Back in business

So it's been a while.  I went on unplanned hiatus because school work, university goodbyes and a roadtrip to Wales all happened in the best way possible, and in a manner that is far too exhausting to cover at length.

But I'm back now, and I bring something from the lovely Paperchase who, apart from carrying beautiful stationery and notebooks that make my heart go thump, stock an amazing range of cute, cartoony bags that will be right up your alley if you like Tokidoki or Artbox.

Shriya and I really wanted to buy a bag, but at £19 pounds, the (still gorgeous) bigger ones were still too expensive for our student budget.  That's when she had a great idea - to buy a lunch box to use as a purse!  I got really excited, and even more chuffed when we discovered that the lunchboxes were £6.50 a piece.  I know, right?  No one else believes it either.

I got one in this adorable monster print (though no one needs to know Shriya has the exact same design) and when I brought it out for a farewell dinner and drinks, loads of people asked me about it, and teased me good-naturedly about my lunchbox-bag.  As a mini train case, it works just fine, and at a 20cm length, it's more roomy than one would think.

So here's what I had inside it:

1)  Thick yellow scarf
2)  Ipod
3)  Cards
4)  Cash and change
5)  Eye drops for my contact lenses
6)  My £2 Body Shop lip balm that has been used by practically my whole class.  I'm like some crazy lip balm lady with three or four pots on me at all times and since half the class struggles with chapping, I dole them out during the break like some kind of soup kitchen person.
7)  The Body Shop moroccan rose perfume
8)  Not pictured: my phone

And that's really all you need, isn't it?  A quick tip for those wanting to try the tin-box-as-bag route: put in something soft like a scarf, or something heavy like a big wallet, to stop your stuff from clanging around in a very unbecoming way at the bottom.

Check out the other patterns - they have some adorable food ones - and feel free to share if you've recently done a what's in my bag as well!

Finally, I don't know what this says about me, but I was just as entranced by the packing the lunchbox came in.  I mean, look at it.  You can't say this doesn't get your pulse racing:

What's in my bag: School Edition

You probably know by now I'm obsessed with knowing what people carry in their bags so I hope you will excuse this School Edition of what's in my bag.  In particular, I get very excited about knowing what people carry to school.  It guarantees stationery, notebooks and exciting things to read.  (Unless you're doing International Relations like some of my school mates and reading books called "States and Markets" and the like.)

This gigantic Longchamp Pliage actually belongs to my mother, but she lent it to me for use here because it's strong, doesn't get dirty easily and carries a TON.

Behold, exhibit A:

This is more or less what I carry to school every Monday.  If it looks like it weighs a ton, I assure you, it really does.

1)  Hello Kitty pencil case  (Oh, I know, I never thought the day would come)

2) Room keys

3)  Nokia E71 phone

4)  Plaid pyjama shorts.  There's a really good reason for this, I do a workout of sorts on Monday that requires me to wear short, comfy shorts, so I bought these cheapo pyjama bottoms (they have fey little frills on them) for a few quid and just throw them on to workout in.  People have actually complemented me on my workout STYLE.  I know, true story.

5)  Two berets.  Another good reason, my crazy, wonderful class is working on a project where we get one of our classmates to wear as many weird hats as possible and take pictures of him.  I've just realised they are all as nutty as I am.

6)  Radley wallet.

7)  Smint.

8)  iPod

9)  Boring black umbrella.  I had a hot pink candy striped one and left it in Costcutter like a clown.  But the weather here is so wacko, I needed another one.

10)  Kindle in my Tokidoki pouch (it fits perfectly!!)

11)  Little plastic folder with my classmates' stories in it.  Some of the work submitted in this class is truly phenomenal and I'm grateful for the chance to read and talk about it all the time.  Also, this folder has got a Japanese animation story going on on it, about two rabbits who open a restaurant to feed hungry squirrels.  It cracks me up!

12)  Envelope with some bank letters in it.  Don't ask.

13)  Spotted black pouch and black mesh pouch with various toiletries.

14)  A'zone testpad all the way from Singapore.  I am so freakin' fussy about the kind of paper I write on, I brought my own from home.  It's thick, and smooth and the lines are clearly printed on.

15)  Wizard of Oz organiser

16)  Snoopy moleskine which we all know about by now.

Not pictured here were my camera and a couple of books by V. S. Pritchett that I had to return to the library.  I usually throw a sandwich in before class and stagger painfully there (there is no public transportation in the Uni so I walk everywhere, which I love!).

What about you?  What do you carry in your bags for school and are they anywhere near as heavy as mine?

What's in my bag: Travelling light

I just got this ADORABLE Tokidoki bag as a present from Dhany, because I lost my wallet and I was grumbling about never carrying a wallet again and just stuffing my cash into my bag.  So he got me a wallet-sized bag with slots for cash!  HAH!  HAH!  HAH!

(I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Dhany has wonderful taste.)

I just love it because 1) I love all things Tokidoki and it reminds me of the Toy and Comic Convention every time I look at it and 2) it has these funny details on it that I keep looking at and laughing. 

I love that Simone Legno packs his work with details so that you can look at the little things in it and discover something new each time and I love how he always has a sense of humour in his drawing.

For example:

This dog with a dollar bill in its mouth...

... this unicorn drinking water, which just kills me...

... the little donuts with sprinkles and that little cloud puff thing in the bottom left hand corner...

... the little green apple core.

