A Gill and A Way

LET'S TAKE A BREAK FROM MY LITERARY ESCAPADES AND TALK ABOUT MY OTHER PASSION...

Yes, this cover-up is just as affordable as my ice cream cone.

In highschool, I was able to check out a famous ukay in Pateros. This really got me excited and deepened my love for ukays! I was able to find a classic LBD for 50 pesos. Though I rarely go to ukays then, the few times I did were memorable just as my purchases were. From going rarely in highschool, I went to ukays more often in college. Being in a school that doesn't require a uniform, I find myself having to wear my usual clothes way more than I should. Every once in a while, I'd buy a whole new wardrobe from the ukay. I get more compliments on my ukay pieces than my mall-bought stuff! 💖💖💖

I've been asked by some friends on where is the best ukay or what are some tips to find the best deals. Think of the ukay-ukay experience as if you're in an Indiana Jones movie--except you don't hear action instrumentals nor Forever 21-esque music but odd country music in an undetectable local dialect. Basta! Kakaiba! So here are some things I live by whenever I ukay. 😁

1. First, BUDGET!

It is important to put a ceiling in how much you want to purchase. It's easy to spend a lot on crazy discounted stuff or maybe splurge on the full-priced new arrivals. We do not want another clinically diagnosed shopaholic! Maawa ka sa wallet mo at sa closet space mo! I've learned this the hard way, trust me. 💸💸💸

2. Know what ukays to avoid.

I don't believe there is a bad ukay since you will never know when that one perfect piece is waiting for you but I normally steer-clear from those ukays that NEVER(well, maybe never is too much but RARELY)go on sale. Yes! There are those ukays like this one ukay I normally pass by for years in Bicutan and only once in my life have I seen their pieces drop to less than 100 pesos. GRABE KAPITALISMO NILA, CHAR. Ukay-ukays in Harrison Plaza also don't easily go on sale but I tolerate them at times because once they do, you get good deals and their selections are usually great.

Another ukay I typically avoid but browse in caution if I have to are those ukays that sell mostly basic shirts and bottoms. Alam mo yung tipong Surplus Shop that sells mostly Abercrombie, American Eagle Outfitters or Aeropostale stuff but just rattier, dirtier and mustier? Not unless kailangan mo ng bagong pambahay or have a kilo of Tide to wash the dust out, I suggest not wasting your time. Also, these ukays smell the worst and I really do not know why.

3. Browse the cheaper racks first!

Some of the ukays I frequent have some racks of clothes that go as low as 10, 15, 20 pesos each. In most ukays, the cheapest racks would be the 3 for 100 ones or the 50 pesos each ones. Basta, unahin niyo ang mura! From there, you can proceed to the more pricier(but not as pricey as the mall)items. Since there will be racks and racks, it will exercise your patience! And you will need it because duh, you are reading this and wanna ukay probably.

4. Know the worth of the item.

Just like you should know your worth! Chos! (But not chos! Totoo! Love thyself, mga lodi ✌) Anyways, always, always know the item's worth. That is when you will now if what you bought is a steal or nah. Learn how to feel fabrics or check the item's brand. Check the item's tags, too! You might be spending more on maintaining the clothes than purchasing the item itself and if you're alright with that, bahala ka(I'm guilty of this lol).

As for brands, you'll be lucky to pick up the more branded stuff if you can look well but beware: some ukays price them higher than they're meant to be! I once saw this H&M dress in the ukay that sold for hundreds of pesos. A friend of mine had that same exact dress and bought it at that price from the H&M store. Ang daya, diba? But! When you do find that item that is cheaper than its actual worth, GET IT, AND RUN AWAY! Ay este, BAYAD KA MUNA, OF COURSE! 😆 (No to shoplifiting! Lumelevel up ibang ukay kasi may mga CCTV na sila! At sabi sa 10 Commandments Huwag Magnakaw! Puso lang pwede! 💁). I was able to buy Alexander Wang Frida booties for 400 pesos when its original price is $$$$ in Net-A-Porter(and I hear AW doesn't sell it anymore). Bongga, diba? 💯

5. Learn how to peruse the item for damage and stains. (Pag di mo alam ang peruse, GMG!!!)

This should fall under the item's worth but I decided to put it in a separate number instead. Ideally, you wouldn't want to buy something with a stain. It is convenient though to learn how to discern stains that are removable in case you see something you really want! I was able to score that famous Zara wide-strapped tank top in white before but it was filthy with brown stains! Brown stains are tricky because they could either be easily washable brown dirt marks or unfortunately, the indestructible wood or rust stains. It's really a gamble to still stick with something(or someone)you love! Charot! Some stains to look out for:

