Smallware

Little details at home that make me smile.

All smallware from Living Well/Gourdo's

BUILD IT: Travel Makeup Kit (City)

My measly stock

I'm in the midst of slowly but steadily building up my travel make up kit - starting with this clear Make Up Store cosmetic bag that I've always wanted.  It finally went on 40% off, and I managed to get the last stock, thanks to their really excellent customer service.  The products shown above are not the things I intend to, or even want to, bring along for traveling as there are numerous considerations.  One, as much as possible, I would prefer to bring mostly mineral makeup, since they supposedly last longer, and unlike my daily war paint, I will not be using these travel products on a weekly, even monthly basis.   Two, the less liquids, the better, since this is the same set I plan to bring for local and foreign travels.

This whole process has involved a lot of research, both off and online.  Aside from going over the reviews, I've been trying out whatever testers I can get my hands on when I'm in the stores.  Oh, a third thing I consider are the containers - plastic is preferred over glass, to minimize breakage, and I prefer screw on over flip tops to avoid spillage.  The above mentioned 3 considerations have been posing quite a challenge, but I'm not in (too) much of a hurry.  My deadline is at least the 1st quarter of next year!

FAMILY TRAVEL GEAR

I'll be completing the travel gear (i.e. clothes, equipment, etc.) that my family needs.  We travel often, and we especially like weekend getaways.  I am terrible with unpacking, and my husband and I would often be missing shirts and pants which are still stowed away in our suitcases.  My solution: separate travel clothes!  Hehe.  I also know that we'll be having another little boy soon, so I have "little brother" in my chart here.

FAMILY TRAVEL GEAR

*Generic*

	FATHER	MOTHER	BIG BROTHER	LITTLE  BROTHER
Nylon travel pants
All-Terrain shoes
All-Terrain sandals	Keen newport black	Keen newport navy
Rain hats	Pittman bucket hat w/ cord (navy)
Travel umbrella
Heavy-duty windbreaker
Lightweight windbreaker	Uniqlo orange		Uniqlo blue
Shawl
Quick dry socks (3 each)
Para ‘Kito bands
Water bottles
Anti-theft bags	Pacsafe	Pacsafe
Anti-theft wallets		Pacsafe
Passport cases	Flight 001	Flight 001	Flight 001
Track pants
Joggers
Pajama bottoms (2 each)	Uniqlo 3/4 Uniqlo 3/4
Pajama tees (2 each)
Long-sleeved tees (2 each)
Undergarments (5 each)
Flip-flops
Sun hats
Sunglasses

A.   Nylon Travel Pants
(Water resistant; cargo or convertible)

1. Father:   
2. Mother:   Columbia grey cargo pants
3. Big Brother:
4. Little Brother:

B.   All-Terrain Shoes

(Water resistant; preferably sandals; in lieu of hiking boots and sneakers; with traction)

1. Father: Keen Newport H2 sandals [black]
2. Mother:   Keen Newport H2 sandals [navy]
3. Big Brother:
4. Little Brother:

C.   Rain Hats

(Bucket hats with cord, preferably)

1. Father:   Pittman bucket hat with cord [navy]   
2. Mother:        
3. Big Brother:
4. Little Brother:

Plus, small travel umbrellas:

1. Father:
2. Mother:

D.   Windbreaker

1. Father:   Uniqlo orange windbreaker
2. Mother: K-Way red windbreaker
3. Big Brother:   Uniqlo blue-green windbreaker
4. Little Brother:

Plus, shawl or wrap for Mother:   

E.   Quick Dry Socks

(3 pairs each)

1. Father:
2. Mother:
3. Big Brother:
4. Little Brother:

F.   Para 'Kito Anti-Mosquito Bands:

1. Father:
2. Mother:
3. Big Brother:
4. Little Brother:

G.   Water Bottles

(Stainless steel preferably)

1. Father:
2. Mother:   
3. Big Brother:
4. Little Brother:

H.   Anti-Theft Bags

(Backpacks for kiddos)

1. Father:   Pacsafe Metrosafe 150 [black]
2. Mother:   Pacsafe Citysafe 100 [herringbone](liking this slightly smaller versions though, the Pacsafe Slingsafe 200 in black or the Pacsafe Citysafe 100 in black)
3. Big Brother:
4. Little Brother:

