I spent hours cleaning my room and clearing out my cupboards. Didn’t realise I had so much junk!

I’m not a sentimental person when it comes to keeping memories or old things from my childhood, so it was pretty easy just chucking things out. I keep all the good memories in my head and realistically, I will never have time to sit down in my room and start opening boxes of letters and teddybears to reminisce about old times.

Of course I kept the important things; my favourite teddybear, or hand-written letters from old friends. I also didn’t have the heart to give away this Polly Pocket house because my memories playing with it are just too vivid.

But the rest; all given away to charity.

Goodbye my loves

I felt quite sad because it was as if I was giving away my childhood, but I know the good memories will always be with me. I’ve had a fabulous time playing with my dolls and toys and now, it’s time to let some other little girl out there start her childhood with them. I just hope whoever gets my old stuff will have a happy and memorable childhood, and I’ll feel good thinking I’ve brightened up some other little girl’s day with toys.

Something small can go a long way.

When I dug deep at the back of my cupboards, I found all my old handbags which I had forgotten about. I gathered them all and was shocked to discover that many designer bags that I don’t even wear anymore! I started to feel extremely guilty. Fendi, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior…they were all glaring at me as if saying “You ungrateful little twat! Remember us?!”

My mom says it’s not good to have so many things because it’s a wastage, and when you die, God will question you about each one of them. I just tilted my head at her, and all I had to do next was direct her to her own cupboards overflowing with handbags. Just to make her feel worse, I also showed her a whole corridor of cupboards full of her clothes and baju kurungs.

“I have to wear those for events and weddings and all!” she defended herself.

“I’m sure God will understand when you tell Him that.”

No, but seriously, I swear I thought of giving my old handbags away to charity or at least to someone who can truly appreciate it. But I just couldn’t!! Each handbag has a story behind it, and each one represents my hard work and determination; persuading my dad to get me even one of them was not a five-minute thing ok!! It was more like a 2-day seminar about the value of money, and how materialistic the world has become. I don’t remember much, but I remember nodding a lot and saying, “Yes, of course I’m listening!”

I had to earn each one! Tears, sucking ups, promises, good grades; I had to devise many strategies to get handbags and even though I got what I want in the end, it was an extremely tiring process.

I decided to be selfish keep all of them in a nice place, neatly arranged. They will go to my daughters, and my granddaughters and my great granddaughters and they can be my little heirloom. And I guess they can sell it off when they want to pay for mortgage or something.

See, a completely selfless act on my part, isn’t it? 😉 I guess I can keep buying handbags. After all, it’s only to pay off my kids’ mortgages.