Good News for Bookworms + The Gcash Amex Virtual Pay

I was always a magazine type of person who’s friends with a lot of bookworms.  My friends often talk about this and that book and how they feel for a character.  At that point, I usually zone out because (a) I really have no idea what they’re talking about or (b) the thought of reading scares me.  I have mentioned this before: silly as it may sound, I usually associate reading books with school.  I mean, every time I read a book, I get this feeling that I have to absorb the plot, details, the characters & find out about the vocabulary words because there will be a test afterwards! *Yikes*

So far though, I’ve been trying to overcome my fear of reading lengthy books by reading magazines & books that have mini essays & chapters in it so that I don’t feel so intimidated! 😛  For a self-proclaimed magazine person, I noticed that my pile of books is getting taller.  Then, I realized, most of the books I have are the type that you stare at.  They always say that picture books are bad for kids if you’re teaching them how to read.   But, I just can’t help it (and I’m no longer a kid…and I totally sound like a whiny one)!   What I love about these types of visual books is that you get to flip each page and absorb each color or line while trying to figure out the medium plus the pattern and inspiration for the subject & color scheme.   It’s probably the same kick people get out of listening to their favorite music (or eating a whole slice of yummy dark chocolate cheesecake with a topped with a sinful blob of whipped cream *now daydreaming*)—that’s what I feel when I get my hands on design books! <3

There are a lot of art inspiration books that I see all over the net such as:

1)      All the Buildings in New York by James Gulliver Hancock a.k.a. Lenka’s husband!  Yes, Lenka from the catchy songs ‘The Show’ & ‘Trouble is a Friend’!  They’re such an artsy couple.  Their kid must be lucky for having such successful artsy parents.

2)      Print & Pattern Kids—As you can see, Tipsy is already reading a fictional version of it in the comic.  I’ve been visiting the Print Pattern blog for 4 years now and I just can’t wait to get my hands on this book!

3)      The Art of Monsters University—This one has the character sketches at the initial stage of the production.  It’s also a Christmas gift for my sister which also functions as an if-you’re-done-reading-it-may-I-borrow-it book 😉  Yup, I asked her what she wanted for Christmas.  I just wanted to be safe with my gifts. 😀

4)      Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon – I’ve been seeing screenshots of this book getting viral on Tumblr from years ago & I’m really looking forward to reading all of Austin’s quirky charts!  Check out the preview of this book on Amazon.com & you’ll know what I’m talking about. 😉

I know that if I buy all these books online it will be cheaper but I’m afraid that:

1)      signing up for a personal card means I might not be able to control my budget :O

2)      using my card online means it may be compromised

3)      if I purchase anything else other than books, all my discounts will be cancelled out when I get charged by customs by the time they get here.

But, but….I really really want these books!  So far, I’m happy to discover that there’s Gcash Amex Virtual Pay which lets you:

1)      Use a credit card where you can control the amount you want to spend and even change your security code if you feel that it’s being compromised.

2)     Change your security pin anytime since it’s a virtual credit card

3)      For all the items you’re buying together with your books, you may shop without having to worry about customs because the products will be delivered to your doorstep

How is this even possible?  As you may already know, Gcash is this product from Globe that lets you pay via your phone—you don’t even have to leave your seat!  Now, Gcash has tied up with American Express and My Shopping Box to give you a convenient shopping experience.  Check out the step-by-step sign up procedure here.  Aside from a virtual credit card, Gcash Amex Virtual Pay will be giving you a U.S. address which you can use to shop.  Some online merchants only accept U.S. issued credit cards so this is really an advantage!  Also, you will be funding your virtual credit card with Gcash which means you get to control your budget at the onset.  Clever, right? 😉

If you’ve been following our shopping journey & here, you’ll see how our wish lists are coming to life!  Recently, Ponggo purchased a vintage Pentax K100 camera which he got for USD 31.64 on Ebay.com.

The nice thing about Gcash Amex Virtual Pay is that you get to compare prices from local and international websites. Ponggo knows that vintage camera bodies are expensive to get here in the Philippines while lenses are expensive abroad.  Once the camera arrived, he contacted local lens dealers (also online) and voila, he now has a new toy getting the best of deals from the www!  Here’s how much we saved from our latest Gcash Amex Virtual Pay transaction:

Retail Price of a Vintage Camera Body Locally:     Php 3,500.00-4,500.00*

Camera Body from Ebay.com (USD 31.64):           Php 1,428.86**

Shipping Charges (USD 11.62):                                   Php   524.46**

Total Savings:                                                                    Php 1,546.68 to 2,546.68

*Mint Condition

**Actual Conversion Rate billed to us by Gcash Amex Virtual Pay

Once, we were asked: after the one-month trial period, is it worth it to pay a one-time fee of Php 250.00 a year?  The answer is right in front of you.  We just saved thousands of pesos & we’re just getting started.   Also, by using this service, the annual fee of USD 25 from My Shopping Box is already waived!  We’re currently having more stuff shipped in and we can’t wait to tell you how much savings we’re getting from Gcash Amex Virtual Pay.  So, watch out for our shopping sprees soon!   Here’s a tip: Check out Sephora.com (which apparently gives out free samples together with your purchase), Amazon.com & BarnesandNoble.com and sign up for your Gcash Amex Virtual Pay today!

More shopping tips & ideas on where to shop here:

My Colorful Online Shopping Wish List
Who Shops More