What's in My Bag?

Here 's a typical scenario: I meet friends for dinner at a place with outside seating. I'm not one to brag, but we really have the nicest weather here and dining al fresco is something that can happen at almost anytime of the day, during almost anytime of the year...we're pretty spoiled in that way. 

We sit down, order drinks, then all of a sudden one of us gets a mosquito bite or just starts feeling buggy, in general. A few hands simultaneously and immediately produce an arsenal of repellant, we slather up, and the night goes on, crisis (or crises) averted...because remember how Dengue Fever went around during monsoon last year and, like, four people we know got it? Yeah, no thanks.

I've seen this post a bazillion times on other blogs, I know it's probably overdone and passé and SO 2013, but I thought it might be interesting since the things I carry here are a little different than the things I carried at home...

Nope, that's not it...

The Bag

My favorite bag at the moment is my Henri Bendel Carlysle Tote. It's roomy, understated, well-made, and structured. Unfortunately, while it is perfectly fine alongside my old life of sky-high heels, loud prints, and work dresses in Jersey, it just doesn't work here (I basically wear jeans and the same pair of Havianas' day after day) so it sits in my wardrobe in its protective cloth bag and waits for its day in the sun while I continually opt for my old standard: a Longchamps Le Pliage tote bag.

That's more like it! Room for everything and cute to boot!

Inside the Big Bag

• Nalgene bottle - this bottle is supposed to be almost unbreakable. I like it because the mouth is wide enough to clean easily, it holds a liter of water, and I'm not filling the dump with more waste. 
• iPhone 6 - I seriously don't think I could live without this phone. I got it for a great price in Singapore after losing my old iPhone 4 in Mumbai earlier this month when we were boarding the plane for our Vietnam trip.  My favorite apps right now: Spotify, WhatsApp, Instagram, Cardiio, Pinterest, My Fitness Pal, Weebly, Scrabble, Trip Advisor, Aviary, YouTube, XE Currency, Sunrise, Uber, Google Maps, and Toy Blast (don't you judge me!)...how did the world even exist before smartphones...
• "my papers" - copies of stay visa, residency permit, passport, change of address, visa extensions, etc...
• a snack or two - this is a homemade chocolate peanut butter protein bar - I try to always keep something with protein in it on hand (and usually some almonds) in case I'm out and don't have good food options. 
  
• hankie - for funky smells and dust/smoke. 
  
• sunglasses 
• ear buds
• Odomos Mosquito Repellant - This stuff is great. I try to make sure its with me when I go out, but also keep one in the car and in my golf bag for when I do forget.
• Leather Gallery yearly agenda - I still really like putting everything old-school-style in a paper date book, and I've been using this style from Leather Gallery for years
• Tory Burch Smartphone Wristlet (contents below)
• Anokhi Cosmetic Bag (contents below)

My Wallet

• Cash - I pay for things in cash way more than I did in the states so I always make sure I have some on hand
• Chase Sapphire Card - zero foreign transaction fees and a generous loyalty program made signing up for this card a no brainer!!!!
• Standard Chartered Debit Card - this is our Indian bank account. It requires a PIN at every transaction, which makes it much harder to use by someone should it be stolen.
• cash card for the golf club course  (which has been through the washer about three times...)
• my keyless entry card for our house - we have a fingerprint recognition entry system on our front door which means no keys, ever! Just this card to get me into the building's exterior doors.
• passport pictures - you never know when some company is going to require a "passport sized picture" or a copy of some part of "my papers" (see above)...I carry about three of these with me wherever I go.
• my New Jersey driver's license - Like many kids my age, once we hit a certain age (smoking and drinking and driving) we were told to ALWAYS HAVE PROOF OF ID whenever we were out. I guess I keep this with me out of habit...and also if someone finds me they'll know who I am....(funny, not funny, but still yeah funny)

My Cosmetic Bag

• Peppermint Oil - got this on our France trip when I had a stuffy nose. I have found lots of uses for it since.  Breath freshener, stress reducer, sinus clearer, funky smell blocker, tummy soother/anti-nausea, car sickness reliever, water flavoring, energy booster, and occasional bug repeller.
• Chanel Levres Scintillantes Glossimer in Twinkle
• Jo Malone purse spray in English Pear and Freesia
• an emergency tampon (always good to have on hand!)
• Imodium - because not having Imodium when you need it is super inconvenient.
• Gaviscon Liquid - picked this up in Singapore!
• Natura Sugar Free liquid drops - sometimes restaurants don't have a sugar free sweetener so I carry my own
• dental floss
• Nivea Cream - this is a classic. I got introduced to it by my mom. She swore by the stuff and now I do, too. Thankfully I can find it in almost every grocery store!
• Visine 
• a pen
• L'Occitane Cuticle Oil - got this from a friend and I love it! Great way to perk up dull cuticles 
• Mac Select Finish Powder (I use NC15, which really is their lightest shade)

Not Pictured

• huge handful of receipts
  
• used toothpick
• piece of dental floss
• two candies I got instead of change at a store
• golf tee
• two empty foil packs from Vitamin C tablets 
• unidentified particulate