Finally got around to unpacking my LUMS stuff and I compared the nostalgia to the excitement I felt 4 years ago when I was packing it all for the first time.
Each article has so many memories attached to it. The sweaters my friends would borrow. The makeup I barely used...

bcoz I struggled to master it. The shoes, worn out from miles of milestones - trudged through familiar pathways or the road less travelled. The medicines that always seemed like unnecessary baggage until a high fever came on. The Arsenal flag that was proudly spread and...

spilled over on my table in soph year, only to be abandoned the next two years. The Twister board and mat that was pledged to be used when drunk. The books that I never got around to reading. My chai mug that my best friend had gifted me.

The saari and heels to be worn at the farewell. The planner that still had deadlines for 24th March embossed, unchecked and forgotten. The skull that we stole from a Halloween party, that sat on my desk for a year. The picture frames with people who weren't at LUMS with me...

but I hold so close to my heart. The other skull that we stole from the next Halloween party because now theft had become tradition. The OG football studs - the left one shamefully cleaner than the right. The tiny teddy bear that held an I Love You sign which was so...

uncharacteristic of me but I insisted on placing it on my desk cuz mom gave it to me. The skimpy dress that I never found the confidence or "perfect" occasion to wear. The pants that bore rain, sunshine, hail & fog. The Good Drinks for Bad Days book that was a fitting bday gift.

The shirts I puked on from memorable nights, half forgotten. The polaroids with old friends that were tucked away after certain chapters closed. The worn out monodeal cards - roughened and contaminated by being played on the khoka tables. The outfits I felt good in.

the xrays & bandages from injuries & sprains. The stationery that I would gleefully & nerdily use. The entire outfit pieced together by borrowing from diff friends for an interview. The inhalers and antiallergies because Lahore smog and spring's pollen was unkind to ppl w asthma.

and last but definitely not the least..... the go-to bra broooooooooooooooo