Thursday, December 29, 2011

We must not forget

Despite having lived for seven years without a credit card, I find myself easily slipping back into the "swiping" lifestyle: didn't bring enough cash? No problem! Swipe! And it's so, so, so dangerous.

Lessons learned must stay learned, or I shall return to my trusty debit card and spurn credit once again. I feel like I've been on a crazy shopping spree in the last half of this year. But it's all for the apartment... so I think (hope?) things will settle down to normalcy again in a month or so. Or else!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Santa, are you listening? ...oh wait, too late! Darn!

I want an iPhone4. Gahhh after all these years I have finally succumbed to The Lure. But I am refusing to buy myself one because I know I don't really need it. It's just that it would make certain things (like finding particular SMSes) more convenient, and... well, okay, I admit it. It's 'cool'. Gahhhh. I can't believe I just said that.

People constantly say we're living in a consumerist society but I never realised the full truth of that statement till I bought my netbook last month. See, with my PC, I bought the various parts and had them assembled, so I could get the specs I want. But with the netbook, I simply wanted something functional that I could use for word processing.

I walked into the store and was instantly bombarded with prices and specs lists: For RM800 you get this, but if you add another RM100 you can get something with a slightly faster processor perhaps, and if you add RM200 to that you can get something with a slightly bigger screen that would be easier to see, and so on so forth. It never ends! First you think: "Oh, what's RM100? That's little enough, I might as well get the better model" and then you think, "If I'm going to add RM100, I might as well add RM200; after all, I want this thing to last me for at least 2 or 3 years" and then before you know it, your RM800 purchase has turned into an RM1,500 purchase (and you get a full laptop instead of a little netbook!). The temptation to "upsize" simply never goes away.

The hell of it is that it's so easy to get sucked in. We all want bigger, better, faster, stronger. Why not, right? We are taught "you get what you pay for" (or, as Malaysians say, "Good thing no cheap, cheap thing no good"). And if all you have to do is add RM1 for a large value meal, or RM100 for a netbook with a slightly faster processor... well, why not?

My parents would be truly delighted to know all their years of brainwashing *cough* training have paid off. The reason I can't bring myself to buy an iPhone is because I know I don't need it. In the same way, I don't think I truly need to be connected to the Internet 24/7, and getting an iPhone without a data plan seems to defeat the purpose. I WANT it though. Oh, how I want it!

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Price tags speaketh louder than words

The most expensive thing in my new apartment will be the custom-made 12' x 8' bookcase, which is estimated to cost RM3,200. The second most expensive thing is my new queen-sized mattress, which cost RM2,500. I think you can see where my priorities lie :p