The continuing adventures of Farah in SmartPhoneLand

Two weeks ago, Patrick asked if I'd gotten the text he'd sent me around noon. "No," I replied. We compared phones. He'd sent it, but it never arrived.

The following day I picked up a phone call, which apparently had been the caller's third consecutive attempt to reach me. As far as my phone was concerned, it was the first.

Since then I've been using the hubby's old RAZR V3 while waiting for my phone plan to end. Patrick's had an HTC HD2 for a couple of months now, and I've had smartphone envy for about as long.

Yesterday I was excited because we got me a Samsung Behold II. I didn't have any requirements at the time, though Patrick tried to help me narrow things down, enumerating factors that had helped him decide: screen resolution, size, build quality, etc. I just wanted a smartphone, and I wanted an Android so I could have the newfangled Swype texting capability. I'm sure you've seen the commercials - the one about the world's fastest text message?

Anyway, someone had messed with two of the demo phones at the T-Mobile store, and they were busy, so we just bought the Behold and left. When I got home tried texting. It was such a mess. I'd gotten used to T9, and wasn't ready for a QWERTY touchscreen. Even the T9 keypad was difficult for me, since I'm used to larger, tangible keys. Also, I'm not used to typing with two thumbs. I tried one-finger typing since that's easiest for me, but the calibration seems to be adjusted for two thumbs: keys on the left side of the screen register taps slightly to the right. There doesn't seem to be a way to calibrate it. Or i could be wrong and the phone just needs to be calibrated, but I've already tried resetting the phone and it hasn't helped.

And the Swype feature I wanted? Not available on my phone. Apparently, it's limited to just the newer models of three phones: the HTC HD2, myTouch 3G, and the Motorola Cliq.

We revisited the T-Mobile store again today hoping to exchange it for a myTouch 3G, but after learning that the myTouch 3G Slide is coming out on Wednesday I reluctantly agreed to wait till then. The Slide features, among other things:

the new Android 2.1 software;

Faves Gallery, which is kind of like the social feature of the Cliq, but narrowed down to only all the (email, text, twitter, IM, social networking) updates of your 20 nearest and dearest;

Genius button which allows you to talk to your phone and for it to talk back. I'm not kidding! We're talking commands, calls, texts, emails, even web searches.

Bruce Wayne's house

There's a huge house we always pass by on the way to visit friends. Not knowing the owners, we call it Bruce Wayne's house. From my vantage point along Independence the house seemed merely big, until one day I realized the little, distant cars parked there were actually SUVs, and the house itself is humongous. It's also for sale right now.



Patrick and I made a deal: if we win the Powerball jackpot, we're buying this house. I guessed it was maybe $1M to 2M, he pegged it at $5M. We were both wrong: it's $3,500,000 even.

It's really not my style - I've always favored Mediterranean houses with modern sensibilities. I like open floor plans, light-colored stucco and red tiled roofs. I don't really care for their darker, Tuscan country-style cousins.

I can still appreciate the owners' homey touches: it's clear throughout that their home reflects their style: warm, down-to-earth, and welcoming. It's not the overstaged design showcase that most homes in this price range tend to be. A family lives here, and from the look of it, quite comfortably indeed.

Feel free to buy it for me: it's a lovely place. I could probably get used to

"...a tennis court, 3 sports fields, a barn, a pool and a gazebo. The property has a privacy gate, circular drive, porte-cochere and separate study with a full bath connected to the garages. The home has 5 Liv. areas, granite counters, sub-zero, hand scraped hardwoods and many built-ins. Feels like living in the country!"

Okay, the barn, not so much. Ebby link below.

11900 Independence Parkway
Frisco, TX
75035

Orion

On nights when the sky is clear, and the stars bright
and Orion's belt clearly visible
-the one constellation I know, the one you taught me that night
under so many stars, long ago -

I think of you
and hope, wherever you are
you are happy.

Talking to Myself in Private

Have you ever been so bored you were not only talking to yourself, but psychoanalyzing both sides of you holding the conversation? The predicament I find myself in this week reminds me of the scene in "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" where Jack Sparrow is alone with an entire crew of himself (himselves? his selves?), none of whom would listen to Captain Jack.

