Last week during “End of an Epic” I glanced over the subject of dangling my Tattoo Dongle (By Globe) out of my window during a leading edge of a typhoon, which I recommend not doing in the future. As I said they are not water proof and they function very poorly when damp.
The following Monday after picking up the New Ole Honda from the clinic, I stopped at the new Globe store at the Harbor Point Mall on Subic Freeport. Where I met a charming and knowledgeable employee who was the only person working at the time I arrived, as they opened. (1000 hours) I asked if she could test my unit (My DONGLE!) and see if it still worked as it didn’t work at my house. Well it didn’t work at her house either. Now I knew I must replace my Super Stick with a newer improved one as the one I bought in December is now obsolete as the one I bought Monday is now last week’s model.
But Sir after checking her computer she told me, my old one was still under warrantee, and Globe will repair it for free. I smiled and asked if that would take very long and she informed me it would take about three weeks. Or 21 days whichever came first.
Now the same with car repairs they don’t provide a loaner, so that would be three weeks or 21 days with NO LiP! No Face Book and no easy access to my bank in the United States. Plus I could not check the movie schedules on line at the two malls, not that they’ve ever been right anyway. But it’s something I like to do.
So I glanced at Mayang, who was sitting minding her own business, and letting me work out my own solution to the problem that I had caused. As she knew the truth as to why I needed a new dongle. So feeling a twinge of guilt I looked at the young lady and told her about putting it out in the rain and then trying to dry it out. She got very serious and explained that any type of water damage would void the warranty. I looked sheepishly at her and said; “But I was honest and told you what happened, didn’t I?” She thought for a moment and said yes I had been truthful, and would I like a new and improved Super Stick, to which I nodded in the affirmative and stated that my daughter also wanted Wi-Fi like the old one had.
So for PNP 2,500.00 or Approx. USD 58.00) I was out the door and down the road in my born again car, and my new dongle, just as happy as a what? You guessed it, a clam! We arrived at home, and the excitement from my daughter was over the top, about what you may ask, the car being home after a two month hiatus, hell no; about the new dongle of course. Set it up, and I received the look, “You did good Daddy!” My grandson Jayden (Little Dude) just didn’t seem to care but he loved the box it came in. BTW Little Dude has been walking for a month or so, but his destruction level is kept to a minimum when he’s in his Scooter Pooper Walker.
But next came the clincher (Please believe me I do not make this stuff up) the phone rang and a guy from globe tells me all about a new service in my area, it’s called WI-Max and I may avail of it for a small equipment purchase amount and a low monthly payment.
Where in the name of all the Saints were you three or four hours ago, after I just bought a new dongle? It’s funny, because this was the system that they had denied me, for so many years. An antenna on my roof, a free house phone which he referred to as a landline, but we knew better. And a monthly rate as cheap as I pay now.
But herein lays the rub, to avail of this super dooper star spangled deal, I’m still stuck with my old plan that they cannot stop to switch me to the new plan. My new replacement dongle will forever remain my dongle. Even if I sold the dongle to a friend I’m still obligated to pay the monthly fees whether I use the plan or not.
I sure that the top management at Globe use the movie “Catch 22” as their business model, and still show it monthly at all board meetings. The new Super Stick 4G WI-Fi Tattoo works very well, and I would recommend it to anyone who lives in an out laying area with no access to DSL or other interweb type stuff. Now on that note; “Do ya wanna buy my new old one that has yet to be exposed to falling rain?”
Paul I can’t help but think you enjoy talking about dongles, sticks and danglings. (-:
Ron;
A while back Bob Martin used the word Dongle, now it was a first for me to hear the word and the word struck me as funny. But remember, I didn’t make up the word, but I will use it. The young lady at Globe also referred to it as a DONGLE so I knew Bob wasn’t trying to fool me. I still must dangle it out the window, but now never if there is even a hint of rain. But my New Ole Honda is running great.
I had the same experience with Smart when I went to get a sim card for the wifes Galaxy. later the same day I got a text message and then an email about the new Pocket WIFI that would have provided Connection for up to 5 devices at the same time But there is a two year contract on her Post paid sim card! I figure that by the time her contract expires, there will be a replacement for the Pocket WIFI that is newer and better and when I purchase that, I will get an announcement that An even newer and better device is Available within a few hours
Joe;
In the world of High Tech, the words “State of the Art”, “New and Improved” or any other phrase they choose means it will be obsolete within a week. Think back to that first 8-Track tape you bought. That should help us understand technology better than we do.
