Choices

'Choices'...
The word seemed to echo repeatedly in several different situations today. Of course, many trivial choices and decisions are made subconsciously every day, but these were some of the more obvious ones I remembered.

On my way to a 2.30 pm appointment for a haircut :
1) To stop by Metro Paragon on the way, or not :
Metro had a 20% sale today, and the fleeting thought of buying something crossed my mind. However, the lunch-hour crowd (and queue) intimidated me from making any serious purchases.

2) "Hi, which do you think is nicer? The Orange or the Yellow one?"
While browsing the handbag isle, I was approached by a lady who was trying to choose between two different sling bags. This may appear inconsequential to some, but for those who know me, I've used handbags a grand total of 5 times last year. So naturally, when this lady asked me for my opinion, I was both startled and flattered. It probably didn't help that I found the colours of both bags obiang (bright and gaudy), but her enthusiastic smile appealled silently for an answer. Trying to ignore the colours, I pointed hesitantly to the yellow bag, which had a nicer design. 'I like this one too, thanks!', she piped. Her eyes lit up, and she trotted off towards the cashier with a beam on her face, clutching at her prize. As for me, the only bag that caught my fancy was more than $100 over my budget. Ah well, at least someone walked away happy :)

3) "Choices", the hairdresser's shop name:
where my godmother and I were supposed to meet (the haircut was a treat from her). While I waited for the the hairdresser to finish blow-drying my wet hair (for 15 minutes!), I did a few mental calculations (yes, I do strange things when bored... :) If I,too, chose to use a hairdryer for 15 minutes each day, instead of letting it dry naturally as I normally do, that would amount to 1.75 hours a week, 7+ hours a month, and 91 hours (3.8 days) a year, or more than 1 week in 2 years. All that time in my life wasted just sitting there, brandishing a hairdryer and a brush... I recoiled at the thought, and wondered what went through these ladies' heads when they repeated this ritual day after day: "Up...down...brush...curl...next lock of hair...nice and shiny...or so wiry...need to cut...so long...maybe highlight a bit...oops, missed a spot... still damp...dry again...".
I silently hoped that I would never fall into such a state. Musing to myself, I knew my hair had a tendency to fly about and mess itself up anyway, especially when the wind blew.
Time taken to travel to hairdresser : 1 hour
Time taken to wash and dry hair : 1/2 hour
Time taken to cut hair : 1/2 hour
Time taken to mess up nicely cut and styled hair, when out on the road : 5 minutes max
Look on hairdresser's face if they saw the wind-blown dishevelled result : Timeless :)

4) Chocolate, hazelnut, mint, mango or durian - flavoured gelato after the haircut:
Another treat from my godmother :) Picked the durian-flavoured gelato, which was filled with actual chunks of the sweet and pungent fruit! I'd tried the other flavours in Adelaide.

5) Now, at this point, to chronicle more thoughts, or to pause for a nap:
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. I may (or may not) continue after catching some shut-eye. Shall go off for a nap now. The pillow beckons!

Ah, Choices.
zzz...