free.
*5) Switching Plans
(Updated 20 December 2023)
I do want to highlight one thing which I discovered in December 2023. Is that you CANNOT downgrade to a lower plan. So let's say I started with "50GB SIM only plan" and I upgraded to "SuperRoam MY plan", I cannot downgrade back to "50GB SIM only plan", I can only upgrade to a higher (more expensive) plan.
I think the only way to "downgrade" is to signup for a new line, which means you'll have to get a new number. I don't think Simba allow you to "port back". Alternatively, if you're a senior, you can switch to their senior plan, that is the only "downgrading" allowed.
I discover this when I was thinking of downgrading from SuperRoam MY plan because I realised that we're not going into Malaysia as often. It was fortunate I haven't made the upgrade to "SuperRoam Max" plan for my Europe trip.
Well, that's all I can share about Simba from my own experience. I do feel Simba's plans are cheap and connectivity and coverage are good. It comes with free roaming data too, which most other plans out there doesn't!
The downside is too little Talk time and SMS.
Topping up ONEXOX account is soo confusing
My ONEXOX welcome deal have expired (long ago) and now that my family is going into Malacca again, I have to top-up the card and subscribe to another plan.
I opened up my XOX Black app. Honestly, it's super confusing.
You see, there are 2 wallets in your account balance - Dedicated Account (DA) and Main Account (MA).
According to the ONEXOX website,
"MA calls are normal rate: 12 cents for 30 seconds, DA calls are cheap rate: 7 sen for 30 seconds.
When making a phone call, the DA credit is deducted first, and the MA credit is deducted after the DA credit is used up. DA Call rate is cheaper than MA.
So this is to encourage users to topup more money (because the more topups, the more Top up will be transferred to DA proportionally).
However, the current Season Pass is cheaper, calling all telco, only 9 cents per 60 seconds. So DA and MA don’t have much effect."
Basically, DA will cost lesser than MA when making calls and will be deducted first. And when you top up your acount, the more money will go into MA than DA, UNLESS you top up RM50, all the RM50 will go into DA.
So I tried to find out from the website and virtual assistant about how do I pay for subscriptions (is it via DA or MA) but they're not very helpful. I have to turn to online forums to find out. Apparently, they will deduct from both accounts if one isn't enough, however I have no idea, which account will be the main one to be deducted from first.
Update: DA + MA = Air time and it can be use to buy Season Pass. But do note that an OTP will be send to you when you use Air Time as payment. That SMS will cost you. (If you receive the SMS in Singapore it's considered roaming and each SMS is about RM2+)
Honestly, it's all very confusing for me and I felt very frustrated while trying to figure things out. The official website in mainly in Malay and I have to hope onto a authorised dealer website for info in English.
I have contemplated for a long time if I should top up my Season Pass (SP) (all data and talk time in Season Pass will last till the card expires if not used) or I just get the weekly plan.
I am looking at 10GB in SP for RM50 or a 5GB weekly plan for RM19. I decided to go for the weekly plan because I realised that:
To "draw" data from SP, I will need to sign up for a monthly or weekly plan. They do have daily plan but you can't use the data from your SP for daily plans, you'll need to pay with cash on your account.
The monthly plans comes with:
500GB/month - RM12 (Auto renewal unless turned off.)
1GB/month - RM15 (Auto renewal unless turned off.)
2GB/month - RM25 (Auto renewal unless turned off.)
5GB/month - RM30 (Auto renewal unless turned off.)
6GB/month - RM30
10GB/month - RM50 (Auto renewal unless turned off.)
13GB/month - RM50
*Steps to "OFF" Auto Data Renewal (EVERYTIME you withdraw data from season pass)
1) Dial *150*2# OR *150# to go to USER MENU
2) Select 3 "Internet"
3) Select 2 "Subscribe from Season Pass"
3) Select 66 " More"
4) Select 1 "Stop Plan Renewal"
OR
When in Malaysia,
SMS to 23388
DATA AR OFF
Out of all the monthly plans, the 6GB and 13GB plan won't draw from the SP and you'll have to pay for them.
The weekly plans are as follow:
2GB for a week - RM10
5GB for a week - RM19
out of which, you can't use SP for the 5GB plan.
I wanted the 5GB weekly plan because I think 5GB is a safer option (since Mom can finish 1GB on a one day trip. LOL). Well, I told her, she can do whatever she wants and she did (send lots of videos + gaming). LOL.
However, you can't draw data from the SP for the 5GB weekly plan so ... yeah. And I feel, with or without SP, you're limited by the plans available. You can't draw only 3GB because there isn't a plan for that, also if you ran out of data for your subscription plan and wants to addon extra data, you can't draw from your SP too. (Anyways, the addons are not very worth it except maybe for the ESP addons which will expire at 11:59PM on the day of purchase. Probably worth it if you purchase in the wee hours.)
I really wish ONEXOX will have more flexible plans or allow non-black users to draw directly from SP too. Currently, only Black users can draw directly from SP, but XOX Black plans are postpaid.
I used to regret not selecting a Welcome deal with data in SP, but now I feel that it's not such a big deal anymore. But I did wasted about 10GB on my previous trip because I simply couldn't finish using the data despite 'hotspotting' and gaming a lot towards the end of the trip.
Update: I managed to get a Happy Hour Deal - 28GB SP data for RM50. Initially, you can get only 10GB with RM50. I feel Happy Deals are what keep the SP worth buying. Unless you're travelling to Malaysia frequently OR that you plan to go there for a long trip (> 7days) OR you are a heavy user, the 5GB weekly plan should be enough. The daily plans of 1GB for RM3 or 2GB for RM5 are worth considering too but those can't be drawn from SP.
