the indispensable Music

Listening to music is a great way to chill, to enjoy a certain equanimity and peace that accompanies the pleasure of imbibing splendidly melodious notes. And it doesn't cost much to appreciate music.

I find myself enjoying walking through the malls in the weekdays when there's not much of a crowd - no screaming kids, no three-generation families out in full force, no chaos and unbearable din. It's not because i fancy walking around looking at beautiful things which i would not mind possessing but which i can't afford. Sometimes i just linger around simply because the department store or mall happens to be playing some music that has got me hooked. You know, there must be a few times when you unconsciously find your attention diverted away from the array of displays to the certain piece of music or song that is being played. I've had that exprience many times. By sheer chance, there would be times when some really nice music happen to be played just as you happen to be around in that particular store or mall. And then you just continue to stroll on, while your head is full of the music/song in the air.

I also like chilling out at bars or pubs that play soft rock music or jazz, or where there are live bands performing. Ironically though, i haven't had many opportunities to spend time in such places. One thing is that you usually have got to pay a lot for the drinks in order to be inside the bar. This is not good for poor folks like me. Coffee clubs or houses are a good alternative, though the ambience is certainly not quite the same. And i don't suppose any coffee houses have any live bands performing. In Kuala Lumpur, there are quite a couple of pubs around that look pretty conducive for enjoying drinks and chilling out with friends. (Many of them, at least in the area where i was, aren't the kind that has loud raucous music blaring from within.) I was at this place in K.L. once where it is somewhat like the Holland V. of Singapore, in terms of the street ambience and its slightly cosmopolitan crowd. After walking around for some time trying to find a pub that plays decently good music, my friends and i finally settled on one that has nice cushion seats that can accomodate all of us. There were plenty of other bars around which have very creative names and which all seem to be playing music that is palatable to our preference. But i reckon we were then too tired from all the walking and decided to just get into one quickly. It turned out to be quite a decent one. And if i recall correctly still, a bucket of heineken bottles was ordered and shared amongst 4 of us. As it is our neighbour up north, of course the drinks were far much cheaper, allowing us to drink our fill merrily.

When i to travel to K.L. the next time, i would definitely visit the place again. Far better than shopping and tiring your legs, enjoying drinks with a group of friends and appreciating good music is a much better deal.