Living for the City

I am back in KL for about six days or so for my pre-Raya break. Gosh, I can't believe how much I miss this place - the heavy traffic, the various city highways, crazy drivers, the LRT train stations, heavily polluted with carbon monoxide air, One Utama and the tolls (the tolls or gawd the tolls).

Oh nothing feels as good as home :)

Some of my classmates from Ipoh and Kelantan have wondered how I managed to survive in this crazy metropolitan city which we call KL for the last 18 years or so of my life. And every time my reply would be the same "What is so hard about living in KL?!"

Sure the stretch of LDP from Bandar Utama to Kelana Jaya is jam packed with cars of various shapes and sizes during the peak hours and sure the drivers might honk you if you travel for less than 70km/hr. And yes, I do pay RM3.20 every time I travel to-and-fro to One Utama and you can never, I repeat NEVER find a parking if you visit Mid Valley after noon on a weekend..

But all this is pretty normal yes? Normal like how you would wake up every morning and brush your teeth kind of normal.( Well if you don't brush your teeth then I rest my case)

I have never once questioned why the KL traffic is so fucking congested or why we must pay crazy expensive toll rates because I guess I have gotten used to it. This goes to all you other urban kids out there...we have become so assimilated with the city life that we are now at a point where we are immune to all the malarkey that comes with living in the city.

At this point of my life, I couldn't possibly imagine not growing up in the city. To grow up not going to the shopping malls during the weekends but instead visiting a park...I don't know, I just couldn't picture me in that scenario.

But then again, I divide most of my formative teenage years between Penang and KL. And Penang has basically turned into a mini KL. So my kampung is not exactly a kampung in all sense of the word. 

I just have this to say  though, Kuala Lumpur is a place which I've grown to love and loathe in equal measures. But more importantly, its a place where I feel home is :)

Buzzworthy #9: Sky Ferreira

After months of interminable absence Buzzworthy is back with a bang people!

Introducing...Sky Ferreira.

The spunky singer-songwriter exudes all quality that every run-of-the-mill teenager singing sensation (from Miley Cyrus to Taylor Momsen) craves to have. She is adequately provocative, sensationally cool and rightfully distinctive without trying too hard.

But what that sets her apart from her peers is her voice. Ferreira has been touted as the next Britney Spears and rumoured to have the pipes comparable to those of Mariah Carey.

Her new single 'One' is a modern robo-stomper. While it doesn't show off her vocals and seems a bit subdued and lacklustre, the song is definitely an insane piece of music after a couple of spins. The understated metronomic vocal and stammering synths will evade your brain. You have been warned...

But what that I really do love about 'One' is its polished, high-end couture video which was shot by renowned fashion photographer Rankin. And the result as we know it is uber chic.

And now all I can hear is One...

Breakaway

Contrary to popular belief, there is nothing glamorous about moving out from your parent's place and living on your own.  Sure the whole independence thing sound very promising in the beginning. But independence, like everything else in life can be very bitchy as time passes by.

Living on your own is so unglamorous that at times I feel like suing the producers of Gossip Girl for making it so entertaining and sophisticated and polished. The reality is it is far from a polished life this whole living out. All the partying and sleeping late?

Bullshit.

Aha okay maybe I might not be that literate on the late night partying because I've always had this inner nerd in me. But oh the reality is an ugly, ugly thing. Doing your own laundry, cooking your own meal, cleaning out the room...the list goes on and on. And oh god did I mention managing your own finances?

Managing your own account has got to be the bitchiest of all. As most of you would have probably know by now, I am an obsessive and compulsive shopper. But there is nothing compulsive about my spending these days. For example, the other day I went to three different sundry shops to compare the prices of Chipsmore cookies before cycling about 5km to Tesco. All because Tesco's Chipsmore was cheaper by RM1.40.

But I guess living out makes you appreciate your parents even more which is what, I think, most of us young people don't do enough. Our mom and dad make managing the household and finances look almost effortless. It makes the whole nagging from mom thing seems very valid during these times.

I guess independence is not that bitchy after all. Living on your own teaches you all these subtle things once you get pass the frivolities of chores and what not. So here is to those who have taken the leap from the comfort of your home into the big bad world and those who are about to. To those who haven't, worry not. All of us, at some point in our life, do breakaway.

BookSneeze Review: 'Angel Song' by Sheila Walsh & Kathryn Cushman

The premise for the novel Angel Song, a joint effort by authors Sheila Walsh and Kathryn Cushman rides on the coattail of life, grief, love, faith...and to a certain extent the lack of all the aforementioned. 

The story revolves around Anne Fletcher, a young career-driven woman who returns to her childhood home when a tragedy in the form of her sister's death strikes. She returned with a sole purpose - to fix her house, get it on the market and fix her life while on the way. However, things don't go as planned when she finds herself falling for Ethan McKinney, the charming and handsome handyman.

The book is definitely a worthy read. Packed with an above average plot and characters you can emphasize with, Angel Song pulls you in from the first chapter onwards. It is also refreshing that angels make the core theme of the novel. And the fact that Walsh and Cushman didn't try to overdo the whole angel thing is impressive. 

Angel Song is a heartwarming read. It might not be so much of a literary read but it will definitely leave you with a warm feeling later on.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”