Tag / internet

by findingbackroads

From WordPress to airplane tickets

distraction

The internet is such a lovely place. We never run out of things to read and learn. When you have internet connection, there’s no room for boredom. All good, all good but then I always find myself falling into this rabbit hole of digital distraction and before I know it, I just lost a couple of precious hours I couldn’t get back again.

internet rabbit hole

I don’t know about you but there were too many times when my ‘research’ lead me to websites that had nothing to do with what I was actually researching. I may have begun to research a topic for WordPress, like yesterday morning as I was doing housekeeping for my blog when I saw a headline that said marine biologists found a new octopus specie that looks like Casper the friendly ghost. Then a series of videos of the fuss that is Donald Trump got my attention and before I knew it, the original reason I was on the Internet had been totally forgotten and I felt I already need my weekend nap.

Please don’t tell me I am not alone in this?

But last week, I stumbled upon a precious information – airfare ticket SALE. Now, this is something I won’t just skip. Fly Dubai sale is now on with up to 50% off flights!

Think of round trip fares below AED1,000 Dubai to Baku, Alexandria, Amman, Kathmandu, Istanbul, Moscow, Tbilisi, Vienna (via Bratislava) and Zanzibar (for travel from 1st Nov) and discounted fares to selected European destinations.The tickets are selling fast so look around and book before midnight on Monday 14 March to fly between 10 March 2016 and 25 March 2017!

The offers are tempting but I need a new laptop, LOL. But after much fidgeting and day dreaming, I have booked my tickets. Destination to be revealed soon!

by findingbackroads

paying much for something so slow

Lately, we’ve been experiencing horrific internet connection at home. Either it is painfully slow or with zero connectivity, for hours. Just for anyone curious, here’s the range of internet service available to us here in the UAE:

  • Light User 256Kbps: AED 149 per month ($40)
  • Moderate User 512Kbps: AED 189 per month ($52)
  • Active User 1MBps: AED 249 per month ($68)
  • Heavy User 2MBps: AED 349 per month ($95)
  • Superior User 4MBps: AED 449 per month ($122)

Let’s just say, in terms of frequency and you can say, uhm, addiction, my husband and I are superior internet users having the Light User package above, which of course spells frustration. I’m almost giving up and feel like screaming. I can’t stand DSL anymore! I cringe at how it is even called broadband.

In Japan we were paying for the same ($40/mo) or even less with 1MBps connection speed. But then I’ll have to recall the cardinal rule I imposed on myself to stay sane here: “thou shalt not compare”.

by findingbackroads

bummed at the internet cafe

Right now I am in the internet cafe, trying to write a post while dealing with claustrophobia of sorts. The distance between two people in my left and right side is at maximum 8 inches only. The guy on my left is flirting with someone in Yahoo and his voice is so big I promise myself to bring earplugs when I come here again. I hate it when I can understand all his useless chatter.

I came here during my lunch break because I could no longer blog from the office due to strict and unreasonable internet rules. I can’t blog at home at night because I get distracted with the active toddler on the loose. Who would have thought, I still am ineffective to blog in this public internet cafe — my last resort to salvage my already erratic blogging schedule?

I took along a list of things I need to do at the internet cafe: write my Sunday Scribblings post for my other blog, write a book review, post my Saturday photo hunt and possibly concoct a Thursday Thirteen list or two. But what happened? I end up writing this rant. The internet cafe is not for me. I need to create a new schedule, possible involving waking up early in the morning at home. 

by findingbackroads

apparently everyone learned their lesson

Except me.

My boss summoned me into his dungeoncalled me again to tell me that my internet usage for December and January are a little bit over 1GB respectively and it is only my name that popped out in the list. Everyone who were reprimanded had either stopped using the internet (seriously, HOW can anyone not use the net for one whole day is beyond me!). Did I download or upload anything non-work related, he asks. Download, no but upload, yes, little bits of things called blog posts every day and browsing some sites, too. The boss said that it was ok to browse but define browse. What if the site I visit has a lot of images on it? Is it considered a download? He said that browsing was not counted for. He’s kidding, right? I could not have written a whole 1GB worth of posts the past month!

The list of employees misusing the net has come and my name is on the list (who knew these dorks the IT people are issuing monthly reports now!), or at least my IP address is there.Unless someone is accessing my net from remote, my boss says I should stop or be penalized again. They already got $300 last month!.

So, there. I will not be able to upload blog posts from the office from now on. Interrupting bloggy life, how rude!!

by findingbackroads

just a quick note while I can still post

We’ve been experiencing disturbances in the internet connection and interrupted mail services for the past two days here in the UAE and given the track record of my company’s history of faulty servers, I did not give it much thought. I just tried to keep up with blogging by getting up as early as 5 am to keep up.

Today this came:

Damaged sea cable hits internet services

Dubai: Both the UAE’s telecom providers suffered yesterday from a break down of internet connections and international calls after a cable was cut in the Mediterranean Sea.

Officials from both network providers were unable to disclose when the issue will be resolved as the submarine cable system operators (FLAG Telecom and SEA-ME-WE 4) were responsible for repairing the damage.

In its statement, etisalat said it was able to re-route the traffic through its network partners in Asia, Europe and UAE to ensure that services remained operational in the UAE.

In its statement, etisalat said it was able to re-route the traffic through its network partners in Asia, Europe and UAE to ensure that services remained operational in the UAE.

To all the fishes in the Mediterranean Sea: STOP MUNCHING ON THE CABLES so everyone can have a little normal life in the region! Nessie, if you are responsible for this, please go back to where you belong.

I am not able to receive incoming emails for work today so the company is spending a lot on international calls I make to Japan. My phone is ringing like crazy it took some time for me to finish this post. So much for saying this will be ‘quick’.

by findingbackroads

internet connection back; for now

Net connection is back. Stop working and enjoy!

I got this one line of message from my colleague while working today. I have been really busy with work since yesterday. I had several phone calls and emails and reports to write, the universe must have conspired to keep me from dying from boredom. Suddenly the people in the office has stopped fidgeting in their chairs, a symptom I always associate with no internet connection for more than half day.

As soon as one learned that the net was back, it took no longer than 5 seconds for the others to go online. For a while there I thought we all looked like a child being given a piece of candy after years of deprivation!

Modern man’s bestfriend is back and thankfully I can blog again. I was actually thinking of shifting to work somewhere else if they continue to torture me like that.

by findingbackroads

What would you do without it?

I wrote this yesterday via Notepad: 

Today we have no internet connection at the office. Although my work does not require internet connection at all, I do use the internet in between phone calls to Japan, in between meetings and especially during lunctime. I also browse and blog late in the afternoon when Japan office is closed and I don’t need to do anything, thanks to the 5 hour time difference (Japan being 5 hours ahead).

Times like this make me think how I am heavily addicted to the net. It is so part of my life already that I do not know what to do without it. As of this writing, I am typing this on notepad and later cut and paste to my blog editor.

Right now I can’t check emails, read the news, update my blog, respond to comments, read my feeds. What will I do if this continues for days?

I have set a house rule for myself to be internet-free at home. Except when my daughter is asleep, I will not open the computer and devote myself to her. From the looks of it, I will be spending the next 24 hours offline. Will I survive?

How long can you go without internet connection?

Update: Internet connection in the office resumed yesterday afternoon. What seemed to be just 5 hours of no internet connection felt like a year!