I am quite sure 9 out of 10 of us read magazines of some sort. Either it is about beauty, design, business, food etc. We usually either buy, subscribe or loan it from a friend. The cost of magazine these days can easily range anything from RM 5 all the way to RM 80. Although many of the local publication are improving, I am guessing most of us sometimes prefer imported magazine due to its content’s breath and depth. However I am not suggesting that we don’t by local publication, I personally buy them too, it is a way for me to be aware of the local aspect or issues in a local context. Anyhow imported magazine’s price is sky high and it may be a very heavy investment in the long run.

Magazine source:

1. Get a group of friends that shares a common interest, you can just buy one and share
2. Loan it from your office or a library
3. Buy the electronic version

There is also a problem about storage after reading, if you are consistently buying it over a year or two and approximately 2 magazines or more each month, it can turn out to be quite a library. Let’s save the earth!

Ways to get rid of the magazines 

1. Try to sell it on eBay (read more about this in “One man’s meat is another man’s poison“)
2. Pass it to someone who may benefit from it
3. Recycle (don’t throw it in the bin!!!)

Personally I prefer the real magazine rather than the electronic version. I’ve spent a major part of my life in front of the screen – getting away from it, is a holiday for my eyes, plus relaxing on the bed, couch or even in Coffee Bean. Recently a colleague of mine suggested a site to me where I can download magazine for free http://www.zubunet.com/site/index.html. They may not be the latest edition but I guess it’s a good source to check out some of the EXPENSIVE magazines! To read the magazine, you need to install a reader application that pretty much works like a RSS feed reader hence it is automatically updates whenever there is a new magazine. The site is in Chinese and as I am pretty much a banana (term used to depict a Chinese who can’t read or understand Chinese), I had a hard time maneuvering around. You can basically click around and find your way or get a non-banana to help you. 

Currently the magazines that I read are Click, Digital Camera, Personal Money, The Edge (sometimes) and other misc publications online.

Do you have any recommendations or suggestions related to magazines?