Are You Man Enough?

Buy, buy baby
Is it physically possible to shop for just one item?

You’re calmly walking in the mall one afternoon when the lights suddenly turn off. Emergency sirens start wailing, and red ambulance lights are flashing all over the place. The PA system is barking nonstop: it’s a super-secret Midnight Madness sale and for the next two hours, all items are 50% off! Lagot.

A 100% girl reaction would be: Screaming your lungs out before running haphazardly in all directions, grabbing whatever you can.

A 100% guy reaction would be: To think “Kasama kaya TimeZone sa sale?” and continue walking calmly.

The right mix:
100% guy

If you plotted the movements of guys and girls while they shopped, you’d find that guys usually make straight lines from the parking lot to the store, while girls usually create large, chaotic, swirly curlicues from the parking lot to one store, to the next store, back to the first store, to the bathroom, then to the other store, to any shiny reflection to check her face, then back to the other store.

When a guy needs something, he goes in the store, buys it, then goes out. Neither disaster nor war can prevent him from buying, say, a new leather wallet, because he figures he really, absolutely needs it. (He really probably does need it, because the average male will only change his wallet every 30.5 years.) The only thing that can distract a guy from his shopping is the sight of a half-naked woman drenched in body oil. Or the latest PS3 game.

Shopping like a guy saves you time and money, and let’s face it: restraint is the name of the shopping game. If you’d like to save your allowance for something really special, resist the urge to splurge. If you spot something really special, try this trick we fondly call ligaw: don’t buy that particular item just yet. Go around the mall first and come back for it after a couple of hours. Better yet, come back after a couple of days, and see if you’re still itching to get it. 

Okay, now before you start growing a goatee, just remember: acting like a man doesn’t mean you have to start behaving like a pig. It’s not about empty arrogance or chest-thumping. Getting in touch with your inner guy means knowing what you want, and claiming what you deserve. By keeping your cool and upping your confidence, you’ll be the master and commander of any fickle situation. Once you learn how to act like a man, you’ll end up becoming a better woman.