ebay.ph – BRYOLOGUE

My blog turns one!

June 2, 2013bryologue 1 Comment

I never thought I would be able to keep an online account with substantial detail for this long, but time flies so fast and my blog has been running for a year already! A quick scan of of the things I’ve been blabbing about, I think there was a progressive change over the theme of the things I’ve posted. In a month or so, however, I have to pay Faye for the annual fee of having removing that ‘.wordpress.com’ from here.

At the same time, I also have to say goodbye to a bag I’ve used only for a couple of times. This bag is definitely large that it took Mon one “Hindi ba masyadong malaki ‘yan bag mo?” (Don’t you think your bag’s a bit too large?) to make me stop using it… for good. And it has been sitting in the closet for a long time, that it smells a bit, well, like the closet. I decided to finally let it go because it deserves a better owner, who will make full use of it. I think this is a healthy development and a big step to the right direction of downsizing the ridiculous number of bags I have. There. I called a spade a spade. =D It was difficult to let go because it has a sentimental value, but it also has no everyday utilitarian value (well, for me), so bye, bag, bye!

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Red, Green and Whimsical

March 8, 2013bryologue 2 Comments

Just as I have suspected, the seller did not turn the fish-eye effect off! Now that I have received this Tessuto Robot 2, it was evident that the robot did not have a bloated body, unlike the original auction photos. It was exactly as I expected and a little bit more. I thought that it only had one key hand, but it actually has both keys still intact. I immediately looked inside the zipped pocket, hoping to see the removed heatstamped mouth inside, but it was just wishful thinking. =D

But what I was most happy about was this Prada trick keychain included with the bag! Back in Halloween, when I got the nylon backpack, I contemplated over having one of these quirky tricks/charms to use on the D-ring. I couldn’t believe that it was just given for free! I loved that seller a lot! I was trying to decide what this gingerbread looking man was. A sailor? A nurse? Does it matter?LOL

I immediately recognized this little man because I remember looking at previous collections of Prada before and the Spring/Summer 2005 collection was accessorized with whimsical tricks. I think these were first made as brooches, attached on the lapels and front pockets, then eventually produced as keychains. I also like the airplane one attached on Racquel’s top.

(Photo from stylebistro.com)

I’m really delighted over this trick because it is extremely adorable! I can even attach it to my other bags for that added touch of playfulness in my otherwise stern-looking briefcases and messengers. It is my brightest bag yet and will fit nicely with the upcoming (or should I say, already happening) summer season!

And its first act was also something green. I have lots of empty PET bottles in the office and I don’t throw them out in the bin as much as possible. We also collect these things at home and bring them weekly to an area where they will be recycled. However, I was too lazy to bring them all home and my nephew even criticized me for not doing so. Since I already have a backpack with me, I decided to use the tessuto tote just once as an eco-bag for these PET bottles. =D

I had reservations before in using a tessuto robot tote, but the advent of eco-bag usage in Metro Manila recently will not make my tote look out of place! LOL I’ll just call it my more-flamboyant-than-usual-eco-bag

From YSL, with love!

February 14, 2013bryologue 2 Comments

Today is Valentine’s Day and the first thing I did before going home afterwork was to buy flowers for my mother and sister. In front of the Immaculation Conception Church in Marikina, there were already several rows of flower vendors selling single long-stemmed roses, up to bouquets with elaborate presentations. I began haggling for the price to be lowered and I finally reached an agreement with one of the vendors when I mentioned I’d be getting two. My mother and sister were very happy this morning when they saw the roses.

Last Friday, I was watching a pair of shoes on Ebay.ph and I was hoping I could snipe bid on it — a pair of black Lanvin suede with patent toe sneakers. But for whatever reason, I completely forgot about the auction ending last Monday evening and I was really heartbroken on not being able to at least take a shot in bidding for it.

(Photo from the Ebay.ph seller)

So yesterday, I decided on a whim to browse auctions in Sulit.com.ph. I was not particularly looking for a particular item, as it was just an online window shopping.

And then I saw a pair of Yves Saint Laurent sneakers, listed by a seller from Binondo. Unfortunately, it was already reserved for another buyer and it was clearly not my lucky day. But I still asked the seller via text message if the item was still available and he replied within a few minutes.

