NYE Reflections

What a year this has been, lots of hellos and goodbyes, joy and sadness underscored by a very dramatic change. I spent last new year's eve surrounded by new friends in DC getting plastered at a bar and will most likely do the same this year, except this time in KL. I'm thankful for the opportunities and experiences I have in life and resolve to be a happy and industrious person next year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! Thanks for your unconditional love and support. Let me know how your celebrations go.

Welcome to Malaysia -- land of the un-free but safe

Yet more evidence that the leadership in this country is morally bankrupt.

Malaysia PM warns on freedoms (Financial Times)

By John Burton in Singapore

Published: December 10 2007 16:03 | Last updated: December 10 2007 16:03

Abdullah Badawi, the Malaysian prime minister, warned on Monday he was willing to sacrifice public freedoms for stability as the government extended a crackdown against opposition groups.

A series of protests have emerged in recent weeks as the biggest political challenge to confront the prime minister since he took office in 2003. Police at the weekend arrested 21 opposition members who staged street protests in the past month demanding electoral laws reforms, fair treatment of racial minorities and an improvement in human rights.

The sudden eruption of street demonstrations, which are banned in Malaysia, appears to have shaken the Abdullah administration and may disrupt plans to call an early general election next year.

“If voters are easily persuaded ... by people playing the racial card, then we are heading for disaster,” Mr Abdullah told a business audience on Monday. “If the choice is between public safety and public freedoms, I do not hesitate to say here that public safety will always win,” he said. “We must never ever take our peace for granted.”

The protests reflect discontent among ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities over Malaysia’s long-standing policy of affirmative action for ethnic Malays, who make up just over half of the country’s population of 25m.

The most overt challenge to the policy occurred late last month when at least 10,000 ethnic Indians protested against what they claim was discrimination in the allocation of university places and government jobs.

The leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), which organised the protest, appeared in court on Monday as prosecutors sought permission to charge them with sedition. They were recently released by a lower court on a technicality. Mr Abdullah has warned that the Hindraf leaders, all of whom are lawyers, could be detained indefinitely without trial under the country’s internal security act if they pose a danger to national stability.

Government officials have suggested that Hindraf is seeking possible links with militant groups on the Indian subcontinent, including Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger separatist group or the RSS, the extremist offshoot of India’s Hindu nationalist BJP party.

P. Utayakumar, a Hindraf leader, dismissed the allegations as a pretext for the government to ban the group and he has filed a complaint with the police over the accusations.

However, a crackdown on Hindraf could harm Malaysia’s ties with India, which recently expressed concerns about the treatment of ethnic Indians in Malaysia. In response, Malaysia has said the issue is an internal matter and has asked New Dehli not to interfere.

Government officials claim the recent protests have scared off foreign investors and tourists and more could threaten economic growth.

Mr Abdullah’s strong stance comes as Bersih, an electoral reform group, is planning to submit a petition of demands during a protest on Tuesday.

In an apparent warning against Tuesday’s rally, several officials from two opposition parties were arrested at the weekend with others who attempted to hold a human rights march in Kuala Lumpur, the capital.

Summary comparisons

I wanted to write a post ranting about my disgruntled work life veiled as a comparison between work culture in the US and Malaysia but I seem to not have enough to write about save for the fact that my boss is the devil personified and the bank, Mammon. Also, as a 'probation' employee, I am not supposed to take a day off for the first six months on the job. Compared with the cushy IBM internship where interns get big offices, laptops and are allowed to 'work from home,' all of this is rather disappointing to me.

Round 2

Happy Turkey Day!

Please eat extra portions of turkey (or tofu-key), mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie for me. I'll write about the things I'm thankful for soon.

edit:

I tried and couldn't think of anything to be thankful for that didn't sound contrived or untrue. I know I should try harder, if this article has any truth to it.

Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in DC anymore

Al-Jazeera story


Other news outlets:
Tear gas used on rare Malaysian demo -- CNN
Malaysia police use water cannon at Anwar rally -- MSNBC

Oh boy!

