These Trinkets Were Once Treasures

I’ve just tried to organize my bedroom.  And what have I found?  Hundreds and hundreds of items.  Or, if you can say, trinkets, that were once treasure.  It’s a song line from Bon Jovi, titled Lost Highway.  Really, what I consider important in the past, seems very trivial right now.

My current profession is a valuer, so I tend to translate items into money.  Let’s count what cost me to buy those things I can actually live without.

1. Tens of audio cassettes, let’s say 50, each about Rp.20,000-25,000.  That’s Rp.1,000,000.
2. Hundreds of computer CDs (games, softwares, etc).  Let’s say another 200, each about Rp.10,000-25,000.  That’s Rp.4,000,000.
3. Hundreds of movie and MP3s, Rp.5,000 each.  Let’s say 200, that’s Rp.1,000,000.
4. Hundreds of books (and keep counting).  Let’s say about 250, ranging about Rp.30,000-350,000.  Well.  This is the biggest chunck of my cost each month.  It’s quite hard to quantify, but let’s say about Rp.50,000 each.  That’s a whopping Rp.12,500,000.
5. What more?  Electronics.  This is the biggest single expense in modern life.  Okay, this computer (cost about Rp.12,000,000)  is out of context, because I need this one.  What I didn’t really need is my PDA (Rp.2,900,000), handphones (Rp.4,000,000++, but I gave them to my brother), and my CD player (Rp.2,000,000).
6. My clothes.  Many many of them I use no more now.  Each about Rp.50,000-300,000.  Let’s say 50.  That’s about Rp.10,000,000!
7. Anything else?  My playstation (Rp.1,000,000).  Right now I still love my Nintendo DS (Rp.1,700,000).
8. Miscellanous.  Let’s say another Rp.1,000,000.

So, that’s add up to… Rp.53,000,000 including everything, Rp.41,000,000 excluding my computer, or Rp.35,000,000 if half of my books is of use (and not imported and/or overpriced).

I’ve incurred a cost of over Rp.35 million in the course of, let’s see… 3 years.  That’s Rp.12 million in a year, or about Rp.1,000,000 a month.  I started with a salary of Rp.1,500,000 a month.  So, I was spending more than half of my salary for trinkets then (maybe more).  But wait, let’s count my total income in my working life… umm… about Rp.90 million.  Okay, so I’ve doubled my college fee, but I spent a third of my money on trinkets… how sad.  The money I should invest, and grow…

Now I get much more than that, but… after this realization, I save, and invest.  I better loaded up with assets than with trinkets.  Why?

Wait, before we got there, let’s count the value of my trinkets…

Books… maybe 25% of my cost… about Rp.3,000,000.  Audio cassettes and computer CD… worthless.  Electronics… worthless.  Playstation… worthless (broken).  DS (maybe Rp.600,000).  This computer maybe Rp.2,000,000.  The scrap value of my trinkets is Rp.5,600,000.  That’s less than 15% of the cost incurred!!!  No wonder many people stay in middle class all their life, if they live like me all the time.  No matter how big the income, the toys keep getting more and more expensive.  A Nokia N-series or iPhone will cost me more now than ever.

Okay, so what’s the better way to live?  I can’t hold my shopping.  That trinkets were once treasures, remember?  They were important (some are very important even) to me some time in my life.  Well, I still shop, but I’m shopping things that can go up in value.  Now I don’t collect CDs anymore.  I collect stocks.  I don’t collect electronics anymore besides the essential.  I collect apartments (only one actually).  I told my loved one to collect gold if they wish to shop, instead of fancy clothes or shoes.

I can’t say that I’m going to be rich soon, but if I’m to be a collector, I better be collect things that can go up in value.  Only several things fit this definition.  Books can provide knowledge, and it will give interest exponentially, so that’s still OK.  Electronics is a big no.  CDs are also a big no.  Luckily I have internet now, so the boring computer is no more.  There’s always something new in the net.  Toys… No.  Clothes… maybe a few choice ones (and hopefully cheap).  What fits the definition are:  real estate (house, apartment, land, shophouse, kontrakan, etc), stocks (sure…), art (if I know what I’m doing), and gold.

Common sense?  Yep!  But sometimes common sense is not so commonly done.  There’s shopping malls, advertising keep calling us to buy.  And friends that are keeping up with the Joneses.  Whew.  These days…

Blue Energy???

What do you think of water-based fuel?  Science fiction?  You bet!  Shocking?  Must be.  Especially for the giant economic powers in this world.  But I really really wish that someday, someone will come up with one.  That way, we can save a lot of trouble.  No Iraq war, no pollution, no economic shake-up because of rising world oil prices, no need BLT, no demonstration, etc.  You see, oil is the blessing and curse of modern era.  If there's no oil, many things are not possible.  Now, take out oil, change it with everlasting source, such as the sea water.  WOW.  Imagine...

For a more theoretical take of this matter:
http://priyadi.net/archives/2007/12/06/bahan-bakar-blue-energy/
http://rovicky.wordpress.com/2007/12/12/mengapa-sby-menyebut-blue-energy-dan-apa-yg-mungkin-menghambat/
http://forum.detik.com/showthread.php?t=11172
http://forum.detik.com/showthread.php?t=11139

Is This Useful?

There are news of protests and demonstration today.  Open detik.com and you’ll see most of it.  And what is their reason?  The increase of fuel price.  So now 1 liter of premium will cost us Rp.6,000 instead of Rp.4,500.  The question is: what caused the government to do that?  The college-educated students that do the protests should know that the world oil price is rising insanely!!!  If they know that, what will they do if THEY are the government?  I believe that they’ll do the same thing.  Even I will do the same thing.

Things should be straightened-up, but in the short term, all we can do is this.  So, we need to live up with it instead of doing useless protests.  Do the protestants have a better solution?  I don’t think so.  We can nationalize some oil well, but it’ll take time.  We can use domestic oil to cut oil import, but that also takes time and a huge change in bureaucracy.  One thing for sure:  we can’t control world oil price.

So, what should we do now?  I recommend saving program.  If you can live with the current price, that’s OK, but if not, save!  Travel less.  Use less electricity.  Maybe it’s also a signal to GO GREEN.  Use less energy is the main point here, especially fossil-based fuel, because it’s non-renewable.

Indiana Jones

Yesterday I watched the newest Indiana Jones movie.  Well done, dude!  It was awesome!

 

If you’re still curious about the starring object in the movie, the crystal skull, there is also was an interesting article about it here.

The Moment Notice

This is another blog I created out of mood. Well, sometimes I like to name by blog based on my mood at the time, so that in time, it wears out somehow. So now, I find a better name for my blog: The Moment Notice. A blog should be the representation of this moment, not the moment I actually created it, thus the name. I may notice something of interest and I write, or of any mood, the blog address now can accomodate. Even hopes and dreams, and such things that can make even my own head spin when I re-read it.
So, enjoy what you can enjoy. See you later!