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!

Bric's X-Bag Crossbody

One of my regrets this year was that I was unable to purchase a Bric's bag from NAIA Terminal 3 when we had a flight to Hong Kong July of this year. Mom took the opportunity to buy a bag while it was at 30% off, and I didn't.

I was quite delighted when the Bric's at the airport sent my mom a text message informing her that some bags had gone on sale again.

The bag I really wanted at the time was the X-Bag Crossbody, which I was hoping to get in a somewhat unisex color of either black, blue, or brown. When I called the sales person at the store, black was available.

borrowed from lyst.com

Just today, accompanied by my sister, we went to the airport in order to purchase the crossbody bag I had the store set aside for me. Grace, the store supervisor I was coordinating with, was on her break, so we had a quick lunch at the airport to kill time.

Looking around the people rushing to and fro to get to their destination, I was observing what type of luggage and bags they carried around with them. The bag you bring with you when you're flying out has to have enough space, and must be convenient to run around in, toss from side to side - and this was the reason why I wanted to get a Bric's X-Bag Crossbody. It is made of nylon so it can withstand rain, water, moisture, sweat. It has bovine leather accents which are hardy and tough and can last for years. Plus, it will perfectly match my check-in luggage.

After lunch, we went back to the shop and I was able to finally purchase the bag at a discounted price of PhP 2,920.00, from its original price of a little over PhP 5,000.00. The Bric's store in the airport is a different distributor from the one located in SM Aura and Shangri-la, and I find that their prices here are, indeed, better than outside. Haven't figured out, though, as to where I was going to attribute the price difference.

I inquired on the availability of the Bellagio Business Case hand-carry trolley that I wanted to purchase to match my Bellagio Tobacco check-in luggage. They said it was supposed to be available before December ends, and the price is way lower compared to the store in SM Aura. Naturally, I asked them to set aside the luggage for me already, and I will hie off to them as soon as they message me.

I'm sharing pictures of the bags on display and the bag I purchased.

Took a snapshot of this crossbody bag as it was on sale at PhP 3,650.00. I didn't purchase it though as the straps are thinner, thus making it hard for the bag to be considered unisex. My mom might be interested in it, though.

This is the bag I purchased. After my purchase, they only have 4 bags left. This would make a really nice gift this Christmas season. Do consider it.

And here's a snapshot of the bag as soon as I brought it home.

I really like Bric's over the other travel bag brands. It isn't as widely known locally, so using their luggage and travel bags gives me a unique sense of style. Observing the people in the airport, their go-to brands are either Samsonite, Delsey, Rimowa, and Tumi. With a Bric's, I feel comfortable that I wouldn't run into someone with the same bag. Quality is also not compromised with this brand. I have had a Bric's trolley that has been with me for years, and it still looks as beautiful as when I first used it.

Bric's X-Bag Capri 25" Spinner

I'm pretty excited for tomorrow!

I was looking around online and saw a Bric's X-Bag being sold for such a good price. According to the seller it had been used once. The color is pretty unique, though, from the available designs in the shop. The tuscan leather used in the current X-Bag lines is brown, the color of the leather used in this particular model is somewhat beige.

I did research on it, and I was able to find an X-Bag model that looked similar to it:

pictures borrowed from Polyvore

This is the X-Bag Capri series. Other models in its line up are the following:

Quite an interesting color-combination, if you ask me. 

We're supposed to go to New Manila tomorrow to inspect it, and hopefully purchase it. Will give you more details soon as I get home tomorrow. 

Rimowa Salsa Sports Trunk 32" Multiwheel

Mommy, Bianca, and I went to Rockwell yesterday. We were just going to go window-shopping, since there wasn't anything better to do on a stormy Sunday. 

We ended up going into the Rimowa store in Rockwell where I had a stark realization - that I might have purchased the wrong luggage!

I really wanted a Rimowa, but the PhP 60,000.00 price range quoted to me when I visited Rimowa in Greenbelt turned me off. Apparently, I asked about the wrong product. That price tag is for the aluminum Rimowas. I wanted a polycarbonate Rimowa which was about half the cost of that. 

I couldn't dwell too much on it, especially since my Bric's Bellagio was a gift from Kim, and we got a really good bargain for it. 

So I considered buying a Rimowa carry-on in blue to match my navy blue Bellagio. Mommy and Bianca wouldn't hear of it. The designs of the two luggage were on polar ends of the spectrum. 

On the one hand, I adore the vintage steamer trunk look of the Bellagio, which gives it a charming old world vibe, and on the other, the minimalist industrial of Rimowa is also quite timeless. 

