Retail Therapy

…i must admit has made things easier for me. Last Sunday after hearing mass, we went grocery shopping, and filled our cart with stocks of food supplies to last us a couple of weeks. We bought a lot of healthy food and snacks, as well as fruits to munch on when attacked by late evening hunger pangs. I thoroughly enjoyed the errands, to be honest. Afterwards, we had dinner at Chili’s to relax and enjoy a delicious meal bordered with a lively, friendly atmosphere.

I guess what they say is true about our bodies releasing endorphins when we shop. When LV called to inform me that my reserved bag has arrived, I felt so excited that I eagerly dragged Ryan to Mall of the Emirates to pick it up. Oh, it was so lovely! The feel of the bag in my hands was indescribable. I was quite pleased because I’ve waited so long for the bag, and now it’s finally mine!

much coveted LV Epi Alma

I didn’t let the husband leave the store empty handed. In return of his sweet gesture last weekend (and for driving me to the mall at a drop of a hat), I got him this as a ‘no occasion gift’ for simply being a rock solid partner in life that I am enormously thankful for:

hubby's first LV: urban chic Damier Graphite 

I've dug deep into my wallet for these purchases but I honestly don’t mind. I vowed that my next major purchase will definitely be mid next year. For now, I’ll just savor my new loot and feel the happy hormones work their way through my body :D

Moving On

i cannot thank enough all the people who showed support, encouragement and love during our trying time. the messages we received immensely helped us go through this heart wrenching experience, and we pray that you all be blessed a hundredfold with your benevolence. it’s been only days after our loss, and now i feel i’m almost over it. i could only surmise that it’s because of the outpour of encouraging words and kindness we received. we felt we were not alone.

I thank God for giving me a busy week to start with. We heard Sunday mass with my cousin and her hubby, and they also spent two nights with us so at least we had some company. It helped veer my attention away from sadness. Work was not so busy since Ramadan is coming to a close but I chose to keep coming to work and refrained from taking a few days off.  I'd rather see other people around me than sulk alone in our apartment – that would drive me insane!

I'm helping myself forget. Keeping strong for me starts from the inside…willing your mind and body to focus on other things and trying to think of other pleasant idiosyncrasies in life. As I’ve said, I’ve cried my heart out already. There’s no sense dwelling on something I cannot do anything about anymore. I’ve prayed for serenity, and the Lord gave me that.

Last night I prepared one of my favorite dishes for our packed lunch today. I thought I should go back to cooking. Tonight, I’ll whip up another home cooked meal, and have a decent supper with hubby that’s served with extra love. Oh, and I’ve gone back to reading, too! I’m trying to finish one novel after the other, and it’s keeping my imagination alive once more.

I have a few projects in mind that I’d like me & the husband to do to keep us busy especially now that Eid Al Fitr 4-day holiday is just a few days away and no travel plan is set at the moment:

- declutter & redecorate
- organize old clothes, shoes & books to be sent to charity
- do a general cleaning of the apartment
- create hand-made cards, as inspired by the ones Weng sent me a few months back

I’ve also resolved to keep this blog updated as much as possible as writing proved to be a good form of therapy for me.

For now, I can see that I’m close to being back to my normal self. I hear myself laugh again when surrounded with friends, and I don’t find it that difficult to sleep anymore. When i’m with Ryan, all I could think of is heartfelt gratitude to the heavens for giving me a husband that envelopes me with so much love.

It's time to move on. It should begin with no one else but me.

My Very Own Cheer Bear

The husband has a knack for spoiling me – to the max!

To help keep my mind off our disappointment last weekend, he got me this:
It was one of the loveliest gifts I’ve ever received from hubby, albeit the reason. I wasn’t too keen about it at first obviously dwelling on the recent turn of events. But later on, I realized that my husband’s sweet gesture needs to be appreciated. He's done this apart from being my personal cheerleader the past few days.

The bag is not to be associated with my loss rather an aide memoire of Ryan’s steadfast love and support. God, what did I do to deserve such a wonderful partner in life?  

