The EPIC MENU!!!!!

There have been quite a fair share of lousily translated signage and menu items in China and Taiwan that either arouse the audience's curiosity or turn them away. However being in the states, I notice something on the horizon in the industry of Chinese take out menu.




When I just moved to Atlanta about two years ago, I came across this Chinese take out restaurant that sells Chinese, Japanese (Sushi + Teriyaki and Gyro, not to mention the fried chicken wings and what not). I thought it was one of a kind. The owner was the most stereotypical money grabbing Chinese you can ever meet because he even tried to rent me a room from his house. Why not? It's all legal!

Then a few days ago, I received this Chinese take out menu at my door.

Shanghai and Tokyo, New York style?

WHAT?!

The last time I checked, these three cities/countries had pretty bad war with each other, not to mention the recent clash between China and Japan, plus US having a major military exercise just at China's door step.

Therefore, I call this the EPIC MENU, because it seems fearless.

How epic? Well, it's really not about the cross-ethnic offering that I am most impressed about. You see, on the first look, one will get confused by the title of the menu. Wait till you read what's listed:



I can't really describe this kind of creativity. I can't really rationalize the logic behind these unusual food names. They seem both cartoonish yet somewhat erotic.

Then here comes the big guys, the COMBOS:



Again, it seems that the owner of the restaurant, of whoever created these names, is trying to appeal to a wide array of audiences. The young, the old, the satisfied, the desperate, the humble, and the confident.... With just a few items on the menu, the Epic Menu has indeed conquered the world.

I really wonder what's the order rate of these items. When people order them, over the phone or in person, will they say "I want the Rainbow, eel and pacific", or will they say "Giv'me the WILD and SEXY!"? I guess it really depends on who's taking the order.



Ring ring....
"Harlo Shanghai and Tokyo Nu-Yok style wut you wan do orda?"
"I want the Energy Booster so that I can be Forever Young because I want to be Wild and Sexy in the Veggie Heaven..."
"Ok, you want steam rye or flied rye?"
"What kind of fried rice do you have?"
"We gut pok, chicken and beef, or you wan the house flied rye that gut evalydin?"
"House sounds good"
"Ok 10 minuit, U pik-up or deliverly?
"I will pick it up"
"ok thank you see you later"

Thoughts/rant/whatever.

Here’s where I get all political and critical, so seat and relax while I rant away.

Actually, this isn’t a rant, just commenting different social structures.

One of my main thoughts being through all these places and their differences is not about how the upper class lives. Honestly, big houses, expensive cars, lavish entertainment… how different can it be? I suppose for most people when money is not an issue, they tend to want the same things.

What really made me think deeper is how the lower classes are surviving in different societies.

Let’s compare them.

In the US, and I am being generalizing here, the society is set up such that you don’t have much room for the poor to fight for their livelihood. What I mean is, you can do dirty jobs only to a certain point, because everything in the States has to be within the “System” in order to be governed. You can get hired as a janitor, but you cannot be a free-rolling street vendor because you won’t be able to get a license for it. Sure there are tons of street vendors in NYC, LA and other big cities, but what if you live in suburban Atlanta? You will be arrested as a criminal. So what do poor do? They become dependent on social welfare or become homeless begging for money, not pity.

In Singapore, it’s even worse. You even have to have a license to perform on the street! The government won’t let you starve, but you can’t really do much else about your life either. In this highly competitive society, without good education, there really isn’t much room left to wiggle. Singapore being so tiny and the government pushing for high-tech industries where every staff needs to be highly educated and trained, if you don’t succeed as a student, you are assumed doomed for life.


Not trying to be a economist here (never taken a economy related class ever), but here's my diagram of level of wealth vs the amount of opportunities.

In the US where the economy is built on virtual wealth (a.k.a loans and credits), you can get by with a lot of things as long as you have decent credit. You don't need to have the real cash. Therefore it has a much broader middle-upper income opportunity scale. When your wealth goes down to a level where your credit suffers, it narrows very quickly.

Singapore is where you have a healthy amount of opportunity in the middle and upper class because most of the opportunity-types are concentrated in the educated and trained sectors. The odd job market is very narrow making it hard for the poor to get out of poverty on their own.

Taiwan and Penang, although seems chaotic, offers a wider range of opportunities at the low wealth level because of the lack of rigid regulations. Even street vendors can become millionaires as long as they work hard and be innovative in their process, service and products.