He said that it was already reserved to a buyer from Bacolod but he was still not able to pay. I immediately jumped on the opportunity and eventually secured the pair of sneakers! My apologies to you, the supposed-buyer for whatever inconvenience I might have caused you in getting the pair. It was still the call of the seller and I hope you get to find another pair soon. =/

I met up with the seller and it did not took very long for our transaction to finish. In the vernacular, we call that kaliwaan and it was done in less than a minute.

I was really anxious of the size because looking at its online photos, the size might be larger from what I normally wear. The other pair of YSL sneakers I currently have was already about half-a-size bigger, which was okay. But the one above might be about a size and half bigger and may be a bit umanageable.

But surprisingly, the sneakers fit nicely when I tried it on, and it was just about a size bigger. Thank goodness!

The sneakers were still in good condition, with no rips or tears in any of the leather and canvas parts. But of course, suede tends to react differently towards humidity and it is showing some signs of ‘reaction’, but it was still nevertheless gorgeous.

As an added bonus, he even gave me a box of tikoy! Still a Happy Chinese New Year to me! That was very gracious of him. =D

(Photo from Highsnobiety.com)

The curious me opened Google and tried searching more info about the shoes. After several searches, I was able to find out that these were the Spring/Summer collection of five years ago and Highsnobiety.com even did an article about them here from way back in March 2009.

I’m beginning to think that my luck may not lie in raffle draws, or anything that requires waiting for an opportunity to come, rather than working hard in painstakingly combing online auctions and persuading people for a particular item. I’m not that unlucky, then.

DIY project: that stubborn-as-hell dent on my leather bag

December 5, 2012bryologue 7 Comments

The other day, I was quite temperamental inside BPI because I was trying to immediately pay for the bag I won on eBay. Then yesterday, I was handed out a JRS Express 3 Pounder parcel and I was very excited to open it. My bag has finally arrived!

JRS 3 Pounder pack

It was as if Christmas arrived early and I was very eager to see the bag. It was very nice and I loved it a lot. Then upon closer inspection, I just realized that something was wrong with it as there was a horrible dent in the lower right-hand corner of the flap closure. O_O

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What a way to start my week

December 3, 2012bryologue 1 Comment

I was already running later for my errands today and Mon and I even had a little argument over my supposed schedule. I was just being my stubborn self again and refused to admit that I miscalculated my time and even went on with my one hour of exercise, instead of leaving early to go to the bank. Anyway, this small squabble was finished in less than thirty minutes and we were already laughing our heads off over how silly we were. The weather was quite unpredictable, so I thought of testing this pair of Red Wing boots for the first time:

So off to BPI in KPMG Building I went, input some detail and took a number. But it took me forever before my number got called, and to make matters worse, the teller just informed me right there and then that their system was offline and I had to manually fill out two sets of transaction slips, which they will process once the system was okay again. So that was causing the delay. I couldn’t understand why they did not bother telling the people right away (I mean there were really LOTS of people waiting) and handed out transaction slips for us to manually accomplish, instead of telling every person approaching the counter to do so. Very efficient. Anyway, I ended up with an “OFFLINE VALIDATED” slip and off to the office I rushed.

Before reaching the elevator, I asked another BPI branch by the ground floor of our building if the system was already online. I was informed that it just went running again a few minutes back. I hurried upstairs and called the other branch to ask if they have already processed my two transactions. It turned out, the teller gave me the wrong telephone number. I also had a second glance at the transaction slip and she had wrongly written a digit in the account number. I had no choice but to walk back again to their building and ask her about it. Mon went with me this time and I was swearing a lot on our way. Mon looked nervous because he probably thought that I might be having a fit, but I calmly approached the teller and asked her about what happened. I was actually surprised about my reaction because I would normally lash out but I began thinking few weeks back that I should really learn to control my temper. The only downside, though, was Mon becoming my unintentional shock-absorber of my cussing fit.

So what made me really determined to have that transaction completed? It was because I was paying for a (yet again) Burberry leather messenger bag I bought online, from the same seller who sold me the LV Epi Noir Pochette Cles. She was extremely nice and easy to talk with. Besides, it will be my first ever Burberry and I love the fact that it is leather and not canvas! I already accepted the fact that I might not receive it tomorrow but I was surprised when the seller was able to ship it as she reached the cut-off. The bag in question will arrive tomorrow. A big thank you to her.

