Disha Murugupandiyan - Week #14: Reminders of Memories
The poster above my desk of an album cover reminds me of all the time I spent listening to it on repeat, memorizing every lyric and melody to the point of remembering which song would play after each one.
The string cheese wrapper on the floor reminds me of the one that I ate a couple of days ago, but I still haven’t cleaned it off of the floor. It fills me with guilt, but not so much as to push me to pick it off the floor.
The mini Lego telephone box on my desk next to my monitor reminds me of the absolutely amazing time I had in London last summer and the fact that I want to study abroad there for a semester. The Lego Williams F1 car reminds me of the absolutely terrible season they’re having this year compared to the surprisingly good one last year. Let’s hope this upcoming break gives them some time to work on that shitbox of a car.
The blue ceramic cup at the end of my desk reminds me of the time I spent working on making that mug shape out of a ball for the very first time, thinking that it was the hardest skill in the world. Little did I know, there were much harder skills. Next to it sits a ceramic pumpkin. They’re twinning in colors. God, I really love blue.
The beanbag chair on the floor next to my closet reminds me of the night that I slept on it because I saw a spider on the wall next to my bed one second that disappeared the next. I slept on it the whole night. My neck was terribly sore after. Definitely don’t recommend it.
The books in my shelf, lined up in chronological order, remind me of myself reading them for the first time, getting absolutely excited when the main characters would whip up their next plan to steal something absolutely ridiculous. In the process, the banter and tension would just spice everything up.
The cake piggy bank on my dresser reminds me of the time when whenever I painted or colored something as a kid, everything had to be done in rainbow order. And so, the bottom of the three layered cake is red, and the top has a purple heart on it. You can guess the rest of the order.
The CD player that doubles as a speaker on my side table reminds me of all the times that my mom asked me to play my music out loud instead of my headphones that would “ruin my ear.” I don’t remember the last time I used that CD player.
The volleyball backpack, shoved at the back of my closet with all its tags from different tournaments, reminds me of all the good memories I made with my teams and the fun I had just being on the court. It reminds me of what I don’t have now. And so I shove it farther back.
Hi Disha! Yes!! I love sitting in my room for this exact reason. Not only does it have my comfortable bed, it has everything I have ever collected. Whenever I feel down, I love recalling random objects in my room. From the moment I walk up to my room, I see a kuromi charm that my closest friends made with me. Today, I still remember the moments where we used to play Mario Kart on the TV and laugh uncontrollably. That's really why I love buying stuffed animals, because I get to remember the context of buying it with my friends and remembering the rest of that mall trip fondly. And honestly, the stuffed animal on its own may be a flimsy piece of fabric with eyes, but they still hold a very special place in my heart (and in my bed) because I can relive those memories again.
ReplyDeleteYour room has so much character!! From album covers to posters, I really appreciate how your room gives a taste of you and your hobbies! That’s why I don’t really understand why my parents expect me to clean everything when they tell me to clean up my room (hopefully some of you can relate with your parents). This might be a separate tangent, but isn’t the point of using a desk or a table to put items on it? If I like putting a few skullpanda figurines on my desk, that’s not because I want to create a mess, I just want to recall those memories every time I sit in my chair. And yes, I might be exaggerating, but I think it’s necessary to have some clutter lying around because you know where everything is anyways. If I clean every item in my room, how is my room different from any other room?
Thanks for this lovely blog, Disha!
Disha, thank you for your continuation of relatable and introspective blogs. I really like how you recount the memories behind seemingly ordinary objects in your room: it made me think about the memories I associate with things around my room. Everything from the laptop I’m writing this on to the string I’m fidgeting with have some sort of memory that I think of when I think about them. I also believe that they may remind us of certain emotions—you hinted at this through the string cheese wrapper that filled you with guilt—since memories usually carry certain emotions that we remember alongside them. The contrast you make between these emotions, specifically the comfort of the memory of you making that telephone box versus the guilt you feel when you look at the string cheese wrapper, or the contrast between the longing you feel when you think about memories associated with the volleyball backpack versus the memories of happiness and the innocence of a child when you think about memories associated with your painted piggy bank instead, seemed really interesting to me because they compel you to do different things (the piggy bank and posters clearly visible in your room to make it feel like home versus the volleyball backpack “shove[d] further back”), which goes to show how the past and our memories can affect us today. In your writing, your use of different ordinary objects around the room not only add to the aforementioned relatable and introspective tone of your blog, but also kind of highlight different experiences and allow you to create really effective contrasts like the ones I mentioned above. Thank you for a fantastic piece!
ReplyDeleteDisha thank you for sharing all these memories with us! I too have a collection of things that hold so many great memories stored within my room. Although, I am a hoarder, so a lot of it is just trash with a sentimental value I just can't seem to throw away.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, the way you structured your paragraphs was really cool. I loved how each one started with an object in your room and then the memories you have with each one. The way iy=t was written it read almost like a poem.
I liked how you included how each memory is still impacting you today, such as how seeing the beanbag is a reminder to never fall asleep on it in fear of neck pain. You also showcased the bittersweetness of memories with the pushing back of your volleyball bag and the constant reminder of the days that have passed since you have used your CD player. I really enjoyed your blog and I can’t wait to read your next one!
Hi Disha, thanks for sharing more about yourself. Hearing how you love music to the point of “memorizing every lyric and melody” is so similar to how if I start a new hobby, I jump into a rabbit hole. I become obsessed with trying to improve, to learn, to understand more and become a part of that new community. The “string cheese wrapper” is so relatable especially with how it “fills [you] with guilt.” For me, only after multiple days, I will feel guilty enough to pick up that piece of trash to the floor. I have never been to London before and am really interested in hearing about your experiences about the “absolutely amazing time.” The character, the moments, that you explain, it is all physical. It reminds me of Casmin’s blog and how that inclusion of physicality makes that memory just a little bit more important. It forces you to remember what you have done, your accomplishments as you are living with the memory everyday in your room. I also want to mention that “what I don’t have now,” is false and a misconception. You still have those memories and that time spent will always be remembered by you. The amount of emotion conveyed in each word is really admirable, Disha. Thanks for the blog!
ReplyDeleteDisha, I love how you portray the characteristics of your room as things that take you back to the past. It’s often said that your room is a reflection of who you are, and that you are a culmination of all your past experiences and the people you’ve met. This blog post depicts the intersection of these two sayings beautifully.
ReplyDeleteI know I talk about nostalgia every single week without fail, but how can I not, given this quarter’s theme? Nostalgia is such an interesting emotion to me because it’s neither positive nor negative. Depending on who experiences it and what they experience it for, it can be a source of joyful reminiscence or depressive melancholy. While I’m definitely the latter, you seem to be the former. Throughout the post, the relics of your past are a reminder of the positive forces in your life, whether it’s the ceramic cup in your favorite color or the books that enthralled you when you first read. It’s a bit peculiar to me, because for me, nostalgia is always associated with a longing to return to the past. When I think of the past, I imagine a time that felt better than today, and I wish that things were simpler and that I was happier, like how I was in middle school or elementary school. Your blog seems to look at these memories and say, “That’s shaped me into the person I am today.” I think that’s really special.
Your room seems like such a cozy and comfortable place. Do you have a favorite part of it?