Love-Hate relationship with : SHOPPING.

I never think of myself as a SHOPAHOLIC. Some people say they are and I look at them and tell myself "That will not happen to me." But when one of my officemates (thanks Vian) told me I am indeed one plus some other people plus my Mom, I started to assess myself. Vivian often tells me I shop a lot, may it be online (i just sooo love ebay and multiply!) or outside (mall or st.francis). Oftentimes I answer her back saying "So what? Clothes, shoes or fashion is an investment!". I rationalized my actions, therefore I'm in denial, therefore I am indeed a: Shopaholic. (Shrieks!)

Okay, so I love to shop. I love shopping especially in Multiply and Ebay where with one click of the mouse and a few typing of letters I could purchase a dress, or shoes or top without having to walk under the scorching heat of the sun or pollution or getting wet from rain. I love shopping online because it saves me from boredom (I admit I also do it when I'm at work..hehe), I can do it while I'm in pajamas, and saves me taxi money or food money or other things I might see in the mall or elsewhere. The only downside I experienced are a few clothes that didn't fit which I just got easily repaired and sellers are usually nice enough to have it exchanged. :) I haven't had the experience of sellers not sending the item (thank God!). Well, that's because I'm always cautious and only buy from sellers who have good feedbacks. I was even able to buy a very nice black pumps from an ebay seller for just a hundred bucks! I love ebay because that's usually where I'm only able to find super great deals. It is where I find signature items for just a fraction of it's original price. You just have to be patient enough to browse through a long list of items. In multiply I also have a few favorite shops. It is where I'm able to find korean clothes and other clothes from Thailand and Bangkok that I'm not able to see in St. Francis. Haha! Here are my fave online shops (just add .multiply.com to see 'em):

1. mypinkcloset (new items are posted every Monday but goods here sells like hotcake and are sold-out in less than 30 mins!)
2. closetbargain (super nice pre-loved items. I bought here my tunic hooded Bayo yellow top for 250!)
3. fashionpill (the shirtdresses and dresses are uber nice!)
4. raysui
5. thechic
6. lefacionez (cheapest pre-order korean clothes)
7. mycabinetonline (they accept paypal which is super great! and the sandals are uber nice too!)
8. toppicks (fab designer inspired dresses)
9. ichigoshoes (where I purchased my super cute gladiator sandals)
10. iconatics (seller of designer inspired bags; I was able to purchase Chanel 2.55 replicas here! And they're like the real ones. hehe.)

That's just some of them and there are still a lot of nice shops and reliable sellers. I'll list them later. Anyway, back to my shopaholic diagnosis. hehe. I rationalize a lot whenever they say I am one because unlike other shopaholics, I get my shopping money from the clothes I also sell. Clothes I seldom use or once or never at all are considered saleable. I then post it in ebay or my multiply shop.:) That separates me from the rest right? haha! Before I buy a dress I first scour my closet and see if I have dresses I don't use. I then sell them, then I buy a new one.:) Aside from offsetting I also am able to share my fashion finds to other girls.:)

I only buy clothes and shoes from St. Francis Square (it's more accessible for me than Greenhills and that's where we go on church: in CCF) or the malls when shops are on sale. I only buy expensive clothes when I really really want them that I die whenever I see them. Otherwise, I just settle for good bargains. I'm also not brand conscious and will not buy a Guess poloshirt for P2500 when I could buy a whole lot of clothes (in bargain) for that amount. Anyway, there's Ebay! Haha! As for jeans, I usually buy branded ones that's because I find it REALLY hard to search for good ones that fits me well (since I'm sooo slim). Cheap ones are nice but whenever I try them on it usually fits on the waist but is loose on the legs or vice-versa. My jeans haven is People are People. But lately there's nothing that caught my fancy.



One place that really makes me dizzy from all the nice clothes is: Ukay-Ukay! Hahaha! I know some people never go there at all or shop in those places at all but it's usually where I'm able to find vintage pieces. I went to an ukay shop near our place and found a nice brown belt that I've been searching forever in malls. I also was able to find a nice green shoes from an ukay shop in Q.C. You just have to disinfect it before using it. Anyway, it's also where I buy formal office clothes which costs a lot in malls. I was able to buy 2 G2000 skirts and blazer there for about P250. Cool eh? I love thrift shops forever! Hehe!

