Longchamp and Cath Kidston Bags

These are the new brands in my bag collection.  What's special about these bags is that they all came from my own pocket!  And they cost about Php 3,500 and up!  Yes, I do have other branded / designer bags but they all came from my siblings.  For the love of bags, I normally just buy any brand, mostly locally made.  My favorites (I've got more than 10 bags/accessories from them) are bags from Fab Manila.  And the most expensive bag I bought does not exceed Php 1,000.  Even the Girbaud bag I had was less than that amount (I had it on sale)!  Now I've changed.  I want more designer bags.

When my sister was flying to Paris last year, I had second thoughts in asking her to buy me a Longchamp bag.  I don't understand why girls are raving about it, even my sister loves it so much.  So out of curiosity, I asked her to buy me a limited edition Eiffel Tower Le Pliage medium short handle.  This isn't really my first choice but this is the only one available.

Le Pliage Eiffel Tower, Php 3,500 (converted to Peso)

I fell in love with the bag when I first saw it.  It's so spacious yet not bulky.  The short handle is quite off for the size.  Being spacious, I tend to put on a lot of stuff and it gets a little heavy for me to hand carry or carry it in my arms.  And so I decided to buy another one, this time long handle.  Since I had plans of going to Hong Kong at that time, that was my target: buying another Longchamp bag.  I'm choosing between Abre de Vie and Planetes.  The latter is quite cheaper and my friend told me that I already have a Le Pliage and so I bought Red Planetes small long handle.  I so love this bag! The size is just right.  It is still spacious and sophisticated looking.  I love carrying it on my shoulders.

Red Planetes, Php 5,300 (converted to Peso)

So its summer.  I still want that Abre de Vie white or the LM metal in white of Longchamp.  For some reason, I got attracted to white bags.  Then my sister introduced me to Cath Kidston.  Oh my! They're the perfect bags for summer!  Reading reviews and comments from the ever reliable Girltalk, I become eager in getting a Cath Kidston bag for myself.  Alas, last Tuesday, my sister and I ordered 2 Day Bags in Briar Rose, white and blue.  Of course the white one is for me.

Day Bag in Briar Rose (Stone), Php 3,800 (sale price)

I only get to see my Cath Kidston bag yesterday since it was delivered in my sister's house.  Upon seeing it, OMG! I so love it!  It is so summery!  I immediately transferred my stuff and used it right away.  I thought the Day Bag will be the same size as my Eiffel but it's a bit smaller.  I love it.  I'm not a fan of big bags, really.  It is spacious and looks sturdy.  The handle can be used for shoulder or hand carry.  It's perfect.  I can put my 10" netbook there.

Of these 3 bags, only the Cath Kidston was bought here in the Philippines.  Nowadays, its hard to identify authentic Longchamp bags here as they are everywhere!  I thought Cath Kidston will have no fakes or knock offs but I was wrong.  I already saw an imitation of Cath Kidston bags in facebook.  Same material, same floral design but without the Cath Kidston tag.  They're only selling it for just Php 449.  I also read somewhere that S&R is selling this bag but a fake one.  Sad to say the price is about $1,000+  So before you buy online or anywhere for that matter, better be careful and double check its authenticity.

I'm still eyeing another Longchamp, still the white bags I mentioned, but I'm still thinking about it.  I also like the Herve Chapelier.  I'm still pursuing my sister to give her Herve Chapelier to me as the bag is too small for her :)

Maybe in the future, I'll target to save money to buy on other famous designer bags like LV, Hermes, Chanel, Balenciaga and many others.  Hmmm... Wishful thinking...

Taipei Trip Day 2

(Feb. 14, 2011) My friend told me that today will be colder than yesterday.  I thought I’m still “equipped” with that since yesterday I didn’t feel so cold.  But I was wrong.  I thought my clothes are thicker today than yesterday.  But it seems that the cold winds penetrate my clothes! Brrr!

At about 10am, we’re already at the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial.  It was raining at that time that made the weather [again] super cold!  There are about 3 temples in CKS.  We took our pictures here and there but we couldn’t take a group shot.  At least two of us should take the pictures, one to hold the camera and another one to hold the umbrella to protect the person and the cam from getting wet.  There’s not much to do at CKS but we waited until 12 noon in time for the changing of guards. 

