finding the perfect bag is like finding the perfect man: arduous, challenging, and you must compromise something.

every time i have an important meeting i end up cursing the fact that all my bags–nice as they are–are some random color like pink, purple, beige, white, grey…

at 26 years old, i do not own a black colored bag. weird huh?

so i was completely set on picking up the YSL Muse Two Cabas, so skipping out on the world’s most boring teleconference call,

i went downstairs of my office to the store, to purchase this M2 in yet another impractical magenta-color.

my requirements were simple:

1. Must fit an A4 for the times I don’t have my briefcase or laptop bag
2. Must be leather lined interior and exterior
3. Must be calf or baby-calf or lamb leather
4. Must have top handles and shoulder straps
5. Must be classic-enough I don’t get sick of it
6. Must not have obtrusive-big logos

You’d be surprised how many bags don’t fit this description.

To my surprise and horror, the M2C HAS NO SHOULDER STRAPS…what kind of designer does this!?

Leather can be quite heavy and terrible weighting on your wrists/forearm…so shoulder straps are a necessity!

I was very disappointed and about to leave.

Suddenly, the sales person suddenly disappeared into the back and came up with the Rive Gauche tote from a few years back

It fit everything on my requirements list AND it was black! Finally, Amy gets a bag that matches her age!

Introducing the YSL Rive Gauche (meaning the Left Bank of the Seine river)

My current perfect bag!

when i first started my current job, i was always freaking out about having to speak to very senior industry veterans and looking well, like a very junior twit. one day, my boss sat me down in a conference room and i explained my concerns.

“why the heck does mr. X want to speak to me? won’t he think i’m wasting his time? won’t i look stupid even insinuating i could help him do his job better?” 

my boss said to me “if you have a legit reason, you should be able to speak to anybody under the sun, be creative.”

as a demonstration, he dialed the receptionist line of cheung kong holdings’, the line of li-ka-shing 李嘉誠 aka the richest, most-well known businessman who owns half of hong kong (the HK equivalent of warren buffet). 

“mr. li called me and i’m calling him back, are you putting me through or what” he said, with an air of authority–to the secretary.

“mr. li is in a meeting right now… he’ll call you back” the secretary responded.

he hung up the phone and we proceeded to chit-chat about other things, my skepticism filling the tension in the room. 

promptly 7 minutes later, the phone rang. my boss answered it on speaker, and it was, indeed, the 83 year old man himself.

i don’t remember what the call was about after this, but surely it ended in something having to do with a journalist interview and promptly getting passed onto the public relations department. 

my boss said to me, “see, you need to learn to be bold, be brave, be creative. as long as you aren’t hurting anyone or breaking any rules; you can always find a way.“

this little incident i imparted to a friend struggling with a career change and burdened with the anonymity of a very standard internet application. 

i recall fondly this lesson from a year ago, and know that i’ve have come a long way from the girl that was afraid of the rejection as a ‘nobody’.

hong kong, i hate you as a city, but as a lab for growth, i have to salute the progress you’ve helped me achieve and the dynamism you’ve instilled.

i am not a very forgiving person. i’m compassionate and empathetic to a degree but not forgiving, does that even make sense?

i think my kids will have it really rough, let’s hope i calm the eff down by the time i reach parenthood.

my fave dish of late 山藥炒百合木耳, made it a few times but finally made it look pretty!

i think i did a decent job at making it look presentable but i ran out of 黑木耳 so it looks uneven…and i ate the carrot this morning so there’s like one piece left… 

will someone marry me based on 1 dish?  

nothing makes me happier than a perfect french…manicure 

i can go to work without combing my hair, have no makeup but sunscreen, and no eyeliner, no mascara–nothing.

i cannot live without having perfectly kept nails. it’s becoming a mental addiction.

this started when i had a few minutes alone with a very renowned author whom i greatly respect

he was rehearsing for his keynote speech and i was briefing him; suddenly he stopped me and said

“nice nails. i appreciate when women care about the details of their hands right down to the nail.”

i was floored. and now i have a mental condition.

an acquaintance who hadn’t seen me in close to a year i ran into at my favourite breakfast hangout

she said “there’s something different about you…”

i asked her what

she said “i can’t pinpoint it, but it seems your facial expressions changed?”

i just laughed it off

in fact, i know exactly what she is trying to articulate

6 months ago i was seemed to living in a bubble—my speech, thoughts, expressions were more doe-eyed, dreamy, optimistic, sugar and spice and everything nice

today, i am a bit more hardened, jaded and logical. 

i have clear goals in mind and marked strategies to achieve them. i know what i want and i know what it takes to get there. 

i’m handing in a big fat 0 in my love life, but am absolutely certain that he will come along in due time when i am ready.

i am not ready because when he does come along and i want to settle down and start a family, all of these goals and visions will be sacrificed without a second thought.

one day, i’m going to give it all up so this is my play-time for as long as it pans out.

Hong Kong, I’m trying my best to leave you!!!

now, let’s look at shu qi’s torture mermaid campaign that is creepy and pretty @ the same time!

i got a crash-course in what it’s like to be a parent. and by that i do not mean having a plastic baby that pees itself. 

as a human being, if there aren’t things you stand by, then you are nothing at all.

i’m no martin luther king, but i stand by filial piety and i stand by not hurting your family as a bare minimum.

you may not be able to give them happiness;

but at the minimum, you should not give them pain.

there is no gray area, there is not “misunderstandings” in this concept.

black and white and i stand resolute. 

i am not blind, deaf, mute, nor dumb. 

i do not support blind causes by the excuse of ‘loyalty’ and i will tell you if i think you’re wrong.

you are wrong!!!!!!! fix it or perish!!!!!!!! 

I CAN’T SLEEP. it’s 3:24am and i seriously cannot get any shut-eye. 

I’m not particularly bothered but I definitely have alot on my mind.

I feel like stream of consciousness writing a la Ulysses

recapitalization plan for chinese banks in HK? target bad loans expenditure ratios versus actuals. what’s the proposition? underfunded or overvalued. policy rate will keep rising. state injected liquidity not a solution? who the hell is that lady anyways? if you want my comment then have some goddamn patience. cranberry Moet is exceptionally delicious but also costs $160/glass. that’s $30CAD, i can drinking a decent bottle of wine. my cowrker called me an alpha-female; i told her that is uncalled for. such an insult. beta not alpha. ang lee is gay? grow a brain. have some principles. don’t beg for love. pathetic. even if i am not going you should still send me an invitation. not on speaking terms. i am not too sorry. you are not too valuable. i need to save more $ goshdarnnit. but military blue PS1 is 2D4. i don’t know why walmart has so many segments and you talk so fast, i can’t keep up. snooze… why did you put it on hold? i want to see some drive, some strategic propelling here. not a fantasy video game. how to get rid of the annoying singapore accent? you’d fare way better that way. society needs you to be that way. psycho how do i work for you if you don’t give me the numbers. numbers. numbers. never ending bills to pay. fack 2 years in lumpsum taxes.