In Penang and Taiwan, there’s the very rich, there’s the middle class and there’s the poor. Each of these classes are striving equally. Well, how can I say that they are all striving? Won’t that defy the meaning of “classes”? I am looking at the opportunities that lie within each class. There’s nothing much to say about the upper class since money does wonders. The middle class in these two societies have many options. They can choose to work for corporate jobs, rent a shop and open for business or become a successful street vendor. During the earlier Asian economic crisis, many Taiwanese who were laid off from their corporate jobs became taxi drivers or street vendors. The society isn’t set up to be rigid. They have options. Where as the poor have options too. If they can get some loans, they can get a mobile food stand and become street vendors. If not, the very poor can collect recyclable waste and sell them to recycling centers. There is always some options for everyone as long as you don’t reject them. The society isn’t as pretty on the surface as the western world, but there’s a lot more hard work and determination because there’s always a way out. In this case, the bottom line is none other than “dignity”. Even the poorest will try their absolute best to work for their living and be a contributing part of the society than to beg. There’s always hope.


Then I started to think about what makes a society complete. What makes life complete. I was being brought to attention about “The Venus Project” where the founder wants to promote this Utopian society where there’s no negative feeling. Everyone lives happily so there’s no war and conflict between people. He also dismisses the current state of society that he claims is run by greed. I am not going to disagree with him. In fact, it is true that greed is often the driver for a lot of major events.

This is when I start to think about what makes life complete, and I remembered the story of Siddartha Gautama, who’s none other than the founder of Buddhism. Siddartha Gautama was born as a prince, grew up in a well provided environment and had nothing to worry about. Then as he became a teen, he decided to leave his comfortable home and set on a long journey with nothing. This was when he experienced the most extreme physical and emotional challenges as a human being. He then sat under a bodhi tree and meditated there for seven years until he became “Enlightened”. One of the his teachings is that in order to have a complete understanding of life, one must experience all the 4 stages of life, which are “birth, age, sickness and death”. In Chinese, we describe human emotions as “Satisfaction, anger, sadness and happiness”. To me, the more I experience the world, the more I find my own definition within this society. It is because of the differences between me and the other individuals, the different lifestyles that we live and the difference in values that we hold that defines us. It creates the relationship between individuals that links and separates. So what will a homogeneous society bring us? I’d dare predict one thing. Depression. Just like how Singapore is trying to create a society with no poverty, I worry about the integrity of the society, because it is often darkness that we realize light, which sets the path for us for prosperity.

Journey to the East 2010

Journey to the East: Singapore Part 1

It’s been so long since I entered my last proper entry, I have no idea how to start this one. I think this is probably because I am still in the state of denial that I am back.

It’s been a long time coming. Due to project needs, I have to take a trip to Penang, Malaysia. The trip was extended by another week, making it 2.5 weeks in total. Although the reason for the extension was crap, I was very glad that it happened. I don’t want this to feel like a rush again.

So here’s the rough itinerary for this trip. US > Singapore for the weekend > Penang > Singapore for a few days > Taiwan for 2 weeks. During which, I stopped over in Chicago O’Hare and Hong Kong airport for transit. It’s a long long flight, but hey, nothing much to complain with first class seats.







This “Journey to the East” is like homecoming for me. I grew up in Singapore, left for a long time and started to becoming more and more nostalgic about the great things I experience there during my childhood. For a long time, I was still in much anger with my years in junior college where all I could blame was “the system”. Then I finally realized that this was only two out of the eleven years that I spent in Singapore. I should not let this wipe all my wonderful memories away. This set up for a high level of anticipation. I regard my arrival in Singapore as “return”, and often spoke to others like I know the place inside out. I even gave up the opportunity to stay in company paid hotel in Singapore because I don’t want to feel like a tourist…. But all these isn’t enough to keep the reality away. Singapore has moved on. I haven’t. And all the attempts to pretend that I am a local are overwhelmed by the new sights and sounds of the city.







Singapore has a short history as a nation, but with roots dated back in the early 1800s. Being a colony of the British, Singapore never thought about leadership until the second world war and the Malayan Federation days. Basically, Singapore found itself in a situation where there is no one else to trust and depend on other then itself. A strong leadership arises and developed Singapore into an extremely successful story that has become the model for many other older countries and cities. Everything that can put Singapore ahead of the others, the government will not hesitate to invest in it, which includes improving the local’s Chinese language ability, multiple measures to attract foreign talents from all levels as well as foreign industries to set up R&D in Singapore. In recent years, Singapore has become very aggressive in further expanding its capabilities into tourism with world class infrastructure, hardware, attractions and event hosting. Formula One, casinos and the recent Youth Olympic Games are just the few examples. To squeeze the maximum juice out of the wealthy tourists, prices of goods and standard of living suffer heavy impact. The real estate is especially outrageous with rent exploding by the tens of percentage every year. My friend said that over the last 4 years, his rent increased by 30% every year. It’s is very hard to imagine how the lower income locals can survive in this rapidly changing climate, and it is concerning to me on the psychological of the locals when positioning themselves in this influx of tourism … to be continued.





