Of Toys and Willy Wonka (Part 2)

So the previous post mentioned that we went to the Richwell Warehouse sale where we bought a lot of stuff.  Well, we had to go back the next day because the shoes we bought for Dana were a tad small so we wanted to exchange them for a pair that fit better.

When we got there, this time we brought the kids with us so that we're sure the shoes will really fit right, the shoes we bought yesterday were sold out! LOL  We had to find another pair for the same price!  It was okay because now, there were new stocks as well and we were able to buy a newer pair than the one we originally bought. ;)  This time, I was also astounded at the way the mommies were behaving.  I have never seen a "human feeding frenzy" before and this was the place where I saw it first hand.

To explain, the sales clerks would bring in these huge boxes filled with new stocks of shoes.  They'd dump these into the boxes in the shoes section of the warehouse.  Mommies will immediately dive in (literally!) and come up with mismatched pairs of shoes and then sort them out later when they've determined that these shoes are not the ones they want LOL It's really fun and fascinating to watch LOL I probably would do the same since these pairs were going for P100 and that's really cheap, mind you! :)

Once we got the pair of shoes for Dana, Patrick and I decided to bring Dana and Dylan to the Willy Wonka Imaginarium at the Shangri-la Plaza Mall. Knowing how much they love Willy Wonka from the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, we thought this was a good way to end the day.  With a P100 purchase of any Willy Wonka candy from the Candy Corner store in the exhibit, you earn a Golden Ticket which serves as your key to entering the magical place.  The kids got crazy with all the candy, like Nerds, Laffy Taffy and the Pixy Stix :)  Once we got our tickets, we went in :)


A Giant Bug

The Magical Door

The Giant Tree 

Giant Mushrooms


Giant Ant and the Ant Bully
They were both amazed and excited and the couldn't stop talking about what went on when they went inside.  It was worth the trip! :)

Of Toys and Willy Wonka (Part 1)

Like most working couples, you can only schedule a trip for toy hunting, bargains and sales when you have received part of all of your Christmas bonus and your salary and hope to God that there are sales scheduled when you do.  We were fortunate enough that during the weekend that we got some windfall of sorts, there were great bargains that we took part in.

On Saturday, December 3, Patrick and I headed to the Toy Warehouse Sale in Sct. Torillo, Quezon City.  It is actually the warehouse for the Mattel brand of toys and they're selling off their excess inventory at prices up to 80% off!  So, it's really a great deal considering you're getting branded toys for less than what you would pay in the malls :)  I didn't really know what to expect since this was the first time I was headed there so I was keeping an open mind.

The place wasn't really huge, around 1000 square meters but it's air conditioned so it's pretty comfortable.  There were toys for infants, toys for the big kids, some baby stuff like sterilizers and bottles, some MyScene and Ollie shoes for the bigger kids, Barbie, Hot Wheels and Pokemon shoes for the smaller kids, bikes Disney toys (both stock and new arrivals) and a whole lot more.

We were able to pick out great finds during our first day and Patrick went ga-ga over the Lightning McQueen series of die cast toys and was able to purchase 4 of them - Lightning McQueen, Franco Bernoulli, Holly Shiftwell and Mater!  I went crazy over the shoes that were selling for P100/pair!! and some school shoes, they were selling for 3 for P100!! I was stupefied to say the least! LOL  We really had to stop at some point when we reached our quota for the kids' Christmas gifts hahahaha

We then went to the Mall of Asia to see if we can check out great finds at the Mega Shoes and Bags sale at the SMX Convention hall.  OMG! That's all I can say hahaha

I was already super excited even before we entered but when I got in woohoo! Shoes, Shoes, Shoes!! It was like an Imelda Marcos moment hahaha If I had that feeling, make that a hundred times more for Patrick who was crazier for shoes than I.

It wasn't difficult to go around even though it was jam-packed with crowds.  The shoes were sorted according to brand and then by size so you can immediately go to your favorite brands and see what models they have that are available in your size.  It saves on having to ask the sales clerks repeatedly for your size.  The sad thing is if you've got an average shoe size, there's a high possibility that the style that you want may be out of stock especially if you haven't gotten there at the earliest opportunity.  But since there were so many shoe styles to look at, I'm sure there will be at least one pair that you'll end up with.  Here, Patrick and I were able to buy much needed shoes for ourselves.  When you have kids, you usually have to sacrifice your own wants to provide for your kids first.  So, this opportunity was heaven sent.  I got a pair of Keds (my fave!) and Patrick was able to buy his Asics rubber shoes.  :)

At the same venue, just next door was the Toy Kingdom Christmas sale.  We couldn't resist so we took a peek.  Fortunately (for us) the lines were too long which served as a deterrent for us to purchase any more stuff LOL

We ended our day with dinner at Mexicali :>)  We purposely went home late so we can sneak the gifts in and store them where the kids can't find them hehehe





Tasting "The Real Thing"

We're always happy when there are holidays when Patrick also has no work.  This time, because there's no work on November 30, we scheduled a day of pampering for us girls so Dana, Den and I went out and got our haircuts :)  Patrick also got his and Dylan felt kinda left out because he's the only one who didn't get a hair cut because his hair was still short LOL

Here's a picture of Dana with her hair all straightened out because of blowdrying :)  I really like it when she has her hair this short :)



After the salon and the barber shop, we were scouting around for a place to have dinner at.  Patrick suggested that we try out "The Real Thing Diner" along Tomas Morato in Quezon City.  It's a restaurant with most of their food products made with Coca-Cola :) There are also a lot of Coca-Cola memorabilia displayed on the walls and on stands :)

Check out these mugs and collectibles:




Check out their cool ambience!



There's Den sporting her new hairdo!


We ordered the Onion Rings Tower P149

Dana ordered the Carbonara P179

Cheesy Backyard Burger P189

Coca-Cola Salpicao P199

Cheesy Backyard Burger (to show the cheese)
Over-all, we enjoyed the food.  I especially like the Coca-cola salpicao and am actually wondering about the recipe :)  The service was fast and efficient and our server was pleasant and enthusiastic :)