Yes yes, I’m still very much alive and kicking. Call it a massive writer’s block that simply wouldn’t go away. Shine a torch in my blogger’s mind, and you won’t even see light at the end of that tunnel. Oh yeah, it’s that bad.

I haven’t been buying anything new for the past couple of months. By anything, I mean new skincare products and makeup (because goodness knows I sure have been spending money on other things). Hence, nothing new on that topic to talk about. And I call myself a *gasp* beauty blogger. Blasphemy, I tell you!

So in the meantime, until I clear that darn writer’s block, here are a few updates of what I’ve been up to the past month or so.

– I spent my first Chinese New Year in Australia. There wasn’t much of that “tong tong chiang” atmosphere here (then again, I wasn’t in Chinatown for the festivities). I missed my family and friends in Malaysia, but I still managed to have fun. Tim and I had reunion dinners with friends – yumcha with family friends, and a New Year’s day potluck dinner with Geekchic and friends. It was a lot of fun, and I was really glad that my meat dish was such a hit! 🙂

– With Valentine’s Day coinciding with the first day of Chinese New Year, Tim and I were more into the latter than anything else. Still, he didn’t forget and picked some gorgeous dual-coloured roses for me from a garden somewhere. The roses were huge, and would have cost a pretty penny if purchased on Valentine’s Day. It’s the thought the counts, bless him 🙂

– The Valentine’s Day/Chinese New Year’s promotion on Sweet Contemplation Accessories was, I’m glad to say, a big success. For two weeks, I’ve been working my butt off, and you know what? When you do what you love, it was nothing! No moaning, no whinging 😉 Also found out that my husband is quite the salesperson too (he’s my *ahem* chief sales officer, if there’s such a position). Tee hee hee.

– On that note, I’ve also been working on several new designs, reworking some pieces, resnapping some photos, etc. Do stay tuned on what’s coming up next! (yes yes, shameless self-advertising again 😛)

– I’ve also managed to catch up on my reading. Of books this time, and not just the number of blogs I follow daily and heaps of magazines. Here are a few of the books I’ve been reading lately.

If you’re a fan of Hermes’ Birkin, Bringing Home The Birkin will have you in stitches AND wanting the highly-coveted-but-bloody-unaffordable bag even more. Dana Thomas’ Deluxe is an informative read on how the famous luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior, etc came about and how luxury is losing its lustre.

– February and early March are musical months. Watched Diana Krall in concert last week, and it was absolutely AWESOME. What made the concert even sweeter was that my favourite jazz singers, Melody Gardot and Madeleine Peyroux were guest performers in the concert. Diana Krall live was superb. And this Wednesday, I’ll be watching Mamma Mia (the play) with Indulgent Diva. I can’t wait!

So, what’s in store for me next?

– I’ll be attending a jewellery-making course all of March. It’s always good to pick up new skills and hone old ones.

– I’m finally hitting the gym again. I’ve been piling on the pounds (although it doesn’t show on the scales, it shows very well on my waist, hips, and worst of all, the face) all of last winter and this summer, and I have to get rid of them. Plus, I was bloody wasting money paying for gym membership when I was too lazy to go! Tsk tsk. Starting March, I’m hauling ass and hitting the gym once more. Wish me luck that I’ll persevere and not quit after a month. Gulp.

– Lots of house inspections are in store. Tim and I are very determined to get our own place this year, and have been looking hard. If I could, I’d love a walk-in closet (come on, I need a lot of space just to house my crap!). I managed to do a lil’ sneaky photo snap of a walk-in closet at one of the houses we inspected.

How smart of them to place designer paper bags just to give the place a “look and feel of luxe” 😉

And that’s it! Just some random updates and what I’ll be doing next. I have started to use a new moisturiser which I bought when I was back in Malaysia for Christmas, so I’ll be doing a review of that come a few weeks. Plus Myer just sent me their latest beauty brochure for autumn/winter 2010 and there are some beauties inside which I’m lusting after. Woohoo! *rub palms*

So. What have you been up to?

Being a bag junkie, even the subject itself sets my heart a-flutter. The love of bags was born when my mum gave me my very first leather handbag when I was 12 (a green and brown Bonia. In hindsight, it looked a bit “auntie”, but then again, it was my first leather piece, and I loved every bit of it). And my first Coach a few years later. The rest, as they say, is history.

Here, my dear friend, LeGeeque, talks about her love of bags, and the ones that capture her heart. Enjoy!

