Wednesday, August 29, 2007

THINGS

As I sat on my bed, still recovering from a short trip, and surveyed the things strewn around me, trying to put away stuff from my recent trip, trying to sort out what to bring to the UK, what to put away and what to give away. I am overwhelmed.

Things. A vague word we use to refer to what we cannot or are too lazy to give specific labels to. Yet, what a meaningful, burdensome word.

Shoes.
Clothes.
CDs.
VCDs.
Photos.
Letters.
Toiletries.
Bags.
Magazines.
Books.
Knick knacks from travels.
A collection of rupiah, ringgit, Singapore Dollars, Thai Baht.
Gifts hardly used: coffee mugs, trinkets, wallets, souvenier items, T-shirts, and more coffee mugs.

Pile them all together and they’d be a Mount Everest of things. Imagine if I were married, the pile could probably fill the whole stretch of China’s Great Wall…shudder.

I would like to think that there are worse ratpackers than me, but just looking at my collection of things—many of which are hardly used but never disposed of—I wonder.

Why is it so much easier to accumulate than to throw away things? Why can’t I throw away my old Kathmandu T-shirt which has been mothballed to one side of the closet for the past 6 years? Why can’t I give up a pair of well-worn (during its heydays) sandals that has not seen the light of day for two years? Why can’t I just give up a lot of these stuff.

Beats me!

There is a saying that goes, “The one who dies with the most toys, wins. Wins what, I wonder? Anyway, what does one do with all these toys if one is six feet under? Somehow, these “toys” or things hardly make me feel like a winner---more like a “drowner.”

Sigh.

Ironically, I just found out that my airline has graciously granted me extra 10kg luggage allowance…to make room for more “things” to bring to the UK. Now my feelings are mixed.

20 comments:

Wil said...

I myself have collected quite a bit of things (or clutter) over the years. One way to get rid of them is by donating some of them to a thrift store or 2nd-hand store. Some things I just ended up giving away to friends. There's also the trash. You can also sell them on ebay.... although not sure if that website is used much in Pinas. :D

vernaloo said...

"things to give away"? uhhhmmm ehem ehem hehehe

Hayyy it's always hard to let go.

Anonymous said...

basta jie, if you plan to give away the antique trunk, think of me 1st!

marjorie

Anonymous said...

Eh, don't forget the pirated CDs, baka bigla kang ma-deport, hehe. :-D

Ehem, pwede na rin sa akin yung Sing $$, P40 na rin ang palitan nun, hehehe... :-D

Anonymous said...

By the way, another blogger in my link, si JJ (AKA Atticus) also went to Indonesia last week on an assignment. Baka nga nagkita pa kayo... :-)

Anonymous said...

Maybe you had some memories or sentiments attached to those things that's why it's hard to let go of them :)

Lazarus said...

it's hard to let go of some things, even if you've already forgotten its existence.

maybe you need to store them na lang in one room. (probably in your parent's place). Carry few things to UK, then start the collection again.

ipanema said...

i can understand the feeling, being someone who piles age old things.

don't bring too much. take the important things. your old ones, store it somewhere so that if you return you still have the things that meant so much to you.

those mugs, old t-shirts, magazines, and other easily disposable things, try to give out.

i'd say you can bring photos. i hope you are not the homesick type.

who knows, you'll be accumulating things over there too. it's easy to bring it back.

have a safe trip!:)

exskindiver said...

hi gyps.
ay naku
i totally understand your dilemna.
when i was moving here, i divided things into piles and shuffled them around until i got nowhere.
my sisters and friends actually had to stage an intervention to separate my from my THINGS!
it is so hard to decide what makes the cut.

zherwin said...

again, you are not alone on this feeling/thinking. isa rin akong basurero, and anything that can be hoarded, err, bought as a "souvenir" will find its way/place on my bodega (a.k.a. my house).

ahem *cd's, vcd's* ahem hehehe.

Anonymous said...

see? most people keep things for no apparent or perhaps practical reason. but maybe it is because of the inner value those things hold in us :) in a way, you can be that winner.

