**

you gave me a cardigan when i was in fourth year high school. that was 5 years ago. it was a basic cardigan, with details that only you would think of as necessary - double zippers (so i can sit down with the sweater all zipped up withoout it looking strangely bulky at the tummy area), a stand up collar (in the age when stand up collars weren't cool, so the back of my neck won't be cold), cozy but thin (so it'd be ok for the crazy humid weather we have here at home) and with a bit of stripe-y things on it to make it a bit dressy (so i can wear it not just during the day, but during gimmicks too). of course, it had to be white, so it'd be flexible and would go with everything in my closet. and anyways, you always liked things to be clean and simple. those details have proved to be useful over the years. all cardigans should be made like that.

it's been a staple in my wardrobe since. it may be 5 years old, but it still fits well. and, you're right, being warm and toasty does make all the difference when you have to stay in starbucks for 8 hours just reading and losing your mind. it's been a constant study partner, along with a big cup of coffee and my trusty purple pen and ruler. just give me those and i'm all set to put on my thinking cap.

i lost it today though. =( i was rushing all over greenhills in the rain this afternoon, and i put it on top of the books that i was carrying around. in the middle of a frenzied phone call, i realized that i no longer had it with me. i knew, even as i retraced my steps, that i would never find it again, and that sinking feeling followed me around as i asked the guards and the salesladies if they had seen a white jacket on the floor.

so now i'm stuck with sweaters that i never really warmed up to (pun intended) - second best ones that have been jammed to the back of my closet because i haven't used them in forever. i don't think they'll feel the same though. these ones i have now haven't been broken in, and they haven't proven their worth as a study buddy. they're not as cozy. but i guess they'll have to do.

i hate the fact that a cardigan can mean so much.