Sometimes the right music brings along the wrong mood. The music is right because it is nice, the mood is wrong because, well it isn't exactly something you want. I am of course, talking about the sense of nostalgia.

There are moments when we find things like music, drama serials, books nice not necessarily because it's high quality, but only because they hold our memories and that sentimental value. Perhaps one will argue theres a fair mixture of both factors, but I am sure the feeling of nostalgia runs deeper than what any of us will think. A recast of a long-forgotten childhood drama serial is worth the watch because it once occupied a space within us. A piece of music or a song strikes the right chords with exceptional resonance because it hit the right spot. At times we feel certain new movies, new productions aren't as good as that in the past, but unknowingly we might not even be comparing it in terms of quality, but with the good memories we remembered having while watching those old productions. Classics are held in high regards, and for most they earn their right so, but for the rest, a greater portion of the goodness is judged based on sentimental value. But nostalgia still strikes, once in a while.

I had this exceptional feeling of closeness when I saw Backstreet Boys and West Lifes' new albums in the CD shop. Honestly I haven't been a fan of them, not even close. I have heard less than 10 of their songs. But somehow, they remind me of secondary school days. West Life's "My Love", Backstreet Boys' "I want it that way", Nsync's "It's gonna be me". I am sure many more loyal fans will be quick to point out that those might not be their individual best songs. Truth be told, I never really thought highly of those songs either. But since hearing them sometime this year, I just had this sudden urge to reminicise some of those songs from the old Boyband era.

I don't even know how many still remember Michael Learns to Rock. But I am sure many will be familiar with their songs. Maybe not the titles, but the tunes, especially the chorus, will definitely ring a bell. "That's why", "25 minutes", "Paint My Love"... I got acquainted, possibly re-acquainted with these tracks. And not just for english titles.

Chinese songs are equally emotionally-draining. I can put 优客李林's 《认错》, 张雨生's 《没有烟抽的日子》, 王杰's 《惦记这一些》, 邰正宵's 《一千零一夜》, 张学友's 《拥抱阳光》on loop, without getting sick, just to name a few. And the ultimate tear-jerker is 周蕙. Her songs penetrates all your defences and goes straight to one's heart. The lines are layered with a nostalgia so strong, I can safely say there are few female singers capable of having that effect on me. I doubt I have ever cried listening to a song, being coldblooded, but yes, these songs definitely found their way to my heart. Compared to the amount of pop trash out there now, yes, old ones are better.

But still, we shouldn't be quick to put down any new things, because at the end of the day, what is new will eventually become old too, and there are always discoveries waiting to be made. For a more nostalgic tomorrow? Let's just keep it on the grounds of familiarity. By the way, "Home" is a good song by Westlife I have to introduce.