I love shopping

Yes I really, really do. Maybe it's one of the many occupational hazards of being a marketeer - having to prowl the retail level to keep myself updated, steal ideas, etc. I just enjoy looking at stuff and studying every little detail on the packaging (for processed items like food) or analysing the stitches on a certain shirt or figuring out how another weird kitchen contraption works. But being a typical guy, the way we shop tends to differ from the way the opposite sex does it.

Our DNAs are programmed in such a way that we can walk away from something we don't need and we purchase only when we have to. And when we finally do, we have a pretty clear idea of what we want. Just like a few months back when I bought my ultra cool pair of boots from Primevera, I chanced upon some vintage inspired T-shirts at F.O.S. by Junk Food Clothing. Apparently, celebrtities in Hollywood are lapping them up and it is the 'happening' thing to wear now. It is available on the Junk Food website and over here in Singapore they are available at NewUrbanMale as well as other funky shops at Far East Plaza and Heeren. They are, in my honest opinion, quite ridiculously priced given the quality of the fabric and also because I never believe in paying more than $20 for a T-shirt.

So imagine my glee when I found out that the they were going for only $19.90 a piece at F.O.S.!! I was quite peeved that the female selection was way wider than the males (and they came with much more reasonable sizes too!), but at such a bargain I couldn't complain.

I ended up with only four pieces that came in a Medium - one cool, green with a Green Lantern logo; another green one with an old 80s Atari-esque Pacman accompanied by power pellets and ghosts; a brown one with a M.A.S.H logo (the old 70s sitcom) and another brown one with the Community Chest livery from the Monopoly game.

Who cares if they are fakes? I don't! Who can tell if they are factory rejects? I certainly can't!

New boots

Guys are such klutzes when it comes to shopping. We never buy anything unless we really, really, really need it. Like when holes start appearing on our boxers, our deodarant starts spraying only cold air or our wallets start getting warped out of shape. And even when we finally do, we just head straight towards that particular department where we are seeking our wares and get the deed done. Go in, get the stuff and get out. Like a Navy SEAL rescue mission.

So it was really unglam for me to become all 'kuniang' after I set my eyes on a particular pair of boots at Primavera. The design totally rocked; it was gaterised so no fumbling with laces, it was high cut so my pants could fall nicely around the shoe (I'm anal that way) and had nice little details that you would hardly find on a pair of, say, Bata shoes. It could go well with jeans too for a smart casual look! But the price was way too steep for me. At $229, it was way over what I would usually pay for a pair of shoes. My most expensive pair cost me $150, and they were a pair of skating sneakers I bought from Australia.

When the Primavera outlet at Marina Square was having a 'Closing Down' Sale, the boots were slashed down to $169. But I still managed to convince myself that I don't really need another pair of shoes and just walked away.

So there I was at Vivo City with Vel a couple of weeks back. We passed by the Primavera outlet and the were having a sale. The boots were there staring at me AGAIN! So just to satisfy my curiousity, I walked over, picked them up and looked at the price tag.

$99!

Without hesistation, I beckoned the sales assistant and asked for a size 8. Perfect fit! Naturally, I bought them (after eyeballing them for so many months).

Moral of the story: never buy anything during GSS, buy them AFTER. *snigger*