Panoramic view of Chiang Kai Shek Memorial

The changing of guards was amazing.  They’re perfectly synchronized.  They even have an instance where they point out their swords to their leader just to make sure that there distance to each other are all equal.  The whole activity took about 10 minutes.  It’s hard to tell whether these guards are good looking as their faces are all serious and almost covered by their helmet.  Haha!

One thing I noticed that the temple provides not only rack for umbrellas but plastics as well where you can place your umbrella and bring it inside but without getting the floor wet.  We find that useful so we can put our wet umbrella directly in our bag.

Lover's Bridge

Our next stop: Fisherman’s Wharf/Lover’s Bridge.  It was located in Danshui line and from there you either walk or ride the bus before you reach the Lover’s Bridge.  We stop by at some market place in Danshui where we get to taste another street food.  The candy covered tomato is delicious.  Crunchy in the outside, soft and juicy in the inside, haha!  I also get to taste some bread with fillings.  Yummy too!  I intend to buy a jacket as it was really cold but I end up buying only gloves.  It cost me NT$100.  That’s enough to keep me a bit warm, I guess.  My friend was also able to buy one from original price of NT$200, she was able to bargain it at NT$100. 

Arriving at Lover’s Bridge… IT WAS REALLY REALLY COLD!!  I can barely walk up the bridge!  But for picture purposes, keri lang!  The bridge is quite long so I have to endure the coldness of the weather before reaching the other end.  It was nice scenery though with the pink colored bridge.  I wonder how it would look like at night.  There are some shops and restaurants at the other end but some were close.  When we get back to the other end, we saw a couple all dressed up.  It seems like they’re going to have their pre-nuptial pictures take there.

Our next stop is the Fort Sto. Domingo.  We took a bus to get here.  I think this is also called the Red House.  As what the name implies, it is all painted in red.  It seems like this is a dorm house.  There’s not much to do here too, just picture taking.  We left the area at about 5pm already, rush hour.  We expect the buses and trains to be jam-packed with commuters.  And yes it is.  Just like in the Philippines, the buses are occupied and you wouldn’t get to sit anymore.

Our last stop, Shilin Market.  My much awaited destination.  This is shopping time!  At first we seem lost as the market we entered only has a very few stalls.   Not even clothes, just food and some games for kids.  We were not convinced that that is the Shilin Market.  So we walked across the street and there it is!  Shilin Market is like Divisoria.  So many clothes, shoes, accessories, toys and many others stuff on sale.  I saw one boots which only cost NT$180, that’s only around Php 300!  But I didn’t buy it as I think I won’t get to wear it again even if I’ll be in HK next week.  I won’t be wearing it while here in the Philippines.  So I just shop for clothes which I can get to wear in HK.  I heard the weather is also cold there at this time.  There are a lot of cheap clothes there except for souvenir shirts, I find it expensive.  The kids’ shirt already cost almost NT$200. 

10 Degrees Celsius at 11:51pm in Shilin Market

Oh by the way, we had dinner here at Shilin Market.  Unfortunately, we were not able to taste the stinky tofu.  But the food we ate was ok.  We also tried their pearl shake, yum!  We spent the rest of the night here that we almost missed the last ride going back to Xiamending.  The last train trip was at 12 midnight and we’re still in Shilin Market by 11:45pm!  We were running but glad we made it!  The recorded weather for today was 10 degrees Celsius.

Read on for my Day 3 Taipei trip :)  For details of Day 1, click here.

Earthquake: Have You Felt It?

An intensity of 3 hits southern part of Metro Manila this late in the evening.  I was in Makati, about to leave the office, at the time when I heard the news about that earthquake.

According to the news, a magnitude of 5.8 was recorded in southwest Manila at around 6:27 pm.  I learned about the earthquake when my friend's husband called her and informed her that there was an earthquake in their area.  The earthquake lasted for about a minute, he says.  Then later, it was already in the news.

Intensity 4 was felt in Manila, Marikina, Talisay, Batangas and Tagaytay.  Intensity 3 was felt in Quezon City, Alabang, Makati, Taguig, Malabon, Bacoor, Cavite; Lubang Island, San Jose, Mindoro Occidental, Abra de Ilog and Calapan, Mindoro Occidental.  Finally, intensity 2 was felt in Lucban, Quezon; Plaridel, Bulacan; Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija and Baguio City.

