Mulberry Ted from nowhere

Once in a while, something from the past suddenly pops into the present. Not something sinister, but it is something welcome.

It is a Mulberry Ted Messenger Bag!

Back in what may be around 2010 when Mon and I were browsing in a record store in Greenbelt 3 (I think it was in the now defunct Music One Record Store), I’ve seen a guy with the coolest leather messenger bag with a triple postman’s lock.

Triple postman’s lock

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Revenge Travel: Singapore 2022

Prelude

(I think it is much better to do a one-time post, instead of the usual multiple posts in our previous trips. This way, I have everything in one go.)

Months before the pandemic began, we had travel plans that did not push through. We already booked tickets to Beijing and Phuket, but had to cancel these trips as I had to transition to a new role towards the end of 2019. We thought it would not be wise to go on leave when I barely started. So, au revoir tickets.

Then COVID-19 brought the world to a standstill.

A lot of travel plans were put on hold as we were all not sure what we were dealing with. Traveling surely was the last on everyone’s list. The young and old, healthcare workers and the common people were falling left and right like flies. It was a grim time.

Even as the world began to open up last year after the vaccines started rolling out, we were still apprehensive to travel again. Earlier this year, however, we already began having more confidence. More people were doing it. The tourism sector, which took a big blow in the past 2 years, was also going to great lengths to gain people’s confidence.

So, ready to fly? Yes? Yes!

Even back in 2021, we already knew that our first trip would have been to South Korea this July (i.e. inclusive dates from July 4 to July 11). We had to eventually reconsider this.

We have been to South Korea in September 2011, December 2012 and December 2016. Granted September was supposedly early autumn, it did not feel like it as it still felt like summer that time. The last two December stays were obviously winter. We thought that perhaps spring or autumn would have been better. Spring has already passed, but autumn this year sounded perfect to us.

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And just like that… Bryologue turns 10 today!

An homage to the first ever post, still with the Mulberry Wexford messenger bag

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.

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Hey, Walter!

Since finishing my final school requirement, I finally have the time to start cleaning out my bags. One night, of course, won’t be enough. While we were watching a movie on Netflix, I was busy cleaning the leather bags with some leather cleaner spray.

I am not sure when (i.e. what date) I would finish, but I had to start somewhere, right?

Cleaning day! Mulberry Piccadilly, Bayswater and Small Bayswater

Cleaning day! The ‘Bayswater’ family: Piccadilly, Bayswater and Small Bayswater

On the other hand, from time to time, I stumble upon a nice bag for sale.

I have not been buying bags since the start of the pandemic because not only of adulthood (I had to renovate a house for months!), but also I have nowhere else to go. I even switch things up a bit just to go to the grocery so as to air some of my bags out.

But this showed up. And of course, I had to get it:

In all its glory- Mulberry Walter

In all its glory: Mulberry Walter

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Oh Courier, Au Courier!

I think I reached this point where I no longer care if people may think that I’m bordering on frivolous having to love bags. Back in June 2017,did mention how being unapologetic about what I love and what I care about should not be anybody’s business. Come to think of it, this affinity for bags made quarantine surprisingly bearable.

I guess some people are really bored? On the other hand, I love that I have this certain double life going on: part humanitarian, and part fashion “writer”. Who knew?

It’s either I’m ‘big’ or the Courier still looked small lol And yeah, alcohol and mask up because COVID-19 is real!

Anyway, I had been eyeing one bag for years: a Balenciaga Courier. But I had to wait it out for years because I knew one that will not break the bank will eventually come along. And come along it did.

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Hello there, Piccadilly!

It’s Sunday and we had to visit my family where we had to be picked up in Cubao after a 30-minute scooter ride from Makati. We used to get “lost” navigating the streets of Metro Manila, but within those times we had to use our e-scooter from from work to Makati, or home in Marikina to Makati post the November 2020 disaster, we fairly know the streets we have to traverse to get from point A to B.

I usually use a nondescript/non-logo bag for these “long distance” rides, but I haven’t used this Mulberry Trout since I learned how to move around the city in our scooter. And speaking of Mulberry, I never got the chance to put here these big-ass Mulberry bags.

