Getting Ready for Winter: Plus Size Winter Clothes in the Philippines

Ever since we booked our roundtrip tickets to Seoul(Promo flights from Cebupac @ 50% off, woohoo!), I have been researching (a LOT) about tourist spots, accomodations, as well as the weather conditions during our trip. We will be going there around the third week of January. And from what I have gathered, I now know that January is the coldest month and the peak of the winter season. I mean, woah, no biggie, negative degrees lang naman yan. Who am I kidding? For a Filipino, anything below 20°C is considered cold(mejo OA haha).

Since it'll be our first time visiting the country, we want to maximize the time that we have there. So in order for us to enjoy our trip, we have to prioritize keeping our bodies warm. And we all know winter clothes ain't cheap, especially here in the Philippines. What's more is that it's already hard to find affordable winter clothing here, but add to that the fact that we had to find plus sizes. Wag nalang kaya kami umalis, haha.

But fret not all ye out there, finding affordable plus size winter clothing in the Philippines is hard, but not impossible. I will be sharing to you my experience in plus size winter clothes shopping in the Philippines.

1. Hit the UK!

I'm sure most Filipinos know what "UK" mean. It's a haven for bargain hunters like me. From what I've read on other blogs, there are lots of UK's in Cubao. I haven't gone there yet but will probably do before our trip. The only UK that I've been to yet is the one in EDSA Crossing. There's only one UK shop in the second floor so you can't miss it. It's near the entrance/exit to the MRT station. They have an entire rack dedicated to jackets and coats. The ate there told us that everything is PHP450/piece but since my mom and I got 2 pieces each, they gave us a discount and we only paid PHP400/piece. I know it's still expensive compared to other UK's where others have bought bubble jackets worth 180-250, but we still bought it because it's hard to find jackets and coats in big sizes in UK.

Black down coat with faux fur lined hood.

This was a snug fit but I still bought it 'cause I fell in love with the faux fur!!!

Grey wool(?) coat with hood (I'm not really sure if this is wool)

They also have an assortment of winter boots but I didn't buy one 'cause I already have two and I plan on buying one in Korea.

2. Surplus Stores

Another great place to buy winter clothing is in Surplus stores. It's not as cheap as UK but at least you'll have more choices when it comes to size and color. Surplus stores are also great for those with hygienic issues haha. There are lots of Surplus shops in Manila but the one we went to is in Megamall. They have two branches there, one is beside the supermarket in Building A and the other one is beside the Sumo Sam in Building B. We went to the one in Building A. We went inside and I immediately saw their assortment of winter clothes at the back. Sadly, there were no down jackets / bubble jackets for women, they only have those thin jackets in small sizes. So I went the the men's section. There were more options for winter wear in the men's section, those that are suitable for snowy weather. I bought this super light windbreaker / down jacket in XL. I found it funny but it has a built in speaker(in both sides of the collar), in-ear headphones, and an audio jack in one of the pockets. I immediately thought that it won't work and that the reason why it's being sold in Surplus is because it's deffective. I wasn't really interested in that feature so I bought it without testing. Then we got home and I decided to test if it was working, and to my surprise, it was! I'm not really sure if I'll be able to use this feature in Korea but I still love this jacket because it's so warm and fits just right.

Really not bad for PHP799.75

One down side to this jacket is that the stickers are really hard to remove. :(

Audio jack in one of the pockets

        

Buttons for controls

Speakers and In-Ear Headphones in both sides of the collar

I also bought this red beanie for PHP199.75 which has a fur lining inside.

Bonus:

There is a clothing section in SM Hypermarket Pasig. I chanced upon this Columbia fleece vest. It's only PHP 500 and there are lots of colors to choose from: White, Black, Gray, Violet, Sky Blue and Red. There are big sizes as well. I was planning to buy the Uniqlo Ultra Light Down vest which was PHP 1,990 but good thing I saw this first.

3. Daiso

I think Daiso is a heaven sent, not only for travellers but for anyone generally. You can find literally anything and everything in Daiso. There are lots of Daiso branches in Manila but those that I know of(and have visited) are in Robinsons Gallera, Market Market, and Greenbelt. The first being the biggest one that I've been to. These are the items I've bought so far:

Foot socks, Arm Warmers, and Mittens all for PHP 88 each

I also bought earmuffs that looks like this(forgot to take a picture hehe), also PHP 88

They also have vacuum sealed bags that are great for space saving, organizers, and lots more! (Not sponsored BTW)

4. Thermal Wear

I think when it comes to thermal wear, don't be too stingy. I haven't experienced it yet, but from what I've read, your choice of thermal wear can make or break your whole trip. This is why I bought mine from Uniqlo. I've read lots of great reviews about their Heattech line so I decided to give it a try. Their Heattech line consists of regular Heattech, Extra Warm and their newest product, Ultra Warm. Each has a better heat retention respectively. I bought these Ultra Warm Crew Neck Long Sleeve T-Shirt and Leggings for PHP1,290 each. The material is very soft which is nice because you have to wear it next to the skin for it to work. The sales lady said that the Ultra Warm can retain heat even in negative temperatures, I sure do hope she's right.

