digital memories

It was Christmas Day yesterday, my 16th so far. For the third year running, my cousins had their gift giving and as usual, I offered my services in case they needed the added manpower. When I arrived, however, it was already too late and the receivers of the gifts were already standing by the gate of my cousins' house, preparing to go home. Sigh. Totally defeated the purpose of my visit, but oh well.

There were also some other people there, workers from my aunt's karinderya business. I didn't know them well so while they were singing their hearts out in the giant karaoke set, I sat in one corner of the living room and began riffling through the ancient photo albums stacked beside me. And I discovered a lot of things.

1. When my mother was younger, she looked a lot like my eldest cousin.

2. In some angles, my aunt looks like my mother.

3. I was once a very cute kid, which leads me to wonder how I grew up looking like this.

4. Ugly Ducklings do exist.

5. Looking at pictures is a sad, sad enterprise.

Feeling some thick polaroid photos in my fingers, I wondered how my future granchildren would feel as they'd look at my photos. You might laugh and say I'm way too young to be worrying about posterity issues, but seriously, will the impact of captured moments be the same if it's seen through a computer monitor?

Or maybe a hologram, if they get to inventing hologram computers.

Just a sad thought conceived on my uneventful Christmas eve.