• sweat stains(EWW! HAVE RESPECT FOR YOURSELF AND GE RID OF THAT THANG!),
• makeup stains (Baka the person tried on the item before you and her foundation and lipstick are not transfer-proof. Pabigyan mo nalang, not the clothing's fault!)
• Paint marks (Not unless ganun talaga ang style niyan na tinalsikan ng pintura but nonethless maybe the former owner was a frustrated painter who needed to sell clothes for food)
• Ink stains or stains that you just know will never, ever get away--like your feelings! #Hugoat

For damage, you should be aware of some rips and tears. Torn stuff are unfixable. A damage that is fixable, though, are loose hems whose seams need to be taken up. You can ask a tailor to sew it for not more than 50 bucks or utilize your home economics education by repairing it yourself #IkawLangSapatNa

6. More than knowing what is fixable, know what's workable as well.

Maybe you super duper like those pair of pants that fit well around your waist and butt except they are just way too long for you or maybe they're too flared for your taste. You can take them to the tailor, you know! I purchased these Levi's jeans and they were super bootcut. I just asked the neighborhood tailor to alter them in a baston(tapered leg) cut and voila! These ultra flattering mom jeans! (Yes I know, super paradoxical sentence. Mom jeans are never flattering but whatever these look good on me oh yeah haute momma 👯). Same goes for tops! I've altered some really wide tops so they can fit me better. Normally I'd only do this to clothing I really like but other than that, I won't buy what won't fit me.

7. ...But learn to let go, as well.

Just like your bulok love life! *badum tsss* Seriously, ukay shopping can be heartbreaking. I've experienced seeing shoes that look gorgeous but they don't fit me since ukays, I notice, seem to be a haven for size 5 shoes. 😕I also rarely buy pants from the ukay because pants are either too darn big or just too damn tight. One of the most terrible things you can experience in the ukay is seeing a cool piece of clothing but they don't look good on as much as it looks good in the hanger. It's one of life's greatest scams but at least you get to save your money from something that doesn't look bagay on you. No more heartbreak!!! Philippine politics is already too much to handle, unflattering clothes pa kaya? 💔

8. Know some hacks in case there are no dressing rooms.

Your lola is right; in a pinch, you can tell if bottoms fit you by wrapping the waistband around your neck. You can also measure a blouse's sleeves to the length of your arm to see if it is too long or not. As much as possible though, do fit your clothes in the store whenever they have dressing rooms because I personally do not rely on these hacks. Sure, it fits in the waist but what if those pants fit oddly in the leg area? Or that long sleeved polo looks lousy even if the sleeve length isn't too long? It will spare you from bad purchases whenever you try it first in the fitting room. You'd rather have something you can wear no matter how cheap it is! 😊

9. Remove your disgust and doubts and search the unusual racks and boxes...

If there is a children's section, check it out! I bought a piña jacket from the kid's section of the ukay for a mere 25 pesos! Some large ukays have boxes filled to the brim with accessories. Don't be afraid to browse those, too! I've bought beautiful scarves for 25 pesos after unearthing them from the dusty boxes. Also, if you are adventurous try looking in the underwear racks din! One thing I'd never buy are panties(but then NEVER SAY NEVER CHAROT)but I did buy some lingerie in the ukay before and they were branded ones at that--probably my favorite was a La Perla bralette I had for 70 pesos! Just learn to wash them carefully. 😃


Some ~~Irrelevant~~ tips just because 

10. Never Haggle

I know, I'm saying the opposite of what others say. Maybe because from personal experience, whenever I make tawad for a shirt or skirt it is always met with a "DI PWIDI LAST FRICE NA YAN." (Frice? Watdapak? Pagkaen? Pagkaen, besh?). Be like me and avoid rejection because life is already hard in itself. 😂(Although I suggest you try making tawad with higher priced items like shoes or bags and whenever you buy a lot of clothes).

11. Bring alcohol

Isopropyl one for sanitizing your hands and champagne for a job well done lol joke lang! (But bacteria isn't a joke, though. To prevent sickness, sanitize your hands always).👌


Now for the question many ask: WHERE DO I GO UKAY?

To be honest, I go everywhere. I tend to frequent the ones below the EDSA station of the LRT because I pass by them a lot when I commute. Pateros has this really old ukay that has been there ever since and I like going there once in a while. I've gone to Libertad to check the ukays lined up there. I also dropped by the famous Anonas area and it's a goldmine. Harrison Plaza has some great ukays, too! The best ukay for me, though is this one store I only went to once in QC area. I remember going there and getting crazy because there are so much great stuff. I'm not sure if it is still there nor do I know its exact address. I have yet to go to the Baguio and Tagaytay ones but someday I definitely will.