Singapore GP race track is made out of the streets in downtown. This portion of the track is permanent, which leads to the pits as well as the main grand stand.


Journey to the East: Penang, Malaysia



I’ve heard much about Penang when I was in Singapore. It has the highest concentration of Chinese population in Malaysia, is one of the most thriving cities in Malaysia and is most famous for its cuisine. I’ve always had good impression of Malaysia. Malaysia to me is the more affordable, more laid back and friendly version of Singapore. All of my Malaysian friends are great folks who are extremely easy to get along with. Here I am, to experience it myself.

It is just an hour’s flight from Singapore to Penang, but right away, it is a totally different world. Of course, I cannot really describe the difference in a few worlds, therefore you have to bear with me and read everything I have to say about this place. Right off the airport, the first sights reminded me more of a backward town in the deep inland of South East Asia. Long and inefficient lines, messy traffic, badly maintained and run down houses and sheds built along drains and water ways, with cows grazing on the patches of thrash filled grass along the roads. By the sound of this description, you may think that this is some terrible third world country where toddlers run around bare footed with bloated tummies. Not really. In fact, this is rather normal in most parts of the world. For me, although this was not what I expected, it isn’t entirely out of surprise either.

The days that follow were extremely busy for me, working till mid night almost everyday while finding time to explore local delicacy. There is so much said about Penang’s great cuisine, therefore comes the high anticipation. To me, local cuisines always tell a very good story about the local history and culture. Penang isn’t an exception.



The first impression of Penang food isn’t the taste or variety. It’s the portion. Nope, not huge like American portions, but side-dish sized portions that the locals will consider a full meal. Before I get too far, there is something about the people of Penang and the values they hold that is admirable which I will explain later.





Older cafeterias of Penang serving more traditional, less spicy food which the older generation prefer, but too mild for the young.



Night markets are more popular among both the locals and tourists.


The next impression of the local cuisine is the variety. Penang food is a mixture of Chinese and Malay cuisine. Ingredients such as chili, prawn paste, coconut milk are ofter used. Different from the rest of Malaysia, Penang’s high Chinese population means there are actually more Chinese food than Halal (Islamic certified) food. They even have Pork Satay, which will usually aggravate Muslims.

Penang cuisine doesn’t just describe its demographic in in terms of Malay-Chinese population, but also tells a story about the demographic of its Chinese population in terms of the origin of province. Most Chinese in Penang are decedents of immigrants from Hokkien Province, therefore most Penang Chinese speak Hokkien (More like a hybrid of Malay, Mandarin, English and Hokkien). In Singapore, you get Chinese food that originates from different Chinese provinces. In Penang, it’s mostly from Hokkien. You will see food like Cha Kuai Tieo (Fried pan rice noodles) and Prawn Mee (Shrimp Noodles) everywhere. Of course, there are lots of Malay and Indian food available.



Lok-Lok. You choose your items which will be cooked in the soup stock. The jest of this is in the sauces.



Better than any outdoor bar that you can find.







This guy is amazing. He has made a name for himself as "The dude who sells Rojak with techno". Watch how he sings and chops into modernization.



Americans are proud of their Americanized pizza. Well, Penang has their version. Here's a pizza joint on wheels with everything you need to make a quick bite.






Checking the pizza in the oven.


Hot... hot... hot....



Paper-thin crispy pan cake topped with condensed milk called Roti-Tissue You will need a lot of real tissues to clean your hands for this one.



Typical lunch at a Malay or Pakistani style joints.


There's always a place to wash your hands before and after eating at Malay or Indian places because people eat with their bare hands instead of using utensils. I have to say, it's quite a skill to master to eat bare handed.




Where there's people, there's opportunities.

So what’s so great about it? Well, the locals tell me that most of the food in Penang are not uncommon in other parts of Malaysia, but Penang always has it’s own twist. To me, what’s great about Penang food is the attention to taste. That’s too simply put, because taste isn’t just about mustard or ketchup, or “sweet and sour” sauce like how Americans like to put it. Taste is about extracting the essence of the flavor from the ingredients to create something that truly fulfills the soul. For example, prawn mee is basically a soup noodle with some slices of pork, shrimp and fish cakes, topped with bean sprouts. However the magic is in the soup. The soup is made out of stew of shrimp shells. Therefore, the purpose of eating Prawn mee isn’t about the ingredients, but the soup that took hours of hard work. Serving such food in a small bowl makes it especially precious, because a lesson that I learnt is, if something is good, stop before you have too much of it.