Paul. In my 1st car a 63 Studebker Hawk It had a 4 track player. And some tapes Everly Bros Bobby Vee etc. They were the same kind of carts used at the top 40 radio station I worked at. I recorded many top hits off their equipment in my spare time for the car 4 track.
Jade
Jade;
I didn’t even mention 4 track, as it only last such a short time and few even know about it. But Studebakers Hawk was a great car, the guy next-door had a Golden Hawk that was soooo cool.
Paul, your dangling Dongle story reminds me of an old marching cadence we used to call. Just can’t repeat the cadence because of the family nature of the site. Anyhoo, I suppose you’ve rigged up a raincoat for your dongle now?
Take care,
Pete
Pete;
A Marching cadence, and you’d assume a Navy man would know anything about that? (LOL) Sailors swagger we never march! And I did mean SWAGGER not Stagger! Although that has been known to happen. My daughter jokingly tried to rig up an umbrella for me.
Hey Paul, I thought sailors were “swabbers”, as in deck swabbers, not swaggers.
John;
Try swabbing a rolling deck for a few hours and then tie up and walk down the quay, you’ll be walking with a swagger, but sans the swab.
Ah yes. I suppose if you tried to march with those sea legs, you’d trip & fall. I’ve seen sailors just off the ship. It is a peculiar gait.
Take care,
Pete
Pete;
But it doesn’t work trying to explain to the Shore Patrol in Naples Italy that you’re not drunk, it’s just Sea Legs!
Now, I know why sailors pants are bell-bottomed – to try to camouflage their “peculiar gait” as a result of swabbing decks all day. LOL
John;
Actually your very close to the right answer, it is easier to reach down and pull the bell up to keep the pants dry..
Old Naples Bay, boy did i have some fun there 🙂
My mate lost his watch to those thieving/begging kids that used to hang around outside the Dockyard. Took it off his wrist and he never felt a thing, lol.
I did pre-warn him, but he insisted on learning the hard way, lol.
Chas;
Do you remember those giant donuts they hawked on the pier when waiting for the boat to the ship? I have no idea if they were good, as I never ate one sober. But the kids were slick, and could steal the glass out of a man’s head, and he’d never know it was missing. Did you ever have a drink at Boston Blacky’s? He was a deported Mafioso out of Boston and I had gone to High School with a couple of his nephews.
Never tried those Donuts Paul, if i did i don’t remember.
Interesting story about Boston Blacky’s but i can’t say i remember drinking there.
I was only a whippersnapper then and officially not of drinking age, though that didn’t stop us, just had to be discrete and careful, lol.
You certainly needed your street smarts in Naples, that’s for sure.
Chas;
The US Navy applied the drinking age as to where the ship was moored at the time. 21 years in the states, and I believe it was 12 or 13 in Italy. I enjoyed all the places I went in Italy.
Pete –
Does the marching cadence you speak of begin with the first line, “I don’t know but I’ve been told”? If it’s the same one, I remember that cadence by heart, in basic and AIT – then in Aschaffenburg, Germany, as a grunt during FTX forced marches near the Czechoslovakian border, with Warsaw Pact tank cannons pointed at us from across the barbed wire fence..
Hello John. We spent a good dozen years in Germany ourselves. But, if I remember correctly (it’s been almost 20 years), the cadence begins “Oh soldier! Combat soldier. Pick up your weapon and follow me.” Then it degenerates rapidly as the caller advises the soldier on what he should and shouldn’t do. Certain things are not to dangle in the dirt. The situation is remedied by tying the offending dangler to your shirt.
We’ll have to get together and swap our Germany stories.
Take care
Pete
Pete, I volunteered for the minimum 3 years, but only because I wanted to go to Germany to follow my teenage sweetheart whose Dad, who was in a transportation company just like you, received orders for Berchtesgaden. It was the only way I could be with her again. We met in Fort Ord (Monterey, CA) where her Dad was then stationed.
