Mercedes Waits ....

20 Nov 2010 - After 13 years all alone, Britains only polar bear Mercedes finally has a playmate. Mercedes, 28, was the only polar bear in the country until 23-month-old Walker arrived at the Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie this month. The two polar bears in Britain were yesterday formally introduced for the first time. Keepers wanted the two bearsto get to know each other gradually before being put in the same enclosure. On Saturday, the waiting was over as the two animals enjoyed a spot of playtime together. So far, Walker had only seen Mercedes through a mesh fence for the last few weeks. Initially, the perception was that Mercedes was not overly impressed by the appearance of the younger bear and was expected to teach him some "proper manners". Walker has been making full use of the pool, sliding down the hill and chasing rabbits in the main enclosure. It is hoped that Mercedes will defrost a bit over time.

Petronas Twin Towers

19 Nov 2010 - After a month in Kuala Lumpur it is high time that I write something about those other Twin Towers: The Petronas Twin Towers. These magnificent buildings, built by the national oil company Petronas, is located on a site that was previously occupied by the Selangor Tuf Club. The construction drew much controversy when it was discovered that the bedrock was nothing more than a network of hollow caves, and the foundation required millions of tons of concrete for reinforcement. Designed by Argentinian American architect Cesar Pelli, the 452m. towers were once the world's tallest building, their height surpassing that of Chicago's Sears Tower. In 2003 the record was lost to Taipei 101 Tower. The design of the Twin Towers aims to express Malaysian's diversity. For instance, the floorplans take after an eight point star formed by two interlocking squares, a popular Islamic motif, while the number of floors - 88 - translates as 'double luck; in Chinese.

Traffic Jams

18 Nov 2010 - So far my new life in Kuala Lumpur has been good. People have asked what I don't like, which is still a bit difficult to answer, but I think I already start hating the traffic jams. Traffic jams occur every day, almost every hour of the day. It begins in the morning at about 8 am when millions of cars poor into KL from the surrounding suburbs, and in the evening at about 16h30 pm. When it rains, traffic sometimes grinds to a complete halt. During rush hour it is not uncommon to see traffic policemen directing vehicles at major intersections, as traffic lights have become completely ineffective. Nobody bothers. Malaysian drivers are generally an ill-mannered lot, so you can expect a lot of impatient honking and nudging betwen cars. Many do not adhere to road-safety rules; they turn lanes without signaling, flash headlights to indicate 'get out of the way' and overtake whenever possible. It's a complete mess.

Frozen Tiger

17 Nov 2010 - People do strange things for a few dollars. A man was arrested in possession of a frozen tiger before he was able to sell the body of the endangered animal to collectors, Vietnamese state media reported. Pham Hai Nam told police he bought the animal for 600 million dong in the port town of Hai Phong and planned to sell it for almost double the amount. The 39-year old, who was detained by the police, also reportedly told the police the he would crush the tiger's bones to make traditional medicine if he failed to find a buyer. The animal, which weighed 150 kilos and 1,5 meter long has been given to the Museum of Nature for preservation. It is believed that the tiger was smuggled into Vietnam from overseas.

The 'Twitter Joke' Trial

17 Nov 2010 - He missed the plane. Now thousands of annoyed internet users (I am still thinking if that includes me or not) say the British authorities missed the joke and and are limiting freedom of speech. When Paul Chambers was arrested and fined for posting a jocular message on the Twitter platform in which he threatened to blow up northern England Robin Hood Airport (Doncaster/Sheffield)  if it did not re-open in time for his flight, it caused a minor stir. Now that a court has turned down his appeal, the internet community has come alive with outrage, with thousands of online fans posting comic (or maybe not really comic) threats to the regional airport  out of solidairity. Rights groups have warned that the so-called "twitter-joke trial" has set an ugly precedent for free speech online and that he should not have been charged.

The Canada Brand

16 Nov. 2010 - Canada came out on top in a research about branding of countries, according to researchers FuruteBrand. Five years ago Canada came 12th in a similar research, but huge investments in the tourism industry paid off. The campaign was crowned with the successful organization of the Vancouver Winter Olympics, which brought a lot of free (?) Public Relations. Last year Canada saw its number of visitors triple. The USA, for many years on top of the list, only made it to number four, just behind Australia and New Zealand. Switzwerland, Japan and France are also to be found in the Top Ten. The rising stars on the list were Chili and Argentina, who moved up - even vbefore the recent mining disaster in Chili. Also interesting is to have a look at the lest attractive brands, which finds Zimbabwe on top of the list. Iran. Pakistan. Nigeria and Congo also suffer from a bad image.