I'm a little bit of a bitchy boss, and an unenthusiastic underling. Work is getting done regardless, I just wish it weren't so booooring.

The goal is to get my apartment from "OHMYGODWASTHEREANEARTHQUAKE?!" to merely "I'm so sorry I didn't call ahead; clearly you weren't expecting company."


My kitchen. Before:




















And after: I have counters?!

if i were truly honest, i would say that

i've been in hell these past two weeks

i am alone, unutterably alone, and faltering

denying my secret sorrow does not bring some obscure personal honor - it's killing me.

I still don't know if the temporary patch that relieves some of it is actually making things worse. Or is it harmless distraction? I dunno. I only know that something *must* change: things cannot go on like this.

I only wish I knew the right thing to do.

In a nutshell,

Cocoa hasn't been feeling well this past week. We had planned on bringing her to the vet Monday afternoon after work. But at 3 o'clock this morning she vomited blood, and we brought her to the emergency animal hospital.

Tests and x-rays revealed a life-threatening infection. If she went home, she would die. They had to operate. $2000 and several hours later she is stable, but they need to keep her for observation. They close at 8 a.m. tomorrow, so we need to transfer her to our regular vet in the morning.

Red shoe craves:

Bebe Liza Platform pump


$149 at bebe.com

Jessica Simpson Taneala




$89.99 at heels.com

Bebe Bailey


$119 at bebe.com

I have a new blog!

Will Sing For Shoes

my windfall philosophy

I always tell Patrick:

If we win the lottery we have two choices:
live rich, and have to work the rest of our lives or

quit our jobs, live normal, comfortable lives and
never have to work.

how come no one ever told me

that manugang means daughter- or son-in-law?

I've been using it to refer to my in-laws forever!

the correct word is biyenan.

Syet.

foundering again. Just one of those days, I guess. I need sleep. And a compass.

How to Not Cook

I've been having some powerful food cravings lately, which I think are the result of months of subsisting on ready-made food. But since said subsistence also ingrains a powerful need to make do with as little effort as possible, I've found ways to feed my cravings without actually cooking. Here are the results:

Elote

1 can Green Giant Mexicorn, or simply canned corn
fat-free cottage cheese
mayonnaise
ground cayenne pepper
salt
pepper

When I want Mexican-style street corn I drain a can of Mexicorn and add in the remaining ingredients listed above, to taste.

~*~*~*

Gooey Bites

1 Snickers bar
nutella spread

Cut a Snickers bar into four. Coat each piece with nutella spread. Die a sticky, chocolatey death.

~*~*~*

Fake Japanese

cooked rice
1 can tuna, drained
wasabi paste
lite soy sauce

Patrick actually came up with this. You heat the rice then mix in the tuna. In a separate bowl combine wasabi paste and soy sauce to taste. Add to tuna-rice mixture.

I know, I'm semi-homemade- and ghetto-fabulous.

Happy New Year!

I know, I'm late. Even for Chinese New Year.

Been mulling over firing up this old thing again. Also considering dusting off my Tagalog and creating another mirror blog, in the mother tongue this time, with help from Google Translate. They simplify my process, I turn in my edits to improve their translation database, and everyone wins.

I'm 30 now. And I Twitter now. Other than that, nothing new to report, really.

~*~*~*

Would it be tacky to wear these shoes for July 4th? I wanted them for Obama's Inauguration, but thought of it too late.


Pleaser Electra

$53.97 at Summit Fashions, from $90.99

The search for red tartan plaid heels

On Black Friday I glimpsed pointy shoes and bright red plaid, but before I could inquire as to their provenance they vanished in the throng of deal-hungry shoppers. I'm not sure, but they might have been these:



Sugar Fergie Flat
$25.30(53% off - was $54.00) at 6pm.com

And so it is that in the spirit of the Christmas season I find myself looking for red tartan plaid high-heeled shoes that speak to me.

