Shopping tips for the frugal fashionista

I found this article really interesting. If you love to shop 'til you drop like me, here's an article for you. Article taken from The Philippine Daily Inquirer 7/17/2008 issue

Apples Pickings

Shopping tips for the frugal fashionista
By Apples Aberin Sadhwani
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:52:00 07/17/2008

MANILA, Philippines—With the prices of basic commodities—not to mention gasoline—increasing exponentially, it’s good to think twice about spending your hard-earned money on other items like clothes, shoes, bags or accessories.

During this time, it’s wise to know a few simple tips on how to make the most of your bucks when shopping for wardrobe essentials plus a little extra:

Weed out your closet

Start out by going through your closet and throwing out—or better yet donating or selling—pieces you don’t really need or wear.

Keep tried and true classics like a crisp button-down, basic black blazer or trousers that you can easily update with the use of accessories. Then and only then can you determine what else you need to complete your basic wardrobe and how to maximize the use of the pieces you already have.

Make a list

Before you go out there and shop, try to figure out what you need based on your current wardrobe. Then make a list and try to stick to it! Do you really need yet another dress in your overstocked closet? Will another pair of pumps really make a difference? If the answer is no, avoid swiping that credit card.

Dress for your body type, personality and age

Buy pieces that look good on you and you feel comfortable in—not because they look good on a model in a glossy magazine or they’re the latest must-have item.

Size matters

Don’t buy anything that’s a size too small because you’re hoping to lose those extra five pounds. Choose items that fit you and look great on you now.

Impulse buys are no-no’s

Put things on hold if you’re not really sure about purchasing them. Chances are, you don’t really need such pieces. Wait a day or two to see if you really want to spend on a particular item so there are no regrets.

Update with accessories

Want to update that little black dress or other classics without spending too much? Try doing so with the use of trendy but inexpensive belts, bangles or strands of necklaces. Department stores like SM, Robinson’s or shopping meccas like Divisoria, for example, offer cheap but chic finds.

Try vintage

Ukay-ukays are treasure troves for fantastic finds. Try to go with an experienced friend so she can guide you through the maze that is the vintage market..

Watch out for sale season

This is the perfect time to buy whatever else you need to create a well-rounded wardrobe. Expensive but well-made pieces that you normally can’t afford might be available at half the price or even less. Now’s your chance to pick up that classic trench that’s ideal for traveling or the perfectly tailored pantsuit that you need for work.

Just a little caveat: Make sure you don’t get carried away with all the other marked-down items you’ll find during sales. Stop yourself from impulse buying and stick to your list, as much as you can.

Chillin'

Hi everyone! It's been two weeks since I have been out of work, and I have never felt so rested in my whole life! At least now I do not have to worry about getting late for work (or think about going to work for that matter). I sleep late at night and wake up at whatever time I want, and go back to sleep when I feel like it. Hehehe. I also did some shopping and just last week, I saw 2 movies, Get Smart and Mamma Mia (the latter I saw twice! please see the review I made for these 2 films) and I am so excited to watch The Dark Knight, the second episode of the Batman series under acclaimed director Christopher Nolan. Why am I excited? One answer: Heath Ledger. He seemed to be so good in this movie, that he is a strong contender for an Oscar next year (in the supporting actor category). He may no longer be around to see this film, but at least he left us with a memorable performance. I wonder if The Oscars would give a nomination, much less give out an acting award to an actor posthumously. I have never heard of it being done before, but if they did give an award in Heath's memory, it would be history in the making. And, I liked the prequel, Batman Begins because it is much different that the previous Batman films directed by Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher. Christopher Nolan gave the current Batman franchise a more polished and adult look. Well, that's all for now. I am just so happy to really have time for myself and 'til the next blog!

I'm Fine, Thank You

Hey everyone! To those who read my previous blog and for giving me kind words of encouragement, I thank you! So far, it's been 5 days since I've been out of work, but I am doing fine, thank you. I get to catch up on sleep and a few things in between. My 2 sisters arrived in town and they are about to leave for Tokyo this week, so this gives me the chance to spend time with them. I also get to do things I never had time to do, like clean the house and organize my stuff. I have been tagging along my sisters wherever they are. I was really flattered that my sisters and my brother-in-law took me out to dinner Saturday night at this Chinese restaurant in Binondo called Emperor. We had shabu-shabu and the food was fantastic! Too bad the place is about to close by October, so I guess I should come back there before it closes down. Early today, I attended the career transition thingie that Dell enrolled us in, to prepare us for a career transition. DBM, the company that is handling the career transition thingie, is gonna help us create a more effective resume and give us tips on how to ace an interview, plan the next steps we need to do with our career. The people there are very nice and accomodating. They can also provide us with workstations where we can type and print resumes and search for jobs online. The program is good for 30 days, so instead of me just being idle at home and doing nothing, going there is actually a nice idea. I may not get to go online as much as I did before but I'll still be blogging from time to time. I am taking this time that I am unemployed to rest and think and reflect about what I should do as far as work is concerned. Don't worry friends, I do not wallow in self pity and make myself feel that I am worthless. Moving on has never been this easy, believe me

