Polly.

Early this month I got myself a Christmas present. Impulse buy, what my friends would say, but it's what I really wanted. I just got a later model. (And now there's a give away that I got a gadget.) Yes, I got myself a new digicam.


A few weeks before I got Blackie, I was already eying this gadget. Actually, the older model. I feel my old digicams are about to die any moment and I just had to replace them asap. But I just had to buy Blackie. So my imaginary savings account had to go into rehab for months.


Came November, I went back to the same store. I noticed the price had dropped. Not drastically, but hey, anything that helps me save money is a blessing. It was actually the same price as its predecessor. And I also noticed one more thing. Beside it, was a newer model. At the same price.


Since it was a payday (I think) and most Pinoys got their 13th month pay that month, people all over the store were buying cellphones. (Samsung Star at E72. Which in my honest opinion, would seriously go down the drain quicker than Apple can upgrade their iPhones. But my angst over cellphones deserve a different entry. Not this one.) No sales staff was around to assist me. So I just stared. And stared. Until a saleslady who just came out of the stock room was kind enough to talk to me. I instantly asked her the difference between the three models. Not that I really cared the predecessor, but all three having the same price tag just fed my now growing curiosity.


Unfortunately, she did not know much about the latest model. And she was only able to tell me the notable features. One's a 10mp, 12mp, and a 14mp. One's got a lot of buttons, one is touch screen. So I lost interest. And I went home. Googled.


I kind of forgot about the camera for a few days. But remembering how much I didn't want to use my old cameras anymore and Paolo breaking his, I suddenly felt like I had to buy it. For real.


Came the second week of this month, and I told Niq I just had to buy it. One, December is a busy month and it would just be a crime not to have a digicam to use. Two, it would be a great Christmas gift for myself. Three, I found out it's got a focal length of 5-25mm (which accdg to a photographer friend is considered ultrawide angle already). Four, this will be an "impulse buy" that definitely makes sense.


It was considered an impulse buy because I got the 14mp model. I figured if all three was the same price, I'd go for the latest model. And I have issues with touch screens so I'm really thankful the new model comes with buttons. =)


Oh well. It's a purple (thank God I got it during its first wave of release. Purple models of this brand sell like hotcakes!) Polaroid T1455. Not much reviews online, probably because it's not a household brand and it's not as techie-sounding like Monique's Ixus 130. And the cost? It's just 4 digits. =)


I created a new Tumblr blog just for the photos. I don't think I'm ready to revive my Multiply yet. Nor am I liking Flickr's interface. I believe Polly will bring me back on track with good pictures. And as we grow together, my adventures can be seen here.

Juggle Master.

I'm not sure whether I should eat first or go to bed and get a decent number of hours of sleep.


Oh well.








Happy Christmas, everyone. :)

What To Do?

Just when I thought I was all alone in the metro having huge courier problems (my bills and magazine subscriptions have not arrived! My goodness!), I get a call/email early this week that the invitations we shipped out last week for our client have not been delivered to the right people.


Not that I have anything against CSRs but seriously, these people really, really need a lot of training and orientation. Customer service in the Philippines was by far one of the worst in the world. Tell them your problem and they'll just give you a dumb-ass answer that even a five year-old would turn down.


I've had my fair share of dealing with CSRs. I turn to them whenever I find something wrong with a product or service, because really, they are the ones who we all should go to when there's a problem. That's why they're called customer service representatives. I know they're provided with cheat sheets. Or some sort of kodigo or what-not to help clueless customers as it would be too much human torture to memorize every single thing from verifying an information to troubleshooting the most complicated gadget ever. But have they ever tried to analyze the problem of a customer and just use plain common sense when helping out?


Today, my "inhale, exhale" theory was once again maximized as I tried to communicate with the CSRs of a local courier service company. Thrice.


Basically, I contacted them for the first time to see what happened to the invitations that were undelivered and delivered to someone but not forwarded to the right recipient. And then...


Exhibit A:
First call. I was inquiring what happened to my shipment.


