As if my day wasn't bad enough, it should be told that problems in my life always comes in droves. This is probably God's way of having more than a few giggles, often at my expense, knowing very well I don't have the available means to fix the problem at a critical point in time.

Sarah-V has blown her power source unit. If it wasn't enough that she's started to move as fast as molasses, (hopefully and only) the on-board power unit blew a fuse or something. It would have been easier to figure out that was going to happen if the burning wires didn't have to smell like sesame oil in a wok, which you can readily find in any self respecting Asian student's house, more so when one of your house mates is an Asian student doing a course in commercial cookery.

It did take me a while to realise that the "fragrant" smell was actually the WD40 lubricant cooking within the confines of superheated (and later burnt) power unit, a disturbing thought given that it smells exactly like sesame oil.

So now I have two choices. Given than Sarah-V is roughly 4 years behind the current curve, should I spend what non-existing funds I have (and not eat every few days to save money) to upgrade the aging system to something I can use, or should I pray to the lab Gods (despite not being in the lab on this one) that all which needs replacing is the power unit and leave everything as it is until I can afford a brand new system that's on the bleeding edge?

Would it make it an easier choice to know that I won't be using the system for about 2 months at the end of the year and I'll most likely be transient until I can settled down for sure? To add a little spice to the decision, take note that I have important work to finish by the end of the week and it's a choice I need to make now.

I know what choice I'm going to have to make if possible, but the geek in me isn't making that choice an easy one. So I'll have to ask the magic comment box on this one.

Oh magic comment box. Should I replace my power unit and wait for later to upgrade or find a way to upgrade my whole system now with a limited budget?