I remember the loooongest receipt I have ever had was during the book grab event I was fortunately able to joined. That event was by FullyBooked, a Filipino chain of bookstores, where they handpicked people who sent out entries where I was luckily picked to join. During that event I have gotten around Php 50,000+ worth of books! Hence the reason why our bookshelf contains 80% of my books, and just 20% of my sister's. That was one dream that came true 😍

Anyway, we are obviously being steered away by the main purpose of this post, which is a show-and-tell of the books I have bought in a significant price slash. You see, National Bookstore, the rival bookstore of FullyBooked in the Philippines, usually has these massive book sales which enables a lot of Filipinos to stock up on amazing titles.

Nuff said

Their most previous one, the Great Warehouse sale (which I have also blogged about HERE), which happened last March was a feast for bookhoarders bookworms like moi. But what's good about this sale was the fact that they did not only sell books but also school supplies, and that includes art materials-I'll get to that in a bit. Soooo, wothout further ado, let me share my haul to inspire everyone to go to the next booksale with meeeee😍 damay damay na ituuuuu 👍


Big chunk of this haul goes to kids' books! For those who don't know, I have the most lovable 4 year old niece, Julianna, to whom I am trying to influence my love of books.

My mini me

Since it's here moving up day in her school the next day, I decided to gift her with books! Lelssss para ma-justify yung ginastos.

This is actually the first book I saw amongst the myriad of children's books that time, and I remember being instantly smitten by it because of the beautiful art style done in this book. Original price was around Php 300 to Php 400, but was able to score this for only Php 70+!


I think originally this was around Php 300+ as well, but got this for less than Php 100

From Php 450 to Php 100+

Not sure about the original price, but I got this for only Php 33! 😨

Pretty sure this is around Php 120-ISH

Around Php 120-ish as well

I, for a certain moment, was actually thinking if I should keep the Alice in Wonderland for myself! Wahahaha 🙃🙃🙃🙃 I mean, the art style done on this illustrated book just sparked one of my #lifegoals, which is to illustrate a children's book! Since I have already read this as a young kid, perhaps it's time to introduce Julianna to this lovely tale.

 I am a huuuge sucker for fashion books, so when I found out that there are also fashion coffee table books scattered around for me to loot, my heart (and bank account) were #shooketh. One particular book that I have always had my eye on was this Map My Style activity book, which I find quirky, informative, and slightly pricey. But lo and behold, from its original Php 300 to 450+ price tag, I got this for less than Php 100! Such a steal, indeed 😍

From Php 890 to Php 60, I kid you not.

Now, now this one has the most ridiculous price slash amongst the goodies I have acquired. This book is originally priced at Php 1,290, which is a norm for fashion books to be honest. Since I have always had this vision of acquiring a lot of fashion books then have a sprawling collection of fashion reference in the future, I am always on a hunt for books like this. At first I thought probably the lowest price this could get would be around Php 200+, oh but noooo! I was wrong, thank God! Believe it or not, this book is only Php 7! I kid you not, this book is basically a giveaway already! 😂 Who am I to say no to this???

Drumroll pleeeeease! Amongst my purchases, this is my most favorite! The last time I bought coloring stuff was last October during my Japan trip, and since then I refrained from buying anything else given that I haven't really used up all my tools recently. But my art material spending dryspell had come to a quick halt when I saw these babies! A piece of Sennelier I'Aquarelle is around Php 300+, so imagine if you wanna build a palete of 12 colors just how much your wallet would suffer and cry? But lo and behold, I was able to see these babies from a discarded pile of junk near the entrance! Since the box were full of packaging of folders, people did not give a sh*¥ to it. Luckily for me, my gut told me to check it out, then tadaaaaah! These babies were retailed for Php 60+ each! What's good is it fits perfectly to my existing Prima Watercolor palette 😍🖌🎨

There are more stuff that I bought, but since most of them were gifts I was not able to take a photo it. Anyhoooo, I can't wait for more book sales in the future-but then again, my reading pile is already bursting, so should I stop myself?

Duly noted, Mr. Trump

Love Always,
Nicole 😍

I remember during our train station we got stuck in the station for 10 minutes. While I feel that this shouldn't be such a big deal, I mean helloooo here in Manila we sometimes wait for as much as 30 minutes before the train leaves, I still felt that this is uncharacteristically Japanese. Only then we found out that someone committed suicide, hence the delay! 

My reaction

But what's even more shocking is how nonchalant people are about it! I suppose they are very used to this😨😨😨😨

Then after that train debacle, we finally arrived at the bus station, where we had quite the confusion on what kind of bus to line up for. In the end we were able to hop in one, and paid almost ¥ 1,900 one way going there. Yep, it is expensive! So if you are planning on going there, better to prep some serious moolah for the transpo as well.

