Browser #1

BROWSER casual encounters in knowing

> SIGHTSEEING Expand your carbon footprint > ADD TO BAG Things to love about globalisation and consumerism > CONSIDER THIS Walking as an acquired skill > LOOKING BACK What a Modernist chemical plant looks like

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> IMPRINT Behind this issue

Editor's note The small, monotone pages you have in your hands today is yet another print experiment from a fellow life enthusiast.

There are things to buy, places to visit, ideas to consider and facts to know. I hope they enrich your brain somehow. If not, pass it on to the next reader. Thanks for your time!

L.

Words, images and art direction Liyana Aina liyana.aina@gmail.com Instagram: @pfrsch Browser #1 Produced in Kuala Lumpur All rights reserved Š 2016

> CONSIDER THIS Walking as an acquired skill

The sights are all too familiar to you; that tennis court by the highway exit, the factory-lined road at the edge of your neighbourhood, the barren strip of land by the river. You zoom past them during your daily commute, without giving second thoughts.

Those very surroundings that contribute to your boredom holds an adventure, no compass necessary. It only takes a pair of comfortable shoes to get you going from sofa to wayfarer in 60 seconds.

Taking a walk is a rare activity as weekday

Start walking • overlook no path, even if you are

commutes become longer. There is less time in

familiar with it. It always looks different

the morning to gradually warm up the body and

on foot.

mind – we tend to jump-start our senses with some kind of instant stimulant. Usually coffee. 30 minutes later we are out the door, trying to dodge the traffic jam. By the time we get home from work, the sun is down.

Walking is a natural and intuitive act. It

• leave the bag. A smartphone, an identity card and a few banknotes would suffice. Slip them in your pockets and walk hands-free. If you need anything else (like refreshments), get it along the way.

stimulates our mind and reflexes; moving aside to avoid bumping into that woman with a stroller,

• try not to stick to your route all the

noticing the changes of pavement and flooring

time. Detours often lead to surprising

when you cross different properties, the stream

discoveries.

of air blowing through a narrow alley, the way shadows are casted by trees and poles.

Once you have mastered the basic skill of getting around, take it up a step with a microadventure. This term was popularised by Alastair Humphreys, who navigated the M25 (a

• be observant. You might miss something interesting if you limit your perspective to just what's in front of you.

• your walk need not last for hours. It could happen during lunch time. A stroll

highway that encircles London), and was named

around the city block beats getting stuck

National Geographic's Adventurer of the Year.

listening to your colleague's ramblings

Give it a go here: www.alastairhumphreys.com

over take-away.

> SIGHTSEEING Expand your carbon footprint

Cape Rachado Forest Reserve

Bernam Bakery

A 90-minute drive from Kuala Lumpur is this

What are the odds of finding a Danish bakery in

forest reserve that is best known for raptor-

the middle of an oil palm plantation? This

spotting. The lighthouse dates back to the

unassuming building that sits next to the Teluk

Portuguese colonisation in the 1500s. A 20-

Intan carriageway bakes butter cookies,

minute trek down the cliff will lead you to a

vanillekranse, pastries, simple cakes, and

wonderfully deserted beach and a tomb. At low

coconut buns, a favourite among estate

tide, you can get around the cape on a rocky

workers. The plantation is run by a Danish family

path. The water is comparatively better in

since the 1920s and produces 20% of

quality than the nearby beaches at Port Dickson.

Malaysian's palm oil.

Tanjung Tuan, Malacca

Unitata Berhad, Jendarata Estate

2.403969, 101.854150

36009 Teluk Intan 3.852472, 100.967554

Jalan Raja Bot market

L45 Library

Rough, hardy neighbourhoods make perfect

Nestled in a mature, compact neighbourhood is

studies for the social spectator. The Jalan Raja

L45, a community library for those who like to

Bot market has served the needs of its multi-

read in conceptual architecture. Don't let the

ethnic shoppers since the 1950s. The city hall is

industrial finishings distract you from the array of

in the midst of building a new complex that runs

design books mostly donated by architects, as

between a hangar-like wet market and a row of

the housekeeper will count who's there to read

Midcentury shophouses. Visit it this coming

and who's there to Instagram the 'rainbow

Saturday night to experience it at its busiest,

shelf'.

before gentrification takes place.

Jalan Raja Bot, Kuala Lumpur

45, Lorong Kurau, Bangsar

3.164269, 101.699048

54900 Kuala Lumpur 3.122707, 101.669915

> ADD TO BAG Things to love about globalisation and consumerism

A mĂŠlange sweater It's true that people in the tropics wear more colours than those who have evolved in temperate climes. But as more and more Western chain stores appear in Southeast Asian cities, we have replaced our love for garish prints with a spectrum of greys.

And why a sweater near the equator? Because we need to protect ourselves from the subzero airconditioning in malls and offices.

Grey cotton-mix hoodie, UNIQLO

A face moisturiser with SPF Let's face it - global warming is for real. The ozone layer is thinning. Beat the UVAs and UVBs with a coat of the right, white stuff before you step out.

We are currently loving the wax-like texture and speedy absorption of this face moisturiser from NIVEA. The 75ml size is perfect for those who don't believe in refilling flimsy PET bottles whenever they need to jet off.

NIVEA MEN Daily Defense Moisturiser with SPF 15

A paper clamp There is no other place that makes you want to spend your hard-earned middle income than at the 100 yen shop. Automatically, you rationalise the need for these multicoloured paper clamps. They are too cute to be stowed away in a desk organiser, or holding reports to be handed over to your undeserving supervisor. We recommend attaching one onto your lapel for that career-chic look. And like everything else in this world, it's made in China, and not made to last.

Multi-coloured paper clamps (pack of 10), Daiso

A pair of petit beurre Cookie jars are fast becoming a relic of the preobese world; you're most likely helping yourself to a sachet of cookies straight out of an 8-pack when you visit your aunt today. This single-serve pair of milk chocolate-coated butter biscuits from Belgium lets you have a piece of what little Tim in Antwerp is having for recess in school.

Petit Beurre, Delhaize

> LOOKING BACK What a Modernist chemical plant looks like

Malaya Acid Works This disused factory sits on prime land, overlooking the ever-congested Federal Highway. The parameter walls are topped with shards of soda bottles from the 1970s, a primitive yet effective trespassing deterrent. While it’s a massive abandoned site, there are guards at the gates. This view is seen from the inner road where many other factories are still in operation.