Deja vu

There is a street I drive through every day on my way home from work. It is a street flanked by two rows of pre-WWII shop houses and bisected by an elevated subway track. It is also a street that takes me at least 20 minutes to drive through despite being 100 meters long (330 feet) -- this is what happens when you combine inconsiderate drivers with bad city planning. Every day, I sit in traffic on this street and the only thing that keeps me sane is the flashback I get of Philadelphia, New York and DC and how comfortable I felt being surrounded by disgruntled life in a city that seemed as if it was filled to bursting. It is a street I have always wanted to show you but couldn't, that is, until I got my first camera phone last week. Watch out, KL!

And for you Planet Unicorn watchers, there's now ambrosia in cookies! My ambrosia salad tastes like chocolate. Mmmmm....

Asian Morality

Not enough has been said of Singapore's recent decision to uphold Section 377A of the Penal Code despite efforts by prominent Singaporeans to repeal it. The decision serves a blow not just to LGBT rights in Singapore but to the SE Asia region (with the exclusion of Thailand) as well because Singapore is seen as the bellwether for its neighbors. When secular Singapore decides to uphold 377A, Muslim dominated Malaysia and Indonesia will see no reason to discuss the matter. They will reason that if a secular SE Asian nation cannot find support to repeal the act (which exists in a similar form in Malaysia and Indonesia), then it will fail to achieve significance in their country as well.
The discussion in the Singaporean Parliament was, as usual, rife with doublespeak. PM Lee Hsien Loong's call to allow LGBT individuals (but more specifically gays) to have a place in society and live unharassed private lives was negated by his decision to keep the draconian act.
PM Lee and his supporters fail to see that by criminalizing homosexuality, the Singaporean parliament sends a message to Singaporeans that LGBT individuals are fair game for both government and society. It sends a message to employers that it is all right to fire an employee if someone see him walk into a gay bar. It sends a message to constituents that gay men are inferior to the rest of society and cannot hold a political post. It sends a message to the school bully who sees it as validation for taunting the 'faggot' in his class. PM Lee fails to see that by repealing the act he doesn't allow gays to "set the tone for Singapore society" but by upholding it, he allows homophobes to do just that.
On the bright side, some proponents of the repeal have found success despite the decision. The discussion in the Parliament was the first discussion regarding homosexuality, a breakthrough in sex-averse Singapore. Furthermore, it allowed LGBT individuals to come out of the woodwork in the public sphere for the first time and show heterosexual Singaporeans that the perceptions of LGBT individuals as child molesters were false.
It's a sad week for many of us but the battle is uphill from here. The conversation must go on.

Eureka!

I've finally realized why I don't write in this blog as much anymore -- I've been 'integrated'. The novelty of being back in KL has worn off so I don't feel the need to write that you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it-this-is- crazy post about quirky Malaysia. Now, instead of running home to write about my parents' friends asking me how much I earn or cars parked on sidewalks, I shrug and think "well, this is too ordinary to write in my blog" so I don't.

Whiny Will

I really would like to write a positive blog post, something that has that cheerleader rah-rah, i-can-do-it feel but it's hard to be upbeat when in the span of a week, I've broken my new pair of contact lenses, found two nails in my flat tire and scraped the side of my car as I navigated around a difficult corner. To make matters worse, I think I've lost Language too -- it took me five minutes to type this first paragraph.
They say what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger but I'm not going to make any cliche statements like that anytime soon. Yes, I'm still alive but every time I get out of the car, I make sure that my tires remain nail-free. I probably could win an award for being Malaysia's slowest driver but only because I never want to hear that sickening, hollow thud of car against concrete again.
Perhaps the only thing I can say about all this is that I'm learning about myself and discovering the things that I am certain about (not many) and things that I would like to be certain about. This week, I re-learned to say no and to insist on getting my way. I've become certain that there are people that I can count on when I'm in a jam but I would like to be certain about my own abilities in handling tough situations.
Sometimes, I think it's hard to live in a place where everyone is ultra-confident because failure has never obstructed their progress or if it has, it's only made them more resolute about success. What I need to happen in KL is a big cry club where I can feel like it's all right to have bad days or to make mistakes. What I need is really a good Oprah episode and lots of ice cream.

