Retro Chic Gadget - Nokia 3310 (2017)

Ever since the announcement that Nokia was reviving the Nokia 3310, I had been waiting excitedly to be able to get a hold of a unit. I'm a xennial, and my generation was one of the first assimilators of the mobile revolution. My first cellphone was a Nokia 2010, followed by a Nokia 2110. I had a cellphone since 1997, I skipped the pager stage and went straight right into cellular technology - I mean, hey, what's the point of receiving a message if you were going to be unable to call back, right?

Then, text messaging became a thing. In 1998, an additional PhP 150.00 on top of your monthly cellphone bill could already give you unlimited text messaging. There began my love affair with Nokia.

Alright, I admit, I did have a Nokia 3310 back in 2001, but I only had it for a couple of weeks. Back then, everybody had a Nokia 3310, and it was just too pedestrian for my taste. An aunt gifted me with a Nokia 3310, and when I realized that every Tom, Dick and nobody on the street had one, I traded it in for a Nokia 7110. Since then, almost all of my Nokia phones were the high-end ones. I had a Nokia 6510, a Nokia 3650, an 8800 Scirocco, a 9300... Nokia was the cellphone brand of choice, especially since they offered their consumers a wide range of choices. Their product range was from entry-level phones, to high-end corporate gadgets.

I ended up buying a Nokia 3310 just this weekend because I felt nostalgic about the phone, it was because I felt nostalgic about the era. Back then, people could still disconnect from their phone. Social media wasn't some opium that you needed to connect to 24/7, and a phone was just a means of receiving calls and text messages. Cellphones weren't gigantic power-guzzling monsters, but small, sleek, and sexy devices meant to keep you reachable for 3 days per charge.

With that, I drove all the way to SM North, braving horrific Saturday traffic, and bought two Nokia 3310s.

I bought two because my sister wanted one. At the store, they were telling me how it had sold out just the day before, and that they held onto these two units for me, because I was one of the first few who had signified intent on purchasing it. Thank goodness they trusted me that much.

I got two, because Bianca wanted to use this as her primary phone while she's in between cellphones. Her iPhone is having battery issues - surprise, surprise!

I've used it the whole day of Saturday and Sunday, and voice clarity on the device was excellent. Texting on it is easy - you see, I never got the hang of texting on a touchscreen phone, and would still curse my phone every now and then whenever I would mistakenly press a different key. I had to charge it yesterday evening, as the factory charge had already run out, but that was after over 100 text messages, an hour of calls, and several Snake games. 

I'm very much happy with the 3310. It does the job. It makes sending messages easy, receiving calls easy, and seems to promise minimal powerbank plugs. Now, if Nokia could only revive the 8800...

Charriol Sunglasses on Sale

I had discovered in SM's department store a treasure trove of sunnies that were on sale.

For several weeks, I went back and forth in order to choose which one I wanted to take home with me. Eventually, I had narrowed down my choices to either a pair of Calvin Klein Jeans sunglasses, or a pair of Charriol Sunglasses.

The choice, although should have been a no-brainer, was quite difficult to make because I so wanted a pair of aviators, and the Calvin Klein Jeans sunnies had a similar shape to aviators albeit a faddish interpretation of these.

In the end, I ended up getting the Charriol sunnies, because they had a classic shape, that would, of course, prove to be timeless.

This pair of sunnies cost less than PhP 3,000.00 - really quite a steal because of the sale!

If you're in the market for a pair of sunglasses and don't want to break the bank, it might be a good idea to visit the department store of SM Makati, SM Manila, or SM Aura. Happy shopping!

Salvatore Ferragamo Sunglasses and Prescription Eyewear

Kim, being ever supportive, wanted to buy a pair of sunglasses for me so I can enjoy touring Korea even if the sun is out.

Initially, we wanted to purchase a pair of Prada sunglasses for me, but our go-to optical shop didn't carry the brand. We looked at Givenchy, but the offering they had, although was wide enough for me, its temple tip didn't quite anchor well onto my ear. We were resolved to purchase a pair of aviators from Ray-ban, but the model that was large enough to fit my face wasn't available, and my flight to Korea is in a couple of days. 

I had all but given up, when he asked me to look at the section where the optical shop displayed their Salvatore Ferragamo, Chloe, and Ermengildo Zegna eyewear. 

I was apprehensive, because I didn't want him to spend too much for my sunglasses. As I was checking on the Salvatore Ferragamo eyewear, I noticed some sunnies and prescription eyeglasses with red tags. On SALE!

Even better, I found a pair that I absolutely adored! It was love at first sight, when I first tried on this pair of sunglasses:

At less than PhP10,000.00 for Ferragamo eyewear, how could I not look into updating my prescriptions as well?

I just love Ideal Vision. The staff are so friendly, and they offer the best deals. My prescription is not readily available, and it took them 24 hours to prepare my eyeglasses, they went beyond and had the eyeglasses delivered to my office!

Bric's Bellagio 21" Carry On Spinner

I have been crazy exhausted from work the past couple of months, and there would be weeks where wouldn't be able to take a day-off. add the fact that my family and I will be leaving for Korea the following week, there really isn't time, what with preparing for the things I need to bring to Seoul, and juggling deadlines and endorsements. What hurts further, I had already purchased USD$1,000.00 for my shopping money in Korea - it got stolen, along with my beautiful Etro wallet!


I still try to find joy in the small things, and over the Holy Week rest period, I enjoyed a little downtime with my newly purchased Bric's Bellagio 21" Spinner. This is the mini-version of the Bric's Bellagio luggage Kim bought me for Christmas.

Its in Tobacco Blue, and and it also evokes the same old-world charm the check-in luggage exudes of. The one I purchased is version 2.0.