Of course, it might initially seem that I was out spending on another bag again but the truth was, I had to let go of another bag, the Hermès Fourre Tout I bought almost three months ago. I liked it but I never really got the chance to use it and it was only my sister who had the chance to take it out on my nephew’s birthday (as a diaper bag!). In the process of selling it, I ended up guilt-free because it was sold at a price more than the cost of the Burberry messenger, which did not leave me with less resources. I just looked at it as a trade and this bag deserves another person who will lovingly use it.

I know it will be quite hard for me to just kick off my habit of looking into having another bag, but I have learned that the first step of just selling the things I don’t use clearly leads the way to a better spending habit. More or less, I end up with a new bag with extra money to spare. The ultimate goal, however, was to extremely minimize my bags to just a little over six or make it seven. =P I know I’ll get there someday, one step at a time. Who knows, maybe before 2013 ends, that goal has been already achieved.

P.S.
Today marks my 5th year at work! Also, the birthday of Lolo Dada (paternal grandfather — R.I.P. Lolo) and Mon’s maternal grandmother, who we fondly call as Lola Groovy. =)

For some “Fashion Ball” — we wore a T-Shirt!

December 2, 2012bryologue 2 Comments

The month has barely changed from November to December and it was already our company’s yearend event a.k.a. Christmas party. On one hand, why was it so early? Other companies might not have even released their 13th month pay and yet we already had our party. On the other hand, I was quite delighted with the date because it meant less traffic and it would be easier to go to-and-from the venue. And for the first time after four years, I went to the party without Faye as she was still out of the country!

Mon and I were really pinching the penny because of our trip next week so we decided to keep our outfit simple. I was initially over the Moon with the supposed Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme top that I was about to wear, but the cancellation of the transaction meant that I had only a day to look for something to wear. Then, why bother? Let’s just wear a similar shirt!

We have a knack for coordinating our outfits and the last time we did so was in 2010 during a ‘masquerade theme’ Christmas party.

Anyway, we traditionally invite a guest host every party (a celebrity) but this year, we invited two hosts. First was Rovilson Fernandez (from the ‘Amazing Race Asia’ fame, whose partner Marc Nelson has coincidentally hosted our party last, last year) and Joey Mead (current judge on ‘Asia’s Next Top Model’). Rovilson was unexpectedly funny because I thought that he’d end up being like Marc, who was eloquent, but lacking in the humor department. I had high expectations with Rovilson because Luis Manzano really carried the whole event last year, so the former had big shoes to fill and it was surprisingly well-done. As for Joey Mead, the girl was a goddess. My jaw dropped because I did not expect her to be that beautiful, and the girl can really walk. O_O

Anyway, more than the hosts, I had a great time seeing interesting looks from others who attended the party. There were several fashion contests/segments and there were two outfits that really caught my attention. The first one was a girl wearing a tuxedo and I think that it was an excellent take on Yves Saint Laurent’s ‘le smoking‘. What I loved most about it was the fact that she was not tall nor extremely skinny but she did not end up looking like a penguin. I was living for her! Her ensemble reminded me of one of Minzy’s (from 2NE1) look from the ‘Can’t Nobody‘ music video. And the second one was this, let’s admit it, costume and replica of Lady GaGa’s infamous red lace outfit from 2009 MTV VMA. I was not familiar with the candle thing but maybe GaGa carried something similar to that but the people went crazy when he got at the end of the runway and blew the flame off. Werq!

(Photo from forums.allkpop.com)

But I was more happy to see Mon go up the stage with his teammates, to accept an award recognizing their efforts. I really liked how he looked on stage with a leather jacket and white skinny jeans, together with that black shirt. I had been pitching to him the idea of wearing this leather jacket I personally intended to use for our trip to Seoul and he only agreed last minute before we left the house.

The food was great as well. I couldn’t remember who was the caterer last night but we had several trips back to the buffet table. I didn’t even care about dieting nor the fact that I was still drinking CarbTrim — let’s now see your efficacy! Unfortunately and unsurprisingly, I was unlucky with the raffle. I was so unlucky that my ticket number 1414 was almost picked several times. The numbers, 1412, 1413, 1415 and 1417 were picked out of the bowl, as well as 1424, 1434 and also 1484. Fate has to remind me again that I should work hard if I want something and not be dependent on luck.