Home fires

I've fired the first shot in a new round of conflict with my parents -- I told them I was thinking of moving out. A friend of a friend is moving into his new condo somewhere on the other side of KL and asked me if I wanted to live with him (he knew I was passively looking for a place). Today, I drove the entire length of KL to see the new digs and I'm still not sure where I stand on this but I don't know if my thoughts or feelings count here. My dad is already against the idea on practical grounds -- "Why pay someone rent when you can own?" -- so he's undertaking an apartment search on my behalf. What I'm afraid of is that my parents will sell our current house when they retire in the country next year. Ideally, I would love to live here in the house I grew up in, where the pencil marks measuring my vertical progression are still visible on the door frames and the neighbors have remained unchanged in 25 years but I know one thing for certain and that is I cannot live with my parents.

Reality Sets In

Well, I've returned from my honeymoon high and now that I've gone and started the eight to seven grind all I can think is "Shit, what have I done?" My first week at work was rather disastrous -- I've been put in a cubicle and given the vaguest of directions to learn as much as I can about financing. For the past five days, I have been reading about options pricing and share premiums, scrutinizing balance sheets and income statements and reading about debentures, treasuries, revolving credit and the like but all I've gained from that is this huge anxiety that I know so little in an industry that prizes encyclopedic knowledge and razor sharp analysis.
I'm trying me best to impress but I do think (perhaps legitimately) that everyone is wondering how I got the job and if I suddenly woke up one day and decided to become an investment banker, an Elle Woods in KL. It seems like everyone at the office tries to dumb things down for me and I fumble at every situation I get to prove myself which is really frustrating. I hope conditions improve next week.

Merdeka Celebrations

An air of festivity hangs in the air here in Kuala Lumpur as today marks our 50th year of independence from the British. I had forgotten how fun it was to be in the city on the eve of a celebration and it really is: massive traffic jams in the city as people make their way to fireworks lookout points, restaurants and bars offering special promotions to bring in the revellers and everyone's anticipation -- as if it was the last night of their lives -- palpitating throughout the city in a made joyous rush.
I spent my night on the eve of Merdeka (translation: Independence) at a queer friendly music/ art bar that is just two minutes from my house. I knew that as I sat there watching groups of performers belting out tunes from decades past that I was content. It was a moment of epiphany for me when I realized how exciting it was to be home in a crowd filled with friends, artists, liberals and gays.
Three months have passed since I left DC for home and I'm happy knowing that this community that is full of talent and love is where I will be spending the forseeable future.

"If there are 1000 readers of 'Hamlet,' you will have 1000 interpretations"

A King Statue 'Made in China'?

That's 'Communist' China. I just don't see the point this guy is trying to make when he points out that the artist is from 'Communist China' and therefore not qualified to sculpt an American martyr's monument. Difference in political ideology or plain racism?

Blasé

I am feeling generally indifferent about most things -- blogging, talking, emailing -- and I think it's caused by the months of inactivity and indiscipline. This will soon end, I suppose, when I start work in a week at a bank here in KL. Until then, here is some "ehhh, whatever" for you.

Of Pigs and Buffaloes

Brian wants me to publicize this gem that he found on the AP wire.

Bigamist ordered to give pig and buffalo

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- A Malaysian villager who took a second wife
has been ordered by a court to compensate his first wife and their children
with a buffalo and a pig, an official said Wednesday.

The Native Court in Penampang district on Borneo island annulled the man's
10-year marriage to his first wife and granted her custody of their three
children Tuesday, said District Native Court Chief Innocent Makajil, who
presided over the panel deciding the case.

"It is a symbolic punishment because he violated his people's customs by
marrying more than once," Makajil said by telephone.

The identities of the couple are not being revealed due to a request by the
wife, Makajil said.

The man, a self-employed 30 year old, is from Borneo's Kadazan-Dusun
indigenous community. His second wife, whom he married earlier this year, is
a Muslim, and he converted from Christianity to Islam, Makajil said.

Polygamy is rare within the group, he added.

Go MoCo!

Awww, I miss Bethesda and its earnest liberalness.

Lessons on Homosexuality Move Into the Classroom (NYTimes)

The past two weeks...

