>>pk@columbia

10.4.01 - shopping spree

My girlfriend broke up with me on Sunday and I didn't feel too good about myself afterwards. So on Tuesday, when a fair took place on College Walk to benefit the World Trade Center relief cause, I decided to cheer myself up with a bit of shopping. As girlish as it may sound, I thought spending some money on myself would cheer me up a little. So I took out $20 from my drawer and walked myself to the fair during midday. The fair consisted of various vendors who sold all kinds of things. I saw hand-knitted mittens and sweaters, poster prints, CDs and DVDs, plants, leather jackets, and plenty of socks. I wanted something that would be meaningful and worth every penny spent. So I began to look carefully and browsed all the tables.

I remembered that I needed some socks. The only kind of socks I had were those short-length ones that couldn't be seen if you wore sneakers. They look cool when I wear shorts and sneakers, but with jeans or sweat pants, they really serve no purpose. Plus, they're too thin to keep my feet warm in the winter. I needed some thick, ankle socks. I looked for the best deal from the pile. I saw 3 dress socks for $10, a pack of tube socks for $6, and some other deals that weren't too tempting. Finally, I found myself a perfect deal: 6 pairs of ankle socks for $5. They were from Hanes, so I didn't have to worry about them being bootleg. I gladly paid and got myself a pack of socks.

With $15 left, I wanted to buy some more stuff. I looked at all sorts of possibilities: posters for my wall, a winter cap because I'm bald, a desperate present for my former girlfriend - but I decided on none of these. Instead, I headed for the plant vendor and decided to buy myself a plant. There were many plants that intrigued me. There was a pot of cactus plants that looked nice, but I remembered that my suitemate already had the same one from Kmart, so I didn't want to copy him. Then I saw a plant that resembled the top part of a palm tree embedded in rocks. But the leaves felt too much like plastic. I looked at some other normal plants, such as the one that has many leaves and grows like a vine. I wanted something a bit more special than that. I finally came upon a plant that looked partly like a tree and partly like a shrub. I asked the lady vendor what this plant was and she told me it was a gardenia. The neat thing about the gardenia was that it bloomed white flowers. I liked that idea of having a plant that didn't look the same all year round but instead, offered some pleasant surprises. So I gladly handed over $10 and received the plant. I had $5 left over, but this plant had already made me happy and it got me anticipating the moment its flowers would bloom. Of course, it would have to take some time before that will happen, but for $10, I thought it was a sweet deal.

I left the fair feeling pretty good. I had not really spent any money in college buying myself material possessions except for the required books. Most of my money had been spent for Metrocards or food. It was as if I took myself on a shopping spree for consolation. I guess I really did pity myself for feeling sad. But with the new socks, and especially with this new plant, now placed smugly on top of my refrigerator, I think I took a small step towards feeling better about things again. It'll take time, but hopefully along the way, I'll get to see those white flowers bloom.