Yes, this page is now 10 years old. I can’t believe it is a decade already. It seems only yesterday I was figuring out how to set-up WordPress.org and posted my first ever post here on June 1, 2012. Surprisingly, my Tumblr is still alive and turned 12 last April.
I can’t stress enough that, in the midst of the ever shortening lifespan of people, I still manage to maintain these pages. And to commemorate this day, I decided to recreate the first ever photo posted:
An interesting thing about the first photo:
- the Marc Jacobs coin purse was, of course, already lost August of 2012;
- the LV wallet already gave up on me (stashed somewhere);
- the iPod Classic’s battery gave up on me (stashed somewhere);
- the Blackberry’s battery gave up on me (stashed somewhere);
- the camera is no longer working (that photo was taken with that same camera);
- the Kindle got smashed on our last day on the field in Mindanao last 2013; and
- the Dior pouch, Mulberry agenda, and, surprisingly, that small atomizer bottle are still alive.
The current contents do reflect the time (and age?!) that has passed. I now have:
- some melatonin to help my insomniac and anxious self sleep;
- a liniment to help with bouts of motion-sickness;
- a fan that has seen better days;
- a bigger wallet (Gucci Punch) with lots of unused cards;
- a powerbank, where sometimes I forget the cord (like this time);
- some Fisherman’s Friend for sore throat; and
- a bottle of alcohol because the pandemic is not yet over!
I no longer go out that much often. And even if I do, what I carry will be way more different that it used to be. Conscious of this page turning 10 AND the bag on the first post, I used the same messenger bag just for today just to, well, buy a smart bulb from the mall.
Still as sturdy looking as ever
Going strong with this bag — and this black shirt from 5 years ago.
Funny how this page used to be where I chronicled hard what I wear or what. Then as time went by, I stick with the same thing. I made an active decision to stick to the same black shirt since August 2017 when I bought five of them.
I still use them until them 5 years after and they are as soft as ever (the one in the photo above). My only regret was I should have bought 10, because somehow, these shirts are no longer sold by ‘Culture Tee’ from SM in this plain black variation. Some of the shirt had the stitches of the hem already undone, but I still use them.
One other thing, I bought this vintage Mulberry messenger bag from eBay around August 2009. It is still holding up really, really well, except for some scratches made by our lovely cats. I even had a photo with this bag from 2010, with me holding the bag after my class in graduate school in UP. Nothing has changed, still the same flip flop guy as long as it is allowed.
25-year old me from 2010 with this Mulberry bag I used to death
It is safe to say that I had the cost-per-wear properly managed for this bag. I believe I bought this at around Php 3,000 (barely US$ 65 at the time ). I think this bag will even outlive me given how heavy-duty it is!
On a different note, our excuse to get out today was to buy a smart bulb from Mi Store in SM Makati. We had one bought for my house in the uplands because I somehow mismanaged the electrical connection in the garage. We cannot close the lights without closing the socket for the CCTV.
While we have one of those smart outlets from Mi Store as well, the light was too bright and just shuffles from warm white to cool white. It would have been nice to make the light more adjustable, thus the decision to get another one.
Pink light on this smart bulb from Mi
It was easy to set-up. On the other hand, I am still annoyed how the Mi app would prompt for an update but will not allow it to reach a hundred percent. I am still baffled how to have a workaround with this issue, but there’s no available troubleshooting guide online.
For now, as long as it is working, then I would just happily turn a blind eye.
And speaking of pink, I finally decided to begin wearing a pink bracelet:
A pink, triple wrap leather bracelet
It is a reminder to continue moving forward and soldier on.
Part of the reason this page is alive again is because I have another comprehensive exam to face soon. It was the exact reason why I began this page — to practice and organize my thoughts. While I don’t have an idea how that will shape up, I have to eventually face it.
So, yes. Soldier on. And a happy decade to Bryologue!
