Sorry, its going to be filled with gear and stuff talk but there are legitimate thoughts for all people here who like to look and buy stuff in the last two paragraphs I guess. hahaha..
Well I’ve been trying to sell of my stash of cameras (everything that’s mine) except for those that aren’t exactly mine and those I wanna keep. That only includes my
- Canon 5D + 28mm f1.8
- Voigtlander Vito B
- Minolta SRT102 + 50mm f1.4
- Nikon 50mm f1.2
- Canon G9 (for now)
Surprisingly short list. The rest are worth only about 500++ in total, nowhere near my 5D even. I guess I would have gotten myself a smashing Bessa R3a + 35mm f1.4 or a leica instead of everything else I’ve come to pick up here and there. Hmmm.. which made me come to the thought that its probable better to just get very very few things that you really like instead of getting something cheaper but not exactly what you want. YX said my G9 was (at that time) all I ever wanted. Well.. I must say I felt out of place using it for a long time and never got to really loving it even though I wanted it for so long. I still like my C5050 better if only it wasn’t so painfully slow. Bottom line is you never really know what you want until you get it. The g9 is a negative example.
The positive example is my 5D. After I got it I totally just stopped being interested in any newer DSLR technology (it was already 4 years old when I got it.. old stuff!) and I really think its pointless to upgrade to anything newer even though the newer stuff spanks the pants off the 5D. It satisfies all the needs and wants I have and is more than I ever wanted from a camera. Same goes with lenses.. I thought a 50mm f1.4 was good.. but the lens that I got stuck onto is the 28mm f1.8, much maligned but works for me. Other things I’ve bought that fit into this category are my speakers (Altec Lansing for $119 back in 2005), my Nokia Music Express phone (rest in peace), Apple iPhone and I guess my running shoes.
Now the obvious fact is looking at something breeds desire which feeds on itself. If you’re just a teeny bit interested, it’ll grow into something you will die without if you keep entertaining it. That includes everything, even people whom you’re not supposed to want. Anyway, sticking to the less sensitive things like material goods, it really helps when I don’t go scouring the forums for cameras and gear I really don’t even want or know of. Replace my camera obsession with your own thing like bags, clothes, shoes, computers, phones, ipods and you’d have contextualized it for yourself.
I guess, sometimes we can buy stuff for ourselves since we are supposed to enjoy the fruit of our labor. Even the ox and donkeys were not allowed to be muzzled as they worked on the grain but the turning point I guess is when we keep wanting something so badly it gets mis-prioritized in life. Buying stuff instead of saving for your future, spending beyond your means, gambling in order to gain more (bu4 lao2 er2 huo4) and wasting time checking out stuff you don’t need or want (that’s me!). So much time gets wasted.. I kinda regret wasting so much time now. hahaha.. and sometimes I get carried away wanting stuff more than wanting to read and pray or go out and do some work. That’s worldliness in its true form I guess.
So, I think i’d better rest! tomorrow I’m meeting one or two buyers after climbing bukit timah, then hopefully heading to church / young adults gathering. I must say its difficult growing up into this young adults thing. I feel so isolated because of the difference in lifestyle compared to all the usual people I’m around. haha.. still, there must be some meaning in life at this stage.