After The Rain

Growing up in a Catholic family, I’ve been molded as a person who runs to God whenever and wherever. I remember during my high school days at UST, I would pass by the church every single day just to talk to Him and let go of all my worries. That habit I carried over when I went to college. Instead of joining a sorority or college organization, I signed up for a religious organization (but a socio-political one at that). I can’t exactly carry a tune but I went on and even joined the choir for the Tuesday afternoon mass. It was a devotion I kept until I graduated.

In every challenge or difficulty I go through in life, I never forget to seek God’s help and guidance. I run to Him for everything even for mediocre stuff. I keep Him involved in my life as much as possible. Now with this trial that has scraped by elbows and scratched my heart, I still am holding on to Him – not even questioning the reasons why. I just know within me that there is a reason for everything.

Last night, I snuggled peacefully next to my loving husband. No more tears, no more frustrations…just hopes for our bundle of joy, which are great as ever. We trust that our little angel will come our way soon…in God’s perfect time.

The Hurdle

I've debated long and hard on whether I should talk about this subject or not. In the end, I’ve decided to just write my thoughts and feelings away since this is my online diary anyway.  Perhaps putting things into writing would help me go through with what I’m feeling right now.

You must’ve speculated that I may be pregnant because of my posts on being sleepy and lethargic the past couple of weeks. Yes, I WAS pregnant. Take note of the operative word: was.

I was already suspecting that I was pregnant the first day I missed my period. I waited for 4 days to do a home pregnancy test, and got a faint line on both test kits I used. After 2 days, I checked again because of the symptoms I was experiencing. I knew inside me that I was pregnant.  Again, faint lines.  Come Thursday, we decided to go and see a doctor for a blood test to find out once and for all. after 2 hours, it was confirmed that we were pregnant but we still needed to come back for monitoring of the hCG after 48 hours to be sure that it is going up due to its very early stage. Nonetheless, we were very happy…ecstatic is an understatement! To celebrate our joy, hubby and I even watched ‘Happy Feet’ on DVD!

We shared the result with a few of our closest friends here in Dubai. and because of the time difference, we opted to postpone breaking the happy news to our folks in Manila the next day. Sadly, our good news didn’t last long. The next day, around noon time, I started spotting, which eventually led to bleeding.  When I noticed clotting, I started to panic for fear that there may be a complication. When I saw my doctor, my worst fear was confirmed - my hCG dwindled below 5mIU/ml. In short, I miscarried.

Despite the fact that it’s in the very early stage of pregnancy, it was just as sad, disappointing and heartbreaking for us especially for me. The last 2 nights I’ve been sleepless, and I kept asking myself what went wrong over and over again. I tried to console myself with the fact that we could keep trying, and that it’s not impossible for us to have a baby. But it’s just difficult to keep myself from crying whenever I'm reminded of what had happened. We never told anyone from our respective families because we wanna save them the worry, and up until this time, they were oblivious of what came about over the last 3 days.

I just hope I’ll be able to recover from this heartbreak soon. But I've not lost my hopes, and I am not giving up. For now, all I need is my husband’s unwavering support and our friends’ prayers. It’s a trying time indeed but I'm not gonna let this dampen my spirit. This is nothing a good brush off the dirt on my knees can’t fix.

In all these, I thank God for giving me the most wonderful husband in the world! Ryan's love keeps me going and inspires me each day. Being held by him 'till I'm lulled to sleep is when I'm at peace the most.

Monte Carlo Memoires

Exactly a year ago, hubby and I visited the kingdom Monaco, a small country by the French Riviera. I was sent by my company to attend a cocktail reception that our sector was hosting, and stayed there for two nights. Since we didn’t fly home to Manila, our ticket entitlements were used to pay for hubby’s airfare, as well as for our other incidentals. We were also very lucky because Mama & Papa sent the husband a few hundred dollars as pocket money (yipee!!). I, on the other hand, received a good amount for my per diem so we had enough to spend during our stay.

