To Be Calimquim

Well, I was supposed to get the Blackberry 8830 at the Verizon Wireless store in Chicago today, but I found out a few things from the sales representative there:

• Although the BB 8830 has a slot for a SIM card, you only need to use the SIM Card to utilize the “world phone” capabilities like making/receiving phone calls and sending/receiving e-mails while you are in another country.  If you are in the USA, the SIM card is not required.  The one time cost of the SIM card is around $40.
• Another catch is that the phone is locked, meaning that you cannot use another SIM from another mobile carrier either from USA or an international carrier.   This is a bummer because when I do go to China, I use a SIM card from China Mobile, so the local phone calls are about $0.05/minute.  If I use the VZW Sim Card, the phone calls will cost about $0.60/minute.  Whoa!
• Furthermore, in order to use the “world phone” in another country aside from the USA, you will need to pay an additional $14/month for the international phone + e-mail service.   This is on top of the unlimited data service that I’m already paying for, which is $30/month.

So now I’m debating whether or not to get the BB 8830 now, or just wait until November of this year when my 2-year anniversary with my current Treo 700w is up.  If I wait, I can get an additional $100 off the phone price, from their “New Every 2” plan.  Right now, the retail phone price of the BB 8830 is $399, and there is current mail-in rebate promotion of $100 off.

This picture was taken from our 39th floor, high-rise apartment in downtown Chicago, in February 2007.  It got very cold during this period – on this day, it was -20 °F.  Did you read that correctly?  That’s MINUS TWENTY DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.  It was quite a climate shocker for a home-grown, Southern California boy like me, who is used to 72 °F and sunny weather.  I’ll take the Santa Ana winds over this Chicago weather insanity, anytime.

What you are seeing is Lake Michican, which is basically covered in about a foot of snow.  I was told The Lake won’t completely freeze through, just at the edges.

The street below is Lakeshore Drive.  The building on the left is another high-rise apartment building under construction.  Just a few months ago, we had an unobstructed view of the Navy Pier, but now it’s gone forever.

This is me about to tee off.  I don’t remember which hole it was, but this is the Sun Island Golf Course in Suzhou, China.  I played in April 2007.

My setup seems okay – wide stance, ball placed just ahead of the center, shoulders tilting away from target.  My head should be more behind the ball.  Also, if you had seen the rear-view of my setup, most likely, my back will be curved.  I know it should be angled and straight.  I think this drive turned out okay – about 250 yards.  Did you know your drives in China travel 50 yards farther than they would in the USA? 😉

What does it mean To Be Calimquim? Are you a city? Are you a country? Are you a fruit? It is none of the above. It is actually a Filipino family name.

How do you pronounce Calimquim? My preference is to say it as Ka-LIM-kim. Although, the American-ized way of saying it is KA-lim-kwim.