My Desired Happiness
CD album never dies
I talked about ripping audio CDs that I bought in my previous post. I’m now slowly converting my collection into digital one by one. Today, I’m going to share something about an album that I bought in 2008. Time machine activated.
When I got my first “real” job as a designer, I bought an album one day at work. I wish to write about it because it’s part of the memories of when my journey began. Everyone has their highs and lows, their ups and downs. This was one of the lessons that I learnt when I was young. If I remember correctly, it was in December 2008.
The design studio was located in Lyndhurst Terrace, Central. I worked as a junior designer whose main duties were to assist the art director. There were around 20 people working for the company. As I recall, I was the youngest one in the office. They always made fun of me, but not in a bad way. Most of them treated me as if I were a kid, not taking me seriously. I’m now around their age—well, maybe slightly older than they were. We’re getting older without even realizing it. I remembered every single one of them until today.
Interestingly, the people who worked there seem to take a liking to music. There was a Hi-Fi CD player setup at the center of the office, where it sat on top of a shelf. It can play CDs and even MDs. The speakers were kind of good, and it was loud enough in a small office. There were a lot of new albums stacking on the shelf, just waiting to be played.
Pretty much everyone brought their own collection of CDs and wished to play their favourites. A few of them were into pop music, a 3D designer likes movie OSTs, and our boss—who’s British—goes to HMV very often and brings new albums back after lunch. “Who’s Lady Gaga?” I asked because I kept hearing the name. And the art director sitting next to me showed me an album. “You’ve been listening to her songs for a few days, and yet you don’t know her,” she replied. It was the same year that The Fame Monster was released.
So, maybe because I was influenced by them, and the atmosphere there. I went to buy an CD album during lunch hour. And, of course, it’s called My Desired Happiness. I think it’s unnecessary too dwell into the details. Simply put, I felt unhappy at the time. It wasn’t a new release, but I liked it anyway. It’s all in the title. That’s probably one of the best albums from Yanzi.
I’ve collected most of her CD albums. But I somehow stopped collecting in recent years. In fact, I stopped listening to Chinese pop songs anymore. I’m not sure why. The reason could be that they rely too heavily on lyrics. Lyrics always come first; other than that, there isn’t much for me to enjoy.
The design of each album was different. Different papers, sizes, and printing effects were applied for each of them. The sensation you get when you put your hands on them and touch them. It’s all part of the experience. And it can last for decades aside from the songs. How could digital album give you such a feeling? It’s irreplaceable.
Maybe my taste has changed. I’m now more into the OSTs of films, and games. I could listen to them without being distracted by the lyrics. As it won’t be bound by any languages. Just listen to the instrumental arrangements. Don’t you think it’s more enjoyable?
This is #Day99 of #100DaysToOffload.