Even if there was a report of intensity 3 in Makati, I didn't felt it.  Maybe because its not that strong.

With all these natural disasters, you can't help but panic and be worried about it.  I also heard that there was an earthquake felt, about the same magnitude, yesterday somewhere in La Union and Bulacan.   2 days in a row that the Philippines experience this.  I kept thinking anybody can get caught off guard once the earth shakes.  It's summertime, vacation time.  What if people were having their vacation on the beach and the earth will shake again?  The thought of tsunami scares me.  I'm having second thoughts of planning my next trip on the beach :(   I guess all we need is prayer.

*You may read about the news on earthquake felt today here. 

Concerts / Foreign Performers

What have I been doing?! I'm already missing concerts! I missed out the concerts of Stone Temple Pilots, Chippendales (haha!), Yellowcard, Anberlin and Far East Movement.  And now, I think I won't be able to catch the concerts of Bruno Mars (April 8), The Script (April 16), Switchfoot (April 30) and Maroon 5 (May 23).

I'm not a big fan of Bruno Mars but I like some of his songs.  So missing this out will not be too painful for me.  For The Script, I'd like to hear them play live but unfortunately I might have an out of town trip by that time.  I still can't decide.  I might ran out of tickets for this.  For Switchfoot, I think this will be their 3rd visit to the country and I'm gonna miss it again! Well, I'm not yet so sure but Phil. Sports Arena is way to far (and inconvenient) for me.  Maroon 5... At first I thought I can miss their concert this time since I was able to hear them last time they were here.  But on second thought, I wanna see Adam Levine up close and personal!  But the ticket might be sky rocket high again.  I remember their last concert here, ticket prices was as high as 10k.  I think I wouldn't spend that much just to see them.  And also, I don't like the venue for their concert this time.  I read somewhere that only VIP and Gold ticket holders have seats, correct me if I'm wrong.

 Sigh.  Expensive.  Oh well.

Maybe I'll just check out Cirque De Soleil instead?  I heard they're amazing performers.  But I'm sure its also expensive.  They'll be here sometime end June to July.

Care to join me in any of these concerts? :)

To Matilda and Ella: A message to my friends

Two of my closest friends are bound to leave the country anytime this year.  Well both are not yet sure as there are still documents/papers to be processed but its definitely a plan that they will leave the country.

Matilda and Ella while I am Kaye.  You will know why, later.  We are so called the Chuwariwaps.  They're just jealous. Haha!

I met them about 3-4 years ago and we've become friends ever since.  Matilda is nearer to me as I get to see her more often.  But my connection to Ella never ends.  We still talk, chat and text once in a while.  And ever since I met Ella, I felt like I've already know her.  I am always updated to their lives and we've been through some ups and downs.  I've seen them cry, laugh, mad, pikon, do crazy stuff, fell in love, etc. etc.  I have shared different passion for each of them thats why I enjoyed their company a lot.  When we talk, expect a never ending story.  There's always a story to tell, specially with Matilda even if we see often.  As with Ella, we don't talk much but when we do, it will still be like the good old times.  We each bonded a lot although it is seldom now that the three of us get together.

And I don't think that it will ever happen now.  Both friends will leave me here, in the Philippines, alone.  I understand their plans and I support them.  I am happy for them.  We need to grow.  We have separate lives.  It's just that I'm gonna miss them so much. The bonding we've made, the laughter we've shared, the secrets we've told.  I know parting ways does not mean our friendship will end.  I just hope that we will still keep and forever be in touch.  I love you my friends!

Oh, by the way.  We got our names: Matilda, Ella and Kaye, because of these (respectively): Maldita, Bratinella and Sho-Kaye :)  Among the 3, I'm the kindest of all!

Taipei Trip Day 1

At about a month ago, Feb 13 in the evening, we were still wandering around Taipei 101 mall and maybe looking for something to eat.  We no longer went up to 88th or 89th floor of the building to get a spectacular view of Taipei since it was rainy at that time and the view from the top is foggy, according to the receptionist.  And so we decided to just hang around Taipei 101 and do some shopping.  Besides, it would be a waste of NT$450 if you will not get to see anything.

