Veni, Vidi, Visa..I came, I saw, I shopped!

I don't think there's anything (or man) in this world that can pry away a woman on a shopping spree. Not even Colin Firth. A shirt-less Colin Firth holding out his wallet though..mayybe.

Nothing comes even close to the comfort of purchases weighing down on our arms, the triumph of scavenging that 'last piece' from the bargain rack, and of course the heady rush resulting from spotting that magical 4-letter word: SALE.

'Tanzeelat' is easily my favourite word in the arabic dictionary. And the term 'shoe' has a calming effect on my nerves that not even a bubble bath can achieve.

But you can't blame us women for this particular 'weakness' that we possess. It's in our blood!

A while ago, a friend of mine (let's call her Barbie shall we?) and I decided to lighten our wallets for the wholesome pupose of a wardrobe update. She met up with me at our mall of choice with her 5-year old cousin (let's call her Kelly) in tow. 'Just until her folks come by,' she reassured me.

Now whe Barbie and I go shopping, we're the considerate sort. We make it a point to visit every retailer (for everyone deserves a chance), and to try on as many outfits as the trial-room-lady will allow (to make sure we have no regrets later, ofcourse).

This arrangement didn't suit Kelly all that well however. She did try to be patient (the poor thing), but by the time we had arrived at the 3rd try-on at our 7th stop-over, her impatience had become very vocal.

When  her parents finally did show, she ran towards them like a marooned man to a ship. Barbie and I were relieved too; now we could return to our business without the nagging guilt or constant promising to drop-in at the toy store.

But believe it or not..just 10 mins since we went out individual ways, Barbie got a call from Kelly's parents asking us to come back and collect her again. Turns out she actually enjoyed our company and wanted us to take her back! We were quite surprised, but welcomed back our little protege' and proceeded with our spree..making it a point to pay a visit (as promised) to the Sweet Shoppe first.

So you see, it really is in our genes. All women are born with this innate desire to buy pretty things, and with the ability to quash our conscience when it comes to debating a purchase. It's a sickness we know, and I extend my heartfelt apologies to all our brothers/boyfriends/fathers and other men in our lives.

But it really is beyond our control.

Cheers.