How MNL and HKG ruined it for me

A few years ago, this wouldn't have happened. I was in Singapore for more than a week, and I didn't go shopping. *insert collective gasp here*

Yes, it's true. Except for the Gardenia Fruit and Nut bread, and a host of other food items, I didn't really go shopping for non-food items. Well, there was a shirt and belt from Pull and Bear, but that's too minor to even delve on.

It's not as if I lacked "inspiration." The rest of the time I was there, I trawled from one mall to another. Vivo City, Wisma Atria, Raffles City, Suntec City, Marina Bay, Orchard Road - name it, I visited it. And with every visit, I wandered from one store to the next, visiting brands that were available here (Zara, Topman, Topshop, Forever 21, MNG, Warehouse) and brands that have yet to reach us (Pull & Bear, River Island, Spotlight). And while they had a lot of interesting finds, they didn't interest me enough to warrant a mindless shopping spree.

On my flight home, I was looking for the reason why my shopping instincts were held back. And I didn't find one reason, but two: Manila and Hong Kong.

Whenever I fly to HKG, I immediately put down my bags and rush off to Mongkok, Prince Edward and Tsim Sha Tsui. And in a matter of 3 hours, I'd have around 5 bags of clothes on both hands. Here in Manila, not a day goes by without finding a great buy at any of the malls and tiangges around the metro. But in Singapore, none. Nada. Zilch.

I went to the SG outlets of Zara, MNG and Warehouse, and their prices are a bit higher than ours. Same thing happened at Topman and Topshop, and it didn't help that the branches here in Manila were on sale. The beaded Kate Moss dress would've cost more than P11,000 there, and less than half of that price here. Even the "tiangge-type" mall - Far East in Orchard Mall - didn't yield any good buys. Yup, they had stalls similar to Mongkok and Li Yuen Street, but their prices were about double compared these shopping districts.

While having dinner with Lhorie, I complained that I couldn't buy anything there - a huge source of frustration for a shopping person like myself. She couldn't agree with me more. She also complained how things were more expensive there, and the only respite they get is during the annual Singapore Sale. (Which I must revisit sometime soon.) But during normal seasons, finding a great bargain or a good buy is rare. Very rare.

So for the first time, I left Singapore without an extra bag or a suitcase stuffed with new clothes. Yup, I went to Singapore and all I got was bread, cookies, biscuits and shrimp rolls.

And this simply means one thing. I should go and visit HKG soon. Really, really soon.