We flew in to Nice and spent a couple of days there. From Nice, we took a taxi to take us to Monte Carlo. It was more or less an hour’s drive at probably 100 mph because the driver was stepping on the gas like mad! But I was still thankful because we weren’t booked for helicopter transfer! It may be a lot quicker for us to get there but that would’ve probably been the longest 7 minutes of my entire life! Anyway, it was also good that we took the land transport option as we were able to see lots of scenery on the way to Monaco. Although their railway system is also available which was quite tempting to take, traveling by car was more practical for us because it dropped us off at our hotel’s doorstep. As the taxis in Nice & Monte Carlo are luxury cars, we sort of arrived in style at our hotel, which is the Hotel Hermitage at Square Beaumarchais. 

dreamy Hotel Hermitage

Pardon me for my frivolity but Hotel Hermitage is probably the most lavish hotel I’ve been to. Their location is the best! It’s nicely facing the Mediterranean Sea and has a breathtaking view of the harbor. To simply put, I was enthralled by the grandeur of the historic Belle Epoque palace. The interiors were absolutely stunning! The crystal chandeliers, the elaborately decorated cornices, the 19th century wall and ceiling paintings, and their winter garden with a Gustave Eiffel dome…gawd, everything there was beautiful and grand! Even the bathroom! Floor to ceiling marble, loads of available soft, fluffy white towels, and Bulgari toiletries.  Just wow! And as guests to the hotel, we also had free access to all the Societe des Bains de Mer’s properties, as well as The Beach Club and Les Thermes Marins, a spa 6,600 sq.m. big with indoor, thermally heated saltwater pool. We felt like king and queen for a weekend! Good thing my company paid for our accommodation as we wouldn’t have probably afforded to stay there had we shouldered the costs ourselves.

the beautiful winter dome
(created by the same man behind Eiffel Tower in Paris
& San Sebastian Church in Manila) 

Anyhoo, we checked in at around noon time, so we had time to walk around and explore the area in the afternoon. Guess what we saw first after we left the hotel? Premium designer shopping stores, what else?!? It was our first day so we didn’t enter any stores as we were tad careful not to spend so much while we’re there because everything was bloody expensive, and our poor wallets couldn’t even afford a sniff at the shops *sob!*. So off we went to the Place du Casino where the Casino de Monte Carlo, Café de Paris, and Hotel de Paris were located just to have a leisurely walk about. We also took advantage of the time to take pictures. We couldn’t resist because the place was like too perfect. We had gelato, too from the Café de Paris, and tried eating them till we reached the backyard of the casino where there was a wide terrace with the view of the Mediterranean Sea. After a few minutes of pit-stopping at one of the benches they have, we proceeded to walk further and also visited the Avenue de Monte-Carlo where the other premium designer stores are located. Having enjoyed a quick peek at the stores, we continued to walk till we reached the harbor. When we got there, we chose a nice, little coffee shop called Le Bambi for our afternoon snack. Right across the coffee shops is the big tent where the Grand Prix race kicks off. 

After our relaxing stop at the harbor, we headed back to our hotel to change, and joined my colleagues for drinks at Café de Paris. For dinner, hubby and I found a quaint pizza place that served tremendously appetizing pizzas like no other. As soon as we finished, we walked back to our hotel and retired for the night.

the Casino by night 

The following day, we had a hearty breakfast at the terrace of my colleague’s suite. He got upgraded to an Executive Suite Sea View with Terrace (the best room in the house) for free as compliments to the cocktail event he’s arranged at the hotel so he invited us for a nice meal to start the day. The evening before, he was insisting that we swap rooms ‘cos he thinks hubby & I will enjoy the room more than he’ll do. Although the outdoor jacuzzi was quite tempting, I politely declined because I didn’t want to fuss anybody (him & my husband) into packing stuff again then move from one end of the hotel to the other, and then unpack for the second time. Even if it was a nice gesture from his side because we’re friends at work I didn’t like the idea of owing something from him, even if it was just an upscale room that he got without an extra charge (ma-pride!). Besides, it’s a gift from the hotel for him so he should enjoy it for himself.

