10A Alabama Arts and Crafts Fair

Sunday afternoon was spent with my crafty AME orgmates Ate Raine, Ate Yvette and Charm in 10A Alabama's Arts and Crafts Fair. I'm glad that Ate Raine invited us to go. Otherwise I would have gone alone (which may not be as fun). I'm also glad that I was able to spend time with friends without having to worry about immediate work and school deadlines. :)

Here are some photos from my phone. I'm sorry for the bad quality. I forgot to bring my camera!

Here's my orgmate, Mel. She's a graduate of Visual Communications in UP CFA. She makes customized notebooks with pretty hand-painted covers! Check out her stuff here: https://www.facebook.com/papercanvas

The furniture and the chinaware are for sale too

Now that I think about it, I didn't buy handmade products in 10A Alabama. I just bought tools and materials for my crafts. You see, when I know that I can make something, I don't buy it. I try to create it myself. I know I sound like a total cheapskate but I really don't mind haha. (I know a lot of people, especially AME orgmates, who share the same philosophy: don't buy it if you can make it.)

However, don't get me wrong; I do buy handmade products too but only when it's worth the price and/or it's something that I cannot create.

Here's my haul that day (clockwise from top left):

• alphabet stamp set (PhP400) from a stall in 10A Alabama whose contact details I wasn't able to get
• woodcarving tools for stamp-carving (PhP168) from National Book Store
• a bunch of postcards for Postcrossing, from National Book Store
• erasers for stamp-carving
• X-Acto knife spare blades
• washi tape (PhP100 each) from Hey Kessy in 10A Alabama (Finally, airmail stripe washi tape! This one has been on my wishlist for some time now.)
• a postcard and a sticker, freebies from Hey Kessy
• Eiffel tower with postmark stamp (PhP99) from Sitting Pretty in 10A Alabama

What are the carving tools, spare blades and erasers for? Well, Ate Raine, Ate Yvette, Charm and I saw handmade stamped postcards and handmade rubber stamps being sold at 10A Alabama. We liked them but we didn't buy any (I did buy rubber stamps but not handmade ones) because they're expensive (as most handmade things are) and we thought we can make stamps too. I also saw Bored and Crafty Meream's post about her handmade stamp a few days prior which inspired me to make my own. That's why after 10A Alabama, we went to National Book Store in Gateway to buy carving tools and erasers!

That night, I could not resist trying out my new tools so I went and carved away.

My first handmade stamp: very far from perfect but doesn't look too bad to me

I'll post about my stamp-carving adventures in the next post! I'm also excited to see how my friends' stamps turned out. :)

Color Added

I bought my second pair of Suelas shoes via Zalora a few weeks ago. I got the first when I was in 5th year college and it lasted only three months... which is not exactly acceptable considering its price tag. One does not simply pay PhP800 for a pair of flats that get totally worn out in three months. Recently, however, I had a 500-peso voucher from Zalora so I thought it'd be justifiable to buy a pair. The soles seem sturdier than they were last time. They're also comfortable and come in half-sizes. I hope this pair will last me longer.

The Zalora shopping experience was great though! It was hassle-free and delivery was really fast. I'm glad that I didn't get addicted to Zalora shopping!

The satchel is from Taiwan. It was surprisingly cheap. I got it for only NTD290 (~PhP440). The quality is not that good but then you get what you pay for. It can be a handbag, a shoulder bag or a backpack. But I love it best as a backpack. I'm not exactly a bag person (I'm a shoes person and I always carry a lot of stuff so I always bring a big backpack) but it doesn't hurt to carry a cute bag every once in a while.

Red, white and blue faux leather and gold hardware... my brother said it looks like a Philippine flag... which reminds me of our model structure for IDEERS 2012 haha. :))

And a cute denim + lace shirt from Shilin nightmarket. I love how it can be dressed up or down. :)

The Cutest Shirts in the World

...are being sold by a nice old man in Shilin nightmarket. Well, okay, I'm exaggerating by saying "cutest shirts in the world" but Totoro is just too cute!!