One of the best part of Penang is the abundance of fresh juice. Here's a sugarcane juice joint by the road side.





This totally makes sense. A man sitting in front of his sugar cane farm selling sugar cane juice. The most sustainable model of business due to efficiency in transportation and the need for storage and preservatives. Plus, it provides high level of convenience for customers with both dine-in and drive-thru experience. Take that McDonalds and Starbucks!!!


Self-made business decos


Rambutans in courtesy of the boss!


Sugarcane juicer is Halal approved.... I think. Can't read arabic.


Very stylish and advanced lounge chair that uses minimum material for light weight and an unique fashion leading-edge texture that has not yet being pursued by the main stream fashion world.



The weekend came and I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from exploring the island, flipping up-side-down. Needless to say, the best way to explore the place is by renting a scooter. Well, being from Taiwan, Penang’s traffic conditions isn’t something that I am unfamiliar with. I wouldn’t say zipping across town in this chaotic traffic is my forte, but isn’t something that will slow me down either. $30 Ringgit gets you a decent 100cc scooter for the entire day. That’s a STEAL! After circling the downtown area for a while, I got sick of seeing white tourists everywhere and headed towards that one place that I REALLY wanted to check out. The Jetties!





The Jetties? What’s so special about this jetty? Ok, here’s the story. Long before the world is civilized…. Actually, I mean the early 1800s, the first generation of Chinese immigrants landed on Penang island and worked as Coolies which means hard labors. They carried goods on and off merchant boats that sailed along the Melaka strait. Penang which was run by the British, was a hot spot for trading being in the middle of an important trade route. Anyways, the Chinese immigrants were so poor that they could not afford to own land and have their own houses, therefore they built sheds on stilts along the north east shoreline of the island. Generations after generations, the decedents of these Chinese labors continue to live in these stilt houses. Eventually, the site is now under the World Heritage Site. One may expect this jetty to be some tourist hot spot where every store on the jetty will be selling t-shirts with photographers taking tourist photos to make a quick buck. Well, this is where the jetties are such characteristic places.


Entrance of one of the jetty communities, with the surname on the sign.




Signs to various venues in the community.


Folks watching Taiwanese Hokkien drama on TV.


My ride in front of the jetty.


Tourists




"Did you dispose your thrash today?" I suppose there is a special system to dispose thrash on the jetty to keep the place clean.








Community snack store


"Love at the first sight, Fortune(wealth) at the first sight"

First of all, there are 6 clusters of jetties. In Hokkien, they are called “Kiew” which means bridge. I guess it’s because the jetties on stilts look like a bridge. The clusters are categorized according to surnames, such as Lim, Lee, Tan, Yeoh, Koey with the biggest one being Chew. So this is a very interesting way of forming a clan. In Singapore where the Chinese demographics is more diversified, there are clans according to the province. In Penang, because most of the Chinese are from the same province anyways, they form clans according to surnames. I guess humans always find ways to group themselves no matter what the situation is.

Each of the jetties are like super tight communities with narrow allies that lead to more houses. All of the houses are constructed of plywood. Some are more elaborate than others. It’s easy to think this as a poor neighborhood, but it is not at all like that. Some of the houses are quite well decorated inside, and all of them are well maintained. It is after all the assets left from their ancestors. The community also seems very organized with home made signs to point towards community facilities or to remind people to live green. It’s somewhat of a wonder that since they live right above the water, the sea is their sewage system. During high tide, water flows freely and therefore it’s not as bad. However when the tide is low, all you see is mud (although there’s an abundance of sea creatures like shrimp, mud skippers and crabs). I can only imagine the stench.


Cat Fish, catch of the day!


If he makes it, his family will have shrimp for dinner.


This dude is really enjoying it, having his dinner while sitting on the pier.


Old fashioned cement bench with old fashioned medicine advertisement.


Just when you need it....




Juuuust Chillin'. The folks here are so used to tourists that no one cared about being photographed. Such cool people.


Lovely spot for lovely modeling.


Parallel parking.




"Wassup dog?!"












Fishing cages


Talk about properties with dock for your pimpin' boat!











What about the town itself? Well, to many people, it may be quite an exotic place with a mixture of Muslim Mosques, Hindu temples and Buddhist temples in the mixture of old British colonial architecture, coconut and palm trees. Since I grew up in Singapore and Taiwan, these are not the most exciting combination, so you can just check other tourist sites for these info.

