Memento and me

Majority of my lower body hurts. Any sudden and intense movement might involve severe cramping and a grown up man whining. Interval training is not to be looked down upon. Today's routine involves running up a slope a few times with short breaks in between. It might be counter-productive to my dreams of having lean calves. But I think eliminating the jiggling comes first. Next target spot would be my triceps. They jiggle too. Okay I will stop with the one-liner style of blogging for now and get back on track to serious business. I have always been holding back my past as an insurance policy against days when I really have nothing to write. But nowadays I find myself exposing everything about me to everyone. Somehow it becomes related and perhaps I even feel proud about it but honestly I am ashamed of myself. This should not continue.

However the topic of the day would only graze my past a bit as I intend to open it up as a discussion for everyone. How do you generally keep memories of events, people or sights? Usually people would say by taking pictures. It is true a picture speak a thousand words as it could trigger a flood of related memories simply by looking at one in the album. Furthermore with the current technology, it can now be stored forever in digital form. I understand that most people will only choose to keep pictures of happy memories. So I will tackle it from there. Does going through a photo album produce a sense of longing? Will you miss the person? Will you miss the events and the sights? How many of you wish you could experience it again? This can be viewed both ways. Negatively, it may trigger you to feel unsatisfied with your current life and start feeling depressed. Positively, you would want to revisit the experience somehow which may include getting in touch with long lost friends or at least setting a goal.

Another way some people choose to record the events of the day is via a diary. Or in the modern form, by keeping a blog. Much like what I do everyday now. Some dedicated people include photos too to create a more complete picture. There are pros and cons in recording it this way. First of all, it will be a personal account on whatever that has happened especially when you write in a diary. However, people generally do not read their diaries often. And diaries are not meant to be shared, unlike pictures. But it is way easier to track your own development by reading a diary. You can get a clear grasp of your way of thinking at that time and most people would find their younger selves foolish and naive. I personally can't stand reading my own posts during my university days. Lastly it is always at a risk of being exposed and usually it follows with severe depression or embarrassment of the owner.

Next, this method is a bit more extreme but some people find it acceptable. There are people who get a tattoo to serve as a rather permanent reminder of something that is very important. The obvious cons would be the health risks associated with tattooing, the public, friends and family's perception of tattoos and the issue with it being quite permanent. You can't change it easily, you can't erase it and that specific part of your body will forever be changed. Well this point means nothing to people that support body modification such as piercings. And I know some tattoos can be well hidden so that point might be weak as well. The pros though would be that it shows how highly you think of the subject of your tattoo. And to others it means almost literally an eternal commitment since a quality tattoo doesn't really wear off. Personally, I don't quite get it but I do accept it if people do it as body art instead.

While writing this post, not only did I manage to analyse my own thinking but also to come up with a realization. I wish to thank someone that actually spent time to argue with me without giving up. I wouldn't have continued pursuing this particular topic otherwise. Anyway, I keep my memories mostly via blogging. But I remind myself of my promises via the necklace, the ring and the coin. I used to wear a ring on my finger and a bracelet too. The necklace to remind myself of a good friend that died young, the ring as a guide to how I would treat others and the coin as a memory of being penniless and simply being not good enough for people. Maybe one day I will remove the coin. The ring actually comes in a pair though and can be regarded as family heirloom I guess. The one I am wearing is the female half. Snicker as you may, corny I may sound, I have blogged too much. Take care and enjoy Wednesday!!!