This article was first posted on my Medium account.
How do you check if you have internet connection?
Since I started using Google back in my high school days, I used to enter ‘test’ on the Google search bar to see if I’m connected to the internet. That, plus the fact that our house phone cannot be used by everyone else is a clear indicator that I’m online. (read: dial-up modem)
Then came the days of broadband internet and the day I learned about torrents. It was a new thing then, and it really changed the way I obtained and consumed new information. The time it took to download something depended on various criteria (e.g., seeders, file size, internet speed). This is why when downloading open-source programs, life became a lot easier when website/applications like SpeedTest by Ooklacame into view.
So today, I went on Google and did the same ‘test’ test, and lo and behold, the usual Top Search which was the Google native definition of the word ‘test’, is no longer there. Replacing the top spot is this Internet speed test block and it came with a very obvious, clickable blue button that said ‘RUN SPEED TEST.’
Of course, I clicked on it.
Surprisingly, instead of directing me to a website, out popped a mini-window that did a 30-sec test for Download Speed and then Upload Speed.
This was so simple, fuss-free and very lightweight. The best thing? I didn’t have to enter a website to find my basic internet speed information. It was such a non-disruptive, delightful user experience that I actually clicked on that neatly placed Feedback link in italics and sent my kudos. And now that I think about it — this helpful experience mainly triggered me to write this post.
Minor questions in my mind: Will this affect SpeedTest by Ookla and other companies of the same nature? If Google’s native speed test gets widely used by the public, SpeedTest’s website visits and app downloads could dramatically go down. Aside from the speed information, what sets these speed test companies apart from Google’s?
This initiative was brought to end-users by a company called Measurement Lab (MLab).
Measurement Lab is led by teams based at Code for Science & Society; New America’s Open Technology Institute; Google, Inc; Princeton University’s PlanetLab; and supported by partners around the world.
Basically, this is like the Avengers of advancing Internet research on global network performance. The service they provide is free, and they aim to provide an open, verifiable measurement platform where end-users, companies and even governments alike can make sense of Internet performance data.
As of writing, I’m based in Singapore — home of one of the fastest internet speed in the world. Even here, I can see how it will be useful for the private broadband providers when they see the baseline for their services vs the price that the consumers pay. This can also be used as important reference in improving/upgrading infrastructure.
Moving closer to my roots, this initiative, if used correctly, can be used by and will be helpful to Emerging Countries like The Philippines. Improving quality of life by ensuring regionally competitive internet speed is a very hot topic back home. The more open resources that are made available, the easier it will be for Filipino citizens and lawmakers to push for better, cheaper and more accessible Internet.
I will end this post with a timely episode from my favourite political-comedy talk show: Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj.
Last night I was trying to book an eyebrow threading appointment from Browhaus and a waxing appointment from Strip Ministry of Waxing--both run by the same company by the way--and their websites were being so unreliable and were at an all-time slow responsiveness. It was past the customer service hours so I couldn't call in to book my appointments either. And what's the point of having an online platform when the customers cannot book, right? Anyway, that was my breaking point. I've had enough of their inefficiency.
I remembered that right beside the language school where I take my French lessons, there was a hair removal studio. I quickly went on their website to see what's up.
It's not actually your usual waxing studio. It was a sugaring place called Sugar(ed).
Photo grabbed from Sugar(ed)'s website
Promotions Do Work
By 'sugar', I mean it's like waxing but they are using sugar instead of hot wax to remove the unwanted hair. It's not my first time to try this, as my go-to waxing place in Manila when I was still working there was also using sugar instead of hot wax. Back to my online searching--so on the Sugar(ed) website, suddenly a pop-up promotion appeared: Buy 2 sessions for S$95 (UP S$120). Promo only good for April purchases!
Last night was April 30. Of course I bought it.