having breakfast - room service style 

classic Belle Epoque design 

Afterwards, we all went downstairs to the Belle Epoque Terraces where the event was taking place later that evening just to check how things were going. It didn’t take that long to meet, plan, and see what was else was needed to be done for the reception as the company hired a professional event management company to handle everything. I was off after 10:30 am so hubby & I trooped to Monaco-Ville (also known as 'Le Rocher') where the Prince’s Palace can be seen perfectly perched on an edge of a cliff. We took the bus to get there, which costed us about EUR 1.50 each. After being dropped off in the designated bus stop, we walked our way towards the palace through the road that has a stunning view of the Mediterranean Sea, the harbor and the whole of Monte Carlo. These are some of the pictures we took:

view of the port from Le Rocher 

view of La Condamine 

at Rue Bass 

We were pretty lucky as we just arrived in time for the changing of the guards. A lot of tourists were there, mostly from the cruise liners, waiting for the scheduled daily ceremony at 11:55 am. I had a good view of the ceremony, considering the crowd.

We looked around the place and bought some souvenirs from the nearby shops. We took a narrow road at the back of the souvenir shops by the edge of the cliff which led us to the Cathedrale de Monaco, also known as The Cathedral of St. Nicholas. This is the very same church where Prince Rainier III & Princess Grace Kelly were married and buried. Here's a peek of the beautiful cathedral and what’s inside:

It was lunchtime when we stepped out of the church, and since all the small coffee shops were filled with people, we just bought sandwiches from one of the stores nearby and had lunch at one of those benches fronting the cathedral. The weather’s perfect for picnicking anyway so we didn’t mind. Then we looked around for more F1 souvenirs and had ice cream for dessert.

We headed back to the hotel afterwards to help out for the event that evening. We also took some more pictures from the regal Salle Belle Epoque and its terrace. It was an interesting time to sit by the terrace as the Rendezvous de Septembre Regatta was ongoing.

While I was busy at the reception preparations, Ryan made a little walk-about in the Terrasses du Casino. He immensely enjoyed the pleasant weather outdoors and watched people come and go at the casino.

The following morning, we woke up early to see Le Rocher again and see some more sights at La Condamine before we check out from the hotel and catch our flight later that afternoon. We passed by the market place, too and had a lovely time people watching. We also bought a couple more souvenirs from the shops, and got myself a teensy weensy pink Swiss Knife, too.

It was still early so we had Le Rocher all to ourselves. We savored the view and just enjoyed the serenity of the place without all those bustling tourists from the cruise liners. As I had to meet my colleagues to bid goodbye at the Café de Paris where they’re having their meetings, Ryan went on ahead to the hotel to pack the remaining stuff that needed to be put in our luggage. As I will be passing the shops to head back to Hotel Hermitage, I made a brief detour to where else but Louis Vuitton to check out some bags. 

Now I only had like half an hour max to spend inside the store, and I tell you, it was so difficult to choose! Since Monaco is adjacent to France, the LV Monte Carlo prices are the same with Paris and Nice stores. And since I'm a tourist, I got to enjoy a 20% tax rebate, too, which I claimed at Paris airport, my exit city. Hubby didn't know I planned to buy a bag since we still had enough pocket money left. I phoned him when I was ready to pay (although in truth, I was sooo tempted to get two, especially that my credit card was clean and balance-free) and was only allowed to get one piece.

My choices then were a Monogram Speedy 30, a Monogram Papillon 30 and a Monogram Petit Noe. In the end, I finally decided on the Petit Noe to take home as a Monte Carlo souvenir. After leaving the store, I felt so elated like a girl who’s just left the candy shop with all her favorite loot.  I didn’t want to risk losing the bag in case my luggage gets lost as we will be transiting through Paris from Nice, so I decided not to carry the box and just asked for the dust bag, and used the bag immediately. I proudly carried it on my shoulder from the hotel till we got to Dubai.