Me: Ano yung reason bakit undelivered yung invitation?
CSR: Ma'am non-serviceable area po yung address.
Me: Pero nainform ako before booking na serviceable area siya. I don't want to hassle the consignee of going to the nearest branch to pick-up the invitation.
CSR: Ganito po ma'am, if nainform naman po kayo na serviceable area yung address, may two options po tayo: contact-in yung consignee para pick-upin sa nearest branch or ipadeliver natin sa address nya. Ano po gusto nyong gawin namin?
Me: Ayun naman pala e. Ideliver nyo na lang.


Exhibit B:
Second call. This time to book another shipment.


Me: Magpapadeliver sana ako. Gown siya.
CSR: Pouch size packaging lang po ba? (clearly there is something wrong with this guy. Gown in a pouch bag?!? WTF.)
Me: Uhm... Gaano kalaki yung biggest pouch?
CSR: Mas malaki lang po ng konti sa long brown envelop.
Me: Ay. Di sya kakasya dun. Pwede bang box na lang?
CSR: Yes po. Kunin ko na lang po yung dimensions.
Me: Nung gown?
CSR: Nung box nyo po.
Me: Ay. Wala akong box. Kailangan ba nakabox na?
CSR: Opo.
Me: Bakit? Wala ba kayong box na dala?
CSR: Meron naman po. Gusto nyo po yun na lang gamitin natin?
Me: Ayun naman pala e. E di magpadala ka na lang din ng box sa pick-up guy para dun ko ilagay pag dating nya.


Exhibit C:
Third call. In lieu with my first call, I am now providing them additional details with my undelivered invitations.


Me: Uhm, bakit kay (name) nakaaddress yan? It's supposed to be (name).
CSR: Yun po yung nakalagay sa consignment note nyo.
Me: E hindi naman ako nagfillout nun. May instructions ako.
CSR: E bakit hindi po kayo yung nagfill out? Kayo dapat magfill out nun.
Me: Uhm (CSR name) ganito kasi yan. Nung nagbook ako sa inyo, I stated magpapadala ako ng 20 items to VARIOUS destinations. E dumating yung pick up guy dito na 5 notes lang dala nya. Ayaw naman nya bumalik the next day para the next day ko i-ship yung fifteen. So binigyan namin sya ng COMPLETE list of consignees with complete names and addresses. E pano yan sya nagfill out tapos mali mali. Pati yung company name namin mali. Can you change that? Para alam din nung consignee kanino galing.
CSR: Ma'am nasa system na po yung name ng company nyo, di ko na po mababago. Sa next transaction nyo na lang po.
Me: At umaasa ka pang may next transaction pa ako with you?


Exhibit D:
This time, the pick-up guy came to the office, with my "non-serviceable area" invitation.


Pick-up guy: Ma'am, bad address daw po ito. Hindi maideliver.
Me: Ang sabi non-serviceable. Kasi yung address tama naman. So hindi siya bad dahil walang mali.
Pick-up guy: Paki-receive na lang po ma'am kasi return to sender tapos madami pa po akong hinahabol na office na pagpipick-upan.
Me: E sabi sa akin idedeliver daw uli ito kasi nga ang sabi sakin serviceable area. E ano mangyayari pag nireceive ko yan?
Pick-up guy: Hindi po namin madedeliver.
Me: O. Ayun pala. E bat ko irereceive yan?
Pick-up guy: Ay sige po ma'am ideliver na lang po namin.


Exhibit E.
Fourth call. I was told after my third call to follow up after an hour for an update. No update yet. So I told them the pick-up guy is returning the invitation to me.
Me: Kakagaling lang dito nung nagpick-up. E sabi nyo idedeliver nyo naman. So hindi ko nireceive.
CSR: Ma'am hindi ko po magaguarantee kasi wala pong update sa operations.
Me: I'm aware of that. Kaya nga sinasabi ko sayo na hindi ko nireceive para ideliver nyo. Kasi pag nireceive ko, di nyo na idedeliver.
CSR: Ma'am pasensya na po sa abala. Pero wala pa po kasing advice na madedeliver siya kasi yung operations po ang magdedecide nyan.
Me: E wala pa silang update. Hanggang kelan ako maghihintay for update?
CSR: Ma'am magfile na lang po kayo ng complaint.
Me: Bakit? Hindi pa ba complaint ito? Ano ba ito? Chikahan moment natin?


