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.