April, 2005

One of the last things I did before I pulled the plug out on the cassette player of my aging, cracking, much-suffered Satria was play some of the mixtapes I found in the glove compartment. Some of them spanned all the way back to 1995 or thereabouts, and the one thing about mixtapes is that not only do they encapsulate musical tastes at a particular moment in time, but also the Zeitgeist of that chapter of one’s life.

At least, it is the only explanation I could come up with as to why Ning Baizura’s rendition of ‘In Another Life’ was on this one particular mixtape that was otherwise full of 80′s big hair rock music. I remember being in a relationship that was heading nowhere during that time. I even knew that at its inception, but what you thought was ‘love’ made you do funny things, even if only to seize the moment.

Anyway, having upgraded to a CD player after that, I listened to the mix CDs I made at various moments of my life. Some choices were… questionable. Then again, I’ve never said I was the purveyor of tasteful music. As long as most of the stuff here won’t be a staple on Era FM, my mission to save the world, one Era listener at a time, is still intact.

MSc Accounting and Finance days, 2001 Summer

CD 1:
Bon Jovi – Mystery Train; Bon Jovi – Starting All Over Again; Guns N Roses – Sweet Child Of Mine; Jann Arden – Insensitive; Matchbox Twenty – If You’re Gone; Peter Cetera – She Doesn’t Need Me Anymore; Ed Kowalczyk and Neneh Cherry – Walk Into This Room; REM – Losing My Religion; REO Speedwagon – Keep On Loving You; Sade – By Your Side; Third Eye Blind – How’s It Gonna Be; Toad the Wet Sprocket – All I Want ; Wallflowes – Hand Me Down; Weather Girls – It’s Raining Men; Wheatus – Teenage Dirtbag

CD 2:
Creed – With Arms Wide Open; Goo Goo Dolls – Black Balloon; Toad the Wet Sprocket – All I Want ; Goo Goo Dolls – Slide; Lifehouse – Hanging by a Moment; O-Town – Nothing At All; Train – Drops of Jupiter; Goo Goo Dolls – Name; Dan Wilson & Bic Runga – Good Morning Baby; Red Hot Chilli Peppers – Other Side; Tal Bachman – She’s So High; Sugar Ray – Falls Apart; Goo Goo Dolls – Iris; U2 – One; Wallflowers – Sleepwalker

Muadzam Shah 2002 – Slowly Going Mental

CD1
10,000 Maniacs – Because the Night; Vanessa Carlton – A Thousand Miles; Chad Kroeger – Hero; Avril Lavigne – Complicated; Michelle Branch – All You Wanted; Beverly Craven – Promise Me; Sarimah – Damai; Jewel – Have A Little Faith In Me; Candlebox – You; Fuel – Shimmer; Toad the Wet Sprocket – Something’s Always Wrong; Jon Secada – Angel; Matchbox Twenty – Mad Season; Creed – One Last Breath; REO Speedwagon – Keep On Loving You; Gin Blossoms – Hey Jealousy; Sister Hazel – Happy

2005: How long before dangdut makes this list?