Sex Education

15 Nov 2010 - Coincidence or not, but I am not even a month in Malaysia and it has been announced that sex education will be taught in all primary schools from Year One next year. Called social and reproductive health education, the component will be taught for 30 minutes every week during Physical and Health Education lessons, said Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr. Wee Ka Siong. It will be compulsory for all pupils. Earlier this week, Wee said sex education would betaught in secondary schools as part of the curriculum from next year. However, yesterday he said it would be introduced in primary schools as well. So, Malaysia has taken action - when will Hong Kong follow?

Crisis Games

15 Nov 2010 - Probably the most controversial Asian Games were held in Tehran, Iran (than Persia) in 1974, and ominous year in sports anyway. Despite opposition from fellow Arabic nations, Iran allowed Israel to participate in the Asian Games (how times have changed). But they also allowed communist bloc-nations such as China, Mongolia and North Korea to take part for the first time, setting off an array of tensions and refusals. Arabic nations, North Korea, Pakistan and China refused to compete with Israel in tennis, fencing, basketball and football. North and South Korea both took place for the first time. Despite these conflicts, the Games went on, and Japan continued their domination by winning the medal's tally. But ominously, China finished third on their debut appearance. I want to bet that China will end up on top in 2010 and for many years to come. But Japan beat China in their football match with 4 - 0. That hurts.

Thai Pomelo Salad

14 Nov 2010 - This is probably one of the easiest recipes ever: You will need:
300 gr. pomelo (peeled, small pieces)
1/2 tsp. chili
1/2 tsp dried shrimp
50 gr. pieces of boneless chicken
30 gr. red onion (chopped)
30 gr. greast coconut
2 tsp. lime juice
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
50 gr. cashew nuts

The recipe is so easy because you simply have to mix all the ingredients and top with the cashew nuts before serving. You can also add shrimps. Guaranteed success.

Be Your Own NGO

14 Nov 2010 - Former US President Bill Clinton urged students and guests attending his talk at the Inti International University to become their own non-governmental organization by contributing their time and skills to the world's future. "each one of us needs to become our own NGO, by contributing towards the growth and well-being of our community and country, and the world as a whole by doing our part as responsible citizens. You don't have to be a billionaire like Bill Gates or a former President like me, in order to make a difference in the world. You have the power to do whatever, regardless what the circumstances are, : he said in his address to students., business and government officials at Inti International University. He also said that the 21st century hasthree main challenges to overcome: inequality, unsustainability and instability. 

Star Trek

13 Nov 2010 - Last Sunday we had the comeback Star Trek movie on HBO, and it was great fun. Star Trek has a huge fan base, and I believe the fans were not disappointed by the re-make of the classic late 1960s TV series. The 2010 story about the crew of starship Enterprise was entertaining and full of good action. Director J.J. Abrams, known from hit series Lost and Alias, reinvented Star Trek and brought it into the 21st century. He chose a younger cast for his reboot, with sexy Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto taking on the roles of Captain Kirk and Spock respectively. He also added less known villains, the Romulans, into the picture. The result is a fast-paced reintroduction into the Star Trek universe, and it is much edgier than all previous incarnations. It is a big compliment that both die-hards and newcomers appreciated the movie. So did I.

Meet Patty

12 Nov 2010 - A typical hamburger patty is packed with the meat and fat of 50 to 100 cattle from two or four countries. Eat two hamburgers a week - as the average American does - and in a year's time you have wolfed down 5,200 to 10, 440 cattle. High quality hamburger patties are made entirely of minced beef and seasonings. The patty needs to be cooked at an internal temperature of 80 degrees Celsius as food-borne bacteria such as E-coli may enter due to improper preparation of the meat. In Japan, restaurants regularly serve the hamburger meat without the bun, and call it a hamburger steak. They are served with brown sauce or occasionally in Japanese curries. Mind you, I am talking about the perfect patty here, and I am not sure if you will get the same quality in MacDonalds or the Burger King.

The First Asian Games

12 Nov 2010 - The Guangzhou Asian Games will soon be underway. It all started for the Asian Games at 1948 Summer Olympics in London. Sportsmen from China and the Philippines were reminiscing about having an event where Asian athletes could call their own. This led to the formation of the Asian Athletic Federation, and the announcement of the start of the Asian Games. On March 1951, 489 athletes from 11 countries came to New Delhi, India to show their support and compete. The first ever gold medalist was a Singaporean - N.C. Kok, who won the 1500 meters swimming freestyle gold. The Games were also notable for Japan's first-place performance, a showing made more noticeable because they were barred from the London Games for initiating the Pacific war. However, their misdeeds in warfare did not prevent them from flexing their sporting muscles.

