Okay so this is what struck me recently.
Here’s how it was okay.
I was sitting in a meeting with some people from a Tech company. Now we were sitting around in the meeting and everyone put their phones on the table.
It was almost as if the phone was everyone’s Avatar and the more Techy your phone is the more seriously I should take you. Heck half of them at the table even had Blackberrys right next to their phones.
So with disregard of the environment I was in, I took out my phone and placed it on the table.
Instantly everyone around the table took a good look at my phone and then at me.
I left the meeting a little confused. I went home and told a friend about the weird experience only to get a reply from him
“OF COURSE LA!!! You are Co-Founder of Nuffnang, an internet company! You go around giving speeches for fux sake!!! You have an image to keep.
You’re supposed to be TECHY… but look at your phone!!! It’s not even the latest model of that particular phone!”.
I got a little offended at someone dissing my phone.
“But… it’s a DAMN bloody good phone. It’s 3G, it’s hardy, it has a 3.2 mega pixel camera, bluetooth, reliable… all for only RM1,200. That’s great value for money!!!”.
My friend didn’t bother to explain further so I forgot all about that incident.
Then last weekend when Ming was down for our Pajama Party, 
we had another meeting with another bunch of Tech guys who really wanted to work with Nuffnang.
Everyone in the meeting had their phones on the table… and they all had iPhones.
I didn’t dare take out my phone from my pocket this time.
After the meeting I went on to ask Ming
“Oi.. how your iPhone.. nice to use ar?”
And he said
“Hated it at first but actually when you get used to it quite good. You should get one lar… better for image right as an internet entrepreneur.”
That experience with Ming reminded me of the previous meeting I had some time ago. Then I asked that same friend that gave me advice before
“Okay fine… what’s the hottest phone in the market right now?”
He replied
“The iPhone”.
The next thing I asked was
“How much is that?”
And he said
“Between RM2,500 – RM3,000 depends where you get it from”.
Immediately I went “WTF?!?!?!?!?!?.
Now I know RM2.5K or so isn’t a lot of money to some people. Heck I’ve seen Kids have phones that cost as much or more… but for someone who never really spent much of phones before… that is a LOT of money to pay for a phone.
I am just NOT used to paying this kind of money for mobile phones.
I mean heck.. a phone is a phone… you use it to talk, and you use it to text why the hell do you need one that costs so much!!!… that is until peer pressure got into the picture.
So everyone… see that smile on my face?
That smile actually only lasted until I realized that I was so broke I had to be eating Bread and Kaya for the next 2 months of my life. *Sniff*
Anyone wanna hire me to do any handy work? Gardening.. anything? Please drop me a mail.
Only RM5.00 an hour. Just 500 hours of Gardening or painting houses and I should be able to make back what I spent.
Damn peer pressure!
Timothy Tiah – Co-Founder of Colony, Kuala Lumpur Co-Working Space