MANILA, Philippines?I am a huge fan of the iPod and portable music players in general. I started young with the Walkman, then with the portable CD player, proceeded to exploiting the mini-disc, and learned how to download songs when I got a 128MB mp3 player from my dad.

I finally got myself a 30GB iPod when I began earning my own money. This mp3 player wakes me up and gets me going during the day. So the thought of an entire week without my iPod really scared me.

On the first day of my iPod abstinence, I almost cried. I bought a book to help me get through the hours of transit. But I?m a bigger fan of music than books, so I still couldn?t help but miss my iPod.

I did a lot of anti-boredom activities in the absence of my music player. Aside from reading, I also played the guitar, took photos, sang and even talked to myself.

On the second day, I cheated by plugging my earphones and playing a few songs from my computer?not from the iPod. I needed to listen to music, badly.

After the third day, I was questioning if the whole endeavor was worth it. What if I did go through an entire week without my music player? Would it prove anything?

Well, it did prove something. I still have not seen my iPod since I left it in a drawer five days ago. Now I know that, while there was no way I could live without music, I needn?t be dependent on this one gadget.

It also forced me to do other activities, experience other things besides listening to music. I am halfway through reading my book, I?ve finished a couple of rolls of film and I?m in the process of writing a new song. Taking a break from my iPod has allowed me to do all these.

Even if I decide to use my iPod again, I know I can live without it, as long as music itself is alive in me.

The author is a member of indie band Kaze, the singles of which are available online.