For the past few days I have been thinking on what to buy using my first and now my second paycheck combined. Couldn't decide on what to buy when I got my 1st paycheck coz I was busy with work and decided to wait for my range of options to get bigger. Now that I have received my 2nd paycheck, my available resources have grown larger and so too are the available options for spending. The problem is, I still can't make up my mind on what to buy!!

It's not like I am kedekut; I am a big spender and won't mind paying RM 15 for a large ice-blended at Starbucks, spend RM 100 or more for dinner in a restaurant or anything that has got to do with food. It's the non-edible stuff that I have problem deciding on what to get.

Among the stuff I am thinking on buying are:

1) Xbox 360 : The console itself cost RM 1500, games another RM 160, so I would spend about RM 2000 just to get the console and with a small selection of games. The problem is that it will only have about 2-3 games to play and my interest to play 360 has waned since I came back coz playing an RTS on my pc is more enjoyable (Blame Dawn on War on this). Also, my resources will be strech thin if I make this purchase, and I highly doubt I can buy the stuff I liked to eat :(

2) Warhammer 40k : Since I am hooked to Dawn of War is no surprised that I want to try out the original table -top game from which the RTS games is derived from. The cost of setting up and army is also as expensive as the 360, but can be spread out over a few months as the army takes time for it to be fully battle ready and fully painted. Like the first month I can spend RM 500 for the rule book (I know, buying the RM 250 rule book is insane) and the Land raider. Then next month I buy a tactical squad for another RM 500 and so on. Really liked the idea of getting the land raider, but my CBT gladiator is still in pieces and unpainted and as soon as the land raider is finished I highly doubt I will want to get the marines. After all, all I want is the land raider sculpt. Also, I even said to my self, why stop playing a minitures game (because it is too expensive) to play another minitures game (which is also very expensive) ? Still deciding on whether to pick up the hobby, but to tell the truth, prefer playing computer :P

3) PSP : It was this same time last year I wanted a PSP. The price has dropped, more games available, but it still cost a bomb just to get started. Add to the fact I need to buy the sony memory stick duo which is only compatible with the PSP itself, no thanks.

4) Nintendo DS : I would have bought one last year if I wanted to.

5) New graphics card : Unfortunetly because my computer is prefer ancient by todays standards, I need to spend about RM 3000 just to get a new mother board, ram and processor to run the graphic card I want to buy. Also not many new interesting games to justify an upgrade and my laptop still do fine. (To my DOTA friends out there, DOTA is not my cup of tea)

6) New handphone : nope, my current one will do me fine

7) New car : my current car is still ok, no need for a new one

8) New watch : my current one is fine

As you can see, I do not have many needs or wants on my part to justify spending on any of those above. Maybe next month when I have more dough I will buy something, but in the mean time I am still keeping my non-edible wants on hold. Very thrifty I am right?

My previous week was one hectic one. Had a site meeting on Monday in which I have to drive there and also had to stay at office until 8pm on Friday to make sure the construction frawing of one project is printed out. It's not a small drawing mind you, it is a detailed drawing printed on a big plotter which prints on A1 size paper. And the mechanical drawings is lot because there are alot of different services for the building. Anyway managed to get through the week ok. Pretty rushed though..

Just now went to the wine shop beside Maybank in SS15 to have a look. Saw a lot of Australian wines, but none of the brands I am familier with. There's a lot of Shiraz, Cabernet Souvignon etc, but we somehow the wines I drank last time when I was in Australia are either rare or cannot be found. I saw there is a bottle of Old Vine Shiraz of another brand which costs almost RM 200!! Before I left Australia I bought and drank a bottle of Old Vine Shiraz from a winery which can only be bought from the celler door for AU60. The wine was very nice with a rich earthly vanillay oak flavour... something like that. Then there is another white wine which is fruity and sweet. It's name is Mcguigan Black Label: Traminar Restling. It is also bought from a winery in Australia (the Barrosa Valley to be exact) and we took it home to drink it during CNY. It costs AU 20. It is so nice that my family wants to drink it again and I am hpoing the local distributer of these wines brought some to M'sia.

I changed my computer abit this week. No more Norton Anti-virus. It bugged me everytime I turn on my computer, everytime to update it and renew its licience. Worst, the message does not pop up the minute your computer boots, but a few minutes after windows loads, so if I already started a program like Dawn of War, the stupid message appears to disturb. And then when you disabled the Auto-protect, it bugs you not stop to turn it back on!! Very bad if you want to squeeze a few Hz out of your computer.

Instead I installed Kaspersky AV. So far so good. It has a 3 month trial to try it. After that must but a 1 or 2 year licience to use it. Atleast it is not as annoying as NAV which BUGS you to update and renew. The 2006 version BUGS you like hell to activate and to update it I'm going to delete it and put Kaspersky instead for my parent's PC. Also it has made their computer slower. Not to mentioned NAV is known for not detecting some stuff when it enters your computer.

On Monday night went for dinner at a Korean BBQ restaurant in Taipan. It is just opposite my former tuition centre and Macdonalds. The food was very nice but the wine was even better!! My face turned red after 3-4 small cups of the wine. Must have drank too fast. The wine has 14% alcohol, quite normal for red wines.

Long weekend

It was a long weekend at the end of the first month of working. Felt very happy that the weekend was finally here as I am looking forward to it he whole week!

Anyway, on Satrurday morning I woke up early coz the family mechanic need to come to my house to replace the falt battery in my car. The battery ran flat due to a malfunction of the timer switch that controls the "ring of light" around the key entry. So the "ring of light" drained my car battery till it ran flat. Alarm don't work. Starter not a squek. 100% dead. Fortunately all it needs was a battery change and the car was good to go. Too bad I can't have the "ring of light" anymore. Looks very cool at night.

Then in the afternoon although my car was repaired, my friend picked me up to go play MW. He fianlly got a dropship of his own and has the chance to be dropship command. The battle on Sat between us ended after we called it off due to lack of time and nearing a stallmate. But Arnis managed to hold down 1 assault mech and a group of infantry while my artillery and the rest of my forces move in for the kill. Too bad Arnis was sacrificed in the process.

On Sunday went to Cheng Beng at the Nirvana near Semenyih. Nothing to talk about since it was a yearly routine.