It comes in these cool boxes as compared to the other Heattech thermal wears that come in plastic pouches.

Bonus:

Keeping the hands and feet warm is also important because frostbite occurs to the parts of the body that are farthest to the heart. That is why I invested in these Uniqlo Heattech Leather Gloves and Heattech Socks.

Heattech Gloves, PHP 790

2 Pairs of Heattech Socks, PHP 590

I also got these cute earmuffs from Snow World in Star City years ago! I think it was PHP 150?

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I will be updating this whenever I find more affordable options and share my experiences as well after the trip.

Thanks for reading!

Korean Visa Application for Filipino Family

Hey guys! It's been over two years since I last posted here and what I will post now is probably the whole point why I created this blog. I'M FINALLY GOING TO THE MOTHERLAND!!! (South Korea for all you non K-fans out there). Well, not yet, anyway. I just submitted my application earlier so I have to wait 5 long days to know the result. ㅠㅠ I will write here my whole experience in getting a Korean Visa(hopefully). 

Requirements

BDO released a promo last 2015 for Gold and Elite credit card holders. This promo makes them eligible for a Multiple Entry Visa for 3 years and 5 years respectively. We weren't able to submit our application last 2015 but thankfully, they extended their promo till December 2016(I think this is a sign!!!). Said card holders are exempted from submitting their ITR and Bank Certificates. You need to present a copy of the recent monthly billing statement and the present qualified BDO issued credit card, as written in their website. I have a slightly different experience which I will explain in detail below.

You can read more about the BDO promo here.

Here are our profiles:

My dad - Self Employed
My mom - Housewife / Unemployed
My sister - Unemployed (27 y/o)
My niece(my sister's daughter) - 2 y/o
Me - Unemployed (21 y/o)

Here is a table of the requirements that I submitted for each applicant(Please note that we availed of the BDO promo. In case you will not be availing the promo, please check the embassy's website for the complete list of requirements):



For the documents that are the same for each applicant, what I did was I provided a photocopy for each applicant(Just to be sure), but when the consul checked our papers, she returned the photocopies and accepted the original ones(which was filed under my dad's). I will explain this further below.

Regarding me and my sister's application, since there was no specified list of requirements for unemployed on their website, I used the Student requirements as a guideline and just didn't include the school certificate and copy of school ID.

A photocopy of each applicant's birth certificate is a must if you're applying as a family.

Embassy Experience

Since Visa application is from 8:30am-11:00am only, I wanted to go to the embassy early. I arrived at the embassy around 8:20am(like I said, early) and there was a short line of about 7 people outside. I thought they were the only people applying for a Visa for that day, but it turns out, it was only a line for the log sheet. After writing my info in the log book, I went inside. Unlike what I have read in other blogs, I wasn't asked for a valid ID. After having my bag checked, I just went straight inside. At 8:25am there are more or less 200 people inside(I counted the chairs haha) and a long line to get a number. There is an area where people can fill up their application forms as well as glue in their pictures(free glue!!). Since I have downloaded the application form from their website and filled it up before going there, I went straight to the line. I suggest you do this also so you can save time. It took about 20 minutes to get to the table to get my number. When it was my turn, I said to the personnel that it's a family application and that we're going to avail the BDO promo. He asked for the Monthly Billing Statement and he attached it to dad's application. He gave me a number and asked me to sign on the sheet for Window 3. When I took a seat, the number currently being served on Window 3 is 421 and my number is 447. After about 30 minutes, my number was called and I submitted all our documents. To my surprise, the Korean consul speaks Filipino! She checked each of our requirements. She gave back documents that already has a copy in my dad's application. She also didn't ask for the credit card, but I brought it anyway. After that, she gave me a slip which includes the date when I can claim our passports which is exactly 5 days after the date of application. I was very relieved when she gave me that slip because it means that we have complete requirements and that I didn't need to come back the next day and line up again. The whole process starting from when my number was called didn't take longer than 5 minutes. I left the embassy at 9:25am feeling somewhat relieved because the consul took our application but I also felt nervous because I don't know if we'll be denied or not and I also felt excited because I am one step closer to my dream of going to South Korea.

I will be updating this blog on October 25, when I get our passports. Wish me luck guys!!!