What do you want this Christmas?

what's up everyone? how did your Christmas this year go? did it go well? did something happen unexpectedly that made the season merrier and jollier? did you receive what you fervently wished for this year?


i have had a wonderful experience this year, for the sole reason that it was our family's turn to host the huge annual reunion of my father's clan. since October we have already been planning for it and yesterday everything went fairly well. the sole point of Christmas for us is having to celebrate it and sharing it with everyone else. seeing the smiles of the children and the old folks while they were participating in the activities we have prepared was really fulfilling.


but what I did on Christmas is not what I wanted to talk about, but rather what i wanted to get this season.


you see, after my birthday (which falls around the middle of the year) Christmas is the other occasion where i allow myself to buy gadgets which i terribly want (or need, if rationalized. haha.)


last year, i got my PC. this year, it was a tussle between a netbook and a new Sony Ericsson phone.


ever since i saw the Kita (or Yari by international codename), the Sony Ericsson creation has occupied the top of my list for Xmas gadgetry. it was the high-end gaming phone, sporting a 5.0 mpixel camera, walkman 3.0 player and the hands-free motion sensor which allowed for gaming ala Wii. it was the direct upgrade from my old phone (the k770) and i really wanted to buy it once it hit philippine shores. 


its tag price: P14,600 on Sony Branches (and it's bound to go down once other retailers get their hands on them too)


on the other side of the discussion, i also wanted a netbook. either a Lenovo S10-2 or the HP Mini 311 or 110. the thought of buying a netbook was a practical investment for me because of my schooling. med school demands so much printed paper that we actually changed inks 3 times during my first sem because i was too happy of printing powerpoints and pdf files. nowadays i have accustomed myself to reading ppts and pdfs on-screen (by adjusting the monitor brightness). so for the sake of not throwing away ink, i wanted to buy a netbook. 


tag price: S10-2 - P22900; HP Mini 311 - P27300 


so the debate raged in my mind for several weeks, practicality (netbook) versus luxury (phone). i termed it luxury because my phone still works and i should be in no hurry to replace it. haha!


but something happened that changed my mind on the whole Xmas gadget i was going to buy. i was introduced to the ipod touch.


it was during our HS batch reunion a week ago. some of my former classmates were rocking  their ipod touch units and i dabbled around with them since i was the unofficial DJ that time. it was back then where i had an idea..


i have a lot of classmates in med school who use their ipod touch not only for sounds but for very helpful apps as well. that is where i got to experience the multi-functionality of Apple's brainchild. the apps, the sounds, the built-in speakers. everything about the ipod touch was real good. but then the idea struck me down..


i didn't really want a laptop.


nor could i use a new phone because a lot of slider phones (including the Kita) have a bad habit of breaking down (and besides, i really wanted a candybar, not a slider phone). 


that is why the Ipod touch tops my list this year. the 32GB version (really huge space here!) is retailed for around 15k. very negotiable to my folks. and with all factors considered, getting an ipod solves problems in sounds, practicality (plus points for being integrated with my PC) and entertainment (apps galore!).


and so, the 2009 Xmas Gadget would be the Apple Ipod Touch 32GB. That is what i want for Christmas. :)