Sawadee kap/krab, Thingamabobs!
(I watched the Thai movie Crazy Little Thing Called Love recently, so please bear with me)
I am writing this amidst the clutter of old and new things—relics of the past conserved in this carefully curated life museum otherwise known as my room. Our October-November theme is 'PHASES,' and I realize that each of my own phases are represented in each and every one of these items.
I look around and see the same dancing clown wallpaper from when I was a baby, each figure smiling at me (in a jolly, non-creepy way) from each of my four walls. The pastel drawings of stick people that I made in grade school, though faded and worn, are still in the same spots that they've been in since my mom stuck them there years ago. My Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets movie poster, and Jonas Brothers (circa '09) poster still hang in their places by my window, as glossy as ever. A bunch of watercolor sayings and poems borne out of boredom during the summer of my third year in high school still hang above my headboard, greeting me every time I look up. The sparkly “17” sign I made on two sheets of pastel colored paper at my 17th birthday party are still taped up there next to a poem, because I haven't yet found the time to change the seven to an eight.
I've got books, notebooks (mostly empty), piggy banks (also empty), and a bunch of other odds and ends from years prior scattered on the floor, piled on my bed, and sitting atop shelves—all of which carry with them specific memories of certain people, places, and events.
They say your bedroom says a lot about you, and mine is no exception. After reading the above descriptions, you may probably think that I am a hoarder (which I am), but they unearth something else at the same time. My relationship with change has always been strained, and I end up writing about it a lot because I've always struggled to figure out why it has to happen.
I got to thinking that the way all this stuff is gathered together in once place clearly describes one of my main quirks (if you could call it that): my inability to fully accept change. I keep all of these little odds and ends because a part of me wants to stay the same forever. The passage of time makes change inevitable, and I now realize that I have accepted change simply by living.
“Oh, it's just a phase,” is a common phrase used to dismiss a person's (generally disliked) behavior. It also implies that phases are periods of our lives that we eventually get over. The truth is, we don't. You can never really get over a phase. Moving on is essential, but that doesn't mean that you have to disregard who you were in that previous phase. This month will be all about looking back and embracing the fact that we grow from all our experiences, no matter how cringe-inducing they may be.
I was thinking of something that would tie the concept together perfectly, and it was this the concept of time and nostalgia that stuck out. I dunno why, but listening to Lorde's Pure Heroine album over and over has made me feel so contemplative of teenage life. More on my messy room in a future photoset, because I may or may not decide to showcase this glittery dump of a living space.
I don't want to feel weird, so I am operating under the assumption that it's perfectly normal for people to be thinking about these things whilst digging through their old junk. I just wanted to clean my room, okay! Oh well, whatever. I'm glad that I got to thinking about all of this. Please excuse me now while I go clean up (or rather, shove everything back into my cabinets).
For now, enjoy everything that The Thing has to offer as we enter a new PHASE!
Chan rhak kun! ♥♥♥
P.S.
We are still accepting submissions for the second wave of PHASES! We'll also be compiling mood boards from you all! Send everything over to thethingonline@gmail.com. Please and thank you :)
P.P.S.
We know that all you Thingamabobs are so many levels of awesome, and so we're organizing a get-together so that we can all meet each other and eat food! Stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter
accounts for more info.
Poster by Ches Gatpayat
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