Steel-toed Shoes from Vagono

I do not share the fondness of the majority of Filipino buyers to rubber shoes, especially the ones manufactured by Adidas, Converse, and Nike. Because of my almost heavy duty line of work, specifically when I work during fieldworks, I prefer to wear heavy duty shoes.

For almost three years, my UCLA hiking shoes served me well. It accompanied to many travels and walked hundreds of miles during fieldworks. Aside from those activities, I usually wear my hiking shoes even if I am just going to the office or stroll inside the mall.

So, when my hiking shoes decided to retire (finally), I did not hesitate to buy another heavy duty shoes as a replacement. I went to Marikina Riverbanks Mall and I bought the Vagono Steel-toed shoes.

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What attracted me to those shoes is the fact that it is steel-toed. I could easily use it in kicking the hell out of any person who will attack me. Well, that is not the actual reason why I liked that Vagono shoes. I just liked it because it is “steel-toed.”

Vagono Steel-toed shoes are made from Marikina City, which is the shoe capital of the Philippines. It is quite expensive because a pair of Vagono Steel-toed shoes costs 1,800 Pesos.

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However, looking at the quality of the shoes, I could say that my money is worth it. The Vagono Steel-toed shoes have all the specs that I need. It is high-cut (low-cut is also available for 1,200 Pesos). It has a hard sole, which is perfect for hiking and long walks. Also, the shoes are durable and I guess it could outlive my old hiking shoes.

Problems Encountered

The one thing that I discovered about Vagono's Steel Toed Shoes is that its sole was glued to the shoes and not stitched to it. Because of this, the shoes is not advisable to step on wet and puddled areas because the glue will not hold the sole and shoes together.

I made a mistake in walking on puddles and the sole was almost removed. Because of this, I sent my shoes to shoe repair shop to have it fix and sewed.

Vagono's Steel Toes shoes are expensive and I expected that the sole will be sewed to the shoes. However, it is not. This is why I am somewhat disappointed with this shoe.

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Visit Before the Eastern Sunset and read about my review of Red Ribbon’s Black Forest Cake

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Chef Tony's Popping Popcorn

Last Saturday, my brother brought home another Chef Tony’s Popcorn. This is the second time that my brother brought home this kind of popcorn. I am not complaining, but rather, I am glad that his pasalubong is Chef Tony’s Popcorn, even if we are not in the cinemas.

The very first puffed corn that I tasted from Chef Tony’s is the Dark Chocolate (with honey roasted almonds) flavor. At first, I thought that I will never like that kind of popcorn because it will be both sweet and salty. I am not fan of sweet and salty foods because I remember the boiled kamoteng kahoy (tapioca) that was both mixed with salt and sugar.
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Chef Tony's Dark Chocolate

The Chef Tony’s Dark Chocolate popcorn is just fine and suited my taste buds. The sweet flavor overpowered the salty taste that’s why I liked it.
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Actually, it is yummy. The photo is just bad. :-P

Last Saturday, my brother brought White Country Cheddar flavor, and I also liked it.

Now I wonder when my brother will bring home another Chef Tony’s Popcorn.

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In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson

What does a young child feels when she left her home in Asia and live in America? What are the hardships? What are the experiences? What are the happiness?

These are the questions that the book “In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson” tried to answer and this book presented the answer in a heartwarming and enjoyable way that made it one of my most liked books when I was in college.
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In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord.

The book is about a Chinese girl named Shirley Temple Wong. She and her mother left their close relatives in China and live with her father in USA. Through the eyes of the child, we saw how she struggled to be part of the new world. She tried to learn the new customs, made new friends, and became a fan of the baseball legend Jackie Robinson.

What I like about this book is that the author managed to tell the story through the child. The pretenses and the biases of an adult person were removed. USA is shown through the eye of an immigrant Chinese girl. The author let the character tell the story.

The book is warm and at some points funny. It is really hard to live in a new country, especially in the USA, but does doesn’t mean that there are no light moments. So whenever I want to have a quick read, I would just flip the pages of “In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson” and enjoy the story of Shirley Temple Wong.

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Visit Before the Eastern Sunset and read about kwek kwek, isaw and other street foods from the Philippines.

Image came from CEDU.