All of which add up to make the final product, a riot of colour which makes your eyes wander busily back and forth.

It's not quite true when I say this bag is wallet-sized, I quite comfortably carried my life around in it for half a day, quite a feat considering that it looks about the size of a small notebook and appears quite flat.

Here's an example of what I can fit in it, and this is pretty much all I need for the whole day when I'm not being ambitious and carrying around whacking great novels, water, a jacket and a pouch full of random toiletries.

1)  Burt's Bees shimmering lip balm in Fig.

2)  Extra sugar free chewing gum (I don't know if anybody else carries gum in Singapore, but if you do, tell me, does it have a nasty habit of going all limp and sweating peppermint oil out the packet?!)

3)  Nokia E71 mobile phone.  iPhone blah blah biddy blah.  Give me actual buttons I can press anytime.

4)  Clean and Clear Johnson and Johnson's blotting paper - the pink pack smells of grapefruit!

5)  Debit card.

6)  Cold, hard cash.

7)  The Body Shop Moroccan Rose Perfume.

8)  Hairpins.  Bobby pins.  Kirby grips.  Whatever you'd like to call them.

9)  Refresh for contacts eyedrops.  I don't wear contacts very often and when I do, I like to make sure my eyes don't dry out.

10)  Spare Acuvue Moist contacts.

11)  Uniball pen.

12)  And most impressively, not pictured, my camera which actually fits inside that bag with all that crap such that I can do the zip up without any trouble.  My camera is not one of those cigarette-pack-sized things which fit inside your pocket like a charm.  More accurately, it is the size of about half a brick and half the thickness.  I assure you I was utterly gobsmacked.

I don't know about you, but I was thoroughly amazed that so much could go in, considering that the bag looks about twice the size of my phone!  Also, I've learned that there's an art to fitting things in like the pieces of a puzzle so that you can maximise the space and things don't knock and rattle about.

Like most girls, I LOVE carrying my whole life around with me, but when push comes to shove, I can downsize quite easily and it's very liberating going hands free and being able to run and jump without a hefty piece of arm candy all day. 

I could travel light all day long.

Loose fit shirt - Zara.  Cutoffs - DIY from a pair of jeans from Series.  

Cutout sandals - Dr Marten.  Necklace - Made by my mother.

Bracelet - Pandora.  Hoop earrings - Bits and pieces.

As I did with a thin top, cutoffs and leather sandals for Baybeats.

PS  If you're loving this starfish necklace, as some of my friends are, it was made by my mother with a Swarovski crystal we bought from the bead shop she goes to. 

She makes some great jewellery and if you like it, stay tuned because she is, as we speak, MAKING A SET OF JEWELLERY FOR MY FIRST BLOG GIVEAWAY.

True story.  So if you guys want to win some cute, handmade, one of a kind jewellery, check back in a week or so, because I should have all the details ready and, considering that the number of readers is not that high, the chances of any one of you winning are like, cubed, or something. 

So, watch this space! 

What's in my bag

I don't know why, but girls seem to have a thing about knowing what others are toting around in their handbags.  "What's in my purse" has a running tag on youtube that's hundred of videos long and even the local paper's Friday magazine has an entire page devoted to what's in the bags of semi-celebrities.

On the one hand, it's true that what someone carries in their purse can tell you a lot about them.  On the other hand, what really interests me is seeing how they organise their stuff in cute little pouches or pack them neatly in compartments.  Being somewhat messy myself, it's nice to get ideas for how to carry my stuff.  I still struggle to find my keys occasionally, but my bag looks more tidy on the whole.

In my bright yellow Aldo bag last Monday for an outing to Dhany's house:

1)  Kate Spade wallet

2)  Black patent pouch for cards and coins

3)  iPod (which is somewhat spoilt)

4)  Keys on my Pirates of the Carribean: Davy Jones' Locker key from Disneyland

5)  Nokia phone

6)  Uniball pen  (I'm obsessive about my stationery, particularly my pens and I only use the Uniball pens in black, blue-black or blue, unless I'm using other colours for drawing and colouring.  They have 0.25mm nibs which are delightfully fine and the ink is waterproof, important for when you're holding a notebook and interviewing someone in the pouring rain.)

7)  Lakerol cassis sugar free sweets

8)  Aloe vera wet wipes.  (I'm obsessive about wet wipes too, and almost always carry them because I repeatedly spill things on my clothes.  The only thing that will get a chocolate stain out for good is attacking it with a very soapy wet wipe as soon as it happens)

9)  Spotted pouch containing lip balm, hand sanitizer, small bottle of perfume, mini moisturiser and assorted oddments

10)  Fantasia DVD (from Mustafa for only $6.90!!!  When Diana and I saw it we stood there in shock like, what the fuck?  For real?  It's the 1940s one, I grant you, but still, that's an insane price.  I haven't had a chance to check out the quality or if the damn thing is even complete, but trust me, if I find a single musical segment missing, there is going to be a beyotchfit, fo' shizz.)

11)  A package with a surprise in it!  Something delightful arrived in the mail the other day and I can't display it just yet because it's gone for altering, but I will give you a clue:

Chew on that!!  And of course, not pictured, my camera, which is with me most times.

All was going well in the driveway until someone came and started nosing through the things I had laid out on the floor and trampling them joyfully.

Yeah, I know.

If someone called me a bad dog and told me to stand to one side, I'd look disgruntled like that too.