I have moved houses a few times in my lifetime and each time that happens, I have a list of things that I must definitely bring over. Overtime, I have forgotten what’s on the list but I know it largely revolves around the electronic gadgetry, stationery and books.  See, I grew up in the era of Gameboys and Playstations but I also had an upgrade every now and then. So, I had the Gameboy Color initially and eventually, I now own the Playstation Vita as a portable gaming console. So, my electronic gadgetry changed constantly. There wasn’t a permanent usage of a particular console.  It was probably the same for books as well. I wouldn’t have a specific book that I must keep or bring. It’s not that I’m not sentimental or anything but as long as I know where they are in the storeroom, then there’s no need to bring them with me wherever I go whether it’s in the same country or in another continent.

However, there was always one thing that I would bring. It was my Sony Discman (a portable compact disc player), that is until now, I had left my Discman at my sister’s place and chose not to carry it with me as I moved out and stayed with my friend. I owned it since the age of 9 and had always used it regardless of the iPods that I owned. I would always put a CD in there, plugged my headphones in, sat back and just listened to what the CD has to offer.

People reading this must be wondering, “What decade do you live in again? Is it the SIXTIES?” Well, the Discman doesn’t date back that long. It was probably in the late 90s that it took off. I remembered telling my father recently and told him that I wanted to go to a Sony shop and asked if they still have the Discmans and then buy one. He looked at me, almost as if to say, “Are you serious?” I guess that’s a fair question but then again, a large of part of me love to romanticize and treasure the value of sentimentality.

My friends know that I listen to music constantly. In fact, as I am writing this, I am listening to one of Westlife’s first album on my iPod. I recently took up the guitar and also trying to learn how to play by hearing the rhythm in the songs as well. So, I really do enjoy listening to various kinds of music so I adapt to whatever platform that music is being released on and listen to it on them. From CD to iTunes to Spotify, I have tried all of them. My Spotify probably has over 2500 songs somewhere in there.

Don’t get me wrong. Thank goodness Spotify was created and now, I get to discover so much new music but something is missing, I feel. Gone were the days I go to the store, look through the CDs that are available, see what’s intriguing, buy it, go home, read the album booklet, put it into my Discman and be surprised by it. Times have changed. Everything now is instantaneous. If you don’t like something, skip it. If you want something, just download it the next second. Everything just flies by in seconds. There’s no wait, no anticipation, no human touch and no deeper appreciation of the tremendous work the artist puts into her or his work.

Colin Hanks, gave an interview on Jimmy Kimmel and talked about the evolution and also downfall of Tower Records, one of the biggest record selling store of all time. He did a documentary around it and said that, at the end of the day, this documentary is not about the music industry but rather it’s about the human story. It’s about how a family came together to sell records and had fun doing it. I find it absolutely interesting and also contemplated on my own way of listening to music. Of course, that translates into reading books as well as playing games.

We go out into restaurants and what do we see? There will be kids playing games on the tablets and just not talk to other kids. Instead, they will just concentrate on their screens. Board games like Monopoly, Uno and Battleship were created as physical products but instead has now gone onto the digital platform too. On trains, people take out their Kindles and read their books, swiping page after page and that’s just it, isn’t it? Will we ever return to the world where we touch and grab onto the experience of papyrus and CD albums or even play Monopoly on a board whilst rolling the physical dice?

But it comes down to what we want as a generation. Unbelievably, I left my Discman at my sister’s house. This was something I carried with me for 12 years without hesitation. All of a sudden, I decided to not take it with me. Maybe I will grab it another day but for now, it stays there.

I think what’s important is for us to be a little more aware of what we listen, play and read nowadays. We used to have a physical product reminding us of the hard work people put into these things. A record or be it a CD reminds us that music is such a gift. A book as a person once puts it, “A good book will make you want to reread it again, but a great book will make you want to reread your own life.” A simple board game adds meaning and joy to the interaction between children.

We need to remember this even though now they have gone digital. We need to remember the human touch. Think of the last time you picked up a CD. When was the last time you entered a record store? How did it feel like?

Yes, things are now “untouchable” and “unfeelable” but at the end of the day, it’s not about what it is but rather, it’s about the human story.