Confessions of a Shopaholic

My name is Tristan and I am a shopaholic.

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Okay, the last few days have been crazy. As many of you know, it was Thanksgiving in the States - a holiday that I did not particularly understand until recently. I was told that people were supposed to express their gratitude to anyone and everyone over anything and everything.

Following this logic, it seems, all my favorite labels thanked me - and boy, I was really so grateful to them by the end of the day.

***

I decided to say no to four Thanksgiving invites. Instead, I had leftovers on the couch and prepped myself for the long night ahead. At exactly 9pm, I received the confirmation to shop. I hurriedly placed all stuff that I needed for the night in the bag - ice cold beers, soda, granola bars, a bottle opener, earphones, an umbrella, my phone and wallet. Along with it came a big smile, an extreme desire to get the best deals and patience, lots and lots of patience. I boarded the car and my friend and I drove a good thirty minutes to the local premium outlet store. It was my first Black Friday event and I was ready to make the most out of it.

As I stepped out of the car, I felt a sudden rush of electricity go through my body - the kind that only shopaholics like myself get in these kinds of situations. I remember getting the same kind of rush during holiday sales in Megamall and even Divisoria. Our first order of business for the night - coffee. My Venti Peppermint Skimmed Mocha (No Whipped Cream) did the trick. A few sips later, I was already perky - the perfect shopping attitude.

• Lacoste went crazy. Jeans were selling at 15 dollars from 80. I got two.
• Van Heusen was giving an extra 20% on top of their already 50% discounts on everything else. I got 6 dress shirts and a couple of scarves.
• Fossil was selling watches for so much less money. I bought three.
• Banana Rep was down 40%. I got two pants, a sweatshirt and yes, another scarf.
• Kenneth Cole was giving 41% off on top of already crazy prices. I went out with two leather dress shoes and a happy face.
• I ignored Calvin Klein since I can buy them at sale prices anyway on regular days.
• No good dress shoe finds though; I simply had to walk away.
• But Nike was so grateful that they sliced prices by twenty percent over and above the lowest marked prices. I am now loving my new running shoes.
• Tommy Hilfiger equals love with an additional 40% off their extremely marked down prices. I was holding a hoody, a jock jacket and scarves on my way out.
• Diesel cut down prices by half so I bought another pair of jeans.
• Movado sold their watches at 70% off. Needless to say, I am only human.
• I also got a very stylish reading lamp for almost nothing at Pottery Barn and yes, a very wonderful and magical coffee maker that just needs on flick of a finger to brew nice coffee every single time.
• Coach had a long line of thankful shoppers outside their store as early as nine. It was fifty off and an additional twenty. My big black leather bag, wallet, leather gloves and a keychain were the testament to their unending gratitude.

We were floored by the time the frenzy subsided and we needed to eat. I checked the time and it was already freakin eight in the morning - we had already been shopping for ten hours straight! As I puffed on my Frost (I had to, it was stressful!) - I felt good.

But just when I thought everything was over, our quick stop at Best Buy revealed the greatest find - a hunky Vietnamese sales person, muscles and all, with the last two remaining sets of my new dSLR with everything on it for just... Again, I had to accept that I am only human.

Before I called it a night err.. day, I whispered a silent prayer of gratitude. It was Thanksgiving after all - it felt right. I thanked the heavens for helping me get to where I am right now; for allowing me to provide to my family; and also for providing me the chance to channel OFW stress and a whole lot of other things when I shop. I am really blessed. So, for that, I am thankful.

Thanksgiving Alone

Now this is gonna be weird.

This year is going to be the first year I'd be spending a new holiday - Thanksgiving. As if it was not enough that I am proving to be one socially inept individual in this side of the world, someone just had to put a family holiday on my calendar and make my already very limited social life even worse.

As you probably know, I am by myself abroad and I have no idea of what Thanksgiving means. So I Google.

As I typed the words in, I felt a big "loser" sign appear on my forehead. But, what the heck, I am clueless. I felt that I needed to educate myself because all I know is that Thanksgiving equals turkey - and, no matter how hard I try, I don't like turkey. I typed in "Thanksgiving Alone" which, I think, should make sense because that's what it is; I am alone on Thanksgiving, period. I was very surprised with the search results. I was not alone "alone" after all.

Thanksgiving for One - More Fun Than You Think provides suggestions on how one person can spend the night by oneself. I read through the list and found myself laughing. Bowling, right... Paintball, laser tag, right.... Haha. The "loser" sign on my forehead just got bigger. I don't care - I am doing my research.

Then there's Spending Thanksgiving Alone - How To Cope. Much like the first article, this provides tips on how to get through this holiday sane. The best advice that I got is to "think twice before you call home". And this actually made me wonder because last I checked, I am pretty sure my family back home is as oblivious to Thanksgiving as I am. Hmmm.

But what really got to me was this site: "Has Anyone Spent Thanksgiving Alone?". Someone actually had the courage to ask the question that I am now pretty sure a lot of single (and alone) people have in mind. As I read through the responses, some from years back, I felt something different. It was then when I realized, I was not like them.

Thanksgiving is not my holiday; it does not mean anything to me just yet. Some people say that it's just a day when people thank those who have been part of their lives in the last year. I guess there's nothing wrong with that, maybe I will. I am guessing that Thanksgiving is like Valentine's - a holiday that I don't really need to celebrate to survive but if I do get to celebrate it, then it should be fine.

But, I think Christmas this year will be a different story - this is my holiday. It has always been my family holiday since I was a kid so yes, I am pretty sure it's gonna be tough this year. I have been told that Christmas is not as big as Thanksgiving in the States but I am sure I'm gonna be alright. I have to be. After all, I have a few more weeks to prepare.

Oh, I can just see myself on December 24th: I'll be online and typing, "Christmas Alone". Now, that should be more weird. And yes, my friends, "Christmas Alone" a different blog post altogether.

Blogger's Note: I actually have three Thanksgiving dinner invites, as I type this post. Sadly, none of them feels right. I don't know why. So, I might just end up at home prepping for the crazy shopping experience that begins when the clocks strikes 12 midnight, Black Friday. Hopefully, all the swiping that would happen would compensate for all the pity looks (and comments) I have to endure.