I am so excited to stroll in Incheon International Airport with this bag!

The friendly people at Bric's SM Aura, who must know me so well by now, informed me of a sale ongoing, so I was only able to purchase this bag for PhP 24,000.00!

Do pay them a visit, there's a new line of Bric's luggage, the Capri hard case, which looks very pretty, too, without the hefty pricetag of the Bellagio line.

Bric's SM Aura
1st level, SM Aura Premier, McKinley Parkway,
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, 1634
02.8033998

Nike from The Playground

Back to more outlet shopping tips!

I was looking for a good pair of walking shoes that can sustain me walking around Seoul for our Korea vacation in May, and I was ready to already purchase either a pair of MBTs or Skechers shoes. Both have great soles that are soft, and yet provide good support, which is very important for somebody with a slipped disc.

Kim, on the other hand, was looking for a pair of shoes to use for playing basketball. He is currently using an Adidas Derrick Rose which I bought back in 2012 and only used twice (I just paraded in the court for the two instances that my officemates let me play during a sports tournament). However, since the Derrick Rose is cut quite low, it lacks support for his ankles while playing.

He brought me to The Playground, located near Imelda Avenue, along Marcos Highway in Marikina, as he saw that they had huge discounts for athletic footwear.

While he was meandering about looking at the Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour options, I ended up trying on shoes, only to realize that Nike has models that have similar support to MBT and Skechers.

I ended up getting a pair of Nike Kaishi in burgundy. And the best part, it was priced at PhP 3,595.00, and I only paid PhP 1,700.00 for it. Now isn't that a steal?

borrowed from Tokopedia

I would have preferred the pair in blue, but they didn't have my size anymore. Here are some pictures of the Kaishi in my mom's Bric's Sintesis carry-on.

I started listing down what else I needed for our Korea vacation. I am luggage-ready (separate post on this) and walking shoes-ready. What else am I missing?

Hush Puppies in Q Plaza

Why have I not written about this before?

I had just come home from dinner in Arariyo in Q Plaza in Cainta, Rizal. One of my many addictions is shoes, and in Q Plaza, I'm able to indulge in shoes!

Since I'm a size 12, it is very difficult for me to purchase shoes locally. I often have to look for shoes from select stores and brands only - and the brands that carry my size are always priced higher than buying a pair from the department store.

I'm thankful that Payless is available in the Philippines already. Shoes in Payless are, however, not destined to last as the materials are synthetic. I have two pairs of boat shoes from Payless, and they're starting to peel already.

Now, Sebago and Sperry boat shoes - they're made to last. They're made from genuine leather, and I have a 6 year old pair of blue Sebagos that are still in great condition.

My office shoes that have stood the test of time? Rockport. Made from genuine leather also.

Another brand I use that is made, more often than not, from genuine leather, is Hush Puppies.

I've gone on and on about the brands of shoes that carry size 12s, and if you've been observant whenever you're window shopping, all these brands go from anywhere between PhP 4,000.00 to PhP 9,000.00 a pair!

Having big feet can be a strain on the wallet (my Bric's wallet, but that merits a separate post).

I discovered a shop, sort of like an outlet store of the distributor of Sebago and Hush Puppies in the Philippines, that sells old stock of broken-sized models of both brands. And, at least the shoes for men, are priced at PhP 800.00 to PhP 2,500.00. Hush Puppies would retail from PhP 4,500.00 upwards.

I've actually purchased several shoes from that store located at the mezzanine of Q Plaza, right next to Puyat Sports.

I'll update this blog post with pictures of the shoes that I've purchased from them, but to start things off, here are some of the items bought from there today:

This brown shoe is only PhP 800.00. Since the pants I use for the office is navy, I have been looking for a dark brown pair of shoes that I can mix and match with the pants. 

I am constantly looking for a good pair of driving shoes, because I find that other shoe styles don't have the right grip for the car pedals. If I'm not wearing driving shoes, I end up driving barefoot. So far, I have a pair of Superga driving shoes in grey suede that have been abused, because I often use them. I can't seem to find my brown Ralph Lauren driving shoes, some asshole must have stolen them (I actually know who). That's why, when I see a pair of driving shoes that fit, I tend to buy them.

This is a good pair to add to my driving shoes circulation. Its a nice green color, that I think I can pull of with jeans and khakis. And since its only PhP 1,000.00, I bought it too.

I'll try to take pictures of the actual shoes when I'm wearing them, but here's a pair that I bought from that store also:

 image borrowed from lyst.com

I bought these monk shoes also for the office. The color is a combination of blue blending into the brown. They're quite soft, and the tightness is adjustable.

I was able to share this news with my officemates, and a manager of mine chanced upon a similar outlet sale of this particular distributor in Market! Market! and bought this pair for me, for under PhP 1,000.00, too:

image borrowed from tatacliq.com

This is a very comfortable pair of driving shoes. The advantage of Hush Puppies from Superga is the sole has better support, and can be used for long walks. Superga is very flat, and provides minimal support, which makes it difficult for someone with a slipped disc, like me, to use on long walks.

What I also like about this shoe - the color. Its a similar color to a Fino keychain I have, which matches the color of one of my cars.

My mom has also purchased several pairs from that outlet store already.

If ever you're in that area, or if you're ready to sojourn Marcos Highway traffic to be able to get a pair of Hush Puppies for a steal, then here the details that you need:

Q Plaza
F. Felix Avenue (Formerly Imelda Avenue), Barangay San Isidro, Cainta, Rizal

Q Plaza is located across Sta. Lucia East Mall, and parking is free.

The store is on the mezzanine of Q Plaza, you'll have to go up a flight of stairs from the atrium of the building.

Happy shopping!