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Makeup, the latest application servers, a new open source operating system, Metro trains running on time are some of the things that send my heart fluttering with excitement. Of late, however, nothing seem to be catching much of my attention. But, like everything else which comes and goes in your life, this one love of my life has consistently been there. Like a faithful old friend whom you’ve known all your life. You might not tell each other when you last went to the loo but you know she’s there and you can pick up the missing pieces the next time you meet.

My friends, I’m talking about bags. Yep, designer bags. Luxury bags. Call ém what you want, they never fail to excite me with each new seasonal releases.

But with so many bags out there, what do you buy? Which ones do you get? And what do you do when you get calls from MiuMiu, Dior and then Marc Jacobs all within the same day telling you the new collection’s in and it’s to-die-for and you simply MUST pay a visit to David Jones?

You do what I do. You make a list of the most classic bags and you bloody well stick with it (unless you’re one of those with unlimited funds and can buy whatever your heart desires). Oh, and then, you block all those calls from David Jones. 🙂

So, in no particular order, the following list sets my heart a-pitter-patter.

1. Speedy by Louis Vuitton

You’ll have to admit that the Speedy is one of the most recognisable shapes from the LV range. If you’re not a fan of the monogram, fear not, the Speedy comes in a multitude of sizes and leather and/or canvas. It ranges from the tiniest Speedy 25 to the humongous Speedy 40.

Geekchic says: A bag, like a good pair of shoes, can make or break your outfit. Imagine you’re all dressed in grey and black for a cold wintry day. A splash of bright red hung off the crook of your arm instantly updates your outfit and changes your entire look.

2. Alma by Louis Vuitton

You cannot be a bag lover and not contemplate on the Alma. The shape is very distinctively-LV and for those who are wary of yet another hand-held bag, fear not. A strap is sold separately if you wish to have this slung on your shoulders.

Geekchic says: Have it without the shoulder strap. I’ve seen women hang this off their shoulders and it’s not the right shape to act as a satchel. Hand-carry or off the crook of your arm, it’s classy without being show-offy. Again, this comes in a multitude of materials. Canvas, patent leather, epi leather, you’re spoilt for choice.

3. The classic flap by Chanel

The ubiquitous quilting. The double interlocking C. The chain strap with a strip of leather locked in. Wear the strap long. Wear the strap short. Wear it with your skinny jeans, ankle boots and a simple tee. Wear it with your favourite LBD. That’s right, no bagaholic can say her bag collection is complete without this.

Geekchic says: Getting the Classic Flap is a momentous occassion in any bagaholic’s journey. If you’re getting your very first Classic Flap, get it in a staple colour. I’m thinking of a black caviar (pebbled calf leather) with gold hardware. Then, as you build your collection, you can get the seasonal releases in different colours and skins. Chanel did a lovely navy blue in the past season in both the lambskin as well caviar. From observation, Chanel sometimes does re-release the colours in future seasons so, if you didn’t manage to get the mandarin orange one you’ve been hankering after, fear not, good things come to those who wait.

When Karl Lagerfield entered Chanel, he brought back the 2.55 alongside the Chanel Classic Flap (for more information on the difference between these 2 bags, please head on to the The Purse Blog). This is another one to add to your collection but my personal take on this is, do the classic flap then the 2.55.

4. Lady Dior by Dior

The Lady Dior was first designed for Princess Diana, Lady Diana. The original one designed for her was medium in size in black lambskin and silver palladium hardware. This also comes with a detachable shoulder strap. The one in medium hangs off my 5’3″ frame very comfortably. The one in large can be slung across the body. As with the Chanel bags, this also has seasonal releases. The most recent one I’ve seen comes in Amethyst and there are only 5 available in Australia. 2 in Melbourne, 2 in Sydney and 1 in Gold Coast. If you hurry, there’s one last one available in David Jones.

With the Lady Dior, it also comes in both regular lambskin and patent leather. The patent leather feels much lighter than the lambskin even though staff at Dior in David Jones said I was the first one to ever say that. Like the Chanel Classic Flap too, you can dress it up (carrying it without the strap) or dress it down (slung off the shoulder). I like to wear a strand of pearls with a v-neck sweater, skinny jeans and ballet flats to pull off a preppy yet casual look. On a night out for dinner and drinks with my favourite people, I hand carry this with my LBD.

I’ll bring you my next lot of Geekchic’s must-have classic bags in my next post. Stay tuned!

Rootote.com.au is shutting down its retail operation on February 28. During the next few weeks, they will be having a storewide sale of 40% off everything. A lot of the items are already sold out, but you can still pick up a few goodies if you hurry. Just enter promo code ROOSALE upon checkout.

It’s sad news, really. All of my Roototes were purchased from Rootote.com.au, and it’s sad to see them go.

Thank goodness for Tiny Tapir, where I can still get my Rootote fix 😛