Borak-borak petang Jumaat

If you’re using Apple iTunes you’ll understand this better. And if you’ve seen all the song titles in my iTunes library, you’ll understand this even better.

Well, iTunes software has this sharing feature whereby you can allow other users in the same LAN/network segment to play the music from your library without noticeable performance degradation on the owners’ workstation (very the opposite of Windows’ shared folders. Try running a window application from your friend’s PC. It’d slow his/her workstation and sometimes it would just hang). For shared iTunes library, you can play, but you cannot download the other person’s songs or Podcast.

In my office many choose to use iTunes instead of Windows Media Player especially the gym-goers because most of us have iPods (Nano, shuffle and even iPhones).

The shared libraries’ names can be just anything; there’s Pustaka Mus1c, My Stupid Songs, Limah’s Muzique etc.

So, I named my shared iTunes library as Makcik Punye (ala-ala cute macam iklan Cuticura zaman 80an dulu – Adik Punye! Adik Punye! Kalau ko tak tau iklan tu, Nampak sangat ko ni generasi SMS). I have been using this name since Jan 08. Most of my colleagues, especially the gym-goers know that this library belongs to me. Whenever they saw new interesting songs I just ripped, they’d come to me with their thumb drives or DVD-RW. We also share song playlists for cardio sessions. (Well, one of the security features of iPod is that you can’t simply synch your iPod with other people’s iTunes library – hence the copying activity).

There was a time another colleague renamed his/her library as Pakcik Punye – nak tumpang glamer aku la tu.

Yesterday, as I was trying to LLB (look like busy), I launched my iTunes and was really surprised to see a new library named ‘Makcik Punye, please call me at xxxx. I want to copy your songs’. I spent a good 2 minutes laughing in front of my workstation. The rest of my floormates were eyeing me suspiciously because I’d only laughed like that when I was about to lose my mind or when a certain hormone was at an uncontrollable level.

At first I thought I wanted to change my library name to ‘xxxx cuba teka sapa saya’. But then, I was afraid that the rest of my colleagues would change their library names to ‘Makcik tu nama dia Dayang’. Or worse, ‘Jangan kawan ngan Makcik tu, library dia penuh dengan lagu Datuk CT’.

In the end, I searched the phone extension in the company address book and found out the library owner was someone who has been in so many meetings with me. So, I just sent him an instant message asking, ‘Ko nak lagu CT Nurhaliza ke?’ That fella actually looked like some guy who’d only listen to Metallica or Pearl Jam. Paling cikai pun, Linkin Park lah. So, his reply was ‘Ciss kau Dayang rupanya’. Terus dia melupakan niat nak meng’copy’ lagu-lagu aku. Moral of the story, don’t judge a person by his/her iTunes library. Walaupun iTunes library aku penuh dengan lagu Datuk CT, tapi sebenarnya ada gak lagu omputih yang ganas dan best.

Update on my supposed-to-be-bought-last-weekend-iPhone: I decided to put it on hold for 6 months or so. My colleague calculated the total cost of ownership – it’s not worth it. Let’s see whether there’ll be more attractive packages and plans in 6 months’ time.