So change of plan, I will probably draw 5GB from my SP and get the 5GB monthly plan. I just have to remember to cancel Auto renewal or 5GB will be drawn monthly from my SP.
I just switched to Simba (previously TPG) SuperRoam MY plan ...
I just switched to the Simba SuperRoam MY plan as I will be travelling to Malaysia again soon. I don't know if it's worth the extra SG$3 per month since I don't travel to Malaysia as much now but it's just SG$30 for the first 90 days, which translate to $10/month. My previous plan is also $10/month so it doesn't make any difference for me.
However, the price will increase to SG$39/90days after, but then I can always choose to revert my plan back if I don't find it worthwhile.
The difference between my previous plan (SIM-ONLY 100GB) is that I get
+ 30GB more local data (although 100GB is overkill for my usage)
+ 10GB MY roaming (will track my usage as much as possible to know if it's enough, I will probably hotspot to my sister while I will top up the ONEXOX sim card for my mother to use)
+ 200 more Local Fixed Line Minutes
+ 100 more MY IDD minutes
+ 20 more local SMS
The only thing I lost is
- 1GB of International roaming data
Honestly, 1 GB of roaming data is too little if you plan to use GPS, game or stream videos (YT). If it's just simple text messages (Whatsapp) and minimal web surfing, it MIGHT BE enough.
If you do need to travel to countries other than Malaysia, Simba do have plans for regional (SuperRoam 50GB (30D) or (90D)) and International (SuperRoam Max) roaming too.
And the best thing is, you now have the option to upgrade your plan without having to change your number, unlike previously, you have to signup a new number (line) if you wish to upgrade your plan.
I will be trying out the coverage in Malacca when my family visit MY about a week later. But I do have great confidence in the stability of their network as I have tried Simba roaming on my previous trip.
Updated: One thing to take note before changing plan is that, you can NEVER downgrade your plan! Meaning, if you upgraded (or started) to a $25 plan, you almost can NEVER downgrade to a cheaper plan! (with only 1 exception which is the SIM-Only 100GB plan to Senior Go Digital plan)
Well, this means that I can never go back to the $10 SIM-Only 100GB plan ever (unless I sign up for a new plan)!
"Ergonomic Standing" mouse Vs Normal "flat" mouse Part 2: More about the mouse and Conclusion
But somehow, I managed to find out from a shopping site, a photo illustrating the button functions of the standing mouse.
So there is a "back", "forward" button and one that will adjust the responsiveness of the mouse (at least that is what I feel from my experience). I think there is just 3 level of responsiveness.
The level of responsiveness does makes great difference to the usage of the mouse. The 1st level just follows your movement so closely it annoys me as it seems like my mouse is "lagging". The middle works best for me while the last seems a tiny too fast.
Now, let's get back to the topic, does the Standing mouse feels more comfortable?
My conclusion after a week of heavy usage - NO!
Or a little "yes".
I mean it did lessen the stress on the wrist and cuts down the "radiating pain" to my ring finger initially but as the usage gets longer, the pain and discomfort all came back again.
So I'll say for short timeframe of usage, yes, the standing mouse is a little more comfortable but it's just so minimal.
I think the "cons" actually offsets the "pros".
1. the standing mouse seems to be more prone to accidental clicks.
2. Depending on the height of your desk, your wrist might be hovering above the desk. While, resting the wrist on the desk, doesn't makes it hurts after long hours, it's the same if you let it hover above the desk.
3. The "back" and "forward" button positions are just weird and hard to click on.
4. My hand will sometimes slip off the mouse despite its slightly grippy texture.
While the Standing mouse seems like a horrible investment, when I think deeper about it, I can't help but ask myself that whether it's the design of this particular mouse?
I mean, maybe the Standing mouse needs to be more "tailored" to the user's hand and everyone's hand is different. Maybe someone with smaller hand than me will find the "back" and "forward" buttons positions really well. Maybe a bigger "base" with more room to rest the side of the palm will be more comfortable?
Anyways, my conclusion still stands, cons > pros.
"Ergonomic Standing" mouse Vs Normal "flat" mouse Part 1: Getting used to
I use my computer a lot, easily 10 hours per day. And I can confirm that the picture above is not exaggerating. I have lots of pain on my wrist and it sometimes radiates to my ring finger (I tend to left click with it).
And I decided that it's enough!
Erm... but, I can't live without my computer so the only solution is to get a more comfortable mouse. I searched around and found out that there is a thing known as "standing mouse" aka "vertical mouse" and "ergonomic mouse", which supposedly put less stress on the wrist joint.
Well, it doesn't cost that much, about SG$10 and I was ordering something else from Taobao, so why not?
The mouse arrived quickly within 2 weeks and I honestly didn't know what to feel about it. Don't get me wrong, it feels good in the hand, very nice texture, just that it's a little lighter than I expected.
But the orientation ... hmm, it needs a lot of getting used to. The way of holding the mouse is really different between the 2 mouse. For the normal mouse, I have to cup my palm over the mouse but now, I am "wrapping" my palm around the mouse.
Clicking wise, it's also needs a lot of adjustments. The buttons are well placed on the standing mouse and I could easily click both buttons and scroll with the "wheel".
But I do always miss the left click because I do tend to left click a lot with my ring finger instead of my index finger. I guess it just my weird habit.
1 day into using the standing mouse and I don't feel anything changed yet and I am honestly frustrated because I am so NOT USED TO it. I guess I will use it for a while more before making my conclusion in the next post!