Booking
I bought the package and immediately booked my appointment for today. Their booking platform is also MindBodyOnline, same as most of the fitness studios here in Singapore. It was easy to book and I got my confirmation email right away. I was confused on how I'll be able to sync my Paypal package purchase but it was late and I just let it go, thinking I'll settle it on the studio itself.
Early this morning, I got a text from Sugar(ed) confirming my appointment. I replied that I will go as scheduled and just to make things easier when I get there, I also informed them that I have already paid for the service. They quickly responded saying they have already linked it up on their end, even before I messaged. That small detail made me happy.
Reception
I arrived a bit early for my appointment, because I also wanted to run some errands in the event the service finishes earlier. The studio was in a shophouse, quaint and lovely as shophouses go. Not only was the interior aesthetically pleasing with its natural light and lots of plant accents, it also smelled so nice in there.
As with everything you're going through for the first time, I was made to sign the registration form with the regular disclaimer for allergies, heart conditions etc. Nothing out of the ordinary and pretty clear cut.
I waited until it was my turn. Thankfully the appointment before me ended early and my sugaring technician was able to accommodate me 10minutes ahead of schedule.
Getting Sugar(ed)
When my technician named Dina was ready, she went to fetch me. The first thing I noticed was that she's also a Filipina. She meekly asked if I was too, and when I said yes we suddenly started chatting in Filipino. Very professionally, she briefed me on what's about to happen. She let me change into my service gown, which is a white garterised tube dress that is loose on the bottom and can be lifted up easily for the process.
She went back to the room and showed me the clump of sugar, roughly the same size as the one on the first photo of this post. She carefully explained what she will do and how it's supposed to help my hair regrowth.
And since I have not really done sugaring in a while, Ate Dina was so helpful in distracting me by talking about everything under the sun.
Contrast With Hot Waxing
You see, for sugaring the hair is removed according to the natural hair growth direction. Whereas for hot wax services, they usually remove hair against the direction of the hair. For sugaring, the hair is supposed to grow back slower and finer, as there's less hair breakage.
Another big difference is that instead of putting the wax on a big patch and removing the hair in one motion, with sugaring they do it bit by bit.
Pros
There's less skin trauma when it's done in small patches
Cons
Instead of a quick waxing session, sugaring takes tiny bit longer, which could also mean you're in pain much longer.
Unlike waxing salons, sugaring places do not double dip the sticks since they only need that one clump of sugar. I also found it commendable that Sugar(ed) had sterilisers in every room. (It's that thing that looks like an oven toaster in the photo above)
Vajayjay Spa
So after my 30 minutes hair removal process was up, Ate Dina put a masque... on my vajayjay. For the lack of better term, vajayjay spa is what I thought about when that happened. It's a normal freebie for every first timer in Sugar(ed) and I thought it was a cool gesture and certainly something that makes you ponder. As in "ooh you can/should also moisturise down there?"
It was a good experience and left a cooling sensation. After 10 minutes, Ate Dina removed the masque and left me to dress up while she waited in the reception.
Maintenance and Aftercare
Part of the package that I bought is the maintenance session, which should be done within 5 weeks starting from today. Since it's my first time at Sugar(ed), I can't really say anything yet about the results but I will definitely update this post before I go to my next session. For aftercare, I bought a moisturiser for down there. It's made of shea butter and other essential oils. I was intrigued at how it will change my skin so I wanted to try it.
Promotions for May 2019
As mentioned earlier, the main reason I tried this place was due to a promotion. Coincidentally, it's their anniversary month this May so they have some good promotions for those wanting to try this place out, and for those who want to get a package.
Will I Go Back?
The overall experience was so good that even my 2-session pack runs out, I will come back. It's massively convenient that I can get sugared, step out and go directly to my French class. My technician, Ate Dina, is so knowledgeable about the entire process and she took the time to explain everything before she does anything, and she also gave me the right amount of chatting, which not only put me at ease but also made me forget that there is another wave of hair pulling coming soon. She's a very good technician, book her when you are going to Sugar(ed) Downtown!
Quick disclaimer to say: this is not a sponsored post.
