Cumulus & COTEetCIEL - Check it out if you're ever in Singapore
ok ok. I can already hear outcries (imaginary - I am too modest to think I actually have any fans out there with my all of 5 posts this year) of disdain at my woeful blogposts about my sad life. Like you care. Fine!
Onto something you will care more about...
So I'm in Singapore for Christmas and I was hunting for a nice laptop cover for my new Macbook Air - as I am in constant fear that I'll ding it on my frequent short-haul travels, especially on budget airlines. Admit it, it's every (wo)man for themselves when you travel budget, leading to everyone, including yourself to push and shove without caring that people may actually be carrying precious goods in their hand luggage.
My pretty - as I like to call my MBA - is so new in the market that the selection is MEAGRE for slimfit covers. Just check the Apple Store and you'll see there are all of 18 cases available, 90% of which are BACKPACKS. Grrr. I want a slip-on sleeve!
So I happened to wander into a pretty decent discovery of a store on the way to the Apple Store in Wheelock Place. It's called Cumulus and they sell, amongst many nice accessories, gorgeous and impractical old-school bags.
Yeah I'd kill someone for that yellow one, with the bag itself as, even when empty, it weighs a TON.
Anyway, I was drawn by this brand called COTEetCIEL - a french brand (duh, but you can never tell these days) literally translated as "Coast and Sky" - now *that* speaks to me.
They do a whole variety of bags and covers for mac products, school, and work, and they come in all sensible colours of light dirty grey, dark grey, black and denim.
The COTEetCIEL Macbook / iPad sleeves come in a whole range with mauve, prussian blue and a lilac for good measure. Downside - they're heavy! Why? They seem to be made of some kind of heavy stretch material. I put it back on the shelf, and would've bought the Crumpler MBA sleeve were it not for the helpful staff that mentioned it was manufactured for the 1st gen version. Kudos to Crumpler staff!
After much traipsing around to all the possible stores selling Macbook sleeves, I gave up. Instead, I decided to buy this cool bag: the Vertical Tote.
It's BIG, it has a padded compartment that fits a 15" laptop in it, but that's perfect for me, coz I'm going to make it my general work bag when I need to lug my laptop, camera, lenses, voice recorders on the plane. And before you ask why I don't check it all in, I wouldn't trust checking these items when flying from or to KL. A poor economy makes for untrustworthy baggage handlers.
Anyway, this is my new favourite brand. I also want the Rucksack (too big for me, but good for a guy gift), the Tablet Kit Bag (convert to SLR kit bag?) and this:
It coverts to a case with a wraparound strap like what we used to use in the 80s to wrap around our books in school! Coolness.
I await my next paycheck.
Check out their Facebook page: Cumulus Sg