When you get used working your way through Ebay.ph, you will find that some sellers consistently have nice pieces and my featured seller, raicheal1015 is one of my favorites for 3 reasons.

1. Most of her items are branded and are sold at low prices. Also, the anxiety of them being pre-owned- clothes may have undeclared defects- will not bug you at all because all her clothings are in excellent condition. Plus, a seller’s reputation and credibility is reflected on her feedback score ( number beside the username) and the precentage of positive feedbacks, which is her case is 100%. Meaning she hasn’t received any negative feedback at all and that’s really good.

2. Her listings have pictures when you are browsing among thousands of clothes in the Women’s clothing category. So it’ll save you the pain in the neck of clicking the item and waiting for the picture to upload. Then if it’s not “visually appealing”, you got to go back to the list and proceed to another item, thus the cycle continues. Believe me, it’s really annoying doing it repeatedly.

3. She gives detailed description of each clothing and if you have other questions, the seller responds promptly. Also, her shipping rate is same to that of Air21 (80php for Metro Manila) and a reasonable 120php flat rate for provincial shipping. Some sellers in Ebay.ph has a shipping of 100php for MM or 150php flat rate to all destinations. This depends on which courier the seller is using or if they intend to gain a little bit by overpricing the shipping fee. So as a buyer, you also have to consider the shipping fee and the courier the seller uses because some couriers have the “Critical Areas” where they don’t deliver or the shipping rate zooms up to 200-300php if your place is not covered by their delivery services.

However, some draw back about buying from this seller (and others) is that since her items are more visible than others, bidding prices soars up very high and fast, the competition is very stiff and if you have a slug-like connection, the moment you have just clicked the confirm bid button, another person had already outbided you. Also, you really have to watch your item closely 2 hours before it ends because that’s when the bidding war gets nasty and CRAZY. You have to refresh every minute. So the point here is it’s very hard to win an item you really like if you aren’t very vigilant and aggressive. So be ready to shed it all for that Marc jacobs top or Diane von Furstenberg tunic or Mango gold haltertop or Anna Sui printed minidress!

Here are some of here items. You can view all of the items HERE. (Take note of the remaining time before bidding ends always). Happy viewing!

1. White Crochet Oversized sleeves dressy top

2. Zara Blue design Minidress

3. Sinequanone Brown Tunic/ Minidress

4. Escada Sport Embelished Violet top

5. Ann Taylor Violet design Babydoll Top

6. ZARA TRF Black Ruffles Victorian Turtleneck top

7. Marc Jacobs Brown Floral Silk Overlap top

There are numerous local online stores that sell swimsuits, beach wears and accessories. Nui clothing is one of the online stores who offers a variety of clothes and accessories- from basics to trendy ones. I managed to purchase a black baby doll top from them last december and it’s been one of my faves. And while everybody’s busy getting tans and the summer breeze blowing off your feet to the beach, you might wanna first check on NUI clothing’s release of their unique fashion line of bikinis, swimwear, beachwear and cover ups good for that island getaway! Plus-sized women, don’t fret, they also carry a hip line that flatters your figure. Their clothes are reasonably priced. In terms of quality, you really get what you  paid for.

You can visit the Nui clothing website and check out their catalogue and how to order online.

Hello kitty strikes again! Remember the rubber ducky version of darth vader? NEWFLASH: Darth Vader’s newest revelation! Take a look at this:

I never thought he can be a cute, pink- loving, goody-two-shoed villain afterall…and oh! Did i say Gay too? hahaha kiddin’.

Here’s the hippie storm trooper: (*thanks cookie)

Fighting for world peace! hehehe

Hi there beach babes! I saw a myriad of beach cover ups worn from my recent trip at the beach- sheer, cotton or crochet, dyed, printed or solid color, short or long, et.al. Before our trip, I was considering buying one but I decided not to at the last minute because I have this pure silk,tangerine kaftan-like top which i think is a unique and functional piece. (And I am bragging that I brought it with me because I got lots of second looks while we were checking out the night life at Puerto galera because of it. Woohooo!)

