Product Review: Astrid Leather

My first order with Astrid leather was a personalized keychain for my car keys and a key holder. It was affordable, made with real leather so no cracks or peeling after a couple of months and it was very convenient - I ordered and paid for the items online.

When my key chain got lost when I had the car serviced I ordered a new one. Its classic design fits me well. Not flashy. Sturdy. Reliable. Together with my new keychain I bought several pieces for friends and family, all personalized, of course. The quality was so good I even sent a couple mainland US and Hawaii as gifts.

After that I also ordered a clutch and a bag tag for myself. This I have used for when I am traveling and I want a place where I can store my docs, passport and small items like a pen. It is quite quaint and again, timeless. There's still room for improvement on the variety of items they can offer, if you ask me. Maybe more design options? I hope they expand soon.

Overall satisfaction guaranteed is what I have experienced with all my buys at Astrid Leather. You can find them in FB and IG.

Product quality: 5/5
Product diversity: 4/5
Packaging and delivery: 5/5
Price: 5/5

Agoda: Service Application Review

I've been a user of Agoda.com since 2010, then I switched to their android app a few years ago.

I have also tried installing other apps such as hotels.com, trivago and booking.com but I keep uninstalling them afterwards. Sure I love to compare prices and read user reviews but getting too many inputs coming from multiple sources is confusing me.

With Agoda's app, I feel everything is less cluttered. The reviews are from their direct users - Agoda users like me. When you click it, you read it, you don't get transported to another website or app review page.

You also earn points that directly translates to $ savings on your next reservation and it has tie-ups and can earn you frequent flyer miles.

Best of all, no horror stories of arriving at hotel only to find out you have no rooms reserved - happened to someone I know who used another site. Even the non-refundable cancelation is easy to reverse, they have local numbers that you can call. Wait time is fairly quick compared to other customer service lines. I explained I made an incorrect booking. Was informed it was non-refundable but they would put it back as credit on my account to make the correct purchase and that was it. Took me less than 15minutes to re-do my reservation.

Overall, I only have good things to say - I've use this app for domestic and international travel, for staycations, for emergency accommodations.

Event Venue: UP Balay Kalinaw

The preparation for the little one's 7th birthday party started over a year ago. Of course, before I can decide on any supplier I need a venue first cos the supplier and possible delivery/transpo charges will depende greatly on that.

It came down to two contenders: UP Balay Kalinaw and Kapitan Moy at Marikina. During inquiries, I have to be honest that I felt discouraged. None answers their socmed accounts and I can only call during office hours which means, I am costing myself some sleep. After getting the initial capacity, basic inclusions and prices the decision ultimately came down to two things, both important to me -- the price and the parking space.

Kapitan Moy's can accomodate more guests and is nearer my place but they're pricier and they also have no parking space of their own. Guests can park at thr church grounds in front and walk over. Balay Kalinaw's rate is more budget friendly at 4.4. For the first 3 hours on the room that can accommodate 100pax and they have a small parking space in front that can accommodate at least a dozen vehicles. That is so plus points for me.

We went thrice to Balay Kalinaw's office before the event, first to inquire about availability and inclusions/exclusions and the second time to pay the DP. The third was to show the caterer the place and plan the kayout. Everything was straightforward and painless, all requests were granted during this stage. Well, maybe except for the slightly mataray na guard 😁.

Anyway, the week of the event I woke up one dat with multiple missed calls from Balay. I returbed the call and they were asking for my caterer and suppliers. I was asked to email the details and when I asked for the email address, it's the ssme one I have beeb emailing my questions to before which NOBODY answered. So apparently, if they NEED you they read it. 🙄 Seriously the obly thing I got annoyed with. There were several emails back and forth cos they needed not just the suppliers but their contact nos and all the electronic devices the suppliers will bring due to the hourly rate for each electric appliance.

