Shopping

It is great to feel fresh for the New Year.

Therefore, I tidied my agglomeration of miscellaneous items I collected for the past year and swept them to the chute. Everything is so neat and tidy! I'm rather ambivalent about cleanliness in my room. , I like the state of messiness because I feel 'proud' of the junk I accumulated but on the other hand, I like to be accessible to the stuff that I keep. Therefore, my attempts to ameliorate my living conditions!

I went back to school today to check on the course video that I'm directing. It is almost done except for some grey areas. After which, I went shopping!

I love shopping. That is not quite typical of a guy but when you are empowered with shopping money and stuck in consumerism land; you cannot help but reach out and grab that window display.

Chinese New Year is approaching and everyone is grabbing something that is red which will represent an auspicious year ahead if you wear it on the first day of the New Year. As my parents are traditionalists, I was adamant to obey my mum's request and had to zealously search for something red.

Retailers and marketers are astute. They know that the season is coming and voila! All clothes that are red are marked up in price while the rest of the dull autumn colours clothing have their prices slashed. My agenda was searching for something that was not a top that you wore only once as people don’t often wear red and that the design or the cutting was unique.

I have a particular taste in clothing, which is why I avoid common brands like Giordano, Bossini and U2. I just don't like the idea of someone along the street wearing the exact same shirt walking past me. If that happens to you, usually both of you will try to look away. For me, it just feels uncomfortable.

It is just that I am a "brand" person, the type that goes for brand. Usually when you go for branded stuff, there is less chances that people around you will have the same particular item and hence, my penchant for unique clothes. Decent, not flamboyant, not overtly pricey and unique. It is hard to understand my sense of clothing but think Abercrombie & Fitch, Quiksilver and Adidas. Minimalism. Imagine shoes designed by Kenneth Cole.

I ended up buying 1 singlet from Guess and 1 Quiksilver top from Flash & Splash. Splurging a total of $80 for both tees was heart-wrenching as I am eyeing on the idea of getting a PDA so that I can jot down my ideas and random ramblings wherever I am. I guess that has to wait.

Today made me realise something. Shopping alone is really pathetic. Yes, some may argue that by oneself, one can do as they please and shop wherever they want at any interval but I refute that shopping alone is a misery.

There is no one to give you a second person perspective, no one to bring you back to earth on an impulse expensive purchase, no one to idly be by your side scouring the racks of shirts. Companionship, be it boy or girl, is a requisite if you ever go shopping. At least there is someone who will buy a red top at an exorbitant price together!

- Benjamin