A New Dawn

After the night comes a new dawn. There has been alot of changes that happened to me during the last 24 hours. I am officially out of Dell, the company I worked for at least a year and a half. No, I wasn't terminated on any serious offense nor did I commit any violations against the company policy. It's kinda hard to explain but to make everything short, what happened to me was a "redundancy of work". I do not belong to any team after going thru the arduous technical assessment I took a few weeks back to cap our technical support training. Unfortunately, I did not make the cut along with 3 other people. So we were placed in a team wherein what they did was to analyze the cases and the calls that the tech support reps made, we check if their cases were closed properly or if there are any markdowns. Since the job grade I had was a supervisor level already, we cannot take calls or we cannot be designated as frontline agents. I understand that it is a management decision. For the past few months, it's kinda hard to go to work every single day not knowing what to expect. And without a team to support or assist, how am I gonna be rated if I do not have a direct superior. I think it's kinda fair that I was kinda wanting for it to happen, to be offered a severance package. And honestly, the amount that I'll be getting is super substantial that it can allow me to take a few months off from work. I think what Dell did was the most humane thing to do. I am just relieved that finally, I am free from any physical, emotional and psychological stress that comes with the line of work I have. Finally, I can have some savings that I can put in the bank. I am finally free from Dell! I cannot anymore elaborate what happened, I won't bash the company or badmouth my former bosses, but I am just relieved. What saddens me the most is that I'm gonna miss the friends I made in the company, and I consider them my lifelong friends. I know I'll still see them, but I won't be able to chat with them or receive funny email threads. But, I am just happy and relieved that finally, we got what we wanted ans we'll be paid accordingly as we part with the company. My initial plans? I plan to take a rest for a month, explore my other options and then send my applications in between. I have been working straight for 4 years, and I will be taking this time to rest and rethink about my career options. Is working abroad an option? It is, but I wanna see what's in store for me here, before I try to fly and look for work abroad. Singapore and Japan are on my list. I also plan to put the money I'll be receiving in the bank and not intend to spend it, unless there is an emergency. I also intend to splurge a bit, maybe get myself a new cellphone or go out of town to relax. I just wanna take things easy. I wanna thank my friends in Dell, for being a shining beacon of hope for me, for the encouraging words and for the friendship they've given me. They were the people who kept me going everyday, eventhough they know that there were times that I wanted to give up and give in. And, I thank God for always guiding me during those trying times I had in Dell. I know a new dawn awaits me. It's time for change. It's time for me to move on. Thank You so much, Dell International Services. If not for the company, I wouldn't reach a certain level of maturity I have when it comes to work, and I am glad to have the pleasure of working with one of the biggest computer and IT companies in the world. There may have been rough, shitty times but it's life and it's part of it. This is just the beginning, only the beginning for me.

Americans are world's top drug users: study

Not so good news for the Americans. Tsktsktsk

Article lifted from the ABS-CBN news website July 2, 2008

Americans are world's top drug users: study

Agence France-Presse

WASHINGTON - Americans are the world's top consumers of cannabis and cocaine despite punitive US drug laws, according to an international study published in the online scientific magazine PLoS Medicine.

The study, released Monday, revealed that 16.2 percent of Americans had tried cocaine at least once, and 42.4 percent had used marijuana.

In second-place New Zealand, just 4.3 percent of study participants had used cocaine, and 41.9 percent marijuana.

The research was conducted at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, based on World Health Organization data from 54,068 people in 17 countries.

Rates of participation differed from country to country, and researchers noted uncertainty over how honestly people report their own drug use.

"Nevertheless, the findings present comprehensive data on the patterns of drug use from national samples representing all regions of the world," a PLoS statement said.

A vast majority of survey participants from the United States, Europe, Japan and New Zealand had consumed alcohol, compared to smaller percentages from the Middle East, Africa and China.

The data also revealed socioeconomic patterns in drug use. Single young adult men with high income had the greatest tendency to regularly use drugs.

Drug use "does not appear to be simply related to drug policy," the researchers wrote, "since countries with more stringent policies toward illegal drug use did not have lower levels of such drug use than countries with more liberal policies."

In the Netherlands, where drug policy is more liberal than the United States, 1.9 percent of survey participants said they had used cocaine and 19.8 percent marijuana.

Twelve US 12 states including California permit medical use of marijuana, but possession and use remains prohibited under federal law.

And despite the US government's massive anti-drug efforts, the United States remains the world's top drug market, one amply supplied by South American cartels.

The US Drug Enforcement Agency has observed ever larger quantities of illegal drugs pouring into the country.

"We are seizing greater quantities of illegal drugs than ever before," said a DEA statement last week.

In 2007, agents seized 41 metric tons of cocaine in just two raids, and denied drug traffickers record-breaking revenue of 3.5 billion dollars for the year, it said.