I used to be this person who couldn’t listen to music while reading. I tend to sing along with the song currently playing, leaving the book I’m reading unattended, and in the worst case, I’ll put the book down and belt my lungs out. I’m a frustrated singer. What can I say? I can be easily distracted, which is why I find nighttime to be the most ideal time to read. It’s quiet, and I can concentrate on what I’m reading.

But recently, I finally managed to conquer this little obstacle. I can now listen to music while reading. I heard some readers like plugging their earphones in and blasting the music (just like my sister) to tune out the noise. This logic didn’t make sense to me when I heard this reason. Isn’t the music sometimes distracting? It turns out that it does help tune out the noise. I finally saw the logic there. And if the playlist is in shuffle, it’ll help me as well, since I don’t know what song will play next, which helps me not to get distracted. After a while, I tend to forget the music and just focus on reading. It’s not that I’m completely ignoring what I’m listening to; I don’t know why, but for some reason, the music and its beat keep me from zoning, which sometimes happens when the story becomes too boring.

I think it also contributed to what songs I’m currently listening to. As you can see, I’m listening to Japanese music again. Watching anime brought back so many interests, and this is included. It’s not that I can’t sing along with it anymore (I still can, just with a slight accent now, much to my dismay), but Japanese songs have this beautiful arrangement and a unique style. I just adore it; listening to their music goes hand in hand since songs are heavily featured in the anime that I watched.

I also liked keeping tabs on what I’m currently listening to; that’s why I signed up for a Last.fm account (and if you have one, kindly add me!—shameless plugging, I know). I’m chocodenim there. :P) Before, my stats weren’t that accurate, but I installed a last.fm app on my phone, so every time I listen, it scrobbles the songs (even if I’m offline; I think it will update once I gain internet access). (Or so I thought.) It’s very handy for someone like me who likes to record things, haha.

But going back to the topic, I’m immensely happy that I overcame this obstacle. I’m not the best person or the most comfortable at multitasking. But for me to achieve this, which is a big deal, I don’t need to listen and read separately. I can do it at the same time!