S'well Bottles on Sale in Rustan's

The sale in Rustan's is on its last week, and they've slashed prices further. I wasn't really planning on buying more bottles, because I had already purchased three at the onset of the sale, but my boss saw the bottles in my office and inquired about S'well.

Long story short, I was able to influence her to buy a bottle while it was still on sale. She asked me to be the one to go to Rustan's Makati to buy it for her since she couldn't find time.

There's still a sizable number of bottles on sale, but none were as good a deal as the Gray Malin collaboration bottle that I purchased from a week ago, which was at 65% off the retail price.

They had bottles from the Textile Collection of S'well, and I showed her pictures of the Marrakesh and the Mumbai bottle.

I myself couldn't choose between the two, and both are insanely Instagrammable.

I was hoping to buy a Mumbai bottle for myself, while my boss decided to go for the Marrakesh bottle.

Unfortunately, Mumbai has sold out, so I grabbed two of these instead. Below is the bottle intended for me:

The Mumbai bottle which slipped my claws is below:

borrowed from Nordstrom

Each bottle is unique, that's what I realized in Rustan's today. I asked for several Marrakesh bottles because I wanted to be sure I wasn't getting a damaged bottle, and the patterns we're all differently placed. There are slight variations in shade, in the size of the prints, and even the orientation of the pattern. Reading a note on the cylindrical box, the company indicated that the bottles were hand-painted, and that each one is one of a kind and unique.

All I can say is, captured on camera, these bottles are very photogenic.

The sale is only until the 31st, and stocks are now really limited. There are still 25 oz. bottles priced at PhP 1,137.00, and 17 oz. bottles at PhP 1,125.00. Better grab a S'well bottle at these insanely low prices!

New Year, New Goals - Hydration by S'well

I went through a horrible and messy break up in 2017, and the entire 2018 was filled mostly with moving on. Moving on was such a long and tedious process, and now that I'm back, I have also started focusing more on things that will keep me healthy, and keep my idle mind busy.

I rediscovered Lego during the last few months of 2018, and I have been building playsets that I purchased on... yes, SALE! I'll be posting on that pretty soon.

Recently, I resolved that I should be drinking more water. I don't get to drink the minimum number of liters per day, which, disastrously, has resulted to several ailments that plagued me in 2018, one of which was dehydration.

How do I force myself to drink water? I bought a S'well bottle in Rustan's.

I have actually been meaning to purchase a S'well bottle, but thought that the price was quite steep for a bottle, which a Starbucks tumbler, and Starbucks mugs (You Are Here mugs at that) fulfill rather well. If I had so many of the latter two, why was I still not drinking water?

I realized it was because water kept in a tumbler or a mug for quite a time doesn't keep cold. And when I take a sip, and it isn't cold, I don't bother drinking at all. Add to the fact that I'm tamad to walk all the way to the water dispenser (about 10 meters away), thus spelling disaster in maintaining hydration.

Thank Rustan's further for their end of season sale, I could not resist not buying a S'well bottle. The bottle I purchased was steeply discounted, and I was able to purchase it for PhP 1,170.00. Its original price was PhP 2,850.00. It's a crime not to buy it!

At that price, I also bought a bottle for my mom, and a bottle for my outgoing Finance Manager - a despedida gift.

These are all part of the Love Collection of S'well.

borrowed from shefinds.com

I purchased the 25 oz. bottle size, the largest that they have. The black bottle with  hearts design, I had Rustan's giftwrap for my mother, and the white bottle with stars for my outgoing Finance Manager.

I kept the bottle with Cupid's arrows.

(I will update this blog with a picture of my S'well, when I get enough courage to hold a photoshoot on my office table.) Here's a snapshot of the 25 oz. bottle that I purchased from Rustan's:

And to be honest, since there's limited stock, and the price is really affordable for a S'well bottle, if I keep thinking of the white-starred bottle, I might just go and get a 25 oz. bottle of it for myself!

I got so obsessed with S'well, I started researching on it. Because of the its vacuum seal, and its double insulated wall, it can keep cold drinks cool for up to hours. I've tried this in the office, and my 8-hour workday is just a fraction of the entire day that the water is kept cold inside the bottle. On the 2nd day I was using it, I was easily able to drink about 60 oz. of water in the office.