....have been great. I remember the anticipation I had riding on the MRT to the airport in the middle of the night giddy with excitement and then finally seeing Brian walk through the arrival gate, my suitcases in tow. We explored, ate and bitched our way through a three nation cultural and gastronomic tour in 14 days flat and avoided the tearful spats and over dramatic apologies we were so used to back in DC.
Brian was a great sport and my family marvelled at his willingness to try the various spicy, smelly, sour and sweet cuisines of the region. I learned as much from his trip here as he probably did, visiting sights in Penang that I took for granted on previous trips to the island. Of course it was nice to have an ever available lunch buddy and we sampled food from a few restaurants I had been meaning to try but never knew who to go with. We had foot massages and hair cuts but stopped short of the manicures and aromatherapy massages. I took pictures of him with famous landmarks in the background for his benefit and for my memories. He met my friends and family and they got along well. We went to the gym.
I would like to think that Brian enjoyed himself despite a few tense moments. I'd also like to think that like the sunburn on my shoulders that is just beginning to heal, we are both trying to get used to not having each other around for a hug or a kiss, an understanding ear or a voice of opinion and most importantly a professional critic of hot men.

Photos

Photos from Brian's vacation in Asia are up in the Photo Album. Check them out!

Interviews, Tests and a Visitor

If the past weeks were filled with interviews and inane questions like "What are your career goals?" this week was about recalling basic arithmetics to calculate compounded interest rates and currency exchanges, writing essays about the Malaysian economy and attempting to solve impossible IQ questions in my elusive hunt for a job. I can't say I'm any closer to finding a promising job that I could imagine myself not disliking after a month but therein too lies the problem since I'm always confounded by questions about my interests and future plans -- I don't know if I have too many or none at all.
It makes it easier to put all the career thoughts behind me and look ahead to my guest who will be arriving in Singapore tomorrow night, probably cranky from a 30 hour flight from the capital of the free world. There's a lot of anticipation and anxiety on my part regarding Brian's arrival and I definitely want to show him everything that this region has to offer. Here's to hoping that Mr. Whinypants doesn't let the heat get to him first :)

An email I sent to my Malaysian friends

Dear friends,

I am writing to you as a fellow Malaysian at a very important time in our nation's history. This year, Malaysia celebrates its 50th year of independence. It is probably also the year that Malaysia will hold its 12th general elections. In the past fifty years, Malaysia has been through many noteworthy moments -- Singapore's separation, the May 13th racial riots and the ensuing political fallout, the 1997 financial crisis, the 1998 Commonwealth Games to name a few -- and we will continue to see many more in the future as Asia grows in prominence on the international stage.

As members of a democratic nation, it is our right and our duty to vote. Without strong voter participation in an election, tyranny of the minority -- the outcome in which a small population of the electorate decide the political leadership for the entire population -- is likely to occur. Friends, I realize that this will be the first opportunity to vote at the general elections for many of us. I urge you to register to vote if you have not done so and come election day, exercise your right to vote based on your convictions. The Electoral Commission's website is below as are the places you may register to vote.

This election cycle is pivotal for Malaysia's future. Several key issues will figure on the minds of voters this year, such as:

• Religious freedom in Malaysia: This year, the Federal Court of Malaysia ruled that Lina Joy, a Muslim apostate was not allowed to change her religion on her identity card.
  
• Islamic/Secular State: Our Deputy Prime Minister Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak was recently quoted by the press as saying that Malaysia is an Islamic State while leaders from the MCA and DAP have challenged that notion, claiming that the Social Contract and the Malaysian Constitution state that Malaysia is a secular state.
• The New Economic Policy: Recent information regarding the effectiveness of the NEP show that the policy has not achieved its intended goals of creating equality for all Malaysians. Income inequality within Malaysia is high and income inequality within Bumiputeras is widest amongst all racial groups. Furthermore, the government is reluctant to provide statistics for the NEP making it harder to assess the NEP's usefulness.
  
• Minimum wage for private sector employees: The Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) says that an estimated 40 percent of Malaysia's eight million private sector employees earn less than RM700 a month. The MTUC's proposal raises the minimum wage to RM900 a month.

Here are some resources to guide you:

Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (Electoral Commission) website: http://www.spr.gov.my/

Places to register to vote:

The most convenient place to register is at the Post Office.

You may also register at the SPR Headquarters:
Aras 4 & 5, Block C7, Parcel C,
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan
62690 PUTRAJAYA.

