TOPAZ HORIZON

Been gone a while, I know. Ever since we started on our little sideline, I've hardly had time to breathe! But today I was able to sneak in some eBay window shopping and oooh I fell in love with this clever bag:



It's the Kate Spade All Typed Up Clyde carry all. I love the bold red, the whimsical design. It's so retro-pop cool! I love it! So perfect for a writer. So perfect for me!

The price, however, is not so perfect. It's $695 or P29,850. Its retail price was $495 so I don't understand why the eBay seller jacked up the price. It's also in the US of A which means I'll have to pay extra for shipping. And someone already made an offer (I didn't know you can do that on eBay!) so by the time I save enough to buy it, it'd be long gone.

Sadness! Won't anyone out there buy it for me??? Here's the eBay listing. I really really really want it!!!

Or I can just go to a thrift shop, buy an old typewriter, take out the keys and glue it to my satchel! I think that, on the handmade leather satchel, it will look completely steam punk, though. What you think?

Hello everyone! How was your holiday?

I've had a lovely two weeks. Went with my Sales family to the truly incredible Shangri-la Mactan for the very first time (thanks, Mom and Dad!), happy with how things are going at work since a huge problem is finally going away (hooray!), had an amazing anniversary week with Vince, met the coolest mommy bloggers ever over milkshakes and mocktails, gave my Topaz Mommy blog a fab makeover, and really enjoyed the Holy Week cocooned at home with just my boys.

Plus, I've been winning auction after auction on eBay! I now have a cute new Marni dress, a whimsical Gucci bag, a sheet of Peter Rabbit stamps and a bottle of my Lanvin perfume (the one on eBay is about P2,000 cheaper than the ones sold at the mall!). I'm sooo happy! I still have my eye on four designer dresses. Bidding ends on Wednesday. This is sooo exciting! I hope I win them all!

*family photo from my sister-in-law Lizelle =)

There's a huge Baby Co. sale at Megamall right about now and I've been wanting to go except that I am sick. A cold that started three weeks ago finally took a dramatic turn for the worse and I have taken to bed.

Anyway, I don't really need anything for Vito. Being the youngest boy in the male-dominated Sales family, he's inherited a ton of clothes and baby things from his cousins. I just wanted to get foodie things like a bowl, a sippy cup, a rubber-tipped spoon, a food grinder and... Well, I just wanted to check things out! I also wanted to go to the department store and get slipcovers for our dining chairs. With Vito about to embark on solid food in a couple of weeks, our lovely house is in danger!

My onesies, socks, bibs, stroller, carrier, bath tub... all for free!

Anyway, I also wanted to shop because I've been dealing with this nagging feeling that I'm not getting Vito new stuff. You know? His stuff. It was Vince who started it. He's the youngest in his family and he always got his brother's hand-me-downs. So even though he likes it that we haven't spent anything on Vito's clothes and stuff, he also feels bad that we aren't even trying to get him new things.

I'm no stranger to hand-me-downs either. Because my family didn't have much when I was growing up, I got the clothes of my cousins. And oh those clothes were so beautiful! So I have a good experience with second-hand stuff. Hence, my fascination with eBay!

DVF silk ladybug shift dress from eBay!

Miu Miu by Prada silk dress from eBay!

H&M belted LBD from eBay!

But then I have friends who also gave birth this year. And they tell me about how the onesies here are so cute or the bibs over there are so clever or how the strollers now are so high-tech... and I get insecure. There are so many nice new things out there! Should I rush out and get them for my Vito? After all, he is my first born. My only child. Should I try harder? Am I taking this save-the-planet thing a bit too far? Am I relying too much on the kindness and oh so wonderful generosity of my Sales family? (Thanks, Anj! Thanks, Lizelle!)

I really don't want to care but it's so strange how a little baby changes everything!

Since giving birth to Vito Gwapito, I really don't go anywhere far from my house. Sleepless nights have made me look and act like a zombie so I don't look very presentable most days. My goodness, when will I ever have a good night's rest again--maybe when Vito's 18? Argh, that's a whole set of worries by then and I guess I'll have to resort to some potent sleep aids to get any rest at all. Readers who want to have babies, be warned!

Anyway, the real reason I don't venture far from the house anymore is because I breastfeed Vito. I express milk but there's not much milk that gets expressed (only about 3 oz a session) so even if I have a few bottles stored, I still get paranoid that Vito will drink all the milk while I'm away and then he'll starve. Ya, I'm crazy stupid like that.

