11:02pm

This time last night, I was still wondering if the bonus letter would come in... I am real glad to inform all ye faithful readers that, I have received the bonus letter this afternoon... shortly before 2pm...

This very important moment in my life was marred by the fact that I had a 2pm meeting, and I was trying to contain my nerves to read the letter, and have the calmness to cool it, text my family members, then rush up for my meeting, and be capable of coherent thoughts and brainstorm at the same time!

The conclusion is... (nah.. of course I am not going to reveal the amount. hiakz!) the bonus is quite alright, a little more than expected, so that serves as a "bonus"... which is darn good! Having said that, I really managed my own expectation as this is the first time I am working in such an industry and I seriously had no idea what to expect. It could really be low by the other colleagues I have who have been in the industry and who know how much to expect...

On the other hand, the increment was measly... really quite bad. It was lower than my previous organization, which was renowned for being miserly. Haha.. well, I assume our bosses tried to make up for the F-ed up increment by giving us a slightly bigger bonus. Ah well, something I can live with.

And so.. with some much needed spare cash coming my way, so that I am able to breath a bit easier, clear off my investment debt (INVESTMENT hor! not overspending.. so dun scold ah), I still have a bit left to add some cashflow to my bank accounts... so it is not always in the danger of being charged the fall below fee.. :P

After getting a bit of extra cash, as all humans are apt to do... I started thinking about how to spend it... and the conclusion was... I really really dun know leh... Some ideas that came to my head:

1. Hire a personal trainer so that I can lose weight in a more effective way
I asked myself, what's the point? I have lost near to 8 kg by myself.. I probably can continue and do more by myself anyway

2. Buy the Bleach manga collection since I love the anime so much
Again, what's the point? I have 12 books (4 chinese, 8 English) that I have been too busy to read, so buying a comic set would just clog up space and I still wouldn't have time to read it

3. Buy a branded bag
Now this, I am still considering.. but it's not so much I want it, more like, as part of the whole business persona thingee, I may need to seriously consider upping the image (together with clothes), so that I invest in my own future, walk the talk and look the part. That is one way I can upgrade - regardless of how superficial this sounds (I fully admit it), I refuse to shortchange my effort at work. If I don't look the part, it really doesn't matter if I work the part. I may still not get the acknowledgement I deserve. So, I am thinking, what is the budget I would like to set aside for this...

4. Upgrade my CPU - it can do with more hard disk space and , a better sound card
Frankly, I am spending most of my time at work, or "attempting" to lose weight, or catching up with family/friends, so... my CPU is used for surfing mainly, and not for gaming... I don't quite need the really high end specs. Plus, I just gave myself a treat and bought a 500gb external drive... so I don't quite need it.

5. NOTHING MORE!
I can't think of anything else I can spend on. Other than give my family a treat, and give my parents a portion, and then to donate some to charity...