Media links:
The Star (http://thestar.com.my/)
The New Straits Times ( http://www.nst.com.my/)
Malaysia Kini ( http://www.malaysiakini.com/)

Political blogs:
Nathaniel Tan ( http://jelas.info/)
Khoo Kay Peng ( http://khookaypeng.blogspot.com/)
Marina Mahathir (http://rantingsbymm.blogspot.com/)
The Cicak ( http://thecicak.com/)
Jeff Ooi ( http://www.jeffooi.com/)

Political party websites:
Barisan Nasional ( http://www.bn.org.my/cgi-bin/index.asp)
Party KeADILan Rakyat ( http://www.keadilanrakyat.org/)
Democratic Action Party ( http://www.dapmalaysia.org/newenglish/)

If I'm preaching to the choir and you've already registered to vote, my humblest apologies. I also realize that many of you are abroad and are unable to vote but that doesn't exclude you from the election machinery! Tell your family and friends in Malaysia about the importance of voting, research the issues and tell everyone what you think, start a blog! If you've found this e-mail helpful, please forward it to anyone you think may benefit from it. See you on election day!

The KL Skyline

Beer for Malaysian Queers

Walking down a busy street packed with bars, clubs and tourists, looking for La Queen, a popular gay club in KL, I realize my gross underestimation of the gay scene here. Instead of a dark back alley with a nondescript entrance, the club stands three storeys tall on the corner of a busy intersection, a rainbow flag draped conspicuously over the front door. After hesitatingly paying the 30 ringgit cover charge, I climb the stairs to the main dance floor. At 11:30, it is nearly at full capacity with boys dressed in their twillight best, gal pals in tow. I stand on the sidelines for a while but soon realizing my awkwardness, I decide to explore the place a bit. The level above the dancefloor contains its own bar and balcony and above that, another alcove and loungey room with beds (!) and couches. I see the requisite glass birdcage that hangs from every gay club I've been to and upon closer inspection, I realize that it's a glass birdcage WITH a shower. In between the spurts from the fog machine, I realize how much La Queen reminded me of Pure in Philadelphia or G-A-Y in London, a serious party venue with plenty of eye candy and loads of fun.

Since I still don't have any pictures to show you, I'm doing the next best thing: Steal someone else's photo from Flickr.

This is a photo of one the bars along Jalan P. Ramlee, a street close to the twin towers where revellers pack the street every weekend.

Good Food is Probably Not Posh Nosh

There's a delightfully funny comedy on BBC called Posh Nosh that lampoons every single cooking show on air -- Food Network fans beware! The episode I watched showed Minty and Simon create "Architect's Fish and Chips." First, they had an actual architect build a paper model of the food. Then there was an olive oil tasting demonstration in which Simon swills three different kinds of E.V.O.O. in his mouth before deciding on the perfect bottle. Best yet, the pair incessantly talk about their old and expensive house and kitchen utensils while they're preparing the meal. Here's what's written in Simon's "Food Philosophy" on the Posh Nosh webpage:

I once ate a Flayed Swordfish And Guava Millefeuille that reminded me, in one sweet mouthful, of a Sea Interlude by Britten, a painting by Turner and one of Michael Holding's rampant, perfect-length balls.

I think it's even funnier when you actually know someone who talks as pompously and obnoxiously about food as the folks at Posh Nosh do.

Down Memory Lane

Sorting through my old photos yesterday, I unearthed these gems:

This is me at 12 trying to debunk Asian stereotypes. Back then, I thought I was really cool and couldn't figure out why I was targeted by the school bullies.
Here I am again, dressed in the Malaysian school uniform but unable to shed my outer geek.
This was my room at boarding school in Singapore. You can tell I wasn't very organized by the post-its on my desk.
It's true what they say about boarding school -- that it's a hotbed of homoeroticism. We had a tradition of stripping birthday boys so it wasn't uncommon to see a guy running around in his underpants, screaming at his friends.
This was when I thought fisherman hats were awesome.
I don't know the two guys on the right but from left to right: Wind (she'd be upset if I used her real name because she thinks she's being stalked(!)), Chuan Yaw, Lip Yoong and Johnson. The latter three were my roommates in boarding school.

My group of friends in junior college after a lecture.