As mentioned I signed up for the 3 hour rent of their biggest conference room good for 100pax. This includes 100 monoblock chairs so that's something off the list of the caterer. You can also rent the adjacent conference 2 and together it can accommodate 150pax. This also include 2hours before for prepwork and another hour after for packing up. Overall, that's 6hours foe the event and everything else. I really liked that setup vs having to do the event in a fast food with just 2 hours for EVERYTHING.

During the event, conf 2 was unused so we got to setup the photo booth in the hallway beside the balcony. We also got to put up a registration booth there. Yey for extra space. And though the place is a bit rundown, the aircon was blasting away and was so efficient nobody wanted to leave the room.

There are also multiple public transports that are available eg Jeeps from SM North, Q. Ave and Philcoa and from Katipunan. It's easily accessible from either Commonwealth or Katipunan Ave if you have a car. It is a bit hard to find if you're not a regular in UP but there are a lot of peoole to ask directions from even on weekends and it can be found via Google Maps and Waze accurately.

Overall, I had a good experience with the venue and my guests enjoyed the event immensely.

Review: Honestbee

It took a while before I tried it. My initial vouchers already expired when I finally decided to use this service. I had to buy bottles of water for the little one's birthday party and I thought this is the perfect opportunity to try Honestbee vs having to lug the water bottles around myself.

Installing the app from Google Play was a breeze. Signing up was fairly harmless. My only comment is that GPS sucks in this country, the names are all jumbled up and someone has to clean google maps up (or whatever is needed to fix the tags in the map!).

I ordered via Robinsons Supermarket. I don't mind the 99peso concierge fee nor the 49peso delivery. After all, if I picked these up myself the parking fee + gas + snacks would possibly offset me thrice as much.

Finding the items once inside the app was esy enough. There's an option to put in a substitute in case the product or brand or size you want is not available. There's also a space where you can leave instructions to the concierge. It was helpful for when I ordered some t-bone steak 😁 yum yum.

Confirmation of order was prompt. Delivery was on time! I noted the delivery time to be 10 to 11am and not 5mins past 10am the rider is already there. Payment options are so far good, via credit card or cash. You only get charged upon delivery in case there are substitution of items or are unavailable. Let me spell convenient. No more reversing charges and waiting for refunds and credits. Though I would still hope more options become available soon eg apple pay, bank transfers etc.

Overall, my experience is great that I have another pending order for the kiddos birthday.

Ease of use - 4/5 (only bec of having to find the pin)
Service fees - 5/5
Prompt Delivery - 5/5
Choices - 5/5
Payment options -4/5

Review: Ecobar Shampoo and Conditioner

I have been trying to cut out my consumption of chemically laden soaps and deodorants. The less the ingredients the better. The less the packaging the more I want to buy them.

Lately, I've been hearing a lot about shampoo bars and though I tried to see if I can score a Lush bar but I was never around the vicinity of their store here in Manila.

Enter Ecobar. I saw a contact post this and decided I will try it one day. That one day arrived the other week when my order came.

I ordered one shampoo bar and one conditioner bar. At first the smell, in my opinion, was overwhelming. Like my grand dad's old aftershave wafting through the air and then slashing through my nostrils 😂. After a few days I am getting used to it and it makes my bathroom smell really good.

First time I tried it, just 3 or so swipes and my hair had a good lather. Same with the conditioner, 3 swipes and my hair is covered. Mind you, I have really thick strands. My hair smelled wonderful afterwards. The day after my head smells wonderful still.

Just like with any change, my scalp is adjusting. It started itching the 2nd time I used the shampoo. I also noticed my roots being more oily. But, and here's the big but, my hair is softer and bouncier than usual. The conditioner isn't weighing my hair down unlike most conditioners I have tried yet my hair feels, well, conditioned.

A week and a half of use, the bars still look new. The smell is great. My hair feels good and soft and not limp at all.

