Will it fit? (based on the ads - "Will it blend?")

Resurrecting this blog after months in hibernation.... After almost 2 months in anticipating, I've finally packed for my NL trip... and very last minute too. Flight was scheduled for 11am on Sunday, and I just started packing around mid-morning on Saturday! And.. after viewing all my clothes, I started wondering, will it all fit? My goal was to get all my stuff (clothes, office equipment, etc) into 2 bags...

This problem is compounded by the fact that I have to pack for both summer/winter!

Sure enough, by 2am, I was totally packed into two bags! Although one is really pushing the limits. Better hope I don't see a busted bag and a trail of clothes and office equipment when I land in Amsterdam!

It was interesting to think about what to pack... should I pack spices there so I can make curries and biriyani dishes? What about the awesome Shun santoku knife that I love using? Would I ever be able to use a regular knife again? And what would I do without a rice cooker? In the end, only the curries made it (well, we'll see if TSA had other thoughts), but I'll see if I can go back to basics in the kitchen.

And also what about some music? I knew my cousin's classamte is living in NL with a piano, should I bring something to play? Or speakers for the computer? In the end, only the music made the cut (nice and thin), but it was interesting to see how we become so reliant on our "tools" at home, and these types of long trips force you to re-think what's truly important (especially when there's only so much you can carry). especially after just catching an old rerun of "Up In the Air" a few days before this trip...