How to score a good ukay finds...

I'm a bonafide fashionista at my class...er...school? Not sure. But I do get compliments on my getup and second takes from other people whenever I'm out.
Also, since I've been raised to be frugal (although I LOVE fashion and wardrobes, cute dresses and shopping), I manage my budget to get the best of fashion at the lowest possible price.


Tip #1: Look for a good ukay store. Hunt for shops and check them out. The best pieces I have in my wardrobe were found on good stores. A good ukay store has their own space, fitting room and, most of the time, air conditioning system. But that's not always the case because some stores doesn't have any but you can tell it's a good store if you...

Tip#2: Look at the displays. If most of the displays are good, most likely, it will have pieces that are in mint condition at most and, find good and really cute pieces that compliment your body shape (since ukay-ukays are from other countries, it most likely will have the cutest pieces for different sizes).

Tip#3: Check for the color quality. More color = less likely used. But some pieces are still good even if it looked like it's been washed and worn for months or so. Depends on the fabric, of course. I have a few good ones that look only slightly used, or the kind of fading you see in tiangges, but it's still better because you should also...

Tip#4 Check the fabric quality. Some fabrics are hard to find here and can only be found abroad. Usually, these fabrics are used and can only be found clothes bought in high-end boutiques here. Good luck. Also, there are fabrics that look great on chubby people. Then there are also fabrics that show the slightest hint of flab in the wrong places, even if you're already stick thin. The clothes fabric is also a good indicator of how long you can wear the outfit. Just like skin shows the "age", you can tell until when the color will stay, how long will it wear and tear, and the impressionability of the piece.

Tip #5: Create a target look AND bring your own unique style. Of course, that goes without saying. But some shoppers head to the store without a vision in mind. Whenever I go ukay-hunting, I head there with an idea. If I want a summer look, I opt for sheer mini-dresses/long blouses (since I'm short, they look like dresses on me. Hehehe! ). Or, sometimes I look for "victorian" look. Sometimes, "black pants" are my target. The point is, never go there aimlessly or else, you'll find yourself disappointed when you get home.

Tip#6: Try them on! Although this is a bit nasty, or gross (especially to OC's). But the thing is, some clothes look great on the hanger and it JUST might be your size. However, There are uncertainties on how they will look once you've worn them. Trust me. These pieces does not work on a standard size and always bear in mind that these are probably rejects or has some sort of fatal flaw. Why else would they be sent off? I've had my fair share. I once bought these great pair of pants and it looks really great. But the thing was, the stitches that made the design were really itchy. No, it wasn't because of some bacteria. It's because the stitches were made with silver thread. The rough kind pf metallic thread. And it runs all the way from waist to foot. Too bad. But, I've had a LOT of pieces that looked blah on the hanger, but looks UBER on me. Hehe!:D

Tip #7: Lookout for sales and new arrivals. Once you've established your fave ukay store, you can now put something on your calendar for bargain hunting. If you want to score a LOT of great finds, lookout for new arrivals. Downside: Prices no less than 200. If you want to save more though, you can wait for sales. Their prices can go from 200+ to 70(blouse price). Anyway, some good pieces don't really get bought until the sale. Downside: less to choose from, and if you've been eyeing a piece there before the sale, prepare for yourself for disappointment. If you want to choose the first, prepare a lot of money. If the latter, it's best if you head there with no actual target piece. Just head there on a whim if you have extra allowance, of course.

Tip#8: Be patient AND impulsive. Yup, you've read right. Adamant searching is key to finding great pieces. With the number of clothes hanging there, you are bound to find at least one. If you can't, don't linger and find it somewhere else. The search is not over! And, it's not the only store. You've searched, right?


Tip #9: Double-check for noticeable or irreparable damage. If it's dirty, fine. If it's stained, ask yourself "can I remove it?". If it's stained in a visible part, forget it. If there's a small rat nip, fine. If there's a slightly bigger rat nip, repair. If it's beyond repair, forget it. Practicality should be applied. This might take a while, so always keep in mind Tip#8.

Tip#10: If it doesn't feel right, forget it. If you're second-guessing whether you'd buy it or not, DON'T DO IT! You will find yourself not ACTUALLY using it at all and wasting money. Unless of course you're second-guessing because:

a. you don't have any more money
b. there are two (or more) great pieces and you can't decide which one

Other than that, don't buy it. Period.


Well, that's just about everything I learned (and remembered) for now. My brain's starting to bleed. If I ever miss out on anything else, just share it, please.

