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! ^_^

Ask and you shall receive.

Tita (what I call Brian’s Mom) asked me what I wanted to do. I told her whatever as long as there is a Gift Gate involved and places for me to take pictures… Within the day, I visited my very first Gift Gate in TriNoma, or Triangle North of Manila Mall. ^_^ Shopping with Tita and Brian’s cousins and his brother Mark = very very dangerous! They encourage me to get A LOT of Hello Kitty goodies — and even make suggestions of what they find cute, lol… Tita said when I go back to the states, I won’t be able to eat because I will have no $$$ (I believe her too).

A short video for you guys:

Gift Gate at TriNoma Manila Mall from Hello Kitty Junkie on Vimeo.

Things I currently desire:

There were a few each of the above pictured products and they are pretty costly so I am not worried that they wll not be there when I go back… And if they are out of something, the stores usually contact other Gift Gates in the area to see if they can have the items sent over. The malls in Manila are HUUUGE! And one is right across from the other — very crazy!

Yes, I did make a few purchases — haven’t taken pictures yet… But of course I will share! Later…

The flight was not too bad… I slept for most of it. I got to see most of Kung Fu Panda, which was a very cute movie. I wasn’t crazy about the airplane food, but they sure did feed us a lot — full dinner and breakfast meal… And Andrew and I lucked out by getting a couple of empty seats between us… Enough room for my favorite travel buddies — I brought along a couple extra plushies this trip and Charisse got me one too!

I am just resting in Brian’s old room… Watching You Don’t Mess With The Zohan… Saw some Hello Kitty stuff at LAX but I will resize and upload later… I am looking forward to shopping at Gift Gate (I am told I have access to a couple of nice malls in the area)… ^_^