Fresh Options

 

De Longhi

De Longhi is a 100 year old Italian manufacturer of small appliances that has recently been making a splash in the local coffee machine market.  I first encountered an automatic coffee making machine in a hotel in London, and at the time, I could not, for the life of me, figure out which buttons to push and how to make it work.  There was no one to ask for directions, and I simply gave up on having a self-brewed cup.  Now, this De Longhi automatic model was a nifty machine, and I want something to play with!  I had a sudden impulse to purchase the machine, to which Monique, with a look of shock on her face, vehemently protested, "What gives dad?  You palpitate with caffeine, while mom has an acidic tummy, so we only brew coffee once in a blue moon!"  End of discussion.

Island Photo

If I remember correctly, the Island Photo counter in Greenhills used to be located at the second floor of the old Manilabank Arcade.  I'd get my negatives developed there, together with contact prints so I could identify which pictures I'd ask them to print in regular size.  You have to remember it was expensive to have big prints then, and contact prints made it so much cheaper to continue the hobby.  Island is still alive and kicking these days, and I understand that the store can still print out hard copies from both soft files and from film negatives, which is good if you still have your 110, 126 and 135 strips stashed in storage (I wonder though if both Ektachrome and Kodachrome rolls can still be processed into prints).  My Kodachrome rolls would take up to 3 weeks to process then, as batch processing was done in Oz, and the developing costs would be very high.

Una Hana

Via Venetto

Dr. Kong

Profood

Keynamics

Popular Bookstore

The Tannery Manila

I've bought a lot of leather goods all over the world, and sometimes I ask myself if the purchase is really worth it.  Monique and I toured the Tiendesitas Mall the other day and found the The Tannery Manila, a store selling Meycauayan made high quality leather bags at a fraction of the cost of imported ones.  They have bags, wallets and other accessories for both men and women, and I was quite impressed with the workmanship.  We were informed that this specific outlet would be closing by month's end, but a new store was in the works at the Shangri-la Mall.  Fantastic!

Takashimaya

Daiso

Everyone loves a good inexpensive buy.  We found out that chocolates in Daiso were pretty cheap!

Daimaru

The grand daddy of Japanese department stores, Daimaru.  Spent a whole day there.  What more can I say?

Sunkus

I enjoy visiting convenience stores for the, uhm well, convenience.  All the more so in foreign countries; having several such stores located within a couple of minutes walk from one's hotel is such a nifty thing!  The Circle K Sunkus stores we frequented were truly a haven for everything mundane--coffee, water, ice cream, bread, juices, gelatin, cheese, chocolate and milk.  Comfort zone!

The Marketplace

LUSH

I enjoy passing by the LUSH shops.  You can smell the fresh scents from a mile away.  Each whiff takes me closer to Nirvana, and it seems that I can window-shop there all day long.  Monique is an avid patron, and together, we make it a point to drop in every time we see their store.  Prices aren't cheap, but the products are definitely A-1, handmade, no shortcuts, no unnecessary chemicals.

Vom Fass

It was an interesting find, this Vom Fass store at the basement of the new wing of the Shangri-la Mall.  It's like buying tingi at your favorite sari-sari store!  Those of your old enough will remember that suka and toyo could be purchased in small bottled quantities in practically any neighborhood sari-sari store (not pre-packed, but metered right in front of you).   The concept is exactly the same.  This German store dispenses oils, vinegar and alcohol by the milliliter!  They even have various bottles to choose from.  These are items that are usually expensive to purchase in bulk, yet taken in little quantities such that most often, the remaining unused portions remain stuck in your ref, or your pantry.  The store makes the purchase affordable, and you don't even have to worry about being unable to finish the whole 1 liter bottle.  Smart marketing tactic, I'd say!

Lane Crawford

As we walked around Times Square, the conversation shifted to our previous trips to Hong Kong.  We decided to enter Lane Crawford, the department store that seems to epitomize the Hong Kong shopping-spree experience.  It was one of Kong Kong's and Gwammy's favorites in the sixties, and they would tell me that the store was kind enough to deliver shopping packages straight to their hotel room.  It wasn't necessary to lug your shopping bags around town; that delivery service made the customers feel special.  I don't think they offer this service anymore, and if ever, only to the regular quantity buyers.  Nowadays, the store specializes in luxury items that cost an arm and a leg.  No doubt, however--the shopping experience is always a pleasure, as you can find the very best quality goods.  Of course, the pleasure is especially doubled if you come at the right time to catch the very rare cut-price sale!

Zsiska

We decided to go back to one of Vicky's favorite trinket shops at the World Trade Center. Zsiska makes fashion accessories from resin, and the designs come in bold colors and chunky sizes.  We spent almost an hour choosing gifts, and while admit I was a bit bored, Vicky was very happy!

Collect+Point

When Deannie told me that she wanted to visit Collect+Point at the Hysan Place, I thought that she wanted to visit a certain store to collect points for her membership card or credit card.  Turns out that I was totally wrong, the store's name is actually Collect+Point.  The fashion is for the young ones, and you could see the Japanese influence in the styling.  Now, I can understand why she likes the place!