Asus K43SV

I recently bought an Asus K43SV-i7 laptop. After testing it out for a while, I noticed that when I use earphones and the nearby USB port at the same time, I get a static/buzz/hum sound. I've searched the Internet for this issue and found out that this is a common problem for this model. To minimize the static/buzz/hum sound when I use a mouse, I started using a wireless mouse. No more annoying sound for now.

Philippine National Railways (PNR) Manila to/from Naga

The Manila to Naga and Naga to Manila PNR services have started last September 5, 2011. Trains leave Manila and Naga at 630PM then arrive to their destinations 430AM of the following day. Ticket price for the family sleeper is 950 pesos per person. Air-conditioned coach with reclining seats are priced at 548 pesos per person.

Caffeina Cafe

When I went to Caffeina Cafe 2 Sundays ago to have coffee and breakfast, the shop was closed. I know that the cafe opens at 7AM but why the hell is it closed at 9AM? Apparently, the only people inside are on-the-job trainees. The trainees told us they can only serve coffee so we decided to have take away coffee. When I tried to use my ensogo coupons, one of the trainees said that they cannot process my vouchers since they weren't allowed to use the computer (or some machine) to validate our coupons. We had no choice but to eat/drink somewhere else.

I love their coffee especially their latte. But why the hell is it closed at 9AM when it should start serving people at 7AM!

Last Sunday, I called Caffeina at 830AM to check if there are staff (not OJT peeps) already. Guess what? An on-the-job trainee answered the phone and told me there's none. I asked what time will the real staff arrive, she said about 9 or 930.

Caffeina Cafe management, are you aware of this bullshit?

The Samsung Experience

Day 1
I recently bought a Samsung Galaxy SL (Unit #1) from a store in Robinson's Place Ermita. Let's abstract the name of the shop to "Techtel Mobile, Inc". Since the Samsung Mobile Concept store doesn't have any Galaxy SL (i9003) on stock, and I really wanted to buy a new phone, I decided to buy one from "Techtel". After some basic checks, I purchased the phone.

When I got home, I started personalizing the phone and migrated contacts. After changing the wallpaper to a plain black background, I NOTICED A FREAKIN' STUCK/DEAD PIXEL!!! I'm a first time Samsung (and Android) user so I never knew how to change the wallpaper until I got home. It ruined my night and made me decide to go back to "Techtel" first thing in the morning.

Day 2
10AM the following day, I went to "Techtel" to have my phone replaced but the staff told me that I have to go to Samsung Service Center first (in SM Manila) to have a technical report about this effin' dead pixel. So I rushed to SM Manila but there is no technician in Samsung Service Center. WTH!?? One of their personnels said that their technician will arrive at 12NN because of this and that. Since I have a daytime job, I decided to go back the following day instead.

Day 3

The Samsung staff told me yesterday that the technician will be in the store by 11AM. I arrived 11AM, and guess what? The technician is still not in. The store personnel then filled out a form with my phone details so I can leave my unit and have the technician check it at a later time. I left for work after securing them a photocopy of the receipt from "Techtel". At 4PM, I called their store to ask if the technical report is ready. They said yes so I rushed to SM Manila to get the unit and the report. After securing the report, I went straight to Robinson's Ermita to have my phone replaced. By the way, the diagnosis in the report was there's a dead pixel and I didn't want to replace the LCD. Of course, who would want to replace the LCD of a brand new phone Back at "Techtel" Robinson's Ermita, they have an available unit to replace my phone (Unit #2). After checking the phone for a few minutes, I noticed a stuck/dead pixel again! Since that's the only unit they have, they told me to go back the following they so they can get a stock from their SM Manila branch (not from Samsung SM Manila).

Day 4

After checking the new unit (Unit #3), I didn't notice any problems.

Day 5

While personalizing my contacts, I noticed a stuck/dead pixel again! WTH!?! I remember checking the screen thoroughly the previous day. I'm not sure if this just manifested after I brought the unit home.

