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Yes, I am the best (this is half-joking, but half something I care about)! Gift giving is actually something I pride myself in, I spend a lot of time on them, mainly because I don’t have to give a lot of people gifts, but I do try. And I don’t like general gifts, like “Hey, it’s that one dude you don’t care about, let’s give him a bottle of wine.”

I absolutely hate giving gifts to people I don’t really want to give them to. It’s not about the money, I just don’t want to think about it. Just tell me what I need to get and I will pay for it. But I do believe in giving something personal, and not necessarily expensive.

This is also why I don’t like general gifts myself. If you get me something, and you don’t have to, give me something you truly think is relevant to me. Otherwise, don’t worry about it, I don’t care. Most things that I would want, in terms of general possessions, I can probably afford, so giving me a DVD or toy, or whatever, not really necessary. Just give me something meaningful to you.

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I do love Christmas. Every year, ever since I’ve started working, I go a bit too crazy during Christmas. But I really doubt that makes me any different from 90% of America.

Of course, now I make VN wages for an American spending appetite. Uh oh.

1. Rock Band for the Playstation 2. Hell yeah! Haven’t seen any reviews for the PS2 version, but I hope it follows the X360 and PS3 versions. Too bad, no downloadable song packs though- maybe they’ll release 30-40 songs on cds over the months? Just hoping it arrives before I return to Vietnam after New Year’s. Basically won’t be back in the US after this upcoming trip for a year, so that’s also partially why I’ve been buying lots of stuff. Need to load up. As for Rock Band, I really think it’ll be huge for coworkers and lead to great team-building sessions. Just not sure about my own team.
   

2. San Francisco Giants: Where Have You Gone? by Matt Johanson, Wylie Wong Read more about this title…

3. NFL America’s Game - The Super Bowl Champions - San Francisco 49ers Collection (DVD)
   
4. Official XBox 360 Wired Controller (will hook up to new laptop)
   
5. Baron Davis Comcast Backpack (my sister may end up keeping this):
   
6. Logitech MX Revolution Wireless Notebook Mouse:
   

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• 8.0 Megapixels and 3.8x zoom
• Wide angle 28mm lens with Optical Image Stabilizer
• DIGIC III with Advanced Noise Reduction and Face Detection AF/AE
• Safety Zoom (limits digital zoom to avoid interpolation)
• ISO 1600
• High resolution 3.0″ LCD
• 17 shooting modes including VGA movies (30 fps) with sound
• Optional accessories available, including Underwater Case

Link: Canon SD870 IS Digital ELPH Review

—-

I bought one! I wasn’t even thinking about getting a new camera (was using SD550, which is pretty damn nice already), but I saw that this Point and Shoot had a wide angle lens, and the price wasn’t too bad. Solid reviews everywhere too, and I admit it, I was a bit annoyed the SD550 LCD screen was scratched up (friend did it). (Got it for $274 shipped)

Also picked up these:

• Clear Protector LCD Screen Protector ($8, no more scratches!)
• DiCAPac WP-400 Waterproof Case ($37.53)
• Dolica WT0121 Digital Camera Tripod (Free with DiCAPac, only 3″ high)
• Lenmar DLC5L Lithium-ion Digital Camera Battery ($15.17)
• Canon PSC-55 Deluxe Leather Compact Case ($14.20)

I’m excited! Sold the SD550 for a good price (for him) to a coworker, and now can’t wait to try it out once I get back to the US. I haven’t taken a lot of pictures since coming back to Hanoi in February, but definitely got to take advantage. Also, really hoping that waterproof case is kick ass, the official Canon one is over $200.

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Books:

• Comics:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 1: The Long Way Home by Joss Whedon, Georges Jeanty, Andy Owens, Jo Chen Read more about this title…

Strangers In Paradise Pocket Book 5 (Strangers in Paradise (Graphic Novels)) by Terry Moore Read more about this title…

Strangers In Paradise Pocket Book 6 (Strangers in Paradise (Graphic Novels)) by Terry Moore Read more about this title…

• Video Games:

Game Over Press Start To Continue by David Sheff, Andy Eddy Read more about this title…

The Making of Doom(r) III: The Official Guide by Steven L. Kent Read more about this title…

Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture by David Kushner Read more about this title…

The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon–The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World by Steven L. Kent Read more about this title…

• Work:

The Innovator’s Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book that Will Change the Way You Do Business (Collins Business Essentials) by Clayton M. Christensen Read more about this title…

• Basketball:

Seven Seconds or Less: My Season on the Bench with the Runnin’ and Gunnin’ Phoenix Suns by Jack McCallum Read more about this title…

DVD:

• Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, $36.58

From Amazon, Half.com, and DeepDiscountDVD.

