I always knew that Starmall EDSA-Shaw is a good place to hunt for bargain items. But it's only…read morerecently that I discovered Japan Selection on the second floor. At first glance, the store looked like just any ordinary thrift shop selling Japan-made goods. Look closer, or better yet get inside, and you will see that they are more than just the usual stocks of cookware, kitchen gadgets, chopsticks, Lucky (or Pocky) biscuit sticks, and whatnots from the land of the rising sun. They sell second-hand appliances on an 'as is, where is' basis. This means they will test the appliance you want to buy in the store. But if it doesn't work later when you bring it home, you can't claim a refund. They also have pre-owned baby strollers and other baby furniture. Heck, they even have used surfboards. What really lured me to the place was the stacks of original Japanese manga comics, many of them are Naruto. I was giddy because my cousin who's learning how to read and write Japanese can now spice up his studies by reading one of his favorite manga/anime series in its original language. Without hesitation, I grabbed three books to buy. Right across the manga section was the used toy shelves. Here, I found countless Ultraman figures, diecast cars, robots, and baby toys. Clumsy me grazed one of the items on a shelf and it fell with a beautiful percussive sound. When I picked it up, I realized that it was a bamboo baby rattle. I bought it for twenty bucks to use as decoration at home. The only downside to Japan Selections is their dusty, topsy-turvy store. If you suffer from asthma, better stay out.

I've been to Farmer's Market more than a few times, especially when I find myself transferring from…read moreLRT-2 to MRT-3. That being said, I don't have much experience in exploring the entire mall, save for maybe the two floors I've been to and the outside when I had to get to SM Cubao. I like the thrift store finds you can check out upstairs - they've got some okay shirts if you're not too hung up over top quality clothes, and there's a lot of food to buy on the way to the MRT, like Pizza Hut, Gonuts Donuts, Jollibee, and I usually get something to eat more often than not. The wet market outside is a bit more structured than most wet markets like the one in Pasig Palengke, and the prices are the same. There are a lot of stalls and I find the vendors are rather competitive here. The setup allows for a lot of open air, so it's not as stuffy as other markets. Some stores in the area are air conditioned, even. The dampa is an okay place to eat, too.

I'm a big computer guy. It's important for me to have one and a good one. There was a point in my…read morelife where I would only get out of my room to eat then go back in to either work or play. I've been to Farmer's Plaza on several occasions. You would think that it's just some ordinary back water mall that doesn't have anything significant to offer. Well You'd be wrong. I was once in need of a particular piece for my desktop. Finding an extension cable with a signal booster for my receiver was quite a challenge. I thought I'd probably find one in some big fancy mall. Truth is, I found it somewhere else. I found it here. It just goes to show you that most of the places you'll find here might be modest or don't have a fancy or well established name, but it doesn't mean that you won't be able to find what you're looking for.

This mall certainly stands out from the outside with multiple large billboards that hang on the…read morefront of the entire building. I had the opportunity to visit this mall recently as my cousin took me here to get my hair done at her hair and makeup studio, Introspect which is located on one of the upper levels near the Fisher Department Store. I came here on a Thursday around lunch time and the mall wasn't as crowded as it was on the weekend, specifically on a Sunday. There are so many eateries here to choose from which also includes my cousin's restaurant, Hen Lin. I learned this mall went through a lot of reconstruction in order to have major food tenants occupy the area in addition to an updated galley food court. A mini park was also built beside the mall on Quezon Avenue, known as Fisher Parkway, which houses one of my favorite stores, Uniqlo. Fisher Mall has 5 floors + 3 levels for basement parking. We usually avoided parking in the basement and would park on the street, as this was the most convenient for us. This mall has a fresh seafood market in addition to tons of stores and venue stalls to shop from. Your options are endless here when it comes to food, shopping, activities and entertainment. They've got live entertainment, a cinema that offers online reservations and comfortable seating and even a place to gather and play Bingo! Their mall is also pet friendly with an elevator that actually says "Pet Friendly Elevator", lol. Overall, Fisher Mall is fairly clean with many affordable options to please your family's cravings and personal needs.

