What's in my Bag?: Then and Now (My 100th Blog Post)

This is my 100th post.

A perfect time as we approach the second half of 2013.

Have you reflected in resolutions made last January 1?

How about your three or five-year plans?

What has changed and does that make you closer to your life goals?

We evolve as creatures affected by external factors (family and friends' influences, work challenges, trends and growing needs). With all of these evolutions changing us, I strongly believe that our INNER CORE remains and when we listen close to it everyday, we learn more about ourselves.

A hundred blog posts ago, I was living that pressure cooker life. I have traveled and found versions of myself staring back at me.  I have analyzed and over-analyzed situations, ingredients and songs. I have understood more about life being short and beautiful.

I have resigned from my auditing job to accept a job in my hometown, only to return as the same IT auditor-slash-advisor early this year. I have been through my own buckets of rain but I chose to remember the rainbows and sunshine instead.

More than three years ago, I revealed my "day-to-day" Me in this What's in my Bag? post. A thousand bag designs and trends have passed since that blog entry. Some aspirational brands have been downgraded to just high-end brands. We have witnessed a mixture of concept recycling and fresh design ideas --- from PVCs to anti-theft materials, huge to cutesy dimensions, and faux to authentic inspirations. 

For my 100th blog post, I want to look back and see how things have changed with what I keep inside my bag. This is not your profound journal entry. Probably, only level-1 in the whole spectrum of reflection. But as women, our bags contain our treasures. And if we take them with us everyday, that can only mean that they are essentials that keep us going and help us get through the rigors and demands of life. The Bible says that wherever our heart is, there lies our treasure (yes, that's not a Paulo Coelho original but from His Holy Word). And so I open my bag one more time and share a bit of my heart with you my dear friends.

What was inside my bag THEN.

And NOW...

(Please click "Read more")

First of all, I still use the same "Mocha" bag --- the one which I can always proudly say is made by Filipinos (from Via Venetto). I guess this one's a classic as I still see the same style sold in some Via Venetto stores.

A hand sanitizer which I want to be readily accessible
No need to dig in when I need to disinfect my hands.
I made the effort to match the sanitizer's holder to my bag's mocha shade :)

My Babes: The one in the white case is for personal contacts and the one in black is for work.
A lot of people find it hard to understand why I choose to have identical Blackberrys when I could have opted for an Android for my second phone.
Well, I want a simple low-maintenance phone life --- one battery charger for both phones. And I couldn't find anything wrong with two Blackberrys. =)

My lifesavers (clockwise from left):
The Holy Bible --- the same one, yes.
SGV ID --- we have changed our branding and logos; thus, the new ID format.
Mini notebook --- for random notes, to-dos, grocery lists and personal reminders.
Keys in this whimsical Kipling key holder --- the one that came with my Kipling mini-bag
TicTac mints --- for someone who "consumes" her mints as traffic de-stressors, they're cheap, what can I say. 

This checkbook holder works as my wallet.
Slim, thin, no frills and in a deep money-purple color.
I spent one whole day of wallet-hunting before I found this.
Finally saw this displayed at the storefront of an unexpected place (at least for wallets) --- Via Venetto (heaven-sent, yes!)

I use this freebie Wash-me Wear-me to store my back-ups and touch-up essentials.
Wear-me contains medicines and the ever reliable Vaporub.

Wash-me contains the lip balm, oil control film, wooden comb, mini hair clip, no-wire hair band, and mini perfume. 

The Wash-me Wear-me canvas pouch folds neatly into half.
Skyflakes crackers are essentials. Just in case I'm stranded somewhere in the traffic.
Lipstick red coin purse for my transportation coins.

And they all fit in. Still =)

My bag is much lighter now.

Less is more.

Moody weather supports in blue:
Umbrella (another purchase using my SM Advantage points)
Fan (one of the cutesy Asian finds bought at Apostrophe)
They are all stored in this professional-looking Culte Femme suede bag
(just to keep it polished despite the weather's bad vibes).
I only bring the extra bag with me when necessary.
The cute fan goes inside the bag and the umbrella is left at home.
(I have an extra umbrella in the office just in case the weather forecast failed to foresee a downpour.)

What's in my bag NOW and THEN? Not much has changed. I still use the same bag and carry the same essentials. :)

On this note, I leave you with this question: 
What's in your bag? 
You may take this moment to open that treasure pouch and learn more about your own evolution.

Love lots,

Gen