The Messy Report #2

One ringgit sushis, two ringgit train rides, and learning to love KL again.

Returning is not particularly the easiest thing to do, whether it be to a place, an old lover, or a past life. I was a fool for having thought otherwise.

Part of the challenge that resides in returning is trying to grapple with the fact that everything’s changed, both you and the thing you are returning to. The shoe no longer fits and the more you try to jam your feet in, the worse you feel. And I’m starting to get blisters with this returning. Or reverse culture shock, as psychologists call it.

It’s been three months since I left Adelaide and I’m starting to ponder the merits of my decision. I’m not saying I hate it here, but like the fuzzy outline of a childhood friend, some things may be best kept as just that: a distant memory. The KL I had in my mind – the one I carried with me through lonely winters in Australia – is not the one I’m living in right now.

But my prospect of returning to Adelaide is low. My visa is expiring and I don’t have access to my parents’ money in they way some influencers who tell you to “just do it” when it comes to moving abroad do, so I suppose I must learn to love this city again.

And that starts with actually walking the streets of KL city. As the Malay proverb goes, tak kenal maka tak cinta, right?

In this report:

• Commuting to Kinokuniya.

• Exploring downtown KL and discovering my next favourite hot chocolate spot.

• (not really) Visiting Ilham Gallery.

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6 February 2024

The best way to familiarise, or re-familiarise, oneself with a place is to take the public transport. No other form of transportation forces you to pay attention to the city and its people much like this one.

So, I took the LRT to KLCC for a quick trip to the bookstore. I hitched a ride with my mother as she dropped me off at Universiti (a stop aptly named after its neighbour, Universiti Malaya, the oldest university in the country).

The time is 8:30am. Rush hour. After standing in front of the information board for an embarrassingly long time – 20 seconds is 10 seconds too long for a local – I figured out my route and headed towards the platform.

Hues of green and Petronas ads fade into view. I have arrived at KLCC station. But before making my way towards Kinokuniya, a sweet treat is in order. My favourite boba joint, KOI Thé, was located strategically by the station’s exit, so I got myself a cup of the regular: Golden Bubble Milk Tea with half sugar and a whole lot of ice to combat the heat outside.

I only needed two things from this trip: Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar and Joan Didion’s My Year of Magical Thinking. After quietly contemplating my choices, I went with The Bell Jar because I was not in the mood, nor was I in the right headspace, to be reading about death and grief. Ha! Have fun with The Bell Jar, girl.

20 February 2024

My cousin came to visit on his semester break. He’s been wanting to drop by the flea market, or pasar karat as we call them, in Chinatown. He’s looking for a briefcase or something, I’m looking for an excuse to get out of my bell jar.

We drove up to Abdullah Hukum station and took the LRT to Pasar Seni. From there, we walked the quiet – but never deserted – streets of KL to the flea market. I was actually so surprised by the tranquility of it all despite it being a weekday in KL. Actually, come to think of it, it was probably because it was a weekday that we barely saw people.

Also it was really hot. The vendors were in the midst of packing up when we got there (10am), eager to escape the rising humidity. But we did catch glimpses of the vintage and second hand goods that were on sale (see the video my cousin took below). I saw what looked like a pair of brand new Onitsuka Tiger sneakers, but no briefcases in sight.

Disappointed and sweaty, we headed north to REXKL, a building my friends and I affectionately refer to as the indie kids’ den. The building, designed by Malaysian architect and founding member of the Federation of Malaya Society of Architects (now Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia (PAM)), James Robert Vethavanam, was originally a theatre – one of the firsts in the country. After a series of fires that set the building ablaze one too many times, Rex Theatre stood dormant in downtown KL.

Until it was revived as REXKL, an arts and culture hub known for hosting makers markets and live shows. It houses a bunch of local stores, a bookstore so big and maze-y you’d think you were in the Minotaur’s labyrinth, and an array of trendy eateries. Apparently the restaurants are good, but they were closed when we got there – any worth trying?

