Decluttering Finds

One thing that we all probably have in common: people are so sentimental. When we get to experience the goodness that life has to offer, there is this desire to keep it in our memories longer, sometimes in the form of physical remembrances and stuff. Sometimes we keep mementos and didn’t realise how it’s already piled up and taken a huge space in our homes until the time when we decided to declutter. It kind of makes living a minimalist lifestyle such a struggle.

Last week, we had extra time so we tidied up the rooms. I was surprised to find a lot of things that I don’t remember keeping, so I’ll be sharing some of them here.

When I was a bit younger and the situation still allows us to gather and attend some events without worrying about getting inflicted with diseases, I really love going to fan signings and meeting my favourite authors and musicians. So I found this signed postcard from probably a band but I am not sure because I cannot seem to remember from when and where I got it. Younger me should have probably put a marker/signage at the back but I forgot. One thing’s for sure: I had the best time then.

I also found official posters in there and signed albums and magazines! So nostalgic. It’s one thing that I truly miss. How I miss attending concerts, too. When we’d line up early to secure a nice spot at the mosh pit. That feeling when the lights will go off and the vibe of the venue will change into something truly magical. That fleeting feeling of getting to hear your favourite songs being sang by your favourite artists and musicians. That amazing experience of getting to cover your favourite musicians as a part of the media people. (I used to write and cover events for my friend’s website pre-pandemic. The last one that I did get to cover was that Valentine concert with Boyce Avenue, December Avenue and We Belong To The Zoo)

I also have so many magazines and “song hits”. I only have like 10 USD weekly alloted school allowance so it’s amusing to imagine how I was able to save up to buy those stuff. One factor could be because the items aren’t that expensive at that time (but for a student, those are already expensive, to be totally honest).

What’s even more entertaining is that the magazines are so old that most Hollywood couples if not all are already broken up or divorced and the Hollywood A-lister babies have grown up and are now teens. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt? Tom Cruise and daughter Suri Cruise? All the Harry Potter features and news about the actors/actresses? Random fashion spread and editorial pieces? Oh my gosh. Still believing in Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively’s supremacy, though. I hope they stay together forever.

As you may have noticed, my mindset then was and still is “Money is being earned to be spent” but at the same time, we should be able to save up so we’ll have something to pull up should emergencies arise. I’m the type to buy things that in hindsight may not seem to be very useful or practical, but one thing’s for sure, it has made me happy (it still makes me happy).

It is okay to spend the extras for as long as you aren’t forgetting your responsibilities and that you are still alloting more for your savings.

Going back, I am also grateful for the freebies that I got from generous individuals in the fandoms that I am also a part of. One sweet Archu-angel gave me a deluxe David Archuleta CD and another gave me a sticker all the way from America. Giving something to a person whom you barely know? I cannot help but feel extra grateful and the internet amazes me sometimes. People who love to share what they have and it becomes a domino effect as it’s made me want to share what I have to those who might want some official merchs too.

We have also unearthed old test papers, school projects and other lecture materials. AND WE HAVE A LOT. I cannot even remember the time when we did this full house plan project as a requirement in one of our drawing classes in the university, but apparently we did that before and we received a decent grade for it.

I even have kept stuff from way back in high school. I am too sentimental about the time I spent then that I got a t-shirt in which I let them sign it with their names and I still keep it. There are also old school publications and books.

We’ve also found some rare gems in the form of photographs reminiscent of our joyful childhood. It reminded me of those glory days, of receiving recognitions and of the physical reminders of the fun hangouts that we had. Life was simpler but it is just as fun. These days people love to post on social media and everyone seemed to have state of the art camera phones while back then we only have a old school film and digital camera that we have the options to have it printed as mementos.

I also saw some of my old diaries back in college. I tend to procrastinate sometimes but I am glad I was able to write some of my thoughts then though mostly it’s about the embarrassing stuff that we did. There are also quite a few old certificates, brochures from recent travels (because we love taking home a piece of the places that we’ve been to, right? Even though it might feel like trash to some) and some old notebooks and binders.

What’s amused me is seeing this old writings from a friend that I met in college. She is an exchange student from Korea who’s stayed with our class for two weeks and as the class representative, I was the one assigned to assist her and to make her feel at ease and to keep her in company. Her english name is Sunny and I think it fits her personality. Albeit being the serious type, she’s also very accommodating to our requests and she even wrote the Korean version of the “Three Bears” for me. We lost communication because we don’t have decent internet connection at home then that we had to still rent on computer shops and that is quite costly and time consuming, but I hope she had those fun memories to remember about our class.

We also found clothes that won’t fit and pairs of shoes that we don’t exactly need anymore.

And now it is time to let them go.

Turning over a new leaf doesn’t exactly mean that you’ll forget everything that has happened in the past, rather, you will be keeping those memories in the core of your existence and inside of your heart.

There are things that you will outgrow as you grow older and wiser (say, I don’t really buy magazines anymore) and that is alright, too. It gives you more opportunities to learn about other things and to focus on the more important stuff.

Maybe you’re lost and you needed that change to be back on track. A fresh start maybe is what you need so don’t be afraid to let go.

Thank you, sponsors and to those who are renewing their sponsorships! I am forever grateful for sharing this whole BCH journey with you all.

I also realized that I am at no. 102 on the tipper’s list and I am quite surprised as I wasn’t expecting that. I just tip and comment on articles that piqued my interest and it is nice to be able to give back (albeit in my own little way or contribution)

Right now I am working on finishing my entry for this week’s prompt and I also have started doing amigurumi (Japanese term for stuffed animal crochet) projects so I don’t get to post often/daily. I might not be very consistent in my posting schedule as the day job is also occupying my thoughts and time, but I try to write quality articles not only for you who might get to read it but for me, as writing can be therapeutic and a relaxing way to somehow unwind from the daily stress of life. It is also a great distraction from reality and it is relieving to be able to share these things and let it all out.

See you all around!

Spreading love,

A

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All photos are taken by me unless credited otherwise.