ukay finds from ortigas and shaw

saturday's ukay shopping trip was a success! koryn and i met in robinson's galleria, and used the pink and blue walkway to cross to the POEA side of EDSA. the ukay store was on sale, and they had so many bags and tops that it took koryn and i about 3 hours before we finally went up to the cashier and declare the store thoroughly "ukayed."

i got really lucky with their selection of tops, and brought home 7 from this store alone, with sleeveless tops priced at P100, and sleeved ones at P115. i tried rummaging through their jackets and coats racks, but wasn't lucky enough to find myself a good rain or trench coat.

then koryn and i took the bus (we were too tired to walk, and the sun was fierce that day) to crossing, where we first had merienda, then went back out for ukay shopping session parte dos. we found a small ukay store along shaw boulevard, which had racks that sold items at 3 for 100, P45, P50, and P60. koryn was able to go home with a nice coat/cardigan from there for P50.

our last stop for the day was UK fashion house (o, di ba? fancyyy!), where i got myself a black cotton top for P90. i also found a shoulder bag for P450, but thought twice since some parts of it were already peeling off.

so i went home spending just P820 on my finds: 5 sleeveless tops at P100 each, 1 shirt for P115, the skull sweatshirt for P115 as well, and the P90 UK fashion house top. my budget for the day was P1,000, so i was really happy to get 8 items for less than that. next time, i'll shop for bottoms and upgrade that part of my wardrobe.

i also read online that there are ukay stores on guadalupe, and i'll make that my next ukay shopping target. will let you know how it goes! :)

ukay shopping in the city

since i'm due for an ukay trip tomorrow, i thought i'd share some of my and my friends' ukay haunts. ukay shopping is a great way to upgrade a wardrobe--it's cheap, and you're almost always certain of getting a funky find!

one of my favorite ukay areas is anonas. when you get off the LRT2 station, there is one ukay store that offers a LOT of clothes, bags, and shoes. that's actually where i scored my lovely shoes (pictured above) for just P280.

but when you go all the way down from the station, just turn right and look out for a mall-like opening right past the beverage and food stands. that's the entrance to anonas's supersonic ukay mall--a five-level giant filled with ukay stores left and right. i've found a myriad of items in this single ukay "mall" alone--cargo pants for P170, girly tops for P50, pants for P120, and some toys and collectibles, too. i also got a pleather bag here for P450. it was expensive, but the bag is still making me happy, and it has no visible wear and tear.

cubao is also teeming with ukay stores, among them the one beside national bookstore. this store seems to be a hit with ukay veterans, and the last time i was there, i got myself a bag, and a few tops for less than P500.

when i feel like "ukay splurging," i take the LRT1 to bambang and check out their high-end ukay stuff. the first time i went there, i was amazed at the designer labels they carried--these people really know how to pick out their haul! the stores were teeming with LV, gucci, coach, lancel, fendi, and other labels. this was where i got my leather calvin klein drawstring bag for P550. i love that bag so much, because it goes with everything, and it's very, very durable. i brought it to hong kong and spain, and i use it almost everyday, but it hasn't shown signs of wear and tear, even after all the rainy days we've gone through.

when i don't have the energy to go all the way to these ukay haunts, i content myself with the nearby ukay at buendia, at the ground floor of the grepalife building. it's past pasong tamo street along buendia, and right beside BPI family savings bank. the haul i get from here is a mixed lot, and they're on the expensive side.

makati cinema square also has about three ukay stores, one of them is right in front, facing pasong tamo. i've found some nice bags here, but they're pretty overpriced. this store also has a lots of boots, so if you're looking for a nice pair, you just might get 'em here.

mitch, a friend of mine, who also got addicted to ukay( because of me), says she's pretty happy with the ukay store along edsa, near crossing, beside dunkin' donuts. she's also checked out the ukay in kamuning, and the one in ortigas. the latter, however, did not meet her expectations.

