The Shopaholic in Me...

For ages, I have refused with all my might to indulge in any of Sophie Kinsella's books, especially the Shopaholic series. When the word "Shopaholic" came about, and everyone was proudly associating themselves with the newest hit word, I stayed afar and lurked in a distance, refusing any part of me to be associated with the word or the book.

It wasn't because I detested shopping. Nor was it because I didn't like bright shiny new stuff and didn't have mannequins occasionally rationalizing with me on whether i should get a certain something. Not because either, of my dignified values of  not being in debt. It was simply because, if the word knocked the nail on it's head in describing me, what more the book!? I simply couldn't bring myself to read it, because I was quite VERY sure, there are certain things I have been avoiding all these while. I felt quite offended that there was a book out there, making a mockery out of my life and my uncontrollable urges. And to top it up, it was a best seller!! I felt for a moment that my dirty linen was being washed in public.

And then the movie based on the book hit the screens. It was Shopaholic here, Shopaholic there, Shopaholic everywhere! A couple of my friends decided to book tickets for the show, and i came up with some feeble excuse to why i couldn't join them for the movie. If i wasn't ready to read the book, I certainly wasn't ready to see "me" in the movie...

Through the first 4 months of this year, where I was literally jobless and broke, I realised how much of a Shopaholic I am. It was no longer a phase, It was a phase that manifested into my system and because a viral disease attacking my nervous system everytime I tried to counter it, or to control it. It was going out of control, I felt like a nymphomaniac, except that my affair was with chic Egyptian cotton sheets, Long Champs, Silk tops, little black dresses and Uber vibrant colored Crocs.

How was I anything like Becky Bloomwood ( the character in Shopaholic?) Well, for starters,
1. Mannequins in stores spoke to me via the display windows, quite often.

2. I bought things and hoarded things without wearing them. I shop with my heart and not my brains.

3. If i were to let go of an item that i thought i must have, I would wound up being depressed, and then frantically think of different avenues or ways to get money to buy that item.

4. I always put survival one step behind my so-called retail therapy. I have a six door built in cupboard and i have no place to put my clothes or my shoes.

5. I would hide my new-buys and stuff them into my bags or booth of the car so that my loved ones don't catch me guilty of shopping.

6. I am constantly trying to plot my way into buying something I think I need by calculating how much I can pay by credit and installments in the following months. I have been in debt because I knew someone or another would bail me out of it.

7.And worst, I cannot stop my urges even when  I am broke.

When I finally watched "Confessions of A Shopaholic" last week. I totally felt what she did. It wasn't an exaggerated depiction of a ridiculous NY fashion junkie. It was real as real can be. I wish I had a support group to go to. But I felt that every orgasmic wave of satisfaction such as Becky did every time i bought something i wanted, be it a hair clip, or a shirt, or a four figure price tagged dress. I saw myself in her shoes ( metaphorically and literally ) and I realized there was a need to overcome this.

This month, I am going by the motto to truly ask myself if i need something no matter how big or small it is. Whether it is food, or toiletries, or . So far, I have given in on 3 occasions already. I bought a new pair of Croc Janes, I bought stuff worht rm170 from an SPCA booth, convincing myself that it was for a good cause and i totally needed the uber-cute t shirts, bags and umbrellas, and I walked into the supermarket today intending to buy sage and corned beef for dinner tonight, but ended up buying Stacks of Lays, Aged Balsamic Vinegar and a tonne of other stuff that cost 600 percent more than what I intended to spend.

But nothing to fret about.. I have started, and I will persevere.. Just as Becky Bloomwood, Im at my starting point. At least I'm on my way to be debt free... Wish me luck!!

Frills, no thank you...

With Sex and the City hitting the cinemas, I wonder if the fever has sort of hit all girls out there. I swear I walked past a girl yesterday wearing a pom-pom skirt, with with colorful netting sticking out from under. I also saw a girl wearing a headband with a feather sticking out at least 2 inches from the very center of her head. Another girl with hot pants and bright pink knee length boots with fur trimming. And another girl with lacey frills all over her décolletage, you'd swear she was wearing an albino possum around her neck.

While Sex and the City does emit some peculiar fashion, it's tastefully done. And the problem with trying to fabricate an avant gard  look is that it can either look really fashion forward, or downright cheap and dowdy. An avant gard look is also red carpet worthy and runway worthy, not shopping mall worthy.

