Sex, shoes and chardonnay-a woman’s favorite things. For college students, sex is an outlet: time away from studying, exams and peeved professors. And for those who have been less-than-active, sex is a fantasy. A wonderful fantasy.

But it all amounts to having that right guy to share the intimacy with. If you aren’t having sex, you’re probably fantasizing about that first encounter with Mr. Perfect-the guy in biology class that compliments your outfit and waits for you to drop your pen so he can pick it up. There’s always that one guy that you wake up for in the morning.

The one that you get dressed up for, straightening every strand of hair and spending more than 20 minutes on your eye lashes to get the perfect amount of curl and length, while simultaneously ensuring that each lash is separated evenly, sans any clumping, of course.

He’s the guy that makes your heart race every time the phone rings, the one that every song reminds you of, the one that sends your head into a spin every time he tells you hello, turning your stomach into knots and making it lash out into screams for help, only to find that you don’t want to do anything about it. You’re content with the fantasy. Why ruin it with reality?

And for those of you with a Mr. Right, there’s the everyday worry of whether he is Mr. Right or Mr. Right Now. But, regardless of which type of woman you are-the fabulous fantasizer or the remarkable realist-let’s face it: men are a part of life that we cannot escape, and, in the end, we simply do not want to.

“Shoes” is a word in and of itself that needs no introduction or embellishment. But, for the sake of this column, I’ll briefly elaborate: shopping is a girl’s best friend. Forget diamonds. Men have to shop in order to buy them anyway, don’t they?

When anything goes wrong in a woman’s life, and when she needs to fill a void (ironically, often caused by men), shopping is the cure. There is absolutely nothing like swiping that credit card and hearing those magic words, “Would you like the receipt in the bag?”

And chardonnay–a woman’s drink. Made for women because it is a lot like women: sweet, elegant, classy and sexy. However, a woman’s beverage menu does not have to stop just there. Whether you’re feeling sophisticated like vodka and wine or rough like whisky and booze, alcohol, like shopping, is a woman’s vice.

When your heart is broken and your credit card is declined, alcohol is one thing women can always rely on.

Hence the title-sex, shoes & chardonnay: three things a woman cannot live without; three keys to happiness; three bad habits.

But, in the end, only one thing has the potential to offer life-long happiness: love. Shoes are great, but at the end of the day you take them off and put them back in the closet. And while alcohol can make you feel on top of the world, nine times out of ten, you’ll end the night hugging the bottom of the toilet.

Only a real man can rub your feet when you kick off those shoes and pull back your hair when you’re seeing, for the second time, your chicken salad from lunch.

If I had to pick one, I’d pick love.

Too bad love just doesn’t seem to pick me…