I decided I would still match my Bric's Bellagio with the 2nd generation hand carry business case:

borrowed from bricstore.com

But that I would buy another set of luggage. I was looking at the Rimowa Salsa Sports Trunk 32" Multiwheel, and I love its shape. I so want one. 

borrowed from the bestthings.com

Another thing I realized last Sunday - Bric's prices are more expensive than Rimowa. 

They're both beautiful in their own right, and if you're having difficulties deciding between two things, then why not get them both?

Bric's Bellagio Ultra-Light Spinner

After our Hong Kong trip, we figured it was time to update our luggage. You might think that luggage is not important, that you can basically get one of those run of the mill suitcases in the department store, and nobody would care. Well, you're wrong.

Your choice in luggage says a lot about you. It was a lesson we learned in a rather odd way.

During our Hong Kong trip, we brought an XL Samsonite soft-case luggage, an XL Echolac polycarbonate luggage, a Bric's carry-on, and a locally manufactured carry on. While going around Hong Kong, we brought along the carry-on with no name. The locals in the MTR were looking at us from head to toe after they realized that our carry-on was insignificant. These locals, by the way, were bringing around Rimowa carry-ons in the MTR! They weren't even going to the airport, they were going to work! I wanted to tell them, "Don't look at us like that, you guys are commuters! We don't even ride the MRT in the Philippines." Alas, it remained in my thought balloon.

Mommy and I vowed this incident was never ever going to happen again, and so our quest for the perfect luggage started.

Naturally, our first option was Rimowa. After all, the commuting snobs of Hong Kong all seemed to approve of the brand. I noticed also that in the international airport in Manila, there were a lot of Filipinos pushing around their Rimowa luggage.

After further research, and several visits to the Rimowa store in Greenbelt, apparently, there are fake Rimowas. Can you imagine spending PhP 60,000.00 on luggage, and people thinking that you're Rimowa probably cost only PhP 12,000.00. A word of caution, best to buy only from the store.

In hindsight, I realized that some of the Filipinos in the airport lugging Rimowa might have been using fake ones.

We almost resorted to, sigh, buying either a polycarbonate Delsey or Samsonite, much to Bianca's delight because Delsey had a pink series.

Good thing I stumbled into Bric's store in SM Aura - during a weekend sale to boot.

Now, we're no strangers to Bric's. In fact, one of our purchases from Duty Free in Manila was a Bric's tote for Mommy. Throw in Jessica Alba and Amal Clooney being spotted rolling Bric's luggage out from the airport, and we were sold.

Mommy was the first to  purchase the luggage. She bought an XL Bric's Bellagio in olive.

borrowed from bricstore.com

I didn't immediately buy one because I was having difficulty choosing between getting a polycarbonate Bellagio or an XL Bric's Life Camo. The Life series is a combination of leather coated in PVC, so it gives a soft case feel to the luggage, but with the water resistance of a polycarbonate shell. 

borrowed from lyst.com

Kim on the other hand offered to buy the luggage for me as a birthday/Christmas/anniversary gift.

This evening, we went to the Bric's store in SM Aura so Kim can see the options. He preferred the Bellagio because of the polycarbonate shell, and even the staff at Bric's recommended that I get that model instead. 

Since Mommy and I cannot travel with the same colored bag, I ended up getting the XL Bric's Bellagio in navy.

borrowed from neimanmarcus.com

Blue Bellagio it is!

Our next trip is to Seoul-Pohang-Busan in March 2017. I'm excited!

Umbra Prisma Copper Frame

Just came back from Hong Kong, and since I've been there several times already, I've run out of souvenirs to get myself to remind me of the trip.

This particular trip, though, I came across a nice stall with a calligrapher. She was writing down English names in Chinese characters. For HK$30, I commissioned her to write my name.

The Chinese characters depicting my name meant he is to seek. Makes me feel like I'm some seeker of truth and knowledge.

I didn't know how to present this tiny 5" x 7" paper. I was thinking it would probably look best in a nice picture frame. The tricky part though was finding a frame that I would like. You see, my family isn't normal, in the sense that we don't have family pictures framed and displayed on a mantel, so I was never used to shopping for a photo frame. Having paintings framed, that's where I was trained well by my mom.

I went around Glorietta hoping to find a good frame to showcase my little calligraphy, and I was able to find one that I fell in love with in Dimensione.

I love the copper color, it lends a somewhat modern feel to the timeless Chinese calligraphy. I also adore the angles and lines that create the prism back of the frame, which supports it. The calligraphy, or photo, looks absolutely glorious floating right smack in the center of it.

Such a lovely addition to my office. I have a picture from a 2012 Hong Kong trip that's just on my magnetic memo board, and a picture of the One Serendra team attending a party - I would probably be looking for those also so I can display them in the office.

I guess starting to frame pictures is still a way to preserve special moments and memories that will never go out of style.