MANILA, Philippines ? Countless people equate traveling with shopping. I can?t blame them. When you?re in a new city with shiny new malls, what?s to stop you from bringing your wallet out for a little exercise?

When I think of Berlin, I see glorious sale racks at H&M, dresses bought for around P200 and the Snoopy thongs I ended up wearing until the poor things lost elasticity.

Dusseldorf will always remind me of the killer Puma boots I got in a train station store one lazy Sunday. Vegas means skipping the casinos and hitting the outlet stores.

The little shops in New York?s West Village are always a treat. I spent hours in LA raiding Hot Topic for vintage-looking shirts. The Heeren in Singapore is my spot for funky finds.

From Cambodia, I hauled home dozens of colorful scarves and fabric bags. From Paris, two pairs of houndstooth boots. Hong Kong is always a sure winner?I always end up bringing home twice my luggage coming from there.

But not this time.

Because this trip, which, ironically, took place smack dab in the middle of Hong Kong?s Shopping Festival, will always be defined by the things I did not buy.

Not to say that I didn?t shop. I raided three branches of H&M, went to Muji and Uniqlo and engaged in my favorite HK sport in Mongkok?speed-shopping.

But there were many things I did not buy, and they continue to haunt me now that I?m back in Manila.

This isn?t a story of heartbreak?although it feels like it. This is a tale of two cities, of love and shopping and the things I didn?t buy.

Hot pink Doc Martens

It was love at first sight. I spotted the hot pink Doc Martens in Mongkok. They were on sale?marked down from HK$1,199 to just HK$799.

That night, I couldn?t stop thinking about them. The next morning, I posted ?Pam is seriously considering buying hot pink Doc Martens. Should I? Shouldn?t I?? as my Facebook status.

People egged me on. ?Go! Go! Go for it!? they wrote, their exclamation points jumping at me.

I finally got the courage to try them on. I was right, they looked really cool. But I was worried about them being uncomfortable. My purple Doc Martens hurt my feet and I wasn?t sure this pair wouldn?t do the same.

I left the store without buying the boots for another reason. I had my eyes on another pair of shoes?the black Nike Air Prestos.

Nike Air Presto

Friends have been going on and on about the new Nike Air Presto, wearing a nostalgic glint in their eyes as they remember their old Presto pairs from the early 2000s.

I didn?t really care, I like Nike Dunks more. But that was before I saw two girls strutting down Queens Road in Hong Kong Central District wearing matching black leggings and shiny black Nike Air Prestos.

Call it envy, call it shoe lust, I knew I needed my own pair. But HK had other plans.

I tried a pair on in one of the many sneaker shops at Fa Yuen street. It was XXS but it was too big. I needed an XXXS pair. We spent the next couple of days searching Nike stores, sneaker stores and sports stores everywhere?Mongkok, Central, Causeway Bay, Kowloon Bay and Sha Tin. But my pair continued to elude me. We went to over 20 stores and each one left me feeling even more defeated. No one had the Presto in my size.

The harder it was to find, the more I wanted it. And not just because it?s the first time I?m buying myself something that?s extra-extra-extra-small.

Moonlight Rhapsody illustrated planner

While my friends were going crazy over the Digital Harinezumi cameras they bought, I kept staring at the Moonlight Rhapsody Planner at CitySuper. Moonlight Rhapsody is an illustrated diary from the brand Antenna Shop in South Korea.

It was adorable, we all agreed. And at HK$148 (around P1,000), it was also a bit pricey. It was even more impractical because I already bought two Moleskine planners this year?a monthly one and a weekly one.

?Just draw on your own planner,? my friend said. ?But I can?t draw!? I said.

Ikea?s Swedish Meatballs

How far would you go for meatballs? Because we went very far. When we finally reached Ikea, we ate 45 of those meatballs.

Believe me, that wasn?t enough. Because the next day, we started missing those blasted balls. We really should have brought home those frozen packs.

?Twenties Girl? by Sophie Kinsella

At the airport on our way back, I was surprised to see a new Sophie Kinsella book in a newsstand?a paperback large-print edition of ?Twenties Girl? being sold for HK$204.

?It will be cheaper in Manila,? I told my friends. But when I logged on to Amazon.com, I discovered the book is available only for pre-order now. It wouldn?t be released until July 21. ?Aargh! I should have bought it!? I told friends.

This really is the opposite of buyer?s remorse.

?Twenties Girl? isn?t the only thing I?ve looked up online. Since our return, I?ve spent hours Googling hot pink Doc Martens (found them?and at a cheaper price!), XXXS black Nike Air Prestos (no luck yet), the Moonlight Rhapsody Planner (it?s left me so frustrated that I?ve actually started drawing on my Moleskine) and Swedish Meatball recipes (so many of them, I can?t decide which one to use).

Now, when I think of HK, I think of shiny pink boots, black sneakers that look fantastic with black leggings, meatballs swimming in tomato sauce and books I can?t have.

But this can be a good thing. Because the many things we did not buy give us a good reason to go back.