*All five incidents happened TODAY. I can still feel my teeth clenching and my fist shaking with all the stress and frustration these CSRs gave me.*


What's wrong with the picture? Apparently a lot. In the first call, I have no idea if that was a trick question, or she was just plain stupid. The second call is just plain pathetic as I don't get how he cannot offer me a box in the first place. (Sintido kumon. Gown, ilalagay mo sa pouch?) Third time, clearly these people do not know how to follow instructions. Naman. Fourth scenario, again, asan na ba ang common sense? (Alam mo na pala sa sarili mo yung mangyayari, itatanong mo pa sakin kung gusto kong madelay ang delivery.) And finally, this, this is the most common stupidity I always encounter. I don't know if CSRs were told to be always nice and lengthen their patience that they have forgotten what complaints are.


I know being a CSR is not an easy job, but I do know it's not a job that requires a superior IQ level. Plain common sense always does the trick and up til now, I am wondering why won't they just use common sense when asked a question? Pressure? I don't think so. They've become accustomed to answering questions by reading copies and manuals that they've forgotten they have brains to think for the right answer. Not everything should be done by the book.


This might sound like a hate blog but really, it's not. I've had a good serving of positive experiences with CSRs but this kind of answers just tick people off. You're not getting anywhere, and you're just wasting time.


I would love to see the day when customer service in this country finally improves. When you give them a call and they give you a straight answer. When everything is solved within a five-minute conversation. When you're not answered with another question. When your problem gets solved upon ending the conversation.


Clearly, customer service in the PH has a looooooooooong way to go.

It is Love.

Tweeting really is fun for me. Basically because of the interaction.

Not really much interaction this afternoon, but as I was scrolling through the news feed, somebody tweeted: "My tree is finally up! Most wonderful time of the year!"

And me, being hooked on Christmas trees lately, checked out the picture. And something else caught my eye. =D

Take a look at his shelf:

photo courtesy of @gabvalenciano

Yes, it is love. =D

Bamboo.

I'd like to say that I take back not enjoying microblogging but I think that's just wrong and so not me. Just look over on the right side of the screen and see the Twitter box I placed and you be the judge. *Tee-hee*

It's one of those lazy Saturdays again and I am home doing nothing but lurk the internet. I am kind of caught between hooking up the PS2 on the new tv mother bought just so I can work out and shed off a few pounds I am quickly gaining lately or just continue lurking on the now getting boring internet.

I know, I'm not a ray of sunshine right now. Because I am bored.

I do not want to go out for the very obvious reason that gift giving season is just around the corner and I have to save up for this present I want to give myself this year. Really, I spent an hour yesterday at the mall looking for it. The problem is, it only comes in red. They're out of purple. Boo.

And of course, payday is on Monday. My funds are limited as of today, as I paid some bills in the past week. Soooo. I have decided, and I am being firm with it, that I will be spending more days in the house just so I won't touch my imaginary savings.

And while we're at it, I will be spending time looking for my old cd of Bamboo. The one with Masaya in it.

I'll write again after finding it. ;-)

Freshly Squeezed.

Yes, as the title implies, this is fresh and right out of the mind.


But it will also be a very short one (compared to my usual looong rants) because I only gave myself this much time to write about everything running on my mind.

~~~

As much as I hate to admit it, I am declaring Diana Glover's Thinking Over a part of my life soundtrack. Yes, the one from Raising Helen. And the one with the very cheesy line "Father, which way should I go? I cannot clearly see, oh, I love him so, But only you know if he'll be the one for me."

Even if I don't apply it romantically, I still need to think over a lot of things I am doing in life.

~~~

I am quite shocked with how these credit card people in Shopwise never fails to offer me a credit card at least once a week in the supermarket. They give me the creeps the same way real estate freaks and insurance ghouls do. At some point, it is flattering to be thought of by these people as somebody bankable but seriously, they just freak and creep me out. Like I would just give out personal information just to see if I really qualify for any of those offers.

And on the other hand, I really don't want to be slapped in the face that I couldn't meet their qualifications for their credit card. (It's a bank with really, really, really over the top requirements.)

