My Wicked Awesome 2018 Amazon Shopping Spree

Shopping options in the Philippines can sometimes be rather limited or overly expensive, so one of the things I do every year when  I visit the good old US of A is do a little bit of shopping.  A whole lot of shopping, actually.  This year of our Lord 2018 was no different, and after having a few peeps ask questions in the first shopping video, I decided to toss together this blog article in order to complement the published vids. 

(And yes, I am aware of how ridiculous I look in the thumbnail – that’s why I picked it.) 

Please be advised that there are affiliate links in the article below.  If you click on one of these links and order something, I will get a small commission.  And when I say ‘small,’ I mean just that.  The commission costs you nothing, and affiliate links is just another way that bloggers like myself try to keep our heads above water.

So, without any further ado, here are some of the things I picked up on Amazon.com while in the States.  Special thanks to Jeff Bezos for making this happen.

And if you want to order something, just click on the item title or further on where it says click HERE.

East West U.S.A RT525 Tactical Molle Assault Sling Shoulder Cross Body One Strap Backpack
To start off the list, behold the wonder of the East-West slingpack.  I actually picked this up last year, but it is a product that I cannot say enough good things about. I use this slingpack literally every day and it is simply the most comfortable and versatile personal pack system I have encountered.  Made of tough “tactical” Molle (I guess that’s a thing), it can be worn forwards or backwards and easily slips around for easy access.  Best of all, the slingpack counts as a “personal item” on planes and the little feller fits perfectly under the seat.  Loaded up with tablets, e-readers and an assortment of sleeping pills, it’s the perfect long-haul companion.

Click HERE to order the awesome RT525 slingpack.

 

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
$119.00

Next up is the wonder that is the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite.  This amazing little e-reader is by far my favorite personal possession, and it basically never leaves my hand.  Possessing eye-friendly 300 PPI resolution, seemingly endless storage, a 30 hour battery and an illuminated screen, the Paperwhite has caused me to leave my well-beloved world of actual paper books behind.  This is the second Paperwhite I have purchased, and like the Lenovo Ultrabook described later in the article, this one is also for someone else.  Rugged, light and awesome, it is my constant Philippines companion.

Click HERE to pick up a Paperwhite for your very self!  


Torege M 292 Men’s Aluminum-Magnesium Polarized Sunglasses
$19.98

OK, I will admit that I am a bit of a dimwit.  For the last four plus years I have been content with the 50 peso designer sunglass knockoffs that the Filipino street merchants peddle in the streets.  They were so cheap they were basically disposable – if they broke or you left them along with your dignity at a dive bar somewhere, it was no big deal.  Then I found out that those cheap “sunnies” don’t provide any UV protection, and since your pupils open more, the glasses actually cause more UV damage to your eyes.  My buddy Brian also recently let me use his (genuine) Rayban’s a few months back, and ever since taking in the wonder of polarized lenses, I swore to pick some up on my next trip to the states.  And after ordering and returning about fifteen different pairs on Amazon, I finally came across a pair that won me over.  Behold fellow Dreamers, the M292 series by Torgue – polarized and made of lightweight aluminum-magnesium and only costing a measly 20 clams, I ended up ordering two pairs.  They also come with nice soft and hard cases and a variety of other accessories.

Wanna be the coolest porenyer on the block?  Click HERE to pick up a pair of these super sexxay Torgues!

AGPTEK G02 8GB Clip MP3 Player
$19.99

I like listening to music when I am at the gym.  Hard, driving music the likes of Slipknot, Static X and Rammstein.  Shit that gets me crazy and motivated.  Not being a fan of iPods or the like, I tried out quite a few of the  cheap mp3 players that Amazon had to offer.  In the end, one player stood out head and shoulders above the rest: The AGPTEK GO2.  With 8 GB of internal storage and excellent volume (some other players simply weren’t loud enough), the GO2 gets the job done!!

To be a true rockstar like meself, click HERE to get your very own GO2.


Kingree 6PCS Super-Ninja Sports Scarves
$9.90

As long-term viewers know, I’ve long been a fan of these spandexy, tubular headband contraptions.  Dealing with brutally harsh equatorial sunlight, choking dust, premature baldness and diesel fumes can be both frustrating and unhealthy, and these handy dandy little scarf thingies provide good UV protection and an ability to filter out the bitter bits of crap floating around in what passes for “air” in some parts of the Philippines.  These groovy rags can actually be configured into 13 different accessories (face mask, bandana, doo-rag, etc.) and an instructional video link is provided in the order.  The scarfies come in about a bazillion colors and you can pick which assortment you want from their Amazon product page.  Good stuff cheap.

