38th Manila International Book Fair Haul

It’s the first time that I’ve used a Fully Booked ticket as my entrance ticket. I was there from the opening till almost closing and I’m quite happy with my haul.

Having 2 floors for the book fair was exhausting but fun. You need to strategically plan the booths you want to visit. As it seems impossible to go through every booth in one day.

I didn’t see any Chinese book this year, I was looking forward to find some Chinese workbook for Edward. Ground floor has tons of school books and religious books. I’ve skipped a lot of the booths.

As soon as I’ve entered the event, Abiva was there, I was able to haul 9 workbooks for Edward. Php 30 for each of the books. 

Afterwhich I went to Learning is Fun, crowd was starting to pile up when I got there. I managed to get some workbooks for Php 25. I’m quite happy with the 365 Stories book (Php 275) and the Cars 3 book (Php 250).  The mini coloring book is Php 50.

I then went to the second floor to check out the Children’s book. My first stop of course is Adarna. I’ve looked through their Bargain pile and got some books to add to my collection at Php 35. Regional Profiles is at Php 250. Filipino Food and Guardians of Traditions Php 50 each. And a set of book and worksheet for Php 99. Initially, I only got a few story book but before we left second floor. I browsed through the Bargain pile and saw new books.

The Learning is Fun booth at the Second floor has limited selection but I was able to get 2 books at Php 100 each. 

I got a board game, Quartex (Php 720) from Mindwerks. The owner and I played a demo game. It was fun. I think Edward would like it. She also offered Ravensburg Puzzle. I got the Cars one for Php 350. It’s a good bargain as I normally buy Ravensburg Puzzle for Usd 10. 

I got a Chikiting books for Php 60. The story seems interesting.

Lampara was having a book signing session so we have decided to get the books. We asked the sales person if they have a discount, they said “no, everything is regular price” After we paid, we saw an ad saying if you have an app, and show it to the cashier, you will get 20% off. I was annoyed with the sales person. We paid Php 84.75 for each of the book when we could have save Php 16.95 each. Argh!

I got myself a pig pen (Php 40) and 2 mechanical pencils (Php 25 each) at New Manila Stationery. One 0.5MM and one 0.7MM.

Next we dropped by Pilot and I bought pastel markers for Php 36.25 each, until now, I don’t know why I bought them. They are cute and erasable. Need to find a purpose for it. They also have a promo that you would get a mechanical lead for free when you buy a mechanical pencil. I got one for Php 54.

After our quick lunch break, we drop by C&E. It was a hassle to shop here. There was no price tag in the books. Instead, they have indicated the discount. The discount went as high as 90%. We noticed that some of the customers would just asked for the price in the cashier. Hence the line for payment was very long. Beside the booth, there’s an activity area where you can get GC for the books. We saw GC for Php 200, 300 and 400.

We then went to National Bookstore, same as last year, there was no bargain pile. The books I got were at 20% discount.

Last stop is Fully Booked, if your purchase reached Php 3,000, you can get a Fully Booked discount card for free. Items are marked at 20% off as well. I’ve got the compilation for Step into Reading as it’s cheaper. The book costs Php 368 less 20% for 5 or 6 stories. Depending on the character.

Husband’s stash for this year. Initially he wanted the Sakura’s story as well but as it wasn’t a graphic novel, he chose Sasuke’s Story instead. It’s a novel folks!

Since we didn’t find some of the books in MIBF, we went to S Maison Fully Booked to get the books we have reserved last Sunday. They are also having a sale at 20% off.

There you go folks… my 2017 MIBF Haul. Missing from the haul are 3 books which I forgot to get from my Sister in Law and the Lampara books which I completely forgot to add in the complete stash. 

Happy MIBF Folks!

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Lightning Mcqueen in SM North Edsa

Because we missed the roadshow in SM San Lazaro, we have ensured not to miss the lifesize Lightning Mcqueen in SM North Edsa. 
The event is located in the Block Atrium. 2nd floor, just below Toy Kingdom, one of Edward’s favorite store. 

We were happy with our haul, especially withTodd. Which we got free if you purchase 2K worth of merchandise. 

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Lego Brick Amazing Sale

I so wanted to go to the Brick Amazing Sale in SM Megatrade Hall 1 on Feb 2-5 but I wasn’t able to. I was frantically searching for pictures in the net to see what I have missed out.