But last Friday night, I was able to steal away for four hours to go shopping with my girlfriends Nicole and Nikki at the newly opened Kiehl's boutique at Mall of Asia (more on that soon at Beauty For A Living). Let me tell ya, it was soooo nice to just chat away with the girls. From silly things like Topshop finds and yummy things like traditional Thanksgiving dishes to really serious and sad stuff that I won't talk about here.

Instead I'll talk about the light and fluffy! Like my outfit! Woot! Outfit post! Now when was the last time I did that?! Anyway, I am wearing my Gap shirt, my Guess skinny jeans, my black suede peep-toes I bought from eBay and my Fino bag.


If you're wondering why Nicole has her hand in that begging pose, it's because of this:

Freaky! Nic just came from an acupuncture session, a regular treatment she does that really helped her health. I've only done acupuncture once, as a last resort to a terrible cough that lasted for weeks and wouldn't go away whatever I did and no matter how many doctors I saw. So off I went to a Chinese clinic, had a detox, an acupressure massage, an acupuncture session and a total physical diagnosis using magnets. I was half laughing and half coughing the entire time. "This is crazy shit," I said to myself. But that night, my phlegm loosened and by morning, my cough was gone. Gone!

So I've digressed from my story! Anyway, I'm just glad I was able to go out. Being a mom is all about giving, giving, giving. It saps the life out of me sometimes. So it's good to be able to steal away now and then and just recharge. I should do it more often actually. Vince has been complaining about my temper recently. Sigh.

Saw this quirky fun dress on eBay:The seller said it's an Anna Sui. If you click on the photo, you can just barely make out ANNA SUI on the black label.

When I googled it, however, another eBay seller was selling it--the identical dress!--as a Marc Jacobs.
Ack! What is it really? I need to know before I bid! And I want to bid on the right one! Or is this another case of the ladybug dress?

UPDATE: Gorgeous fashion writer Leona told me it's actually a Lanvin from the Spring 08 collection! Oh my! Guess I'm not getting this one, then. Thanks, Leona!

Thrift shopping is fantabulous! While Vince dislikes it that I thrift-shop for my clothes ("It's not like we don't have any money!"), I really prefer to buy my clothes vintage or second-hand because I am absolutely sure I'll never show up at a party or an event and some other girl is wearing the exact same dress.

I just want to show you girls my latest thrift buys from eBay:

An H&M belted LBD that I wore to my last Juicy TV guesting. This fits me like a glove and it may be black and simple but because it hugs me in all the right places and that belt just cinches my waist, I feel very severe and sexy in it.

A Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress. I haven't worn this yet. It looks even better in person than the photo. It's such a classic! And I totally adore that it's in silk jersey so I never need to iron it. Vince likes this dress, too.

A Hugo Boss cotton dress in beige. Nude and neutral colors are very in this year, and I just had to get this dress because, aside from the on-trend hue, it looks formal enough to wear to meetings but feels very comfy. When I wear it, I look like a Gap ad from its current collection by Alexander Wang and Vena Cava... except that I'm wearing Hugo Boss!

Then today--yes today!--I won this cute Diane Von Furstenberg ladybug dress! This adorable A-line dress came down the runway for the Spring/Summer 2007 collections. Yeah, it's old but I just had to have it because ladybugs are special to Vince and me.
Ten years ago, a golden ladybug landed on my wrist. It refused to fly away! So Vince placed his hand over mine to take it away; instead the ladybug just kept crawling from my hand to his and from his to mine and by the end of that afternoon, Vince had asked me out on our very first date. One year later, Vince gave me a necklace with the cutest ladybug pendant and it's been around my neck for over 9 years!
I actually had a similar ladybug dress from Zara. Bought it in 2007 and wore it just once (when my staff and I went to Subic and met some native Aetas). I found out soon after the trip that DVF had come out with the design first and I just didn't want to buy a knockoff--even if it was a Zara knockoff!

While I love finding vintage dresses and bags, there are some things I like buying brand new. Furniture. Jewelry. Shoes. Especially shoes! My goodness, shoes are my downfall so they better be spankin' brand new!

So I know I've disappeared for a bit! After the TV show taping on Monday, I had my radio tour on Wednesday then a complete revamp of OK!'s July cover and cover story on Thursday, and a spa checkout on Friday. Whew!

When I'm feeling awfully tired, I go shopping online. Finding goodies online just really revitalizes me! But I found these lovely bags on eBay and one of them is quite pricey so now, instead of feeling happy, I'm getting all stressed again.

