168 revisited

It’s been a while since I last visited Tutuban and 168 malls. These house great bargains from China and Thailand. I really wanted to go back and for the lack of time and energy, it took me 2 years to hit the road and squeeze myself into the sea of shoppers and vendors.
I met my friend there who already began her bargain hunting while waiting for me. I was at awe seeing the collections there. They are a bit pricey compared to the outfits I scored in Singapore. We managed to get some China-made satchels for P200 and P300 each.
I saw a beautiful leather satchel at Accessorize in SG and it was roughly around 2500 in Philippine peso. I learned from my niece who was with me in SG then that there is a same store in Manila and the price is just the same. So while I am saving up for the high price tag (for my salary grade) of the satchel, I convinced myself to contain (myself) to a knock off.
We went straight to 168 mall and along the sidewalk, we saw beautiful cocktail rings which sold a 3 pieces for P100. I was so glad that I did not give in to the call of impulsive buying at H & M in SG otherwise I will forever sorry for my credit card. I got to score turquoise, red, purple and everything I could lay my hands on.
In we went to 168 and we were amazed by the choices awaited us. Shoes, clothes and more accessories, it was indeed feast for our eyes.
We got a full cardio workout walking through the hallways and we did not rest until we felt our stomach complaining of hunger around 3:00 pm. With little of what is left of glucose in our bloodstream, we headed to the foodcourt. I am amazed to see that most of the food stalls there serve authentic Chinese dishes. They are actually owned and ran by Filipino-Chinese. My friend told me that our colleague highly recommends Mitzi’s and coming from a pure-blooded Chinese I felt obliged to try the store’s menu. I chose siomai and with a little instruction from the owner, the store attendant gave me a value meal. Authenticate and sumptuous 4-piece large siomai and a cup of rice for P69 was all worth it.
After less than 30 minutes of tummy filling, we decided to go on with our shopping spree. Our final destination was a store selling Korean clothes that I usually online. I and my colleague get our matching lace shorts and salmon pink blouses for P500. The shorts was originally priced at P300 but since we are getting each a set, we bargained to get the matching blouse for less.
Looking at Lookbook.nu I felt to accomplished getting the same look without draining our banks.
Too bad I was not able to buy the mustard laced up flat shoes but I think will come back and just get the grey ones. A maxi dress also caught my attention but the P2500 budget I got was not enough.