Back in those days, Army recruiters guaranteed your permanent duty station if you signed up for the infantry. I wanted to be as close to Berchtesgaden as possible, so I was assigned to the 3d Infantry Division, based in Wurzburg, right after AIT. I would spend the next 3 years with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division (Audie Murphy’s division) in Aschaffenburg -11 hours by train to my sweetie and Berchtesgaden. Every other weekend, I’d hop on the 1PM train from Aschaffenburg immediately following Saturday morning inspections. At around midnight, my train would pull up at the deserted Berchtesgaden bahnhof and my sweetie (she was half-German, half-American) would be there waiting for me. Ten hours later, Sunday morning, I’m back on the train headed back to Aschaffenburg. Yes, I have plenty of fond memories to tell about my Germany days. These days, I still get melancholic when I hear the whistle of a train in the darkness of the night.
Pete and John;
So the Army recruiter would guarantee the young man that he could be stationed in Germany. I was the Navy Recruiter and I would say; “And if you find you don’t like Germany, well there you are, but the Navy will take you to Germany, then to Denmark and Norway all within the same month. Oh 5 months later you’ll be in the Caribbean or the Philippines or Thailand.” Plus we sail on our hotel, and never carry it on our back. Sign here son!
Make fun of the way we walk!
Ahh yes. Recruiters…. I went looking for my recruiter after basic training. Something about being promised a job as a veterinary technician and being assigned as a warehouseman… Seems recruiters have very short tours of duty.
Take care,
Pete
Pete;
The recruiter you had got it as close as the Army ever could. I sold adventure, very seldom jobs. I lasted 4 years.
After recruiting I went to Diego Garcia dead ass in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and found that working for me was a kid I recruited, Timmy Owens. He looked at me in shock, and I explained that the Navy sent me to make sure it was treating him right. I don’t think he really believed me.
we bought the new phone when they first came out and it has a dual sim card, one is land line number (032 for cebu and the other is a mobile number. works great.
Ron;
So it was a true LANDLINE and connected to a pole or wireless? I’d like to avail of it if they will cancel my present contract.
John,
That cadence sounds familiar from the Corps lol. How was your cruise you went on?
Paul,
Naples brings back alot of memories. From Shore Patrol, getting lost in the back alleys of Naples and trying to climb a cargo net in rough seas in Naples Harbor half lit. It’s always good to here about the dongle, as you said it is a funny name and theres always a funny story behind it. Take care and have a nice birthday next Saturday.
Hi Randy-
I almost didn’t see the comment you made last night about the Army/Marines marching cadence, you know, the one about Alaskan something being “mighty cold’. LOL I saw your comment just now while I’m still cooling my heels here in Ashburn, VA, before I head back to Delaware this Friday.
Yes, my wife and I did just get back from a two week vacation a week ago today, but it wasn’t from a sea cruise. We vacationed in Riviera Maya Mexico. We stayed at this palm tree-studded, magnificent resort called, Grand Bahia Principe Coba. (Here is my
Trip Advisor review of the Grand Bahia Principe Coba. You have to scroll down until you see the review dated July 4, 2013, titled, “the haunting rendition of El Pastor”.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g499445-d593981-Reviews-Grand_Bahia_Principe_Coba-Akumal_Yucatan_Peninsula.html
The sea cruise for this year is scheduled, as always, in December, during Christmas and New Year’s. Like last year, we will be welcoming the arrival of year 2014 aboard a cruise ship on Caribbean waters.
I try to treat my wife to a vacation at least twice a year – at a resort in the Summer, and on a sea cruise in the Winter. It’s the least I could do for my sweetie as we hardly went on extended vacations during my entire 40-year Federal career. Now that the kids are grown and have families of their own, and I no longer have any major expenses like mortgage payments and such, I can finally say without boasting, “it’s payback time”! 🙂 I see you’re doing exactly the same thing with Anne now that you’ve finally put your working days behind you. 🙂
John,
Glad you had a nice time in Mexico. Love your comment about the Resort. Looks like a nice resort. Right now we’re in Ohio enjoying the nice “cooler” weather here. We will be flying out in 3 weeks out of Detroit to the Philippines. Really getting excited about that. Anne is enjoying herself. She is enjoying herself so much that she is going to marry me on Friday lol. 2:00pm by a judge and again next year in the Philippines. So life is good. Take care and have a nice day.