What really left an impression are the people. Like I said earlier, I always thought Malaysians are the nicest people on Earth. For some reason, they are always helpful and generous. Always sincere and genuine. Even my fellow local co-workers who I have to “fight” everyday to get the extra 0.25 mm of space out of the product. There is a powerful sense of calm and peace in the culture which translates into unforgettable experiences.

While I was sneaking around the jetties, I stopped at a hawker stand to get lunch. This is where I met the hawker owners, a couple who I’ve had breakfast a few times on my way to work on the weekdays. On this steamy afternoon, we met again and they happened to be almost done for the day. After a short chat and quick bite, I continued my way down the jetty. Then I heard something calling behind. It’s the hawker lady boss, waving at me yelling
“Hey, this is where we live, do you wanna come in for a drink?”
“Sure!” I was not going to let this opportunity slip!




The couple preparing to call it for the day.



So I respectfully went into their “house”. By house, I mean a shed made of plywood as I described. However, there is every essential in this house. Television playing Taiwanese soap opera, refrigerator, a wall full of photos, a concrete kitchen counter top and stove and a long couch. The space was very breezy and surprisingly comfortable, with a back porch that looks out to the …. Well, it’s water when the tide is high and mud when the tide is low. So I asked them if they stayed here for generations. Well, they actually moved in just a few years back. They weren’t from here originally but found an opportunity to buy this place because the house was vacant and they could not find a “clan” member to occupy it. I asked if they like this place and if they feel comfortable. The husband just said,”It’s ok, it’s ok.” What I read from this is, it’s more then what they can enjoy.


Humble Kitchen

Then he said this place is too big for them, and proceed to show me the eight rooms that is on the second floor. Well, I am used to the notion of “rooms” in the states, such as “two-bed room” apartment or “5bed 3 bath” house. I was quite skeptical when I walked up the wooden stairs. “Eight rooms?!” I thought. There they are, a shed partitioned by wooden panels into eight cell-like spaces. I asked,” Are you thinking about renting them out?” He said he’s working to finish the interior in his spare time. He’s not in a hurry, just doing it bit by bit. All I can say is, I wish him the best of luck in finding a tenant.


Very poetic back porch view....



Then the back porch, which is actually pretty pleasant. On a sunny breezy day, you can just sit on the porch and fish for shrimps, or lower the ladder to get onto your very own row boat. However, while trying to imagine all the wonderful things I can do on this porch, the husband kept reminding me to watch where I was stepping, because I could just step on the wrong plank of wood and fell into the bed of sea mud/sewage below.

Talk about sewage, I got to check out the toilet. Well, one of the most prized and proud invention in the history of human civilization is none other than the flushing toilet. There is no such bullshit here. It’s just a hole in the floor and all freedom to the poop!


Yeap, I took a photo of a hole in the floor.

Simplicity is the word that I will describe this lifestyle. Everything is down to the bare essential. There was no fancy home theater system to comfort your poor depriving manhood. There is no lavish drapes to match your bed sheets. There is no freaking flushing toilet to carry your poop away politely. It’s just me, the shelter and a very happy Mr. Hanky. Yet, this doesn’t feel empty at all, only the sense of fulfillment, because there is something else that these folks care about much more than physical wealth and living standard. There is something that is much more meaningful and satisfying that they live satisfied. For them, their humble attitude is perfectly reflected in their choice of simple lifestyle. Just a mile away they could have chosen to live in expensive condos and apartments, or hang out at the pubs drinking Danish beer. They choose to watch their afternoon Taiwanese soap opera and enjoy the moment of peace.

Oh, they offered me a beverage, and even offered to dry my sweat-drenched shirt. Well, I wasn’t used to stripping in some stranger’s house, so I kindly declined their kind offer.


Man and her lady.

Like I said, it’s people who define a place, culture and experience.
A few days later, a co-worker took me out to try different food after work. Night fall and I was walking around with my tripod when I came across a Chinese temple. The temple had a few lights lit at its facade. So I set my tripod up with my camera to take long exposure shots. Then a lady walked by and asked me if I am taking photos for professional or casual purpose. I said it’s just for myself. She then said it’s too dark, the photos won’t turn out nice, and walked away. I didn’t really think much about her comment because it sounded normal and natural. Then, just about 30 seconds after she walked into the temple, the entire temple lit up! She actually went in and turn on all the lights for me!



A little emotionally overwhelmed, I quickly snapped some shots. Then a man came out of the temple and asked if I wanted some sample photos. I thought he was referring to postcards, so I said I don’t really need it. He then returned to the temple and came back out, handing me a CD.
“Here’s a collection of professional photos with F-stop information, you can learn from these”
A little dumb founded, I thanked him and said “You must be quite a professional yourself!”
“40 years, I’ve been doing this for 40 years”



Just like that, what may seem to be a little favor to them is a incredible experience for me. Even though I don’t know them personally or even know their names, I still think about what they’ve done for me.

