Three hours to Christmas here in the Philippines, yay. I’m sure you’re all busy with a lot of things — as I am. (I’m in a family reunion as I type this. Boo.) But here’s me taking a break for a few minutes from all the festivities to wish everyone happy holidays. So yeah.

Blessings to you and your family. Merry Christmas! :)

Let me get this in writing (In tagalog: itaga nyo sa bato. LOL. Whatever!). After all my Christmas shopping is over, I shall treat myself to some gadget spree. And I shall splurge with all my might, and with all the extra moolah I’ve got left (if there’d be anything left). Heh. Any of the following will make me really really happy. :)

(1) Nikon Accessories for Konks, my Nikon D40

Nikon 55-200mm VR Lens. (costs around $200 if bought from Amazon). I’d love to have the 18-200mm VR lens ‘coz I hear the 55-200mm VR does not support manual focus, but the latter costs more than double the price of the former, boo. I’d love a 10.5mm fish-eye lens too, but I’m not ready for a $500++ worth of lens just yet. Someday, someday. (Or, I can always borrow Ninong Dave’s. Haha.)

AND/OR

Nikon SB-400 Speedlight Mount Flash. :) ($100+) Because I’m loving the use of flash lately, especially with the recent events I’ve gone to which involved a lot of dancing and once-in-a-lifetime kodak moments. I can’t afford to have blurred shots in moments like that.

(2) A posh mp3 player.

I’d love a pink Zune ($150-180), a pink iPod Nano ($180) — second generation, I don’t like the new version, OR a pink i.Beat from Trekstor ($100+). Preference in that order.

(3) Pink Sony Ericsson z610i.

As far as buying a mobile phone is concerned, I don’t have any other choice but the pink Sony Ericsson z610i ($180). I’m not having problems with Bugi (my Nokia 6630) whatsoever, but after more than a year of faithful service to me, I think I’m ready to give her extra help. I’m planning to have another line, just for the heck of it.

(4) Andy Warhol Wristwatch.

Any of the following Andy Warhol watches ($150) will do. *drool* :) The last time someone bought me a watch was my highschool graduation — my parents got me a Swatch, which I wore until sometime before I graduated from college. Since then, I can’t remember ever wearing one. This ain’t a necessity, I know, as I’ve gotten used to checking time on my mobile phone anyway. But I figured, since I’m getting old, this could be a show of my resolution to value time more. And since I’m at it anyway, why not make it posh? :)

(5) Any desktop computer.

..that my brothers and my mom can use back home. Nothing fancy. Just something they can store pics and surf the net with. I actually don’t know what to get yet and where. I stopped looking at desktop computers since I got my Mac. Any suggestions? :)

I guess that’s it. Meanwhile, I’m still not done with my Christmas shopping, I still have a few people in my list. So I guess no shopping spree for me JUST YET. Good luck, Riz. :)

Merry Christmas everyone! :)

Posting this one just in case you’re having the same problem too.

I have not been able to use my webcam with YM ever since I got my MacBook. I’ve asked my supplier about it once or twice but never really found a solution to my webcam problem. Which sucks, especially since having a long-distance relationship REQUIRES a webcam. LOL. I mean, you can just imagine the tantrums my boyfriend throws my way everytime my webcam shuts down on him every after 15 seconds. Boo.

I thought it was my Mac’s iSight that has problems, and I was all set to take my laptop to an Apple center to have it checked. Turns out, it’s not the iSight that has problems, it’s the Yahoo Messenger.

So yup, if that’s your problem too — YM webcam shutting off every after 15 seconds and you have to re-invite the person you’re chatting with to view your webcam every 15-friggin-seconds — don’t fret, you’re not the only one.

Interestingly, I found out a way around this little problem of mine through a thread at PhilMug (a local Mac users group here in the Philippines). The thread presented several alternatives, and all of them includes ditching your YM altogether, that is, if there’s a need to use your webcam regularly.

• Use AIM in iChat
• Use Skype
• Use aMSN

I tried all three and settled with aMsn.

Works great for me. :)

And teh boyfriend? He’s smiling from ear to ear. Boo.