I hope my tips will help you all in your ukay adventures! Below are some of my ukay-ukay purchases through the years:

My first ever ukay purchase! It took me 6 years before I first wore it, though.

The 45 peso loose black dress is used as a kimono(super uso in 2015 lol). I forgot how much that top was and my skirt was 50-60 pesos. Yes, head to toe(or above the knee lol)ukay.

A Uniqlo plaid flannel dress I scored for 70 bucks. Mas mahal pa ang Chickenjoy...

I bought this skirt back in highschool and I really loved its Aurdrey Hepburn-Roman Holiday vibe. It was 55 pesos, I think!

"Like, chyeah! Like, this #OOTD was from the ukay! This shirt? So cute! It's only 50! And this skirt? I know! Only a 100 bucks! I know, I'm a great bargain hunter like whatevahhh!"

Dress: 45 pesos. Class: I was born with it. Cheret!

These eyes be checking out my 50 peso kumot este poncho lol

Rat tails look good on a tux, not on your hair! Eww! One of my favorite finds is this tuxedo jacket for 120 pesos.

These are the Levi's I bought for 180 pesos and altered into a baston fit.

My most recent purchase. This top is just as cheap as your bus fare: 15 pesos! Lakad ka nalang!

Other recent purchases: This midriff(a Hanes sportbra, to be exact)I got for 20 pesos. The highwaisted pants are 35 pesos. O ayan may pang clubbing na ako!

I was excited when I bought these Jordache shorts last year(?) for 50 pesos! Tried them on and I realize I'm not Kendall Jenner lol

Another LBD that took me years before I finally wore it! Bought it back in highschool for 120 pesos.

This jacket is made of fur faker than your fake friends and cheaper than his cheap hoe for 20 bucks!

The jacket that launched a thousand compliments! My highschool self bought this for 160 pesos which I considered pricey then but I got so much use of it in college. The best part also is IT ISN'T LEATHER #NoAnimalsWereHurt #PeroIkawHurtPaRin #LooksLikeLeatherButFeelsLikeFeathers #WalangKwentangHashtagsMuch

A 25 peso piña jacket with capiz-like buttons I got from the kid's section! It was timely when I bought it because I wore it to this Filipiniana-themed event. #Tadhana

Photo by Lance Kristoff Cortez

If you know me well, you will know I have this obsession with anything celestial. I love writing about them and I have made so much poetry on the moon, sun, and stars. I have yet to write anything about planets, though! It might be my next writing assignment for myself 🙂

You can argue that this poem is sorta like selling yourself and of course, you won't sell yourself short.😉

Here's "My Universe" by yours truly

(Note: The original form of this poem was only the first stanza then I decided to add to it. I was inspired by the stag ladies that night of my grad ball--me included hihi.)

The Lone and Lovely by yours truly 😀

Dear, not-so-dear dear

While the world seems to look up more than our love ever did, your departure left a permanent dent to my heart already punctured with wounds from the past. No, I have not been doing fine--least the walls I once surrounded myself in and slowly broke for you revealed the harsh reality of what love is. How it seems so easy to throw away a union that you made me believe will never cease or how it is effortless for you to just walk away just when I had the strength to fight for us both. No, I haven’t been fine. Since the walls I built when I was a little girl devastated over her parents’ separation and fear for commitment demolished mercilessly, I could only focus at the ground and look at the rubble.

But it is because of the absence of all the brick & cement, fear and doubt that I finally looked at how stunning sunsets can be and how amazing it gives way for the stars to play. It made me realize how the sun will rise again, giving me a chance of another day and maybe—surely, another love. The walls are down and you are gone but that does not mean it isn’t for nothing. I always thought I was weak and would wither away but I realize I’m the one who loved you fiercely and indefinitely. I loved you at your worst. I guess the universe knew that someone out there would handle it better and that wouldn’t be you.

No, I’m not fine. I don’t get your good morning texts anymore but at least I’m greeted by the ray of sunshine assuring me that my day will be great if I allow it to. No, you don’t message me goodnight but I’ll have the cool wind and moon’s glow look after me. These are the very things I haven’t felt when my walls once stood up. These are the very things I feel now you left. So yes, I may not have you here with me, but I got the back of the universe assuring me that everything will definitely turn out fine.

Unsigned but signing off.

(Note: I wrote this and performed it in class. I want to thank my professor who gave me this challenge to write a "thank you" letter to a person who broke my heart. Went against what he expected since I decided to put some emotion. LOL!)