If you wanna check more items at Ebay.ph:

Type “cover” at the search box and choose the “Clothing, Shoes and Accessories” Category. This will yield the most number of results.

ITEM DESCRIPTION: Mango White Longsleeved cover up

END TIME: Apr 13, 2008 17:48:32 PHT

STARTING BID: 149php (US$ 3.75)

ITEM DESCRIPTION: Imported White overlap bikini cover up
END TIME: Apr 14, 2008 03:22:50 PHT

STARTING BID: 300php (US$7.50)

ITEM DESCRIPTION: Brown Indian-inspired printed Top

END TIME: Apr 11, 2008 22:29:25 PHT

STARTING BID: 420php (US$10.50)

ITEM DESCRIPTION: Crochet Swimsuit cover up

END TIME: Apr 18, 2008 03:58:31 PHT

STARTING BID: 300php (US$7.50)

ITEM DESCRIPTION: Beach Cover ups- Peach beige floral

END TIME: Apr 11, 2008 00:15:40 PHT

STARTING BID: 55php (US$13.75)

ITEM DESCRIPTION: Summer Babydoll Dress/Top

END TIME: Apr 10, 2008 09:52:38 PHT

STARTING BID: 299php (approx.US$7.50)

I came back from Puerto Galera with my bf last Sunday…and we had a blast! Despite the traffic in SLEX and Lipa City that delayed us for more 4 hours ( a usual trip from Manila to puerto galera is 4hours), it was worth it!

Anyway, we arrived around 4pm at white beach and checked in to our “humbling” room (don’t ask) first before hitting the beach. Tired from our 8- hour travel, as well as having empty stomachs, we invaded the nearest eat-all-you-can-rice resto and pigged out! hahaha

After eating, we took a stroll along the entire stretch of the White beach and took pictures, goofed around and watched other vacationists as they crowd the beach.

There was this Tattoo shop which caught my attention because they have huge speakers in front of the shop playing Reggae. (cool!) My bf must’ve read that intrigued look on my face and said we should get a henna, since I haven’t had one before (and it’s on my to-do list before i die). So here comes eager beaver (me), headed straight where the tattoo catalogs are stacked and started my unending inquiries about tattoos. hehehe Here’s our pic:

That night, around 11pm, I was pretty much anticipating what the night life there would be like.. Turned our that it was just similar to the night life in Manila- the attire and place is just different. The beach was jam-packed! As in! So after dining out and finishing off a bottle of beer (for my bf) and soda (for me), we found a free spot where we laid on our backs and did some stargazing… My bf is not a fan of astronomy, so I taught him which one is the Orion constellation (after watching 10,00-b.c., he should have an idea what I’m talking about) and the Big dipper, both of which are easiest to spot in the night sky.

So the following day, we woke up around 7am and it was raining! So much for tan. We ate our breakfast, again at the eat-all-you-can-rice resto. While pigging out and talking about our misfortunes and blonde moments, the sun suddenly appeared among the thick rain clouds and it was HOT again! hahaha We sprinted back to our room and changed into our swim wear and returned to the beach! yahoo! First on the list: Banana Boat! It was our first time and we were really psyched up! After mounting the banana boat, the speed boat pulling us started heading to the open ocean.. I was seated in the middle (4th in line of 10). Let me give you a piece of advice: If you plan to ride this anytime in the future, never seat in the middle… I hated the splashes created by our boat hitting the waves! It was all over my face and I cannot see a thing, I cannot breath well and the salty water seems to get into my mouth!!! So while I was battling out for my survival, the speed boat deliberately took a sharp turn and next thing I knew, our banana boat turned upside down and I was thrown off-guard into the water and the salty water entered through my nose and seeped to my throat.. As I managed to resurface from the plunge, I saw my BF saving someone else’s girlfriend!!! 0.0 Well after that he said he thought the girl was me but then realized otherwise when the real BF was pulling her away from him.. HAHAHA I thought it was hilarious but I didn’t let my bf sense that I was cool with it. I pretended to be jealous and said he was just making “chansing”! hahaha Anyway, there were more 2 banana boat flipping and after that, I can say it wasn’t THAT traumatic and relatively, it was a GOOD “experience. ^^