Penang was an extraordinary experience. The people are simply great folks. My co-workers who tirelessly took me to different places to try all the local delicacy, describing the essence of each dish to me and took me around the island. Penang, to me, really is the concentrated version of the past Taiwan. 30 years ago, Taiwan’s society was very similar to Penang’s with hardworking people and genuine intentions. The city scape is very much similar with old shop-houses and street vendors creating a very energetic society. Even the landscape is very similar. It’s a mountainous island with lots of excellent options for hiking and water sports. I met many locals who are from Kuala Lumpur and preferred to live here. There definitely are good reasons for this. For me, I can easily make myself comfortable here. May be I will just change my surname and purchase one of the stilt houses.

Side story: Man of mystery During my stay in Penang, I waited for my taxi at the hotel lobby every morning and there will always be a man across the street in front of the night club that is opened at night. This man has a rickshaw. Every morning, he will squat by the drain covers and.... I don't really know what he's doing. When passers by walk pass, they take a glance and then continue. At first I thought he's homeless and is using the drain as a basin for morning wash-up, but I realized that the covers seals the drain and he doesn't seem to be doing that. He would lay a series of objects along the drain covers, during which I can only watch from far and therefore could not tell what these objects are. When I finally have the chance to check the location out when he's gone, the objects are gone with him. Till now I still don't know what he is doing, and it seems that no one cares. Man of mystery will always remain a mystery.






Other sights and sounds of Penang



Going up the stairs of the light house on the north western tip of Penang island. The hike there was quite a b*tch.










There is heavy presence of Chinese influence here. During the ghost festival, there will be chinese opera performing for the ghosts. However, since no one in Penang still performs this art, they hire the singers from Thailand. The interesting thing is, most Chinese in Penang are Hokkien, but most Chinese in Thailand are TeowChu, so the Thai opera singers will sing in TeowChu instead.






Homeless taking refuge at the local temple, hoping to get some spare change from folks with faith.







Chinese clans in Penang are grouped according to their surnames. This temple belonged to one of the richest Chinese family in Penang, which is much more extravagant than religious temples.


My morning commute.


Snake Temple. There's supposed to be hundreds of snake in the temple. They all come and coil around the ornaments in the temple and seems to be at peace. I was there late in the day and most of the snakes were gone.









Fishing village in Penang on the north western tip, at the start of the trail to the light house.



















Another side story: Behind the scene

A successful man always a good woman to support him. What does a successful nation have? There's no straight answer to this question, but one thing for sure, someone's got to do the dirty jobs. 200 years ago, the western world imported slaves from Africa. Today, many South East Asian countries export man power. Philippines, India, Thailand, Cambodia, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc. In Malaysia, Indonesian labors are the popular choice for their similarity in language and religion. Like all hard labor, they aren't being treated in the most fair or generous ways.

On two of the nights, I was staying in Equatorial Hotel which sits on a hill surrounded by rather nice residential neighbourhoods. The first morning while I was waiting at the lobby for taxi, I even saw one of Malaysian state Sultan's wives (I swear there was a football team of them) walking on the specially prepared red carpet and left the hotel in a spanking Maybach 62. There was an interesting scene from my room though. Just about 300m away from the hotel was this shed made out of shipping containers and every morning, I will see people coming out of it to wash up, getting water from the near by stream/drain. These are probably the imported labors from Indonesia or India. It was rather odd to see them because they are surrounded by high-end high rises, therefore everyone in the neighbourhood can see them. I wonder how the residents feel every time they see these labors living in container shelters. I wonder how the workers feel every morning when they see these beautiful high rises. I wonder if any one else is asking these questions.






Please check HERE for more photos and videos.



Journey to the East: Singapore Part 2 – Post Penang

Singapore vs Penang. These are two places with very similar historical and cultural background, but their difference in political path took them in very different and separate ways. Both were British colonies that were famous for trade. Both have high population of Chinese immigrants among the surrounding Malay climate. Singapore chose to go it’s own way and became an independent country where as Penang remained as one of the Malaysian states. Just one hour flight separates two vastly different worlds. Singaporeans are generally more competitive. Penang folks are more laid back. Both strives in quality, but differently. Singapore wants the best and the most advanced in the quickest way. Penang folks like to take time to let it brew. Singapore restaurants put every item on the bills, including separate charge for napkins, water, peanuts, steam rice etc. Penang folks just give you a small but quality portion. Singapore government will not let the locals starve. In Penang, you can’t starve because you can sell anything anywhere. Singapore is more like a socialist utopia. Penang is Mr. Hanky paradise.


