UNLIKE most women, Ms Priscilla Ng loves shopping for more than just buying and accumulating things.

“Shopping is an important routine in fixing basic needs and creating a little excitement, while fine-tuning our living habits and personal presentation,” says the 27-year-old executive.

Ms Ng, who is the group chief executive officer of K Box Entertainment Group, feels that shopping allows her to “exercise her true passion without feeling restricted”.

She loves shopping for books and hunting for car accessories on the Internet, and she pays a lot of attention to the little details in her home.

“I make changes to furniture arrangements more than twice a year. I keep track of contents in my first-aid box. I sustain my handy box with more than necessary tools, and my refrigerator is often stocked up with Pocky of assorted flavours.”

She’s single and confesses to spending long hours at the DIY store to discover new inventions for home use. Once, she bought more than a dozen cans of different paints as she was painting the walls of her apartment.

“I learnt much about the brands of paints, its colour and texture effects, and this was during the time when I was in love with colouring my walls whenever I purchased a new painting.”

As for clothes, Ms Ng has a simpler philosophy. She finds it easy to shop for items in a single visit to a shopping mall.

“I have almost no difficulty in buying things within smaller or quieter shopping malls. I could end up buying multiple items at a small shop in National Museum, chocolates and watches in shops at Millenia Walk, groceries from Cold Storage in Valley point and Kallang Leisure Park, an assortment of clothes, lingerie and other items from La Perla and Shanghai Tang at Ngee Ann City,” she says.

But she maintains that she does not have brand loyalty. In fact, she seeks out less packed malls to avoid the crowds so that she can enjoy her shopping, which she regards as “an uplifting experience”.

Her favourite purchase is a set of six heart-shaped spoons from Alessi.

“I have bought a few sets of these spoons and sent them off to some of my best friends. These sets are sent out with love, from wrapping them myself to the recipients unwrapping the box to unveil the six heart-shaped spoons — one for each member of the family,” she explains.

“And the spoons are best for eating ice-cream from the tub.”

Besides enjoying the shopping and allowing others to benefit from her purchases, Ms Ng also indulges in buying bedlinen from Robinsons or Takashimaya for her king-sized mattress.

During the Great Singapore Sale (GSS), she expects to pay 40 to 60 per cent less for her bedlinen.

“I love buying things that I use regularly such as bedsheets and sleep wear. I change my bedsheets every week and at this rate, I hope to have a sufficient supply so I don’t have to use the same bed sheet within half a year after its first use. As for my sleeping attire, I try not to use the same piece again until a few weeks later.”

For this GSS, she has decided to purchase more bedlinen and a Hasselblad V System camera, 503CW.

She says: “My regular purchases may vary among different designer labels, types and price ranges. Deep down, the buying decisions are usually formed by a personal preference I have developed through the years.”

This article was first published in The Straits Times.