I’ve spent the last 10 years of my life waking up to the dreaded sound of Apple’s radar alarm sound. Dididi-dididi- dididi-dididi DIDIDI-DIDIDI. And I never stopped to think about why. Why was I torturing myself this way every morning, letting this sonic harassment continue. I decided enough was enough. I’d had it. After literally 2 minutes on Facebook marketplace, I secured a $20 vintage Toshiba radio clock (bartered down from $30). Gone are the days of waking up recoiling from the day, waves of repulsion pulsing through my body, my bones twisting in agony to the resentful siren of awakening.
Now, I wake up to the soothing sounds of Island Time, a Pasifika radio station that genuinely slaps. Now I wake up listening to cook island RnB, Tongan hip hop. Instead of groping around on my desk desperate to stop this assault on my ears, I now lie for a moment, intrigued by whatever the show host is saying.
Somewhere along the way we got lost (I could write a whole magazine about this, 90% of my opinion pieces this year have been luddite AF). Somewhere we decided a selection of Soulless tunes and sounds was the right way to wake. We decided that waking up was an urgent matter – something that should be over before it begins. We never stopped to consider that it can be enjoyed and savoured. That there’s value in taking your time. Radio alarm clocks allow us to do just that. Lie in for a few minutes more and let the radio serenade you. Enjoy the tunes while staring lazily out into the misty Kirikiriroa morning. Ponder what the host has to say between songs. Give it a try, you might just find yourself looking forward to the day for a change.