I'm fine paying with cash, by the way.

~~~

Friends? I'm cool. I have a few. But each and every single one of that little number of friends I have care about me. Really.

And then I also realized that I have friends: who would go straight to our fridge and just drink our water; who would wait for two hours in the mall just to have dinner with me; who would drive up to my house at 3 in the morning just to give me a pasalubong.

Am I blessed or not?

~~~

A baby boy just gave me a big sloppy kiss. =")

Grocery Shopping for the Long Weekend.

I was contemplating earlier tonight whether to do grocery shopping tonight or next week. I wouldn't want to risk the long lines tomorrow, with the long weekend and payday combo coming up. So I decided to drop by tonight at Shopwise Alabang to buy lunch baon for tomorrow and Tuesday.


Then I stopped when I saw this:

Yes, readers, Shopwise has done it again. Discounts are given to their Wisecard and Wisecard Elite cardholders. And it lasts for three days, beginning yesterday (27October) up to tomorrow (29October). I guess they really paid attention to people's cash flow this month. Way to go Shopwise!


And so did I panicked and gave in? My 35 day challenge last month taught me to say no to this event. A few months ago, I would've grabbed a cart and bought everything I think I would need and assumed to have saved on tonight. But willpower and discipline got over me. I just got what I need and paid at the counter less than I expected. Okay, I admit, I took a couple of items that are serious impulse buys but hey, I got them at 10% less. And since I have developed a habit to start Christmas shopping early, I realized they can serve as gifts for someone during the holiday.


Oh well. Tomorrow is the last day of the discount madness. Let's see if I will be able to hold off panic buying for one more day. To everyone else who would be doing groceries for the long weekend, GO TO SHOPWISE. It's just worth it. =)

On Killing Time.

So, for the first time, I was too preoccupied with my life this morning that I packed everything in my handy-dandy bag but left behind my phone.


Yes, my current baby, Blackie the BB Curve 8520, was accidentally left at home.


Torture, it was, but I survived the day without him by my side. Although there's the occasional reach for the bag to "check" on the phone, I had to keep myself busy to forget about it. And I pretty much found quite a few things to keep it off my mind.


To my amusement, I can't remember how human beings survived boredom without technology. With no laptops, iPods, mobile phones, how did we kill time in the past? I remember killing time playing all the long but how did adults deal with it? Seriously, I would die of boredom if I lived fifty years ago.


Or probably not. If I can always pull off the same thing I did today. I just have to be creative. And I need to be talking. Constantly. :))


I currently am arguing with myself how productive I am today. Or not. It's probably me looking for things to do that pushed me to be productive. Or maybe I really just have a lot of things to do.


Either way, I didn't get bored today.

Presenting...

I am too sleepy to write.


I can barely type a sentence without hitting the backspace button, let alone construct something decent for this blog.


To make up for my promise to myself of writing, here's what I'm supposed to write about:

Oh how much I miss writing right now. But for now, I really need to sleep.

Color Me Happy.

I don't wear make-up. Seriously.


No, I don't mean I'm a make-up virgin but my skin and cosmetics just can't agree when they come together. I use cosmetics but only of certain brands and occasions. Honestly, my paycheck and pile of bills won't allow me to buy the kind of make up my face can take on a regular basis.


Which is why maybe, just maybe, I get irritated with women who wear uber coverage. Just this morning, on my way to work, I came across this girl who wore her blush on about ten strokes more than usual. Ate, nasampal? Yes, it was that pink red that I could see it even from 500 meters away. And gahd, does she have to apply it in the wrong direction? Seriously, she looked like a clown. Minsan kasi, alamin kung paano mag-apply ng make-up.


I can remember this one time last year when I arrived at work early and still had time to put make up on. (You see, in the Purchasing Dept., everything is just too busy and fast, you'd even forget to pee.) My kikay nurse friend was so amazed at how I was able to apply mascara on my lashes without blinking or even opening my mouth. (Try it. Most girls apply mascaras with their mouths open.) And she loved my eyes and of course the cheeks.


"Ano ka ba, syempre marunong ako maglagay sa mukha ko nyan. Hindi lang lagi."


According to some friends, I look mataray slash boyfriend-stealer whenever I wear make-up. And besides, I am already pretty sans the make-up. So I think I'm good to go. (Yes, I am boosting my confidence. I can't wear the damn thing!)


