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There hasn't been a single moment when my life was not filled with music.

When I was a little boy and Sonic the Hedgehog was among the most important things in my life, I remember struggling through the different stages of each Sonic game on my 16bit megadrive while a familiar funky sounding music played in the background. Turns out, that was the msuic of The Beatles, whom my brother was extremely fond of in the 90s.

Downstairs in the hall (or sometimes kitchen), I would watch TV while the tune of "long see wee tio lee" and "ai bpia jia eh ee-ah" played softly (sometimes, not so softly) in the background. Turns out those were Hokkien songs my mum never stopped playing ever since she was about 18. And you don't even want me to get started on the countless Mandarin and Cantonese casette tapes that she had (still has) in her cupoboard. Funny choice of music for someone who grew up in a Eurasian setting but well, I guess the concept of 'identity crisis' as a genetic transmission isn't a new discovery after all.

In the car, I'd play with my handheld games (I never had a gameboy back then, just a gamegear which melted out after only a few months) while lyrics like these vibrated the membranes of the rear speakers uncontrollably, thanks to my father's music collection:

"Blue eyes smiling at me
Nothing but blue eyes do I see"

"Lai la lai.. lai la lai la lai la lai"

"Before those funny, familiar, forgotten feelings
start walking all over my mind"

"There must be peace and understanding sometimes
Strong winds of promise that will blow away the doubt and fear"

And of course, who can forget my sister's choice of music that ranged from 80s electropop for one period, then emo-emo Chinese pop the next. Her favourite singer that left a deep impression on me (probably scarred me for life) was Jeff Chang.. he sounds like a girl!

As for me, I grew up listening to the different kinds of music that I listen to today. I love radio friendly hits (anyone who tells you that they hate such songs is lying through his teeth), classic rock, ballads, classical music, opera, indian classical music, tribal melodies (drones usually) and basically anything that can vibrate my eardrums (eventually) in a pleasant way.

Which brings me to a rather self-indulgent ending to this article. There have been many ways that I thought I would have liked to end my life: in the presence of my children and grandchildren all weeping for me to have a peaceful passing; jumping off a cliff; carbon monoxide; in an explosion; in a gangfight; after being mauled by a lion and many many many more gruesome yet exciting ways. But I still come back to one most romantic fantasy that I have always had: to get hit by a car travelling at 150km/h while crossing the road with earphones stuck deep inside my ears playing a very melodic song like "Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro or "Cancer" by My Chemical Romance or even "Always" by Bon Jovi... while I slowly but surely slip into an eventual and eternal darkness.

Only then can I truly say that there hasn't been a single moment when my life that was not filled with music.