Solanin

If there is a manga that is so fitting for me right now, it's Asano Inio's Solanin.

This manga has been on my to-read list ever since I went to the Manga Realities exhibit a year ago. Maybe it's kismet that I read this now at a time when it echoes my own thoughts.

Solanin is a story about a twenty-something Meiko who is feeling aimless about her life, probably encountering the so-called quarter life crisis that plagues most of us during that age. She quits her job and, together with her live-in boyfriend Taneda and their group of college friends, decides to find the answers to what freedom, purpose, and happiness really means.

Here are some of the notable quotes from the manga:

Freedom without any purpose feels a whole lot like boredom.

The lyrics I struggled to create are only made up so I would have something to sing. Nothing genuine can come out of these flat and boring and ambiguous lives we're living, out of faking your worries for the sake of it.

It's because you haven't found that something you simply have to convey to people.

That's why we're using this moment to change the days spent using the rest of our lives to the the days building the rest of our lives.

But at times I remember that I'm making no contribution to society and I feel like the dead, someone who doesn't exist. It's terrifying. It keeps me up at night sometimes.

Bag Lust

I never quite got how or why people buy those uber expensive bags with names I'm not sure I was even pronouncing correctly. It's just something you sling on your shoulders, something that holds all your stuff together.

Maybe it's when you get older and earn money of your own, or maybe it's when you finally realize the quality of products that you get it. You get the whys of the expensive price tag and the serious case of bag lust comes over you.

And recently, my brand of obsession is Chloé.

Chloé bags have been seen on the arms of famous personalities like Katie Holmes, Reese Whiterspoon, and my personal favorite Rachel Bilson among many others.What I love about their bags is that they look very classic and I'll probably use them for years and years to come. I also love that it's not all in your face with the logo and in a way, discreet.

Here are some of my favorites from their 2012 collection.

All images taken from Chloé Facebook page.

A Case in Pink

I love my Samsung Galaxy Note. It doesn't matter that it is a bit too big when I hold it up to my ear when I take a call. I think it's absolutely perfect for my needs.

My only problem with it is the lack of choices for this specific unit's phone cases.

So instead of continuing to gaze longingly at the pretty cases for a certain popular brand of phone, I decided to make a customized one of my own.

And with some washi tapes I bought from Hey Kessy, it definitely wasn't hard to do.

MATERIALS

• Back cover - mine is conveniently white so the pink washi tapes blended in perfectly.
• X-acto knife - be very, very careful when using!
• Small scissors - for cutting the tapes. I mentioned that it's small because just in case you don't have an x-acto knife, you can use this to cut through those tiny holes.
• Washi tapes of various designs

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cover the phone cases with alternating washi tapes, leaving a bit hanging on both sides. Fold over the excess tapes. I cut it to the edges the first time, but I learned that the tape won't curl or peel off when the edge is tucked inside, just like covering a book with plastic.

2. Using the X-acto knife or small scissors, carefully punch through and cut the holes for the camera, etc. You can also cut one side and leave the other side to be folded inside.

3. Insert phone into case and enjoy! :)

Now my phone is as sweet as Dara!