As of now, I am thankful to whoever invented mineral make-up. Doesn't itch and sting as much, and it's definitely cheaper than my brand. I just got news from a friend that it's not advisable for everyday use. Oh well, you can't have it all.


I think I'll go make-up shopping when Niq returns. I feel I need some encouragement when making PhpXX,XXX damage again on my account. Besides, every girl needs an opinion on what looks good on herself. ;-)

This Made Me Drool.

Blog Designer.

I love customization.


It just adheres to my lifelong relationship with uniqueness.


I used to customize my Multiply to my own liking when I was still in love with that account. I even went as far as trying to learn html and css language to get the "look" that I want. Honestly, it was fun. At least, whenever I end up getting the perfect look.


I wanted to do the same thing here. Redesign and make it look a bit more like me. It's just that I don't have time. And I am so lost and confused lately, I don't know how to make it look like me.


And besides, time is a luxury for me now. I have no idea where to begin learning again stuff related to customization. And even if Google made it a bit easier with their Design section, I still can't figure it out.


So please, if there's still any reader here who's got time, artsy-fartsy skills, and a lot of patience, drop by a line and help me out here please. =) 

Sunday's Best.

Out of nowhere, I just suddenly decided that I should learn how to cook one dish every other Sunday.


I'm starting with Orange Chicken in October. Wala lang. A friend posted on Facebook where he can get the best Orange Chicken in the country. Lemon chicken on the average is a staple in most Chinese restaurants but it is hard to find a good place that serves Orange Chicken. And yes, he is not considering Chowking.


And that is what I will consider a challenge to myself.


Aside from keeping me busy, I think going back in the kitchen will amuse me again.

Three-layer Wedding Cake Up for Grabs! :D

a

Are you getting married in the Philippines between December 2010 and May 2011? Do you know somebody who is?

VRC Creative Events and Top Cakes will be giving out a three-layer wedding cake at the upcoming Before I Do 8th Edition Bridal Fair this November 19-21,2010 at SM Megamall to one lucky couple that has the best pre-nup photo depicting the theme "Before I Do".

Simply log on to www.mybridalfair.com to find out more about this contest and other helpful tips in your wedding planning.

Cosmo Bachelor Bash 2010

I still can't get over last night's event!




Will be back later to write about it. Have to look for my underwear, I think I left it at World Trade Center after gawking and screaming at hot, hot, hot, H-O-T men. =D

1:45AM

For whatever reason, I have grown to be accustomed to writing in the wee hours of the morning.


Yes, I blog whenever I want but when I really have to write, the creative juices only begin to flow at this ungodly hour. I could blame my student lifestyle of cramming way back but then again, I blog at the same time when trying to finish a paper due at 7 or 8 in the morning.


So why do I really sacrifice sleeping over writing?


I don't know really. Writing at dawn comes naturally to me. It requires little effort on my part. The unexpressed words during the day suddenly tell my fingers to type them instantly and they all get strung together as if it took me hours to form a cohesive sentence. But honestly, as in this moment, I am not doing any thinking, and just let everything flow.  I might have hit the backspace key a few times but it was just all for spelling corrections. Mind you, I get my grammar right even if I just stare on the screen, letting my fingers waltz on my keyboard and tell you what is there to watch out.


I would write for hours, mindless of the time, even if the clock has been ticking loud enough, sometimes it's deafening. It gets irritating. But the sound of me typing and pounding on the keyboard is such a lovely music to the ears. It drowns down the irritating ticking sound that drives most humans mad.


I know I'll be sacrificing my sensibility and health when I wake up. As if staying up late isn't enough, I have to keep my brain thinking. But it's all good. When I hit save or print or whatever, go through what just transpired, I feel like I won an award or something. Because I had finally let out thoughts and turned them into something understandable by man. I got my point across.


Writing is my own form of relaxation. I have fallen into this addiction of writing at the speed of thought. It's as if my fingers are in a race with my mind. It just has to keep up with all the words scrambling about to get out. It's just sheer bliss. And believe it or not, when I read all this later when I wake up, I would have no idea where this came from.