Busy cafeteria serving old school Singapore style coffee and food.


Cell-like residential apartments.


Celebrating Singapore's National Day. This is the time where people will hang flags out of their windows and the radio will be blasting patriotic songs 24/7.

Other than reflecting the difference between these two places, I made an effort to find my own trace in the journey of nostalgia. I went back the the town where I lived to check out how the town has changed. So here’s the report. The bicycle shops are no longer there, but the “Cute Grilled Chicken” is thriving. The stinky “Big Book Shop” where I got all of my study and craft supplies never changed. The really stinky cinemas closed. One of them turned into a small shopping mall with 3240525235 Japanese restaurants. The other is still standing in its own shadow. The sky of the town central is now being dominated by this huge sky scraper which I a government built apartment complex with shopping mall planned at its base. The old bakery is gone. The Pawn shop is still around. The wet market is under renovation, and the textile shop finally has air conditioning. There are tons of these weird shops that sells anything but you can’t find everything in there. There is also an influx of everything Japanese, which I was most impressed by the “waterless” saloon where you buy a “ticket” at the machine, give it to the hair dresser and he gets your desired hairstyle done in 10min. Then he pulls a hose and vacuums all your loose hair instead of washing it. It’s like the drive-through saloon, but only better. Oh, and it costs a fraction of what the normal rate is. The NTUC supermarket is going strong, but the mall beside it doesn’t exists anymore. My old bank was bought up by another, but the branch is still there.


I used to be able to see the sky. Now it's being dominated by this huge/tall thingy.


A simple shrine set up beside a hawker center for the ghost festival.

Then, I went to visit my old apartment…. You know, go to the door and look at the shoes on the shoe rack, makes me wanna to kick everyone out. I also went to my neighbour’s who live in the same unit but in a different building to get my NBA basketball and Dragon Ball cards back. This is the first time I’ve seen them in 8 freaking years!!!! All my precious shiny and sparkling Dragon Ball cards are home.

When I opened the box where he kept all the stuffs, I didn’t realize I also gave a whole collection of my favorite comics…. Sigh.

The condo didn’t change much. It’s one of the most spacious condos in Singapore being old. All the new establishments are super tight in space with no room to breath. Here, you feel the sense of relaxation the moment you enter the place because the sky is open and the coconut leaves are free to move in the air.

Then I went to the park where I used to walk my dog. They redid one of the playgrounds with recycled rubber flooring. The other one remains the same with sand pit. The thrash can where I dumped my dog’s poop is still there. They planted more shrubs in the field which would have made it more interesting to play fetch with my dog. The nearby grocery store is still around (surprisingly) and the Mexican restaurant is apparently doing good (astonishing). I then went to the jogging path that will take me across town, only this time without my bicycle. Then my friend drove me around and I realized that a lot of the houses have long been renovated and look new now.

Oh, my middle school is ever expanding. Not only did they buy the land that belonged to another school, they expanded by 100%, with full A/C food court and more facilities. It’s run more like an enterprise. I am not sure if this is good or bad, but hey, as long as they can sustain the quality students like me, I am all for it.

This trip to Singapore was more like a catch-up session. However, at the rate Singapore is moving, I think it’s always going to be catch-up for me.

Little Arab

































For more photos of Singapore, please see HERE


Journey to the East: Taiwan

Just in Time for the Ghost Festival! What’s the Chinese Ghost Festival? Chinese believe that there is an underworld where souls of the dead go to. During the lunar month of July, the gates of the underworld open and these souls are released to our mortal world for a month. It’s like the summer vacation for the ghosts, and this is when the entire country gets involved in what I call “Ghost Tourism”.

Chinese see these ghost or souls as our brothers because they are essentially our dead friends and families. During this month, there will be worship ceremonies all over the country from all levels. From the individual household to community scale ceremonies. For the most part, the main purpose of the worship is to calm and satisfy the souls with offerings so that they won’t cause harm to the mortals. Also during this period, outdoor activities as well as most events (Wedding, funeral, moving, renovation etc) are strongly discouraged. It’s best to stay safe at home during the peak of summer.





Again, I spent a few days at my grandparents’ place, who live in a small village of old and retired farmers who have lived there all their lives. Every village like this in Taiwan has a temple acting as the hub of the community, which hosts major events such as the Ghost Festival worship ceremony. It is no different this time.

Folk culture is deeply routed in Taiwanese lifestyles especially the older generations. In the city, households may bring a table full of worship offerings. In the countryside, the old folks will literally drive a truck load of offerings to the temple. If not, they will squeeze the last drop of energy out of their small and weak bodies to carry the offerings from their house to the worship site.


