smelling me

are you one of those people who occasionally finds oneself remembering a particular memory after smelling a particular scent? did you ever recall smelling a certain cologne or perfume that remind you of significant people in your life?

the smell of fallen blossoms during the summer reminds me of my grade school years where i usually find our school driveways covered with the yellow blossoms from acacia or ylang-ylang trees in school every time we had our end of year exercises.

experts have asserted that there is such a thing as odor-memory. olfaction, the sense of smell, has been known to become very useful in the learning process as well. if i remember it right, my sister told me that it olfaction is now included in the categories of multiple intelligences.(alas! i can claim, "you see, i have a bright nose", hehe. )

here are occasions which probably illustrate what the experts have to say about olfaction and memory. we can perhaps do away with the physiology part and take a look at the practical side of olfaction and memory. what do you remember?

1. the smell of your lunch box, the smell of sandwich and orange juice mingling in a box contained from the time you left home until you open it for recess. once opened, the whiff of your seat mate's baon mixes with yours and that was how simple life went when you were in kindergarten.
2. every time you need to sharpen your pencil (for your puzzle dose or for brainstorming at work), again you are reminded of kindergarten days.
3. the fragrance of calvin klein, bath and body, calgon, nenuco, johnson's baby cologne, evoke high school and college memories. there's this funny story when i was in a store trying out some scents with a friend who finished high school in san beda. i was telling him that one particular smell reminded me of my classmates in high school, and brings the bottle to his nose for him to smell. then he quips, ay oo, ganyan din ang amoy sa amin (see, there was no difference whether you went to an exclusive school for girls or for boys, high school kids smelled alike, hehe)
4. the aroma of freshly brewed coffee conjures memories of conversations with dearest friends and family whom you've shared not just cups of coffee but meaningful stories and moments of laughter and frustrations (ang drama naman!) hehe
5. the ambrosia of the christmas ham, and the chicken turbo, or the crispy pata; the smell of charred liempo or fish and the lusciousness of tita's karekare and mama's binagoongan.
6. the smell of cuddly babies. babies, no matter how filthy and grimy they get, will always smell like babies.
   
7. the smell of Ola panlaba (i think it's just me and ate who remember this smell)

if smell evokes certain memories, we better make sure we manage to smell good at all times. if not for our own sake, let us try to think about those who wish to remember us in a better way.

(yun nagpapabango lang ng pangalan, is another story ha? )