2JC is a wholesaler and retailer of construction supply. Name every construction need you have and…read morethey will supply it for you. And they deliver it, too. What's good about them is they go out of their way to locate what you need and make it available to you as much as you need. And, if you are already a "suki," they won't ask you for a proof of purchase anymore in case you need to exchange any defective items. They will exchange it no questions asked! Look for Ms. Janette Chan, the general manager.

Whenever I just absolutely have to go to CD-R-King (Hint: I hate lining up at any of their…read morebranches), I go to this one. Why? There's usually no one here. That's a WONDERFUL thing. CD-R King has been the place to be for everything you need that's related to computers, not just CDs or DVDs, but EVERYTHING. Sure, you can't be too confident about quality when you're paying so cheap for most of their products, but more often than not you get a good purchase that will get you by through whatever tech crisis you are encountering. In the last few years though, CD-R King has gotten stranger and stranger. How so? They've been "branching out" into a place that just about sells anything. Rice cooker? Fancy, decorative fountains? Stress balls? Luggage? Blender? Back scratcher? It's really quite strange, but OK. Fine. Distract us customers with more stuff then. Though, one of my favourite, non computer-related purchase here around 4 years ago is actually an analog, point and shoot film camera, and they had these on sale for Php50 before. It's blue, translucent, and takes great pictures--that is until the film advance gets stuck and it leaves you screwed with more than half a roll of unexposed, wasted film. The film it came with was actually expired, and this is actually a good thing (for me and people who like lomography) because the pictures produced had some extra, trippy effects. Anyway, yes, CD-R King. You know what needs an upgrade though? Funnily enough for someone who sells tech stuff, their queueing and manual receipt system is still in the dark ages! It takes a lifetime for you to get out of their stores. Again that's why I particularly love this store. Look for branches that have NO PEOPLE!

Any self-respecting chef, cook or avid home cook should know where to get fresh herbs. As many…read morepurists would say, there is just no comparison between fresh herbs and dried, bottled herbs. Forget McCormick. With EDSA Garden House, you can fill your kitchen windowsill or home garden with fresh and healthy herbs that will keep giving you awesome and fresh leaves to flavor and season your food. I have no skill whatsoever in gardening, and I may as well have a "thumb of death" because plants seem to die on me all the time. I cant be bothered to till my own small garden at home, so I usually just get potted herbs and line them up outside. The plants from EGH are so healthy and thriving that even my nonexistent green thumb can keep them alive for long. I absolutely love EGH because everything is so orderly. If you're a bit OC like me, you will delight in the way that they arranged their plants as if you are shopping in a supermarket for herbs. I have also recently discovered the wonders of cold pressed juices and smoothies, and EGH is one of the most stable and constant source of of wheatgrass which is helpful in detoxification and lots of other healthful cleanses. When I need to add more enzymes in my diet, I go to EGH to get my wheatgrass stash.They also have ashitaba, which is slowly becoming the next superfood. If you want to find rare herbs, you will find everything here. If you also want to start your very own herb garden, you will find everything that you will ever need from this mecca for gardeners: from pots to fertilizer, from garden soil to environment friendly bug repellants. Their employees are ever so helpful, and i like learning new stuff about herbs and plants whenever I am here.

EDSA Gardenhouse is a place where you can get a lot of garden tools and equipment for a very good…read moreprice. They have the most variety of plant pots I've seen. They also sell garden shears, plant mix, plant trays, fertilizers, seeds and whatever else you would need in your garden. You can also get herbs here! They have lavender, mint, oregano, thyme, sweet basil, purple basil, sage and so much more. Sometimes they have eucalyptus!They don't always have everything though. Make sure to call ahead. This place is a good source to get Ashitaba. They sell Ashitaba seedlings for PHP 150 and they also sell more established plants to make sure that you won't kill them with your black thumb. If you stop by the counter, Ashitaba tea from Taiwan is also available for sale. When driving from the south, make sure to take the second U-Turn and not the first U-Turn after the intersection or else you'll miss the shop entirely and will have to do another round.

I don't usually like buying cheap electronic devices because most of them don't last. Usually the…read morecheapness comes with a short useful life. But this is not to say that all cheap devices are bad. Cheap electronic devices are a delight for some people who just need a temporary device or just something cheap and reliable. The problem again comes when finding a store where you're questions can be answered. I really don't know if CD-R King still sells CDs, but I do know that they sell all kinds of affordable electronic devices. As in really anything, just name it. A cheap rechargeable flashlight? Yup, but that's easy. An ipad/iphone adaptor that let's you read flash drives and SD cards? Yes they have it. CCTVs, computer needs (earphones, hard drives, speakers, webcams ,and all of them haha), TVs, game controllers. I even heard from a friend that some branches are selling affordable scooters and refrigerators. And yes everything in CD-R king is relatively cheap. It's probably because the labor is cheap or that they really price competitively or something that I don't know. What I can say is that some of the suff here can last for months but some of them will last only for one so some weeks. But wait, they have a limited warranty for I think a week or so depending on the product so at least there's some customer assurance in buying their products. I usually just run here when I need something cheap like a temporary gadget or device. But there are some rare times that I buy permanent suff here like mices and keyboards (they last) sometimes speakers or even webcams. I visit from time to time just to see what new thing they have. You never know, they might have something that you've never seen but definitely need.

