NBX Toys!

Last week, I decided it was time to reward myself for all the extra work that I've put in over the last few months - the added responsibilities that come with my recent appointment.

There are very few material things that delight me. Diamonds aren't my best friends and retail therapy for branded goods don't appeal. Much as I'd like an exotic holiday or a trip to cooler climates and continents, the reality is that it's getting expensive to travel for a family of 5 + 2 so I'm content with short breaks to the neighbouring regions.

Only two things will really rock my world: books and toys.

I've bought a couple of books (work-related, parenting and fiction) but haven't found the right time to sit down quietly to and leisurely leaf through the crisp, smooth pages. Before I picked up driving again, I'd use the opportunity while waiting for buses to enjoy a good read. Obviously that's not possible these days when I'm trying to keep my concentration on the road while zipping around in trusty ol' Pollie.

And since my LOTR collection is as good as complete, I've moved on to collect other action figurines. I started collecting Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas (NBX) and Corpse Bride toys about two years ago and am proud to say I'm almost done with the figurines - mainly because there are less characters to collect compared to the LOTR series.

I still have some missing NBX action figures and have been trawling the net in search of these rare gems. My usual source e.g. ebay didn't offer many choices and I wasn't about to pay an exorbitant USD200 for each a toy. I may be a fan but I do set certain limits for myself.

Finally, I resorted to searching through Amazon.com and was pleased to find two items: NECA Nightmare Before Christmas Lock, Stock & Barrel Bathtub Boxed Set priced at USD39.95 and NECA Nightmare Before Christmas Series 1 Sally Action Figure priced at USD54.99. Not exactly within my budget, especially after the shipping costs, but I figured "what the heck?" and proceeded to click "buy".

NECA Nightmare Before Christmas Lock, Stock & Barrel Bathtub Boxed Set

NECA Nightmare Before Christmas Series 1 Sally Action Figure

Needless to say, I'm now eagerly waiting the arrival of my new toys. I'd also bought a couple from ebay UK and sent them over to Liz's home. She'd brought 4 back to Singapore but couldn't fit them all in her luggage so her hubby will be lugging the remaining few when he flies from UK in November.

At least that's something to look forward to as I tread cautiously into the final two months of 2010. :)