Day 6

I brought the unit to Samsung to have a technical report but ended up leaving the unit. They'll just call me when a replacement unit's available.

Day 10

Followed up on my case but Samsung said they still don't have stock.

Day 11

I collaborated with my friend to ask Samsung if they have an available unit for sale and they said yes. After an hour, I called Samsung and ask why they have stock for selling but doesn't have one to replace my unit. They only said that their manager still has to approve it, and that takes time, blah blah blah.

Day 12

"Techtel" texted me saying that I can now get my replacement unit. I told them that I'll get it the following day.

Day 13

Arriving at Techtel, their staff told me that the unit is not yet available. They had to give it back to Samsung since they discovered a dead pixel in the unit. This is weird since just when I arrived, I saw a customer buying a Samsung Galaxy SL. I'm not sure if this is the unit that's intended for me but they gave it to the customer who arrived earlier. I then got mad and asked them why they did not text me about this. I've wasted so much time and energy to have this phone replaced. The staff was apologetic that he forgot to text me. They told me that if I can wait an hour, the replacement unit will arrive. Since I'm working, I cannot stay longer.

Day 14

The unit is now available (Unit #4). After checking the screen and some phone features, I didn't notice any defects. So when I got home, I started organizing my contacts. To my amazement, there's one freakin' dead pixel again! What's with this Samsung model!?! All the previous dead/stuck pixels manifested on black so I only checked against black. The new dead/stuck pixel doesn't show on black but in other colors!

Day 15

I went to Samsung SM Mall of Asia to have my case in a different court. Their protocol is, the phone has to have at least 12 defective pixels for the LCD to be replaced or bought within 7 days to replace the whole unit. But I insisted that this unit was replaced only the previous day and it will definitely be beyond 7 days since I waited for days for the replacement unit. They said that have to verify first with Samsung SM Manila if my unit's LCD is really for replacement.

Day 16

I called Samsung SM Manila and told them about the dead/stuck pixel. The technician reprimanded me and told me that I should check the unit thoroughly. The only thing that they can do now is replace the LCD. How great is that? I have a brand new phone, but the LCD will be replaced. They cannot replace my phone's LCD now since they don't have an available spare LCD part.

Day 18

I called Samsung SM Manila to ask if they have the LCD already, they said no. I asked them if I could have my LCD replaced in Samsung MOA instead, and they said yes.

Day 22

I went to Samsung MOA to have my phone's LCD replaced. After verifying from Samsung SM Manila, they can now replace my phone's LCD. But wait, there's no available LCD! They told me that they'll order it the following day and asked me to call them 3-5 days after.

Day 26

I called Samsung MOA to ask if they have the LCD already, and they said yes.

Day 28

The technician at Samsung MOA checked their stocks for the LCD but to my (and their) surprise, they don't have one. So I was told to call them the following week to check if they have stock and get the name of the person I've talked to.

Day 33

I called Samsung MOA to check if they have the LCD already, but they said they still don't have it. I asked them when will it become available, then the staff said days after they order. I asked why didn't they order after I went there, then she said they'll order it tomorrow. She asked for my name and number. Here's an excerpt from our conversation:

Me: zero nine one seven

Sarah: siro nayn seben seben

Me: zero nine ONE seven

Sarah: siro nayn wan seben

Me: five *some numbers here*

Sarah: nayn *some numbers here*

Me: FIVE *some numbers here*

Sarah: payb *some numbers here*

Me: *remaining 4 digits of my cellphone number*

Sarah: *remaining 4 digits of my cellphone number*

Sarah: Parang ang gulo.

Sarah: (Talking to her colleague) Ang gulo naman magbigay ng number neto.

Sarah: Sir teka lang ha.

Me: Miss, narinig ko 'yon. (Apparently, she didn't hear me).

Sarah: (Talking to her colleague) Ang gulo talaga magbigay ng number.

Me: Miss, narinig ko 'yon.

Sarah: (Parang wala lang. NR).

