[882] Belated Birthday Wishlist

I've been pretty busy these past few weeks dealing with personal and work stuff that I totally forgot to write my annual birthday wishlist. So here's a belated one, that we can probably also consider as my Christmas gift wishlist. So here we go.

1. GoPro Standard Grill Mount 2.0 - I found out about this from one of the cycling youtubers I watch, Dustin Klein. Plus I also someone else using the same mount, if not another similar mount. I got my dad's old GoPro Hero (yes, the very first version) and I can use this while I cycle. If I can actually get the stamina and guts to cycle outside of my village.
2. A gravel bike that's actually a real gravel bike. I've noticed some budget gravel bikes being sold locally and while they are indeed affordable, I have a bad feeling they're just ordinary road bikes fitted with the thickest tires the frame and fork can allow. I'd rather bide my time to find the right gravel bike frame for myself rather than buying cheap, getting used to them, then replacing them.
3. A new gaming desktop (or laptop). Ideally a desktop since I can build it and if problems happen parts can be easily replaceable. Worst case scenario would be a gaming laptop but after everything I've experienced with my current gaming laptop, I'd rather have a desktop despite power consumption being higher and portability being an issue.
4. A new car! I'm not even wishing for really expensive cars. I just want a nice car that can have a roof-mounted bike rack. If you want really affordable it can be the Suzuki S-Presso, the bigger yet practical Suzuki Ertiga, or the Kia Stonic that would be the closest to look to the Rav4 I currently drive. Or if we're talking about any car then make it the Audi RS4 Avant.
5. Power tools. We can start with two basic power tools. A good friend of mine sent me that link and it seems like a good idea to start with a cordless drill and a circular saw. I'd probably be able to do a couple of DIY cabinets for the house.

That's it for now. I can't think of anything else I'd want right now.

Out.

[730] My (Almost) Annual Birthday Wishlist

It's that time of the year again when my birthday nears and I start daydreaming for stuff I want. I may not be able to do this post every year but I guess since it's 0447 hours (GMT +8) and I have no work today I thought I would do a birthday wishlist. So here we go!

1. A new laptop. I've actually narrowed it down to two laptops: Dell's Inspiron with no optical drive but better video card or ASUS' ROG with an optical drive but a 'weaker' video card. The Dell laptop has the lead because I have heard favorable stuff about Dell from people more knowledgeable about laptops than me. And because I already have an existing external optical drive I bought when my current laptop's optical drive died.
2. LeBron Ambassador 8 basketball shoes. I saw this once in the mall and I was smitten by it. It looked good, the price was reasonable (compared to the main shoe LeBron wears), and it was an 'outdoor' shoe meaning it is designed to be used on concrete courts and not exclusively for hardwood courts. Three things prevented me from buying it then: 1. I already had a pair of basketball shoes (adidas D. Rose Englewood 3); 2. I wasn't a big LeBron fan that I had to have his shoe (though I keep reading how great his shoes are for guys who play forward); and 3. I am trying to live a simple lifestyle so I don't need too many shoes.
3. One or two pairs of Old Navy jeans. Yes a specific brand. The most recent pair of jeans I bought was a set of loose fitting jeans from Old Navy. They are great. I wasn't able to buy another pair simply because they ran out of my size in the other colors. So all I have is one pair of dark blue Old Navy jeans. They had faded blue jeans too and I hope to one day find a pair my size.
4. Lego Architecture Studio. Yes this is still to expensive to buy here in the Philippines. I was holding onto one in Japan I could have bought for cheaper but I decided not to since I was planning on buying a new iPad at the time.
5. A Playstation 4. Yes I still remain loyal to Sony despite Forza 6. Also because There is a new Gran Tursimo game that will come out in PS4. At least I think it will come out in PS4.

And that's it. You may be wondering where those other, more 'far out' wishes are. Why bother to include them? Everyone knows I want a place of my own and two cars. But I also know I can't afford to maintain those myself.

I guess the biggest wish I want to have on my birthday is a job that will pay me enough that I can take care of my family and my parents, be able to have enough spending money to buy some 'luxuries,' and most importantly be able to put aside enough money for my retirement. If I can get this then all my other wishes can come true.

And don't lecture me that I have to learn how to budget my money. I have learned and I am applying what I learned. I just know for a fact that I am not making enough.

Out.

2013 Birthday Wishlist 2.0 - The Automotive Edition

So I've already written a v1.0 of my 2013 birthday wishlist. Now it's time for another wishlist, this time an automotive edition. No, I won't be asking for cars. I'll be asking for stuff to upgrade and fix my current daily driver - my mother's 2001 Rav4. And I'll be as generic as possible. I may like cars, but I haven't done enough research to be very specific with this wishlist.

So here we go, starting with what I really want the most to what I "least" want.

1. Brighter, all-weather headlamp bulbs and fog lamps. You know what I mean. Instead of your standard halogen beams you'll be getting a more yellow beam. They say it improves contrast at night. Our old Lite Ace originally had yellow bulbs but either the wattage was too low or I wasn't that good a driver yet. But I always, always had a hard time at night with it. Hence my request for brighter bulbs. Instead of your standard 50/60 watt bulbs, I want something a bit brighter. But not 90/100 watt bulbs. That would be too bright and blinding to oncoming traffic.
2. Clear tint for all windows. I want the clear tint that blocks out heat but keeps visibility great.
3. New head unit for the sound system. And a new antenna. No more of those "gimmicky" rubber antennas. I'd rather go back to the classic metal antennas that you can pull up or push down.
4. New power window motor. One of the power windows in the rear isn't working anymore. I'd love to have it fixed again just because I hate having anything broken in the car.

And that's it. I could start posting about outrageous things I'd want for the car (like a hood scoop from a diesel Rav4 of same make, or nice 18" rims, new big brake kits, or even improved intake and exhaust systems) but really, with the way I drive and my practicality, I'll be happy if I get one of those things above.

Out.

2013 Birthday Wishlist 1.0

My birthday is coming up in little over a month's time. Seeing as how I'm a materialistic and greedy SOB, here are some of the things I wouldn't mind receiving as a gift.

• Basketball goggles with proper graded lenses. Not really for basketball, but more as a back-up / beach glasses. A spare set of glasses that I won't worry about if I bring it to the beach or if I drop it. Why these? The glasses I'm using right now has clip-on shades I got wet in the beach. The protective film got washed off. So I'd rather have normal glasses and goggles I can use for other activities. The image below I got off the web and is similar to a pair of goggles I saw in the optical shop I go to.

image taken from the net

• 1 terabyte external hard drive. My 250gb external hard drive isn't enough back-up. Pictures alone are over 100gb. So it's time I got another external drive. I'd be happy with this hard drive from Villman, as seen below.

image taken from villman's website

• KD V Elite Homes. You can buy it at any Nike store, or you can get it via Titan Sports. Durant is one of my favorite NBA players, and I've had a thing for low-cut sneakers since I bought the Nike Kobe V way back in 2010. The image below is what the KD Vs look like, and I got it from the internet.

image taken from the net

And there you have it. Three things I'd like to receive as a gift for my birthday.

Out.