Retail Therapy

Retail therapy! A comfort word for many, I'm sure.

I indulged in some today. Well, I needed some new clothes but surely I didn't need to buy 3 colours of the same design? Or 2 black skirts with different pleats; albeit only marginally different? Or another crisp white blouse when there are already 3 nice ones hanging in the closet?

Why do women spend money on something that gets stashed to the bottom of their wardrobe? I believe it's psychological because when we horde inanimate objects, we feel in control. We choose them, we buy them; whether we eventually wear them or not is our own prerogative.

Actually, I hadn't shopped in a long while. It has been work and home the past few months that today's shopping experience was an immense pleasure bordering on relief. I consoled myself that I wasn't buying high-end stuff that costs a cool 4-figure a piece. No, not even in the 3-figure. region. I wasn't going into a frenzy over shoes and bags like most of my friends would. I was just sprucing up my pretty-dated wardrobe. Besides, I was contributing to the country's economy.

Yeah right.

Whatever excuses I managed to dredge up, I certainly felt happy re-organising my wardrobe this afternoon.....into colours, lengths , occasions and frequency. If only everything else in life were so easy to categorise and compartmentalise.

Travel Bug...

I've been bitten by the travel bug again. This is not good. It is almost March and the wheels at work are now on full swing after the December holiday period. I will not be able to take leave from work to frolic on any beach or stake out at any shopping mall or pig out at any quaint roadside stall. And did anyone mention we're deep in recession? What's wrong with me?

Along with the rest of the nation, I must be in the "when stressed, take a holiday" mood. Tonight's news reports of long snaking queues sighted at the NATAS Travel Fair despite the bleak economy. Or rather, because of the bleak economy. Too much doom and gloom in our own backyard, we therefore have to transverse across oceans to experience the same doom and gloom albeit in a foreign land.

Speaking of holidays, I'm happiest travelling alone or with a like-minded partner although of course, travelling with the brood gives you a different kind of happiness. It's just that once in a while, you long for the footloose and fancy-free feeling of being on your own, doing your thing, sleeping when you want and eating what you like.

My most memorable holiday was a trip to New York with a girlfriend to visit another who had settled there after her marriage. Since it was New York, we had packed our suitcases to the gills but with lots of shopping room to spare too. Let it be known that flight attendants are great at maximising space and still turn out like a million dollars. Did you know that a top/skirt/pants ensemble can be worn 5 ways? More when you throw in accessories and other knick-knacks.

For want of a better word, that trip was an immeasurable experience. We roamed the city, chatted with the locals, took all the subways, ate all the hotdogs, checked out the museums and galleries, went to Wall Street for a memorable picture with the famous bull icon and almost froze to the bone on the ferry to Staten Island so we could say "I've been to the Stature of Liberty". And never once did we feel that New Yorkers were snobbish or brusque or uncouth. In fact, some of them went out of their way to help us with directions and whatever else that we wanted to know.

This is how I like my holidays. No agenda, no time limits, no rush. Doesn't matter where the destination is.....just me and a good friend on the same page with the same wavelength. But that was a decade ago, I must qualify. It's difficult to be so free and easy when you're responsible for your kiddo, his dad and the suitcases. Hmmm, why does mum always have to be the one to remember where the shampoo's kept and where the keys to the suitcases are?? When my kiddo's grown, I will continue with my adventures because you can never get to see enough of the world.

Yes, I will. In a New York minute.

Books I used to love and books I now love...

An avid reader, I read at every possible opportunity and occasion. There will always be a book on my desk, in my bag or in my hand.

I used to love legal thrillers and have read all of John Grisham's works from legal to suspense to psychological genres. My favourite has to be 'The Firm' but it's not because Tom Cruise acted in its movie version. No sir, definitely not!

'The Firm' is my first John Grisham book; I came across it while in the States back in '92 when it just emerged fresh from the publisher's oven. I fell in love with Grisham's writing style and sharp insight into the legal world. As they say..............the rest is history.

I think we can all identify with the plot of being caught in a situation where everything seems too good and dandy to be true. When the crunch comes and we are caught between a rock and the deep blue sea....what do we do then? Do we take the easy way out or do we take the courageous way? Stifle your conscience or face the music and be true to yourself?

I also loved books by Joy Fielding and Sandra Brown. Women authors, it has been said, possess a more intuitive approach to women protagonists. They are able to draw upon their own lives, perspectives and weave their characters much like themselves with a myriad of underlying emotions and motivations.

But since my RCIA journey, I've stopped reading. For starters, I could not find the time to read. Secondly, I began to instinctively stay away from these works whose plots are choked full of malice, violence and deception.

My priest recommended us this book "Introduction to the Devout Life" by St Francis De Sales. Not one to read self-help books, biographies or non-fiction literature, I was however, hooked by this book from the first page! Written in the 16th century, this spiritual classic is so precise, compassionate, straightforward and modern, it seems to be speaking to me here and now!

Just recently, I also came across this book "A friend like Henry" by Nuala Gardner. It is a remarkable true story of how a boy and his family, lost in the world of severe autism saw the silver lining at their dark cloud when Henry, a golden retriever entered their lives. It is an inspiration how his parents never gave up trying to draw him into their world despite the challenges.....And all this happened in the 80s when autism was not widely recognised or accepted even in the western world.

Because I work with children, this book is very dear to me. We are seeing more children with autism these days because "mainstreaming" or 'inclusion" is encouraged for children who are high functioning and moderately social.

I'm taking my time with this book because it is so special. I believe all early childhood educators and parents should read it.