me ... and my very first lv.

before anything, i will admit that there was a time when i said i don't get the fuss over lous vuitton bags, especially since they're basically sold by the bulk at greenhills, albeit fake ones. and, i will admit that i never imagined that i'll spend this much on a bag - especially since i'm a self-proclaimed shoe person.

but: one, if you've got an aunt willing to advance the money, allow you to pay on your terms i.e. dictate how much you'll be paying per month, and two, an uncle who's willing to go to rodeo drive and buy the bag for you, what's a girl to do?

well, first, spend hours upon hours online deciding whether she'll be going for the classic, a monogram speedy, or her childhood crush, a damier ebene, or spend the extra fifty or so bucks for the not-so-faked, ever-so-rare-in-manila mini lin in ebene.

then, she spends hours upon hours discussing with aforementioned aunt which bag to buy.

and, lastly, throw all caution to the wind, affirm self that as long as finances are in order, then it's okay to spend so much on a bag.

and then, the long wait. my uncle left for australia two weeks ago, then jetted off to the US after a week. on tuesday, my aunt texted me that the LV has been bought which kept me smiling the entire day. on thursday, another message to tell me my uncle has left the US already. and on friday, as i was taking a bath, i heard my phone with the ever-familiar tone indicating that a family member is calling. could it be, i asked myself. and so, still dripping from the shower, i ran to my phone to read the message: "the bag is here."

never in my life had i wanted to be absent from work so much. and, had it not been for the fact that i had to finish the draft of an urgent application for a temporary restraining order, i would have feigned illness, rushed to qc, and got the bag. but, being the responsible adult that i am - if you can call spending that much on a bag responsible, hahaha - i did every single thing that i had to do: go to work, go to casa to pick up car, go to school to pick up papers for checking, go to prayer meeting, go home to sleep and pack for the next couple of days, go to bataan to attend fiesta where officemate is hermana. and, exactly thirty-four hours later, i'm five meters away from my new bag, and totally pretending to my aunt and uncle that i wasn't excited at all.

their reaction? dali na, takbo na, nandun sa kama mo na yung bag.

so i ran upstairs, got the big brown louis vuitton paper bag from my bed away from home - i stay at their place so much i actually have a bed here already - and, without even bothering to take the pictures i had promised my frieds i'd take, opened the paper bag, removed the suede dust bag, and finally laid hands on my very own mini lin.

sigh.

when i bought my kate spade shoes, i told myself, christmas gift for a hardowrking girl. when i bought my ferragamos, i told myself, birthday gift as i turn 30. so to what do i attribute this newest extravagant purchase to?

i have absolutely no idea.

but who the heck cares? i have finally bought my first lv and i'm loving it.

p.s. as he so nicely put it, spirituality and materialism are two alien concepts, but i was glad to note that i wasn't the only one who thought of making the bag's first trip a trip to the house of god.

p.p.s. my aunt and i have basically spent the entire afternoon and evening looking for the authenticity codes/ date stamps of our bags... and we finally found it five seconds ago. happiness in shallow little things, don't you think?