MY CD COLLECTION

I wish I had bought more CDs over the years but when I first started buying them, CDs were quite expensive (although they are going out of style, they are still expensive). Only those who had money to spend  would buy CDs (obviously, I did not) and of course, the much more expensive CD player. I wasn't making much at that time (I still am not but I am not complaining either) so I had no other choice but to resort to the much less pricey cassettes most of the time. I had to be quite selective when it came to what CDs to buy since I would be spending around RM 40 to RM 50 for a piece of  CD (that amount of money could feed me for a week!). Sometimes I would go to the music shop a few times to browse through the CDs displayed before I decided what to buy (much to the annoyance of the shopkeeper). I admit that I have bought pirated CDs and downloaded music illegally (I plead guilty, Your Honour) from the Internet (many times actually) but I always make it a point to buy originals CDs from singers that I like and support. I am partial to certain types of music and that will also determine my music purchases. I am not like some people who buy things for the sake of buying and owning something. Certain Malay CDs from the late 80s and early 90s (especially those manufactured overseas) have become highly sought-after items nowadays and can fetch a few hundred ringgit in the current market. A few of months ago, I came across this one seller on mudah.my who was selling his complete Aishah collection for RM 5K and Sheila Majid collection for RM 6K. I wonder if anyone is rich enough (or crazy enough) to part with such an exorbitant amount of money just to complete his or her Aishah and Sheila Majid collection. I know that I won't splurge my money on these CDs although I love Aishah and Sheila Majid very much. There are a few local collectors whose CD collection (and vinyls too) is so extensive (their music collection amounts to thousands!) that they can open their own music station. These collectors are extremely vigilant of their prized collection and sometimes excessively obsessive and possessive as well. They store and classify everything meticulously. As much as I envy them (and I am rarely envious), I realise that I have neither their passion nor their perseverance to become a collector like them (actually I don't have the kind of money that they do). Still, I am happy and grateful with what I have so far (I am very easy to please, actually). I rarely buy any more CDs nowadays and at the rate I'm going, I think I will stop buying them altogether one of these days. Most of the CDs I own are a reminder of my younger days. Current music rarely interests me anymore and most of the time, I feel it's not worth buying any newly released CDs at all. CDs have also seen better days and their time to shine is over. I still go to music stores from time to time in case I see something that I like and I will buy something that will not put a dent in my pocket. I also have this online friend who will inform me of any cheap CDs on sale. He will buy the CDs that I want for me and I will bank in the money into his account. It is much more convenient that way since I can get CDs at very much lower prices and he can make a little bit of profit too. In fact , it can be quite exciting to receive a package by mail especially on days when I am not feeling that enthusiastic about my job. I still listen to my CDs especially on weekends when I don't have much to do (which is very rare). Listening to CDs on a very good stereo system and plugging in your earphones to an MP3 are absolutely worlds apart and that is one of the reasons why I still prefer CDs. My CDs are alphabetically arranged and I do categorise them into singles, full English albums and full Malay albums which make it easier for me to find the CDs that I want or to know if any of the CDs are misplaced or missing. These CDs are displayed in a cupboard and nobody can touch them without my permission (I can be quite obsessive too). I figure if I have spent so much money on them, why let people who don't appreciate them mishandle them?