From Nice, we took the Air France flight to get to Paris airport where we had a connecting time of five hours. Had we known ahead of time that we could leave the airport and come back in time for our flight, we would’ve gone out and seen some sights, at least at the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, which is just about 15 minutes by car from the airport. Anyway, we just contented ourselves by having our late lunch at one of the kiosks in the airport and looked around the gift shops to buy some fridge magnets. When our gate was announced open, we queued to the security check and passed through the concourse filled with small boutiques for some duty free shopping. As I was buying my coffee at Columbus Café, a big, beefy guy wearing a kilt stood next to me ordering a couple bottles of water. While waiting, we sort of had a little chit-chat, and that’s when I found out from the shirt he was wearing that he’s part of the Rugby team of Scotland. (the Rugby World Cup 2007 was held in France last year, so it all made sense as to why a lot of rugby players were scattered all over the airport!) Here’s a souvenir pic with the guy:

We arrived in the wee hours of the morning in Dubai feeling very tired but happy with all the memories we’ve made. We could say that our first taste of Europe was absolutely great!

UP Survey

Snagged this from first-time Mommy-to-be Tinggay.As hubby & I are both products of UP, we each decided to answer these questions.

1. ANONG STUDENT NUMBER MO?

He says: 95-0****

She says: 95-2****

2. NAKAPASA KA BA OR WAITLISTED?

He says: nakapasa

She says: nakapasa

3. PAANO MO NALAMAN ANG ENTRANCE EXAM RESULT?

He says: my sister who was studying in UP then told me that I passed

She says: I found out from our neighbor, D. we bumped into each other in the tricycle queue. He told me about it on the way home. A week after that, I received my letter from UP.

4. ANO ANG FIRST CHOICE MO NA COURSE?

He says: UPD & UPLB, BS ComSci,

She says: naku, revelation ito! sa UPD, BS Computer Engineering (duh!), sa UPLB, BS Computer Science (shocks, just remembering my choices then make me cringe…as if naman tatagal ako sa courses na ‘yun!)

5. SECOND CHOICE?

He says: sa UPD, Engineering (I can't remember kung anong field!), UPLB, Agricultural Engineering (interest ko kse ang gardening & mag-invent ng kung anu-anong bagay)

She says: sa UPD, BS Economics, sa UPLB, AB Communication Arts

6. ANO COURSE MO NA NATAPOS?

He says: BS Applied Mathematics

She says: AB Communication Arts

7. NAG-SHIFT KA BA?

He says: No. 'di ko nga alam kung paano ako napunta sa AMAT eh!

She says: Nope. I was happy with my course. yun pala ang bagay sa ‘kin!

8. CHINITO/CHINITA KA BA?

he says: not

she says: not

9. NAKAPAG-DORM KA BA?

He says: yes, Calma Dorm

She says: yes, kailangan eh!

10. NAKA UNO KA BA?

He says: nope

She says: yes -- proudly!
11. NAGKA-3?

He says: yes

She says: yes
12. LAGI KA BANG PUMAPASOK SA KLASE?

He says: depende sa subject

She says: yes, except lang when I’m sick

13. MAY SCHOLARSHIP KA BA?

He says: asa!

She says: none

14. ILANG UNITS NA ANG NAIPASA MO?

He says: 156 units

She says: 149 units

15. NANGARAP KA BA NA MAG- CUM LAUDE?

He says: never

She says: at some point in my college life, I did

16. KELAN KA NAKATAPOS?

He says: 2001 June

She says: 1999 March

17. FAVE PROF:

He says: Prof. Rolly Panopio

She says: Professor Emeritus Edelwina Legaspi, prof ko sa Speech Comm majors ko

18. WORST TEACHER:

He says: si Ms. Bongolan

She says: si Prof. Gamboa

19. FAVE SUBJECT:

He says: Math 101

She says: Speech Comm 104, Advertising & Marketing, Comm III & Humanities I

20. WORST SUBJECT:

He says: Math 111

She says: SPCM 105 - Philippine Public Address. Gawd, super hirap na subject!!