Supermarket Selling

10 Nov 2010 - Every day we go to the supermarket, we buy something and we leave. It may sound as suimple as that, but there is a whole system at work to motivate us to buy more more more. The supermarkets prefer us to shop using a trolley as it looks rather empty with only one or two items and the impulse may be to buy more. The milk is placed at the back, so we have to pass many temptations to get there and walk to the cashier. We find some small items like chocolates and chewing at the cashier, as we may buy them on an impulse. And make no mistake: the most expensive items are placed at eye level, so we notice them easily and may not search the shelves for cheaper varieties. The free sampling and specific events are of course also only designed with the only purpose in mind to let us buy more. There is nothing wrong with all these marketing tricks, but I am sure many people are not aware of them. Is that manipulation?

Saturday Night Fever

9 Nov 2010 - Believe it or not, but John Travolta turns 60. For those of us growing up in the 1970s the movie Saturday Night fever, starring John Travolta, defined a generation. After the Beatles and the Stones in the 1960 the disco-era started around 1977 when Travolta strut his funky stuff on the dance floor. The impact of the iconic movie was tremendous, because soon after its release all men were all wearing high heal and got their leisure suits on, while polyester shirts were THE fashion item. Interesting enough, John Travolta's character Tony looked ubercool in this outfit, but some of us looked right out ridiculous in the outfit. The high heels also meant a health hazard for many, as many ankles were twisted while clomping around. However, the white suit and black polyester shirt became iconic after Travolta appeared on the poster wearing the signature suit. 

Man in Disguise

8 Nov 2010 - A young Chinese man, who boarded an Air Canada flight in Hong Kong elaborately disguised as an elderly white male, is seeking refugee status in Canada. Border officials were stunned and called it an "unbelievable case of concealment". The man boarded the flight in Hong Kong wearing a remarkable silicone mask to make him look like an elderly man, which obviously worked. The man boarded the flight as an elderly Caucasian who appeared to have youthful looking hands. During the flight he went to the washroom and re-appeared as a young Asian male in his early 20s. Reports said the man had a bag with him with the silicon head, a brown leather cap, glasses and a think brown cardigan. Some passengers and cabin crew thought the man had swapped seats during the flight. The reports did not say if his Passport name revealed the name Bond or Houdini (the cartoon is from the SCMP).

Fatwa on Women Cashiers

7 Nov 2010 - Women cashiers were at work in several supermarkets in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia as their employer ignored a fatwa by the country's highest religious authority forbidding female checkout clerks. The popular Marhaba chain kept the women on the job despite the week old ruling, which contradicted a key government policy to create jobs for women. A Marhaba official said the women would keep working until they received an order from the Labor-ministry to stop the practice, which only began in the past three months after the Ministry said it was permitted. Marhaba has more than 25 women working in its branches. The official fatwa-issuing body under the Council of Senior Scholars ruled that the cashier jobs were not permissible, because they resulted in the women mixing with unrelated men.

Durian buffet

7 Nov. 2010 - First of all: I really do not like durian fruit. But I am now in the part of the world where people grave for the smelly fruit. The best way to enjoy durian is - they say fresh from the market. And that is not the supermarket, but the wet market. The latest trend is the durian buffet, which can be found at the roadside in KL and other parts of Malaysia. At jalan SS2 at least four durian stalls are vying for the customers' attention, but most of them offer the same deal: RM10 for all you can eat (fresh kampaung durians only). It sounds like the perfect treat for durian-lovers (and there are many), but ther is also a downside. One has to finish a durian before ordering again, and the stall holder picks the durian for the customer. Effectively, that means one is bound to get some watery or rotten ones sometimes. Not for me!

Great Picture (24)

5 Nov 2010 - The first time I came to Kuala Lumpur was in 1988, when I was backpacking South-East Asia. These days I have been reminiscent of the trip, as I could never ever have thought that I would be living in the same city more than 20 years later. I always thought I would end up in Capetown, which was the end point of another great trip. One of the highlights of that African adventure was a visit to the desert in Namibia, where the lights and colors are breath-taking. Hence this picture.

Annoying Tourists

5 Nov 2010 - People love lists. Normally they make a top 10 or even top 100, but in the KL Time Out magazine I saw a top 9 of the nine most annoying things about tourists. This is summary of what Malaysian find annoying about their visitors from overseas, but most of these points seem universal?:
1. The matching T-shirts (mainly mainland Chinese);
2. The backpackers on the metro who knock people over with their bags;
3. The incessant taking of photographs when you are trying to walk down a pavement;
4. The sudden stopping in the middle of said pavement to take the photograph;
5. The ones who like to remind us they come from a better country;
6. The sheer volume of their voices;
7. The fact that they are willing to pay rip-off taxi rates because it's still cheaper than at home;
8. The way they automatically assume that malaysians don't speak any English;
9. Their predilection for socks and sandals (and socks in sandals);

So what's at number 10?