Since going to Gotemba coming from Tokyo proper will take you around an hour or two, and usually people are recommended to go way early, it is best to bring along some food that you can munch on in the bus. If you are like me, who has serious irritable bowel syndrome, donchaworry! Their buses have toilets in them, take about convenience! They also have electric sockets perfect for charging your phone!

Oh and by the way, all the seats in the bus each are provided a map of Gotemba, as well as some coupons to make your shopping time even more superb!



Since we arrived earlier than the rest of Imman's family, and we didn't know about the toilet situation in the buses, we decided to have our breakfast at the foodcourt. Take note, the food in the foodcourt are kinda pricier, so if you don't feel like spending that much, they also have a McDonalds there. I had these yummy pancakes, because I have always wanted to try the puffy fluffy pancakes in Japan, even way back during our Fukuoka trip. The pancake is good, but not really phenomenal as I was expecting.

Pilfered from Imman

I did not take that much photos during the trip, since 70% of the time what I did is too look for people hahaha! I had the device for the wifi, so it was quite a challenge especially when members of the group want to wander to different shops on their own🤔😅😂

You see, Gotemba has 2 wings, one with the basic brands, and the other one has the luxurious ones. To go to the other wing, you will pass by this bridge, where you'll see lush greenery, and below is a river! If you are afraid of heights, don't look down, and instead think of the amazing bargains you will score!

Eventually, I was able to score some amazing trinkets from The Disney store for ¥100 a pop, and even a Cath Kidston rucksack for ¥1,600 or rounghly Php 800! But that's pretty much what I bought that day, because I wasn't fully convinced with the selection of shoes at the Adidas store in there 😧

And there you have it! Our day at Gotemba! If you are planning to go there, allot a day, and do look for other transpo alternatives, because from what I know there's also a train line going there, I'm just not sure where it is from (check nyo nalang Google, katams 🙃🙃🙃)


Love Always,
Nicole 😚

As much as I want to push and continue with the Japan blogs (mej katams huhu), let me start anew with my trip to HK last January. Me and my cousin, Lot (the same crazy cousin I went with in Vietnam), booked our tickets last July-I think? I don't know why we chose HK, when she's been there more than 10x, but hey who am I to say no to travels, right?

Our flight was at 8 A.M. so we opt to go to the Terminal 3 at 4 A.M. for us to have plenty of time to gorge on the free food at the lounge facilities.

But lo and behold, it's either because most Filipinos are flying back to their respective country of work, or the service of the airport sucks, they were a lot of queues in both the travel tax counter (still smh on why Filipinos pay for this, when the tourists should be the ones to shoulder this), and especially at the immigration part. Luckily we did not miss our flights despite reaching our gate at around 8:15 A.M.- The plane left the airport at around 10! Kalokaaa 🙃🙃🙃🙃

I missed HK International Airport, but what I don't miss is not seeing McDonalds the moment you are about to leave if. Idk, but I think it has been replaced by Crystal Jade 🙅 but anyhoo, upon arrival we were greeted with the cold air, something that is non-existance in even during January in Manila.

Since we will be staying at Mongkok, we took the A21 bus. Just a quick tip, make sure you have exact 33 HK dollars with you, because the bus driver doesn't give any change. I'm not sure where the other buses lead to, given that with all the times I have been in HK, I have only stayed in Mongkok because I am poor. Also, if you are not in a hurry, it's ok to take the bus, because from Lantau (the island where the airport is at) to Mongkok it will take you only an hour, so that's a good time to take a nap.

After dumping our luggages into our miniscule Airbnb, we immediately wandered around the malls near to us (Hola MiraMall!). Despite it only just our 1st day in Hong Kong, I have noticed a lot of differences compared to our previous travels there:

1. Things are more expensive. I don't think this one is HK's fault, it's just that pesos has become weaker, that 1 HKD is equivalent to 7 pesos now, when a few years ago it was only 6 pesos.

2. People are quite rude. Idk, maybe I got so mellowed down by Japanese people, that the Cantonese doesn't sound as melodic as before.

3. There are more 360 mart! More Kinder Surprise eggs in every corner!

 At night time, we ended up having dinner in Cafe de Coral, where we ate this dessert thing that tasted like Ginataan but without the bilo-bilo-which just made me sad. Afterwards we decided to watch the dancing lights at the harbor, because believe it or not, I haven't seen it before haha!

That's about it I guess? More HK posts soon - or Japan ones... bahala na😂😖👋✌🤗

Love Always,

Nicole

P.S.

Don't bring Kate Spade bags when travelling, they are too heavy for their own good 🙅🙅🙅🙅

Cryptic short answer to that is: I am poor once again!

I remember earlier this day I was so engrossed by the Lazada bday sale, and almost spent Php 1,000 on some Nyx make-up! I know, 1k ain't bad for 3 lipsticks, an eyeliner, a blush, and a eye crayon, however I felt in my bones that my 1k should be spent somewhere else- lo, and behold my spider senses went tingling once I got off my bus stop going home!

