Hello Kitty in Boracay

I am still enjoying my stay in Manila… Hello Kitty and I tagged along to Boracay with Chris and Chrissie! Boracay is so beautiful — it was paradise and I highly recommend going if you ever get a chance to visit the Philippines (actually, I would make that the #1 place to visit here)…

Kitty-chan was so happy to be in Boracay! And we were so lucky because it did not even rain! (it’s rainy season right now).

Hello Kitty posing in front of the hotel…

I finally tried Halo-halo and Mmmm! It was mas sarap (very delicious)!

We went island hopping and got some snorkeling into the schedule… I also had an allergic reaction to a puffer fish and the results were UG-LY! My bottom lip was swollen! It was like 5x the size of my upper lip — I looked like a cartoon character!!! But the trip was still so much fun!

Hello Kitty took a picture in front of a really cool sand castle… There were actually a few of these along the beach. The coolest ones had holes in the sand that were deep enough for candles — looked so pretty when it was lit up at night.

Hello Kitty loved posing during the amazing sunset on the beach…

I found some knock-off Hello Kitty bags on the island…

And even a My Melody bag…

The one Hello Kitty thing I got from Boracay was this pink bag. It was 380 PHP, which is approximately $8.17 USD, and it is not official Sanrio… But it’s KYUT, no? Fyi, Brian told me that’s how Filipinos say cute! ^_<

And I had this necklace made by a local artisan… My name inside the outline of Hello Kitty’s head. There is a little part of her bow missing on top and her head is kind of too circular, but I can tell it is her…

And when we came back to Manila, of course I had to try McDonald’s. I ordered a Happy Meal (Star Wars toys), thinking it came with french fries, but it didn’t so I had to order the fries separately. The fries taste the same.

It is kind of crazy how the McDonald’s branding is exactly same everywhere you go… With a few differences in the menus depending on what part of the world you are in. I saw rice in a Mickey D’s wrapper and that made me smile! And I also saw ube filled pie! Ube is purple yam and it’s very yummy too!

The McDonald’s in the Philippines also has a McCafé next to it where you can order espressos, lattes, iced drinks, sweets… How come I don’t have one near my house???

I visited the Gift Gate in Greenbelt in Makati, but it was not as big as the one at TriNoma. I have not been to Greenhills yet — I am so anxious to go there but there may not be enough time, since Brian’s wedding is this Saturday! My vacation is already half way over (a litle bit more)… How sad! I am really enjoying my time here… And I am still amazed that there are so many malls and it is so crowded (even during the weekdays).

I know it is September and I do not have a new wallpaper up… Doh! My bad… I will try to make one when I get a chance (maybe by mid-month)… Anyway, thanks for all the comment on Hello Kitty Junkies — they make me very happy! ^_^

Hello Kitty Junkie Kitty-sicle Tote Bags

I have the Hello Kitty Junkie Kitty-sicle tote bags in (limited quantity). If you are interested, please feel free to e-mail shop [at] hellokittyjunkie [dot] com — I would need your paypal account id and your address. As I said before, the tote bags will be $25 + shipping & handling (roughly $7.00 for priority mail in the U.S.)

Hope to hear from you soon! ^-^

Things From Mom… tokidoki x Hello Kitty

I LOVE MY MOM!

tokidoki x Hello Kitty is my favorite series in the Hello Kitty line of goods right now. I am still lusting for the small purse (been lusting over this design since February) but anything from this collection is delightful. I really love Simone Legno’s design style — love the theme, color choices, kawaii details, characters, quality… I don’t know what else to say, except that he designs and illustrates with total and utter cuteness!

Green tokidoki x Hello Kitty Cosmetic Travel Pouch:

I’m a sucker for cute little details, like the small bling inside the heart…

And what a fabulous treat when you unzip the travel pouch!

The tag is so cute — it went into my notebook for cutespiration - TM (a term made up by Joy and she wants to make sure she gets credit)…

Pink tokidoki x Hello Kitty Keychain:

Hello Kitty in her dazzling pink bejeweled Cactus Pup outfit:

And I love the cute little stitch on her right ear.

It’s still in the package right now… But I am tempted to start using this keychain. ^-^

Simone adds so many cute little details, but not too many that it takes away from the design. It is just perfectly kawaii!

How Much is Vintage Hello Kitty Worth?

There is no mathematical formula set to assess how much a vintage Hello Kitty item is worth (like 3x the original price, original price plus 10% each year since released year, etc.). And with the extreme differences in pricing — from a free bracelet given to me from one of my former co-workers to a $400 Vintage 1990 Sanrio Hello Kitty Night Luminous Clock, it is quite difficult to put a value on what vintage Hello Kitty products are really worth.

I even saw someone post an image on Flickr listing $8 for one of those trinkets Sanrio used to give away as a free promotional item. But hey, if you have the bucks, I’m sure you will buy it.

Anyway, my whole point is… Pricilla is selling her old Hello Kitty bag (which looks very cute) on eBay. So, I guess I will keep a close eye on this to see how much it sells for… And just in case I want to bid on it.

I <3 KT Stenciled Tote vs. My Washing Machine

Argh… This is the first time this has happened:

My washing machine thought it would be fun to shred my canvas tote bag… Which in a fight of Tote Bag vs. Washing Machine, my poor little tote bag got seriously KTFO’d (knocked the f* out!)

So, I was thinking… Maybe I can cut out the stenciled parts and sew them onto another bag, kind of like an applique… One thing is for sure, I will be hand washing these bad boys in the next round (err, there will be no more rounds).