Hit up Dapitan Arcade on a random Saturday morning last month looking for some cute plates to…read morespruce up my dinner parties, and holy crap, I walked out like a kid in a candy store. The place is this chaotic maze of stalls bursting with everything--gorgeous ceramic plates in patterns you won't find in malls, stacks of mason jars for peanuts (grabbed a bunch at like ₱40 each), quirky little gnomes, funky lighting, and even those trendy gold-rimmed teacups that make instant coffee feel fancy. Prices are stupidly low, so my ₱800 budget turned into three full bags of treasures I didn't even know I needed. Haggling was half the fun--smiled, asked nicely, and knocked off a good chunk every time. Yeah, it's hot, a bit crowded, and smells like the wet market next door, but that's part of the charm. Left feeling like I scored big and already planning my next trip for Christmas lights. Absolute treasure hunt heaven. 5 stars, no contest.

If you're a person who loves cheap finds, gets kilig when you see unusual stuff, and doesn't mind…read moresweating when you're bargain-hunting, the Dapitan Arcade is a place that you should visit. Situated along Dapitan St. and Kanlaon St., the arcade is a collection of small stalls and kiosks that sells glassware, murals, ceramic plates, lighting fixtures, decorations, and a multitude of home furnishings at very affordable prices. There are some stuff here that will make you say, "hmm.. I don't really need this thing but it's cute and inexpensive, might as well get it." By the time you leave, you'll have two hands worth of shopping bags. I frequent Dapitan Arcade whenever I need ceramic and wood plates, mason jars and other glasses, and other things that I might need for my cooking and plating. They have a lot of plate designs that are not available elsewhere. When I use them for plating my dishes, it makesmy food feel more sosyal, meaning I can charge more haha. The very trendy mason jars are available here. The normal size ones go for around P50.00. They sell per piece and by bulk. The latter will always get you an ever better price. As early as September, the arcade takes on a more festive look because they start selling Christmas decorations and lights. You want to have a miniature Santa Clause swinging from a light post? Or a robotic St. Nick jiggling his merry booty to some Christmas tunes? Well, they got 'em. And a whole lot of other fun stuff too! When you visit, make sure to bring your "kapal" face so you can ask for discounts. Take away: unusual finds and good deals. Your P1000 pesos will go a long way here!

Chocolate Lover's is a literal castle of sweets, not just because of its mystical fantasy castle…read morefaçade. It's also filled with everything you need to solve your sugar cravings. This is a one of a kind store in the metro that is a must-visit for any baking and desserts enthusiast. You have a cupcake business? Look no more for hard-to-find baking tools. You wanna learn how to make desserts or are you planning on making them for fun? All the more reason to go here! More than that though, this place holds a lot of memories for me and my high school friends. We were just adolescent students wanting to form an all-girl band to take over the school's very own "music scene" back then, and we didn't have any money to buy new instruments and amplifiers. So what did we do? Make our very profitable business of selling chocolates to our classmates. Yep, it worked. After a year of melting, molding, and packing chocolates with all the stuff we purchased from this place, we were able to buy an electric guitar and amplifier, 1 bass and amplifier and a full set of drums. It has been an amazing ride after that, all because of a one-stop shop. It was one high school memory I will always cherish.

Chocolate Lover is one of the largest baking supply stores that I know of in Metro Manila. It's an…read moreimposing structure which you can't miss - it's basically a giant castle on the outside. CASTLE. It made such an impression on my when I was younger that over the years, I never forgot where it was or how to get there. Chocolate Lover has everything you need for baking. They have packaging like cupcake molds and cups, sticks, plastic wrapping and boxes of different sizes and shapes. They have ingredients you can't find in your usual grocery store such as different brands of whipping cream, artificial flavoring, different kinds of yeast, sprinkles, marshmallows, just everything you can think of basically. Of course they have a selection of baking chocolates and cheaper chocolate compounds - dark, milk and white chocolate compounds made locally or in Indonesia (Tulip brand). Aside from ingredients and supplies, they also offer baking lessons from beginner to intermediate. Watch out for this especially during the summer. I've personally never tried their lessons but I've generally heard good things.

Had a great first experience doing my laundry in the Philippines at The Laundry Joint. The place…read morewas super chill, providing great space to fold all my clothes. They also offer free WiFi and AC at the mat so you can wait for your laundry away from the heat and have something to do while at it. Parking was a breeze and staff was very friendly. Will be coming back!

We spent our holidays in the Phils and did our first laundry at The Laundry Joint. Feels like doing…read moreour laundry back at home in San Francisco :) place is easy to find, very clean, with AC, TV (was entertained while watching Showime! :), a massage chair!! With enough space to fold your clothes at a very affordable price. Carlos the owner was really friendly and provided us with excellent service. The machines are Maytag, modern and heavy duty. Doing our laundry was a breeze! Will be coming back again if needed. Highly recommended! Thank you Carlos and The Laundry Joint!