Will I buy this again? Definitely. My only wish is that it becomes easier to source. There are resellers and as far as I can tell, all are online shops. I ordered my bars in Shoppee without box cos I feel I have no use for the box and will be thrown out anyway. The courier though is another monster. Plastics and added carbon footprint. So for now, I'd say order in bulk to reduce the impact. Over all though, the product is A-ok. Will go as far and claim it's one of the best, if not the best shampoo and conditioner I have tried.

Update Oct 22, 2018: I liked the combi so much I ordered a couple more from Shopee over the weekend. I am hoping I won't need to buy any shampoo and conditioner until the year ends at least and would offset the plastic and carbon footprint of this last order. So excited to try to other variants.

Packaging - 5/5
Smell - 5/5
Effect on hair - 5/5
Availability - 2/5

Product Review: Big Skinny Leather Executive

After several months of contemplation, finally gave in and bought Big Skinny wallet. I decided on a red leather executive, very similar in the current one I am using from McJim. You may check their selection here: https://bigskinny.ph.

Ordering at the website is quite painless, made payment using my credit card. I did note there that I prefer weekday delivery only and given I lodged my order midweek I wasn't expecting early delivery though I did expect an update and had to make a follow-up which I never got a reply on. Anyway, will write a section for aftersales later.

My order arrived a week after I placed my order. Packing was enough - bubblewrapped, plastic and gift paper in layers. No box. Not a problem as I prefer minimal packaging. Less pollution and carbon footprint (only if it can be elimated but that's an entirely separate discussion).

I hurriedly transferred all my things and with about 16 cards/IDs, a picture of my kiddo, cash and a few coins I could say my wallet thickness from before went down by another 5-10% only. This suggests my old cowhide leather wallet was already one of the thinner options. But if you're using other branded wallets like Girbaud or Charles & Keith which I both tried before then you'd be amazed. Those have boards on their covers and sometimes padded so that adds bulk. The Big Skinny wallet has very little padding and the interiors have very thin partition.

Though I wasn't too blown away by the initial effect I do have to mention that the extra millimeter in their slots which can handle 2-3 cards each helped a lot. I used to have just 1 card each slot and the rest I would put inside the coin pocket - like 6 or so of my cards just bunched in there. This helped distribute the thickness well enough to buy me that extra improvement in thickness.

I have been using it for a good week now and so far things are going well and good. Leather is holding up well inside my chaotic bag. Stitches on zipper aren't unraveling. Still thin and light.

Now for the after sales. I mentioned I made an inquiry about the delivery that I never received any replies on. Well I received another email about writing a review and receiving P250 off on my next order. Some friends wanted to buy their own wallet and I figured I just convinced them so I can share the extra P250 off.

I did write the review and immediately received my voucher/discount code. Voila! It was only for P150. I emaled them again, asking to fix the amount as it was misleading and I only want what was advertised but I haven't received any replies. Now I bet they get several orders a day but not to have someone replying to their emails? Bad customer service.

Overall, the product they're offering is good and possibly even historic but their after sales and customer service sucks and that just pulls down their overall customer satisfaction rating in my book.

So for those wanting to try, do order, it gives you what it promises - a thin and light wallet. I do warn you to order at your own risk. Added some photos below for reference.

Delivery and Packaging - 5/5
Product as Described - 5/5
Quality of Product - 5/5
Customer Service - 1/5


My old filled out wallet vs an empty Big Skinny

My empty old wallet vs a filled out Big Skinny

My emails to customer service left unanswered until now.

Disclaimer: Please note I am not in any way connected with this brand, the online store or the delivery partner of the store and I have not received any form of payment for this review. I am a regular consumer and bought these products and services for my own personal use.

Our Casa Angelina Experience

Last week my kiddo and I went with my another mommy and her kid to Casa Angelina. We've seen the post from Spot.ph and PTV as well as shared blog posts in Facebook. It was located in Zambales and can be reached by bus (Victory liner) or via private vehicle.

So sometime July I messaged Casa Angelina's Facebook page, inquired and made the reservation the same day. It was that easy especially if you have available online accounts in BDO and I think the other bank they accept deposits on is BPI. So I basically breezed through that part and the waiting part began.