To make matter worse, the committee in charge of the program had to drastically and deliberately delay the raffling off of the MacBooks. There was a band who sang non-stop for more than 30 minutes, as if it was a shaking-off medley to test the people waiting for the raffle. It actually worked because when they began drawing out stubs, a string of names had been called and the people were no longer present. It was literally a drawn out event that the whole thing had not finished until a little past 2 AM.

(The best picture that our crazy and energetic officemates can take, given the festive atmosphere)

I just dragged Mon to the ‘wall’ (or whatever you call it) because we haven’t had our picture taken with it. The raffle was almost over when we positioned ourselves to take pictures and we had to rush taking each others’ photos. We then ran out of the venue, a time-tested tactic of ours, to avoid the rush of people scrambling to go home.

We got home in about an hour, which was pretty fast, considering we went all the way to Marikina. I just felt a bit nauseous, maybe because of the glutton-fest that had happened a few hours back that I had to drink a can of pineapple juice. When I was already checking over my bag from last night, I was mortified to see that the bottle of alcohol inside had accidentally opened and spilled on the bottom of my Bayswater. >_< I was hoping it would dry off but as it has already happened last night, then the mark will most probably be permanent. Why haven’t I checked on it last night? I could have done something to prevent it. Big consolation: the liquid hasn’t penetrated the leather and the finishing/sheen from the outside was not affected.

All in all, the alcohol stain hasn’t dampened my spirit. I had a fun night even if that raffle has annoyed the hell out of me.

Almost “Yohji”

November 29, 2012bryologue 1 Comment

This Saturday, our company will have our Christmas party and it will be the earliest one I’d have in almost five years of working in this company. I knew much earlier that it was a ‘Fashion Ball’ and I was honestly not excited about it. Of course, I love dressing up every once in a while and this yearend event usually is that one outlet for me to try out my DIY skills, outfit-wise. The thing is, Mon and I don’t really fancy spending money on a tailored and personalized ensemble because of our impending trip. I just intended to wear something from my wardrobe and call a day.

And then, I saw this Yohji Yamamato Pour Homme asymemtrical top available on Ebay.ph and my heart stopped. My plan not to spend money for an outfit suddenly went out of the window. The trouble was, the auction was to end on a time when I usually travel to work. i have a mobile connection 24/7 but I could’t risk losing the item to a last minute bid. What I did was travel halfway to work, logged in an internet café and marched to a full-on bidding war. I was victorious. I immediately asked for an invoice and paid within the hour.

But ‘lo and behold, I woke up the next day with a text message from the seller, telling me that he can’t ship the item because he noticed last minute that there was a big rip on the item. O_O He offered me a chance to exchange it to one of his current items on sale, but as all of his items for sale are for ladies, I declined and just asked for a refund.

I was extremely distraught because just as I considered putting an effort and spending a little for a Yohji Yamamoto, I eventually ended up with nothing. So, I might actually just wear a shirt this Saturday. LOL

One last scarf

November 17, 2012bryologue Leave a Comment

Yet again, something arrived yesterday. I only have one scarf at home that I will bring this December and I needed another one. I’ve read somewhere online that they recommend buying your winter things in Korea but as I think I’d be better off bringing most of the things on my own, I’d just risk it. LOL

When Mon and I were talking earlier about what else we’d be bringing, Mama chimed in and mentioned that she has a few winter things in our cabinet upstairs. After several minutes, she went back down with a pile of winter accessories and we were happy to see she had two pairs of thermal pants she used before when she was still working in Britain! We were already planning to buy from Greenhills at the end of the month, but as she already lent us two, then we’ll definitely save some money!

The most surprising item in the pile was these leather gloves — it was a pair of Ermenegildo Zegna! O_O How come we have these and I didn’t know of them? I had been looking for a pair of leather gloves since last month and all along we have one stashed in the bowels of our closet. But as Mon still didn’t have a pair to use (because the one store selling gloves a month ago did not have his size), he was happy to see that the pair of Zegna perfectly fits his hands.