34 Days.

Four days ago I decided to become a wee bit better.

I challenged myself to this little game I created. The 34 day challenge.

My rules are basically simple. I have to hinder the urge to buy something impulsively, AND say no when the sweet tooth starts whining. Why thirty-four? Basically it takes 28 days to develop and, ironically, break a habit. Since this is a whir-of-the-moment decision and self challenge, I gave myself six cheat days. But that's the first six days.

I guess it should be pretty easy as the first three days are spent inside my house. So that should get me used to it. (Although I have to admit I made an impulsive online purchase on the first night.) Hey, we're humans. We're made to give in to temptation. And that's why I there are cheat days.

Oh well. This should be fun. I know so. Because aside from me trying to save up, this could also mean I could lose a few pounds as I have marked my trips to Seattle's and fast food fixes as "luho". As to how I came down to categorizing those as that, it's simple: whatever I can have cheaper, or in my case, free, when I'm at home,  but still goes out and put an extra effort to get those, are counted as my inevitable luxuries that I should cut back on. Really.

And the real reason why I'm putting myself through this? I want to save up enough money to open up a new bank account. And that account will really be for my savings. I'm really serious now. Fourteen months of working and close-to-zero savings isn't no fun at all.

Today is day three. And thirty one more days later, I'm sure I'll be someone better.

Dumdedumdedum.

I am going out with my girls today.


So there.




=D

The Shopaholic Monster Woke Up.

I can't believe I have been window shopping for two weeks now. It takes a lot of will power just to keep myself from opening up that wallet, lining up at the ATM and making a purchase of another thing I don't need.

I'm so proud of me. But like all humans, I am bound to slip once in awhile. But not today.

Today I'm just sharing what seems to be cluttering up in my emails. Random sale notices and news I keep receiving.

If you've got extra moolah to spare, go indulge yourself. After all, it's a payday weekend for most of us working class. =)

 

Photo from the Alabang Bulletin blog.

Photo from Manila Shopaholic blog

And of course, my shoe heaven is now open. They're not participating in the mall-wide sale of Festival Mall (prolly because they're one of the newly opened store), but the prices are so much of a steal, you'd feel like you bought it on sale. =) (Pardon the noisy phone pictures. I dunno how to set yet my phone's camera settings! Haha!)

Best Advice. Ever.

So yesterday, Niq said:

ONE GROWN UP THING AT A TIME.

Dirty Little Secret.

For one, I think customer care in this country still has a long waaay to go. Really.


I don't know if I should pity the uninformed, albeit harassed, customer service representatives for not knowing how to handle well customer concerns or be insanely furious at the backwards system this country has. Whichever way I go, the customer still ends up not getting any solution hence diminishing that customer satisfaction every company out there wants.


So I was talking to a CSR one morning. I'm actually reporting an item which is probably lost in the mail, based on previous feedback, it's been to different addresses, and after daysss of updating me when I should expect it, it still didn't land on my lap. Ergo the conversation. Honestly, I wouldn't know about the house-hopping thing if I didn't call them. (What is wrong with these people? Why didn't they just call me in the first place to confirm the address?)


Anyway, I was almost in tears (I think one actually dropped) when I heard the CSR tell me "Ma'am I apologize for your inconvenience but according to the courier, wala daw po silang nareceive na instruction na i-redirect sa ibang address yung item. Binalik na daw po sa back office yung item." OMG. It's been with them for almost two weeks and nobody told me not to expect it anytime soon? I was really furious. What happened to system? Did people forget about communication? For real, I am one dissatisfied customer. And hearing "Is there anything else I could help you with?" doesn't make it any better because if you have been paying attention, the only thing you could do to help me is give me that item right now. As in literally now.


*Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.*


I've moved on to tonight.


You see, Globe Telecom has slipped into this habit of sending my bill a couple of days before the due date. (How sweet noh?) But checking your bill online can, well, let you view your bill even if it hasn't arrived at your place. So I checked and mine was already over the credit limit and it's due on the 23rd. (Not getting anything in the mail seems to be a fad for me these days.) I printed out the online version and went to Globe tonight. They told me to call them next Friday to see if the reversal happened. And then this was our conversation:


Me - Paano yan, due date tomorrow. If i don't pay this, you'll cut my line.
Globe Agent - Most likely ma'am. Pero next month naman po magrereflect ung reversal and ibabawas ung sobrang payment sa bill nyo e.
Me - I have no choice. Sige bayaran ko na lang lahat.


