I got an iPhone. (Again.)

In a nutshell: I caved, I bought an iPhone 4S. After finding out about the iPhone 5 and its lack of new features, I knew I’d made the right choice. I bought a white iPhone 4S, capacity 64GB, for only about $500. I know I had just bought housing for my Galaxy Ace and was even considering the Ace 2, but after much thought, I decided to go back to an iPhone.

Go back? Well, I had a 3GS for some time before it got stolen and all, and during the absence I had a flip phone, a slider phone, and finally a Galaxy Ace which I kept for one-and-a-half years. It’s sad letting poor old Roranicus just sit by my lamp and be the occasional alarm and browser-tester, but we’ve all got to move on.

I named my iPhone Gumball. Malik thought up the name for me. :)

However, despite loading everything in my iTunes to my new phone and knowing I went back to the device for its simplicity, sleek design, good battery, speediness and familiarity – I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if I suddenly decided to go back to Android. I still have my annoyance for Google present right now, though. I’ve tried very hard in the past month to slowly move away from Google by routing all my emails elsewhere and removing any content that Google has about me on the web… including deleting my YouTube account and various other things. There are some things Google is useful for, such as Google Analytics, and Chrome Sync, so I don’t see myself completely moving away, but I’ve suddenly become more aware of how many accounts I have on different websites and how many websites know my email address. Somehow, that’s beginning to bother me, perhaps because I’m trying to use fewer email addresses as well.

That aside, I could go into detail about the horrible day I had today, but when I think about it, I think it was just one of those really awful days when nothing goes right.

What hit me the hardest (and could have been the only thing that hit me) was the fact that one of the teachers for one of my subjects informed me, via email, that I would fail an assessment task if I didn’t pull my socks up. Of course, it’s not exactly what he said, but he said there was a lot I needed to do to catch up if I expected a pass.

Wait, throwback. Who are you trying to kid? This “assessment” involves posting on a forum. Posting on a forum. In no way do I find that duly assessable; it’s borderline stupid. Apparently 30% of my grade for this one subject counts on me posting on topics in the discussion board on the university’s site. Get stuffed.

My errors were that I had not posted enough. I showed Daniel the email from this teacher, and he pointed out that in his words, he made it seem like I had done zero work, when in fact I had posted a fair bit in two out of five boards. What angered me most was the teacher not even knowing me. Uh, he’s not even my teacher – did I add? And apparently “very low in-class participation” was in his mind correct. Sure, he probably talked to my teacher and discussed my participation, but I was rather infuriated that I could have been given something so nasty as a “fail” simply because I hadn’t posted in a few boards.

Okay, so obviously I got a little less infuriated and a little more upset-cry-bawl, but I couldn’t help it. It was the last thing I wanted, as a full-time web designer and a full-time student and someone who needs to take her medication every now and then and spend time with her friends once in a while. Sure, it’s one assessment out of one subject out of one semester out of this measly degree, but after I’d done so well last semester, I felt like this was a huge letdown.

Well, complaints aside. I’d better shuffle across and do my assignment. The end of the line. It’s due tomorrow, so I’d better finish.

Comments on this post

When did your annoyance for Google start? I’m getting a new phone and was deciding between iPhone or Android, and I ultimately chose Android (I have an Android phone already too). I just don’t know if I could live without widgets.

Also, Hi Georgina! Sorry I haven’t kept in touch lately :(

This guy’s not even your teacher. Ignore the email until you’re next in class, and show it to your actual teacher. Ask him/her whether the situation is really that bad, and just how important it is that you participate on the forum — and until then? Try not to worry about it. Focus on any of the (many) other things you have to do instead. This guy doesn’t matter; he’s only looking at numbers, he doesn’t know you or your work.

feet don’t bother me, it more like, who the hell do you think you are??

I heard that the new iPhone wasn’t packing as much heat as expected. Im still rocking my iPhone 4. I jailbroke it, so at least its kind of cool. But isn’t it insane how 3rd graders are carrying around iPhones. I didn’t even get my first phone till 8th grade

Oh well, glad you like the name I give it to you /eee Well, IDC and IDEC that guy. He’s freaking me out. When someone email me about my assignment, fuck up. I don’t care.

Well, most of my friends had jailbroked their iPhones and I don’t get the chance to buy an iPhone. I guess you should jailbroke it if necessary or shouldn’t do it. Jailbroke is just a waste of time. You just loses most of your device data and your warranty will void. ._. . Suggestion, don’t jailbroke it. :)

My psychology class last year forced everyone to participate in forum discussions, but nowhere as much as your class, it seems. And to make matters worse, every single forum post either lacked detail, or looked like it was copy-pasted-paraphrased from the textbook. I hope that at the very least, the forums you have to participate in are more interesting than that, but you failing for not participating in them is dumb.

I hope that you can get things sorted out with your actual teacher! Something tells me that that email might have been auto-sent to everyone who have fewer posts than a certain threshold…

I want an iPhone so bad, but I am curious about your annoyance with Google. What happened? As for the name, I cannot help but wonder how Malik came up with the name of Gumdrop. :)

As for the forum thing, I agree with everyone else. Talk to your actual teacher, and find out what the requirements were for that part of the class. Best of luck!

I honestly love having an iPhone but what I hate the most about smart phones is that you HAVE to have the 3G plan with it it or it won’t work. I also hate how you don’t have Adobe Flash players on there, but that can be worked around.

I would definitely talk to your professor and show him all of your discussion posts so he has an idea of whats going on. That’s completely unfair if the person who is emailing you isn’t even your teacher. I dislike how they integrate the internet so much in the classroom now that it’s becoming a grade for some teachers. I took an online class once and I just couldn’t do it. I’m not really a forum person xD
I hope everything works out at least =)

I’ve been on prepaid since forever; now a lot of prepaid options are including internet data so I guess it’s improving. I remember having the iPhone 3GS a while back and I just had to wait until wireless was available before I could do anything, or I’d end up spending $2 for every megabyte. /poo

I like forums, but when they try and make classes all social and collaborative… just no. :P

I like my iPhone, though I think I’d like pretty much any smartphone since I barely use it ^^;; As long as it can surf the internet, play music, and check email, I’m good.

I can’t believe he said that you’d fail because you didn’t participate enough. I wonder if he even properly checked or was just hanging around a board you weren’t in. I hope that gets sorted out though!

ya know, that kind of BS happens in school all the time. And then the teacher’s like, when in the real world you’re boss will, blah blah blah. The greatest injustices I faced in life have all been in HS, college, even elementary school. Frelling teachers on a power trip

Hahhaa. I like your attitude. You’re totally right.

As of right now, GMail seems to be the only reliable email website for me. There are probably other reliable ones, but I don’t know about them. I can’t see myself straying away from Android. I think I really enjoy it. I guess I never saw the purpose of the iphone. I’ve played with a couple & I can see why a lot of people may want one. I would honestly probably jump on the bandwagon if the iphone came to t-mobile. But I don’t foresee that happening.

I think that’s a bit extreme of him to say you’d fail because you didn’t post enough! I hope that you got everything straightened out, though.

I so wish I had an iPhone!! Liked the name, iPhone Gumball…. sounds sweet!
Congrats on buying an iPhone again! :D