Yes, I was in Taiwan last month from Feb 12-16.  I celebrated Valentine's Day with my single girlfriends in Taiwan.  Its not really 5 days since the flight was evening of Feb. 12 and we are expected to arrive at Taiwan at 12am of Feb. 13.  Then our flight back was also evening of Feb. 15 and we are expected to arrive in Manila at 3am of Feb. 16.  This is my first trip for this year.  It is also my first International trip.

Upon arriving in Taipei International Airport, I can already feel that I was in another country. The weather is really cold.  Colder than what I used to when inside an air conditioned room.  I love it.  We were fetch by the van contacted by my friend.  He welcomes us as we aboard his van.  The van was high tech with GPS attached!  It was talking and informing the driver where it is headed.  Well I'm not so sure as the language is Chinese.  My friends had a little chat with the driver as they know some Chinese (both Mandarin and Fookien).  From the airport, it was about 45minutes drive to where we will be staying, King Shi Hotel at Ximending District, the fashion district of Taipei.

          

 Standard Room at King Shi Hotel

Our driver got a quite hard time in finding our hotel.  Well I wouldn't be surprised since our hotel does not look like a hotel at all.  The hotel only occupies 7th and 8th floor of the building.  The other floors are for other businesses.  We availed 2 standard rooms since we are 5.  I payed at around Php 4,000 for 3 days 3 nights stay to my friend, she did all the bookings for us.  Sorry I can't recall the exact room charge per night :)

Our itinerary for today is Maokong Gondola, Sun Yat Sen and Taipei 101.  Fist destination is the Maokong Gondola.  We need to ride the MRT from Ximen (Tucheng, Banqiao and Nangang Line or simply blue line) to Taipei Zoo (Wenhu or brown line).  We will be transferring trains from Zhongxiao Fuxing on our way to Taipei Zoo.  Their MRT is very high tech.   All are connected so you can reach your destination easily.  We opted to buy chips rather than a card pass.  It is more cheaper.  MRT rates are about NT$25 on the average but it is still dependent on your destination.  Buying chips is quite easy as there are instructions indicated.  Another thing that amazes me is how disciplined their people are.  There are designated waiting line which people strictly follows.  They waited for passengers to come out from MRT before going in. 

Travel time from Ximen to Taipei Zoo is around 30 minutes.  From the MRT, we have to walk about 300 meters to get to Maokong Gondola.  There are paw prints in the sidewalk with some Chinese characters written on it.  Walking down the streets, you can also smell that you are indeed in Taipei Zoo, if you know what I mean :)

Maokong Gondola has 4 stations: Taipei Zoo Station, Taipei Zoo South Station, Zhinan Temple Station and Maokong Station.  We skipped the first 3 stations and headed straight to Maokong Station.  It took us about 30 minutes or more. 

From the Maokong Station, there are a lot of tourist spots to be visited.  We just picked out a few.  There is also an information center where you can ask the distance from one point to another.  Bus service are also provided with a fee.  Since we're on a budget, we just walk.  But later we realized, we wished we rode the bus... we wasted some time walking :(  We were there from about 10AM to 5PM.  We ate at 2 different tea houses, visited some temples, went to the tea plantation, walk, walk and walk.  Its very tiring.  But we did enjoy our tea and street food! Yum!  Maokong area has also become real cold when it started to rain.

Of course we tasted their tea. Authentic!

This is very yummy with real fresh fruits!

Big serving of noodles from food court of Taipei 101. I ordered this via turo-turo language

Since we spent the whole day at Maokong Station, we skipped Sun Yat Sen as it closes at around 5PM.  We decided to visit it on our last day.  We went straight to Taipei 101 from our Maokong Gondola trip. We rode again MRT from Taipei Zoo (Wenhu line) to Taipei City Hall (Tucheng, Banqiao, Nangang line).

As mentioned earlier, we no longer went up to see the city skyline of Taipei as it was raining and even the receptionist informed us that there is low visibility of the city due to the fog.  Yes, it was still cold at that time.  The rain added coldness to the city.

So this is how my first day in Taipei went.  Tiring but enjoyable.  I really enjoyed the food and the weather!




Here's my post for Day 2 and Day 3.
 

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