Saturday, December 3, 2011

Hi, my name is Snuze and I am a music addict

Do you have a soundtrack to your life? Does it change with every period?

Mine currently is Pet Shop Boys on a loop *grin*.

I began my love affair with music ever since I started to learn to bop along to Men At Works The Safety Dance when I was six. Music is a major part of my life even though I cannot play a single instrument and am  a mediocre singer. If you drive in and around Klang Valley and see a demented woman howling and/or headbanging along to something in her car stereo, there is a possibility that person you were observing was me.

I got a feel for the music, 'k?

My affection for music crosses genre and language; for me the musical experience is about the harmony of sound and rhythm. Listening to the formerly known as Radio 4 on weekend nights taught me appreciation of opera and classical music (Rimsky-Korsakov anyone?). Klasik Nasional.fm helped me to get in touch with my Nusantara roots: inang, asli, gambus, zapin, ghazal and traditional Javanese music. Keroncong, however, lies together with rap, hip hop and trance music when it comes to my inability to appreciate it.

One of the best birthday presents I ever got was this Sony mp3 player that my sister and brother-in-law got for me a couple of years back. 4 Gb of space makes for a goodly time for auditory bliss. I've changed the original earphones with excellent Phillips earbuds and now I interchange between earbuds, headphones and a speaker (also gifts from sis and B-i-L for last year's day of age celebration). The earbuds are so good that I can listen happily at volume level 1 (maximum is 30) when alone in my room (with no interference from the aircondition or fan).

Because I am a music addict, I am very afraid of losing my hearing due to prolonged use of the earbuds/earphone. The New York Times Magazine had published a lovely (if abbreviated) background to the history of the earphones, its contextual place in the society and a cautionary tale about possible hearing loss due to over-exposure to loud music. The earbuds are particularly dangerous as one tends to crank up the volume to very high levels in public places to block out the external noise. I am often concerned when I sit in the light rail transit and I could hear Lady Gaga from the person seated 3 persons away from me.


If you like to listen to music on the go in loud environments, I would suggest you invest in a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones. However, a really good pair + loud music = you not hearing the mad honking of the driver before you were flattened on the street.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

HiSnuze,

Could be wrong but I think you're referring to Men With Hats?

Anyway, being Snuzed, the bonus info is duly noted **smile** with **3H**.

I am particularly partial to jazz rock especially Chicago and you will appreciate Chicago II and VI.

Check it out.

My dedication this Monday, Color My World from Chicago II, http://youtu.be/d8eYQX-NmCk

Forgive slack on my part lately.


Ciao for now

Snuze said...

Hullo Freddie!

Heh. Figures, I always get the name of the band wrong.

I adore Chicago!!! Peter Cetera, right? The best parts of my primary school-days were marked with tracks by that most awesome band.

Thank you for sharing and apologies for my lack of comments on your blog. Have been swamped lately and the brain matter is also bogged down to sloth-like speed.

Have a great week ahead!

Anonymous said...

Snuze,

Haha..swamped and bogged. This what came to mind..Shrek.

Take it easy and don't get shreked too much.

zhu m said...

nak bose punya noise cancelling headphones..tapi mahal..heh

rad za said...

I got an mp4 player just this year, at first I go everywhere with it.Then I missed the sound of nothing and some vehicles in the background. Now I know when I do (when I've just downloaded new Glee Songs) and I don't need music.

Snuze said...

Zu: Ala ... tak payah super mahal sangat ... beli jer gamer punya headphones tu ... sedap jugak and poket tak koyak.

Rad Za: You are a better person than me, my friend. *grin* An addict's gotta have her fix!