Pros of using a 2GB RAM smartphone in 2025: you can’t multitask as most apps use more memory now, which makes you focus on what you’re really doing with the device.
This is the truth
The only time you’ll here it
I write it down because it seems so hard to say it
These are my thoughts written down on paper
It’s my only savior
From not saying what I want to say
There are my thoughts that are on my mind
Moments that haven’t yet been defined
And I don’t know if you could ever understand
These are the things I can’t say when we’re alone
— Truth Of My Youth by New Found Glory
Challenge: only using low network frequency bands.
Giving up root access on Android just to make certain apps work is a path I’m still not willing to take.
I like going to concerts. The atmosphere, the fans, and the music we share together creates an invisible bond which makes the few hours of the event a different world.
I’ve had a fair share of genres, but I observed that, I’ve been very sociable on heavy music concerts and festivals. I am usually going alone on these events, and I do feel very comfortable with approaching and being approached by other people. The fans also are very different on opposite genres. I interacted on four different people at the last concert I attended and I even went to the event location with another fan who recognizes my shirt which is from a heavy music festival, and wondered whether I am also going to this specific show myself.
Although other genres have this comparable feeling of catharsis, for me, it is much bigger on this type of music. I think that this feeling extends even before the start of show and affects my overall attitude. I also believe that since this type of music is not that mainstream, the types of people are somewhat similar to myself.
Using custom ROMs, I’ve always encountered mobile data connection issues with Globe Telecom. The mobile data won’t connect and establish proper connection to access the internet. The problem lies generally on the access point name (APN) configuration.
The Fix
APN: www
APN type: default, supl
APN protocol: IPv4/IPv6
APN roaming protocol: IPv4/IPv6
The mobile data should connect to the internet now. No need to modify IMS and MMS APNs.
There are problems still with this telco, for myself, as of writing this. First is that VoLTE/VoWIFI is still not activated by default, unlike the other local telcos. Another one is the stupidly huge price for promos, be it calls, texts, and mobile data.
Still got something left to prove
It tends to keep things movin’ while everyone around me says
My last days are looming overhead
But what the hell do they think they know?
My head’s above the water, while they drown in the undertow
[…]
If you take it from me, live your life for yourself
‘Cause when it’s all said and done, you don’t need anyone else
Come on!
So let’s get back to when everything seemed perfect
Not a worry in the world, tell me was this all worth it?
I get what I want, so everyone’s always judging me
I’m not afraid of anything, I’ve got the whole world in front of me
— All I Want by A Day to Remember
It’s kinda silly to think that I am listening to a podcast named “Mac Power Users”, yet I don’t have any Apple devices and even interest on it, nothing against on that ecosystem though. I am just curious about a certain guest they interviewed.
I am trying in doing things in single-task, no context switching every time anymore.
A salamander just crossed in front of me while as well at this moment.
I am somehow treating this site as a journal now, huh.
“The problem is, we live in a world where “nothing” has been rebranded.
You can’t just sit. Now it has to be “mindfulness.” You can’t just walk.
It’s a “hot girl walk.” You can’t lie down. It’s “body rest yoga.” No. I
want the old-school version of nothing. Just staring into space for
five minutes, or maybe an hour (…or six), without someone turning it
into a self-care routine. For the love of all that is holy, just let me
do nothing in peace, thank you very much.” https://musingsfromatangledmind.com/2025/09/23/more-nothing-please/
For years of using OpenWRT on my router, it is my first time trying “Attended Sysupgrade” to upgrade the firmware. The process is just smooth. It always brings a smile when I update open-source projects because of the development involved around the community.
I will take the challenge of having a bad network reception. ‘Bout time to disconnect!
Unfortunately, we always seem to think that switching the service or curating the feed differently works to alleviate that completely. I guess it feels that way for a while, but looking on from the outside, I can’t see much change. You’re still spending hours in the same space that frightened and stressed you for years and continues to. No matter what big platform you turn to, your brain still recognizes the feed, the numbers, the danger of comments, the fear of getting dragged. Your heart drops when you see too many notifications or a DM. You’re still always in position, anticipating the next asshole to come along. You’re frightened. You have no trust. Someone’s criticism about a thing is always, somehow, vaguely a dig at you and your worth to you.
I successfully replaced the battery of my old low-end daily driver phone. Unlike the previous aftermarket ones, this seems to have a functional BMS (battery management system), so all sensors work as expected. Even being low-end, it still runs fine on latest Android version as of writing. Here’s to another 3+ years of usage at least.
I am reading a lot of blog/personal sites these days. I like it so very much. One post I enjoyed is the one below. I can’t believe how these LLMs are rampant everywhere now, and the effects are becoming worse every time.
So there’s a lot of anecdotal evidence floating around that using ChatGPT essentially trains people out of thinking for themselves, and now there’s more and more scientific evidence coming in that says the same thing. If you turn to ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and so on every time you run into a problem that you can’t immediately solve by yourself, pretty soon you will have lost the ability to do so in the first place.
I have a habit of tinkering too much with my devices, whether changing operating systems frequently, or compiling one myself. I do enjoy doing it but, I am at a point where don’t learn anything new and I am just doing it mindlessly. I can easily change operating systems because I don’t rely heavily on applications on mobile and I use few software on my PC. I have a dedicated drive for my data for both desktop/laptop and mobile so nothing really will be lost easily. Nothing’s holding me back.
Those who are familiar with distro-hopping and flashing custom ROMs can relate to this. It’s fun. I just don’t know why I haven’t outgrew it still, and it’s been around a decade as well since I started.
So for one last time (famous last words?), I did setup all my devices from scratch and leave it as minimal as possible and will ride with it for a long time without modifying the operating systems. This will help myself dedicate a lot of time on other things I am putting off for a while. This seems like a cold turkey, but I will stand by it.
I actually like how minimalist stock GNOME looks. I don’t modify anything and leave everything as is. Tinkering with a tiling window manager is out the window.
In the case of smartphones, I currently have a lot of old units from 2017. I’ve been messing with them a lot with custom ROMs and other things. The community development scene is still active for these old devices and can still boot the latest Android version. But right now, I picked one to stick around to. I really don’t do much with phones aside from basic stuff and try to avoid using it to browse the web.
Goodluck to myself, now do those other things you’ve been meaning to do.
Over half of all humankind uses an Android smartphone. Google does not own your phone. You own your phone. You have the right to decide who to trust, and where you can get your software from.
I’m glad to see some initiatives being brought open with this, such as keepandroidopen.org. Although alternative mobile operating systems exists, but with the domination of iOS and Android—especially for the required banking and government apps—make it hard to daily drive such systems. Using two phones, one with stock ROM and one with custom ROM without Gapps, is a solution, but it can be a chore.
Won’t let a world gone mad ever bring me down
Gave everything I had to turn it back around
Cause our time’s worth something bigger than both you and me
I can’t live my life always backing down
I gotta do this right, then they can’t make a sound
Cause I’m not here for nothing, least I can say
I stand for something
You and me, we stand for something
— All Signs Point To Lauderdale by A Day To Remember
In July 1925, on the island of Helgoland, Werner Heisenberg made a breakthrough that gave rise to modern quantum theory. A century later, physicists are still exploring what it truly means.