Through my many years of getting burnt by the soldering iron, I've realised that the soldering process of earphones is fraught with a pertinent issue: if u're not good enough, the heat from the soldering iron is going to demagnetize the neodymium in the earphones and the sound quality will then suffer, which includes loss of bass, volume, and power.

And I'm not good enough. I believe that purchase of electronics and peripherals are concrete affairs that involve moving a clear identifiable mass from the stores into your house-your room, and thus should be abstained from generally to prevent piling and excess

but it's not serving me well. When earphones get whacked like the way mine do, you really have no idea how to not engage in material consumption.

Doesn't help that Kevin's excited me when he talks about his new earphones. Its bass response is apparently so good that Kevin's so wowed over it. Riffs suddenly become crystal clear, and basslines appear to have been given a silver tinkling.

I tried to do the same earlier, you know, get a pair of new earphones. But I realise while in the massive shopping mall I have begun traversing two different and very conflicting worlds: the world of frugality steeped in anti-mindless-material-consumerism, and the world of physical and spiritual pleasure.

I don't invest much into my body, I don't go gym, I don't swim (I can't swim), don't go to spa, don't suntan, the only things I do that are pleasurable to my body is limited scopophilia the pleasure in the gaze on monitor screens, the simple food and tea my lips smack, also I ________.

But really, the largest part of bodily pleasure really rests on aural pleasure. I really, really, really get excited listening to music. It fills me like nobody's business. Then when a song hits you drums, the spiritual connecteth - and like Mr Sim Wong Hoo would have it,

"AURVANA!!"

If you can anticipate my direction you should know that I have a conflicted personality. I'm so stingy when it comes to buying stuff that second-best doesn't even get acquired, it's usually the 10th-best or even 50th-best that gets bought.

So I usually "lower" my expectations n try to "get used to it" this pair of crappy earphones that lets all the pneumatic noise in the whole wide-very-big agglomeration of beds get into my ears. In simpler terms, I buy lousy shit, I compromise with lousy shit. 

But honestly, I'm tired of compromising. Really don't want to compromise anymore. Cos when it comes to the aural, my ears have become so sensitive that it needs the best treatment. Think of it as a side-effect of being a budding musician.

So, the point is, if you drink beer with me regularly or if you see me in the corridors and wave to me and/or if you are a good friend of mine or, shamelessly, if you are interested in me 

you'd better learn how much I need a good pair of earphones, pronto X 2. 

cos it's probably about the first thing in the world that's going to keep me in balance and on rhythm.

Interestees please ask me for my birthdate.