ANOTHER SHOPPING SCENE II

I needed to stock up with toiletries and hair treatment products. Any excuse to get to the mall. Before I left home, both my younger sisters wanted 2 birthday presents each. I said fine. It’s not the first time I’ve been buying presies for them. Well like their eldest sister (yours truly), they are social bees too. On their birthdays, they do get a lot of presents. So mom said “u got to return the favour.” Yeah, that means they both have to return gifts to their strings of best friends. I usually don’t have a problem since I’ll always pop by Living Cabin (a more affordable version of Memory Lane) to get the presies. Music boxes, cute photo frames, soft toys, small mannequins… things that school girls would probably go “it’s soooooo cute…”

So imagine my horror today (after agreeing to buy their presies) that second sis wanted a gift for a boy. I was like “ WHAT????” She shrugged. “He gave me a gift so I’m returning it.” You see all my life when I am shopping for a gift for a guy, it has either got to be my daddy, bro or bf. So in every sense of word, when I buy a present meant for a guy, it does not come cheap. Minimally RM200. Watch, wallet, branded shirts, perfume, whiskey, electronical gadgets, ties (even these don’t come cheap, branded ones).. I don’t sting when it comes to the men in my life. Today I am not only to shop for a 14 years old boy that I have never met, it has got to be cheap according to my sister. Since she is forking it out of her own pocket, her budget was RM20. What did the boy got for her birthday? A fur bolster with the word ‘KISS’ on it. The pic is on my Friendster. I didn’t bother asking her if that guy was even her bf. I might end up snitching on her to my parents. I should have asked her if she wanted a teddy bear with a huge ‘I LOVE YOU’ on it. smirk!!!

So I set out hunting for the right gift. I saw Donald duck and Tweety bird ties. They cost RM19.90 each. I was so tempted to get one of those. Haha.. But the only tie a 14 years old wears would probably be the school tie. I did not want to risk getting stuck with a cartoon tie and not getting my money back from my sis. Cursing to myself (I can’t do my shopping unless I get the chore done), I headed for Living Cabin. As I walked in, a couple of guys glanced my way (nothing new). Ignored it (nothing new also) and started ransacking for gifts. I was already gloomy as it is, so if those guys come to close I might just bite. One of the asshole walked across the alley opposite bend a little, peered and smiled at me in between the racks. Guys with punky dyed hair plus piercings, ughh.. I just can’t take it. If looks could have killed, I would probably murder him there and then. A girl walked in at that moment. I assume it’s his gf since she gave me a piercing stare in return. Seriously it’s your bf that you got to be worried about. Not me. Gosh… Wanting to get away from that place so desperately, I grabbed one huge photo frame (for the boy, don’t care what my sis says), a teddy bear lamp, a cow soft toy, a music box, wrapping papers and ribbons. Quickly paid for them and I was out of there. Then mom wanted hand cream. Next stop, WATSON.

Have to be home by 4pm with the presies. Youngest sis has a birthday bash at 5pm. I remember my SSM’s days. We were always attending birthday parties at homes, condo or sports’ clubs. Now it’s clubs, clubs, clubs with the additional presence of alcohol. I was telling my sis “What kind of party starts at 5? You should make your entrance at 8.” My sweet 16 didn’t start till 830pm if I recall.