Just browsing...

As I've mentioned earlier, I'm in California for the summer under the guise of doing some work. In reality, its more of a forced, high paid break as I'm just chilling out. I was out to this great place called Fashion Valley with my friends here, over the weekend, and while roaming the shops I realized something profound - I love shopping! There, I said it...I know it sounds very un-macho [what is being macho anyway?!], but I really do.

I like getting good clothes, I really like visiting bookstores and coffee shops, and if a shop sells books and has a cafeteria, well, bye bye then. I could spend hours inside a Borders or a Barnes & Noble. Something about coffee and books...works all the time.

I also enjoy tracking the high end stuff. I'm still not personally comfortable buying stuff for myself at the real high end places, but I do enjoy visiting them. I browsed a lot of great stores and looked at some really cool stuff - Coach briefcases [damn], Mont Blanc pens, apparel at Armani stores, suits at Brooks Brothers, went in to a Godiva showroom too! Ah, the good stuff...of course, there were the smaller, lesser known, but more exclusive boutiques. Surprisingly enough, I've found that I am not really that big on cars or on electronics. I could care less about engines and horsepower and all that, and I care even less about GB, GHz and other configurations.

Whenever I go to such places, I used to be overwhelmed at the prices, and my mind would be contemplating the irony of it all. This much money on shoes, when people don't have anything to eat? What is wrong with this world? But with age has come the maturity to deal with it. And there is no logic in such thoughts is there? If I wear $20 shirts instead of $50, what am I achieving? I would rather spend the $50, and spend another $50 helping others too. One does not have to be mutually exclusive of the other. That's what most people don't do. We hesitate to spend a lot on us, thinking of others. We spend less on us, end up spending nothing on others. Everyone loses huh? Besides, there is a line when one transitions from being a good spender to a snotty jackass. As long as we keep track of where we are, its all good.

Its not about buying stuff, its more about just checking out the shops, the ambiance - I'm sure you girls know what that's all about. And of course, the food. My friends were amazed at my tendency to unerringly go from one food court to another, and put away substantial amounts of food. Even though my stomach is not in the shape of its life [I am recovering from a bout of food poisoning, so I'm very sensitive to undercooked stuff], my genes enable me to eat without putting on anything appreciable [so far]...who wants to be Superman...I'm all about being Jughead.

The sad thing is that I know jack about shopping for or with girls. I would be totally lost at stores that sell shoes or candles. But I'm always willing to learn...any takers? :)