One of my favorite places is 168!!! With just a train ride (LRT-purple line) to Recto and one jeepney ride, tadaaaa! You're there. That place also makes me dizzy..literally. Aside from a looot of goodies, there are also a LOOOOT of people. The aisles are small and people are like ants. It is advisable to go there before noon when there are less people and so one could go around without much hassle. But now I've heard goods there are priced higher than before. But whenever we go there the only place we go to is Ate-Kuya's shoe stall in Meisic Mall! Kathy (my 168 buddy) and I have kept it a secret for quite sometime 'coz we're scared people will discover it and we won't have anything left to buy! Hahaha, selfish us. Anyway, that stall is huuge. It's composed of 4 stalls full of shoes! It's my shoe heaven (and haven)!!! I could just spend one whole day there. I once was able to buy 10 pairs of shoes there for only P2000!!! Once, I was looking for a pair of shoes to wear for my friend's wedding and I was able to buy a pair of gold shoes/pumps there for only P180! Everyone loved it! They have a wide selection, from pumps to peep toe, to wedges, flats, sandals and stilettos. The only problem are the available sizes. We often ask when the next shipment is gonna come so we could be there first. Hehe. So there, the secret's out. The people there are nice too.

I will be posting a follow-up blog about this. Actually, I will be posting a lot of blogs about shopping and fashion. Love it!

Bottomline is... Shopping is my therapy and every girl deserves to shop for themselves once in a while (right Lily?). For me, it's an adrenaline rush, shoots my endorphins way above normal, and it makes me happy without too much breaking the bank.:)

July 18 _ Actual Earthquake Day

I took a leave yesterday, and I told everyone including my boss that I'd still be sitting infront of the PC the whole night working. But it never happened!!! Arrrgh!!! I overslept again. For 17 freaking hours I just SLEPT. Comatose. Now I feel so alive and perky and hyperactive. And it's supposed to be the "earthquake" day today. Haha. Ironic. Well as of now (1:00 pm), I still haven't felt the ground shake or whatever. There's still 12 hours remaining for this day, so it's not yet officially over. Ha! Anyway, as I've said I comatosed. And I got a million offline messages. I was not even able to chat or talk with Algene last night...until now. I got 2 messages from my boss asking if I'm online. Arrrgh! I hate missin' important messages especially when I have a deadline to work on! My eyes are all puffy and I have not yet taken a bath. I love it. Hehe. I have been working late this past few days that I think I deserve it. Anyway, I'll write again later. Odd things might start happening. :)

July 19 - It's over. The only shaking I felt was my mom waking me up to go to work. Haha! I'm officially gullible and that Brazilian man is fake. Kuya Kim confirmed on TV that indeed there was a 7.something magnitude quake last July 18---of 1884! Duh! Hahaha! I knew it! Oh well, at least I got to rest for onewhole day. It's still totally worth it. :P And I still have 2 months to finish my work project. Not one day less. Not even an earthquake day less. :P Argh.

the great LOBSter theory

I wrote this back in September 2006, the year when I was again led by some force down the path where I was before. It's the year I again... fell in love with a girl. ;)

I know it's lame but I just want to share what's making me laugh now. My lovelife. In my state of boredom I actually found something to think about and now I'm stressing myself out evaluating my pasts and my now. I dunno about others, but mine is always exciting. Is it because people come as quickly as they leave? Or is it because of my perception of the whole "relationship" "love" scenario? Love is never boring for and to me. I experience happiness or pain in a snap of a finger. I am either in an illegal place or i am nowhere at all. Those things excite me, they make me alive, they keep me sane but most of the time...insane. Everything is temporary. But then after sometime you get tired of living in a circle. Constant running makes one tired. And then you start evaluating your life.. and yourself. You start asking if it's you who's inconsistent, or all the people you came across to. Then you wonder if it's too late to turn everything around. You wade in the water, praying and wishing your hopes would save you from sinking. And then one ordinary day, a silver lining appears. Someone comes for you. Suddenly, everything becomes a whirlwind. Every inhibition fades, all your security wire dissolves. You're defenseless. And then, it's a make or break decision for you. 'Coz in this life there's only 2 sides of the story, it's either that person will stay or leave eventually. It is just how you deal with things after. That's why when "you" came, you should know that I lay everything on the line. And though our bond is full of uncertainties, as in more than the normal, I'll do everything I can to save everything we have. :) We might come across more rain than sunshines. But for you it's all worth it. You know in this life, remorse is never an option for me. Now.. i am with someone "different", but someone I definitely love. #fishface#

My Little Black Book

And so, in relation with my great lobster theory I want to share with you all the people whom I had chemistry (and so I believed), and FORCED chemistry. No name dropping! So you could just guess… or assume. No worries. This list is not sequential. Read away.
 

1) Showbiz Hang-Ups = Went out with him for 2 months. If I knew he was some kinda problematic psycho, I shouldn’t have wasted my time on him. Clue: He wears “tinted” shades ALL-DAY long coz he thinks he looks like someone from Showbiz. Pyscho.

