Opps.....I did it again

Joker upon Batman escaping the museum with Vicki Vale- "Batman" (1989)

Yes, I did. Once again, I find myself in possession with an impulse buy. This time - I went out to get the "Aliens" action figure that I was blabbing on about in the last post. And yes "action figure" is the correct term although the manufacturer seems to label it a "poseable model kit". They weren't kidding but more on that later.

The day started out with a trip to get some clothes for Chinese New Year. Traditionally, we get something new every year be it shoes, pants/jeans, shirts etc. As I've aged, the money I spend on clothes seem to reduce. I remember once upon a time when my t-shirts used to cost me RM 89.90. And it always had to be "Quiksilver". I recall the frequent trips down to StarHill to the Quiksilver boutique. These days, lets just say I managed to get about 4 t-shirts with the same amount of money!

Got my clothes at Jaya, Section 14. There's a toyshop there and they were having a Chinese New Year sale. Yippee! Lucky draws for purchases above a certain ringgit amount. The guy had some sort of rock music blasting as I entered - I was the only customer there. Quickly glanced around, somethings did catch my eye but my target was set on something else. I queried the guy and they don't sell it. "We sell mainly Star Wars stuff". Next stop - Amcorp Mall. I knew there was a branch of another toyshop there. The hunt was on. The place was packed - I happened to stop on a day where they were having their regular flea market. Saw lots of stuff on sale, old records, books and magazines. But I was a man on a mission. I managed to locate the shop - saw what I wanted but as with the other branch at 1Utama, they were selling Corporal Hicks and Sergeant Apone as a pair! That would set me back at least RM 900. No way I was spending that amount of money, so I left.

Decided to take a drive down to MidValley Megamall. It was my lucky day - parking wasn't a problem although the queue stretched on and on. Once inside, I tried looking around for a Floor Directory. As I stopped off the escalator and turned the corner, the shop was right in front of me! I stepped inside and was greeted with toys in all shapes and sizes. Checked out the stuff they have on sale, saw what I came to get - hesitated abit but in the end, I walked out with this.

So here I was again, with another impulse buy in hand. The box was covered by a prismatic-looking sleeve that gives a little rainbow-ish look when viewed at from certain angles.

The body came unassembled. It took me about 2 freaking hours or so to put the body together and put on his gear. It was fragile and I was afraid I would break something. Some belt buckles snapped but nothing a little super glue couldn't fix. The pegs on the body mould didn't really line up nicely with the holes they were supposed to fit in. But in the end, patience prevailed.

Also got a loyalty card from the store where purchases will get me stickers which can in turn be exchanged for even more toys. If you think about it, suckers like me paying hundreds for toys like this, you'd thinking its a big money making business wouldn't it? Optimus Prime which cost me RM 89.90 when I was 10 years old now sells for RM 700. And the guy who owns the store I bought the figure from has at least 2 other branches, one in Ampang and the other in Berjaya Times Square.

What is my obsession with this figure? "Aliens" is one of my favourite movies of all time. The USMC (United States Colonial Marines) caught my attention, especially their Pulse Rifles. McFarlane Toys came out with a figure about 2 years back but it was non-poseable. At that time, I was telling myself I would get a poseable one if it ever came out.

I did some googling and realised that this movie by James "Titanic" Cameron came out way back in 1986. For a 20 year old prop, the rifle still looks very good. Seeing how it will the the 20th Anniversary of "Aliens", I suppose its only fitting that these figures are coming out this year.

He's now standing on one of my shelves. Even took out the old SWAT sergeant for display now.

Now for your viewing pleasure, I present to you some of my other "acquisitions" in recent months:

a) Batman Begins - Collector's Edition - another display item on the shelf

b) Doom - The Boardgame - played only once, time consuming


c) Batman - Hush set - 12 issues, saw it selling for RM 250 but with an extra alternate cover for part-12


d) BBI - SWAT Sergeant Mendez

Like the Movie Masterpiece Aliens Dwayne Hicks by HotToys, all of the above were impulse buys. I just can't seem to help myself sometimes. Maybe I should stop checking out the websites and forums.

The only thing left to get would be the ForceFX Lightsabre. There's a guy on a forum selling it for RM 388. Of course its 2nd hand but that's more than RM 150 off the retail price right now. Maybe I should give this guy a call and see how it goes.

Maybe you noticed lots of Batman stuff? It all started in 1989 with this movie:

Batman came out in 1989, directed by Tim "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" Burton. Some say it was the best Batman movie, ever. The sequels just wasn't as "dark" as the original - until "Batman Begins" came out.

This was the comic that started my comic collection.

Now I just got to get the "Batman Begins" DVD. Now that was another good movie.

Watched the D1 Drift competition at Bukit Jalil Stadium last weekend. Sad to say, didn't get to take any pictures of the event. Lots of Toyota AE86's. Initial-D anyone? Speaking of cars, finally got the skirts of my car "repaired" and got a new dress.

So much for Chinese New Year - not really in the mood to celebrate anymore. CNY has lost the magic that it had, not what it used to be anymore. Maybe we're just getting older. Maybe its just me.

And its back to work tomorrow.

Gong Xi Fa Cai all the same!