Feeding the Beckham frenzy that's sweeping the US, here's a photo of David B. when he visited my school in Singapore.

Malaysia ain't got no First Amendment

The Malaysian blogosphere is abuzz with news of Nathaniel Tan's detention by the police three days ago "to facilite investigation under the Official Secrets Act". Nathaniel works frequently with the opposition party and blogs about politics in Malaysia, often critical of the government's policies. This is not the first time a political opponent of the ruling (and since 1957, the sole) party has been imprisoned by the coppers (Anwar anyone?) and I would wager everything that it will not be the last. Speak out against oppresion, sign the petition.

The Power of Imagination

Hey! Let's play a game of pretend. Let's pretend that I'm a really good and consistent blogger with lots of witty, insightful things to say about everything. Now let's pretend that I bring my ancient and heavy-as-a-brick camera with me everywhere and take lots of interesting pictures of Malaysia to show my friends who aren't here with me. Let's put on our imagination caps:

1) Standing on the 66th floor of the Petronas Twin Towers looking down on the deceptively smaller buildings, the traffic almost invisible and the Klang Valley becoming more evidently a valley.

2) Driving home at midnight on a busy street, I see two gweilos riding on elevated bicycles, perhaps circus performers backpacking around the world on impractical but amusing contraptions. What fun!

3) A late night snack at a famous alley shack, dining on fried noodles under a moonless sky. The hawker (a couple dressed in matching knee high fishmonger boots, sweat pouring down their foreheads) screaming over the hot wok alternately at their employees and each other.

4) Visiting a grandaunt at the hospital, a woman once bossy and rotund is reduced to a skeletal frame, an occasional nod and serious bed head. My mother, shouting into her right ear (a stroke has made her lose her hearing, you see) to "ask Jesus to come into your heart." The urgency of the situation - an unsaved family member on her deathbed - should be evident in the photo.

I hope you had fun pretending. Bye!

"Has the dexterity to julienne ever been so sexy?"

The NYT has an article about the recent trend in movies and television that reflect our increasing obsession with good food.

Jealousy

Where can I find me one of those? I'm totally voting for Pedro here.

Here's what I've been up to: Idling

When I tell people that I'm not employed inevitably the question "What do you do with your time?" creeps into the conversation. It's a hard question since it's one that I cannot answer immediately. What do I do with my time, anyway? Must I have something to do with my idle time?It has been five weeks since I've been back and I'm sitting at the computer as I did on the first day of my break, unemployed, lazy and unmotivated. I suppose I've been keeping myself busy with a few job applications, going to the gym, exploring different parts of KL, helping my parents with chores around the house, blogging, spending an inordinate amount of time on the internet and taking more than a few naps. Sometimes, I lie on my bed quite content to be underutilised and thinking I could live like this for a long time.

More US Bashing

Since 2003, the United States has received only 800 refugees from Iraq. This is in contrast to the 18,000 Sweden has accepted and the 30,000 per month Syria receives. Wow. 800 refugees compared to the scores killed by military intervention? Surely the US can do better than that for a country that's declining into civil war not to mention the US's role in starting the war in the first place.

Queer Malaysia

Here's some gay news from Malaysia to spice things up. I don't really know what to make of the level of acceptance of LGBT people here since on one hand, we're seeing very real homophobia from political leaders but on the other hand, the media is quite tolerant about LGBT issues (last week, they ran an op-ed piece by a M to F transgendered person).

Shear Fickleness

Scratch what I said about cheap and fast haircuts. Moderately priced haircuts where you're served tea while getting your new 'do by a hairstylist named Fei who wears Elvis Costello glasses and hipster jeans are probably the best thing to do on a hot, lazy Thursday afternoon.

A pictoral review of my time in Singapore

The Aeroline "Executive" bus - a double decker bus with big comfy seats and a lounge - that brought us from KL to Singapore

The interior of the bus. The top floor contains passenger seating and the entire bottom deck is used as a lounge with big comfy couches.
This is Little India on a Sunday afternoon, possibly at its liveliest.

These two photos are of Orchard Road, the main shopping avenue in Singapore.
I sojourned back to my old high school and snapped this shot. There used to be a back gate just below this building where we could sneak out of school.
This is the public library where I used to study after school. I always wound up reading magazines instead of doing my homework.


