How to Buy a Present

Today's my sister's birthday, so it's my family obligation to buy her a present. Now, I'm not exactly the best person at this sort of job, because first and foremost, I'm not a great observer - I never, ever keep track of people's likes and dislikes (which probably means I'd be the world's worst boyfriend, but I digress).

Which made the whole thing a bit of a nightmare. I mean, I know my sister is a bit of a fashionista, but what should I get her? A bag? Accessories? Clothes?

My head span for a while, until I got round it using simple logic. Now, I have to warn you again that I'm not exactly an expert at such things, but I do think these tips will help you the next time you're stuck in a mall looking for the right present.

The first thing a prospective buyer needs to get into his/her head is that you have to get something you wouldn't mind receiving yourself. Of course you also need to consider stuff such as gender and age, but you get what I mean. Do you think someone would be happy receiving a shoddy toy you paid a fiver for at Petaling Street? Would you? Exactly.

With that in mind, you then have to decide exactly what to buy. And one of the most popular gifts people get are clothes. Nice idea, you may think, but there's a caveat: never, EVER buy clothes unless you are absolutely sure of the person's size. Sure, some shops let you exchange clothes in case you've inevitably bought the wrong size, but it would be a complete waste of time, effort and most importantly during these times of environmental awareness, petrol. And even if you get past this hurdle, there's a problem.

I never liked people buying clothes for me, because they rarely ever get it right, even if they know me rather well. There's so many things to consider - the type of clothing, the style, the cut, the colours, the materials, etc. - that there's every chance you'd get one, maybe all of them wrong. To be honest, I'd rather give the recipient the money so that they can go shopping on their own (all this goes for shoes as well).

Another favourite is stuff such as snow globes and music boxes. Another no-no. The whole point of a present is for it to be used and appreciated. Those things are nice, I admit, but it's only a matter of time before they are assigned to the back of the shelf as dust-collecting fodder. Not the way you want your birthday present to be treated, is it?

If your recipient is a girl, you might be tempted to buy make-up and fragrances instead. Which brings me back to the point I made above. Yes, presents are supposed to be used, but they're also supposed to be a lasting reminder. Which is exactly what a disposable is not - the stuff eventually gets used up and the container is thrown away, never to be seen again.

So, you might be thinking, you'd probably be better off buying accessories (bangles, necklaces, the lot) for that girl. However, girls usually have drawers full of them, so unless you know EXACTLY what to get, your present would likely never see the light of day again. Ditto handbags.

Purses and wallets are relatively safe buys, as people usually go through them one at a time. They're especially safe when their current ones are showing some wear and tear. But like I've been stressing so many times on this article, know what your recipient likes. Don't make the classic mistake of buying a pink purse for a girl who hates pink.

Boys (or men who have the mental age of 6, like me) like to receive toys and electronics as gifts. But tread carefully - if you're getting a toy, get your facts right - their favourite action movie, cartoon, car or aeroplane. You don't want to get a 1/2-scale figurine of Superman for a Batman fan, do you?

As for gadgets, you need to know what sort of gizmo your recipient is looking for. An MP3 player is only cool to someone who hasn't already got one/is looking for one. Otherwise you'll run the risk of buying something that's inferior to what they've already got. And keep in mind that us boys can be quite fanatical about certain brands and reject anything that is even remotely related to other manufacturers - if I got Philbert a Sony Vaio, for instance, he'd be quite livid...

So there, those are my non-expert tips for anyone who's ever been stuck finding presents. Of course, I'm only talking about the usual here - if you wanna get someone a Ferrari 430 Scuderia, he/she would most likely be more than happy to have it. And if you have the time (which I didn't), consider making your own present - the recipient will really appreciate the time and effort you put into it. Last but not least, I hope this helps you like how it helped me, whoever you are. Good luck. And feel free to voice out in the comments whatever you disagree with.

Oh, and the present I bought for my sister? A white Vincci purse. She likes it, thank god. Thanks to Priya and Pui Yin for helping me choose the present!

That was when I ruled the world...

Review coming soon.