I think I just got bullied into paying more than I consumed (again). Haaay Pilipinas.


Anyway, that cash out was a bit hurting on my wallet. To make myself feel better, I passed by my soon-to-be new favorite store at Festival Mall. And oh yes did it make me feel sooooo much better tonight.


If the other night they had only half of the steel doors opened, tonight it's way way open. Open enough for everyone to see all the shelves of the store, which by the way, they're stocking with oh-so-pretty merchandise shoes. Definitely made me smile.


Just to confirm the news I read a few days ago, I approached the (now-eating) crew when they'll open. This nice guy confirmed the date. I asked if the price will be higher or lower than the published dollar tags. His answer gave me a huge smile (which he said like we're sharing a secret), and I think I hyperventilated a little upon hearing the news. Music to my ears! 


"Yes. Even better! And the styles, it's just the same as those in the US." =D


Now the Beda jacket has a competitor in my wallet.

One Point Alabang!

I am so excited right now, I'm not sure if I can even finish this post without babbling too much nonsense.

A few months back, this empty stall in Festival Mall Alabang was closed for renovation of some sort or some construction work in preparation for a new store. By the looks of the name, I thought it was another Factory-2-U cheap-ass copycat.

Fast forward to July, I began to be aloof about the construction. (Really. It was next to Shopwise.) And much more when Forever21 opened in Megamall early this month. How cruel it is to be living down south of the metro when all the *pretty good* shops are up north. As much as fashionistas would want to keep up with the northern dwellers, it's just too much for people down here!

Moving on to tonight... For the nth time, I passed by the store. And I was taken aback as they finally removed the wooden panels. Revealing the oh-so-shiny glass display windows. And oh, the logo. The logo was up on the wall and it was so freaking shiny!

I was excited. It actually all died down awhile ago but then I got bored and since I was online and Google-ing stuff, I Googled it. There's really not much to read online since most articles are dated back from December of last year, with just a snippet that Collective Brands Inc., is opening a franchise in the Philippines through Store Specialist, Inc.

I Googled some more and I found this article on Inquirer.net that Payless ShoeSource will be opening its very first branch in the Philippines at Festival Mall Alabang! Whoopdeedoodeedoo! That's one point for the south! =)

The store is said to open next week. I think half of my next paycheck will go straight to that store. But nonetheless, I'm just happy Payless has finally made a land here. At least I wouldn't have to worry that future paychecks will be spent on pricey shoes alone. With Payless practically being a neighbor to me, I can finally have cool and oohs-and-aah inducing shoes without killing my wallet.

For the rest of the article and the exact opening date, check it out here.

For the Love of Weddings.

Can I just say how much I'm loving my job right now? First of all, my job keeps my bank account from closing. Second, It's really, really fun that I honestly shouldn't call it work. And third, it doesn't confine me in four walls. =p

For the past few months, we've been doing weddings in between office tasks. Tiring, but fun. You meet a lot of people, know their stories, learn from their experiences, and get wild ideas from them with how they want their wedding to turn out.

The last wedding we had was of Janice and Mike, both nurses from Canada. The bride was fond of purple (from what I heard from her guests, "Kaya mahirap ka hanapan ng regalo"), so she incorporated peacock feathers in her wedding. From the invites, to her flowers, even to her entourage's hairclips and buttonaires!

Not that I'm not hyped about the purple motif, but knowing she wanted a candy buffet for her guests made me all excited. :)) And come her wedding day, I found out she had Jolly Ranchers too. (I couldn't find a blue raspberry!) I think she had all sorts of candies that could make anyone with a sweet tooth's mouth water: lollipops, jellybeans, pastillas sculpted into roses, mints, chocolates, hard candies, there's even mini wedding cakes to be given out!

Since my PaintShop Pro is failing me right now, these are the only photos I can upload. =( But on the bright side, the wedding was really fun and memorable for everyone. I don't think my forty plus shots can give justice to what the couple actually had that day.