Hi Randy-
Congrats in advance on your USA wedding this Friday and the one you will be having next year in the Philippines. My thoughts will be with you as I drive home to Delaware on Friday. For the USA ceremony, at least your Dad and family members will be present to witness it. May you two stay together in love and happiness forever and a day. Here is my favorite song of all time – “Unchained Melody” – dedicated to you both on your wedding day(s).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgsIv6j-OkE
Best wishes.
Paul,
Am sure if you visit any of the fine establishments in Olongapo, the girls would fix your dongle or stick!
Don;
Wow it’s been awhile, those places are long gone. We’re the family friendly city now. But in the Barrio…
Hi Paul,
Just curious: What sort of speeds (up/down) are you getting with the new dongle? I suppose LTE is still not widely available in the Philippines? I heard you can only get it on Globe’s or Smart’s network in selected places in Metro Manila…
Isagani;
Please remember who it is you are asking it is I, the man that knows next to nothing about Puter stuff. But you may Google the dongle as all the pertinent information is listed above. I’m sorry, but that’s the best I can do!
Enjoy your new Dongel, oh is this one the same service as the wet one or do you avil and different service.
Bill;
Albeit they look different, they seem to do the same thing, connect me to LiP. That’s pretty much all I need it to do.
Looks like you are back in good shape again Paul with the return of the new old Honda and a brand new and improved Dongle. I think the fact that ” Little Dude ” is so fascinated and entertained by the packaging the new dongle came in, would justify the cost of the purchase.
Hi Bob;
The Little Dude wants all packages and boxes that enter the house, but we both remember the fun we had with the box the new refrigerator came in when we were young? But other than next weeks story everything has returned to as normal as it ever gets.
Hi Paul – I have had similar experience. Electrical items and water, not so good.
Brenton;
Yeah, why is that?
Hi Paul – I have dropped mobile phones in spas. The funniest one was when Md dad and myself pressured cleaned a range hood, then re installed it. When it was turned on. Boom. Needless to say a new range hood cost about $400. Safe to say electrical devices of any kind and moisture need to be kept apart.
Brenton;
But it was clean, the new one I mean!
Paul,
You sure do live quite the interesting life as a retired man! I’d love to hear some stories from when you were single and roaming the world on your Navy “adventures” you were selling to new recruits! I’ll bet they are colorful… if you can remember them. 🙂
Glad to hear your Dongle purchase got double duty for entertainment. Kids, no matter where in the world, just love boxes. The gift inside? Who cares! LOL!!
Have a great day and enjoy your dongle!
Scott;
Being that this is a family site I’d have to give a lot of my past adventures, a pass here on LiP. It’s been a good ride, and you’ll never hear me complain.
Cardboard boxes and snow forts, were the most fun I remember as a kid, the box could be anything, a spaceship, a pirate ship, or anything your mind could envision
I’m happy I grew up before electronics, as I also loved reading books, and still do albeit I read E-Books now,.
Paul, my Dongle rarely dangles, and hence I have relatively few problems with them. I’d suggest you don’t dangle your new dongle, as they are not really designed to dangle. Of course, time may come when the manufacturers may recognise this strange desire to dangle dongles, and design a dongle that is deliberately designed to be dangled without any desperately dangerous side effects resulting from the said dangling.
Sadly for the dongle, but not so sadly for the speed of my internet access, my dongle now resides in the top drawer of my bedside cabinet for emergency use, and my now dongleless internet access pumps it’s way via fibre-optic cable into the back of my computer. Hopefully, this will be your way soon, and the dangerous dongle dangling will be over for you.
Jim;
The next time Bob Martin points out that I like the word dongle too much, I’m going to refer him to your comment here. Maybe in a future far, far away fiber-optic cable will arrive in my purok, but it’s 2013 and we’re still waiting for a landline, so I’ll let you predict my chances.
Dangling has become a way of life for me, to not dangle is akin to not opening that chilled bottle of SMB, and we both know it will never come to that.
Given your reluctance to give up this dongledangle business, I did an online search to try to find some kind of counseling or other words of wisdom for you, but I kept getting pharmaceutical sales sites.
Oh well…
Jim;
They say that Ritalin (methylphenidate) works wonders for people with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and or dongle dangling, I’d prescribe an Ice Cold SMB, and soak it!