I also did some online shopping, and discovered a seller who had hoarded S'ip by S'well in the US, probably when it was on clearance in Target, and he is now looking to unload some of his stock. He was selling it for such an affordable price, I also ended up buying a Jelly Bean Green S'ip by S'well bottle - not for me though, but as a gift for someone.

There was a gentleman who messaged me inquiring about my Bencab Swatch watches, and he reminded me of how much fun I had blogging. This is why I started writing again as soon as I got home. Hope you find a pair of the Bencab Swatches!

Update for January 13, 2018

I went to Rustan's Makati today as I had decided to purchase the 25 oz. gold-starred bottle. Guess what surprised me on the S'well table:

They had brought out 17 oz. bottles. My head went into a tizzy. They were only PhP 1,237.50. 

I had no choice to but to pick one out from the three designs. Since I had been viewing videos of S'well online, prominent in the videos was the Ombre Speckle water bottle. I scooped it up, and brought it to my office. 

And here it is, sitting proudly on my desk!

I washed it and am now leaving it uncapped for air-drying, and will fill it up for the drive home. The size is handier for traveling, and I'm sure it'll fit better in the cupholders compared to the 25 oz. bottle.

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!

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?

Noritake Royal Orchard 9416 Salt and Pepper Shaker

I was with my sister today, and we ended up going to my favourite Gourdo's outlet store. She was looking for a soap dish, and they had an entire bathroom set there on sale at PhP 75.00 only. So I got her two sets.

There was also a nice porcelain tea pot in the store which was only PhP 90.00, so I purchased a piece.

The piece de resistance, however, was the Noritake Royal Orchard 9416 salt and pepper shaker they had on sale. 

A couple weeks back, I purchased from the same store a pair of Noritake Opulence salt and pepper shakers. They were on sale, presumably at 70% off.

Now, this design was on sale at roughly the same amount.

It says on the bottom Noritake Japan, which means it came from Noritake, Japan. Noritake used to have a factory producing sets here in Manila, run by Porcelanosa Mariwasa, Inc., and it was located in Marikina, before.

I got a pair, and I have yet to decide whether this will be used on the dinner table, to replace the Gourdo's Swan salt and pepper shaker I purchased from their store in BGC, or if it goes in the antique china cabinet for display. 

Either way, it was such a good buy!

Marks and Spencer End of Season Sale (January 3 - February 8, 2015)

Marks and Spencer has an end of season sale until February 8, 2015. I was already able grab a couple of regular fit denims for PhP 660.00. Really great buy!

You guys ought to check them out! Since I'm rather big, I can only find my sizes in select stores in Metro Manila, Marks and Spencer being one of them.

I also bought my dad a pair of Maroon denims for such a steal. Better hie on off to the nearest Marks and Spencer store to take advantage of this!

Noritake Salt and Pepper Shaker from Gourdo's

After purchasing the Essence wax warmer, I discovered an As Is Where Is store by Gourdo's. It sells damaged items, and some product overruns of the stores. And lo and behold, I was able to spot some quality products that were obviously unappreciated, but worth so much.

I saw a salt and pepper shaker set from Noritake's Opulence collection:

Now my mother raised me to have a keen eye for the finer things in life, and she practically brainwashed me that the china of choice for the dining table is Noritake. 

Noritake used to have a factory here in Manila, hence purchasing fine china back then was quite easy. Ever since they pulled out, however, the Noritake fix had to come with the expensive price tag that it is well-known for. 

We used to have Noritake dinner service from its Valhalla collection. But then, that was years ago, and the gold edges have already faded. There are some pieces that are still usable though. 

If you were to look underneath the china, you would see which country it was manufactured in. Most of the Noritake plates sold locally are now manufactured in Sri Lanka, however the more expensive ones are those made in Japan. 

This salt and pepper shaker set that Gourdo's put on sale at such an affordable price of PhP 300.00 was made in Japan, so I had to snatch up a set before anybody else discovers it. Definitely a treasure trove of Noritake pieces in that store! There's actually another Noritake salt and pepper shaker set from the Gourmet Harvest Royal Orchard Collection, which I definitely plan on buying. Maybe, I should start a salt and pepper shaker collection?

Old Navy Sale

Hope this isn't late for some. I was able to visit Old Navy in Bonifacio High Street last night and discovered that their denims and woven pants were on sale!

