Little Treasures

Yester-night, while I was looking for a key-chain to hook my portable semiconductor memory I/O device (that's my own, super-long term to mean the USB memory drive - or more commonly mis-termed as thumbdrive or pendrive) to, I remember the tin box of key-chains that I'd collected over the years. Inside a cardboard box buried under layers upon layers of dust, I found it.

And there lay all the things I hold precious since so many years ago. There were those I bought on family vacations - one of the map of Langkawi island, one of wood from Malacca. There were those I got as souvenirs from functions I attended - a gold-plated one from the wedding of one of my father's business associates, with the names of the bride and groom etched on it (sadly though, the pair had divorced), another bearing the official logo of The Star newspaper, which I got when I attended their workshop on children's story writing with my bestfriend. And there's the one I made by myself, using a piece of scrap plastic which I smoothened, drilled a hole through, and attached the chain - using machinery from my father's workshop. There are also those I handmade from tying pieces of colourful strings into knots. Each key-chain comes with a story of its own.

Next to the tin of key-chains, I kept a smaller tin of metal badges that I collected since primary-school, including my school badges. The most precious is that of Convent Rahang - for the school no longer exists, and the ground on which it used to be is now a theology school. I have also several small pin-badges of the logo of "Visit Malaysia Year 1990" which was also made partly in my father's workshop. Then there's a couple of St John Ambulance collar-pins - all of which I believe are not to be found easily anymore.

Going through these things which may worth nothing, but are priceless treasures to me on a personal account, I thought about what will become of them upon my death. Will my husband or daughter toss them out like pieces of junk that "mom has kept for years"? What about all the other stuff that I still keep? (I am, I admit, an ardent keeper). Even if my children continue keeping my junk after I am gone, what about their children after they are gone? Things other that jewels don't usually get passed down as family heirloom. Really. It was indeed a disheartening thought.