I found out that this pair was brought home by my father back in 2007. I was highly doubtful he’d buy something like this because he works in Doha where there was no winter, then I was told that it was just given to him by his boss. The leather was still excellent with a cashmere lining. I’ve seen the same pair (albeit in brown) being sold on Ebay.com for $ 219.99!

We’re having quite a dilemma, though. Our flight back home leaves at 7:30 AM and we intend to stay in Incheon City for our last day, close to the airport. We might be staying in a guesthouse five minutes away from the airport, but their own shuttle service operates at 5:50 AM. We’d most likely hope to leave earlier at around 4:30 AM and we are not sure what time the free airport shuttle in the area will start to operate. The last thing we can do will be to take the cab from the guesthouse to the airport, but I’m worried that the taxi stop might be far from our place. We also considered staying in “Spa on Air” but reading reviews online quite discourage me from booking. Both of us are perfectly okay to sleep in the airport, but as Mon can sleep in a snap and I’m the biggest distrustful person in the world, I won’t be able to sleep and will be most likely wide awake to guard our things. I know Incheon International Airport has a good reputation for being safe but I’m not to keen to risk it. I’d rather walk from the guesthouse to the airport at 4:30 AM in the middle of winter than get hoodwinked/robbed (which the staff mentioned to be about 10 minutes —- but I highly doubt that timeframe).

J’adore mon Epi Noir!

October 12, 2012bryologue 1 Comment

And it finally arrived! I can’t even remember that I was disappointed with the Globe GCASH ‘fiasco’ I had yesterday the moment I opened the parcel.

I know I loved my lost Marc Jacobs coin purse, whose lost I had constantly complained about, but I can’t be more happy of this replacement! I knew deep down that I did not have to rush in buying any coin purse because I was secretly hoping to find a reasonably priced epi leather item or even just a nice looking leather coin purse. And after more than two months of searching, I finally have another one! Frankly, I’m not a big fan of the key-ring because it makes the item more feminine. But as I can easily hide it inside, it wasn’t that big of a deal anyway. The compartment itself isn’t that roomy, though. Sure I can fit in a few cards and train tickets, but it can’t fit the usual amount of coins the same way my old one did.

Today is Friday and I was originally about to go to UP and return books that are already overdue (not just for a month, but even more!). I can’t wait for tomorrow because we will be ‘treasure hunting’ and most of all, I’ve been wanting to watch ‘Taken 2’ since last week! Happy Friday it is!

Oh… new Globe GCASH Fees = BYE BYE GCASH!!!

October 11, 2012bryologue 1 Comment

Last night, I had decided to get the Epi leather Cles I’ve been considering since Monday to finally have a replacement for my lost coin purse. I woke up relatively early because I had to pay for the item via GCash in Gateway Mall and cash-in (i.e. put credits in my account) because I still have a few hundreds in my account. I just needed to augment it before sending to the seller through my own cellphone.

While I was in the couch and about to send the money, I received a notification that the transaction was failed because I had no sufficient funds. I was initially shocked because I never had such problem with sending money. I re-checked my balance and saw that I had sufficient amount. I approached the counter to ask what was the problem, then she informed me that they now charge Php 10/ Php 1000 sent from one account to another. WHOA!

I can’t remember when was the last time I paid for something via GCash. Was it that long time ago that I did not even know that such transactions fees were already imposed? Turned out that it has been like that since August 1, 2012. Well, since I was putting cash into my own account, I did not have to pay any fees. But the fees are also different from OTC to cellphone-to-cellphone transaction. In my case earlier, Php 10 / Php 1000 had to be deducted from my current balance. However, it will be Php 20/Php 1000 if the transaction will be done OTC. And take note that I was reminded that it will remain to be Php 10 or Php 20 for every fraction of a thousand. So does it mean that the fee will be Php 40 if one would intend to send Php 2,001 to another account via OTC? Most probably yes.

Globe used to charge differently before, with the 1% transaction fee as an acceptable rate, at least for me. I’ve been using Globe GCASH both as a seller and buyer on Ebay.ph since 2008, and this move by Globe definitely put me off from using this service? Will I still be using Globe GCASH? Definitely not. I was already put-off by the interbranch charge by BDO so I decided not to use it as a payment option for buyers, and I will also be removing the GCASH option — their service just lost one customer.