These are pictures of public housing flats. About 80-90% of Singapore lives in public housing. I suppose this is what most tourists in Singapore don't see, a rather depressing -- functional but unaesthetic -- view of a country where everyone lives in flats the size of shoeboxes and in buildings completely devoid of character.

This is the hawker center close to my old high school. Food at hawker centers is cheap and the ambience is decidedly more laid back. This is probably the largest eatery I've seen in Singapore.

Not THAT Down Under

Well, I'm off to Singapore tomorrow for a few days and I'll resume posting once I return (hopefully with pictures). Toodles!

Asia's Financial Recovery

There's an article in the NYT about Asia's road to recovery after the 1997 financial crisis and findings that the current economy of the worst hit countries - Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea and the Philippines - have recovered to their pre-crisis levels but now lag behind China, India and Vietnam in terms of growth rate.

It's Durian Season

Durians are in season! Also known as the king of fruits, we here think of the durian as the Westerner's kryptonite.

Here's what Eating Asia had to say about the fruit:

I also suspect that the general disdain for durian - among many foreigners (to southeast Asia), that is - might be rooted in our expectations of what fruit (tropical fruit especially) should be. Durian isn't refreshing in the least. It's not crunchy or juicy or appealingly fragrant. I wouldn't want it for breakfast, and certainly not after a full dinner. When it comes to fruits durian is in a class all its own. My taste buds say it has more in common with a pungent cheese than with a pineapple or a mango. And many of 'us' foreigners who can't stand durian do partake of odiferous dairy products that rely on the growth of molds to achieve their distinctive character.

Try it if you get the chance and let me know what you think!

The View From Here - Palm Oil

It was quite easy to get caught in the hype of environmentalism back in the States. Farmers' markets? Yes, please. Shade grown coffee? Wouldn't have it any other way. I reduced, reused and recycled myself into the hipster clan of hyper-aware college grads, as aware of their carbon footprint as they were about the newest unsigned band on the scene. But yet it was hard to ignore how the other half (or should we say 90%) of America lived - suburbs sprawling away from the city and their corresponding big box stores, farms (supported by protectionist measures, if I might add) stretching from upstate New York to southern California, people driving as far as they could with the biggest cars they could find - and thrived. This is the America I deluded myself into thinking did not exist and it is also the America that emits more (per capita and as a whole) carbon dioxide than any other country in the world.
This is why it galls me to read articles about the growing pollution in China, cattle raising in Brazil or orangutan survival in Malaysia and Indonesia. Why should developing countries be singled out for atrocities that the America itself is willing to commit? It just seems like the US is suffering from the "pot calling the kettle black" syndrome except that in this case, the repercussions affect the livelihood of millions.
Case in point: Malaysia. Palm oil is the main export of Malaysia and has recently come under fire from environmentalist groups because forests (and their inhabitants, orangutans included) were cleared to make way for plantations. I do think it's a shame that we're driving many populations of animals to extinction but that's a by-product of the crisis we're facing -- overpopulation hence the greater need for raw material. However, it must also be said that crude palm oil is also used in biodiesel, a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels and a large part of the Malaysian economy depends on the demand for palm oil. In our quest to live like our counterparts in developed countries, we are foiled by those very counterparts whom in a dangerous display of double standardism keep our countries poor in the name of the environment. Often too, these environmentalists are funded by competing products: the soybean oil industry (which is in direct competition with the palm oil industry) frequently funds research that disparages palm oil; beef producers in the US and UK frequently call for the boycott of Brazilian beef based on environmental concerns; and America's perennial competitor, China, is an easy target for anti-trade Americans.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is that while environmental protection is a noble and just cause, there should be an ethical imperative for anyone living in a developed country to enable their poorer counterparts a chance to live like they do. Anti-competitiveness can be demostrated in many forms and environmentalism is one of them. Also, take everything with a pinch of salt (including what is written here) because no matter how even-handed we try to approach any subject matter, biases prevail. Now off I get from my biodegradable, recycled soapbox.