These are my ideal plaid shoe, but I can't find them anywhere:

Sam Edelman Lady Red Plaid Pump with Bow
$34.98 before it was out of stock at SmartBargains.com

~*~*~*


And so I'm stuck with fetish footwear like:







Pleaser red plaid mary jane
$34.99 from $50.74
You Save: $15.75 (31%)
From seller Costume Alibi via Amazon.com

or, God forbid, these numbers




Lucious red plaid and lucite 6" sandals
$53 from $82.15 (35% off)
Pinupshoes.com

~*~*~*

Even though the rugged materials are an incongruous combination with that height of heel, I do rather like the look of these:




KORS MICHAEL KORS Women's Stream
$295.00 With Free Shipping
Shoes.com

I wonder then if I shouldn't throw all regard for style to the winds and get these:




Sugar Women's Rockband Grande
$90.00 With Free Shipping
Shoes.com

living as if

Wasn't that my blog title at one point?

~*~*~*

"The thing is to Live As If. Live As If you were truly free. Live As If you were surrounded by intelligent, capable people. Live As If your decisions mattered in the general scheme of things. Live As If art, literature, music, the cinema really mattered. Live As If other people were just like you. I don’t mean you should tiptoe through the tulips and delude yourself that everything is wonderful. I mean you must resist. I mean you must not let idiots dictate how you live your life. Stupidity is a given; do not hold yourself back because you think you’re surrounded by it. Do not give in to the tyranny of surveys, trends, and conventional wisdom. You are the product of millions of years of evolution. Organisms mutated, survived, adapted over eons, against huge odds, so that you can be what you are now. Honor your species."

Jessica Zafra
Jessica Rules the Universe

The new guy

I hired a new personal trainer. His name is Tim, and my confidence in him was bolstered throughout our first session by the number of his coworkers who told me how great he is, how lucky I am to be working with him, and that I'll reach my fitness goals in no time. I've already lost two pounds and one inch of my waistline, and it's only been a week.

My lifestyle changes include:

a tall glass of water first thing in the morning;
a breakfast of old-fashioned oatmeal sweetened with a half-serving of dried berries (blueberries, cranberries or raisins);
a half a peanut butter sandwich with my morning coffee, instead of the usual Texas-size muffin, frosted cinnamon roll or Hostess cupcakes;
low-sodium v8 and a reduced-fat cheese stick for my second snack;
improved posture, to work my abs and back throughout the day;
Watching portion sizes;

I'm supposed to be avoiding carbs after 6 pm, but as long as I see progress I think I'll continue eating a normal dinner.

Have I mentioned how much I *love* Netflix?

I got this in my Inbox today:

Dear Farah,

It appears that you accidently returned one of your personal DVDs or CDs in a Netflix envelope. Rest assured, we will send your disc right back to you.
If you haven't already sent back the Netflix movie you intended to return, please include it with your next return along with a note including your name and email address so we can match the movie to your account.

-The Netflix Team

I am mortified. Yes, these things do happen. But still.

It never ceases to amaze me that the Netflix service is so prompt, courteous and professional. In the four years that I've been a subscriber, I've found them to be hands-down the best DVD source anywhere: great selection, user-friendly interface, convenience.

Yes, I'm a heavy user whose usage is throttled, and some titles it seems have been on my queue forever. True too that if you don't time your returns just right you'll have to wait a while to get the new releases. But my experiences with the company when it comes to disc problems (delays, damages, missing discs, or my newest one above) have only reinforced my positive opinion of them.

500

So I write. Much as I would like to write beautiful, longhand poetry, my penmanship is so far from legible these days that all my morning pages are simply a waste of time and ink. I cannot reread them.

I should have ordered a burrito. I went crazy with the ordering at Aló yesterday, with Patrick not being there, and completely forgot that Hazel's friend Eric had mentioned wanting a burrito. I write. I hope he had fun; he seems like a cool guy.

At 22, they feel old, not having accomplished all they set out to do. Additionally, they feel it's too soon to even think about getting married or having kids; they want to have accomplished careers first.

And all Patrick and I can do is feel sad and frustrated about our own station: not having careers or kids or even just jobs we really really enjoy and find meaningful.

Today was a bad day in meltdown city.

I asked so many people for help, and no one could or wanted to. And even when I no longer expected assistance, apparently asking that people just stay out of my way is too much to ask.

"You look so tired, haha."