I found this shirt on display outside one of the shops in Shilin nightmarket. It's my first time noticing that shop despite having been to Shilin nightmarket a number of times (maybe 5 times?) I knew I had to buy the shirt because 1) it's Totoro 2) the tag says NTD 190 or ~PhP290 and 3) it's not common so there's only a small chance of seeing a person with the same shirt!

Inside the store were more printed shirts in different designs (there's Pokemon and I think One Piece too).

Nice art! And I'm happy that the colors did not fade after washing. :) Ah, I wish I bought more!

Tape Lovin'

During the recent trip to Taipei, I discovered a shop near the hotel that sells cute office supplies. When I saw that they had deco tape at affordable prices (NTD26 or ~PhP39), I immediately took a shopping basket and hoarded took everything I liked. Coz I'm seriously in love with deco tape.

How do I use deco tape? I usually put them on my belongings to label them as mine. We have the same [issued] pens in school but when my co-teachers see a pen wrapped in deco tape, they know it's mine hahaha. I put them on folders and envelopes just to give life to otherwise boring office supplies. I also put them on the letters and postcards I send!

Here's my collection now! But I think I might give two away to my friends. The five on the left and the floral pattern on the right are the new ones from Taipei. While the two in the middle and the macaron pattern on the right are older ones from Landmark.

Hmm, now I wish I can find a piano-printed tape. :)

Happy-logue 07-14-12

These days have been extremely busy (For three days this week, I've been staying in school until 9pm... either for Masters class or to work on research.) but that doesn't stop me from being a happy person!

1. I have new postcards! I think I'm starting to get used to this... For the past five weekends, I've been coming home to one or two new postcards from different countries. I totally love Postcrossing!

I received postcards from USA and Japan last week (but I did not see them until Monday this week).

This week, I have postcards from The Netherlands and Germany again.

2. Palawan ube hopia! I totally dig this. I've been craving for it since we went to Coron but unfortunately, Palawan ube hopia can only be found in Puerto Princesa. I'm glad Sir Anjo bought this for me during his recent trip. 

3. I watched The Amazing Spiderman with my family (sans younger brother) yesterday. I'm not a Spiderman fan but I enjoyed the movie. It gets boring sometimes (maybe I was just tired) but I still think Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield are awesome... I mean, amazing.

4. I haven't gone shopping for some time now and I've been wearing the same things over and over so I decided to go shopping a little. Happy closet, crying wallet! But oh well, I have two new dresses, a skirt, a satchel, a lace blazer and two pairs of tights.

total wallet damage: PhP3086. Sales are awesome.

5. I have mentioned before that I'm participating in a training this August. I'm currently working with my groupmates and we did a Skype conference last Thursday. There was only three of us: me plus two people from Texas (the other three groupmates didn't make it) but it was great! One of them is so excited to eat balut and the other is going to extend his stay for 1.5 weeks so he's asking me for "adventure advice". I'm glad that they're not the too-serious type and yet they're keen on getting the job done. I'm so excited to meet and work with them. They're coming in three weeks' time!

Ximending: Taipei's Version of Harajuku

Been reading and hearing great things about Ximending.

My friend, Meme, who studied in Taiwan before, told me how she much loves Ximending.

I also read from MKL's blog that Ximending is the "Harajuku of Taipei" where young people hang out and shop. And truthfully, I'd really really like to go to Harajuku. Then again, Japan is too expensive so Ximending it is!

After Maokong Tea Gardens, we took the MRT to Ximending Station. Upon exiting the station, I was immediately amused by the place. I felt like I was in the movies. LOL.

There was a group of young people right in front of the station who had "FREE HUGS" signs with them so I went and took hugs!

Should have hugged a guy too. LOL. Why didn't I?

Hugging a girl from Budapest

I was still in a daze when we decided to start scouring the area.

I was able to buy a pair of boots for NTD 590 (around PhP885). I love the buckle details but the best thing is that it has a zipper closure and yet it fits my thick calves just fine! I was even wearing pants! Boots with zippers here in the Philippines never fit my calves (i.e. I can't close the zippers lol), pfft.

We bought dinner from 7-11 (I had onigiri and assam milk tea) and ate at Taipei Cinema Park (just a few minutes walk from the station).

Taipei Cinema Park

Ni Hao Philippines!