Missing In Action

The Chuck Norris movie? No - It appears I've been gone for about 8 months or so now. Ever since I moved to the new place, I never came online. Has it been that long?

Work PCs were a no-go - used purely for work and the PCs in the lounge, unbelievably slow. Malaysian Silicon Valley my ass! You'd think that the Internet connection would be fast. Then there's the other reason - what can I possibly do when there are people walking past at all times of the day?

So I'm back - forgive me, I'm a little rusty. Plenty to write about I'd say so where should I start?
PF says she's been checking often for updates. She'll be pleased this time around :D

What's been going on the past 8 - 9 months? Changes mostly.

A promotion meant a change of department. Mixed feelings about it at first. After all, it meant having to give up what I knew, learn something completely new. It meant being the new guy amongst a group of strangers. It meant starting all over again - to be accepted as part of the group.

The new colleagues - pretty decent people - or at least from what I can tell so far. I'm still new to the group so I've more to observe and learn. And what can I say about work? Its a messy place - but I guess it comes with the territory. I shall say no more - found out that blogging can be risky business. Look at the 2 fellows from Singapore.

I've always commented how quickly time flies. And here we are 2006. A colleague asked how I was going to spend New Year's Eve 2005. He asked what I did for fun. Now, these bunch of people - the clubbing, drinking crowd. Nothing against all of you clubber/raver/drinkers but really what I'd like to do.

I replied "Dunno - stay home, spend time with family". And that's what I did.

That got me thinking. I'm not one of those who'd go out drinking/clubbing. It just isn't me. To me - its literally pissing away money. So that got me thinking - what DO I do for fun?

Then it dawned on me that I could be a "shopaholic" of some sort. I like buying stuff. I'd rather spend money on something material that I can touch, hold and feel. Toys, gadgets, DVDs etc. I get a sense of satisfaction spending my hard earned money on objects that, in my opinion, will last.

Every once in awhile, I'll pop in to some of the modern toy stores. These are not the old Toys R Us that many of us grew up visiting as children. These new places - are much smaller but sell a lot more cooler looking toys. Toys are no longer mere playthings from what I observed. They've become much more - investments even. Gone are the days when toys were playthings.

I still can't get over the fact - that a Transformer toy (Optimus Prime - I always went for the good guys) I bought for RM 89.90 when I was about 9 years old is selling for about RM 800 for a re-released edition. Imagine if we had this information back them. Keeping toys in their boxes and selling them today - we can make a small fortune.

So I present to you - some stuff on my updated "Wish List":

a) Force FX Star Wars Lightsabre replicas





Now - don't those just look gorgeous. Not cheap either - RM 550 each, a discouted price from the previous RM 650. I've seen these many times at the shop. Nice light up blades with digital sound effects from the movie.

b) "Aliens" - Corporal Dwayne Hicks 1/6 Scale Figure:



One fine day, I decided to pop into the shop and I found this. Hicks was always my favourite character in the 2nd "Alien" movie. Always thought it would be cool to have an action figure and there it was, right before my eyes.

It looked absolutely gorgeous and had the feeling that I must have it. Then I saw the words "Limited Edition" on the box. That pretty much says "costs a bomb" in my book.

See the official site, here and here. Interesting - the last site states that its currently out of stock.

A few months back - I developed a facination with 12-inch military figures and even got a SWAT figures myself. I must emphasize that although these might look similar to Barbies - these are not dolls, they're ACTION FIGURES.

Sure - Ken might come with a pair of shiny black shoes, a suit or a tux. So what?!?! These figures come with military fatigues, hand guns, automatic weapons, rifles, knives, grenades etc. The ultimate action figures. Beats GI Joes anytime of the day I'd say. The level of detail on these things are just amazing.

Need more convincing? Then you have to check out the gallery for the version of the Bruce Lee figure. The figure in the thumbnails looks so life-like (with perfect lighting conditions of course) - you'd be forgiven if you thought those were photos from the movie.

Now - aren't those just beauties.

I couldn't stop thinking about the "Aliens" figures so I decided to go back on a seperate ocassion to see how much it would cost. Apparently, they are selling the "Aliens" figures in sets of twos (Corp. Hicks & Sgt. Apone) @ about RM 450 each! I've been told when the 3rd figure (Vasquez) is released, demand for the first two will go up.

These are limited edition items. I can sell them off for profit if I decide to get them. Bloody hell - these people will make a fortune off toys! Maybe I should jump in on the bandwagon as well!

You have to admit that they make great room deco though. Oh well - wishful thinking. But then again - I might just end of with some of these. I've managed to obtain some of the other things on my wish list these past 9 months.

Anyone feeling generous and willing to donate some thick wads of cash instead?

On the other hand, if its gossip on other personal matters you're after - you might be interested to know that ZT knows about my feelings now. But that didn't seem to change anything. She still seems to have nothing to say - or not much to say rather. Maybe we're both trying to ignore it.

So here I am again - pondering. I've stopped visiting her at the office. "Trying" to cut down on any sort of contact with her. Well, I did see her online for just a lil' bit yesterday. I really should try to move on, shouldn't I?

Perhaps a little shopping for toys might cheer me up....and the donations won't hurt either!