We headed back to the shore and returned our life vests. After a few seconds, i started itching all over my body.. it feels like pouring a 90% salt water into your skin with fine needle punctures all over your body. So horrible that I begged my BF to head back to our room and wash myself up because it was really unbearable. I’m bit puzzled why it happened because prior to swimming I placed a layer of sunblock lotion and petroleum jelly over my skin to protect me from the sun and any allergens present in the water. So to make the long story short, after washing up, I dressed up on my “pang-uwi” clothes and just sat on the beach while my BF got his tan. … I mainly took pleasure sitting there and taking pictures.. I did got my tan without bathing.. but it wasn’t as nice as my BF’s. Haaayyy… Here’s our picture after.. (while waiting for our boatride back to Batangas pier)

When we left Puerto galera, we made history and brought along good memories… I hope we can go back there soon. This is one great, unforgettable summer! Really!

What’s not to love about this girl? She’s pretty, talented and she has short hair!!! I love it! (waahh… i want!)

I never noticed these scarves until I read a blog by Aileen in her multiply and while I was browsing Ebay for wool scarves. I found some info about them in wikipedia.

While I was going around Tutuban mall 2 days ago, looking for wool sweaters, I saw them again and I knew at that moment, the buying itch has been initiated! hahaha I asked the sales lady on the price and she said it costs 300php per scarf. After series of questions and chit chats, I didn’t buy the scarf because I didn’t have an extra money for sideline shopping. So here I am again, scouring Ebay and online stores for these scarves and I found a seller who sells them 2 yashmaghs for 400ph(shipping included) and 2 shemaghs for 500php (shipping included) and 750php for 2 surbans (shipping included). Isn’t that a great deal? Here are some the scarves he sell:

A heart-warming photo…( me too!)

OK. First and foremost, Hello kitty has been in every young girl’s life.. I mean if you are totally ignorant about hello kitty then you’re probably from Pluto! It’s good that some loves hello kitty until they become mature adults but when I saw this…. this, this is one of the reasons why sometimes HK fanatics scare the hell out of me…I just wanna scream and say, “For the love of God!!! what the heck is wrong with you people?” Totally way over, over the top! If you’re gonna ask me, it looks like a panty shield attached to a string with a hello kitty drawing! Or it’ s really a hello kitty eye patch converted to bikini? Haaayyy…Maybe it’s also the model that freaked me out…the location of the tattoo kinda bothers me.

I just hope Hello kitty fashion would be something more “hello kitty”, if you know what I mean.

I love the beach… but I am afraid…(ahem).. afraid of the sun’s harmful UV rays that’s why I am armed with sunblock, hat, umbrella and clothes that will cover my entire body! hahahaha (major KJ) Anyway, my bf and I are so psyched on our trip to Puerto gallera this weekend because it’s our first trip to the beach alone as a couple ever since we started dating 2 years ago.

Anyway, summer is all about bright colors, tans, swimsuits and virtually anything related to the beach. I found out that Beachbaby clothing has a website. I ordered a pair of lounge pants from Miss Nikki of beachbaby 3 years ago, only learning about it from a magazine article and I whined and nagged my elder brother to drive me to the Ms. Nikki’s house. (I’m not a good sister!) I picked it up from her place in Tandang Sora, Q.C. because I didn’t know about shipping or gcash before! Until now, the yellow pants is still in very good condition and the talk about comfort, i don’t have any bad thing to say! Worth every cent! They are made from 100% soft cotton… Also you can wear it anywhere- beaches, strolling in malls, doing the grocery, in your bed, etc..! I bought it for 300php but after 3 years, I guess it’s reasonable that the price will be higher (350php). Right now they have added other styles in their catalog which is great! You can now choose from lounge pants, gaucho, elephant pants, capris, bermuda shorts or kaftan.

If you are looking for affordable, quality and comfortable outfit for summer, then a Beachbaby is a must have!

(sorry I don’t have pictures for this one.. Just visit their website instead.)