Only two months ago, I started a Spotify account. It wasn’t because it was popular or because of its various functions in sharing music, it was mostly because my Chinese music application wasn’t working and reinstalling it would require overcoming viruses along the way.

My sister used the device for several months at this point, making playlists for a bunch of events and moods consisting of popular songs from today. She raved its praises throughout the day and encouraged me to install the application and follow her. While it sounded interesting, I tuned out from that, because primarily, I prefer buying CDs from the store, while listening to only some of the songs from an artist’s portfolio online beforehand. In one day, I would listen to them in their entirety while driving in my car.

I liked the physical feel of having CDs in my hands, with the singer’s notes and the artwork on my hands, and having it stacked on the wall in my bedroom. When choosing a computer, I prefer having one with a functioning DVR Drive, not because I watch DVDs anymore, but so that I could insert the CDs inside and rip them to a Windows Media Player. That way, I would listen to them forever. However, recently I find myself listening less to Windows Media Player; they are now left untouched as I search the internet for music.

Nevertheless, when I get my first car, I hope to get one with a CD player before they completely disappear for good. I want to utilize it like my family members had DVDs or others had video tapes a decade ago of their favorite movies. Or even now, their favorite vinyl records, which some people think about today.

Up until recently, I also never considered having playlists. I was more interested in individual songs; if I liked them, then I would stretch out towards full albums, though not completely. The only times I’ve heard about playlists was during my high school years when one of the members of the administration reminisced on 1980s films and mentioned mixtapes: putting songs on cassette tapes and giving them to other people, whether it’s friends or somebody you had a crush on.

Today, creating one is simpler; one can create a Spotify account, choose some songs from the expansive library of music the service contains, and then put it under an umbrella based on mood.

As of this summer, I’ve been following this trend with my first major playlist. Just like my mood with musical mediums, a little bit nostalgic. When done, it will contain a song from every year since I was born, from different artists and different languages. Afterwards, I’d add an additional song every year, creating a sonic story of my life.

When I’m done with that, however, I don’t see myself making new ones in the future. On the contrary, I may listen to music from my past, and try to discover more in the future. Either way, music plays a role in my life, regardless of the medium.