Starhub NBN - Installation Part 4, Success

Finally got my Starhub NBN line set up! Woohoo!

After many months of waiting and many visits by Starhub, they finally got it right. I still don't know what went wrong, although there was a lot of finger pointing between Nucleus Connect, OpenNet and Starhub. Hope I can eventually get an answer. In any case, I'm finally enjoying super fast broadband at home.

Experience so far... great! Been getting 100mbps consistently so far. Caveat, need to use wired connection. Wireless only gives you 60mbps or so. Good enough. Caveat 2, high speed only for local sites. Although the china streaming sites seem to work well too.

So would I recommend it? Sure, but be prepared to call customer service a few times. Starhub REALLY needs to improve their customer service. Starhub, are you listening?

Starhub NBN - Installation Part 3

The saga continues...

Starhub came and install the line in end July. Plugged in... didn't work. Installer said he'll check with backend, and asked me to wait 1 hr to check on the line. After 1 hr, i promptly called Starhub hotline. After navigating the MANY layers of phone menu, got to talk to the operator, who, as usual, said she'll ask the technical team to call me back. They did call back after a couple of hours, and asked me to check on the status of a few indicator lights, and said they'll call back again to update. They called again at night, asked me to check on the indicator lights again, and said they'll do more checks and call me back....

Waited for a few days, no call from Starhub. So I called back again. After calling a few days, they finally scheduled yet another installer to come down and check on the equipment.

Installer came on Mon to change the modem. Still didn't work. So now, they've assigned the blame back to OpenNet. Wonder how long this will last. Let's see if they'll give me a written report this time, so that we can also do some checks on where the gaps are.

More updates soon, hopefully.

Starhub NBN - Installation Part 2

Continuation of my adventures of trying to get connected to NBN.

Starhub came on 28 June. The installer who came first asked me for "2 power points". Hmm... nobody every told me I need 2 power points for this. Luckily, there's a power extension near my OpenNet TP, so that's no problem.

After that first hurdle crossed, installer proceeded to hook up everything, and I sat there waiting, and waiting... After half an hour, the installer told me "I'm sorry, there seems to be some problem with the connection, let me call back and check." He called, and checked, and checked... and another half hour passed. Finally, after unplugging and plugging everything back once again, he gave up, and told me "The company will arrange another appointment with you for the next installation."

So I waited again, for another 2 weeks. No calls from Starhub! So I called back to Starhub. Several times.

First time, operator asked me to "check with OpenNet". She got a good scolding from me.
Second time, operator promised to "check back with the service team, and they'll call me back". No call-backs happened.
Third time, operator finally told me "OpenNet hasn't managed to fix the problem."

So I finally asked some colleagues to help check with OpenNet. Let's see what happens.

Starhub NBN - Installation

Starting a series of posts to record my experience getting and using the Starhub NBN line.

So... from the beginning. We saw an ad from Starhub for their MaxInfinity plus Starhub TV package, for SGD 80+. Thought that was quite a good deal, since we watch Starhub TV at home. So we went to check it out. Guess what, the people in the shop tried to dissuade me from signing up for it. :) Imagine that. I walk into the shop, ask to sign up for a slightly more expensive package, and they tried to sell me something cheaper, and essentially told me that the product I'm trying to buy is defective. Anyhow, I managed to persuade them that I really do want to use the NBN fibre. (I really do... not saying it only because I'm working on the project. Just hope it doesn't fail me.)

After the persuasion, guy in shop made us go through a few pages of manual forms. Yeah, it's not in their system. Got us a date to do the installation, which was yesterday.

Was all excited to FINALLY get NBN at home, and looking forward to yesterday. Then on Friday, we got a call... and was asked to fix another appointment for the 28th. Delay by 2 weeks. Oh well... looks like we've got to wait. Hope they really do come on the new date.

Stay tuned... I'll update more :)

Baby's first trip out

Time flies... like it always does

It's now June. Almost half of the year 2011 has passed us by. What's been happening in my life? Quite a bit.

Work-wise, it's been a difficult period that's still continuing. We're searching for the big ideas to propel our team forward. And so far, the big ideas are not really coming to us.

Personal life, things are looking a bit better. Jasper's been growing up real fast. He's now 9 months old, and is learning to do so much. Sitting up, crawling around, trying to stand, and even trying out walking. Boy, he really learns fast!

We took him out for a little adventure as well. He's now a well-travelled baby, having been to Hong Kong, Macau, and Zhuhai. Yap, we had a little holiday in Apr, and the little boy had his first trip out.

Here's some photos from the trip :) Enjoy!

Updates

I haven't been writing on this blog for the past 2 months. Thought I might just put down a few words, and maybe I could come back a few years later to remind myself what had happened during this period. Sort of a "letter to self". Then again, isn't that what diaries are meant to be? And aren't blogs originally meant to be diaries, albeit online ones and open to the world?

So, here goes the quick updates...

• Grandma passed away... on Sept 4. May she rest in peace. Unfortunately, I wasn't there to see the last of her. But I was glad to have been able to visit her in hospital. It's a (painful) reminder of life's uncertainties. But also heartwarming to see all the uncles, aunts and cousins gathered there to lend her support while she laid in the ICU bed. It almost a living eulogy to Grandma, saying without words, that "A life well lived, she gave her love to her children and grandchildren, and the love was returned manyfold."
• Jasper had his 1st month baby shower. Friends and family came, and gave their well wishes and blessings. He's been a great darling throughout these few months, growing cuter by the day. And in the years ahead, I'm sure he'll bring our family even more joy and happiness. :)
• Now serving my reservist, which explains why I have more time and energy to write this post :) Think many Singaporean guys have this love-hate relationship with their reservist commitments. For me at least, it's a good break from work on the one hand, but a terrible waste of otherwise productive time on the other. Well, I'm not complaining too much :) We all love our country, and happy to serve to keep it safe, right? :)

That's kind of the main highlights of my personal life. Work wise, things are progressing slowly. Hope I can give some progress next time. Maybe I will start a different blog (under a different email) to talk about work :)

Pulling the plug

I used to think that for long-suffering patients with no hope of recovery, it is only logical to pull the plug, to save the long heart-ache.... Used to, when I was answering the question as a 3rd-party person, with the benefit of cold distance and the belief that I will never need to make such a distance.

Being faced with such a decision, however, is something else altogether. Was just informed by Dad that the doctor is recommending that the support systems for Grandma be pulled out, and to let her body recover on its own... or not.

It is my mum, and her siblings, who will need to make the decision. But we will all feel the impact... Keeping Grandma in all our prayers...