MICHAEL JACKSON NEWS

Los Angeles police investigating Michael Jackson's sudden death said on Sunday they do not consider his doctor a suspect despite having questioned him about his presence at the time of the pop idol's fatal cardiac arrest.
The Jackson family had yet to announce funeral arrangements for the 50-year-old King of Pop. But a family friend told Reuters that a service could be held on Wednesday and that the family wanted to bury Jackson at his famous Neverland Ranch.
The death of one of the most gifted musical performers of his generation prompted tributes and condolences, from U.S. President Barack Obama to legions of fans in Hollywood. Top performers were set to honor Jackson at the BET Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday.
It was still unclear what, if any, role Jackson's prescription medicines might have played in his sudden death on Thursday. The family carried out its own autopsy on Saturday after the Los Angeles Coroner said it would need four to six more weeks to determine the exact cause of death.
Late on Saturday, police interviewed cardiologist Dr. Conrad Murray in a second meeting that lasted three hours. The doctor was hired ahead of Jackson's comeback concert series in London this month.
"He was interviewed as a person of interest, not a suspect," Officer Norma Eisenman, a Los Angeles Police spokeswoman, told Reuters.
A police statement added that "Dr. Murray was cooperative and provided information that will aid the investigation."
According to media reports and a family friend, Jackson was injected with the narcotic painkiller Demerol before he went into cardiac arrest, and Murray was trying to revive him when paramedics arrived.
The Los Angeles Times reported Sunday that the interview with Murray revealed "no red flag" indicating criminal activity or the cause of death.
And Murray's lawyers said in a statement that he helped police "identify the circumstance around the death ... and clarified some inconsistencies."
'CONCERNED ABOUT ADDICTION'
Stacy Brown, an author who co-wrote the book "Michael Jackson: The Man Behind the Mask," told Reuters on Sunday that the singer's family aimed to have a funeral on Wednesday. His body would be buried at Neverland, the California ranch where Jackson lived a reclusive and fantasy-like life.
Brown also said a family source told him Jackson was injected with the drug Demerol at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, shortly before he died.
"They have been concerned about his addiction to medicines for years," Brown said. "It's been no family secret that they've been trying to get him help for his addiction."
Jackson's family was eager to take the spotlight off the singer's troubled last decade, in which he was tried and acquitted of child molestation and was vilified for eccentric behavior.
Jackson's father, Joe, on Saturday urged fans not to despair because the singer "will continue to live on in each and every one of you."
President Barack Obama wrote to Jackson's family expressing his condolences, White House adviser David Axelrod told NBC news television show "Meet the Press" on Sunday.
Fans continued to stream past Jackson's star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, leaving flowers and singing his best-known songs like "Thriller" and "Billie Jean."
In the Philippines, prisoners who rose to Internet fame two years ago with their exercise regime featuring "Thriller" donned their dancing shoes once more on Saturday to pay tribute to Jackson. [nMAN462684]
Back in Los Angeles, some of the biggest names in entertainment rushed to attend the BET Awards, modified at the last minute to make the gathering a tribute to Jackson. Host Jamie Foxx will be joined by top performers like Beyonce.
RIP Michael.. Thank u for ur music..

Top 20 S60 mobile applications

Here is a list of 20 Symbian applications for S60 based cell phones which can be called the Top 20 based on the popularity and usage. The views presented in this post are my own & do not reflect,in any way, the final judgment on any aspect of the product on a general scale. So Here we go..

1. emTUBE : This is a very useful & one of the most awaited S60 applications by ‘Apple-devoid’ youtube-crazy people, since previously this feature was available only on Apple iPhones. The emTUBE, made purely for Symbian 60 operating system based mobile phones, allows you to watch Youtube videos on your mobile phones.

The emTUBE offers you to handle youtube videos in the following ways:

• Search: Youtube videos from mobile(provides additional options such as search limits,filter)
• Play: Youtube videos on mobile
• View-n-play: the Featured,Top Rated & the Most-Watched youtube Videos on mobile

2. Google Maps : It needs no introduction. This ground-breaking application by google not only revolutionized the face of web but is also creating new landmarks in mobile phone technologies.

Google Maps now works natively on S60 and even supports the built-in GPS on the N95. To try this application visit http://www.google.com/gmm from your S60 based mobile phone.

3. Epocware Handy Calendar : This is a powerful, Symbian 60 based mobile calendar which offers you more features than what a normal mobile calendar does.It offers multiple views - Day, Week, Month, and Task.Here you can open or preview any task or appointment from the Day and Task views. The Month and Week views show all of your meetings and events at a glance, and include busy bars or dots that help you to estimate your day loads. This application also offers you sorting of the tasks on several different criterias, like due date, subject or priority. More at www.epocware.com

4. Nokia Chat : Nokia chat is a useful chat application for S60 3rd edition based mobile phones. It is a Contacts and GPS-integrated chat and location-sharing system that allows selected friends to know about your whereabouts in real-time.

