Symphonies of the Future Past…
(Now this is one of my oldest post around on the Korean website that I write for. I remember myself out of topics because I was asked to out on a weekly basis without any restrictions… Imagine the sudden flood of topics rushing to my intoxicated noggin…. Good thing I survived it all…)
I went to our local shopping mall after work last week, just passing through while happily trotting around with my newly received paycheck which is carefully tucked inside one of my pockets, being careful not to spot anything that will tempt me to spend it in any way.
My computer is currently broken and I needed the help of my hard-earned wages to fix it. So there I was, in the most awkward place in the world, trying my best not to pay attention on any of the numerous ‘SALE’ signs that seem to sprout on every strategic location that I set my gaze at.
Being pissed on the fact that I was indeed in the wrong place at the wrong time, I decided to just test the tolerance of my patience and snoop inside a record shop of which I thought was the last place for me to commit an impulsive purchase.
Looking around the small establishment filled with record CD’s, original videos and tons of other musically related objects, I accidentally spotted something that I was really dying to buy… a compact mp3 player.
I was on the verge of snapping from my usual sanity while I examined the ridiculous contraption with my shaking hands, imagining myself caressing its finely sculpted outlines while trying to fight my ever growing enticement to pull out several bills from my salary to buy it. But I was suddenly brought back to reality when I began to wonder on why it was being sold on such an obnoxious place here in the first place.
Don’t get me wrong, but I always thought that mp3 players are the worst enemy of today’s recorded music. It is a fact that almost 97% of the songs that are being played by the owners of these little wonders are swiped from the Internet for free; which means that they are one of the main reasons on why consumers nowadays disregard the value of authentic records being sold in the market.
I for one am guilty of this doing; my computer alone contains close to 30 gigabytes worth of songs and movies that have all been downloaded from the World Wide Web. This alleged vice has officially evolved into a trend for technology savvy individuals on their quest for personal enlightenment, regardless of the fact that it is considered a criminal act since songs such as the mp3’s floating around the net are almost always being copied illegally; it literally degrades the level of the aforementioned industry and snatches much needed funding and appreciation from the music makers who produce the very same music that we enjoy listening to.
I remember the last record that I bought was Limp Bizkit’s “Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water”, back when I was still in school and was deeply in love with my old CD player. As a slave of music, I always wanted a little distorted symphony caressing my eardrums whenever I do something; regardless if I’m rushing a history project due the next day or just lazily snoozing on top of my bed in the wee hours of the morning after reading an adult magazine.
I can still recall the time when I picked the record up from the neatly stacked shelf in our local record store, quietly staring at its obnoxiously designed cover for approximately five minutes while gripping it tightly with my ever trembling hands, and afterwards scampering to the cashier so I can again make my beloved CD player’s speakers sounding very happy.
Nowadays, I don’t know where that CD is anymore, nor is my CD player able to work appropriately. I do have a copy of the whole album in my mp3 collection though, along with thousands of other songs that I enjoy playing in my computer everyday.
And at that point I remembered my broken computer back home who seems to be shouting at me from a distance, begging me to schedule her for repairs. I took my hands off the tempting little mp3 player and patted the fat little paycheck in my pocket. Live today, fight tomorrow…
Technology has indeed changed our lives all for the better, but there are instances that it literally stomps and violates some of our habituated traditions that we just tend shake our heads and sigh while quietly moving on ahead. But even while walking along the road of advancement, surrounded with such enjoyable amenities that are purposely brought by technology itself, there are certain times that I just can’t help but turn around and look back.
