I received a US$50 Amazon.com gift card this morning via email. While I am happy because it came unexpectedly, my dilemma starts now. What to buy???

If you know me personally, you will know that I am this weird girl who hardly ever buys anything for herself. Of course, I do buy things and I do own stuff but they are mostly things that I need rather than want. I have gone past that stage already.

I visit shopping malls almost every evening but I come home empty handed most times because no matter how I want to splash money like a “si lai”, I just don’t see anything that I want to get, or I see it but I don’t think it’s worth the price.

There’s this joke going around that if retailers depend on me, they would soon go out of business. While I have friends who could easily buy a few pairs of shoes in one shopping trip, I have been looking for a pair of shoes that I like and am comfortable wearing for ONE AND A HALF YEARS!

I am reminded of the time when my late grandmother asked me what I would like to have for Christmas, when all of us were in a shopping mall in KL years ago, and I said I did not want anything.

Actually, I would rather have cash instead of this Amazon.com gift card. So back to square one, “What to buy?” I wish I could upgrade to a Nokia E71 or an Apple iPhone 3G but it’s “just” US$50!

When I saw this notice erected at every cashier counter of Jusco in Kinta City, and I believe in all Jusco departmental stores nationwide, I recalled the post that Sam wrote about being served by long-faced sales people.

Frankly, with the rising cost of living, it is not easy to find a smiling salesgirl, especially at the end of the day, when she has pulled a long day at work, on her feet. Pay is low and partially commission based, which means that if she is not able to ring in sales through the month, she would only be receiving her basic pay.

Is there anyone who would still spend lavishly these days? People in Ipoh are not as affected, judging from the way they shopped hungrily during Jusco Member Day on 17th July, 2008, mainly because Ipoh is a relatively small city physically and it does not cost us as much to drive in terms of fuel and toll fees.

If Sam shops at Jusco and encounters long-faced salesgirls and boys, he could remind them to smile.

I’m really lazy to take out my camera because my batteries are flat and I don’t feel like waiting two hours to charge them just so that I could take shots of my new toy so a screenshot from the official website will have to do.

Meet Mr. Fuji, the Fujitsu Esprimo Mobile U9200 that I bought a week ago. Total damage: DON’T ASK!!!

But seriously, this laptop looks better in real than any other stock image that you can find on the internet. Believe me, I have searched all over but there’s not one that does it justice.

The Fujitsu Esprimo U9200 is a business [enterprise] unit so if you are looking for a laptop to play online games, this is not for you. However, if you are looking for a professional looking laptop that could provide you with the mobility without compromising on performance and yet provide long battery life [you can use a second battery/travel battery at the same time for up to 6 hours battery life], then this would be perfect for you.

Dang, with buzz I generated on the Fujitsu Esprimo U9200 since the day I researched for the “perfect” laptop in November, 2007, Fujitsu-Siemens should FREE me one unit! I know they came to read my posts!