21. FAVE BUILDING:

He says: but of course, Phy Sci Building

She says: Humanities Building, of course!

22. PABORITONG KAINAN:

He says: Sizzler's, Salad Country & Batcave

She says: Salad Country

23. NONG ESTUDYANTE KA PA MAGKANO BA ANG BINABAYAD MO SA JEEP?

He says: nung freshman, P1.25, hanggang sa umabot ng P2.50

She says: Php 1.25 lang when i was a freshie, hanggang sa tumaas na sa Php 2.00 ‘ata when I graduated

24. LAGI KA BA SA LIBRARY?

He says: oo...para umattend ng meetings sa group projects
She says: oh yes, lalo na ‘pag may term paper na due.

25. NAGPUNTA KA BA SA CLINIC NUN?

He says: oo, pero sumasama lang.

She says: infirmary? Oo naman. three times pa yata. But the worst one was when I had a bad case of dysmenorrhea during my Advertising class. I was standing behind a podium while doing a presentation when I suddenly felt the room spin. My Prof asked me if I was ok because my face was white as paper and had asked me if I could continue but I chose to stay. I was rushed to the infirmary by my brods because apparently, I passed out. When I woke up, imagine my horror as the first thing I saw were those operating lights. I realized was lying on the operating table as there was a dengue outbreak then and there were no other available beds for me to lay on.

26. MAY CRUSH KA BA SA CAMPUS?

He says: syempre...ang crush ng bayan - si Bettina na isang dyosang hindi pinagpapawisan :) tsaka si Swiss Miss (half-Swiss kse sya)

She says: yep, but only a few (not that maraming pangit sa UPLB ha!)

27. ANU-ANO ANG MGA NAGING PE MO?

He says: PE 1 (lecture), Ballroom Dancing, Lawn Tennis & Chess
She says: PE 1 (lecture), Modern Jazz, Ballroom Dancing & Archery

28. KAMUSTA NAMAN ANG BLOC MO?

He says: ok lang. mga brod ko yung mga lalake, pero no comment sa mga babae kasi I don't mingle with them (suplado!)

She says: my bloc is a mix of cool, nerdy and gorgeous people. It’s not exactly the most popular freshman group in the whole university, but I’m very fortunate that all my blocmates were nice and fun to be with. A few had moved to UPD but the rest remained in UPLB. Some had shifted to other courses, too. I still remember our good old days at the Humanities steps and the library. Those were our carefree days when all we needed to think about was where to eat after class and what we’ll do when it rains while buying snacks at Bidani.

29. MEMORIZE MO BA ANG ALMA MATER SONG?

He says: hindi eh -- hon, shame on you!

She says: of course!

30. MEMBER KA BA NG VARSITY TEAM?

He says: no

She says: no

31. NAKA-PERFECT KA NA BA NG EXAM?

He says: nabasa mo ba kung anong course ko???

sShe says: just a few. Partida essays pa yun…hehehe!

32. DITO KA BA NATUTONG UMINOM NG BEER?

He says: Hindi lang pag-inom ng beer ang natutunan ko. dito namulat ang aking mga mata ...*evil snicker*

She says: No. I never liked beer.

When Tremors Hit

Remember my killer heels?  Today of all days when I’ve chosen to break it in, the earth decided to give us a little shake.

It was pretty scary as we had about 3 waves that made our 15-storey building (well, technically, it’s 16 floors because we have ground floors and 1st floors in this part of the world) sway for about a good few seconds. It literally scared the hell out of me! I was talking to a Customer Service Agent from HSBC over the phone when it occured, and as soon as I felt the ground move, I yanked my frenemy, A’s hand, and held on to it the whole time. We were the only two members of our team left on our section as it happened a few minutes after 3:00 pm. A few have already left while some were still on the floor preparing to leave for the day.

