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!