Luckily, my sister in law went there and got pictures for me. So, it was like I was there as well. She said the place was huge! And the selection is really good. The Scooby-Doo sets were selling out fast. She wanted to get the Mystery Machine but it was already sold out when she arrived. However, there are some other goods she was able to get.

What sounded really nice were the Seasonal Lego Set like the Easter Egg Painting, Valentine and Thanksgiving. They are being sold for around 300 Php. (Photo Credits: Google)

So, here’s what you can see in the sale… have fun! (Photo Credits: Katsu Sy)

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Paw Patrol Meet and Greet

After seeing the ad from the Toy Kingdom brochure, this event was marked in our calendar.

I was super excited to find out Marshall and Chase would appear. Marshall is Edward’s favorite. And Chase is his buddy (inside joke).

We were targetting to be there by 2 PM. But due to traffic, we arrived 2:30 PM. Just in time for registration. We had a little time to do the activities before the program started.

First there were 2 games, players were pre-selected. Children have to sit near the organizer and get number for the games. Luckily, we were able to get number 5.

After the two games, they showed 2 episodes of Paw Patrol. Edward watched one and the rest of the time, we did the activities we missed and rode in the vehicles. Although they were not moving, it was still amazing.

Next, Marshall and Chase appeared for pictorial. We lined up and got our turn.

After the pictorial, two more games. A raffle then Edward’s game. The timing of the raffle seems a bit off since a lot of the drawn winners were not in the venue anymore. Prizes include Sleeping Bag, Cowboy Marshall, Paw Patrol Pillow, Rubble Badge and Figure.

Edward’s team won the game!!! And he got to bring home a prize. Happy!!! Consolation prizes are given to the other players as well. Prizes seems nice even consolidation.

This concluded our Paw Patrol Meet and Greet, we were really happy we got to visit it.

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Super Dudes in Manila (Lucky Chinatown)

Super Cool! Super Fun! Superstacular! (Is that even a word?). Philippines is the first stop of their world tour and we are glad to see it. Twice even! It was so much fun!!! We still enjoyed second show. We’ll be waiting for you to come back Super Dudes!

Stevie is Edward’s favorite in Hi-5. When I saw Stevie’s post in Instagram that he was coming over. I told Edward immediately. He said he wanted to go. I told him it’s not for Hi-5 but for Super Dudes. In the coming days, Edward kept saying. Stevie… Super Dudes! That’s the only confirmation I need to plan and make things happen.

We saw Stevie before the show, we were behind him in the escalator. Edward wanted to say “Hi Stevie” but he got shy at the last minute. Still… Stevie looked back and saw him. He talked to us and told us that he saw the Instagram picture and we should watch the show. We told him that we would. Such a nice guy.

The show was very entertaining. The songs are catchy, the casts reached out to kids. I love how they have incorporated interacting with kids during the program. Making the kids get up on their feet to dance and play with them.

This is the first time I’ve attended this kind of show and I was very much impressed.

To make our experience sweeter… Edward was selected in the program. Pencil Pirate drew Edward. And the smile he showed me while he was coming down the stage took my breath away. He was truly happy. Thank you Super Dudes for choosing him and making him feel special. Even though he’s shy, he was still selected. He was really happy.

We might started out to be Stevie’s fans but now, we are Super Dudes fans. We loved everyone, Flutterby, Pencil Pirate, Bubble Trouble, Super Stevie and even Super Thumb. Next time you come, we’ll definitely watch.

What’s missing? Probably an album. When we got home, Edward kept singing the songs. It would have been nice if we were able to purchase a CD. We have to settle for the book now, it is entertaining. Can’t wait for Vol 2.

Of the 3 shirts, Edward wanted the Super Stevie shirt. Even if it was too big for him. I wanted to get the white one though… Next time…

So, here’s a few snaps we’ve taken during the show.

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Les Miserables in Manila

I was really looking forward to watch this musical. In fact, it was a must for me to watch it. Not sure if it was too much excitement that causes my disappointment in the end.

The verdict… It was so-so. I don’t know if I like it or not. Some parts are really good like One Day More and I Dreamed a Dream, Bring Him Home. But some parts are really disappointing. Like the Prologue… It was not powerful as expected. And so is Red and Black. In fact, I liked the movie version better for these songs.

I liked A Little Fall of Rain and Empty Chairs and Tables. It was touching enough for me to be teary eyed.