I’m so glad that, for once, we saved a building from ruin and turned it into something meaningful for the community instead of building yet another mall or apartment or, God forbid, skyscraper.

What I wore: Adidas Gazelles, Uniqlo baggy jeans, Uniqlo cotton volume long sleeve blouse, H&M hobo bag, Phoebe sunnies from Bailey Nelson.

Here, the buzz of the city runs high as tourists and locals weave in and out of the building. Some grabbing a drink, others cooling down by the AC, and many exploring the place. We perused the shelves of KANOE, The Objects Store, and Mano-Go where I tried on this mini Freitag bag and had the shock of my life after seeing its price tag.

It is pretty cute, though, I won’t lie, but the price? Not cute.

Here's me browsing The Objects Store. They've got a good curation of fine objects. Also had the shock of my life looking at these prices.

We then made our way to BookXcess, the maze-y bookstore I mentioned earlier. If you need a good background for your Instagram post or TikTok video, this is it, and if you need to look for a book to satiate your literary hunger, this is it too. We bought nothing, had no intentions of doing so. We went just because we were in the area, you know?

It was midday by the time we left REX, so we made our way back to Pasar Seni station to go home. But before that, a drink! It’s so hot in KL right now one must get a drink after spending hours outside. We stumbled upon a new coffee truck next to the Central Market called Koppiku and to my delight the drinks were all below RM10. I got myself a hot chocolate which was soooo rich and creamy it reminded me of Cibo’s in Adelaide. My cousin got himself an iced latte.

And then I burnt a hole in my wallet by purchasing another Crumpler bag. This time I got a small version of the Comfort Zone to bring with me on adventures around KL. You know what they say: once you go Crumpler, you never go back.

Settled with this bright orange one.

25 February 2024

I was sick for a couple of days, but once the snot stopped dripping uncontrollably, my cousin and I headed into the city again. On the agenda: Ilham Gallery and KLCC.

Oh and of course, I took my new Crumpler out on a test drive.

The name Ilham Tower has been on the lips of many Malaysians recently over allegations that its owner was involved in corrupt practices and money laundering. I’m telling you this because the gallery we’re visiting is located inside said building. I’m not here to discuss politics with you, don’t worry, so let’s talk about my time at the gallery, shall we?

Or maybe not so much because the main gallery was actually closed for maintenance. We did get to see an exhibition by Hsu Che-Yu, a Taiwanese video artist, called Three Episodes of Mourning Exercise, though. This very grim exhibition – one I was not expecting to see on such a beautiful Sunday – explores the relationship between death, the body, and our memories. I didn’t like it, so we escaped to the gift shop.

Afterwards, we walked to KLCC for a quick Kinokuniya run. Gosh, it was packed in there, even Miffy came!

I was browsing the Food and Drink shelves when I stumbled upon an insider’s edition of Kitchen Confidential. I read a few pages and now I’m charmed (by the book and Mr. Bourdain). I’m charmed so bad, I started watching No Reservations and The Bear and seriously toying with the idea of going to culinary school. Ok, maybe not immediately, but it is a plan I would like to see to in the future.

I’m even scouring the pages of Substack for any food-related posts.

Here are some of my favourites:

• Ice Cream Tour by

  thank you, ok

• Pastry school girl by

  Jenny Clark

Any more recommendations? I need to fuel my current hyperfixation!!!

We then got one ringgit sushis from Empire Sushi (surprisingly pretty decent) for the train ride home.

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Truth be told, three days is not enough to truly fall in love with KL again. I still feel the same, but it has been wonderful sweating, commuting, and walking around the streets of KL city – I missed that. It brought back a very familiar feeling, one I felt the first time I arrived in Adelaide some 4 years ago.

We don’t talk enough about gruelling experience of reverse culture shock, the harrowing and guilty feeling that it leaves you in. I hope we do, I think it’s important that we do.

This post is my contribution to it.