I ended my last post with a cliffhanger (not!). How come I still surrendered my iPhone when it wasn't going to be replaced by Globe and/or Apple? Answer: Simple. They hadn't seen the last of me yet.

Fast forward to roughly three months later, I again traversed the all-too-familiar path to the Globe Business Center in SM Megamall. This time, I was armed with a dead-ly weapon. A dead pixel. A teeny tiny white spot on my iPhone's screen that was hardly noticeable and detrimental to the device's functionality, but was a defect nonetheless.

And wouldn't you know it, Sir John saw the minute picture element devoid of any activity and declared my phone defective. Who would have thought somebody would be so elated to learn his prized possession was faulty? He then referred me to the lady stranger behind the shiny counter with her iTunes-ready laptop, who in turn asked me to fill out an iPhone repair form, to which I blurted out, "Wait a sec, a repair form? Not a replacement form?!" The lady then told me it's just how they call 'em. Oh.

I left the establishment with a bit of an ambiguous feeling. On one hand, I had to survive without my phone for at least two weeks. On the other, I might just get a brand spankin' new one after at least two weeks. And guess what, I did both! Praise Steve Jobs!

Last Wednesday evening, I went back to Globe on a whim. I talked to the lady and followed up my ticket. She consulted her iTunes-ready laptop and told me the good news I was waiting to hear for over a fortnight. It turned out the replacement (Yes! Re. Place. Ment.) was just a couple of meters away from where I was standing, waiting to be unbricked by its rightful owner. Suddenly the stranger had a name: Lyla. I was psyched enough then to actually care about what her name was and glance on her ID to find out. Thank heavens for Lyla. Or was it Laila? I forget.

Now excuse me while I wipe my all-new, calibrated-to-near-perfection, dead-pixel-free iPhone with a totally lint-free cloth. :P