Five Days Without a Phone Screen: My Ordeal and the Realization of Bulb Addiction.

Five Days Without a Phone Screen: My Ordeal and the Realization of Bulb Addiction

It all started like a joke. My trusty Samsung Note 10 Plus, which had already suffered a cracked screen, began flickering uncontrollably. At first, it seemed like a minor glitch, something I could easily ignore until I could find the time to fix it. But within two days, the screen went completely dark. The phone was still on, still working, but there was nothing visible—no access to apps, no texts, no notifications. Yet, I foolishly thought, "One day without a screen won't be so bad."

That first day turned out to be miserable. Without my screen, I couldn’t screen calls, and every call came through unfiltered. Normally, I would let some calls slide, especially the unsolicited ones. But that day, I was forced to pick up every single call, and as if by some cruel joke, the calls I least wanted to take kept pouring in. By the end of the day, I was frustrated and ready to fix the screen, no matter the cost.

The next day, I took the phone to Samsung Care, expecting a quick fix. However, what greeted me was a different kind of frustration. The staff informed me that they didn’t have replacement screens in stock, and due to the continuous fall of the naira against the dollar, they no longer kept spare parts. Instead, I would need to pay in advance so they could order it, and then I would wait for three to five business days for the part to arrive.

It was an unexpected twist. I stood there, staring at the quote for the replacement screen. It wasn’t cheap. The cost made me pause and think twice before making the payment, but in the end, I went through with it. However, I refused to leave my phone behind. Call it sentimentality, but I wasn’t ready to part ways with my device completely, even if it was essentially unusable.

The saviour for 5days!

At this point, my Samsung watch became my lifeline. It was the only way I could receive notifications about calls. My smart glasses, acting as my earpiece, also came in handy for staying connected. WhatsApp Web kept me somewhat tethered to the world of business, and I thought, "I can make it through five days like this."

But by day three, something strange happened. I started missing Bulb. This was surprising to me. I had no idea how much I had come to rely on the Bulb project, and worse, how much I was addicted to it. It was almost as though I had lost a personal companion. Thoughts about losing my multiplier in the Bulb challenge flashed before my eyes. Missing out on activities that I normally participated in, such as making great comments and engaging with the community, left me feeling disconnected in more ways than just a broken phone.

The idea of moving my Bulb account to my laptop crossed my mind, but I hesitated. I didn’t want to make the shift. There was something about engaging with Bulb through my phone that felt more personal, more intimate. The app had become more than just a platform; it was part of my daily routine, my day-to-day rhythm.

By day four, I found myself constantly thinking about the Bulb challenge. I had already lost my multiplier on five great comments from the previous week because my flickering screen made it impossible to complete the task. I prayed that the new screen would arrive before Monday, so I wouldn’t fall further behind. Missing out on any more progress felt like a personal loss.
Finally, on Friday night, a notification from Samsung Care lit up my Samsung watch. The screen had arrived. I was excited but decided to wait until after my Saturday hike with Hikenationgroup before making the trip to get it fixed.

By 11 a.m. Saturday, fresh from the hike, I rushed to Samsung Care to have the new screen installed. The relief I felt was immeasurable. The moment my phone was back in my hand, I went straight to Bulb. To my dismay, my leaderboard position had plummeted to 437th place. It stung, but I couldn't blame anyone. The Bulb community wasn’t going to slow down for my broken screen. In fact, it was a good reminder of how fast things move on the platform.

There was a silver lining, though. Upon checking my notifications, I was thrilled to see that Bulb had responded to one of my suggestions. They had finally included Bulb Threads as part of the Bulb challenge. It felt good to know that my voice had been heard.

Now, with my phone fully operational, I’ve set myself a new personal challenge. I’m determined to see how high I can climb on the leaderboard in just two days of intense activity. It’s a race against time, but the thrill of being back on the platform and fully engaged is worth it.

Reflecting on the experience, I realized just how dependent I had become on my phone and, more surprisingly, on Bulb. It wasn’t just a platform for me anymore, it had become a personal companion, a daily habit that I missed deeply during those five screenless days.

And as for the screen replacement itself, I felt relieved that I had paid for it earlier in the week. When I checked the current price after the installation, I discovered that the cost had increased by 40 to 45 percent due to the continued decline of the naira. Had I waited any longer, the financial burden would have been even greater.

In the end, what started as an ordeal turned into a realization: Bulb is more than just an app, it’s a part of my daily life, an addiction I didn’t know I had. Now that I’m back on track, I’m ready to make the most of it, with a renewed appreciation for both my phone and the Bulb community.

Quick question: Are Samsung screens noticeably expensive in your country as well, or is this price surge something unique to Nigeria?

Drop your thoughts in the comments!

Thanks for reading!