Scents and Memories

Verbena, Freesia, Gardenias

Scents, along with music, brings us back to memories that would otherwise have been forgotten. It reminds me of some things, events, and most importantly, people. It's no wonder that the perfume industry has flourished all through the centuries.

Verbena
This is a scent that always reminds me of my grandma because of the verbena scented talcum powder that she always had in her ginormous bag. That bag itself is another interesting one to dig through as it will hold balms, ointments, lotions, and of course, tablet medicines for all aches. But if it's talcum powder, it will always be the verbena.

Freesia
This one reminds me of an era when cassette tapes are still in use and teens like us would use blank tapes to record our favorite songs from the radio. There was one brand that packaged their blank tapes with flower prints and some scents. I really don't know how that came about but I remember two options, rose or freesia. I went for freesia since it is yellow and not-so-common as the rose scent.

Ylang-ylang
Walking through a street lined with this tree in my hometown.

Sampaguita (Jasmin) and Gardenia
Flowering shrubs that we have in our yard that my father liked. I even tried and successfully propagated a few gardenias by grafting to practice what I learned in an agriculture class in high school.

Pine
Not so good memories for pine smell as this was almost always the car air freshener that most people use back in the days and it always makes me feel carsick inside an airconditioned car.

Orange
Slightly better memories than pine but almost the same. The good thing is that there is the real orange rind from the fruit that we could pick up from a fruit store and eat for longer rides. It helped settle the stomach and nausea a bit.

Land travel memories bring me back into the music connections.

David Gates and the Bread - a family trip to the north and that someone who recommended that album

Notting Hill OST - phone calls from hours on end with a friend who lent me a copy of this

It's amazing how our brains can keep these memories tucked somewhere deep only to be resurrected through other senses like our ears and nose. The olfactory sense is not something that we can just ignore, from the good-smelling scents to the obnoxious farts. :D