 

Going around with our electric scooter

In June 20, 2016, I wrote about how I have long since wanted a Mulberry Piccadilly, which I had originally expressed in a  Tumblr post from May 2012. But it has been actually since 2018 when I got my first Piccadilly! I also bought this from a trusted eBay seller here in Manila, from whom I previously got a Balenciaga Men’s Day. I even brought this Piccadilly to Taiwan in 2018.

On the other hand, I got the black Piccadilly from another local seller in 2019, where I had to haggle hard in person just to get it. Despite this, I could say that Mulberry has fallen off the fashion radar, and it has not been that noisy in the last few years since Emma Hill left in 2013.

A pair of Mulberry Piccadilly bags

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Before 2019 Ends

Welp! My last post was exactly a year ago today! I almost forgot the password for BRYOLOGUE but here I am again with another mega post.

Funny how I keep on posting about religiously posting but haven’t got the chance for the past 364 days. To give a recap of my year, perhaps a mega post will make up for it?

So let’s have a look back at the year that was!

At the newly-cleaned Quiapo area ---- Mulberry Trout Scotchgrain Messenger Bag

At the newly-cleaned Quiapo area

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Taipei Trip Mega Post – Day 4

000 Last minute shopping at Ximending Night Market - Mulberry Piccadilly bag

For our last day in Taipei, Mon still had some last minute souvenir shopping to do. This is honestly my least favorite part. As Ximending Night Market is just a cartwheel away from the inn, Mon has already bookmarked the shops he wanted to visit.

Most of the stuff I will be giving to family and friends had been taken care of the night before. So for the morning’s adventure, I will just be tagging along. We also planned to visit a cat cafe somewhere in Taipei in the afternoon.

The prices of the boxes of mochi were nearly the same as Carrefour. Mon also meticulously looked for small non-food items for his family. Meanwhile, I just sat outside every bench or chair I could find. Before the end of his shopping, I also bought boxes of pastries to be given to my family and his. I also used my credit card for this one-time purchase (NTD 750).

Searching for the perfect pair of earrings

Searching for the perfect pair of earrings

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Taipei Trip Mega Post – Day 1

First of all, it was a relief that Taiwan has extended the visa-free entry to Philippine passport holders until July 2019. However, they have shortened it to 15 days from the former 30.

We will be in Taipei for less than a week for our 10th year celebration! The weather was not too good in Manila, and I was hoping we’d have a stress-free night flight.

At NAIA Terminal 3

At NAIA Terminal 3

I wore Doc Martens, but NAIA's airport security was just too much

I wore Doc Martens, but NAIA’s airport security was just too much

We arrived around 9:00 PM at NAIA Terminal 3, even if our flight will not leave not until 11:00 PM. This is obviously a red-eye flight to Taipei.

It is worth noting that of all our trips together, this is my first time to religiously list all of our expenses. At the end of the series, I will be listing our expenses. For our pocket money, I have only used earnings from Google Adsense. The hotel booking (via Booking.com) was also paid for in advance using Google Adsense.

BRYOLOGUE does not earn much Adsense-wise. However, I maintain another website that pretty much takes care of its own. So let us see how far our pocket money will bring us. LOL

Both of us have been on keto diet since May, so we are unsure how we will survive in carb-rich Taiwan. We even had to bake a loaf of bread and a small batch of brownies because we did not want to be kicked out of ketosis! This was, as expected, a big challenge as a keto traveler.

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Decision fatigue and uniform dressing: I wore the same shirt for 5 days

Contrary to what you have initially thought, I was not pertaining to just one shirt.

As what I have previously expressed before June ended, it’s getting cumbersome deciding every morning. But the no-fuss, solid dark shirt for the day would have been liberating.

So last Sunday, on our routine night in SM, I took the plunge. I was looking forward to a carefree week and I could start it with a perfect black. round-neck shirt. Likewise, my ceiling price was less than Php 150.

The perfect black shirt. I’ll get five in one color!

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