Ynon said...

in my case, i really dont put much attachment to old things i have. problem is my parents and friends always tell me "sayang". without them, i could easily give them or hand them to the kids and people who collects our garbage. that's not bad, right?

Anonymous said...

Gypsie, we've always found that completely packing up & moving is a great antidote to hoarding stuff - but you've moved enuf, & still somehow have the gift of keeping the stuff...hmmmm....

San

atto aryo said...

Pinoys are really just sentimental. We simply cannot keep memories, we need something to remind us of each and every leaf we turn. Imagine the stuff a lifetime can collect! Am planning to move too, and I'm sure I'll be forced to throw some mementos away. Haay!

Anonymous said...

Oo nga no, some of the things I had so many years ago, like more than ten years remains kept and not parted with. Parang I felt that some memory or past remembrances would be lost with them if ever. Kaya lang, they occupy lots of spaces and this is a major problem especially with not much spaces at home.

Lately in fact, I started ridding of much of them, and just breathed so deep trying to overcome that funny feeling of feeling bad when something get's lost or parted with. It is psychological mostly I think.

Gypsy said...

Wil, I dont think my stuff are worth anything on Ebay and I have already given some stuff up..but since I am so tired of sorting stuff, I am just stuffing them up again and hopefully, sort through them again when I come back (famous last words!)

Verns, ay naku! BASURA po ito..kaya dyahe ipamigay..hehe.

Marj, ay sorry madam-THAT one is non-negotiable. Hehe..

Snglguy, oo nga no, I actually thought of bringing the DVDs pero, not worth being deported (and humiliated) for..

Ferdz, yong iba oo, senti talaga, pero karamihan BASURA lang talaga pero sobrang busy (read:tamad) ko kasi!

Lazarus, can't..am in Manila and my parents house is in Davao..which reminds, dami ko rin gamit doon, ewan k nasaan na mga yun, maybe my mom already disposed of them na! on second tot, hoarder din yon so maybe anjan lang..Hehe...

Ipanema, tama ka..I have this feeling I will also accumulate when I get back from the UK--paano ba yan, meron bang hoarder's therapy???

Exskindiver, ay mare...mas malala ka pa pala sa akin, Anobayan?! may intervention pang kelangan..hehe...thanks I feel better now. (joke!)

Zherwin, oo nga no, ang bahay ay BODEGA ang totoong name..hehe. Ano ka? Gusto mo pang mag-hoard sa mga VCDs ko?? Di ka na natuto! Hehe...

Dimaks, haaay....I really dont feel like a winner..di yon inner value that makes me keep most stuff, its the inner katamaran..bwehehe

Ynon, I should learn from you!!

San, what can I say? I NEVER LEARN!!;)

Aryo, yon na nga lang maka-force sa atin magtapon--a MOVE--and in my case, it forced me to clean house too. Hehe.

Major Tom, you'll get over it--we all do, initial lang yong feeling of loss...then you will feel freedom!! Yehey!

Forever59er said...

Gypsy!

Try not think or feel very much when getting rid of things. In a word -- be RUTHLESS.

Pa-garage sale ka kaya? all items go for a peso? hahaha ... give to charity. My second name is Caridad. corny ..

Ay naku, did Alan ever give you my celfone number? I told him to.

Anonymous said...

Hey Gypsy, happy trip!!! Here's to a brand new adventure in the UK!!!

As for those things - don't ya worry, ganon din ako. I'm such a sentimental "fool," I have been accumulating a lot of things, small stuff really. I'm a sucker for souvenirs and other memorabilias. It's all part of this great adventure I call LIFE. ;)

Gypsy said...

Anna, sorry I wouldn't be able to meet up with you, talagang naloloka na ako sa schedule, maybe when I get back ha--Snglguy promised me a welcome bash!! :)

Kathy, domo arigato, friend! :)

Jap said...

Gypsy, here's a solution, imagine you are a beauty queen and the final question is: if you were marooned on an island and will be able to bring only five things with you, what would these things be and why? =)

O, wag dibdibin ang title, imagine lang ka ko hhehehehe =)