STORIES, STORIES

Ever feel left out? The kind of left-out that makes you feel like you’re way behind in a race, even though everyone else is within arm’s length? I get that a lot. I meet people my age and I don’t feel like I belong. I meet people younger and older, and I still don’t belong. I tell myself it’s that Loser Streak that I’ve had all these years that I’ve nursed for so long, the one that convinces me time and again that maybe, maybe losers were meant to exist to help the winners feel their win so much more, and that maybe this is my purpose. The Glorified Tech Support. And the proof is in the series of failures and bad decisions that make up most of what I call my adult life. The thing about feeling this way is that I don’t say it out of some desire to get sympathy from others, or to get advice on how to “fix it.” I don’t even feel that bad or sad about it, most times I just feel introspective and resigned. And a little exhausted from introspecting. These feelings are magnified when I wat...

Everybody loves food truck food. Even better, it’s one of those things that people are so proud to declare their love for OMG. I can’t help but hear the undertone of condescension – deliberate or not – when I’m in the midst of friends trying to outdo one another with their love for food truck food along with all the other novelty, kitsch items that our perpetually hipster generation gushes about. OMG YES, I just LOVE being POOR, it’s so BAD , is really what I hear (and also say, let's all be honest). Whether it’s buying things at flea markets, or living without furniture, or driving a beat-up car, I guess we get so tickled by the idea that we’re just not poor enough to have to really, unironically suffer through them. I feel this the most when I get my food from the food truck parked outside our office here in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. Unlike the food trucks in popular culture, this one is a stark reflection of not only tradition and culture in Malaysia, but also of how h...

This satirical sitcom of American politics has taken my insulated life by storm, and I’m thankful for it. It’s a break from the dark, obsessive ambition of House of Cards (which I enjoy) and the headless-chicken, unfunny and severely uninteresting political opining of my Facebook feed (which I hate). That’s what Veep is for me, really – a combination of the heady glamour of Hollywood-ized politics and the ugly reality of its effect on the everyman. I’ve never been invested in any of that, but I’ve always wondered what it’s like behind-the-scenes, and Veep has pulled the curtain to a(n exaggerated) collection of moments that nobody is supposed to see. The show follows Selina Meyer, the fictional first female Vice President of the United States, and her posse as they maneouver the political landscape. Instead of a tightly knit plot from beginning to end, each episode is packed with scenes that feel like outtakes as they go about staging the veep’s public appearances, s...

Still on the Band by Chukwudi Barrah Seeing a post recently about the Microsoft Band being the best fitness band you never heard about reminded me that I was going to write a review—or rather ended my procrastination in writing a review—about the Band. I've owned mine for five months, paired primarily with my iPhone 6 plus. In that time I have come to the conclusion that the combination of both devices do not meet the requirements for which they were purchased. In essence, I need to change one of these devices. I know, first world problems, right? Not really. The essence of exchanging hard-earned money for electronic devices—or anything, ever—is to derive some sort of satisfaction from those things, and so far my satisfaction has been relatively low (at least compared with my expectations). Again, I know the argument is that experiences are lower than expectations. I'd argue that that is the case if the expectations are set unreasonably high. In my case, I don'...

Gakkou Gurashi – A Matter of Perception by Carcass H Initial impressions: Let us begin with a happy moment: perfectly normal girls attending their classes, as if it was school as usual. What is unusual, however, is the presence of a unique club within the school. I’m sure the students in most schools have extra-curricular activities, such as participating in clubs (gardening, language, sewing) or sports-based activities such as football, baseball or track. Well, the exciting premise (I’m lying) here is that our main characters are part of the School-Living Club, where the main activity is… living in  the school. Our happy-go-lucky protagonist, Takeya Yuki, seeks out fun school activities such as camping and tests of courage, while the other club members seemingly go out of their way to entertain her whims.  Mental Anguish Before we continue to the end of the episode, those watching the show with a keen eye will likely see a few things amiss in ...

To save you some precious time, I go through movies, TV shows, books, websites and apps – both good and bad. Here's a list of my recommendations for you this month.  Good TV, Bad TV Now that the Big Kahunas have ended (The Wire, Battlestar Galactica, Breaking Bad) or are winding down (House of Cards, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Doctor Who) ,  us television rats are scrambling about for the Next Big Thing to put our social lives – and sometimes careers – in jeopardy with the binge-watching and Twitter-ranting that comes with committing to a TV show. At least I was, earlier this year, and so I hunkered down on the couch and went on a brave mission to find just the right TV series.  Here are some of the worthy ones: FARGO (Season 1) If you're a sucker for character development like I am, you'll have to fight not to be mesmerized with the one in this show. It certainly helps that they are doled out by such fine actors as Billy Bob Thornt...

I mislike the outdoors very much, but if I were to have my way, I'd hole up in my apartment together forever with my internet and have nothing to blog about except my reactions to tumblr posts. I suffer thusly for art, youguyzzz.  The worst part about the outdoors, apart from itself as a whole, is the heat. I can't even. How do you enjoy anything in the discomfort of sweat gluing your outfit to your body and the humidity frizzing up your hair? No.  Sometimes, though, it's worth the complaining when you behold nature. This waterfall, for instance, shut me up. I was like a bratty, complainer child shushed by that angry adult my parents would warn me about ("If you don't stop right this moment, I'll have Auntie XY come over and snap you in two."). How angry it was. Like a caged animal being watched by idiot humans in a zoo.  This is the Chamang Waterfall in Bentong, Pahang, where friends and I went on an unplanned trip a few weeks ago. Part o...

It's taken two full years of me living here to finally warm up to Kuala Lumpur enough to set foot outside of my comfort zone... and into my comfort zone. I know, it's complicated. I can't tell you enough how complex it is to have spent most of your formative adult years in a place like Saudi, and then uproot yourself to continue life in a less confusing environment (in this case, Malaysia). For two years, I stayed within the confines of my new home and workplace, which were both thankfully in the same 3-mile radius, presumably to acclimate and become "normal". For the most part, this meant learning to stand on my own two feet – living alone, doing my own chores, finding ways to feed myself, living on a budget, really just the basics. I couldn't afford to spend time on hobbies and my interests, I soon discovered, as all my energy was directed towards "not being in Jeddah". Who knew that took so much effort? I continue to see everything through ...