After the last wave, people started evacuating the premises. As our workstations were just across the fire exit, we were able to move out of the building in no time. Before I hit the stairs, I removed my shoes and carried them ‘till I got out of the building. I was cursing under my breath and blaming myself for choosing the wrong day to wear such dang heels.

Much to my relief, there were no aftershocks while we were evacuating the building. As I was struggling to squeeze out of the building, I phoned Ryan to let him know what was happening. When I reached the assembly point, I called my bestfriend, B to check on her, as well as my cousin, Sarj, who lives a block away from our centre.

Whew! that was an eventful afternoon, eh! Thank heavens nobody got hurt! Apparently, there was a 7.1 earthquake that hit Iran, and since we’re close to their shores, some parts of the UAE felt the tremors. Click here for more information about this afternoon’s act of nature. You’ll notice all pictures were taken in the perimeter of our financial centre.

Of Shoes and Pains

I'm in the mood to wear skirt today so I decided to break in my new pair of pumps to match it. I know it’s so crazy of me to do this knowing that the first time use for any leather pair is, more often than not, painful. But just like any other pair of shoes, I have to at least start wearing them, and use them consistently so that they’d eventually be more comfortable for long term use. you see, my feet are ginger-like in shape so it’s not easy to slip them on any footwear, especially on closed, pointed shoes.

I normally choose comfort over fashion but this time around, I’ve gone against myself. In order to give justice to this pair, I know I’ll have to sacrifice a few more days of painful strides with sore toes and aching balls of feet to be able to walk perfectly on these 4-inch killer stiletto heels. But I’ll get there soon. For now, I’ve to suffer a little ‘till the pains go away…all for the sake of fashion.

On a different note, I’d like to think shoes are like break ups: painful in the beginning but once you’ve adjusted to it's size and shape, you’d eventually outgrow the pain and walk with your chin held up high. My analogy is so lame but admit it, there’s a hint of truth to that, right? ;-)

Scarf No More

Last Monday, I realized when I stepped out of the shower from the gym that the scarf that's been tied on to my Coach hobo bag is missing. My immediate reaction was, "again!?!" Yes, it's the second time this has happened :(

The first time I lost a scarf was, I  could only presume, from the Emirates Towers walking back to my office building when I had after office drinks with my colleagues. When I got back to the car, the scarf was no longer tied onto my bag. That's the problem when you use a silk scarf. The fabric is so smooth it just loosens by itself and then next thing you know, alas, it's already gone! The recent mishap probably happened when we went grocery shopping the night before we hit the gym. I suddenly remembered it was no longer there when I put my bag down at the couch. I was probably too tired and preoccupied with the groceries that night so I didn't notice it was missing right there and then.

What made me feel sad about those two scarves was that both had sentimental value to me. The first was because it was purchased the first time I stepped into a Coach store here in Dubai. I was prodded by my friend at work, H, to buy it as it was on sale. I still remember how giddy happy I was because I've always wanted a scarf for my hobo so it'll have a different look compared to other hobo bags carried by other girls. The second one I got from the States when I traveled there last Spring. I got it from an outlet store next to the Mexican border, and it was the perfect shade that would contrast my bag. I loved it! It was also the last piece so I literally grabbed it and paid for it immediately. Of course, I only got it real cheap. Of all the things I shopped for, that was my second favorite - next to my Pochette. And now, it's also gone, as well. Haaayy!! I should've put a pin on the scarf to secure it. I never learned my lesson!

Anyway, when I told hubby about my sad (but totally shallow) news, he told me to just get a new one, and then make sure to keep it tied firmly and fasten it with a safety pin to secure its hold. I've yet to visit a Coach store here to see whether they have the color and pattern that would match my bag. I kidded Ryan by telling him that perhaps I should get a new bag to get over my loss but was surprised to hear him say that I should :D so tonight, we'll be hitting the mall and find me a new bag so that I'd stop blabbering about my lost scarf. I guess hubby's ears have gone bleeding already from my endless rants! Hehe!