Old is still gold

I WAS perusing my stamp collection, trying to recall how I came into possession of some of them, when the husband rudely interrupted and said that it was an “obsolete hobby”.

Needless to say, I was affronted.

“How is it obsolete?” I demanded.

“Well, no one sends letters anymore,” came the snarky reply.

Can’t say that he doesn’t have a point, but still I beg to differ.

With digitalisation and the rise of social media such as TikTok, speed seems to be the name of the game, and today’s changing consumption habits seem to have resulted in some hobbies being dismissed as “old-school”.

But as I look through my albums, recalling via the stamps the first letter I received from my pen pal (yes, there was such a term then), or the various overseas destinations to which I had been, I could not help but think to myself: “What a waste that no one appreciates them these days.”

Yet a conversation with a friend about this very matter brought forth remarks such as: “Who reads physical books now when there are e-books? Who collects stamps now that no one writes letters anymore? Who among the younger generation reads the papers anymore now that everything is online?”

Yes, it is just a sign of the times.

SEE ALSO

Takeaways from the pandemic

However, I cannot believe that such collections have no place in today’s world.

Call me, if you will, an old soul trapped in a young-ish body – but in an increasingly digital world, where so much is fleeting, I value physical collections, especially those to which I have sentimental attachments. For example, if I like an art piece, I want to see it displayed in the open, not as an image file in my digital devices.

I still have the books that I’d read when I was a young girl. They are now stuffed in my bookshelf, and looking at them reminds me of the weekly shopping trips I made to the bookstores in town. There is something humbling about being in one, surrounded by the many literary works written by authors past and present – compared to browsing through one of the many catalogues on Amazon.

At the practical level, a physical copy has a sense of permanence and is something tangible, compared to a work that can be easily edited or changed online.

Digital music and streaming are all the rage now, and MP3s and CDs have been relegated to the annals of history. While the former does have its advantages, as one can mix and match favourite songs, who is to say that you will not lose your collection online when artists pull their work off Spotify?

Avid vinyl collector Teo Chee Keong is in agreement with me: “We might be living in a digital world now where listening to music is so accessible and convenient, but we are surely missing the thrill and excitement of exploring music through a physical medium like vinyl.”

“The analog vinyl format is not just one that offers great sound but also fulfills us with satisfaction for our visual and touch senses. Vinyl records are an auditory, a tactile and a visual experience. You can feel the soul of a record, which you can’t from streaming. This to me is the key reason why people are still so passionate about collecting vinyl records as a hobby.”

He has more than 9,000 records, covering a wide range of genres from pop, rock, hip-hop, jazz, punk, disco and R&B to funk and soul. “Vinyl records will always have a special place in my heart, not just because of the wonderful sound, visual, and tactile experience, but also for the many fond memories I have had with my son in our collecting journey. I have met and known so many new friends around the world from the crate-digging sessions I had over the years collecting records”.

Celia-Ann Tay of vinyl records company Retrocrates said: “I believe the general public is becoming more aware of what sounds good – the difference between digital music and analog music. And I think with this realisation, people appreciate what analog music sounds like and want to own part of this. It may be a fad to some, but the majority are jumping onto the bandwagon as they’ve heard how good it sounds and they love it...

“Secondly, the very nature that it is a physical media plays a big part. Who cares that you own 20,000 digital music files. The artwork, the record, the inserts – (all this) plays a huge part in this whole revival of collecting records.”

In fact, I think that during Covid-19, a lot of such “old-school” hobbies have seen something of a revival.

The record scene has taken an upturn in the last 10 years and demand was especially high during Covid-19, said Tay. “There has been increased interest from all age groups – young teens to the older generation.

“We see parents buying a first turntable for their 10-year-old child; we see teenagers saving their pocket money to buy records every month; we see people who used to own turntables in the 70s or 80s, getting back into the scene as they used to collect records then and wish to revive their collection once again.

“I have some of my Dad’s collection from the 60s and 70s – that makes the records about 60 years old... They still play well and sound so good. I intend to keep them when I’m wearing dentures and half deaf – I still believe they will still sound great in the future.”

Besides being a portal to past memories, physical collections can also help instill certain values.

A schoolmate who was into film photography said that having a limited number of shots on a roll of film has trained him to be more disciplined in finding the right angle and lighting, compared to a digital camera with which he can take countless shots without any wastage. Hence, that discipline of trying to ”get it right the first time” has been ingrained in him.

As I look through my stamp collection, still feeling a sense of indignation, I muttered under my breath: “Wait till one of these ends up in an auction house.”

Well, not that it will ever happen, but one can always dream.