A Thousand Dollars Richer

I sold my kindle just tonight, a few hours ago, the kindle I kept dreaming of having ever since I heard of it, for a bicycle in exchange, topped with a 40$ in difference. I failed at keeping it of use and therefore I sold it.

At the same time, today Farzat, a great guy got back his bicycle, the bicycle I was supposed to buy (a good racing bike) but decided to return it at the last minute.

My old camera, the Nikon D80 is on sale now, for a bundle worth 900$ at the moment, having the body along with two lenses. In return I now have the newer D7000 (that I barely got the chance to use) which I got from a Lebanese business man last week in Gemmayzeh, on the night at which he was supposed to fly to the US.

I have now two bicycles, just as before; I have a new camera, just as before, but with the only difference of being a 1000$ richer. Yes, a 1000$ in 2 months, effectively in 2 weeks. This is business, this is making money out of substantially attractive deals and once-in-a-lifetime offers. And here's how it started.

A post on my timeline spoke of a camera for sale, it was a D80 with two lenses, a bag, a flash and of course the memory card. The bundle was worth more than 900$, I got it for 500$ which, after paying the amount, left me penniless for a while afterwards, but I felt like knowing what I was doing. That's my first profit right here, a 400$. On one hand I desperately wanted the SLR over the bridge HX100 I had, I needed the 50/1.4 prime of course, and eventually the whole gear to shift to a newer level.

With time, I felt having enough of what I had and it was time to move a step higher, it was the turn of the D7000. A man with the FB profile showing only a professionally taken photograph of the man, was advertising about his D7000 bundle that had generally another prime, the 35/1.8 Nikkor, a wider angle prime over the 50 and of course a better type, ever since it's a G instead of D. Alas, the man was asking for more than a 1100$ for the whole bundle, I got the cam with the lens for not more than 800$. Here's my second profit, a 300$. What caught my attention the most was the state the cam was in, and the morals Cesar had. He even followed me outside of the Margherita, the restaurant we agreed on meeting in, to warn me not to panic if I saw any spots on the viewfinder, and explained what to do then.

On a whole other level, the kindle was getting of no use in my bag, except for an occasional checkup to fix my hair or so, that was one excellent piece of glass the kindle had! So clearly, it was time to pass it on. I received a message from Aamer, asking me if the kindle was still for sale. In return he offered his bicycle. A few days later, he had a kindle, I had his bicycle with a 40$ at hand. There is my third profit, more than 90$.

The D80 is to be sold soon enough, for an amount exceeding 750$ of course. The large amount of Fawks masks I have now is only waiting for people to grab them, 10$ at a time. Now that's a real profit.

All in all, I truly find, at such a premature time, how easy it is to make money and to become rich, if only you knew how to play the game. I eventually ask myself, do I need to become rich? If yes, I'd be damned for having to let go of my friends, family, and most importantly myself. If it were a no, I'd have to let go of my thirst for more money.

The moment I grabbed that new camera, a feeling of resentment filled my veins, I didn't want it anymore: it was too easy and didn't have any challenge included. Now, close your eyes for a moment and imagine yourself becoming a rich man, waking up to a very expensive bedroom, opening one's eyes to a land that never ends, that happens to be your possession. Having maids and servants, people around you offering their sweat and fake smiles waiting for the end of the month to get their underestimated salary. But hey, you are rich, and everyone's enjoying the game. Even your wife, sure she was the love of your life, but would you think she'd still smile to you if you suddenly decided to stop the money flow in the family? She's not a bad person, not even your kids whenever they become angry when you refuse getting your oldest girl a car for her birthday simply because she asked for it and you could easily afford it.

This is not the life I had imagined for myself, I truly miss sitting with my family over dinner, a dinner as simple as a plate of olives and a few cups of tea, simply because we can't afford the extras, and believe it or not, because I felt richer that way.