Click HERE to become your very own bird-of-paradise ninja coconut warrior.

 

GoPro HERO 6 Black
$399

I came to the Philippines with a GoPro Hero 2, a desire to create a YouTube channel and a hell of a lot more hair.  After four years of grainy Hero 2 footage, I finally “upgraded” last year to a Hero 3+ which at the time was a nice improvement.  Time passes however, and technology advances in leaps and bounds.  A few months back, Brian Bechly (his YouTube channel is HERE) let me play around with his Hero 6.  Later, seeing the footage that came off his camera, I was instantly sold.  The greatest things about the Hero 6 are the small form factor, the waterproof base housing, the touchscreen, the ability to shoot at up to 120 frames per second and – most importantly – the FRIKKEN AMAZING stabilization. The biggest issue I had with the previous GoPro models was the lack of stabilization to smooth out those wobbly rides.  Now, with the Hero 6, it’s almost like the little feller is mounted on its very own gimbal.  Highly – very highly – recommended. 

Get yourself more stable by clicking HERE to pick up a GoPro Hero 6 Black off of Amazon.

 


SoundMAGIC ES18 In-Ear Headphones
$14.99

Buy these.  Now.  Better yet, buy a few pairs.  I purchased my first set of ES18’s around three years ago.  Simply put, they are stunning – producing a sweet balance of highs and lows amidst a market of overly heavy earbuds on either side.  The pair I bought all those years ago still work, but they have developed a short in the wiring harness due to dry rot/sun exposure on the rubber/plastic banding.  I will replace the harness at a cheapo electronic repair shop when I am back in the Philippines, but in the meanwhile I picked up another pair.  Trust me on this, these earbuds absolutely rock!

Click HERE to pick up a pair of ES18 earbuds.

 

Mrhua Rechargeable Camping LED Lantern
$12.99

This one didn’t require a whole lot of thought, which is good because I’m not much of a thinker.  If you have had the misfortune to purchase rechargeable lanterns in the Philippines, you’ll know that they are pretty much the epitome of Chinese Tier Four crappage – charges last about 30 minutes and the batteries die completely within four months.  After stubbing my toes and smashing my shins once way too many times as a result of these sub-par lights, I decided to add a decent rechargeable lantern/flashlight to my 2018 shopping spree.  The Mrhua is possessed of an 18650 lithium ion battery and the when I charged it up and switched it on, it lasted over eight hours.  Only downside is its tubular design – I’m sure it will be falling over quite a bit. But nothing is ever perfect…..

If you wanna see the light, click HERE to get a Mrhua Rechargeable LED lantern/flashlight.

Lenovo T440S Ultrabook, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, 14” FHD IPS Display
$899

This is the second T440S I have purchased.  The first one is still running like a beast, and this one was bought for a buddy of mine.  With the heat, dust, humidity and assorted airborne particulates in the Philippines, the Lenovo Thinkpad series is seemingly built for this place, boasting a wide assortment of physical and environmental safeguards to keep your ultra-awesome-book humming merrily along.  As I noted in the video, I use the Thinkpad mainly for writing (keyboard rocks) and editing photographs in Lightroom – the IPS display is even better than the IPS monitor I have for my desktop system. With high-techy carbon fiber and magnesium alloy framing, weighing in at just 3.5 pounds and with an 8 hour battery life, to me the T440S is pretty much a no-brainer.

Click HERE to get a Lenovo T440S with a three year warranty.

OK, so that’s it for this article.  I will be doing another video at some point showing off some of the other stuff I picked up this year.  Until then, be well and keep Dreaming!

 

PS Lyn, I still have my fingers crossed……  mwaaah!

 

5 comments

  1. Hi Ned,
    When U doin SRRV?
    Got a notary to type an affidavit for my: DD214, FBI clearance, & pension;
    which I signed in front of the Philippine Consulate’s notary. The consulates deputy signed a sealed authentication cover letter. A grommet bound all documents together.
    I’ll give all, along with my application to the PRA after I have my medical exam in Makati. You can do the same at PRA office (near Fuente circle) in Cebu.
    Missed seeing you in Dumaguete in February. I met Bud B. , Reekay, and Orville Henry.

  2. I use these with ear buds to help me sleep. So they are on 8 straight hours at a time. Recently spent 4 nights in the hospital – lasted the whole time without recharging! Good sound. Easy to use. PERFECT for what it does. A bargain at the price.
    Just thought I’d share.

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