The sale is on for 3 days only, it ends later, December 14, 2014. Old Navy in Bonifacio High Street is open until 11:00PM, so please find time to visit. Pants that were PhP 1,650.00 are now at PhP 1,155.00. That's substantial savings if you ask me. Their denims are priced at PhP 1,650.00 - PhP 1,850.00, and because of the 3-day sale, is still subjected to 30% discount.

I was able to buy myself a pair of broken-in slim khaki pants at PhP 1,155.00. Such a steal! And for the taller people, just like Gap, their pants come in lengths of 30 and 32. If you're on the shorter side, the shop does free alterations.

Old Navy - Bonifacio High Street
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
telephone number: 02.856.6153

Candle Warmers in True Value

I first purchased an electric oil burner back in 2006, and it was a better alternative to oil burners lit by tealights. They're less of a fire hazard, you can leave them on overnight, and they slowly diffuse the scented oil - you don't run the risk of drying out the water quickly.

I grew to love these and they soon became beautiful accent pieces in my previous condos. In one of my recent trips to True Value in Trinoma, I saw a nice owl-shaped oil burner. 

candlewarmers.com

It was being retailed at PhP 795.75. I did a quick search online and stumbled upon their website - candlewarmers.com. Online, these were retailing at $16.99. They were actually designed to melt scented wax - which are also readily available in Mia Maison stalls. For my purposes, I wanted to use it to diffuse essential oils, my favorite scents being Citronella and Water.

I didn't buy the owl candle warmer right away, instead choosing to wait a good 3 weeks, and lo and behold, my patience was rewarded as it was put on sale at 30% off. I only paid PhP 558.00 for this pretty owl candle warmer/oil burner. 

As usual, my limited photography skills do not do justice to the product at all, hence, let me share more pictures of the owl candle warmer from their website. 

Owl

As soon as I'm able to find a nice spot to place the cute owl in, I'll take a picture and update this post. 

Purchasing the candle warmer wasn't as easy you'd think. Although I had resolved for quite some time already that I'd be getting the owl, when I saw the other options in True Value, I got a bit distracted. Now their website lists about 39 Illumination Fragrance Warmer designs, and True Value carries 5 of these:

Live, Love, Laugh

Vintage Turquoise

Tuscan Cream

Cayenne

I was choosing among Vintage Turquoise, Tuscan Cream, and Owl. However, since there were only 2 pieces left in stock for Owl, I opted to purchase it instead. Anyway, the shape of the fragrance diffuser was unique - I haven't encountered an owl-themed oil burner aside from it.

I was about to buy a 2nd candle warmer, my mom wanted one also, but since I was with Kim, being the economist, he dissuaded me from doing so.

So, I will purchase another candle warmer from True Value perhaps when Kim isn't with me. Who knows, hopefully by that time, they might be on sale at 50% off already!

If you want to know more about Candle Warmers, feel free to visit their website: www.candlewarmers.com

They have an interesting video there of their products. They actually started by warming candles - a safer alternative to burning candles. I'm actually short of convinced to buy their original candle warmer. 

Should you feel the urge to contact True Value in Trinoma to check on the availability of the other candle warmers, because I know I want to purchase the other 4, here is their contact details:

True Value Trinoma

Level 1, Trinoma Mall, Quezon City

0932.629.1658

Honestly, these are quite affordable compared to how much Mia Maison would sell their oil burners. If I were you, I'd buy one while they're on sale. 

Another Sugi Greenbelt Dinner

Of course we wouldn't let the Sugi Sale slip away for another night. We ate dinner at Sugi Greenbelt again yesterday! There were less people, and not a child in sight, so we decided to make another go for it.

The table was better also. The night before, we were seated on a table near the kitchen's entrance. This time around, we were seated next to an airconditioner, slightly better than the kitchen. The menu won't change overnight, though. Nonetheless, I still took a picture.

For starters, we ordered Katsuobushi Onigiri:

Don't be fooled, there's a surprise inside, bonito fish shavings! I ordered the Tenpura Teishoku, which we had ordered the night before also, but I just couldn't resist it:

Danny ordered Toruu Donburi:

As expected, he gave all the chicken skin to me. The bill was only a couple of pesos shy of PhP 500.00, because we availed of the sale yet again! Definitely, will be coming back for more cheap Sugi dinners! Keep you guys posted!