Initially we planned on taking the bus so ee can both have 1:1 ratio with 2 5yo girls. But last minute my friend decided to drive. We entered NLEX-Balintawak exit around 6.30am of a Saturday. Using waze we navigated parts of Porac and Lubao all the way to Olangapo. We kept commenting how early we'd get there at the rate we're traveling and even with one pitstop we arrived at Casa Angelina around 10:30am. That's 4 hours of self drive NOT passing through SCTEX. Don't know why waze didn't steer us there but we're happy.

Upon arrival we were greeted by one of their assistants. Asked for my name. I made arrangements prior to have lunch there as we were expecting we'd arrive right in time for lunch...not brunch. So while musing if we can comfortably stay in the picnic tables in the garden as it was sooooo hot that day, ate offered we can opt for an early check-in with for an additional 500 pesos. This offer we took as we don't want to be grilled alive for another 3.5hrs as check-in time is 2pm.

They have 4 rooms in the property, 2 facing the beach and 2 facing the garden/parking. They also have 2 picnic tables and benches in the garden area and a small kitchen/grilling area. Quaint place and doesn't really scream "resort" but right about in the area of a cosy B&B.

The room we got was spacious. More than enough space for the 2 rowdy girls to play on. They managed to play hide n seek inside the room, mind you. The T&B was also large enough that the kids were able to take a bath together with us mommies hovering around them. The beds are nice and comfy with really good white sheets, comparable even to mid-range hotels I have tried. They also have towels with the Casa Angelina name on it and a set of simple toiletries. This makes me think the owners really take pride with the service they're offering and wants their guests to feel valued. I mean, have you tried the rooms at some "resorts" in Batangas and Puerto Galera where you get nothing extra inside your room, excrpt possibly a horrible looking gray hand towel?

After a refreshing shower we went to the owner's house to have our lunch. It was a short walk but with the sun beaming like crazy we had to walk hurriedly even with the big ass car umbrella. They set up the veranda to have one main table and a smaller one, and there wslas a seating area as well. You have the glorious view of the sea while eating sugpo and fish. Yummy. The meal cost 250/head but since we weren't too sure how much the kiddos will eat ee only ordered 2 meals and it was more than enough for all 4 of us. We did the same for dinner and brekky the following day. Great thing about their meals? You get a bit of a surprise what the owner, Joanne, will cook for you (except for brekky where they have a set meal you can choose from). But I guarantee you everything served to us was yummy. They also have very helpful assistants around and most importantly, the owners Roy and Joanne will take the time to go see you and chat a bit.

Now to the beach! The sand weren't white, more greyish and it's not super fine BUT it was very clean all around. No floating garbage, no seaweeds, and most importantly for the kids, no stones or rocks that could hurt their tiny scampering feet. The wave was strong that day and it felt like I had a massage after staying in the water for about half an hour. Not recommended to leave the kids around due to this but the beach itself was wide and they have can have enough space between them and the water to my comfort.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Cass Angelina. It was truly a simple, classic yet lovely beach retreat good for families and small groups. I sure hope they don't get too swamped with the rowdy type of guests. It's really for the laid back and the family type groups.

By the way, on our way home, waze made us go through SCTEX this time and even with an hour spent having late lunch at Shell near San Fernando it took us 4hours total of travel time. We left 11.30am and we got dropped off at Walter Mart Munoz a little before 3.30pm.

Location: 5/5
Travel Time: 5/5
Rooms: 5/5
Parking: Yes, more than enough.
Food: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Beach: 4/5, only because the hige waves are more for adults than kids so do note that.

Please note all photos are mine and have been personally taken by me using my own camphone.

Disclaimer: Please note I am not in any way connected with this brand, the online store or the delivery partner of the store and I have not received any form of payment for this review. I am a regular consumer and bought these products and services for my own personal use.