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1. Fables 9 TPB Lot (Read, Excellent Condition), $63 Shipped:

   1. Vol 1 Legends in Exile

   2. Vol 2 Animal Farm

   3. Vol 3 Story Book Love

   4. Vol 4 March of the Wooden Soldiers

   5. Vol 5 The Mean Season

   6. Vol 6 Homelands

   7. Vol 7 Arabian Nights

   8. Vol 8 Wolves

   9. Jack of Fables

   10. 

2. The Punisher 13 TPB Lot (Read, Excellent Condition), $63 Shipped:
   1. Punisher/Wolverine Crossover
   2. Punisher vs Daredevil
   3. Punisher vs Bullseye
   4. Very Special Holidays
   5. Punisher presents Barracuda
   6. Punisher Max Series
      1. Vol 1 In The Beginning
      2. Vol 2 Kitchen Irish
      3. Vol 3 Mother Russia
      4. Vol 4 Up Is Down Black Is White
      5. Vol 5 The Slayers
      6. Vol 6 Barracuda
      7. Vol 7 Man Of Stone
      8. Vol 8 Widowmaker
3. McFarlane Reggie Miller Figure, $13.40 Shipped
   1. 
4. McFarlane Baron Davis (Loose): $6.98 Shipped
   1. 
5. Nike Kobe Bryant Air Zoom Tee, $18.50 Shipped
   1. 
6. Nike Lebron James Tees (2, Used), $12.50 Shipped
   1. 
7. Nike Air Classic Tee, $16.99 Shipped
   1. 
8. Halo 3 Tee, $45.07 Shipped
   1. 

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I’m headed back to the US for a couple of weeks for Christmas, which means it’s time to go shopping. Not when I go home, but now! Online shopping is the best!

I figured I’d share some of the items I’ve purchased (other than the Lenovo T61P I showed a week ago):

1. Sony Playstation 2 Slim, Condition: Like New (40 Hrs Usage). $65 Shipped, Original Price: $130 + Tax Retail

2. 

3. Final Fantasy XII 8MB Memory Card, Condition: New. $15.14 Shipped, Original Price: $35 + Tax Retail

4. 

5. RedOctane Guitar Hero Wireless Controller, Condition: Like New. $32.49 Shipped, $59.99 + Tax Retail.
   
6. Monster Cable PGL400 PS2/PS3 Gamelink 400 (Component Video Cables for Playstation 2), Condition: New. $19.90 Shipped, $59.99 + Tax Retail.

7. 

8. Chares Barkley vs. Godzilla Vintage Nike Poster (1992), Condition: New. $30 Shipped. Not available in retail.

9. 

Everything but the PS2 Slim was bought over EBay. Hope the Guitar Hero controller really is in Like New condition. Unfortunately, won’t find out for another six weeks.

I’ll share more of what I’ve purchased later.

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What’s good about Vietnam is that since pay wages are so low, you can often afford to hire tons of young people for that (hopefully hot) new retail shop you have in the new mall.

Unfortunately, the irony is that no one knows anything about customer service, so you can have a ton of people in a shop waiting to help you when you come in, but not actually helping you.

Friday night at Vincom, I was shopping with Thuy. We go inside a small clothing store, and there are about 7 people inside. One’s sitting on a chair near a section just bored, another person seems to be actually doing work with inventory, and 5 others are near the counter just gossiping away. Thuy picks something to try on, I’m walking around looking at stuff, and no one ever asks either of us if we’d like to be helped, or if we’re looking for anything. They’re just getting paid to stand and talk to each other. (Yes, it can be annoying for people to constantly ask if they can help you, but these employees don’t even smile and say hello or how are you, something to give off the impression you are welcome to shop here, and they want your business)

Customer Service in Vietnam, oftentimes, is here if you specifically request it, but not otherwise.

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