The death of Javert and the rescue of Marius by Jean Valjean were cool. Loved the effects.

Stand out performances… Probably Jean Valjean, Javert and Fantine. The rest are so-so.

Probably what I was looking for in the musical… goosebumps. Songs powerful enough to make you shiver. Only One Day More was able to make me feel that. I was expecting to feel that in Prologue, Do You Hear the People Sing, At the End of the Day, Red and Black and the ending.

Stage design and effects are remarkable but somehow I feel the music from the orchestra is a bit lacking in some parts.

So now, still mixed emotions if I liked it. Probably would try watching other versions of the musical.

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Monster Jam in Manila

One day before the event… I was so disappointed to know that Dennis Anderson is not coming here. Then all of a sudden, Son-Uva Digger is coming over and it would be Ryan… I was hyped up again.

I super love Monster Jam. And I am rooting for Grave Digger and Son-uva Digger.

There were six Monster Trucks.

Grave Digger – Jon Zimmer
Son-uva Digger – Ryan Anderson
El Toro Loco – Cynthia Gauthier
Zombie – Bari Mussawir
Max-D – Neil Elliott
Dragon – Scott Liddycoat

I made autograph cards for the drivers. And after posting it in instagram. I was super happy that Bari, Neil and Cynthia liked the post.

We came a little before 11 am, the gates are not yet opened. So we waited outside. When the gate opened, we headed straight to the pit party and straight to Ryan Anderson.

He was super nice, we showed him the die-cast. He even signed it for us. I was super duper star-strucked. I forgot to take video of him. Too bad we don’t have a picture together as well. But seeing him was way enough for me.

Max-D was next, Neil Elliot also signed the die-cast for us. He was nice but a bit reserved. That’s why I was surprised when Max-D was trying to block the path of Grave Digger. Boy! It was fun!

Next was El Toro Loco with Cynthia Gauthier, she was super nice and friendly. Super happy we had a picture with her. Too bad I don’t have a die-cast toy for her to sign on. Probably next time. While she was exiting the pit-party, she saw a boy with her mom taking a picture of him, she even posed with the boy. Super nice gesture. I like her!

We went to Zombie next, he was also nice. He volunteered to sign on the die-cast. Kalvin told him there’s no space for him to sign on, he said no problem, he’ll find a way and he did. A nice gesture. Super happy.

We went to Grave Digger next. Lucky we lined up because a little while after, they’ve cut the lines.

Finally, we went to Dragon. He was also nice. He told us to enjoy the show.

Aside from the Monster Truck drivers, there was also ATV and Motorcycle drivers.

For 500 Php, the pit party was super duper worth it.

We went to look for souvenir merchandise. Not much selection, I was expecting to see Hotwheels Toys or Monster Truck Shirts. But what was being sold were generic Monster Jam items. ID Yard for 150 Php, Kid Size shirt at 600 Php, Adult size shirt 800 Php, Jacket 1,500 Php and Cap for 750 Php. Sorry I forgot to take picture of the booth.

When we were back in the arena and seated. I was super excited. The entrance was stunning. Absolutely amazing. When they started the countdown and when the Monster Trucks came out. My heart stopped. The sound was deafening. And the view was spectacular. It was a super experience for me.

There were 4 competitions, Wheelie – Max-D won, Race – Max-D won again, Donut – Son-uva Digger, Freestyle – Grave Digger. For more details on the result you can view it here.

Some of the moments…
1. Son uva Digger was super amazing in the Donut competition. Also in the freestyle. Too bad he didn’t win.
2. When Zombie flipped and the truck came out to helped him out. It was a realization how scary the sports is. Of course, in the TV, we don’t see the trucks being towed or something. Good thing Bari was okay. When the staff came running towards him, I was scared.
3. I love the opening where Dragon breathed out fire and how he crashed the cars during freestyle.
4. The ATV was exciting especially when Philippines won.
5. The motorcycle show was exhilarating. Super breath taking. They are super amazing.

Now, here are some of the off-shots, majority while Papa wait in line, Edward and I went around to take more pictures.

 

I don’t know if they would be back… I’m hoping so. In the meantime, this is one experience we all enjoyed.

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Coloring & Tracing Workbook

As per Edward’s teacher suggestion to improve his coloring and writing… I made him a workbook. Half bond paper with basic shapes… For coloring and simple lines for tracing.