No one can understand how much I adore the National Museum, particularly the National Museum of Fine Arts. From the moment I set foot here back in the times I had to fork over 50 bucks for the entrance fee, I knew I found one of my favorite places in the world. I will never, ever get sick of this place and I memorize this place like the back of my hand even if every time I go here, something new pops up. Although I love going to the other museums under NM's wing(such as the Planetarium and National Museum of Anthropology), the Fine Arts has a very special place in my heart.💕

A wild(but really harmless and afraid of the actual wild) Gill in her natural habitat in the form of a neoclassical building that houses priceless art. This is an old photo but still very much me until today.

Panget talaga ng ilaw pag fluorecent o sadyang mukha ko lang hehe charot!

Yesterday May 2nd of 2017, I had the privilege to attend the third and final reading of Senate Bill No. 1345. This is commonly known as the Philippine Mental Health Bill which is sponsored by Senator Risa Hontiveros. The bill was approved on its final reading with the 19 senators present unanimously voting affirmative for it (Finally! Someting they all agree on! Chos).

People who came to support the bill mostly wore green, the color of mental health. Green ribbon pins(such as the one I'm wearing above)were given out. Besides getting to see Kylie Versoza(who attended yesterday and whom when I first laid eyes on her, I wondered sino ba itong magandang nilalalang), what happens now after the Mental Health Act of 2017 gets approved?

The bills aims to make mental health care more accessible "at the community level", says Risa. This is great because for one to have access to a psychiatrist, you need to pay thousands in private hospitals. I applaud institutions such as Philippine General Hospital and the National Center for Mental Health for providing affordable care and medicines but honestly, they shouldn't be the only ones.

I used to regularly go to NCMH and I would get to talk to the patients waiting there. Imagine how so many of them come from provinces and would line up just so they will get a 15-30 minute session with the only out-patient psychiatrists available at that time? Lucky if they're the few who can afford the private sessions with a private psychiatrist in the place but not everyone has that privilege. Mental health care is treated as a "privilege" here when it is actually a basic human right. With the bill passed, it's definitely a start to make all communities have the access to this least recognized health condition in this country.

By saying "least recognized", I mean that mental health still gets stigmatized. Sometimes, I feel that is why psychiatric care and counselling isn't as widespread because it isn't something people are aware of. It's something people easily dismiss due to the fact that it's something that's "only in the head" which really isn't. It's much more complicated and complex and sometimes the people who suffer from it do not understand it themselves until it's too late. Those who suffer from it do not find themselves comfortable in sharing it because it's still considered taboo.

And this is what the Mental Health Act means to me: a beacon of light. It means that now it's brought on a national level and recognized now by this policy, no one experiencing problems with their mental health would be afraid. To be frank, it will still take a lifetime for many others to truly understand what mental health actually is. All that matters now is that with this approval, those who battle the demons inside of them won't have to feel they do not matter. 😊

Very, very short rant/kwento about my Session Hall experience:

I was a little outraged with some of those who came to "support" the bill. During the hearing, the Bill took no more than 10 minutes to be approved by the senators. I remember the people in front of me saying "Yun lang? Ganun lang?" and the girls behind me said way worse. First, one retorted "We just wasted time going here" and then "We took that time to find parking." Her other friend said "Wala bang away? That's it?" Ughhhh, the nerve!!!

Of course, it offends me that these people say these things. I personally experience a condition(will share about it soon and when I feel ready)and in those 10 minutes, I feel my life--as well as others--have changed forever. It's a milestone moment because this is the first law of its kind in the Philippines and I feel our voices were finally heard.

So yeah, suck your faces if it seemed so "bilis" and "unexciting" that the actual process of approval wasn't as drama-filled. I commuted two hours and walked under the scorching sun to get to the Senate(Because I thought it was in the actual GSIS Building lol I'm so tanga) and had no complaints. 😛

Photo from Risa Hontiveros' FB page

Guys, sobrang idol ko si Risa Hontiveros! I swear! When she entered the Session Hall, I wanted to run up to her and say "YOU INSPIRE ME TALAGA!!!" I do not have a photo of her speaking because 1.) Guards were so strict over using phones inside (A poor dude near me was caught by the guard taking a picture of Risa and had to delete it in front of the guard) and 2.) I just focused on listening to her words. I will never, ever forget the last thing she said regarding the bill:

"Our people with mental health needs will no longer suffer silently in the dark. They will no longer endure an invisible illness and fight an invisible war."

(Seriously had to write that down on my notebook and check online if tama nasulat ko and thank goodness oo naman lol).

And to add, number 3.) She just suddenly disappeared after she made a speech on the deaths of Dr. Jaja Sinolinding and Dr. Drey Perlas. Kaya poor me, walang photo op.

But that's okay! Looking at the photo above, she held the same #MHActNow card as I did hihi.