trial Archives - Between Bites - Bites of Food, Travel and Lifestyle

Smoke Up That Grill

January 28, 2014 by Janey

Since finding the love of my shopping life a few months ago, GCash AMEX Virtual Pay, I’ve been spreading my wings a little.

GCash Virtual Pay and My US Address

GCash First Purchase

GCash AMEX Black Friday Special

Gee Cash on My Phone!

I’ve been able to visit online stores that I know only deliver to the U.S. and buy things that I’ve always wanted to have. Better part is you can also do it for other people. Over a dinner at Mangetsu, I was eyeing their tabletop grill and wondered if I should get one for my own. I enjoy cooking at home when I find the available time and having friends over to be tortured into saying my dishes are delicious. I try my best to cook great but half of the battle was to make the food look great at least. That’s why I hunt for interesting-looking dishes or serving platters to at least win some over with my plating and presentation.

During the same dinner, a friend mentioned how he deliberated in getting Hibachi grills in Japan when he went to watch a specific UFC staged there, but since it’s quite cumbersome to bring home, decided against it.

Difficult to find them elsewhere, he said he was regretting not getting them. Regrets can be erased when we take steps in accepting or rectifying the situation. I put on my Good Samaritan hat and checked out online stores that sell Japanese tabletop grills.

I found a website called Korin that sells an assortment of kitchen items and cookware. They have the Japanese earthenware tabletop grill I was looking for. It’s cheaper and seemingly more authentic to get it from Korin. However, if I ordered it from Korin, it will be more costly shipping it from New York to CA then ship to Manila. Shipment cost will be higher.

http://korin.com/Tableware_2/Table-Top-Grilling

Hida Konro with Wooden Base Net Screen

Stoneware Mini Rectangular Tabletop Grill (Hida Konro)39.00

At Korin, it costs US$17 per unit but Amazon is also reselling these items with retail starting at US$21.32. You have to really keep looking for the best price since there are retailers who sell it for US$25 to US$31. The beauty of shopping online is the fact that it doesn’t require us to visit every store to canvass the prices. With a click of the cursor, I can have a myriad of choices and a side by side of the prices.

I’ve been using GCash American Express Virtual Pay to buy items in the U.S. that are not available here. It’s been several months and I still have not experienced any hitches so I’m not really working up any stress or sweat in buying things online. GCash AMEX Virtual Pay ships these items I buy at reasonable rates using their partner My Shopping Box. The package arrives within 7-10 days and is delivered to my doorstep.

I placed in an order of a few units of the earthenware Hibachi grill from Amazon. The shipping cost was relatively reasonable from Amazon to my US Address provided by My Shopping Box, but of course it gets a little more expensive when it needs to ship to Manila. But since these are not easy to find items and are quite heavy to ship, it somehow made sense.

When comparing shipping costs, I still made a good choice in using My Shopping Box as it comes out cheaper than other forwarding services. There’s 3-5% discount that all GCash American Express Virtual Pay subscribers get when paying for shipping fees on My Shopping Box.

But my joy really comes out of no longer needing to worry about importation fees as it is included in the fee charged by My Shopping Box. In effect, it’s still more economical as the shipping fees of MSB takes in those additional duties and taxes.

I think my friend liked it and was happy to finally have his own Hibachi grills. I ordered one for myself too. I haven’t used it yet. Come on over if you’re not doing anything this afternoon. We’ll crack open a bottle of wine, and throw on a few steaks.

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GCASH Virtual Pay and My US Address!

August 30, 2013 by Janey

So last month, I got my e-wallet activated a.k.a GCASH on my phone. I’ve been living under the rock since most have had it for years and I’m just starting now. To backtrack a little, GCASH lets me store money in my Globe number, turning my mobile phone into a virtual wallet.

I remember right after college, I got so hooked with Sony point and shoot cameras (the T range then) but they were just too expensive in Manila ranging from Php 25K to Php 30K. I had to wait for friends who were traveling to the States to be able to ask them to buy my gadgets for me. I had to be patient since my patience meant Php 7,000 to Php 10K less than the cost to purchase here.

Times have changed from 10 years ago. Remember this service I shared last month that makes international online shopping very easy, not to mention secured? GCASH American Express Virtual Pay is one of the sub-services of GCASH that gives me a stopgap when a US-issued debit or credit card is required while shopping internationally.

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Gee Cash on My Phone!

GCASH American Express Virtual Pay lets me have a US-issued virtual card that is linked to my GCASH mobile wallet. Easy peasy!

That’s why 2 weeks after activating GCASH on my Globe postpaid number, I registered and got GCASH American Express Virtual Pay account under my name.

That same day, I activated My Shopping Box account that came with the GCASH Virtual Pay.

Voila! I received my new US address via email including a US telephone number, if the US online stores ask for it.

Online shops in the US of A come out less expensive (even if you add up the shipping costs) than buying it in Manila or elsewhere in Asia. One blocking issue frequently encountered though is that these stores usually ask for a US address to ship to since it’s unlikely they ship outside US. That’s where the role of My Shopping Box account comes to the rescue.

Manila News Today: July 28

July 28, 2009 by Janey

Melissa Roxas vs. AFP

The Armed Forces of the Philippines is conducting a background investigation on Melissa Roxas who is suspected to be an active NPA fighter plotting a communist movement in the country. Roxas who is a Filipino-American activist accused the military of abducting and torturing her to confess that she is an active member of the New People’s Army (NPA). Roxas is known to be Ka Aya, actively part of the NPA operations in Aurora province.

Roxas’ supposed motive in her accusations against the military is to mar PGMA’s governance. The NPA is out to disrupt the country’s democratic image and the timing is tactical with President Arroyo’s forthcoming visit to the United States as per invitation by US President Barack Obama.

Cory Aquino vs. Cancer

Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III on Monday said cancer cells have spread to other organs of his mother, former President Corazon Aquino, who was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in March 2008. She has been confined at the Makati Medical Center for over a month.

Mrs, Aquino was undergoing chemotherapy but was stopped due to her weakened condition. According to Sen. Aquino who was interviewed on Monday, the former President is currently stable but under pain medication.

Richard Gutierrez vs. Pardo Family

Richard Gutierrez is being charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide in connection with the car accident in Cavite that killed his personal assistant, Nomar Pardo, on May 22, 2009. Pardo’s widow, Lorayne, filed the criminal complaint before the Office of Provincial Prosecutor in Imus.

Ruffa, Richard’s older sister and host of the Buzz, read his brother’s statement last Sunday. He maintains that he was not negligent and the incident that happened two months ago was an accident. He was behind the wheels when the car accident occurred in the wee hours of the morning. Richard and his bodyguard Jorge Mascora were both wounded during the mishap but Nomar Pardo did not survive the crash.

Richard claims that there have been six vehicular accidents reported in the same area. The young actor feels that this was an unfair act on the part of Lorayne. He recalled that during the time of the wake, he made public his desire to finance Pardo’s children’s education that was rejected by the Pardo family.

“I wonder, if anyone else had been driving, would Lorayne have sued?” he added.