Btw, here's my best shot for that day:

 

But of course, my shots are nothing compared to what RF has.

Michael+Janice Onsite AVP from Raymond Fortun on Vimeo.

Ice Water.

For some unknown reason, I went around the mall tonight to check the latest gadgets and their wallet-killing price tags.


A couple of days ago, I am getting deeper and deeper into confusion between two smartphones. As if that wasn't enough, my unplanned window shopping invited one more smartphone to join the fiesta of killing more of my brain cells. Apparently, HTC has been releasing mobile phones that are pretty competitive in price. And the greatest BB/Iphone competitor in my mind as of now is the HTC Viva. Price-wise, it's a bargain. Even when they offered it on credit card, it's still a steal!


Anyhoo. I lurked the mall for another thirty minutes and found myself being offered by a nice saleslady this Panasonic GF1 camera for less than Php3,000/month for 1.5 years. I have no idea why she's giving me that kind of offer but I know for sure that even if I had a credit card, I wouldn't let myself pay 3K every month in the next 18 months of my life. First of all, the camera isn't even the hottest gadget on the planet right now. Second, it's on a pre-order basis, which means even if I did want it now, I still have to wait til it arrives in the store. Third, I'm sticking to my Canon preference, even if I considered Nikon once (for financial reasons). And lastly, a camera isn't on my priority gadgets list yet. Maybe in three months.


I think I am heading to ranting. I don't even know why I'm writing about my window shopping. It basically didn't do anyone any good. But I'd like to believe that this will help me become a bit more frugal. :)) I do want these gadgets. But just not now. Maybe next month. :))

Eenie, Minnie, Minie, Moe.

Cookie Monster: Me don’t know what me like better: Letter O or Number 0. Both look like cookies, so both okay in me book!

-Sesame Street on Twitter

Lately, I've been tweeting and basically updating people about my dilemma, which everyone (I'm assuming, as we all live in a very technology-based world) can relate to: the battle of the gadgets.

I've been putting off upgrading to a better mobile phone because: one, I don't have time to take a close look on gadgets and see if they can really cater to me; two, turn around time for gadget development is quite fast that I can no longer keep up with them (trust me, I've been aware since fourth year high school that Nokia can release a new model within three to five months that can make your current unit obsolete in weeks); and lastly, let's face it, my sanity would probably allow my bank account to dwindle down the drain on stuff bigger than a mobile phone. Until RIM's Javelin 8900 arrived Apple announced the birth of iPhone 4.

A couple of months ago, my boss lets me use her iPhone while in the office. Long story short, I wanted to throw the damn thing straight to the trash can for issues we can't agree on. (I don't have large, manly fingers; the keyboard is just freakingly too small to type on.) And I made it clear I didn't want an iPhone because of such arguments, and because I've had my heart set out on the Blackberry for months now.

But just last week, damn Apple emailed me the announcement of their newest toy. And I could only say one thing: ITSSOPRETTY!!!!

Til this moment, I am torn between the two phones. Both addresses my concern with connectivity, vast sources of applications, funtertainment factor, and most of all inbox storage. But since Globe will probably be charging everyone an arm, a leg, and the rest of the internal organs for the iPhone, I might settle for the BB instead and get an iTouch just for kicks. (Nah, seriously, the iTouch will support my need for Apple apps. But I guess you already know that.) But on the other hand, without the over-priced unlimited surfing, the BB would just be like any other smartphone contender out there. And I definitely want to maximize all its functions so that leaves me spending an extra Php1,200 every month. The cost would probably sum up to an iPhone. Which I don't want to wait for, by the way. Local techies on the look out for the new iPhone guestimated that it will be released late this year. Again, I don't want to spend the rest of my body paying for that, and I don't have the time to wait since I need the phone now. Although I do know somebody selling the iPhone 4 on pre-order basis, for less than Php22K. Too bad she lives in Davao. (Must talk to Telai on how we can get her to lower the price if we're both getting one from her. Haha!)

Spending a lot of time online researching, weighing, reading reviews, and asking for opinions means I am serious with this. I've never given myself a problem as huge as this. This is huge for me since I'll be spending a lot of money, so please, help me out here clear up my mind and pick the right gadget.