The Nokia chat application is currently in Beta stage & can be downloaded form Nokia’s official website.

5. Nokia Theme Scheduler : Now you can schedule your themes on your Symbian 60 based mobile phones with the Nokia Theme scheduler application for S60 based mobile phones.

It let you schedule your themes either automatically on the basis of your active profile or by setting the timer to change the theme after your set time duration.Cool huh..

6. Nokia Profile Scheduler :

Similar to the above Theme Scheduler, this profile scheduler by Nokia allows you to change your profiles automatically with timer scheduling.

7. EQO Mobile VoIP, IM & SMS : is a freeware multiple chat applications that allows you to chat, text & voip with a number of IM clients like MSN, AIM, Yahoo!, Google Talk, QQ, ICQ and Jabber.It allows you to have multiple chat sessions form different sources simultaneously. It even provides a Social phonebook which shows who is online before you place a call, send a message and/or start a chat session.

This S60 based mobile application also allows you to have long distance calls through VOIP, thus cutting your telephony costs up to 95% ! It is a must to have application if you are a frequent traveler or have a large number of online friends.

8. Palringo : This new S60 based mobile application allows you to instantly exchange text, photos and vocal IMs with an individual contact or even a group.It supports all the major IM clients viz. AIM, Yahoo!, Google Talk, MSN, and more.Its multiple platform architecture allows you to manage your conversations on both your PC & your mobile phone as well.

9. GSync :This cool S60 mobile application by PSILOC allows you to automatically archive all your SMS and MMS messages on a Gmail account. The messages appear as email and messages exchanged with the same people are grouped into threads. This application is available free on a 10 days trial offer.

10. Mobile Web Server (beta) : Now you can gain access to your mobile’s personal data from a remote web server by using this useful Symbian Mobile Web Server (beta) application.

Not only this, it also allows you to browse contacts, calendar entries, send SMS messages and create your own mobile web pages and blogs from your PC.More at mobile server(beta).

11. smartSignalTest : This 30 day trial S60 application, provided by smartphone-solutions keeps a continous vigil on your phone’s signal power, wherever you go & alert you by beep/vibration if the signal strength goes weak. A good companion for frequent roamers.Isn’t?

12. Quick Office ver 4.1 : This document management application allows to create,edit,manage your Microsoft Office documents right on your Symbian 60 based handset. Here are a few screenshots of this useful application:

13. Qik : This is another web2.0ish revolutionary Symbian 60 based application which allows you to live stream videos from your S60 compatible mobile to directly on the web. Now no need to worry about the limited storage space.Just install Qik, capture or streamlive a video to your friends like Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, etc.

14. Opera Mini : The popular web browser Opera is doing a good job in mobile application too. This light-weight mini mobile application offers a user-friendly interface for browsing internet on mobile.

15. Pocket Express : This small S60 based application provides you access to a wide range of rapidly changing content like news, sports, weather and lots more on your mobile phone

It basically provides content on 7 major areas which are as follows:

- Global news stories
- The latest sports information
- Weather forecasts
- Stock price movements
- Entertainment stories
- Horoscopes
- Travel information
More at www.handmark.com

16. Memory Up - Mobile memory & RAM booster : This powerful Symbian 60 application is a mobile RAM booster as well as a JVM (Java Virtual MAchine) management tool. It analysis the RAM by running some J2ME programs as well as some hidden programs that automatically allocate & recover occupied RAM & boost system to its best performance.

17. Jaiku’s Social PhoneBook - is a S60 based mobile social phonebook application that displays real time status of presence and location of your contacts.

However it has gone quite old now, since its launch two years back in 2006, but still this social phonebook application is been appreciated in mid-segment, S60 2nd edition based mobile phones such as Nokia 6260, 6600, 6620, 6630, 6670, 6680, 6681, 6682, 7610 and N70.

18. Yahoo! Go - Yahoo Go is another S60 based mobile application that lets you access several Yahoo services like Yahoo Email, weather & flickr.

19. ebuddy : The mobile messenger ebuddy is S60 based mobile application that allows you to do Instant messaging with friends using the four popular IM clients viz. Gtalk, MSN messenger, AIM & Yahoo.It is a light weight application that can be extremely helpful during low battery levels.

20. Frozen Bubble for S60 : This is a very interesting bubble game for S60 based mobile phones & comes free under the GNU public license. t features 100 full levels (from the original frozen bubble release), nice graphics adjusted for the S60 screen size (240×320) and sound effects from the original game.