I always have this weird feeling that my destiny is somehow intertwined with music. In my early teenage years, my girlfriends and I would sneak into the garage, where my brother and his band mates kept their musical equipment. Then, we would pluck guitar strings and knock the drums in an effort to compose our favorite songs. I was the lead singer by the way.

Unfortunately for my brother and I, nothing much came out of the practice. It was not just me and my brother, music runs in the whole family. I remember vividly on Friday nights, we used to do karaoke sessions where everyone took turns to sing a song, including our parents. We had these sessions recorded and then sent to our neighbors for analysis.

The winner would get a prize, bought from our individual savings. We saved money on a weekly basis purely for the competition. Needless to say, we were the creepy neighbors next door, but that did not stop me from claiming most of the prizes. Eventually, we outgrew the karaoke sessions and now, I mostly do the listening rather than the singing.

Music gives me the needed refuge whenever I feel like my head is spinning and I just want to shut out everything around me. The good thing about music is that there is music for every occasion and feeling. Whenever I feel depressed, I listen to sad songs. They guide me and keep me company during those trying moments. Whenever I’m happy, I have a collection of party songs that I dance to for hours to amplify the good feeling. The beauty of music is that it can be incorporated with other hobbies. For instance, I love reading a good book, as nice orchestra music is playing in the background.