Confessions of a Shopaholic!

This could well be taken as my "Honest Mumbling #3". I know that "Confessions of a Shopaholic" is the name of a recent chick flick that was panned by everyone that saw it. But here I am talking about myself and this quirky addiction of mine- that to shop till I drop or till my Credit Card sees red.

The funniest part is that I was not like this before. When I say before, it would be 6 years back. Though I used to enjoy going out just at the drop of a hat, my idea of fun was not getting in and out of shops...not till my stint at Bangalore started.

I moved to Bangalore in 2004 since I landed a new job there and from there on started my days of travel which is yet to stop. My first trip abroad was to the United States of America in July 2004 for a 3 month stint and it was in connection with this trip that I did my first round of massive shopping which became characteristic of me as I progressed. Well, that was a 3 month stint and the shopping thankfully was only in India and did not continue in the US. I came back and in almost 4 months time was all ready to pack to Kuwait which beckoned me with another opportunity.

I was not sure how long the stint would last and hence, I ended up doing another round of massive shopping. Thankfully, I was at my best behaviour while I was in Kuwait...till Dubai happened. I was asked to fly to Dubai for a 3 week assignment and I had planned a vacation immediately after that- my first vacation after I landed in Sheikh's land and I had plans to buy gifts for all my immediate family members. What better place to shop than Dubai when you are planning gifts for everyone- so I started- from Deira City Centre to Wafi Mall to Ibn Bathootha Mall to Lulu Hyper Market to Gold Souk- I was here, there and everywhere (thankfully Mall of the Emirates was under construction then!) and bought and packed everything that I thought was attractive to my eyes.

The one month vacation in India passed in a jiffy and it was time for me to return- not to Kuwait but to Bahrain for a week's training. Seef Mall and Al Ahli Mall followed and I ended up swiping my card at quite a few outlets. My stint at Middle East did not last too long after that and I was back home by late 2005.

When I joined my current employer in quiet Kochi I thought I would get better. Little did I realize that my next trip to USA with my then boss, a self proclaimed shopaholic, would change my life. We were in Fargo, ND, USA and our day did not end without a visit to West Acres, the biggest mall in the city. I wanted everything I could land my eyes on and soon I was packing stuff to such an extent that I became the laughing stock at Airport on my way back home.

What started there has continued ever since. My fetish for books, DVD's and branded clothes continue and I dread going out even in Kochi since I find it difficult to keep a tab on myself. Bangalore is even worse and everytime I visit Bangalore I have to visit at least one of the malls in the city. In spite of multiple visits to Halifax, NS, I find myself to be the first one to rush to a shop in any of the local malls trying to buy one thing or another. I am not sure where I am going and how all this is going to end up. For the time being, I continue with my habit and spending money continues to give me a high. These days I manage to restrict my spending at most to movies, eating out, books and CD's- I hope to have a decent collection of books and movies by the time I retire. Quite a noble idea, what say?