If you look through the pages of the thousands of online boutiques in KL, it is almost impossible to find more than 20 sites who are selling wearable clothing. It's either it's packed with unnecessary frills, or it's adorned with gazillions of sequins and beading. It gets you thinking sometimes, doesn't it take effort and money to add on all the trimmings and taking time to sew those trimmings on? Apparently, you get more with cheap stuff. Real classy stuff are simple, cheap stuff are full of shit.

Moral of the story? simplicity goes a longer way.. :P

The New Age of Simple Mindedness

We live in a simpler world these days, where simple things make people weep or jump for joy. I used to think the world is getting more complicated by the day. But on the contrary, it's much more simple than it used to be.

For instance, politicians would go at all lengths to cover up their corruption before, but in today's world, we accept corruption is an inevitable occurrence. Where there is an establishment, there's always a power struggle somewhere. It's inevitable.

We accept that war's a part of a generation. We accept human rights violation as a natural selection process. We accept that it doesn't take intellect and talent to get someone going, but money and influence. We accept that those without a voice (plants and animals) are more likely to always be exploited and nothing much can be done for them. We accept that certain species need to make the sacrifice of going extinct for mankind to sustain our lifestyles.

We accept that people get less and less interactive with the presence of technology. We accept a younger generation who is more sexually inclined because of exposure. We accept sex and scandals as a selling point for media, not news that actually matters. We accept that ethics have to be compromised, if you want fame and money. We accept a brand of music which substitutes inspirational lyrics for beats that instruments. We accept that experimenting drugs is part and parcel of life. We accept that monogamous relationships are rare. We accept that the sanctity of marriage does not hold importance in a new age generation.

We accept many things in life and don't attempt to change it. Because in a way, i guess people are sick of being the minorities to fight for a cause. It's easier to ignore and pretend, than to stand up, be the odd one out and voice out what you think is wrong.

We're becoming more and more simple minded, and it doesn't necessarily mean its a good thing...

Neither here nor there

You know that nagging flu, which zaps out your energy? Well you can still walk, and talk, and breathe, but you get tired and lethargic, and if you go about your daily activities, the flu only takes twice a long to go away. And then, because of your choice of sucking it up and just going about your dailies, your flu morphs into cough and the next thing you know, you're coughing like a TB patient with disgusting yellow or green phlegm regurgitating from your esophagus up into your mouth where you can taste the salty slimy texture.. But ahh wait. You're still able bodied. You can still walk, talk and breathe, just with a tad bit more difficulty than when you had JUST the flu..


People think very little of the flu. Because when you get the common flu, it just means your body is reacting to a new strain of mutated virus. But also, the flu and the common cold are both respiratory illnesses.  Common cold is acute viral infection of the upper respiratory tract. The resulting inflammation involves the nasal passages, throat, sinuses, trachea, and bronchi. The common cold can be caused by one of many viruses. Colds usually do not result in serious health problems, such as pneumonia, bacterial infections, or hospitalizations are highly possible when a flu isn't taken care off.


So there you go, This sucks, when you are neither here nor there. You are not sick enough to be confined to the bed and neither are you well enough to ignore that nagging uncomfortable feverish feeling and the lack of energy to sit up straight. So technically, you don't deserve medical leave, because you are not THAT sick....


Well, thats me! 8 days and now counting... Wonder how many more days to go before i roll over dead...

Sob sob sob

Who doesn't get all sad over kids dying with cancer? You can claim for nuts that you are made out of iron, but i swear all you have to do is watch a kid with cancer die, and you'll bawl like a baby...

I watched "My sister's keeper" yesterday.. again. After watching it the first time, I found myself not truly remembering the details of the movie because i was too busy sobbing from the beginning till the end. It was such a good movie, story line, but when people asked me how it was, all I could say was, "it was sad"..So i ventured into it again yesterday.

How did it go in round 2? Weeeelll, let's say I still don't remember parts of it, because despite it being my second watch, I still sobbed from start till end. What the heck..

At least now you know of a good-sure-sob-your-lungs-out movie to watch whenever u need a good pick-me-up cry and can't seem to make yourself cry forcibly.. :)

Crying once in a while, is HEALTHY coping...