To the mall we go again...

We confess. We have been shopping way too much for our own good ever since we set foot on this country. I have lost track of the number of times we've hit the Premium outlets in Gilroy and Livermore... adding Napa Valley as the latest on the list.

I have to say though that Great Mall is the fairest of them all. Other than the fact that it's nearest to our home, the mall is fully indoors compared to the rest which consists of rows and blocks of boutiques in open air. Which, of course, makes it the perfect place to go in this cold rainy December weather.

Today, our loot was a pair of Oakley radar shades (for me) and more Bath & Body Works stuff. Small victories, compared to what we would have bought a month ago.

When we first arrived in US, we were shocked at how cheap the prices of popular US brands are compared to back home. At the outlets, there are always additional discounts on top of the already marked down prices. Coach, Kate Spade, A&F, Aeropostale, Nine West, Gap, Timberland... Safe to say that we would never buy them anywhere outside US again!

However, we have also quickly learnt to pace ourselves and not be lured by the big discount signs outside the shops. Every week the brands promise bigger discounts or more attractive package deals; we realised after a while that these endless chase of 'value-for-money' products does little but burn a bigger and bigger hole in our pockets.

Our current strategy is to focus on the thing we need, be each other's shopping critic (e.g. you really don't need that... nah that doesn't look nice anyway...), and get out of the mall as fast as our little legs can carry us once we've got what we wanted. Don't look left, don't look right. Just link our arms and head for the car and go, go, go!



Success: Made my intended Oakley purchase without buying anything extra.



Failed: We didn't need B&BW stuff... but we got some cos they were going as low as US$3!



This is certainly not part of our shopping list! :D

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On a separate note, sharing photos of our simple, yummy lunch at Liang's Kitchen at Milpitas and our coffee break at Peet's at Burlingame:

Taiwanese cafe recommended by Panda's colleague.



Demonstrating the art of tea pouring.



Hakka 板条 and traditional 卤肉饭



盐酥鸡



Peet's Coffee: Some folks claim that this is the place where real coffee is sold (jab at Starbucks)!



Verdict: It's cheaper than Starbucks but I still prefer the latter.



Check out the cool silver fire hydrants at Burlingame.