Zoheir Esmail

I have a tendency to find certain interests and become completely obsessed with them.

In my freshman year of high school, I became obsessed with hip hop music. I listened to hundreds of artists, thousands of songs, and dozens of albums. I started off knowing a couple of Eminem songs to being able to give an in-depth explanation on the unreleased mixtapes of underground rappers in a matter of months. Hip hop music became my life. I listened to new music constantly, kept up with all the news related to hip hop, and watched YouTube videos about everything related to the subject.

As that obsession died down, I became obsessed with anime. I watched 50 different anime series of various genres in under a year. I watched all 720 episodes of Naruto and Naruto Shippuden (yes, even the filler) in sixty days.

Next, I became obsessed with vintage clothing. I watched online auctions for hours everyday and constantly checked every reselling platform known to man. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the money to afford this interest, so I got a job. I spent around 95% of every paycheck on rare vintage clothing. After a couple months, I joined the other side and started reselling vintage clothing and some streetwear as well. All the money I made from work and sales went straight back into buying more inventory. Once I started college, I slowed down on the buying and started liquidating my collection.

With the extra cash I had, I started funding my fragrance addiction. I spent hundreds of dollars buying samples of different fragrances. I spent my time researching new fragrances from dozens of fragrance houses, both niche and designer. Every time I was in the mall or airport, I would stop by the fragrance section and smell as many fragrances as I could fit on my skin.

Currently, I have gathered a nice little collection of very personal, unique fragrances. My collection is in a good place. I feel the obsession dying down, and now all I can do is wait for the next one.