Memories are made of these...

It's 7 pm and I am waiting to go home. I have an hour to kill so I fired up iTunes and went to the Music Store. I clicked on the Billboard Top 100. Hmm.. which year should I choose? Let's see, 1991, during the beginning of Form 6.

I started previewing some of the songs in the 1991 Billboard Top 100 and I was suddenly hit, full blast in the brain, with memories of that time: Wilson Philips, Mariahh Careeeyy (pheeeet! pheeet! My divaaaaaaaaaa!), Roxette, Firehouse, Scorpions, Guys Next Door, Tracie Spencer, Vanilla Ice, Bette Midler, Mr Big... wow...

I still remember my black Sony Walkman. I'd gather all these cassettes before going to school or going to tuition. You see, to commute from my house to KL for tuition is a 1-2 hours bus ride. Worse, if there's traffic jam. The commute was pretty boring and lots of CO2 to fill your lung. Therefore it was always a joy to have a Walkman around at that time and you can just shut out all the noise from the traffic and just float towards wherever the music and your mind is taking you to.

I can recall the times when my Christian friends said that God is watching us from a distance from the song "From A Distance" was a blashphemy because God will never be far apart from us. Or that time when Whitney Houston was singing through the loudspeaker of the swimming pool in Cheng Wu (somewhere near Stadium Merdeka). I was doing my lap and I could hear her Andddd IIIIIIIIIIIIIII, I will always love youuuuuuuu. It's surreal, to be doing the breast strokes to Whitney's melodious voice. I will always cherish that moment.

Then there's Loochomus and his irritating I am dying inside to hold you by Timmy Thomas. This silly song took Malaysia by storm. If you went to Petaling Street.. it was played at every corner and every loudspeaker. You'd go to Popular Bookshop or Big Bookshop and it's there. It was almost as frequently played as that Lemon Tree song that appeared years later! I mentioned Loochomus because he bought the single and had tortured me in his car by playing it over and over and over again. I believe at that time he was dying inside to hold someone in school :P Imagine 1 hour in a traffic jam in his car listening to Timmy Thomas and his incessant wailing!

Fast forward to1993-96, during college years... That time, we don't "heng" Walkman already. I drove this tiny Suzuki car to college. Every afternoon on my way home, I'd tune in to this new and radical Radio Station, 99.3fm, TIME HIGHWAY, and would be entertained by this DJ (thinking of his name now) and his wonderful selection of songs...

There's UB40's "Can't Help Falling In Love".. stupid song. Instead of giving me the courage to go after this girl, the song went Wise men said only fool rush in... apa ni??? If rush in, I am a fool wor!!! UB40! You destroyed my chances!

Then there's I swear, by the moon and the stars by All-4-One but then, she was not listening to my promises! or Mariah's I caaan't liveeeee... if living is without you... ai.. so stupid.

There's "All for Love" by Rod Steward, Bryan Adams - the theme song from the movie The 3 Musketeers.. See la.. at that age.. whatever you do is All for Love! Right? College degree be damn!!! No wonder I always end up copying Ash's tutorials!!! No heart to study. Always busy strategizing!

It was during that time that I befriended these few girls from SG - especially one special beauty. Aiyo. How the heck I get through college is beyond me! Really! Songs that I associated with them are: "Forever In Love" by Kenny G from his popular Breathless album, "So Much In Love" by All-4-One, "I Live My Live For You" - Firehouse. Then there's "Only Wanna Be With You" - Hootie and the Blowfish - did we hear this in Iguana, in Bangsar or what? Somehow it was associated with them.

Fast forward 1996-1998 - again I was driving to work... this time we have very optimistic songs I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky by R Kelly. Well, What to do? First year of working life mah. Earning RM.. sure a bit optimistic lar. Another fast and happy number has to be doot doot doot.. doot doot doot.. semi charmed life, baby baby by Third Eye Blind or "Barely Breathing" (Duncan Sheikh) or "Freshmen" by The Verve Pipe (this happens to be me and Joey's favourite). Then there's "All for You" by Sister Hazel.

Of course, we have I love you, always forever, near and far... by Donna Lewis and "Don't Speak"by No Doubt. I remember these two songs very well because I first heard them in this nice music store in 1Utama. 1U was like the newest and hippiest shopping center in town and whatever they played must be the coolest too eh? Donna Lewis' song was played during the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia.

96-98 also saw songs like "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba: I GO GET DOWN and I get up again, you will never see me down... I remembered being in front of Loochoomus's house waiting for him when the radio played "I Shot The Sheriff" and I am like, what a stupid song!!!

Ohh.. and Everyday is a winding road by Sherly Crow would somehow went really well with Eric Clapton's if I could, ch-ch-change the world. The latter is a theme song from the movie The Phenomeneon starring John Travlota - very moving movie.. thus a very appropriate song to play to commemorate his anniversary (in the movie).

So much memory.. so much to write.. but alas.. it is almost 8pm .. so I have to stop now. It was fun though.. going through all these songs and remembering where or what I was doing when this song played - it may not be accurate, heck.. but it was a good trip down memory lane.