There are few things in daily life I found myself to be lack of interests to be motivated. For example, shopping is one of them. I constantly wonder that how come many female gym goers complain it is tiresome to walk on treadmill for short 15 minutes, yet they can trudge with bags from stores to stores for hours and still be energetic and thrilled afterwards. Amazing! My mother's birthday is coming up soon and I'd have been talking myself out of procrastination to find a gift for her. Yesterday I hit the pavement on streets of Manhattan to seek a "perfect” one. After treading and some "soul searching" I ended up at Tiffany & Co at 57th Street and Fifth Ave. This New York legendary Jewelry store was found by Charles Lewis Tiffany in 1837 and later further famed by 1961 movie " Breakfast At Tiffany" stared by Audrey Hepburn. (No offense, the movie was too girly to my taste). The store is one of New York landmarks on Fifty Ave among St. Patrick's Cathedral, Trump Tower and FAO Schwarz Toy store … it is a tourist attractions to people all around the world. Not many people know that Tiffany & Co is actually a public traded company listed in NYSE with ticker symbol "TIF".
At the beginning I was overwhelmed by quite many selections over there, each of them is just elegant as the other. I was completely dazzled by superb quality and artful craftsmanship come with those great jewelry pieces on display. I had to say the service and professionalism at this high end boutique with 169 years history was very impressive .The sale lady was so helpful and patient that she spent over 50 minutes with me, a novice, to show, compare, and explain each piece she brought out, not at single moment she was pushing me to buy. In fact she was suggesting me to take time to make my decision and even offering help to make an appointment with their private client sale rep who'd show some pieces which are not available to general public at separate room. Towards to the end I was eyed on a peal necklace designed by Paloma Picasso whose father was the famous artist Pablo Picasso. When the sale lady learned that I was shopping for my mother her gave me a good sigh “I wish my son would be spending time to do things like this". I smiled and said "he would if he lives in foreign country". Tiffany's name is not new to me, When I was little boy my mother told me her diamond ring given by Grandma was from Tiffany and she told me that some day that the ring would be given to my wife as a gift. To play with a girl at that age would completely freak me out let alone to marry some one. I told her in straight face " No, I don't want get married and you can keep the ring." My mother put her right hand under my chin and amused by my serious response “Well, we will see" she said. Last year I almost goofed off my mother's birthday. I was so busy to prepare an important presentation until a few days before it came. To rescue I wrote a nice poem in Chinese and put it in my model airplane and Fed Exed to her. The model air plane was a gift which my mother gave to me on my 8th birthday and she and I painted it painstakingly together that afternoon after I opened the gift box. I brought it with me when I came to USA. According to my father my mother was so touched and she burst into tears with happiness when she opened Fed Ex package. My father told me later that Mother has put the plane on her side of nightstand since. He was teasing me that “My "idiot" son has finally understood woman." I laughed out aloud “I’d take it as a complement, Dad". I said to father Gee, that was a close call. My mother as a doctor seeing too much blood and dramas occurred in delivery room is less prone to sentimental. She did thank me over the phone and told me that my 'thoughtful' birthday gift made her day. I hope that this time when she opens her gift and she would thanks for his son to be matured. |
