I take the tube to school every day. And although it takes me about 40 minutes to go from Canada Water to Uxbridge Road, I got used to it after a while due to the many different ways I’ve figured out to make my daily journey more pleasant and useful. On Thursdays, for instance, I study for my chunking test. I’ve tried browsing the morning newspapers, reading books and magazines, and even flirting with other travellers. But nothing beats the companionship of my iPod.

Music has always been a good friend of mine. My childhood was not the nicest part of my life, like it’s supposed to be. So music was the sweetest escape from problems. I’d put my favourite records on and forget about the whole world. And thanks to my aunt, who was also  addicted to music, I became aware of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Marvin Gaye, Tom Jobim & Joao Gilberto, Madonna and Michael Jackson. I made up my father’s mind that I needed to speak English (at the age of eight) so I could understand what all those people were singing about.

When I started enjoying artists that my parents didn’t appreciate, I was given a piece of hardware that would make lifetime dreams come true: a walkman. Life had changed. And  much for the better. Music could be anywhere. And the best thing was it sounded as if it were inside my head. What could be cooler than that? I spent hours and hours making a raft of mix tapes to create the most adequate soundtrack to each moment. CDs came a bit later but they were never as portable as these good fellows.

. Well, I’m not comfortable enough to speak for the so-called iPod generation. I’m in my late 20s so I empathize with the guys who suffered to leave one or two songs out of that perfect playlist just because it wouldn’t fit onto a 60-minute cassette tape.  I therefore  have a reason to be delighted with a machine that’s pocket-sized and not only  plays Beck’s latest album but also all the songs he’s ever recorded. It makes waiting rooms less boring. It turns my weekly shopping at the supermarket into fun. That friend of mine who is always late for our meetings seemed to have arrived faster this time. And now, if there’s a delay on the tube network due to some problem like ,’ A signalling problem at Lancaster Gate,’, I  have a playlist for that as well, no matter how long I have to wait.

Evaldo