5+ Year Old Objects I Still Have and Use to This Day

If something is of no value to me, I throw it out.

This is my principle when tidying up the house and, well, pretty much my whole life.

It sounds ruthless, but this mindset enables me to throw out trash and give things I don’t use away: receipts, expired warranties, badly written books, scented stationery, etc.

With the internet, I’m a freaking garbage truck with a Sunday-to-Sunday schedule. My inbox is always empty. I clean up my 1Password vaults every now and then. I remove pseudo-friends on Facebook and noisy people on Twitter every year.

If you’re special and valuable, you stay.

You can already tell hoarding and clutter drive me nuts, and frankly there’s not enough effort to get rid of all of the shit around the house.

But I still have a heart, and that heart treasures objects that are meaningful to me. Anything that triggers warm and fuzzy memories stay within my four walls.

Luckily, I still have possessions that either have reached or are about to reach their 5-year anniversary with me. These are manifested memories I want to keep till the day I die, or when I’m ready to pass them on to my kids.

1. Coach Madison checkbook wallet 

I bought this wallet in December 2011 when I was still living in Manila. At the time, I was obsessed with this brand that no other bag held as much value and prestige.

It isn’t even on the Coach website anymore. That’s how old this thing is.

But I’ve never considered replacing it with a new wallet since. It has always been my partner-in-crime, that secretary who you’d trust with your whole life.

The fabric of the compartments are ripping already and it hasn’t been washed in forever. But without it, I wouldn’t be able to survive the outside world.

2. A black activity book from high school

I can’t even remember when or how I got this black activity book, but I’ve had it since I was in high school. All of the pages are black and thick, and each page has a different activity for you to do.

Flipping through the pages, I felt embarrassed and amazed at how much I’ve changed over the years. And by “changed” I refer to my interests, the way I write and speak, the thoughts that matter to me.

3. Tiny red Logitech mouse

This baby mouse has been around since college, and to this day it works as expected. I remember taking this thing with me to coffee shops or the school library to finish articles and term papers.

While I’ve moved on to Mionix since I play computer games everyday, Logitech proves itself to be a reliable and durable brand.

4. William Shakespeare Paperblanks journal 

I’m a lover of Shakespeare’s works, so you can imagine how fast I snatched this journal off the shelves at the local bookstore.

I’ve had this since my first year of college (2007) and it still contains shitty love poems, an unfinished Flyff-inspired manuscript, and many other things I never want people outside of my special circle to see.

5. Evernote Smart notebook by Moleskine®

With two terms left in uni, I got myself an Evernote Smart notebook to help me finish my undergraduate thesis. Made in partnership with Moleskine®, you can scan pages from the notebook and have it automatically saved to your Evernote account.

I took this notebook with me to so many places, and as a result it houses all of my study notes and drafts. If there’s one thing I’d dedicate my undergraduate thesis medal to, it’s this notebook.

6. Cyrus’ baby journal by Moleskine (again)

I was carrying Cyrus when I first saw the Moleskine Passions Baby Journal at FullyBooked. At that time, I had a ton of unused notebooks in my stash. Some of these notebooks are still in their plastic wrapping, so this was pretty much a want than a need.

Easy to blame things on the hormones when you’re pregnant, yeah? ✌️

This journal’s super special though as it holds Cyrus’ sonograms, his hospital bracelet, and journal entries I’ve written that chronicle his birth. I updated it last February to note down his early school years, his interests, his personality, and how he is changing every single day.

I can’t wait to share this with him once he hits 25.

7. An old wood-carved bracelet Jayson gave me when we were still dating

April 21, 2009 was the day Jayson and I went steady. I can’t remember the name of the place exactly, but he went to some beach or resort with his family and remembered to bring me something back. This also signifies that this is the longest relationship I’ve had with a man, as my past relationships lasted just 1-2 years.

It’s a sweet piece of our past, a time when things were all rainbows and cupcakes (qtd. Branch). I look forward to holding this piece of love on our 50th or 75th anniversary as a couple.