The Big Apple

Gone Tomorrow - Lee Child

...Jack Reacher, looking at 3 5-storey worn and old town house in the heart of Manhattan, they may be old and not even suitable for living, but they are worth tonnes, "Air Rights" he thought, this is New York City, they sell everything on the ground, and above...

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Everyone Worth Knowing - Lauren Weisberger

...

" I had a friend who fell into a horrible depression after her favourite grandmother died and her boyfriend of 3 years broke up with her. She couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, couldn't drag herself out of bed. She got fired because she never showed up for work. Huge bags under her eyes. Refused to see anyone. Never answered her phone. When I finally showed up at her aparment after months of this, she confided that she was considering suicide."

"How awful, " I murmured.

"Yeah, it was awful. But you know what got her throught? I'd stopped at the Hermes store on the way over to her apartment, asked for an update.. just in case. And you know what? I was able to tell her when I got there that she was only 18 months away from her Birkin. Do you believe it? 18 months!"

"Well... what did she say?, " I ventured.

"She was estatic! The last time she checked it was going to be 5 years but they had trained a whole new crew of craftsmen and her name was due up in a year and half. She got into shower the very moment and agreed to go lunch with me. That was 6 months ago. Since then she got her job back and has another boyfriend. Don't you see? That Birkin gave her a reason to live! You simply cannot kill yourself when you're that close... it's just not an option."

...

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These are 2 books I read recently, the first one was a action-thriller book about Jack Reacher, an ex-military cop fighting and trying to outsmart a team of 20 Terrorist with 2 female leader, one extremely and also dangerously beautiful.

Second one was pretty much sex and the city kind of casual readings.

Both books talk about New York City, in a very different way though. One talks about the terrorist, crime and every kind of cops, CIA, FBI, federal agents working among the people, while the other about the glamorous life in the Big Apple.

I have quoted 2 parts which gave me a very deep impression, first everything has a value in NYC, even the air above your house. Second, on how the cut-short waiting time for a Birkin (kindly google if this is the first time u heard of it) saved a girl's life.

All these things sounds pretty ridiculous else where, like who cares about the air above my house in Ipoh, or the bag incident, like you have to be on a wait list to pay 20K for a bag (even for the suicide, who knows, it may be real? ). But New York City, it just seems anything is possible there.

That's the charm of the Big Apple.