and that's where i'll be going with my friend koryn tomorrow--to check the ukays in shaw and ortigas. mitch and i are also thinking of raiding this ukay place called raberly, which is found across trinoma, and is accessible via the monumento stop of the MRT.

for those who don't have the patience to go through stacks of clothes, there are actually some people who do the ukay shopping for you. i've found some sites that sell vintage finds, but of course, at more expensive prices (but still cheaper than the stuff you find at malls). you can check out the following sites:

in the fish bowl
the only ukay queen
viva vintage

so it doesn't matter if you're willing to go out of your way or not, there's an ukay shopping strategy for every fashionista. :)

i gotta go! has a new look

i was never really that happy with the previous beige and red look--it was just a template that i left up while trying to figure out what to do with the template.

after some searching, i discovered this template, and thought that it was fitting for i gotta go!. it invokes a feeling of calm and tranquility, but at the same time, beckons me to go on an adventure. i'm hoping that having this look on my travel site would remind me again and again of what travel means to me.

i'm still trying to tinker with the template. i'll probably take out some of the sidebar widgets and put in new ones. time to update the ol' site, and hopefully, it will make me write more again. :)

i miss being out

i haven't been out of manila since the spain trip, and i've been feeling the itch to get out again. the temptation is much stronger since i scored a couple of free roundtrip tickets to any of cebu pacific's domestic destinations.

at the same time, though, something's holding me back. i still can't put my finger on it, but i feel like i could stay here in manila and explore more of the city. i want to visit the metropolitan, yuchengco, and lopez museums, see more of intramuros, spend a day in la mesa ecopark, go to carriedo, and take the pasig ferry again. there are some walks from carlos celdran and old manila walks that i want to take, too.

but the lure of the beach and other exotic provinces are just as strong. la union and boracay are fighting for my time and attention again--i miss the waves and the people of LU, while boracay's laidback yet city-feel makes me want to go back. i'm also planning to go on another viaje del sol trip and visit some of the destinations that i didn't get to see last time. batanes is also a prime location, but probably not the best choice this season. baguio is another place on the list, mainly for the weather, the ukay, and the food.

and that's just the pinas places i want to see. i'm trying to figure out a way to get my ass back to hong kong. there's no special reason to go, but hong kong is hong kong. i will never say no to it. i can go there and just spend my time walking and walking and walking, punctuated by hours of stuffing my face with whatever food place catches my fancy.

but my head is trying to rein me in, telling me that i should prioritize. there are some things that call for my time and attention at the moment, and there is another major trip in the making that is sure to once again wipe out my travel savings. since i was able to finally get to europe, i've been thinking of going back, and i'm slowly putting the pieces of a london-paris-madrid-barcelona-santander trip together, and, if budget and time permits, maybe i'll even get to see ireland.

see? even when i'm stuck in one place, i'm always traveling. my head has conjured up so many daydreams of places i've yet to see, or places that i want to be in at the moment. it's lovely, and difficult, to be bitten by the travel bug. :)

charlie's yummy angus burgers

i wouldn't have found out about charlie's delicious burgers if i hadn't been working in ortigas. so i guess, even though it takes me an hour to get to work, being here in pasig does have its perks.

located in east capitol drive in kapitolyo, pasig, charlie's stands beside a local carwash and internet cafe, and serves one of the best value angus burgers i know. the place, though small, is pretty clean, and the menu offers a variety of yummy treats:



the place was already full when we arrived, but the line still wasn't as long as when we left. unfortunately for susie and me, they ran out of fries last saturday, so we made do with their burgers. i got the black angus burger and vanilla milkshake, while 'sus decided to add smoked bacon to his burger, and pair it with a bottle of san mig light.

i think we waited just five minutes for our burgers to arrive. not bad, since they make them as you order. i was a bit disappointed that it didn't look that appetizing, and was actually worried that it might not measure up to my expectations.

