Olfactory Memories

Many of my life choices are heavily influenced by odors. And when I talk about life choices, I mean choice of shampoo, soap, body wash, food... (LOL. Sorry. If you're looking for a serious discussion, this is not it.)

But really, I choose a lot of things based on how they smell. Forget protection from UV damage or anti-hair fall vitamin thingies. My current shampoo (apart from being pink) smells so nice I want to eat my hair. My papaya soap smells so much like papaya that I have to check the impulse to chew on it. Then there's my apricot body wash that smells so good that it automatically perks me up when I'm tired and stressed out. And let's not forget the distinct smell of the Jollibee burger. Even in a moviehouse, when someone brings in takeout Jollibee, the odor permeates every inch of the place and I get so distracted. It's like, "Dude, put that thing away. I can't concentrate on the movie because all I can think about is what you're eating."

Anyway, apart from influencing very important purchases, odors elicit certain emotions and reactions. It is a widely known fact that certain odors can easily trigger an onslaught of memories because the olfactory bulb is connected to the amygdala and is part of the brain's limbic system, an area also responsible for memory. (Okay, maybe the part about the amygdala and the limbic system isn't really widely known but you get what I mean.)

Take the smell of chlorine for example. Most people would associate this with pool parties and summer breaks but for me, it brings up images of my face slamming into the side of the pool, a bloody nose, a couple of chipped teeth and me having a skull x-ray done in my bathing suit. Good times.

Then the other day, I was on duty and the orderlies were disinfecting an area of the ER. And it so happened that the disinfectant they used was the very same one used at the hospital where I used to go on duty as a medical senior clerk. The mere smell of the disinfectant made me feel awful and my brain was immediately flooded with memories of on-the-spot, surprise endorsements, with consultants giving out rapid fire questions to a very sleepy Farina, who has been up for 32 hours.

"Is the output of the patient consistent with his diagnosis of septic shock? Can you explain why the patient has anemia in the face of amoebic liver abscess? Why am I giving this patient Ciprofloxacin? Do not look at your notes! What is the mechanism of action of magnesium sulfate, focusing on its effect on calcium channels? WHAT IS THE CAPITAL OF ICELAND?!"

(Fine, I exaggerate but there are times when they might as well be asking geography questions. Post-duty status can render anyone brain dead so the questions wouldn't matter anyway.)

But anyway, you may wonder what brought on this contemplation on what scent can do to a woman. Well, someone brought Jollibee Chickenjoy takeout to the ER waiting area and I am very, very hungry.

(I realize this entire entry is absolutely useless and probably didn't make much sense but hey, it's better than no entry at all. Right, Dennise?)