Confessions of a Smart Shopaholic [Parental Guidance needed]

Men come and men go.
But malls are always there for me.

When it’s closed at 10pm I can run to the ‘uptown’.
Or downtown.


Guys have always had their way to make me feel bad about myself.
But shopping malls would never break my heart.

Malls are faithful.
Malls are reliable.
Malls make me feel pretty, at least for a day.
Malls always smell good.
Malls understand what I want. What I need.
They turn me on anytime.

Sigh.

I knew I can relate to the movie.
Oleh kerana aku tak pernah baca novelnya, aku tak tahu bahawa watak utamanya seorang penulis. Penulis majalah lanskap, pada awalnya.
Maka aku menonton dengan semangat membara untuk mendapat input yang berguna, on how to resist urges to shop for something I don’t need.


But my parents were not like Beth’s. As a kid, I remember having Kiko shirts and skirts, Esprit sweaters and Ladybird, erm, betul ka ada jenama Ladybird ni? And some Disney’s, don’t you forget that. Although it’s nothing next to Baby Prada (or is it Prada Junior? I speak no Prada, sorry) but at least they are labeled.

It dated back when I got my heart broken, and apparently retail therapy works wonder for my self esteem. Don’t get me wrong I don’t blame the guy.
I became obsessed with dresses- they had never fail to make me horny. And shoes, yeah, I can’t resist them. Especially the one with affordable price, being a student you know what I mean.

I thought a new dress would make me feel better. They did, indeed elevate my mood.

But I’m luckier than most of other shopaholic mommas out there as I’m not brand conscious. FOS, wholesales, rejected props I don’t mind provided it fits me well. As long as I feel good and look good in it.
The only problem is, aku semacam ada jodoh dengan baju cantik dan selesa tapi murah. Macam senang saja mahu jumpa. Trust me, my friends envy me coz they had never found one with fair price while I just happen to bump into a pretty summer dress at the price of RM20, and a long-sleeve glittery short dress at RM10.

Well, with those beautiful price tags on oh-so-comfortable dresses, even someone on a tight budget couldn’t resist.

So kalau kamu jumpa aku dan cakap
'Wah, cantik baju. Mana beli ni? Bundle belakang tu ke? Tunjuk ah kat aku,'
aku tak akan kecil hati kerana baju kat kedai belakang rumah Kak Asha memang cantik.
Yang penting, kau mesti tutup aurat.


If you give me this ‘Do I need this dress’ tips, it doesn’t really work for me anymore. It’s because my Kemahiran Hidup teacher had taught me this one when I was 14. It’s in the text book, for God’s sake! Aku ingat lagi, di mana kita kena bezakan mana satu kehendak, mana satu keperluan.

Teknik ini sudah sebati dalam diri, tapi akhirnya aku sedar yang aku kena pandai reward myself. Yang ini pula tips dari guru kaunseling waktu tingkatan 4. Maka aku cuba untuk imbangkan antara membeli keperluan sahaja, dan rewarding oneself.

Reward diri sendiri itu penting buat aku kerana ibubapa aku tidak mengamalkan sistem reward dalam bentuk hadiah mahupun pujian. Lantaklah aku dapat straight A’s dalam exam ke, mahupun menjadi johan pertandingan dan wakil negeri ke, convo ke, harilahir ke apa. Aku anggap mereka dah besarkan aku tu kira ok la, walaupun tu memang tanggungjawab mereka pun.


Lagipun bila aku sedih, aku perlu gembirakan hati sendiri. Dan, siapa lagi yang tahu apa yang aku suka selain diri sendiri.
Shopping malls were there to cheer me up. Again and again.

Yes, wearing new dresses or shoes always make me feel good- even when the heels are killing my feet.

Ada suatu hari tu, waktu studio, pensyarah aku suruh aku tukar project site 4 hari sebelum submission. Aku dalam keadaan bengang terus minta kebenaran keluar untuk pergi site baru itu (lecturer tu tak jawab, buat muka je. Aku keluar je lah).
Dalam perjalanan pulang lepas site visit, aku singgah di sebuah kedai dan pulang ke studio dengan jaket baru. Yang lawaknya dalam bas aku terserempak dengan 2 orang studiofellas, aku tanya pergi mana? Jawabnya pergi pejabat apa ntah minta info tentang project bla bla...tapi masing-masing pegang plastik supermarket.


Aku pernah terfikir, kalau ada seorang perempuan yang aku tak suka dalam dunia ini, kalau aku membeli-belah bersamanya mungkin kami boleh berbaik-baik.


Erm, alamak. Tiba-tiba teringat seseorang pula. Tarik balik lah ayat tadi.

Hihi.


To be continued....