Room Overhaul

My day had just started just when everyone was about to go to sleep. It was already past midnight when I arrived home from the gym. The workout was intense and exhausting, but since it is the time of the year when I have to do some room cleaning, I took advantage of my nocturnal waking pattern and did my overhaul two nights ago.

Armed with a bundle of clean rugs and a Glade dust spray that was left by the maid outside my room, I began working with the wooden bookcase next to the computer table. The challenge with the bookcase was that it had three shelves and two cabinets filled with books and trinkets that I have collected throughout the ages. It had mementos from my youth, statues of saints and sages that were given to me by friends and loved ones, and small souvenirs that I bought from my travels. Not only did dust flew and scattered around me, the memories brought after unearthing my school books from Kindergarten and tiny objects that were filled with juvenile stories reminded me that I'm indeed getting old.

There were several self-help and inspiration books that my mom lent me during my turbulent adolescent years. I never read them. Nevertheless, I was able to overcome my troubles with sheer optimism and by writing down my frustrations on a notebook in hopes that in some future, I would be able to laugh after reading them. Poetry books from Ricky De Ungria and Ruel De Vera were also part of my collection. I never learned how to write a poem, but I love reading them aloud when alone in my room. I also found books written by Carl Sagan. If you're not familiar with him, he was a celebrity astronomer. In my high school years, I would read his book "Cosmos" over and over just to bask under his luminescent dreams for a humanity that embraced reason and science.

He lived long enough to see the end of Cold War, which he thought was the potential cause for the extermination of life in this planet. How ironic that a decade later after he died, scientists learned that Global Warming will spell the end of life as we know it.

Next to the bookcase was the TV Stand. It had three decks that supported my 17-inch Panasonic TV on the top deck, my toiletries, which I always make sure to arrange symmetrically on the middle deck, and the original boxes of Sims Expansion pack and the DVD player that occupy the bottom deck. It wasn't difficult to clean the surface, since the TV stand was partially obstructed by the towering bookcase from the harmful dust entering from the window.

Slowly, I made my way from one furniture to the other. I ensured that every surface was well attended, it would reflect the light when I directed the lampshade at them . Even the bed sheet, which I had changed a few days ago did not escape my obsession. I had to change it again so I can lie down on my bed assured that no dust or dirt will ever stick to my body.

Cleaning my room is one of the things that I love doing intimately. Except for arranging the clothes inside the closet - which I let the maid do for me, everything that I had to clean or rearrange would have to pass through my hands first. It doesn't matter if I wasn't able to clean them like a compulsive person would do. So long as the surfaces where my personal things are placed are free from dust, then it would already be satisfaction for me.

I once told a friend that my room preference will always adhere to the minimalist philosophy. Clutter is one of the things I abhor, so expect that even CD cases had proper boxes to keep them away from my view. I also thrive in symmetry - with a special emphasis on corners, when putting objects in place. I have this hidden love affair with balance, that I'd prefer throwing some things away than compromise the harmony of the surfaces where these objects were placed.

During my room overhaul, I discovered some mementos from last Christmas that I forgot to put inside the "treasure box" hidden in one of the cabinets on top of my dresser. I dumped some books, that I felt won't serve me no purpose anymore. These books were turned over to the maid yesterday, hoping that their relatives in the province would gain from the knowledge these books offer. I also discovered that all my semi-formal attire had grown too large that I won't have anything to wear when I get invited to attend a function. There are no immediate plans of giving them away - in case I become a plus size again in the future.

Finally, I found an old wallet in one of the drawers with a wad of cash hidden inside its pocket. The money amounted to P2,000 when I counted all the 100 peso bills. Upon a series of recollection which I did to make sure that I don't owe anyone some money, I learned that this was the money I had set aside for the cable installation payment a few months ago. Apparently, we had a misunderstanding with the agent. It turned out, the Skycable Digiboxes were free of charge and I wasn't able to return the money I had withdrawn from the bank because of my very busy schedule.

The first faint rays of sunlight was already peeking between the folds of my curtain when the last crumples in my bedsheet had been straightened. I took a quick cold shower to wash off the dirt and sweat from my body and then went out to eat a hearty breakfast at the nearby Chowking restaurant before going to sleep.

Twice I do a room overhaul in one year. In those two special occasions, the only feeling that comes to mind after the fulfillment of having a room cleaned is renewal.

The new order of things symbolizes my desire to break from my dusty and cluttered past.

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Will attempt the imposible: All-Night General Cleaning with only a humble lampshade to guide me. Haha. Tama si Wanderer, Ibang trip to!!

- Twitter post, 12:41 am