i use a one plus 5t bought by my uncle in exchange of his old phone. i was in the first year of my college then. the phone will complete its sixth year in 2023. it doesn't have a scratch on its screen. it works great. the camera quality has degraded but i still manage to click decent photos with a bit of editing and good frames. the best photos are taken in natural light. it has a call recording feature which doesn't notify the other person that the call is being recorded. this helps during client calls (esp when they are annoying) but then it doesn't have the wide angle camera which summarises all the photography done on instagram these days. i don't plan to give up on it yet. till it works, we're going to use it. there's religiously two things i've done for its upkeep: firstly, i change the screen guard whenever it needs it (mostly once a year) or even the cover & secondly, i keep the phone, apps, etc updated and delete unnecessary apps or data. a lot of folks have told me to just buy a new one & i've never felt the need of. my journey with this oldish phone (in terms of how fast tech products are used & thrown) i've learnt something in life:
(i) if you take care of things (and relationships), they last;
(ii) for it to last, you need to do 2-3 things for its upkeep, something that becomes the anchor to your connection;
(iii) once you have this connection, you have to stop thinking or doing what others are doing. it may seem they're doing good. it seems they getting the best of the new stuff (be it good photos, faster and reliable), its still their journey & not yours, please listen to everyone but do your own shit;
(iv) gradually, when you're on your journey, things just work out fine
i haven't really experienced listening music on vinyl but i like the idea of the analog way of listening music more than streaming. listening music on vinyl helps in more active listening & forces you to embrace each and every song in the album which artist seems to have curated, craving out a story for its audience. when i visualise my dream or ideal place, it definitely has a vinyl playing in the background & dancing with the love of life. of course, modern day streaming has enabled artists with better distribution services and helps in discovery but why aren't most of them rich then? who is taking their money?
lately, my identity crisis has resurfaced. when i talk to friends who know me since 10+ years, they have seen a different version of me. a version who became who she was to survive. she was quiet, ultra focused, not a risk taker at all, just smiled at you irrespective of how you treated her and also never speaking up for what she needs. as i learnt to be a newer version who is still a quiet person but being loud for my needs, being adventurous, not just survive but trying to live my life, the old version and the new fought. they fought so much, that i stumbled and made mistakes. old version wanted to take its place after those mistakes and the new had to learn the art of forgiveness. when even the cell of our bodies dies each second, what's stopping you?
however, i dislike everything old which relates to ideologies, treatment of women, rituals, beliefs, mindsets. in the name of tradition, we keep being delusion to the idea of stability. i do struggle with embracing that change is the only constant and trying to be less reactive to sudden changes. but its true old becomes new and new becomes old and old becomes new and then one truth remains that everyone dies. and the time from your first breath to the last, you have an eternity to experience the music, places, food, nature. its what we call life. i suppose.
my parting thoughts:
(i) have your core people, develop anchors with them, have lasting relationships
(ii) cheer yourself everyday on your own goddamit journey
(iii) change is the only constant and death is the only truth, otherwise everyone and everything is a lie
(iv) every version of you, is still you, old or new
(v) make every bit count, of your doing or non-doing