2) Frodo – too bad I really liked this guy. I don’t know if it’s me or him who’s actually scared of commitment. When I was here, he was lost somewhere. When he was there already, I was gone. *tsk*

3) Legolas - when he was there, I was busy running after Frodo. But when I started looking at him already, he was also gone. Another *tsk*.

4) Reindeer – I should know how it feels to be cheated upon. Very wrong. 

5) Recordbreaker – We must never experiment at someone’s expense. Maybe we just had the relationship at a wrong time. I was not ready because I just parted ways with “The Pianist”. But I would forever feel sorry for hurting him. But then again, we never know if the future will still shine for us. Let’s wait til I’m 25.

6) The Pianist – my longest. “You” will forever be special to me. J

7) My Picha – my first cross-over at the other side. I still have that mylittletwinstar payneta. Hope you still have my baby id tag. J

8) Panget – 5 years. 5 long years. 

9) Chloe – he’s everything you ever wanted in a guy. But then my lovelife as forever refuses to rest at perfect. And so it had to end sooner than I thought. It was a short time, but it felt like forever. I was so happy, and loved. But then he had to leave. Too bad. 

10) Axl Rose – the bandmember. He said I’m too young for him. He’s right. 

11) The Nightingale– gimik buddy. The sweetest guy who could perform mind-blowing massages. But immaturely unconditioned for any serious plunges. 

12) The Scriptwriter – when we had our “thing” I knew it was basically a no attachment kind of mingling. Our moments were happy ones and so much temporary. 

13) The Myth – the perfect man. If only I could see him on a different light. He would always be one of my closest friends I will forever love the most. 

14) My Running – I never thought I’d come back here. But for now, I’m happy I did. My piglet.

These were the only once I remembered. All of them in someway gone, but will never be forgotten. My running I hope would stay with me for a long time.

July 18 Email Scare

There has been a crazy email circulating that on July 18 there would be a HUGE earthquake that will hit the Philippines. It was stated in the email that the prediction was done by an ala-Nostradamus Brazilian teacher who was the same guy who predicted the latest China quake, the Thailand tsunami and even the publication of Al Gore's book. If he did predicted all of this right, then I guess he's got quite a good credential. Haha. Anyway, people in the office are all talking about it, asking one another if we're going to work on that day. Funny as it may seem, I took a leave on the 17th so I'd be at home on the 18 (night shift..ya know haha). I don't really believe it'll happen and if I had to decide for myself I would definitely work (within my normal office hours) on that day, but for Algn's peace of mind and to lessen the argument, I did it. I then filled up a leave form and had it signed by my boss, who I'm sure is thinking about how gullible I am. Hahaha! After he signed the form he indicated in the form (in BOLD letters) the reason: BECAUSE OF THE EARTHQUAKE. So funny! Now I'll be a laughingstock in the whole HR department. Hehehe! Well, I'm not the only one! Some people also filed for leave (ha!) and some will go to work on a half-day. Our original plan was to go to work early on the 17th so we could go home early on the 18th and go to work after midnight on the 19th. Great plan eh? But as I've said, to cut the argument I just filed for a whole day leave. Aaargh! I could just work at home anyway.

I'm anxious and excited. Not GOOD excited but excited to know if this Nostradamus of Brazil is authentic. We exchange jokes about it but we all know there's a little piece in all of us that's a little scared. After all, who would want to experience the gruesome event that happened in China months before right? The only good thing about this is that I will be able to rest for one day (even if I'll still be sitting at home in front of the PC)! Yey! It kinda gave us a reason (an invalid valid reason) to file for leave. Hehehe! Oh well, just for safety a little prayer won't be that bad. After all, I still believe that everything that happens in our life, and in this instance our world, God has it written in the palm of His hands. :)

A Piece of Me - I love NATURE and UST MC!

My previous trip to Anawangin, Zambales with my college friends had brought back so much memories when I was still active in my college org --- UST Mountaineering Club. I remember the first day I signed up for UST-MC. It was recruitment day for most of the organizations in UST. Tin and I had always wanted to join an org where we could discover and appreciate nature in a more intimate level. So one hot day as we were walking in the College of Commerce groundfloor hallway, we saw the UST Mountaineering Club recruitment booth. We were just talking about joining an environmentaI group earlier then there they were just like an apparition. Haha. So we signed up not knowing what's in store for us. We also found out that one of our classmate Chela signed up. That's where the 3 of us (Tin, Chela and I) got really really close up until now. :) Anyway, we attended the 1st assembly in the Educ building. We were 3 ecstatic freshmen in the educ hallway, half-shy to the unfamiliar faces who welcomed us. So the assembly started, and boy was it soooo much fun! There were teasings, stand-up comedies, screaming, laughing and a lot of smilings. In some way, we felt at home. Before every climb they conduct a diagnostic run to see if we applicants are fit for the climb. If you think it's easy you're dead wrong. We were required to run around the UST quad for about 10 times (?) with a time limit AND there are members guarding us (if ever we resort to cheating which we did once haha). And who would ever forget the hardest of them all, our diagnostic run in UP where we were required to do 4 laps around the WHOLE campus (it's running around the outside of entire school) plus2 or 4 laps around the sunken garden to be completed in 1 1/2 hours (i think). So to cut the story short, we didn't pass. Hahaha! But we had a make-up diag run just around the whole UST campus and that we passed (magically hmmm bakit kaya haha).

