Rantings of a Shopaholic

Well I am finally about to start my blog.... mostly out of pressure from Rachel, my daughter and apple of my eye who has been asking me non stop : " Have you written anything yet?" " Auntie June has started one , you know? " . Secondly , it is also due to the fact that most of my crazy Ong Cousins (well, the Daniel clan anyway) has some pretty interesting blogs going on. Thirdly, it is due to some vague inner being inside of good old me who wonders if she can write and probably win a Nobel Prize along the way (wishful thinking, but hey a gal can dream... can't she??)

So, what should i write about in my very first virgin entry and scary foray into the world of bloggers ?

After much thought (so much i wanna write on but so little time) I think I would write about shopping ... seeing as it is the title of my blog.

I am a self confessed shopaholic. Put me in any mall, big or small, and i swear you can visually see my pupils dilate with excitement and feel my adrenalin pumping through my heart. I can literally shop up a storm. There is something about malls with their bright lights and shiny floors and beautiful window dressing that brings out the monster in me. Hell, I can even shop up a storm in the grocery store or the local wet market.

Shopping is my one passion in life next to my family and work. Imagine a life without shopping ? Arggh... too terrible to even think about. But sometimes I think I go overboard. It's as if I cannot stop once you let me loose on a shopping spree. Suddenly, there is a pair of shoes that I need to have or it will be the end of the world ... or a sweater that I just need ( conveniently forgetting about the 99 others I have in my closet that I needed and desperately must have not too long ago). Well I have 99 others but I don't have it in this particular shade of black.

You might say black is black but then you have Matte Black, Shiny Black, Glossy Black, Grey Black, Black Grey, Blue Black,Black Black and the endless possibilities of all the Black combination. Or you never know, I need this season's new Black to replace last season's Old Black. I can write a whole page about the colour Black so don't get me started.See, I rest my case.

So maybe it's for the best that I am too busy lately to do any shopping and give my credit cards a rest. So, I will try and make some resolutions about shopping.

I resolve to :

1) Not buy the same blouse, shoes, bag etc etc etc in duplicate just cos I cannot decide on the colour. ( I now have many blouses, T- Shirts, sandals of the same design but in different colors cos all the colours look fab and I took the easy way out and bought them all cos making a decision and picking one colour over the other was just too traumatising at the moment!!!!)

2) Not hyperventilate when I have ( on very rare occasions) said No to a certain item and walked out of the shop , only to realise that I can't stop thinking about the said ITEM. It's like an itch inside of me that i need to scratch and I can't sleep because of the itch - which will result in a wild goose chase all over town when a call to the store confirms that my coveted ITEM has been sold!! I then have to beg the store clerk to at least try all other outlets till the said ITEM is discovered to be available at a branch in TIMBUKTU but does that stop me ? NO!! I will fly there if I need to. Finally, said ITEM is mine and I can now breathe normally. But said ITEM will now sit in my closet for 3 months before I finally remember it ( during bi monthly cleaning spree as new stuff can't fit no more into closet cramped with ITEMS). Who said shopping is a breeze ? It is an artform, ventured forth only by some Maniacal Human Being bent on putting some Demented Form of Punishment onto one self. ( Highs & lows like suffered by Schizos.. High when you buy, Low when the whopping VISA bill comes!!).

3) Not go grocery shopping when I am hungry or pre menapousal cos I end up buying Ten types of chocolate, Two flavours of ice-cream and tons of tit bits that sometimes don't even get eaten as they are more often than not way past their expiry dates as :

• They don't look as appealing as they were on the grocery store shelf
• I don't have the time
• I feel fat....
• I feel fat.....
• I feel fat...

4) Not buy on impulse, or when I am depressed, or fat, or happy, or sad. ( hey.. I have OCCASIONS, you know ?)

5) Not have to Buy " just in case I need it"

6) Not buy cos my neighbour has it.

7) Not buy just cos its on sale or pretty ( though you gotta admit, these two are damn good reasons to buy.)

8) Not buy cos its the fad of the moment ( though I will be the coolest Mom around town cos I now have the latest Ipod, Mobile Phone even though I might not have the slightest idea how to operate these gadgets...which will result in my Rachel calling me an old fashioned geezer who knows zilch about tech stuff - Well I started a blog right, so hey.. ( with much help from her))

9) Not stock up on any more lipsticks. This is a hard one..With names like Vixen ( for the fox in me), Tiltillating Red ( for my a'la Marilyn Monroe or Gwen Stefani days), Vamp It Up ( for my naughty days), In the Nude ( for my go back to nature, feel natural days), Vivacious Orange ( for my imaginative and feel creative days), Sexy Siren ( the name itself says it all), Glamour Puss ( for my society mingling, French Kissing, Ass Licking events)... The list goes on... Well a girl has moods , so purchases of all possible colours to suit her moods, occasion and wardrobe is perfectly justified.

10) Not buy anymore jewellery ( costume, that is! Real jewellery is in another league and another story altogether!) or shoes or handbags or belts or scarves etc etc etc. ( At least, not until I need another ... which is like tomorrow) Well, you gotta admit, a gal just can't get enough jewellery(costume) or shoes or handbags or belts or scarves etc etc etc. There is always one last elusive, just have to have, desired good old something out there.

Well, I would probably keep these resolutions till the next time I step into a mall but hey, at least I tried!.

Till next time, HAPPY SHOPPING!