Me: Uulitin ko ha, zero nine one seven, ayan 4-digits. five blah blah. ayan 3-digits. blah blah blah. ayan 4-digits ulit. Kompleto na. Sorry ha magulo ako magbigay ng number (sarcastic tone).

Sarah: OK lang sir. (Parang wala lang. NR pa rin).

I know I spoke audibly. Maybe she's just plain imbecile. I can't report this case to Samsung since they don't have a customer support for rude personnels. I didn't want to go to their store either and bring this matter to her manager. I was already exhausted then from my day job.

--

I'm tired of going to their stores. I'm tired of following up. I'm tired of being a helpless customer. I wish Department of Trade and Industry (or somebody) could help. I've wasted so much time, money, energy, and effort on this freakin' gadget. This has been my worst gadget/store experience ever. I shouldn't have bought this phone. Great work "Techtel" and Samsung.

And this is my Great Samsung Experience.

--

FINAL UPDATE

After two more LCD replacements, my phone still has 1 stuck and 1 dead pixel. That's it. I'm done with Samsung. I won't buy their phones ever again.

Sad but True

I've read this text somewhere and with what I'm feeling right now, all I can say is, "Ouch!"

-----

You know what's sad about love?

It's when you happen to know that there's just no hope for you being together yet you still pray to make it work.

It's when your mind says let go but your heart says hold on.

And most of all, it's when no matter how hard you try to forget, you just can't. Because of the fact that you still love that person and you just don't know why.

"Try loving someone you've loved before and you'll realize that it will either lead to the same thing that happened before of something better.. not hard isn't it? But why not try loving someone who doesn't love you back, it's either you see your self giving up or dying daily." --Grey's Anatomy

"If you love and get hurt, love more. If you love more and get hurt more, love even more. If you love even more and get hurt even more, love some more until it hurts no more." --William Shakespeare

The gauge of how much you really treasure something or someone is not how happy you are with them..but how sad you are when you lose them.

One grows distant from another not because of indifference but because of FEAR. There's the fear that the hurt gets greater as one gets closer. A recognition of the tendency to fall deeply, consequently drown in a quicksand of stupid irrationalities.

Sometimes what drives one away is not the absence of emotion, but the overwhelming presence of it.

Falling in love is never a decision - always by chance.

Staying in love is never a chance - always a choice.

And falling out of love is never a choice - always a decision.

Attraction comes to us by chance. But true love that lasts is truly a choice.

Fate brings you together, but it's still up to you to make it happen. We may meet someone by chance, but loving and staying with that someone is still a choice.

"Just because my eyes don't have tears doesn't mean my heart does not cry."

"Just because you always see me strong doesn't mean there's nothing wrong."

"Sometimes I choose to pretend I'm happy so that I won't have to explain to people who would never even understand."

Smiling is always easier than explaining to all when I am sad. It's never the tears that measure the pain, sometimes it's the smile we fake.

A person who truly loves you is someone who sees the pain in your eyes, while everyone still believes in the smile on your face.

The person you love the most has the best capacity to make you the happiest in the world. And may give you the worst heartache you can never imagine.

Time can heal wounds but it can never get back what we once had and lost.

Time can't tell when or how we would move on after all was said and done. Because God gave us time and we never valued this gift He has given us. So learn to treasure the ones you choose to love now, because when they go, there won't be time to have them back.

In life I have done every way of fighting, heard every painful truth, been in every breathtaking scene, and felt every dreadful feeling. I thought going through it all will then make me realize that I have to stop the fight to at least save a little for myself.

But you know what's funny? It's when I seem to be tired of it all but still I can't just quit no matter how hard it is. And I have to continue hoping that one day I'll be able to find someone who could love me not just "right" but "real".

Love is like giving someone a gun..having them point at your heart, and trusting them to never pull the trigger.

I don't know why we all hang on to something we know we're better off letting go...It's like we're scared to lose what we don't really have.

Some of us say we'd rather have that something than absolutely nothing, but the truth is, "to have it halfway is harder than not having it at all.