If SM has everything for you, so does CD-R King. They have almost everything for your tech and…read moregadget related needs. They also have peripherals and accessories not just for desktops and laptops but even for common household appliances as well. On top of these, they also have other random merchandise like small scooters and kitchenware. What's best is that everything is sold at a very low price. This is the reason why almost all the branches that I've visited is almost always full of people. They even organized a queuing scheme to address the concerns and purchases of the lined up, budget-conscious tech-savvies. Piece of advice though, don't forget to test the items that you purchase to ensure that it's working and in good condition. Buying a cheap gadget can be a hit-or-miss gamble. Some of the items that I got from here served me for a long time while there are some who simply gave up on me after a couple of weeks. They're cheap. Don't expect too much. You can always go back and get another one anyway.

If you have somewhere to go to, but I somehow tagged along, you can easily get rid of me by going…read moreat SM North EDSA's Interior Zone. Leave me there and I won't even care. PROS: We don't have Bed, Bath, and Beyond nor Ikea here in the Manila and this is the closest place where I could reenact the 500 Days of Summer living in Ikea scene. Furniture and condo showrooms are my favorite window shopping targets and Interior Zone provides so much shops and choices. Plus they usually have their wares outside the shops for easier admiration. I'd look at Dimensione dining tables and mentally note that I'll be getting that one, and then leave the store with a fish-shaped rice scooper I actually bought; It's right beside SM North, below the carpark building. Accessible!; There's barely anyone there, even during sales! OMG, I am loving this solitude thing. CONS: Of course everything's expensive. Furniture and condos ARE expensive. TL;DR: Looking for a quirky lamp or even a La-Z Boy recliner? How about appliances from Abenson? SM North's Interior Zone has them.

Many (I repeat: MANY) times, I've found my laptop to suddenly be malfunctioning, or my Ps3…read moreincapable of playing disks. Obviously, I go to Greenhills, where there are enough tech experts to give you nosebleeds for months on end. I make a beeline however for the fourth floor, opposite the food court and across Datablitz. There I find my go-to guys (and girls) for my gadget repairs at Brochure Greenhills. They're a quiet bunch, and for really fair price they do basic services like formatting your laptop and resetting your Ps3 (the tech guys here will hate me, but I am absolutely clueless about these things). They do their repairs as you wait most of the time, and while most people would roam around, I find myself just staying in the area, and usually ending up sitting down and talking to the guy who's repairing my gadget. They're awfully nice, and calmly explain to you what happened or what went wrong, and how to avoid making the same mistake again in the future. Also, they sell secondhand Ps3 games at low prices - P200 at the lowest, and I end up buying one every other time I go there.

VMall is known for its sea of seemingly similar stores selling phones, computers, and basically any…read moretech you can think of. With such a great variety of choice, many newcomers find themselves bewildered, uncertain which stores to enter and which to avoid. They all sell the same things at similar prices, and the staff mostly have the same service culture. So, how does one decide? To be honest, I don't even know myself. All I know is I've been going to Brochure for more than 10 years now, and I can't even remember why. I hardly consider myself attached to my habits, but over time I've developed a trust for them. Even though other stores could also meet my demands, I keep coming back for technical problems and computer parts. An irrational favorite, perhaps, but that's as close as you'll get to differentiating all the rows of computer stores in Greenhills.

This is the biggest supermarket here in Eastwood City. It is clean, modern, and well-staffed…read more There is always someone around to help you. Maybe that has something to do with loss prevention also. Check-out area can get a little crazy. Some aisles just aren't wide enough.

Mozaic Cafe Located…read morewithin Mozaic Living is this quiet cafe serving some brews with nice calming tunes that will keep you focused on either work or relaxation, which is why most guests are on their laptops, being quiet or chatting in a respectable volume. On my table, a long black (120 PHP) and a nice fluffy chocolate marshmallow cookie (70 PHP) a moist cookie stuffed with a nice sticky marshmallow. It almost feels like eating cookie dough, but shaped and balanced in sweetness and pairs well with coffee. WiFi is available and usable. Restroom is well-maintained. Parking is limited to the roadside.

I love places that are multifunctional, and Mozaic Living definitely falls into this category. The…read morespace is a furniture showcase, a gift shop, and a coffee shop of the third wave persuasion (But aren't they all, nowadays?). The furniture looks absolutely gorgeous, and I suspect they must be a bit on the pricey side. I totally love some of the items on display. Totally love that solid clay vase for succulents, tbh. The coffee shop hits the right notes, and fits right in the vibe exuded by the space. All in all, a good experience.