Gripe of the gift

Recently i tried selling a couple of PS3 games i had completed and listed them on a forum. Among them was a game (Killzone 2) that Mabeline had bought for me sometime this year as a gift (i completely forgot it was a gift when i posted). Someone wanted to deal for the game but a day before we were supposed to meet, i happened to mention to Mabs that i was meeting someone who wanted to buy it. Her reaction was along the lines of 'huh? you're selling the game i bought you?' I then decided to cancel the deal and keep the game.

On my birthday, Mom and Brandon also got me a PS3 game (Ghostbusters) which i also completed and posted along with another game in the same forum. Just yesterday someone bought the game from me for $52 and when i saw Brandon today i gave him the cash.

His reaction was 'You sold my present?' I rationalized aloud that i had completed it and selling it was better than letting it collecting dust at home, to which his reply was you wouldn't sell a birthday present like you wouldn't sell a birthday card. I gave him the first answer that came to mind: It's different cause no one would want to buy mine(your) birthday card. But this incident got me thinking.

So it is wrong to sell a present? I never really had a firm stance on this, but i feel that if you give a gift to someone and then think its wrong for that person to give/sell/throw your gift away, can i suggest that in the first place, you have never actually fully given it away? Gifts (like Love) should not have Terms and Conditions attached to it. It's unconditional.

I can't expect everyone to understand or take my position on this, but i guess that will be how i treat any thing i give away from now on. Feel free to sell, throw, burn etc anything i give you. I don't mind. I shouldn't. It's all yours to do whatever you wish with it. Having said that i should also be more mindful and sensitive to dealing with gifts received.

Kobe Bryant Asia Tour 2009

Yesterday morning i went to Wisma Atria early to queue for tickets to Kobe Bryant's Asia Tour next wednesday at the Indoor Stadium. Kobe Bryant is one of my heroes since i started watching the NBA from his rookie year. I reached Wisma at about 9:50am and managed to collect the tickets only at 12:30pm.

This is the view from somewhere in the middle of the line. I was the 457th person in line (someone came and counted).

This aunty (red top in the middle) joined the queue. She then took out a phone and called someone and said something along the lines of 'there's lots of people lining up here!' and that she just joined the line. She obviously didn't know what she was lining up for cause i caught her asking someone beside her after her phone call what the queue was for.

As the saying goes, you can't keep an aunty from a good queue. To her credit she stuck to the queue for over 2 hours to get the tickets.

This is what the tickets look like. The ticket holder is pretty nice and would make a good place to get an autograph, even though there's already a fascimile sig on it.

Dreams are my reality

I told Mabeline last almost a year ago that my (then) latest dream was to marry her. Now that that dream of mine is so near to fulfillment, im starting to think about what should my new dream or goal be and what it means to have
a dream. I am a very goal oriented person (see my incurable obsession with PS3 trophies) and i know having one will help give me some drive in life, something i am sorely missing now.

I told Mabs the other day that i am at a very contented stage of life. My proof? If you tell me i can have anything in the world for free now, i can honestly tell you that i cannot name anything. And call me a pessimist but that to me is a very dangerous stage to be in. It means i am content to just stay where i am. This would be a no issue if i was say, nearing 50 but im halfway short of that.

Speaking of dreams, i realised after just waking from a weird dream this morning that since the early months of my relationship with Mabeline, i have ceased having dreams (the sleeping kind) involving her. (Hence, this post title.)

PS I seriously need to change my theme and layout. Everything on here is so 2-year ago-ish.
Yes Alex the book you gave me did cross my mind as i was writing this.

Sword down the throat

For the past month or so, i've been stuck with this persistent cough/sore throat/phelgm combination that just can't seem to go away. It feels like there's 'something' clogging my windpipe. I've been trying everything to the extent of near-self-induced-vomitting to try and force it out. Maybe it's time to put something long down my throat and yank it out.... Not a sword of course, maybe a long spoon?

$0.00

One of the more amusing moments of my year:

Yes, i was dead broke.

Crazy, but that's how it goes..

Things that i would love to do/experience once in my lifetime:

1. Find a 4-leaf clover
2. Fall into a coma (and not die from it)
3. Faint
4. Walk till both my legs cannot walk anymore
5. Feed a wild Great White Shark

And "Green Grass and High Tides" by the Outlaws is the new "Freebird" in Rock Band, in case you haven't heard:

Damn, how much longer do I have to wait to play Rock Band?? I so want to sing this song...

Looking to the sky to save me

Just like the west and the chinese have their astrology and horoscopes, the Japanese have their own system of predicting a person's personality, temperament, and compatibility with others through their blood type.

Japanese Blood Type Personality Chart

• Type A
  Best Traits:
  Earnest, creative, sensible.
  Worst Traits:
  Fastidious, overearnest.
  
• Type B
  Best Traits:
  Wild, a doer, cheerful.
  Worst Traits:
  Selfish, irresponsible.
  
• Type AB
  Best Traits:
  Cool, controlled, rational.
  Worst Traits:
  Critical, indecisive.
  
• Type O
  Best Traits:
  Agreeable, sociable, an optimist.
  Worst Traits:
  Vain, careless.

Its application are quite evident in the anime and gaming circle as blood types are often tied down to a particular character's stereotype. Well I've never believed in any of this tripe and especially not now when Type O is listed as being 'sociable'. Pfft!

Won't die if you don't try

For that wickedly explosive taste, try some Afghanistan Pomen-grenades! Only 49cents/100grams!

Just walking through the supermarket today made me realise how many fruits and vegetables i have never tasted before. Off the top of my head, i have never tried eggplants, zucchini, persimmons, those bombs pictured above etc before. Makes me realise how swakoo i am.

But am i really missing alot in terms of taste? Even if eggplants became extinct(?), I'm sure i won't look back and think, "Man, i should have tried them when i had the chance!"