My name is Chris Lam. I am a Vice Principal and teacher at Purpose Secondary School in New Westminster, a tuition-free, fee-free, independent school for students with special needs. I am also a Children’s Ministry Lay Pastor in a Mennonite Brethren church in Richmond.
Nice to meet you!
For this task, I chose to display contents of my pockets – left and right pants pockets and left and right jacket inner pockets. I prefer to travel light and have not used a bag for about 15 years. If something doesn’t fit into my available pockets, I usually toss it in the trunk of my car. My pockets carry what I consider daily essentials. Please check out the photo above for a brief description of each item. The photo is interactive!
My perspective on what is considered “texts” is informed by my experience learning to write Chinese in Hong Kong. I consider Traditional Chinese characters as drawn words with graphical components that depict meaning; therefore, I believe that if a picture or object conveys meaning, it can be considered “texts”. So, all items in my pocket are “texts” because they work together to tell a story about me.
My keys tell of places I go to often. In a way, they also represent my connection with my parents and my in-laws. The key-chains reveal my interests and show my childish side. My wallet and my business card holder both contain printed “texts” of all my personal information: name, address, drivers’ license number, personal health number, work contact info, and banking information. All these cards were scanned into a digital wallet, accessible through cloud, in my smartphone. This reinforces my reliance on my phone. Through this exercise, I realize that keeping my wallet with me is a force of habit; I have been carrying around a wallet since I was 10 years old.
My smartphone is the most significant item for me as I completely rely on this “text technology” to get through each day. Everything from schedules, communications, entertainment, accessing news, researching information, and payment is done through this technology. I rely on it to access photos and videos, which allows me to capture and relive moments and memories. I use my phone to turn on and off lights in my home, as well as arming and disarming my security alarms.
I would imagine that an archeologist would view the contents of my pocket as common for our time period. Since my phone was unveiled and released in August 2018 and the expiry date on my credit card is 2022. Archaeologists would likely be able to reasonably narrow down the date range using the model of my phone and the expiry date of my credit card.