I.   Anti-Theft Travel Wallets

1. Father:
2. Mother: Pacsafe
3. Big Brother:

J.   Passport Cases

1. Father:
2. Mother:
3. Big Brother: Flight 001 
4. Little Brother:

K.   Track Pants:

(Nylon and cotton)

1. Father:
2. Mother:   
3. Big Brother:
4. Little Brother:

L.   Pajamas

(2 sets each; bottoms + tees; or pajama sets)

1. Father:  
2. Mother:
3. Big Brother:
4. Little Brother:

M.   Long-Sleeved Tees

(2 sets each)

1. Father:
2. Mother:
3. Big Brother:
4. Little Brother:

N.   Undergarments

(5 sets each; uniform, 1 color)

1. Father:
2. Mother:
3. Big Brother:
4. Little Brother:

O.   Flip-Flops

1. Father:
2. Mother:
3. Big Brother:
4. Little Brother:

*Also always pack: sunglasses and sun hats.

Chocolate Brown

Instant love

I've always loved the Nightingale.   I am late for the party I know, and deciding to get the bag took some thinking.  I was worried about the It Bag status of a few years back - I thought it might go the way of the Chloe Paddington, or the YSL Muse.   But then I decided, what the heck, I love the shape, I love that the leather is so incredibly thick but slouchy at the same time, and just went for it.   I was also initially hesitant about the shorter shoulder strap, since I couldn't wear it crossbody and I am steadfastly a crossbody bag kind of girl, but my husband (who bought the bag) made a good point: I use it for work, not for weekends, and my pencil skirts and dresses do not always work well with messenger/crossbody bags.

I thought I'd get it in black, but this deep, rich chocolate brown color just really called out to me.  It fits anything and everything - truly the perfect work tote.   The bag is now my daily beater, and I am still loving every inch of it.  In fact I am so happy with it that I now have a problem: I am starting to like all things Givenchy and have my eye on the Pandora (in black!) and Obsedia next.  Uh oh.

*For Manila-based friends: it's still cheaper to buy Givenchy in our own Duty Free store.  Even cheaper than buying it in Hong Kong or Singapore!

Before the Reception

My husband and I attended a friend's wedding in Sofitel yesterday. They served cocktails at the seawall garden before the reception. Great view of Manila Bay. I've always loved the cakes in that hotel, so I ended up ordering a pre-party snack before the newlyweds arrived. It was a wonderful evening, and a great way to kick off the weekend.

Clutch from Miss Albright, available in Anthropologie ( a gift from my best friend).

Almost Over

Summer's almost over.   I speak of summer break of course, as it is basically "summer" here in the Philippines for 80% of the year.   In case you're not from here, summer holidays start sometime mid to end of March, and last well until around the second week of June.   Come June, school and the rainy season begin.   We have at least 1 more quick getaway to look forward to before my son goes back to school in June. 

It has been a very eventful summer for my family.   We traveled, were in and out of the hospital, and enrolled our son in various summer activities.  The past few months have tested our love and patience with each other - my little unit of three - and I feel that now we are tighter than ever.  Like peas in a pod.   The next half of 2013 will inevitably involve even more hospital visits, but lest this post sounds too cryptic, let me just clarify that it is actually all good.  I am looking forward to the second half of this year.

Spent a glorious week in The Bellevue in Panglao last month

CHECKLIST: The Geek Watch

I've wanted a geek watch for a while.   

It's all aesthetic, I admit, but for this watch I didn't really care about the functions - or quality, for that matter.  I've liked the Re-Run for a while now, but before I was able to get it, the vintage Casio craze exploded here in Manila.  They have something that kind of looks like my Nixon here, and now everyone and everyone's sister has this Casio.   I went with the Re-Run.  Nixon has been bashed on and on by the Watch Snob and other watch aficionados.  And well, I have to agree with them.  But it's fun, and after this I think I still want to get a big old calculator watch.

Nixon Re-Run watch available from Segnatempo; stars and dish from the Cornerstone Pottery Farm