Great cinema! Don't forget to bring a jacket! Food court has…read morea lot of choices and has all of our favorite things: french fries, shawarma, donuts, and icecream!

Looking for affordable, educational and still efficient books? Then head on to Booksale, a bookshop…read morethat has almost everything: from recipe books to children's books, medical references, comic books, fiction and non-fiction novels, magazines, etc. Most of their books are sold for a much lower price, since they're already second-hand books (don't worry, the pages are still intact for most of them and they still look good in terms of condition). Some of their books may be outdated, but still full of information which you could use in whatever you need.

J'S, Nikes, Adidas, NB, Asics, Saucony, Mitchell and Ness, American Needle, Supreme etc etc etc ALL…read moreAUTHENTIC; most DEADSTOCK (brand new) some used (but still very goos condition) Gabbys has it all when it comes to street swag! This store is consignment for the most part - so dont expect them to have a full size run of whatever you're looking for. That said, they often WILL have that pair you missed out on cos it was sold out the moment it released. Trust Gabbys to be holding that grail you've been looking for!!! Best to keep updated with their social media accounts for the latest and greatest and message them ahead if you are looking for something in particular. IG: gabbysoset_shaw FB: Gabby's Closet Manila --CONSIGNMENT--- being a consignment store means they also accept anything you might have to sell! Provided it fits their genre (so dont be consigning those joints you got on sale at nike factory store ). Gabbys offers 20% on shoes and 30% on everything else (meaning you set the price - they get 20 or 30% of the sale).

Looking for cool and functional items you didn't even know existed? Then head on to Saizen, an…read more88-Peso store that sells items from Japan. Every time we pass by Trinoma, it's a must to visit Saizen, since they update the store every month and goodies are available every now and then. Although it is a surplus store, their items are still efficient and safe to use and eat (for the snacks). They sell from cute, colorful notebooks to yummy chocolate wafers, kitchen and dining items, bathroom items, and even beauty items! They sell all kinds of things, and some even make great ideas for gifts! Don't worry, 88 Pesos may be expensive for a three-piece candy, they offer half prices or one price for two items as well, so you can be assured you're getting enough for what you pay for. Tip: it's inside True Value hardware shop, so don't back away when you don't see it as a standalone shop.

Who doesn't love Saizen? It's such an amazing store and I really spend hours just looking through…read morethe P88 finds. Whether it's items for the kitchen, for the office or for personal use, you will definitely find something to your liking at Saizen. Funny though, I always go here not intending to buy anything but I always end up with several items costing me about P500 or P600. No worries though, I always end up using what I buy anyway. The best finds so far, the vacuum / compression bags. When you're packing for a trip, they really save a ton of space in your luggage. I also found some wool gloves for those quick trips to winter countries. I don't mind buying the cheap kind since I don't use them that often and they actual work for protecting your hands from the cold. If you like being creative with your kid's baon or your own packed lunch for the office, Saizen is an amazing place to buy bento stuff. They have rice shapers, sandwich cutters and different types of lunch boxes that would drive any bento momma crazy.

It looks like a beautiful businessI can't wait to go there to see it and November I'm coming to the…read morePhilippines in November

I love how Greenhills can still somehow surprise you even though you've spent a good time of your…read morelife there and seen it grow. There are stores there that you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else, and one day you'll just be walking along, getting lost in Shoppesville and you chance upon a dollar store, and you think nothing of it, until you go in and have your life changed. A dollar store in America is much like the Daiso and Saizen here, except of course a dollar is cheaper than th P66 or P88 you shell out for an item in these stores. While similar in concept, the stuff here isn't exactly ridiculous low-priced, just that they're American imports. A lot of them are stuff you'd easily get here in the country, of course, but you'd come upon a few that are more hard to find, and one of those are STARBURST CANDIES! I love Starburst. They were my friend when I was in the US riding the subway or getting lost and feeling like a complete foreigner. I sometimes have dreams about Starburst. And I was over the freaking moon that the store carried them in a bunch of different varieties, so I snatched one up (I regret not buying more) and had it rung up at the register. They have other things too, like curiously cheap trail mixes, cereal, dog accessories, shampoos, cosmetics, detergent, and so much more stuff. But I'll only come back here for the Starburst.