So where did I spend my money on? The Great Warehouse Sale! I think it is some sort of cosmic alignment that this wondrous event is at their warehouse near my home, like as if there's this unspoken thing that tells me you don't need make-up, you need more books that you'll end up parking in your bookshelf, but vowed on reading soon.

So here's how things went down...

Upon checking, today was actually a 'preview' day for the Laking National Bookstore card holders, which is their equivalent to a tita's trusty Advantage card. Since my sister lost my card last year, I figured this is God's way of telling me to get another one now, since I'll end up purchasing a lot of stuff from National Bookstore on the coming days YES CONFIDENT HAHAHA! With that said, I applied for the card, paid, then rushed to the warehouse full of hope!

In order to make sense of this blogpost, I'll enumerate some of the tips and advice that I can bestow upon you, because I am definitely being your best enabler right now- YOU MUST GO THE GREAT WAREHOUSE SALE!

1. Please don't bring a huge bag with you. Don't be like me who came straight from work with a huge backpack that has a laptop, and dirty clothes inside- and I was carrying it for 3 straight hours... huhu.

2. Are you sensitive to dust? Oh this place will be hell for you, fo' sho! So I suggest you bring a face mask, wear a long sleeves shirt, and if possible some gloves as well, since this sale is held inside their warehouse (literally), expect that it isn't as clean as their stores in malls.

3. Not sure if things were more orderly in the morning, but when I arrived at 6:00 pm awhile ago, the place was a mess! Books were strewn all over the place! With that, it is a must to scavenge every nook for a unique steal! I think I have hovered a certain shelf for like 3 times before I got lucky with a copy of Ready Player One.

4. A quick guide to choosing the right armor shopping basket:

A. The big ol' metal push cart - If you know in your heart that you are going to blow major cash on all your heart's desire, then go for this. 

Pro: Maximum space for all your purchases.

Con: Less mobility, since there are a lot of people, you won't be able to go through small, claustrophobic halls.

B. The plastic pulley trolley - If you are sure you want to buy a lot, but not A LOT, this one is for you.

Pro: Can accomodate around 20 books, plus you can pull through the claustrophobic halls.

Con: Having a hard time for situations where you actually have to push the trolley- in the end you end up lifting it instead #WorkOut

C. The common basket - If you know you have set a budget, and vows to buy only 2-3 books, then grab this one.

Pro: Amazing mobility, makes it easier to assess your purchases at a glance.

Con: You'll end up filling it up in no time, because stuff are craaaazy affordable, hence #DoYouLiftBruh #WorkOut #BalikAlindog in no time.

5. The sale has a very simple rule: 

A. Things with red sticker means the price of the item is 80% off its original price.

B. Things without sticker means the price of the item is 60% off its original price.

C. All books with Php 50 price has final price wala na syang i-bababa, namimihasa ka na daw.

D. Items with the red sale tag indicates final price as well.

6. Not sure with how the price goes, or are you just really doubtful of your math skillz, don't fret because they have around 4 price-checking counters where you can confirm the prices of stuff. 

7. On that subject, I urge you guys to really check your purchases! There are books with red sticker on it, but when you scan the bar code here, you'll see that 80% off discount doesn't really apply on the item you want.

8. The final price is the teeny little promo price below, REMEMBER THAT! Otherwise you'll be forever disappointed that your chosen items aren't really on sale, when in fact that's not yet the final value.

 9. Aside from books, they also have items such as stationery, craft materials, party decors, and these babiesssss! For those who have no idea how much Sennelier Artist Watercolor half pans cost, the original price of EACH pan costs around Php 319, and yes EACH PAN, while if you are opting for a set of 12's palette, go check out HERE and be #shooketh. Since these individually wrapped half pans have red stickers in them, I got each half pan for Php 63 only!!!!! Sugoi Ne indeed!

10. While there are a ton of Children's books available in this sale, PLEASE DON'T TAKE YOUR KIDS WITH YOU! Spare them from all the trampling, dust, long standing queues, and claustrophobic spaces, because unlike Big Bad Wolf Books Sale, being here ain't like a walk in the park.

11. Wear comfortable shoes, 'nuff said.

12. Bring a friend, because they'll be very useful to you during this trying times. You can have them look after your loot, check out stuff other people discarded, talk to you when you get bored, and have them pay your stuff via their credit cards- which you MUST pay them in cash after, of course.

13. Speaking off, they accept cash, credit cards, Paymaya, Sodexo GCs, National Bookstore GCs, and probably your kidneys (but must come with your most recent medical exam results).

14. Bring wet wipes and alcohol, because your hands will reeeeeally get dirty.

15. Lastly, after paying for all your purchases thank God that He blessed you with the money to buy all the useless stuff you have purchased, that for sure will gather so much dust you'll have a dust bunny in no time.

That all being said, I suggest you alarm your clock early, and go there before 10 am! Happy shopping, co-hoarders! Now, run and make it rain!

Love Always,

Nicole

P.S.
Will share the loot that I got in a separate post... nux!