HIGH GEAR

05 Dec 2001

theVooner's Christmas 2001 Wishlist

by theVooner

With X'mas 2001 just around the corner, I thought I would present my X'mas wishlist again.

It's been a hectic year for theVooner. I've managed to buy most everything that I want so coming up with this list was a bit hard. I bought 2 of the 10 things I listed last year (well actually 3 but I bought a smaller LCD AND a Plasma TV, so does that count?). I'm going to try to limit the list to things you can actually buy by Christmas, not things that are coming next year. Here we go:

1. Nintendo Gamecube
   At the top of my list this year is Nintendo's new video game system. Though games are pretty sparce, I'm sure there will be a Zelda and other great games to come. The more I look at the X-box, the more I think this is just a scaled down PC. I already have a PC and if I want games, I can just buy them. I'm sort of mixed on the X-box but danchan says it sucks. How can I argue against the gamemaster? However, I don't just want a normal Nintendo Gamecube. Actually, I will be getting this specific gamecube machine from Panasonic when it is available in two weeks, but basically it's still a gamecube (plus a DVD).
    
2. Bvlgari Diagono Professional Scuba GMT Watch
   Ok, I'm obsessed with watches. But this one is just too nice.
    
3. Ypsilon Chair
   Ok so I never did buy the Aeron. But Cliff put me onto this chair and I have to agree with him that it looks pretty darn awesome. I Also found out it's available in Hong Kong. Now if I can just figure out what to do with my current chair...
    
4. Sony DCR-IP7 MicroMV Camcorder
   Well, yeah, I've got a DV camcorder already, but this is so small and it has bluetooth!
    
5. Oakley Why 3 Frames
   I love these. They look great on me. But alas, my prescription is apparently "too high" for these to work. So I bought a different pair of Oakley frames. But I still like these ones!
    
6. Sony Hard Disk Recorder SVR-515
   Hong Kong does not have Tivo players yet and I doubt we will get it because there is no Tivo service here. But I love the idea of having a hard disk to record TV. This one by Sony should be able to do the same job but I don't know if it works in Hong Kong.
    
7. Philips DVD+RW Recorder
   This is supposed to be available and I've seen the early recordable DVD players. The problem: 1) competing standards means this could be an obsolete product, and 2) it's really expensive! Still, I want a recordable DVD!
    
8. Sony Vaio PCG-QR3
   Forget about the iBook, this Vaio is stunning. I saw one the other day and it looked amazing. Ok, it's a bit more for the girls and I'm really looking forward to the new C1 Picturebook Vaio, but that won't be for another month or 2, so for X'mas, this is the best notebook. Ok so I have too many laptops already, but it's fun to dream anyways.
    
9. Panasonic DVD-LA95
   As most of you know, I was pretty enthusiastic about Sony's portable DVD player. As my first review over a year ago, a lot has changed including the fact that I no longer own the Sony FX1. But I still like these portable DVD players. If I had to get one, it would probably be this new one by Panasonic. Why? Because one of my complaints about the FX1 was that the battery was huge and heavy. This new one has a built in battery pack! Neat. Still, it probably doesn't last as long as the FX1. I might consider the other one by Panasonic, the LV60 because although it has a smaller screen, a smaller screen means less battery consumption. Plus, it's much smaller.
    
10. Louis Vuitton Tobol Briefcase
    Ok I just bought a Tumi, but that's a soft case, ballistic travel bag. Here's one for the office. Leather as it was meant to be.

theVooner can be reached at theVooner@yahoo.com.

X'mas Gifts

So X'mas has come and gone. How did I do?

Well instead of the Gamecube, I ended up getting, of all things a XBOX! I don't think I'll do a review on it because there are too many out there already. Let me just say I have had a lot of fun with it, especially HALO and that finding it over the holidays(with the help of Cliff) was great fun.

I haven't ruled out the Gamecube though and knowing theVooner, when Zelda/Donkey Kong/Mario comes out, I may just get one as well.

My obsession with watches continued. But instead of the Bvlgari listed above, I ended up buying a Vacheron Constantin Overseas.

That was pretty much it. I'm very close on buying the Ypsilon and I still very much want the Tobol Briefcase.

I've halted on the DVD LV60 purchase, although danchan and I were pretty close to getting one after he talked me out of the new Sony DVD player. The reason, as noted above is that I want a recordable DVD player as well as one that plays Region 2 PAL. So I'm going to wait for a bit.

The rest of the items will just have to wait as well.

I did get a few other things here and there and a review or two is likely to follow soon.

Hope everyone had a good holiday.

theVooner