Went around more and found this really cool area of stalls (just tents and tables) where artists sell handmade products every weekend! Stuff I've never seen in Taipei before. A lot of products (especially accessories) caught my eye and I wanted to buy them but they were too expensive (as in hundreds of dollars)!

Totally digged one of the necklaces with star and wing charms. Too expensive though. :(

EEE people will love these. Resistors, capacitors and other electronic things turned into accessories

All the accessories were pretty (made of wire and real crystals), especially the mismatched earrings but they cost 700 to 900 dollars :(

This pretty lady speaks really fluent English so we got to talk to her a lot. Apparently, she grew up in the States.

Cool wire art yo.

The guy is the one who makes the wire art.

However, I was able to get this customized wire art product for NTD130. The character means light. A bit expensive for some pieces of wire. Then again, it's handmade and I don't see these in the Philippines.

The artists' stalls are just around Taipei Red House

It's great that we went on a Sunday. The artists' stalls are just too awesome for words. It felt so indie and very much refreshing from all the mass-produced stuff in Taipei! I wonder if there's something like it here in Manila.

Now, I understand why Meme loves Ximending a lot. I now declare it as one of my favorite places in the world (well, not that I've been to many places in the world but still, LOL).

After Ximending, we went back to the hostel to get our luggage, took a bus back to the airport and that's the end of it.

Wore the new boots to the airport because my old ones almost gave up from my endless walking.

Short but fun and great and not bitin! That's how my weekend in Taipei can be summarized. Until next time, Taipei!

Shopping in Shilin

One of the best things about Taipei is the night market (or maybe shopping in general)! Cheap, fashionable clothes. A lot are mass-produced but there's still A LOT to choose from. And besides, while the clothes  may be common in Taipei, they are no longer common when you go back to Manila. Not everything has good quality (mass produced, yeah) but keep a good eye!

During the first night of our stay in Taipei last weekend, we went to Shilin night market. Oh, we never get tired of it. It's actually my fourth time to go there (first three was during the September 2011 trip). As far as I know, it's one of the most famous night markets in Taipei. It's just outside MRT Jiantan Station so it's very accessible and there are LOTS of shops as well! There's even branded stuff like Nike and Adidas. And Korean makeup brands like Skin Food, The Face Shop, Tony Moly, Etude House, and Nature Republic. As I said before, it's like Divisoria minus the sweat, the stink, the hassle, and the snatchers/pickpockets. 

Good to be back, huh

Yes, in the middle of the road!

I actually had a shopping list with me which consisted of a pair of red nautical flats, a pair of boots, a biker jacket, a chiffon midi skirt and pasalubong for my family. 

I first did pasalubong-shopping for my family. I got my brothers some polos on sale, which they liked. I got both polos for only NTD 500 (PhP750). Bonus that the salesperson was so nice and handsome LOL. For my dad, I got a taupe knit sweatshirt from Giordano for NTD800.

I was able to get the red nautical flats to match the blue ones I bought last September. (NTD390)

Unfortunately, for me, all the stores were selling winter wear so I could not find midi skirts that used to be abundant last September.

Of course, there were boots. Lots of them. But I could not find a not-so-expensive pair that I really liked.

I found cheap but great biker jackets too! Around NTD400 to NTD600. That's around PhP600 to PhP900 while biker jackets here in Manila usually cost no less than PhP1k. However, my practical self was kicking. The biker jackets in Shilin were too thick and were lined. Wearing them in Manila could equate to heat stroke. So I decided to let them go. Sigh.

In the middle of my shopping, it started raining hard! Also, I was getting tired because I had very little sleep the night before so after some more walks, I headed back to the hostel.

Oh, did I mention that our hostel is just a block away from Tonghua night market? It's a pretty nice place and a lot of people were selling food but it's a lot smaller than Shilin night market. After bringing my items to the hostel, I went down the night market for a while and I got myself a pair of thick black tights from a side street vendor for NTD200. I wasn't able to buy much because the stores were selling winter wear as well. I also wasn't able to take photos because I was so busy looking around.

So I guess the best advice to people from the tropics is that the best time to go shopping in Taipei is NOT during winter. Haha. Or maybe let's put it the other way around: if you're on a budget and would like to stop yourself from shopping, I guess winter would be a good time to go there.