My brother's toys. My sister's dress. My favorite thing.

Today was spent doing errands for my siblings back in Manila. My brother has been bugging me to look for this particular toy for him, and since the next few weekends will be hectic, I thought this would be the best time to go out there and look for it. If my brother was 12 years old and the toy he wanted was the latest set from Hotwheels or the newest Monopoly game board, this chore would be so much simpler.

Alas, my brother is 40 years old, and the toy he wants is so specialized, it took me about 3 hours to locate it. But thanks to my keen sense of shopping direction, i was able to find them. And here they are:


Kuya has always been an army buff, and if not for our Dad and Lolo, he would've probably pursued his dream to go to the PMA and become an army man. But since our elders prevailed, he went from Army Man to Family Man, which isn't really a bad trade off. So, to vent out his military frustrations, he now collects these Army toys.


I'm amazed at the details of these action figures. They make Ken look like a plastic blob! The armaments are also something else! They details are impeccable, and that's probably the reason why Kuya likes it so much. This is the closest he'll get to handling high-powered guns. Hahaha.


Oh, the thing about these toys is that they're a bit pricey. After the shop keeper told me how much it was, I almost dropped my wallet. It's almost US100 per piece! Heck, that's a pair of jeans and a shirt from Zara already! (Yup, Kuya and I have different priorities.) But despite the 3 hour hunt, i'm glad I found these because i'm sure it'll make Kuya giggle like a little kid again.

And speaking of finds, for me, this has to be THE fashion find in my stay in Hong Kong. Well, THE fashion find so far, at least. I was wandering around Causeway Bay and I ventured into a shop that had nice sweaters. Once I got inside, the shop seem to just go on and on! When I reached the back area, I found out a place that can be best described as "Miss USA gown heaven." Yup, I think it's where the beaded and bedazzled Miss USA gowns go when they retire. Hahaha.

Always on the look out for a nice evening dress for my Ates, I decided to pore through every rack hoping that there would be something nice hidden among those gaudy, oversequined and over-petticoat-ed numbers. And yes, I found this.


It was a nice, pistachio-green slip made of a peau de soie material. It was so light and airy that it creates that almost etheral look. If nymphs had cocktail dresses, I think they'd be wearing this one. The neckline had velvet a velvet trim, and it had tucks and pleats that made the shape very distinct. To add to the quirkiness of the dress, the hem was scalloped. So on the whole, this was a dress worth purchasing. And after giving it a last run through, I found out a detail that sealed the fashion deal - BIG TIME!

When I looked at the tag, I was shocked at what I saw:


Yes, it's a Vera Wang dress! These babies will cost around US$300 in the US, and probably more if you buy it at Lane Crawford. (The Vera Wang dress I saw there was around HK$30,000!) And given those price ranges, this was an easy decision. Quickly, I snapped the dress to keep anyone from getting it, then I paid for it.


Thank goodness not a lot of people know this shop. And thank goodness not a lot of people know who Vera Wang is! Hahaha.



And to cap off my shopping Sunday, I bought something for myself. Yup, since my brother will be happy, and my sister will be happy, might as well buy something that will make ME happy as well.


Yup, my favorite fruits are in season again! Fresh Cherries! They were available at the Fa Yuen Street Market and I immediately bought 4 kilos. I'm going to down all these after dinner while watching re-runs of America's Top Model. That way I can eat my favorite fruit while watching my favorite ANTM runner up.


Today is a good Sunday. Good indeed.