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!

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!

Landmark Discoveries: Orlina-inspired Candleholders

It is Signal #2 here in Metro Manila because of Typhoon Hagupit/Ruby, and my mom and I were worried because we weren't prepared to deal with a black-out. We had about 3 candles and no candle holders.

We decided to brave the weather to drive to Trinoma, with my sister, so that we can buy candleholders and candles, just in case the strong winds of the typhoons cause some electric wires and poles to topple over.

As usual, Metro Manila is probably not ready to deal with this, because I'm sure the preparation that this current administration did in order to take action against this storm is to offer eggs in Sta. Clara church - I digress.

We went to Landmark Department Store in Trinoma, where we discovered candleholders that took inspiration from the glass sculptures of Ramon Orlina. And they were quite affordable to boot.

Couldn't decide which picture looked better, the one with the flash or without. 

We found these candleholders in the Home Decor section of Landmark, on the 3rd floor. They were only PhP 89.75 each, so we ended up buying all remaining 6 candleholders there. The stand was included in the candleholder. 

They are very heavy, they weigh more than my Macbook. So it was really such a steal. 

So we're ready just in case there's a black-out tonight, what with our Orlina-esque candleholders. 

When Uan Met Sally

Yes, that's the name of the store/coffee shop that Derek and tried out last Saturday night. Sorry it took so long to upload the pictures and the experience, have been pretty busy. Had it not been for the typhoon and the holiday, I might have waited a few more days before I uploaded them.

Last Saturday, Derek and I met up to have dinner in Don Day in UP Village. The food was good, but the place was something else. It's a Korean restaurant where you can grill meat, and have a field day with the Kimchi and other Korean delicacy buffet in the restaurant. When we arrived, there were quite a lot of patrons, and the staff found it hard to keep out. We ended up eating on a table next to an area that had recently been vacated, and with piled used dishes.

Too bad, since I enjoyed the food in Don Day. After dinner, Derek and I drove around UP Village to look for a nice quaint coffee shop, and we chanced upon this store.

I was initially drawn to the colorful clothes on display in the store, and when we were inside, ended up discovering that they had food and coffee as well.

The clothes were quite unique, and the attendant informed us that the owner of the shop purchase the clothes from Bangkok.

I love the theme and the adherence of the store and coffee shop to it. It had a shabby chic vibe going about the store, and obviously, the owner seemed to love birds as a theme. Here's the detail on the wooden placemat used on the coffee tables.

The store's menu was placed on a blue-washed clipboard with a pretty bird medallion detail.

I ordered the Artisan's Coffee, which came with a free cookie. The cup was painted with a bird-detail, and even the cookie was not spared. 

I love the sugar that they used. I should have taken a video of how it melted when I put the lump in the brewed coffee. 

If ever you're in the area, visit the shop and have a lovely cup of coffee or two. I would love to just sit at the store's patio during a rainy day and enjoy their coffee. 

When Uan Met Sally

154-A Maginhawa Street, UP Village, Quezon City