but with just one bite, all my worries were gone. the patty was juicy and incredibly tasty, i really couldn't believe i only paid P150 for it (but to the owner of charlie's, please don't raise your prices!). it was topped by huge onion and tomato slices, and a humongous lettuce leaf.


the burger went well with my strawberry milkshake, though i wouldn't order their shakes next time. at P150, it didn't feel worth it. maybe i'll try one of their "american craft" beers when i go back. and their portobello mushroom, and their philly cheese steak, and their snap dawgz, and...

charlie's info:
photos of charlie's grind and grill
east capitol drive, bgy. kapitolyo, pasig
serves: damned good burgers, cheese steaks, american craft beers, meatballs

ikea mondays

mondays in madrid are the worst for tourists. most museums and other places of interest are closed, and to make up for this, susie and i would go to ikea over at san sebastian de los reyes.

to do this, we had to go to the plaza de castilla metro stop, which is just a short ride from cuzco or tetuán. plaza de castilla is a huge intercambiador, or transportation interchange, where one can take a bus or train to other parts of spain.

bus 156, which goes to san sebastian de los reyes in 30 minutes, is in dársena 23. buses usually leave every 15 minutes, and the fare is €1,65 one way. you pay this when you get on the bus. it's always best to have exact change (avoid paying in bills or the driver will not be happy).

san sebastian de los reyes is warehouse city. there are plenty of industrial stores, such as media markt for gadgets, leroy merlin for your hardware needs, and of course, IKEA! for some reason, my trips to ikea from singapore has made me equate the place with good food rather than good furniture. that's because i never miss out on their delicious swedish meatballs whenever i go there, no matter what part of the world i'm in.

on my first visit to ikea in s.s. de los reyes, i got so attracted to all the food, that i got myself a dish of meatballs, or albóndigas, (10 pieces) with mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauce (€4,50), and a plate of salmon (€5,50). that's two huge plates for €10,00, which was the usual price i would pay for a menu del dia in the city center. not bad, eh?

on our second trip, i knew better. i had read that ikea had a promo from 5pm until closing--10 pieces of meatballs, with potatoes and lingonberry sauce, is sold at just €1,00! being the cheapskate that i am, i timed our visit the following monday to coincide with the special offer, and we ended up having such filling el cheapo meals!

it's okay to be such gluttons in ikea, because after eating, you still have the rest of the store to walk through. i enjoyed looking at their sample houses in the premises, which had a lot of good interior design suggestions. there were so many things there that i wanted to buy, and i swore that the next time i'm going to madrid, i have to take an empty suitcase and fill it with ikea stuff.

roam the x travel fair

it's a long weekend, and i don't have plans. thank goodness pao told me about this.

so if i don't get an attack of the lazies, i'll probably go. :D

schedule:

MINI BAZAAR:
3:00PM-12MN

WORKSHOPS: RSVP to roam@octobereighty.com
4:00-4:45: Lomo Roaming Workshop by Bong Rojales & Allan Floreindo of Lomomanila

4:45-5:30: PiliPinas: Why Travel in the Philippines Workshop by Clare Amador of YTRIP

5:30-6:15: Alternative Traveling Workshop by Leia Nagal of Travel Factor

PHOTO EXHIBITS/PROJECTIONS:
6:30-7:00: EU:Roam Launch by Rossy Yabut & Bong Rojales

7:00-8:00: ROAM CUBE: A collab project of Lomomanila and Weewilldoodle

8:00-8:20: Lomographic Travels by Lomomanila

8:20-8:40: Turo-Turo photo projections

8:40-9:00: LAUNCH OF ROAM MAGAZINE (Issue 02)

9:00: TRAIN OF THOUGHTS by Jake Verzosa, Bahaghari, Veejay Villafranca & Paolo Picones

9:30PM: Pilipinas Street Plan

10:00-11:00PM: Replay of Train of Thoughts, Lomomanila and Turo-Turo photo projections

10:00PM onwards: PARTY time!