I love Fendi mostly because they feature my initial on almost all their bags. This Fendi pochette has the double F logo in shiny red, which makes it all the more fab. And at just PHP 2,400 (USD 51), it's calling out to me every day.
However, this bag is calling out to me every single minute. I found this vintage Chanel quilted tasseled bag. It's from the mid-'80s and I just love it. Problem is I don't love the PHP 16,500 (USD 350) price. I know that's cheap for a Chanel bag but it costs as much as one of my Ghosts. And, for a journalist like me, that's still an insane price for a bag. I don't mind paying for laptops and furniture, but for a bag...? Sigh, but no.

Oh, it would be so nice if I can have the Chanel bag or both bags! I'll just need to make more money then... Or maybe you can donate to my bag fund? =D

P.S. Also an online shopper? Do check out Pretty Peddler, this new beauty blog which sells the best beauty products for much less!

Nope, the fat wabbit's not me! Anyway, a few days ago, L'Oreal Professionel launched its wonderful new line, the Nature Serie, at the elegant M Cafe just across the Ayala Museum (see above). I wore my utterly fab eBay find--my BGBG Max Azria sequined LBD with my sequined black flats and Gucci shoppers tote.

The bags behind me are the giveaways--filled with shampoos, conditioners, masks and other lovely hair stuff that's so organic and gentle, you can use them on your kids!

In keeping with the nature theme, the event featured organic produce which we guests can take home. It was such a delight to shop for fresh veggies! But while the other guests were thinking of salads, I was thinking of my bunny wabbits, Galadriel and Matilda (pictured below in our kitchen).Obviously, the bunnies were ecstatic with what Mommy brought home. Mommy was more ecstatic with the delightful products--each guest brought home a huge tote bag filled with the entire line!
So so happy! I'll be doing a more thorough review of the products in Beauty For A Living, where everything from makeup and lotions to strange treatments and diet pill liporexall reviews are featured! Watch for it within a week, okidoki!

This weekend, Vince and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary and the 10th anniversary of our first kiss!

We had a very simple day, which started with me cooking a big brunch. Then... I won't go into specifics! Later on, we went to Power Plant for a haircut (yes, a haircut!) because Vince's last haircut was in December and his long hair was really annoying him. Pardon the pics--we took them with the iPhone because I didn't want to lug around my huge camera.

Then we had dinner at Myron's. Oh, but that was a lovely dinner that left us dizzy. I had a crisp salad and a glass of Chardonnay; Vince had a juicy steak and a Shiraz. We also had two orders of these huge baked oysters that were each as big as my hand. I had 7, Vince had 5! We were so full and round, Vince joked that we could just roll ourselves home!
We were supposed to watch Fast & Furious (we are fans of The Fast & The Furious because hot cars and hot stars are a deadly combination) and watch Ferrari parts fly but I think the movie was all Mitsubishi, Nissan and Mazda and no one gave good reviews so we decided to drop by the bookstore instead. I know I never mention books in this blog because I try to keep this blog light and silly but Vince and I adore books and we do believe we've spent a small fortune on Fully Booked.

Then home we went for rich Batangas coffee and Selecta strawberry ice cream. We parked ourselves in front of the TV for a marathon of Pushing Daisies and Chuck and a truly bad movie The Day The Earth Stood Still, which we delighted in demolishing. And that was our anniversary!

Anyway, this whole weekend, I've been singing "A Whole New World" from Disney's Aladdin. It was the song I was singing when Vince and I started going out in 1999, and what I hummed as I prepared for our wedding in 2007. You know, even after 10 years, I still feel like I'm in a whole new world. With the one I love by my side, it is indeed still a thrilling chase, a wondrous place for Vince and me.

So I've been getting inspired by WendyB's posts on her eBay finds (she is amazing when it comes to shopping on eBay!) and so I'm posting some of mine here, just to get the word out on how fun online shopping is. If I haven't said so yet, I'm an eBay junkie, too. Almost all my beautiful dresses and some sexy shoes and vintage bags are from eBay.

Why do I love eBay? Let me count the ways:
1. The hunt! I get a huge high! And y'all know how I love online shopping.
2. Second-hand stuff is kinder to the environment. Reuse, recycle!!!
3. Vintage dresses and bags are amazingly well constructed. They really don't make stuff like that anymore. Sigh.
4. I love the designer dresses I get for a fraction of the cost! I have a Miu Miu, a Prada, a Jill Stuart, an Anna Sui, and a lot more I can't remember. I do know that I now own these two BCBG Maxazria LBDs:


So sexy. So classic. So PHP 800 (USD 16) each! Ah, eBay... I love it!