I used the brass fasteners! Yeay! New use for that.

Here’s Edward working on his workbook. I noticed that he colors like me. Lots of colors in one picture. My mom says when I was in Nursery I asked Teacher what color to use for eggplant. She said any. In the end, I have a multi-colored eggplant.

After this activity, when he saw his concrete mixer coloring sheet, he colored more eagerly. I’m super happy.

PS. Yup! That’s his feet, he likes to include his foot or feet whenever I like to document things.

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Philippines 1st Lego Store – Opening Day

Yup! We’ve braced the crowd to see for ourselves the 1st Lego Store in the Philippines. Since, this is my first Lego store, I have not much expectation. I’ve read in other blogs that the products are a bit pricey but there are lots of hard to find items. So, I’m banking on that.

I came around 1:30 PM, a little over the opening of the store at 1:00 PM. I thought that by now the crowd would be lesser. BUT I WAS WRONG! There’s still lots of people. It would have been okay if the line was moving fast but it was not! The strategy they have imposed is a customer comes out first before another goes in. The problem was, some of the customers are taking a long time before coming out.

If you get bored while waiting, you can go around and take pictures.

After 2 and a half hours, I was near the door. At this point, we noticed a flaw in the strategy. Some sneaky customers instructed their kids to go in first by telling the guard that their parents are inside. And after a while, the parent would follow to let them in saying their kids are inside. Please! Don’t follow the inconsiderate people. Other people are properly lining up and waiting for their turns.

I was surprised to see that the store is a bit small. It’s rectangular with people lining up in the center for payment. Because of the crowd, I wasn’t able to look at the Pick a Brick (679.75 Php for 100 grams, minimum) and Build a Mini (499.75 Php for 3).

It has more products than Toys R Us and Toy Kingdom, price is basically the same. I was hoping for a more extensive selection, but I wasn’t able to find the Airport Fire Truck as Edward requested. In the end, I’ve settled for other sets of Lego City.

Here are some of the displays to help you decide on what to buy.

Now, some of the exhibits. Some are pretty impressive.

And now… presenting our haul…

Simpsons Minifigure Series 2 is priced at 249.75 Php. Similar to other minifigures.

This is the 50 Php Spiderman Glider, to purchase this, it’s on a separate line inside. Beside the cashier. It was pre-packed at 5 pcs, the maximum number of items a customer can purchase.

This would be Edward’s birthday present from my sister.

I was aiming to buy this, and seeing it was a lucky find. It was hidden in the shelf below the keychains. If you can wait, this would be a freebie on May 14-15. I have no plans of returning this week.

This is a lucky find as well, I saw this in Lego Shop online and was hoping to see it in the store. Yay! Edward loved this. This costs 499.75 Php.

The Freebie

For the upcoming events…

For the Mini Build, the kids have 5 mins to build their set. They can bring it home. 10 kids per set. And 50 kids per hour.

Some points to ponder:
1. It would have worked better if they have issued numbers to customers, that way the cutting in lines would be eliminated.
2. If the receipt for the cashier is computerized it would be faster. Currently there are only 2 lines, one for cash and one for credit.

Overall, I’m happy with the experience, tiring but fulfilling.

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CKSC Preschool Enrollment – Montessori

Hi Folks! It’s enrollment season and for Chiang Kai Shek College, it’s from May 11-14. It starts at 8 AM with breaktime 12-1 PM, so plan your enrollment properly.

The process is fairly easy, in less than an hour, I was able to complete the process. The only remaining is the fitting of the school uniform.

Step 1 – Get assessment form. There are different tables available for new and old student. It was pre-prepared, they would check if you have missing requirements, if not proceed to step 3.

Step 2 – Is for students with financial assistance.

Step 3 – Payment! There are 2 queues for full payment and partial payment. Surprisingly, the line for full payment is longer. 3 working counters for full payment. 2 working counters for partial payment. You get a number and wait for your turn, if you’re unsure, there are  ushers and guards to ask.

Next, payment for the miscellaneous. It’s in a different room, for pre-school… It’s just outside the auditorium. You look for the class and proceed with the payment. You’ll be given instructions for the actual school day.

Next is the fitting of the uniform, you can bring sample clothes in lieu of the kid. And that’s the end, you’ll be back on June 5 for the orientation.

Good Luck!

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