Call me a cheapskate, but I don't get the appeal of department stores when you have plenty of…read morethrift shops around that offerr really good clothes at many times less the price of new clothing. I am a firm believer in ukay-ukay shopping, especially for utilitarian articles of clothing that would otherwise bleed me dry if I bought them brand new in the mall or in the department store. I find that shopping for items such as jackets, hoodies, jeans and even dress shirts are best done in flea markets and ukay shops, because these thrift stores have the best quality stuff, and it doesn't hurt that they are so ridiculously cheap compared to their spanking new counterparts. I love JCB Hong Kong Surplus in PHILCOA not only because it is near to my place, but also because it is one of the more fairly-priced ukay shops around. Some ukay shops jack up the prices of their stocks just because they have high-street labels, but that sucks because that is kinda the point of ukay shopping: to get high street brands for way less. Here, everything is well within the reasonable ukay price range. For instance, I was able to get a really nice Superdry polo shirt which looked brand new for only P200. I was also able to get an H&M hoodie for only P300. You will find great stuff if you have the patience to wade through their stocks, which is not that hard to do because everything is neatly sorted and displayed on hangers. The branded stuff are a bit more pricey than the obviously cheap ones, but they are quite a steal. They organize their stuff with such an efficient system that it's almost like shopping in a department store. The changing room is clean, and has a nice mirror to check yourself out with after you try the clothes on. Just make sure to thoroughly wash everything first. Some people overzealously wash their ukay finds in scalding hot water, which is a baaaad idea as this could shrink some delicate textiles. A good and thorough scrub using regular detergent and colorsafe bleach (for disinfecting), especially in the collars, armpit or crotch areas should do. If you are in need of quality winterwear (I bought a nice windbreaker to use on my next Mt. Pulag climb), activewear (I was able to get several dri-fit shirts that were actually marathon singlets; also, orignal football jerseys that wick moisture pretty darn fast), and really good denim, you should go to this ukay store in PHILCOA. It's pretty obvious how obsessed I am with this store, eh?

The moment I saw this boutique, I wished I could transport the whole store inside my bedroom. Oh,…read morehow much I wanted that all the pieces in Nava were in my own wardrobe and that the accessories and decorations of the store were my own as well. Overall, the store exudes a mix of modern and vintage and its collection is equal parts girly and edgy. Lending an image of strength and modernity to the store are the black bars and straight lines formed by tables and panels. Red bricks and antique-looking wood items lend some vintage feel to the place and feminine details such as flowers and cursive handwriting soften the otherwise structured arrangement of the store. This theme extends to their clothes. You can find sexy blouses, flowing skirts, fitted pants, soft-toned cardigans, dark-colored jackets, checkered-printed tops, floral printed blouses, colorful shoes, and animal skin bags. Girly and edgy, modern and vintage may initially sound contradicting but they all achieve harmony in Nava Boutique. Wearing Nava could just give me the chance to show my secret sassy side while also maintaining the girly image that my friends already know and love.

I chanced upon NAVA exploring a bazaar held by one of my friends in UP Town. They had such a nice…read morecollection of clothing, and I was unfortunately very, very broke (ah, the college life!), so the moment I received my measly tutor's salary that month, I dropped by their outlet in Market! Market! to have a proper look around. Their store is very brightly lit and vintage-looking, and they had an assortment of accessories and bits-and-bobs on display, such as sunglasses and notebooks and little trinkets like compact mirrors and card-holding tins. It was very charming. The clothes are beautiful, and on the vintage side, but not exactly cheap. Not very expensive either, but great nontheless. I ended up leaving the store with a very pretty floral-designed backpack for P650! A floral backpack in Forever21 would have cost me P1750, so I was pretty pleased. Want to shop for your own vintage pieces? NAVA, thankfully, has an Facebook page where you can browse some of their items: https://www.facebook.com/navashop. Happy shopping!