I realise I'm mainly posting about this because of my annoyance to Strip/Browhaus for wasting so much of my time over the past 3 years that I have been their patron. They never fixed their website even with all the complaints that I have done--not that those mattered. I hope if you're reading this and want to try a waxing studio that will respect your time, consider going to Sugar(ed) instead. I love seeing a local business flourish, especially when they are giving superb customer service.
The only reason why I bought a yoga package from the neighbourhood yoga studio, Yoga Inc, was so I can take the *hot classes. My thought process was: "If I sweat a lot, it might compensate for my unhealthy habits." I also thought since hot yoga will keep my body in least comfort for an hour, it will help me in centering myself for pole dancing. Though not wrong, I just didn't feel any other happiness-sparking connection with yoga then.
*hot yoga classes are those classes held in a heated room and the temperature goes up to 40 degrees Celsius
Last November, merely six weeks before my snowboarding trip to Niseko, I was looking up on what I can do to make myself become better on the snow. A lot of the expert advice were saying "take up yoga" and that I did.
I stopped going to hot classes, and instead went for Hatha and Flow. Even when I went to Bali for the Christmas holidays, I only did yoga. It was not my first choice, but the only pole studio in Bali was too far or at the time when I was nearby, there were no classes. In Ubud, the yoga instructor also taught meditation. I thought it was cool and I was amazed at how much time had actually passed by, but we were only seated down and it only felt like a minute or two.
Coming back from holidays, I took yoga again from my neighbourhood studio. This time I took Core Yoga, which was more like Crossfit disguised as yoga. Like the former, Ice was struggling but just hours after I felt instantly stronger.
The experts were right. I felt so much better and much stronger during my 10-day snowboarding trip. I had better control of my center of gravity, which meant I fell down less. My core was stronger, which meant my turns were easier to do and eventually link. In short, I came back from that trip wanting more of both snowboarding and yoga. Because I'm so sure that the yoga helped immensely.
Even when I got back to my pole classes, it was different. Usually my shoulders are weak and would pop off once in a while. That hasn't happened again yet.
Just last month, I have signed up for around a total of 35 classes which I can take near my place (Yoga Inc) and another one near my office (Meraki Yoga) for the next three months. The thought of this excites me, which made me realise I now unironically enjoy yoga.
It's my birthday month this month and my wish is to become stronger every year, and feel better than the last year.
One of the many things I believe in is personal development, whether in the workplace or in day-to-day life. This is why whenever I can, I take online courses and watch Ted talks, and why I practice pole and yoga. If there's an opportunity to move, figuratively and literally, I take it.
Last year, I have reached a mini-milestone of surviving my career shift, and I couldn't be any more happy with this change. I genuinely feel like I made a good move and I'm enjoying what I've learned so far.
As part of my commitment to improve my skillset for my new role, I contemplated between joining Toastmasters or signing up for improv acting workshops. In the end I decided to choose the latter so I also get myself another creative outlet. Today is Jan 10 (well, Jan 11 now as I'm writing this just past midnight) and my first acting workshop just finished. I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed all three hours, and how suddenly a group of strangers became such as good set of people that I very much felt secure with.
Going back to the reason why I joined--I've always been my first critic, and I acknowledge that there are areas within myself that if I can improve, I'd do a much better job in my new line of work. I did a total of four public speaking engagements last year and I wouldn't really say I was excellent at it. Certainly, 10 years of sitting in front of a computer as a programmer did not prepare me for that amount of public speaking. Add to that, I'm also required to talk to clients in my new role and for someone *introverted like me, it is one of the most difficult things to do.
(*I've had people telling me they don't believe I'm an introvert. My short answer is that out of necessity, I have forced myself to be an outgoing introvert. Still an introvert, and I still very much love not having to deal with people.)
Anyway, earlier today I finished the first acting workshop. I will then commence on an improv intro programme in March. I'm excited and I cannot wait to see the improvement manifesting at work.