The Club 21 Bazaar experience...

As mentioned in a recent post, I went to the legendary Club 21 Bazaar over the weekend hoping to score some good buys.

And score good buys I did as I walked away from the bazaar.

The bazaar opened to the public last Friday. Club 21 members and Citibank cardholders had a preview the day before. Mon and I were initially tempted to take a leave for the preview, but decided against it. Haha! Tempting as it was, I decided not to give in to temptation and went to work.

On Friday, I left home at 8 so that I can reach the venue by 9. The bazaar was opening at 10, but I was expecting there would be a queue.

Crazy as it may sound, I was feeling very excited as I walked from Promenade station to the F1 Pit building. I dunno. I guess I was just really excited by the whole thing because it was my first time to attend the legendary event.

When I reached the venue, there were already about 4 people in queue. I was so glad I decided to come early because more people started arriving as 10AM neared.

There were two queues though - one for Club 21 members and another for the public.

Once the clock struck 10, the doors opened and the Club 21 members were let in first. Boo! Haha! After a few minutes, they let the rest of us in.

Upon entry, a Club 21 staff was handing out huge plastic bags to shoppers. I got one and immediately headed in.

The bazaar occupied two main halls. Club 21 was efficient enough to publish a layout of the bazaar so I already knew where I wanted to go. DKNY was at this area. CK was at that area. D&G, Lanvin and CDG were on the other side. Club 21 Men were next to it, and so on.

I'm really no newbie to these kinds of sales. I already have a strategy of my own. Dress comfortably. Dun bring a bag (which was a great idea because they asked shoppers with bags to deposit the bags. Precious shopping time taken away! LOL!)  Collect and select. When you see something that you like, grab it immediately and decide later if you really want it. Otherwise, someone else might snap it and then how, you cry, ah?

Also, I already had in mind a list of things I was hoping to get and a list of brands I wanted to check out. This was important especially because I had limited time.

After going through the pieces I was looking for, I went around just to check the other items on sale. I am still amazed at how low the prices were. Pieces of clothing that were originally thousands of dollars are now down to a few hundred bucks. Those that sold for hundred of bucks were down to less than a hundred. It was really one of the rare opportunities to snatch a designer item.

By the time I decided to hit the cashier, the crowd has increased and it was already a circus. It was quite amusing to watch actually. All around, there was so much action going on. People were digging through piles of clothing and going through racks and racks of designerwear. Those who were early at the bazaar were at their own little corners sorting the items in their shopping bags. The kids, I have no idea why some adults brought their kids, were all sitting on the floor along the hallway playing with their iPads and iPhones while their parents shopped. Haha!

I was going to meet PG Boy at Plaza Sing by 1PM so I had to stick to my schedule. This was great because I was able to plan my trip to the bazaar quite efficiently. It was almost 12 noon when I paid for my items and luckily, the queue to the cashier was not yet long. I managed to chat a bit with the friendly lady behind the register telling her how awesome the sale was.

When I reached home in the afternoon, I proudly showed PG Boy my loot from the sale. He found it amusing how crazy I can get over a sale. (See! Not every homo is into designer stuff. LOL!) I surprised with a nice collared Calvin Klein shirt and a bunch of DKNY innerwear. Hehe!

Hmm, my fave pieces that I got were two Junya Watanabe for Comme des Garcon tees. They were the last pieces. And I was very lucky that they were in medium and that I was quick enough to spot and snap up the items before the guys beside me did. The original price of the tees were SGD260 each. (I would never fork out that amount for a tee! LOL!) I got each for just SGD50.

I was also happy that I did not overspend. I was able to stick to the budget I had in mind. I also like to think that I did save a lot because on an ordinary day, the items that I got would have already cost a thousand over. No way will I spend like that for shopping (not just yet. LOL!).

So, yay Club 21! I think for next year, I will not shop the entire year and just save and wait for the bazaar. Once the bazaar comes, break open the bazaar fund and shop. LOL!

Shopping with ASOS.com...

Jane, a fellow volunteer, told me about online shopping site ASOS.com. I remember there was another friend who told me about it.

I'm trying to recall if I've ever bought anything from an online store when I was still in Manila, and I remember buying from Amazon one or two times a million years ago. I've also bought a few items on Ebay, but it's kind of different because the mode of payment was cash on delivery/bank deposit.

Having experienced lost mail once or twice and the fear of online fraud, I rarely buy stuff online.