Capturing KL

If only I had a camera with me during those rare glimpses of Kuala Lumpur culture. I remember watching two boys riding their bike through the flood waters, thrilled by the prospects of playing in muddy waters. Or the other day in a basement car park where sections closest to the escalators were reserved for single women drivers (this, I think, is testament both of the chivalry of KL society as well as the high incidence of crime). Sometimes, I want to take a picture of the jaggedy skyline with as many cranes as there are skyscrapers, it seems as if development of the city has only begun. Someday, when I'm less forgetful, I'll put pictures up on this blog that will show you how I see this city in most of its unique glory.

A Little Bit of DC in KL

It's a lazy Sunday morning here in KL and I'm treating my DC craving with some NPR and 9:30 club. The Nationals were recorded live in concert recently at the 9:30 club and NPR is streaming it, yay! Here's the link .

The Old Folks

As much as I complain about their constant nagging and their unbending ways, it takes a pretty lonely Friday night with no plans and no friends to speak of to realize that my parents have been a major source of entertainment these past three weeks. Making new friends is so hard!

It's Brian's birthday!

He's out of breath from blowing the candles on his cake.


Happy Birthday!

When it rains, it pours -- Malaysian style

In keeping with the theme of this blog (i.e. complaining about the weather), I bring you news from this side of the Pacific that it rained for a few hours on Sunday and unsurprisingly, the streets of KL rose up to meet us, as it were. Now that I think of it, perhaps a good business venture would involve importing the duck tour vehicles to our impoverished shores :)

Reunion

I had forgotten how hard it rains in KL and how sudden the rain clouds develop. It was sunny for most of yesterday but at 4 in the afternoon, it rained raindrops the size of golf balls and I got completely drenched running from the house to the car in the driveway.
Last night, I had dinner with friends I've known since I was six and it's amazing to think that we've remained friends this long and although we're not as close as we once were, it's nice to know that my history is intertwined with someone else's. We spent most of the night recalling our childhood/teenage years and updating each other on our various pursuits.

Innovation

A professor in college once remarked that Asia was not a continent that innovates (he cited the low number of patents held) but it was a place that improved upon existing products. To a large extent, I think this is true -- cars, cell phones and computers were all Western Hemisphere inventions but producers in Asia are now leading the industry in these sectors -- and my hair cut today is a case in point.
I hate getting my hair cut because I'm a bad impromptu conversationalist. This may be a product of my shielded upbringing in the city where my parents always told me not to talk to strangers. So I don't. Unless I'm in a cab. Or at a hairdresser. What does one say in these awkward silences of forced intimacy? I like your driving? You're really good at holding those scissors? I usually leave it to the other person to strike up a conversation which can be even more awkward at the end when I'm at my destination or I'm paying for my haircut and I realize that I have not said one word besides the address I need to be at or my hair style preference.
So back to my story about my haircut. How can haircuts be made less socially painful for shy people like me? Make them shorter -- 15 minutes short. That way, it'll only be 15 minutes of painful silence. I found a hairdresser called X-Cut at the mall and it's owned by a chi chi hairdressing chain but the selling point for their X-Cut outlet is an express cut -- a haircut in 15minutes for 15 ringgit (US$4.40). The design aesthetic of each outlet is similar to pod hotels -- the one I went to had four stations in a 12 x 12 space. By using a vending machine to sell hair cut coupons and hair products, the concept eliminates the need for a cashier thus keeping overhead costs low. And with only one type of service offered (a hair cut, no manicures, or waxing, or massages), service is brisk. My favorite part of the experience is the neon orange traffic jackets each hairdresser wears to dress like pit stop attendants on an F1 track.

This blog now has multimedia

Look! A link to my photos on the right!

Some Reflections

Four years may be a long time but right now, I feel as if I never left and the memories of my time spent in the US seem like someone else's photo album that I studied carefully. Everything has stayed the same at home, suspended in a vacuum, that after four years, I am still sitting on the same couch, watching the same tv, sleeping on the same bed, driving the same car and having the same conversations with my parents. In this life, I feel like I'm 18 and I have to keep reminding myself that I am 24 (and unemployed!).

I've traded all the things I grew accustomed to for their Malaysian equivalents: The New York Times for The Star, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's for Carrefour (a Wal-Martish superstore where live shellfish and furniture are sold side by side), public transportation for a car (and heavy traffic) and happy hours for dinner with the family.

Hi

I'll post something here soon.