Toys for the Big Boys

Yesterday, me and my college bud Pot went over to Megamall to check out a couple of things. One was the Playstation 3, which we speculated was already available at the mall's Toy Kingdom. Well, it was... for a frickin' 59K for the deluxe 60 GB version (the 20GB version is available as well for a slightly less scandalous 45K). Luckily, I was pretty prepared to just shrug the thing off, though deep inside a voice was screaming for me to bust out my ATM card and blow all my savings on this expensive black toaster. Nah... the only games that were available were a two Gundam titles (zzzz), Ridge Racer 7 (zzzzzz) and Tales of Genji 2 (zzzz). Hardly compelling games. And so, after a slight longing glance, I turned from the temptation and resolved to return when the games were better and the price cheaper.

Right next to the PS3 on display was a Nintendo Wii, starkly contrasting to the black PS3 box with its white packaging. Although much cheaper than the PS3 at 30K (which is quite affordable for a brand-new console), I wasn't really interested in it since I didn't like NIntendo's game lineup, or their 'kiddie' mentality when it comes to their general gaming content. Still, it was interesting to note. But I didn't fall for the Gamecube, so I probably won't go with this one either.

After that, we headed off to the fourth floor to the Megatrade Hall, where a Gun Show was being held. Pot is a total gun freak and sad to say, it was catching. Of course, I have always been fascinated with guns (you can't be a gamer with all these shooters and war games without at least being curious about the real thing), and in this case I was kind of interested to acquire a fire arm, but strictly for home defense. The Gun Show was packed- it was crowded to the extreme with all kinds of people, all united by one thing- they were all gun owners. Guns were on display, and available for browsing (though safely neutered), and I couldn't resist taking one up and feeling the weight. So... that's how heavy a human life is. I walked down the aisles and looked to the booths, the sight of bullets in big bottles reminding me of candy in a candy shop. Everyone was looking over guns, buying guns, handling guns. Honestly, I felt like I was in some kind of foreign nation, deep in some weird culture. Still, it was something that one couldn't totally dismiss in these dangerous times.

Despite a slight gnawing which was the Impulse Buyer in me, I decided to put off getting a weapon for now... perhaps someday, if I really feel the need for it, or when I can afford spending several thousand and hope to never use it.

Afterwards, we were off back to home, dinner and winding down to the next work week. That was different, to say the least.