It is 3p.m. you plead with your boss and try to catch the early train home. On the way to the station you see a roadside bouquet shop and buy a multi flower mixed color bouquet of flowers. You get on the train and reach home an hour later. It is 4 p.m. you take the car out from the parking garage and reach home. The time 4.15 p.m. You get in the house and around the same time your wife also reaches back home from office. Both in early today, Wow! That is great! The reason well you have a birthday party of your best friend's 5 year old son to attend.

You are driving at breakneck speed and your wife asks you whether you have picked up any gift and you look back, a dazzled look, of course not! There was no time you think and swerve the car towards on the route to the nearest shopping mall.

The birthday party is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. How much time do you have on you hands to pick the gift exactly five minutes to pick up a perfect gift and then drive another half an hour to reach the birthday party venue?

You go into the shopping mall and one of those retailer's shops and head straight into the clothes section, pick up a nice T-shirt and sweater of a nice brand which says for 5 year olds. Then your wife wonders whether it would be enough as it is yours best friends son birthday after all. You look around trying conjuring up ideas of a gift he would like and you see the toys section and buy a toy you like.

Rush to the gift wrap section and request two other customers ahead of you to let you first in the line. Get the gift packed and rush out!

It is exactly 6:10 and you are well within the boundaries of decency to arrive in time. You give the gift to the birthday boy and are at peace with yourself. You wife asks you whether you put in at least a birthday wish tag on top of it or a birthday card . Nope !!! And you make a note to tell your best friend late that such and such gift was from you.

Sounds familiar and what you have just now done is given an absolutely imperfect gift to someone who is near and dear to you.

Do not ever plan ahead if you wish to give the imperfect birthday gift to someone you love and they will love you with equal fervor.

Do not ever buy personalized birthday gifts as it ruins the perfect gift that was manufactured by the company. Better still always buy in the nick of time so that you do not have to worry about thinking of ideas and also get time to engrave or personalize the gift.

Do not ever think about the hobby, interests, usefulness of the gift to the recipient, always think of the gift what you think is the best, or better still buy an expensive brand which feel and look good. Who cares about the Birthday boy!

Damn ! I need to rush and buy a birthday gift for my niece now! Party tomorrow. He he .. I still got a day!