Our first climb was in Mt. Batulao, Batangas. First-climbs are always the easiest ones. And so we thought. It was f*@cking hard (for beginners like us!) and it was almost a half day trek/walk. It's when while you're trekking you would see the mountain summit within an arm's reach only to find out after 2 hours that you're still not there. Hahaha! Talk about false hope! Then there's the "talahib" that without your long-sleeves, gloves, and j pants will definitely scar you. And so we walked, and walked, and walked. In close dehydration and heat stroke we climbed rocks and mud towards the summit. I was sunburned, thirsty, euphoric and tired. Then I saw the view from the top. And it was breathtaking. Divine. Amazing. For the first time in my life, I was in total awe. We took pictures then we sat on the edge to quietly savor the moment and the view. Then I thought, all the hardships, pain, shortness of breaths, 5 seconds pass out, heatstroke, bruises, callouses and muscle aches I obtained & experienced to get to the top, were all worth it. Sooo worth it that I wouldn't trade anything for this (or that moment). And for 1 year as an applicant (it was that hard to be an official member!) we were able to climb I think 5-7 more mountains. My favorite of which is Mt. Makiling 'coz although the trek was hard due to the sudden cliffs, slippery ground, semi-rock climbing, and the annoying posion ivy plant (which was painful!), it was not hot which was great. It's also where our skills were tested since it was stormy at the summit! So drenched in the rain and freezing to death we pitched our tents and succesfully did amidst the deadly wind. And though there was a slight flooding inside our tent we still were able to get some sleep, enough to get some energy for the long walk home the following day. And like our first climb, the experience and the view was also amazing. If I have a favorite then I also have my hated mountain, and it's Mt. Tapulao in Zambales. Tin will definitely agree with me! (shiela wasn't able to experience the wrath of this mountain since it's her debut party hehe). It was hell, literally. It was scorching hot!!! Imagine a rocky dirt road that is 15-20 feet wide under direct broad sunlight. We trekked the same hot road for about 5-6 hours. It was the only mountain that made me cry! Kahiya! But i'm not the only one! hahaha nandamay. Out of frustration, pain, boredom, maximum dehydration and fear of heatstroke, under my umbrella I cried. Hahaha! Then the road suddenly changed, from hot dusty rocks, suddenly there were pine trees and it got cold. Weird! In conclusion, it was the most extreme experience I ever went through in mountain climbing but it still was amazing. The view from the summit was breathtaking and it again washed away all the negative emotions I felt earlier, making me feel only happiness. Every mountain we climbed was unique. Mt. Batulao, Makiling, Daguldol, Malasimbo, Tapulao, Pundaquit + some more I can't remember anymore..Each one of them possess distinctive characteristics that tests our abilities & makes every experience worthwhile. Nevertheless, each one of them makes me appreciate more the beauty of God's free gift to all of us that is NATURE.

Aside from our usual climbs we also had extra activities such as rockclimbing, beacheneering, BMC's (or basic mountaineering courses) and fun parties! Hehe. We were one family with the same passion. And in spite of our absence (hehe), we still are. And as long as our passion with nature (and extreme sports!) is still there, we will forever be bonded together.

Aside from strength, discipline and motivation which were just some few things we gained in MC, we also gained friends. And that for me is the most important thing. Tin, Chela and I became the "powerpuff girlz". We became part of the amazing B2K (or batch 2000) group. And the rest was history. And that brings me back to our Anwangin trip 2 weeks ago where our skills in mountaineering were once again tested; tent-pitching, cooking with the use of a burner and a cookset, bathing in front of other people (using a poso haha), reuniting with our malong and scarves, reuniting with my blue bag (which was my constant companion in my previous climbs 6 years ago), trekking+heatstroke, drinking from the batis! hahaha! I am glad I joined that trip 'coz I finally got to reconnect again with friends and I finally got to find a piece of myself that I lost in this busy world.