However, a recent online shopping experience with ASOS went very well and that I think was more than enough to consider online shopping here in SG.

I got an email from the site that a major sale was ongoing. I decided to go check the site and there was. A lot of the items were on sale with really huge discounts.

At that time, I was really planning to get PG Boy a scarf for his US holiday trip. There's really no reason. Just a have a safe flight/enjoy your trip present. I dunno. I just do these kind of things. Hehe!

Anyway, I was really glad that I found the present at ASOS. It's a beanie and scarf set. It's French Connection. It's 70% off (PG Boy doesn't know this though. LOL!).

So I decided to purchase the item. If by some stroke of bad luck, I don't get the item, then it's okay lah because I only paid a small amount. Hehe!

The package arrived in about 8 working days. Much earlier than I expected. The package came in a nice box, and the items were also in a nice FCUK box. I was really, really happ with the purchase.

Another awesome thing? Free shipping.

Weeks later, I gave the present to PG Boy and I think he liked it. He even sent me photos of him wearing the scarf... just the scarf. Hehe! Kidding, kidding.

And recently, I got an email again from ASOSthat they are on sale. Hmm, thinking of checking again. Hehe!

If you're after good bargains, if you have high EQ and can wait, then you really must try online shopping at ASOS.com. Easy shopping, quick despatch, reliable shipping, good items. The site carries a lot of good brands so a lot of items are a steal.

Maybe I'll wait for the Boxing Day sale. Prices will prolly be slashed like crazy again. Haha!

By the way, I did not receive any payment for this post. Just sharing a wonderful online shopping experience.

LX is love...

The day after Easter was more of like Christmas day for me. A really, really good Christmas day. Hehe! I felt like a little boy who held in his hands the toy he's been wanting for a long time.

Only, in this case, I'm definitely a little boy no more and the toy we're talking about is a Lumix LX3.

Around lunch time, I got a text message from colleague Rosy. It read, "Monet and Angelo. Your cameras are here!!! (smiley face)!"

Moneigh and I hurried to the 27th floor where we found the other "kids" - Rosy and Karlo - busily tinkering with their new toys. Haha!

About a month ago, our wonderful "fairy godmother" mentioned over dinner that she could probably get us the LX3 during her trip to HK. She said it is waaay cheaper. It is!!! I looked around in some stores and the selling price was between P27K and 29K. We got ours for P21K, including a filter, a case and a 4GB SD card. It's a good deal, yeah?!

The best thing about it, we could pay in installment. Haha! After doing the math, we all decided to get the camera. Woohoo! I was really, really excited over it because this is my first digicam ever. Hehe! The last camera I owned was the one with an Advantix film. And that was a million years ago.

For my trips, I borrow from friends who are kind enough to trust me with their cameras. Hehe! For the trip to Jolo, I borrowed from Edsel. For the Vietnam, SG, Cambodge, KL trips, I borrowed from Tey. For some weekend trips, I borrowed from Engel. The other times, I'm just lucky to have a card reader or a USB with me so I can save the photos. Hehe!

Now, I need not worry about what camera to bring on my next trip. And heaven knows I love to point and shoot especially during trips. (For the Cambodge trip, there were about 1,000 plus photos!!!) Hehe!

So, yeah, I'm really, really happy that I now have this new toy. Never mind if I have to deprive myself a couple of weekend gimiks. Hehehe! The new toy is really worth it. I still have to read the manual (which I don't like doing) and I have to familiarize myself with the features).

By the way, the new toy (and the newest sib of Ben and Stefan) has a name - Hanschen. Hehe!

You and I will take beautiful photos together. Wahaha!

PS... I love you...

Someone recently went on a little shopping. Hehe! Got a little something so I decided to treat myself a bit. Hehe! Uhm, I've been eyeing the Springfield neckwear for the longest time. I thought about getting it after Christmas, but decided not to because I wasn't sure what to do with it. When I visited the Springfield shop over the weekend, I saw that it was still there so I took it as a sign (or as an excuse) to go get it. Hehe! I'm sure it'll be of many uses.

Now, the other purchase from the London fashion house known for its multi-color swirls is a best buy, trust me. I've been eyeing the holdall for quite some time now and I finally took the plunge and got it with my eyes closed. Hehe! It was a good purchase though, especially after I felt the soft lining and I thought that the design was really one of a kind. Hehe!

Now, the other bag from the same house has a brother.

Alright, I think I shall be living on crackers and instant noodles for the next few months, after these buys.