New Year, New Shirt, New Hair Cut

Finally got a long-overdue haircut. Hello, short hair. :) I've had this hairstyle for about a year and a half now. I won't be stopping anytime soon. It makes me feel very confident, as does this new polo I'm wearing! My mother picked it out and got it for me last Sunday. It feels nice to have something that can be both casual and semi-formal wear. This haircut and clothes make me feel more comfortable in my own skin. I kind of want to have a few more polos when I can spare my resources. I'm picky because I can't afford to waste money or living space.

The last time I bought myself any new clothes was in late 2009. I didn't even realize it had been that long. I have maybe five white shirts with graphic prints that I cycle through, maybe two-three pink collared shirts, and a black psuedo-hoodie shirt that my boyfriend gifted me last Christmas. I now have a new blue-and-white striped shirt I just got this past holiday season from his family. If I own it, I was probably given it. :) (Thank you, you generous people, you. ♥)

Picking my own clothes is kind of a feeling that still feels new and foreign to me. My wardrobe had always been laid out and chosen by my mother ever since I was young. Sure, she gives me choices, but I haven't ever really gone out and shopped for clothes on my own, without anyone looking over what I've chosen. My reasons for resisting buying any new shirt for almost four years?

Partly "eh, when I lose weight", "eh, when I have money", and "oh god, I don't even have a proper closet to put my clothes in." Such is life. No, I didn't lose weight. No, I didn't necessarily get much in the way of moolah, and haha, I still don't have a proper closet, but at least my mom does. If she's happy, I'm happy. But gosh, it feels soooo goood to reward myself after several years of holding off from spending on unnecessary things...

Some of my friends might say minimalism is bleak and boring, but it doesn't have to be taken to the extreme. You know what? What I learned from several years of self-restraint and discipline is that when you actually do decide to get yourself something as a reward, it feels a thousand times more satisfying than getting random things willy-nilly just because you can.

Next on the wishlist: new, comfortable pajamas that actually fit me. I'm planning to decorate a new home-made coin bank as we speak...

- Mel