We all have different need of internet usage. I normally use an average of 400 – 500MB (upload and download data transfer) usage per day. Total that up for one month, that would take up almost 15GB per month of data usage. However I find it hard to reach 15GB per month except if I am on a downloading quest for movies and videos stuff. The best internet option for me will always be TM Net Streamyx. However when I go travel for example like right now I am in Tambun Ipoh, I would bring along my Huawei E220 USB modem which is powered by DiGi Internet Prepaid. Lucky for me, my in law’s house is within the area of 3G Internet Broadband services for all the Telcos available.

A couple of months ago, I have no issue with DiGi Internet Prepaid as it serves my purpose quite well. Although the top download speed is capped at 384kbps, watching YouTube videos has not been a problem. The download quota of 3GB per month never been exceeded as I only use the pre-paid internet line for 3 – 4 days sometimes 10 days per month. At RM2 per day, it was the perfect internet replacement for me while on the go.

After haven’t been travelling for a while, I realized something new happened. I got this SMS in my Mobile Connect application:

You have reached the 100 MB daily quota. However you will continue to enjoy unlimited Internet usage at 128kbps until the next quota reset at 12am

I was shocked. Immediately the internet speed dropped and my download was downgraded. This is not a good sign. I did some Googling just now using the now throttled internet speed of 128kbps:

DiGi Internet Prepaid

Oh dear, I need to find a solution for this. I did some checking around:

Maxis Hotlink Internet Prepaid

Celcom Broadband Prepaid

I am a Maxis postpaid user on my Sony Xperia X10 Mini. However Maxis has the most expensive plan with RM8/day and only 500MB per day. I also have a DiGi Prepaid sim-card which I hardly use, at RM5/day and only 100MB per day, this is even pricier than my DiGi Internet Prepaid at RM2/day. The best option for me right now is to go for Celcom Broadband Prepaid at RM6/day with 1GB per day.

I should make a comparison table for this but I am too lazy to do it right now. Now, I need to find myself a Celcom Broadband Prepaid™ Pack somewhere here in Ipoh.

Update 1st February 2011: I subscribed to Celcom Broadband Prepaid on Celcom Blue for RM18 weekly (Sim Card cost me only RM3 during a promotion). The line only managed EDGE connection with unstable internet connection even on the 18th Floor of Menara PJD, Kuala Lumpur. The same goes when I was in Tambun Ipoh. So, it was a no go for Celcom Broadband Prepaid for me.

Update 12th February 2011: I bought Celcom Broadband Prepaid pack just now at a Celcom partner’s booth (Only RM12.50) at Giant Ipoh (Tried to buy one at Celcom Blue Sunway Pyramid but they said they ran out of stock). I realized that the Celcom Blue sim-card doesn’t have 3G capabilities which is why I couldn’t get a good speed the last time I tried. I am now on HSDPA line powered by Celcom Broadband Prepaid.

Ever since Tune Hotels established 3 years ago, I have been wanting to try and stay there just to experience how the hotel is. Last September, I had the time and the chance to go to Penang after Hari Raya Aidilfitri to visit my mother’s relative up north. One room was booked and paid online 3 weeks earlier at Tune Hotels Downtown Penang which total up only RM70++ per night. Arrived and checked-in at the hotel at 10pm after being stuck in a one hour jam just before boarding the ferry services.

Check out the photos I’ve taken:

Tune Hotels Downtown Penang

Tune Hotels Downtown Penang lobby

Tune Hotels Room Hallway

Loved the comfortable bed

RM5 toiletries

The stylish glass door bathroom

Unfortunately the room doesn’t have a TV, however it wouldn’t be worth the resting time if you spend it watching TV. The bed was astoundingly comfortable. I wish my bed was as comfortable as the bed at Tune Hotels. Overall, I give this hotel a 5 stars rating and would love to stay for another night there.

5 year ago, together with my younger brother and my father. We went for ‘car shopping‘ to replace the current car I was using at that time. Check out the colour of the Proton Iswara Aeroback car before I bought it at the second hand car lot:

5 years later, check out what happened to the shiny red colour:

So it is true that a car paint can only last for 2 years. For the past 5 years, the car has been through a lot together with me. It also served my wife for a couple of months before we got married.

I’ve written a couple of blog posts that talks about my car, mostly on the maintenance part of it.

• Car Maintenance at Fasfik Kepong
• Taking Care of Your Car CV Joints
• Benefit of Turning Your Air Conditioning While Driving

There were also incident that happened:

• KTM Segambut Car Park Daylight Thievery

All of them were memories that I’ll never forget. So back in July 2010, I couldn’t afford the repair of the car since there were too many broken parts within the car itself. I had to let go of the car eventhough I still owe the bank another 2 years of loan. It was a sad moment for me but the car has to go either way:

The car is still in it’s original state, so hopefully the next car owner could take care of the car even better than I am. BTW, I sold the car back to the 2nd hand car dealer where I bought it.

On the 29th September 2010, after much thought and consideration, my family made a decision to downgrade the current package of Streamyx internet. This is to reduce our monthly payment for TM services that we are paying. At the moment we are paying RM149.40 for a rarely used telephone line with 1MBps Streamyx Internet line. The internet line is the busiest because my family has 4 computers connecting using WiFi. My mother is now an avid user of Facebook since she uses the internet to learn new stuff and interact with her old friends whom is also catching up using Facebook as well.

I discovered from my brother and also other people using Streamyx 384Kbps that the speed was sufficient for normal browsing and casual download. So the decision is final, we wanted to downgrade the existing 1MBps Streamyx to 384Kbps. After making calls to 100, the best way to downgrade is to go to the nearest TM Point which is for me located at Kepong. Since the line was still under my father’s name and my father passed away last December, I first had to transfer the account to my name first by filling up a form before I can apply for the downgrade (RM10 was charged for the account transfer).

TM Point Kepong design is quite nice and comfortable, as usual the queue required me to wait for almost half an hour before my number turned up.

Here’s another view of TM Point Kepong.

The only thing that surprised me was that my internet line would be disconnected for 2 weeks in order for the downgrade to proceed. I then asked when will the line would be cut, the guy at the counter said immediately. So, I was out of internet for 2 weeks. I had to use alternative broadband internet I have which is the DiGi Internet Prepaid that I’ve bought a while ago but the reception in my house was really slow. I then tried using Daily Unlimited Celcom Xpax Prepaid Internet during last weekend, the speed was acceptable but the budget was a bit steep for me.

I made a call to 100 last week which the operator told me the downgrade request hasn’t been processed yet. So yesterday I made another call where I got the same answer with an additional information that I can request for a rebate for the entire stretch of my downtime (that was nice to hear). Last night, when I got back from home, my internet Streamyx was restored. A total downtime of 15 days.

So there you go, that was my experience downgrading TM Net Internet Streamyx.