For once, I am not a conformist. And neither am I a believer in the shop-till-you-drop formula of girls my age. I, in fact, hate shopping. You know the kinds, where you keep hopping from shop to shop; mall to mall, oblivious of what you want, just waiting for serendipity to happen. That’s not my idea of shopping at all. I go shopping when I actually need something, buy it and come back. And since I am very choosy too, sometimes I don’t buy anything at all and come back. But some people just cannot digest the fact that a girl can act choosy and wise at the same time! I mean what have we girls been relegated to? Some sort of card swiping shopaholics, shopping bags toting maniacs? You know, people actually say things like she is stingy, she is a miser and so she wouldn’t spend on herself. Oh Please! For God’s sake, it’s MY hard earned money. Don’t I get to choose what I want to spend it on, and where? I mean, just because I don’t go out splurging my money on clothes, accessories and shoes that I may never ever wear (because I don’t like them as soon I reach home, but I bought it coz they looked so elegant on the mannequin), doesn’t mean I am a miser. Maybe you didn’t think I was being smart, or did you?

I spend my hard earned money my way.  And that makes me happy. For me buying useful/useless things is not equal to happiness. I find happiness in buying my favorite books in original paperback, in buying books on a sale where every book costs only Rs. 100, and I am happiest if I can find some lazy time to lie down in my home and read that book. I am happy when I spend time with H and with family, cracking PJs, or playing with my nephew. And I love to travel. I would prefer to spend my money on a week’s vacation over buying something expensive like diamonds or an iPad. And that doesn’t mean I am averse to all the good things in life. It’s just about that ‘rush’ people experience when they shop. I am just not like that. Materialism is not my idea of happiness.

Now don’t try to look at me with those cat-ish narrow eyes, unbelievably. I am not trying to act all saintly, but yeah…I am kinda bore for people my age. I don’t go clubbing, partying or shopping on weekends. I try to imagine myself as this intellectual thinker and arty type, who reads and stare at the walls thinking what her first book will be about (Jeez! *fingers crossed*)