Thursday 5 September 2013

Finding the Perfect Bag is Like Finding the Perfect Man


The perfect bag, just like the perfect man, does not exist. Let me elaborate.


I've been on the hunt for the perfect bag for at least five years now. To no luck, every bag I've purchased has held my fancy for about six months at the most. While shopping for a bag, the pros are always at the forefront of my mind: the colour, the number of pockets, current trend and body fit (I'm petite;). This screening process however doesn't suffice three months (sometimes three weeks) into using the bag. I find that it's not big enough, too large, holds a lot but gets too heavy, rips or just doesn't suit as many outfits as I thought it would.


The bottom line is things change. What we look for changes from month to month or sometimes from week to week. Today, colour and trend may be most important with Fashion Week in progress. Last week, usability and practicality were priorities with the start of school semesters or work contracts. In a month, size and durability will matter when you're fully immersed in your school or work life and start bringing work home.


I've found favourite bags, clutches, purses and totes, but not the perfect one. Not one that I would use day in and day out nor use constantly years and years after purchase.


Just like our needs and wants for our perfect bag change, we change and so does what we want in that 'perfect man.' What you wanted him to consist of when you were 15 years old is different from when you are 18, 21, 25, 27, 30, 32, 35, etc. It's impossible to find the perfect man, who is everything that you want and need at every single point in life.


But maybe, just maybe, we aren't on the lookout for a perfect man after all. Maybe in this case, finding our favourite man is good enough. Just like our favourite bag that we'll never throw out and always keep, just because it's 'that' bag. It's got a trendy-ish colour, small when we need it to be and holds whatever we need to stuff in it when we need to and still somehow hasn’t ripped. Maybe being your favourite is all he needs to be. After all, that's the one bag that has made it with me through 10 years, and it still sits there waiting for whenever I need it.

Saturday 10 August 2013

Inhibition of Ambition



I've been feeling ancy lately.
Not sure why.
But unfulfilled.
Like something big is supposed to happen to me but it hasn't yet.
And I'm waiting.
Waiting for it to happen.
Waiting to know what it is.

This waiting has me irritated.
I can't enjoy moments because I keep thinking about this 'big thing'.
Wondering what it is.
Wondering if where I am currently and what I'm doing is a step in the right direction.
Is this bar I'm at or are these friends I'm with a waste of time?
Do I need to go home and reroute my life to get to this 'big thing'?

But I want to enjoy these moments.
Laughter. Jokes. Getting dressed up for silly occasions.
Maybe the 'big thing' can wait.
If it's going to happen, it will.
So why give up my current happiness for what will be future happiness.
It's an uneasy feeling so it's hard to shake off.
But maybe this bar, this guy, this job, are steps in the right direction.
If I make it so.
I either learn that I like it and enjoy it or that it's not for me.
Both put me in a better position and closer to the 'big thing'.

Maybe the 'big thing' is me.
And my every moment.
Maybe the big thing is just my ambition.
My consistent want for more, for better, for bigger.
But maybe it's my enjoyment of the current pleasures will aid rather than inhibit my ambitions for my future.
So maybe it's in contentment of every moment that I can find fuel for my ambition.


If you can't be happy now, chances are that you are sour and that taints your drive to your goals. Happiness, even in the smallest of circumstances puts a positive spin and helps fuel your drive to where you want to someday be.

Friday 11 January 2013

"Forget me not." - New Year's Resolutions



With the end of week one most people have deemed themselves winners or losers of resolutions. Eleven days into January, there are those who have started their resolutions and are hoping to continue and those who have failed to begin and now feel that it’s too late to begin (it’s not, you’re just 11 days behind, out of 365).

New Year’s resolutions always create a mixed set of emotions in me. Lofty, vague and immeasurable are the reasons for the death of my resolutions, as I never know whether I’ve accomplished them or not (e.g. network more: Are there a certain number of new people I must know by the end of the year? Do they have to be friends? Do the few people that I’ve met at events count even though I’m not in touch with them anymore?) Yet, every 31 of December I find myself making a resolution.
The urge to make resolutions seems tied to the desire to set goals and the opportunity to restart. However, the process of making a resolution is even more beneficial as it forces a person to reflect on the past year and realize what s/he wants to work on and what is lacking in their lives at present.
However, when looking at the resolutions that people make, it all seems to come down to self-control. “No more chocolate.” “Junk food limited to once a month.” “Shopping sprees once every two months.” “Socialize more and meet new people.” “Try new things.” “Blog more.”
Self-control: control or restraint of oneself or one's actions, feelings, etc.
© dictionary.com
All these resolutions encourage individuals to practice self-control – controlling eating and spending habits and controlling fears or laziness and time management.

At the core of self-control is self-awareness. One must be aware of him/herself in order to control him/herself. So if resolution-making isn’t your thing or if you’re giving up on your resolution already, at least give the reflection part a chance. Think about what you would like to modify about yourself if you were to make a resolution. This process in itself reveals much about what you think of yourself, your characteristics and more importantly areas that you’d like to improve.
Image © Jeff Epp via Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/eppstein/5724341693/
Resolutions on food = health and appearance
Resolutions on spend = money conscious
Resolutions on socialization = feelings of belonging; mental health; professional development

Check out the top 10 New Year’s resolutions here.