Delsey Luggage Scale

I've always been a huge fan of Delsey products specially their luggage collection as they have proven over time that they do last (some of my 'acquired' pieces were actually purchased during my mum's time).  And, fact is, they are reasonably priced compared to a Samsonite, Tumi or Rimowa.  Through the years, Delsey has diversified to other travel accessories such as travel pillow, luggage tag, luggage strap, umbrella, eye mask, etc.  

I've learned through my travels that having to guess one's luggage weight can cause a lot of anxiety.  Oftentimes, we get carried away with our shopping spree by buying a bargain or two...or three...or four (this always happens in Hong Kong!) and only to find out later on that  these little bargains are to make us pay more through airline luggage overweight charges!  On my recent trip to Kuala Lumpur, I decided then to actively look for a luggage scale which I can carry with me through my trips.  Since I believe in the Delsey brand, it was unthinkable of me to purchase any other luggage scale than a Delsey one.  There were digital scales available but I felt that they were not too accurate and I was actually looking for a 'manual' scale.  I was not lucky enough to find one in Kuala Lumpur but fast forward to two months later, I would find this Delsey luggage scale at a mall in Manila (Lucky Chinatown Mall... lucky indeed).  I was told by the SA that they actually sold out these luggage scales and the new orders only came in recently.  I hurriedly bought it as it was the last piece available.

 Although the packaging says it can hold up to 25 kilos, the actual weight that it can carry is 34 kilos or 75 lbs.  There's also a tape measure hidden on the side should you need one to get the exact dimensions of your luggage.

At a cost of Php 711 (approximately USD17.34) after getting a 10% off the sticker price, it is actually a bargain of sorts...it's a Delsey after all!

 Others may argue that it actually looks like a generic luggage scale that one can buy for less that Php 400 (USD9.7) and yes, although they may look similar, the Delsey one looks arguably more sturdy and accurate.

Now that I have this Delsey luggage scale, I can travel in peace knowing that I do not have to second guess if I should have to pay for excess luggage weight or not. (controlling one's shopping urges is another story though and it can't be cured by a luggage scale! :))

Goodbye iOS...hello Android!

About two weeks ago, I had the misfortune of losing my iPhone 4s to some sticky fingered thieves while I was on-board the train (LRT).  I was on my way to the university for my late afternoon teaching stint and, the carriage being crowded, I did not notice that all the pushing had caused my phone to land in somebody else's hands.  Once I did notice that my phone was missing, I could do nothing at all but feel nauseous about it (only for a minute though).  I immediately BBM'd (I had another phone in my bag) my colleague to tell him to cancel my post paid line and to ask the telecom company to deliver me a new sim card (I am actually an Infinity Smart member so membership has its privileges :) ),  Since I was also registered with iCloud, I immediately went online and deleted all the information inside my iPhone 4s to avoid any future problems to myself and my friends/phone contacts.

Now, I've never been one to wallow over the loss of my material things and my next agenda was to replace my lost phone with a new one.  I kind of swore that I'll never get an iPhone again as they are too popular, not just with the users and the public but also with the thieves so my options were between a Blackberry 9900 or a Samsung Galaxy Note.  Since I still had my trusty Blackberry Torch 9800 with me, I'd find it weird to be carrying two Blackberry phones at any given time.  I was therefore left with the Samsung Galaxy Note.  With a screen measuring 5.3", I felt it might be too big for my Asian hands.  I then went online to check the reviews and surprisingly, majority of the reviews were positive.  The size of the phone was never a concern for the users.  It was the excellent performance that a lot of people raved about.

Two days after the loss of my phone, I decided to order my Galaxy Note from Kimstore http://kimstore.multiply.com/ , a reputable online electronic gadgets store.  I've never personally bought anything from Kimstore (my friends have and they all have positive things to say about Kimstore including the competitive prices and good service) but since their pricing of the Galaxy Note was the best, I decided to try their service.  After a few phone calls and text messages, my new phone was to be delivered the following day at around noon time.  It was a totally painless transaction, one that I wouldn't mind doing again in the future.

At a cost of Php23,200 (approximately US$ 552), the Samsung Galaxy Note is truly a joy to use.  The big screen is easy on the eyes, no need to squint through small print.  The S-pen made drawing at Draw Something so convenient.   Adroid took me a while to understand but eventually I realized it was way better than iOS as one can configure almost everything in the phone.  Some of the reviews that I read pointed to people switching from iOS to Android and now, I truly understand what they meant when they said that they didn't have any regrets at all.  There are times when I even tend to ignore my iPad and BB Playbook and just use my Note to do my browsing and book reading.  I think this will be my phone for a very long time (I heard though, that the new and bigger Note is to be launched this coming October...temptations, stay away from me!!!)

Size comparison between my Samsung Galaxy Note and iPod Touch

Fitflop Sling in Leather

It was love at first sight when I saw this Fitflop Sling (Tumbled Leather) in Grass Green for the first time at the Fitflop kiosk at Robinson's Manila.  First, it came in green, which is my favorite color.  Second, it is a Fitflop, and judging from my past experience with my old Fitflop, each step has always been comfortable for my feet.

At Php 4,990.00 (approx. US$ 119.00),  it certainly ain't cheap for a pair of sandals.  But in my mind,  I was thinking that it should be worth it.  So after a few days of mulling over it, I decided to buy it.

I tried it out at home and it fit perfectly.  I was looking forward to walking it out over the weekend as I was scheduled for an out-of-town overnight trip with my cousins.

My verdict:  Everything was fine and comfy as I imagined it to be except for the part near the big toe that was covered by the leather part.  Perhaps it was the leather lining that was rubbing constantly on the skin that, eventually, part of the skin was peeled off.  I couldn't walk properly on my second day of wearing it that I wanted to throw away the sandals!  But I had to remind myself of the price that I paid for the sandals.  So my only solution is to cover the area with band-aid every time I am to wear these sandals.  

Aesthetics:  100%                          Comfort:   80% (because of the peeling of the skin)

As far as Fitflop thongs are concerned, they are the best when it comes to comfort.  But as for their other designs like the Sling, I would suggest for you to think twice before buying them as they may not be as comfortable.

Noontech Power Me Polo

Don't you just hate it when your hand phone or tablet loses its juice and you have nowhere to charge it (either you don't have your charger with you or you're out at the mall and there are simply no outlets to plug into). I do! and it has happened to me on numerous occasions! Which is why, when I read about this device at yugatech.com, I decide to buy one at their sister site called Yugadeals. Priced at a discounted rate of Php 2,300 (approximately US$ 53.48), it was quite reasonable as it gives one around 4000mAh of battery juice. Just to give you an idea, here are the mAh equivalent for the following:

iPhone 4s: 1,432 mAh
Blackberry Torch 9800: 1,270 mAh
Blackberry Playbook: 5,300 mAh

So it means I can easily re-charge both hand phones using my Noontech portable battery should they run out of battery at the same time (one at a time though).

The Noontech portable battery is about the size of my blackberry torch 9800...and about the same thickness too but is a little bit lighter than the bb.

The package comes with the portable battery unit, manual, six head for different devices (blackberry, idevices, nokia, LG, HTC, Samsung, etc....see below) and the coiled connecting cord.

Blackberry Playbook being charged after unpacking the portable battery.

I can't wait to actually use this device when one my devices actually runs out of juice. I just have to remember to keep it charged at all time so I don't end up carrying another useless device in my bag!