For my daughter's birthday this time,

My wife suggested buying a floating balloon for her,

Which, of course, means a helium balloon.

 

Actually, buying foil balloons on Shopee and taking them to a shop to be filled with helium is the most cost-effective option.

But...

 

It was too late for that!

So I had to buy whatever the shop had in stock.

I went to a shop near my office to pick one up.

 

I even had to double-check if they were open first.

Since it's a balloon decoration shop,

The owner isn't always there.

I ended up choosing a Minnie Mouse head.

To be honest, I wasn't a big fan of it.

Having just a head floating there...

Reminded me of the "Hanging Balloons" from Junji Ito's manga...

 

 

Since I went to buy it during working hours,

I had to hide it under my desk for a while.

Plus, this foil balloon had a very strong smell.

I don't know what it was,

But it definitely didn't smell good.

 

Transporting it home was a major challenge as well.

Since I commute by scooter,

I had to place it on the front footrest.

I had to ride very carefully,

Fearing it might fly away,

Or even cause danger to others on the road.

 

I put it in the back of the car first,

Planning to take it out the next day.

 

 

Because we planned to bring it out in the middle of our dinner,

I left it in the car for a bit.

The owner had left some expansion room when filling it,

So I thought it wouldn't burst from the heat... right?

Halfway through the meal,

I went out to the car to get it.

 

 

 

 

….

 

This balloon cost 300 TWD.

It's not a huge amount of money,

It's just a bit heartbreaking.

I'm glad I didn't tell my daughter about the balloon beforehand.

 

Otherwise, seeing it like this might have made her sad.

I'll take it as a learning experience.

 

Anyway, never leave this kind of balloon in a hot car;

It will definitely burst due to thermal expansion.

 

As the saying goes,

 

"When you allow a mistake to happen, it inevitably will."

 

That's pretty much what it feels like.