Baggage.

A Man's personal effects can often provide a snapshot of a possibly intrepid life.

I've got a thing for mine: I like them customized. I have this odd about stylistic claustrophobia - I feel trapped if my appearance ever fell into any particular stereotype, resulting in a sort of cultural-stylistic aversion to whatever is popular.

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My bag. It's a customized Voldis from the nice chaps at Ernest Alexander, who customized my bags at no additional cost. It felt like it was a meaningful conversation with them, as my customizations made sense, wanting to make the bag a lighter utility bag, which gave Ernest some of the ideas in their next lightweight messenger.

Of course, me being me, felt a slight sense of belonging to that new messenger, and got one for myself. Again, me being me, I had to customize it somehow; so while I left all the hardware and structure the same, I requested for one in a colour they didn't carry. And the nice chaps at Ernest Alexander obliged, much to my joy.

Recently I've been translating my passion for stylish carriers into actual products, collaborating with some old friends on a series of laptop sleeves. The prototypes have arrived, and we're really excited about rolling the product out to the market. Soon. ish.

A stack of documents that I carry on the move. A notebook jotted with ideas, plans, meeting notes, and doodles - this would be my fifth notebook so far, I believe. Keys. Headphones. Chequebooks. Namecards from people I've met. A spare stack of namecards of my own, in a white MUJI card case. Wristguard for that old wrist injury in case I need to do a lot of typing .

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A white leather wallet. A gift from my wife. My third piece of the exact same make and second in white. When I like something, I like it for a really really long time. My last wallet was yellowing and falling apart and I couldn't bear to part with it, until Clarisse found and gifted me the exact same wallet last Christmas.

Identity Card. Bank Card. Cash. Receipts to be claimed for expenses. A picture of us three months from when we first met.

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A brown suede leather cardholder. A handmade case originally meant for my mobile phone, until it aged beautifully after three years. I promoted it into a card holder. I remember the leathersmith's name - Ken, whose shop was at Taichung's Feng Jia night market. His dream was for every person he's ever met, to hold at least one accessory made from his hands. That passion was part of the reason we bought our cases from him.

Credit Card. EZ-link Card. Namecards to be distributed to new people I meet anywhere on the move.

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 My black SEIKO Criteria limited edition watch, 1 of 2000 pieces worldwide, circa 2006. My wife's gift to me to commemorate our 6th month as a couple. I remember that it Ekin Cheng was the spokesperson for SEIKO back then. Many others have come and gone since.

Despite keeping an eye out, I've genuinely not found another timepiece that caught my fancy as much as the one on my hand. Nothing to do with price. Possibly something to do with the annoying "limited edition" tag, for which I'm a sucker.

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My Oakley Juliet X-Metal Black Iridium. Lenses have been swapped from the original polarized Ice when I first got my pair. I've liked the shape of the Juliet since it first appeared in 1999. The urban, steampunk-ish look was clearly ahead of its time. And it took a few years before it was better appreciated among the masses.