Old lady pushing a cart of offerings to the temple using her farm equipment.


People getting their table of offerings set up.


Folks waiting for the ceremony to start.


The weather's gonna test the faith of the local folks.

When it comes to faith, I don’t really know if it is more about the inspiration for goodness, or the fear of not doing it right.

The process is simple for the regular folks, but seems complicated for the hosts. The hosts will have to perform rituals and get instructions from the god, then translate it to people outside the temple for the next procedure. Since this is for the dead, the ceremony takes place at night ending at around 11pm. For the old folks in the countryside who usually go to bed before 9pm, this is quite an effort for them!

Sweet dreams or nightmare… better be safe than sorry!


The host(priest) leads the ceremony and translates god's instructions for the local folks.


Less and less now, boars and goats are used as offerings. In the past, they will slaughter the animals on scene, but not anymore. These arrived from the freezer.




Everyone's getting anxious!




The priest performs the ritual in the temple first, gets the instruction from god, and then carries the paper representative of god to the outside.


The priest leads the prayer and the mass follow accordingly.


Village life back to normal after a night of emotions.




Scare crow dressed up in rain coats. Do these things actually work?








Mobile vendor sells traditional bean curd dessert from the back of his van.


The usual 5pm thrash collection announced via classical music.


TDM (Taiwan Domestic Market) Only car guys will know what this means.





Taiwan’s north eastern coastline is quite an exotic landscape to say the least. People ask me if I like the beach. I said no, because the beach I’ve experienced here are just plain sandy beaches with a million people lying in the sand sun bathing or people watching. There’s very little “real” activity on the beach. It’s like as though you don’t really have to go to the beach to sun bath and people watch.


Got lost on the way to this mining museum, but found the world's best hairpin ever!


Taiwan's north eastern coastline has a mixture of fishing and industrial/commercial ports.

When I think about beach, I think about more than sand. When I was young, we would go to the north eastern coast of Taiwan where there is a mixture of sandy beaches and extraordinary rock formations. There is a great variety of wild life here living on the coast within the rocks even though they are all slowly dying away. Beach to me was digging into the sand for crabs and climbing the rocks for clams. Not that we are going to eat them, but this is all apart of the interaction with the nature (induce fear in them!).

So do I like the beach? In Taiwan, yes!


Wave erosion creates unique platforms on the rocks.


One of the famous rocks along the coastline due to wind erosion.




Crazy rock anchors. They will usually get onto the big rocks along the coastline, fearless of the giant waves beating on the rocks. They also believe that the worse the weather, the better it is to fish because fish tend to take refuge among the rocks. I don't really know if this is true considering how fish is sensitive to change in water pressure. I figured they will just go deeper to places where the current is more predictable. What do I know. I'm not a fish.


For more photos of Taiwan, please see HERE






Detroit 2010: HELL YEAH!!!!

It’s been 2 years since I left Michigan and specifically Detroit. I left the city at the lowest point of the economy crisis when the car companies faced restructuring, laying thousands of employees and grabbing the bail out money. It all seemed like the end of the world for Michigan. So how has it been?

I’ve wanted to go back for a visit for quite some time. I went to college there and have quite an affection for its uniqueness. As much as how people consider Detroit hopeless, I actually feel that Detroit has the most hope for a good and strong future. A future not being determined by economic standards, but by cultural identity and social unity. Detroit’s true blue collar culture and spirit faced with such tough challenge will spur a new world that will be incomparable by any other city in the United States. Mark my word!
My excuse for this visit is the Detroit Jazz Festival, which I attended almost every year when I lived here. It’s basically a 3-day free outdoor live Jazz performance on the Labor Day weekend. The real reson for my visit is to relive the old days and check up on my favority hang out spots. By hang out, it’s not really safe to really hang out there.





Most photographers will be thrilled to photograph abandoned buildings. I am no exception. While the rest of the world is fascinated by the new and shiny, we somehow see the shine in decayed artifacts. I tell people that museums preserve the history by protecting them and keeping them in their prime conditions. Detroit itself is a big museum, except that you see the history through the decay and the prime through your creative imaginations.


The famous Packard Car factory that had been abandoned since the 50s.


























Last tenant of the building.

There are still a ton of abandoned buildings in Detroit although the mayor has vowed to take them down. I understand the need to do so, but feel the pity that this time frame will be gone soon. I just hope that they will be gone not because they are being wiped out, but because they will be replaced with something better.

Detroit now is like a wiped chalk board. There’s nothing on the board, but it’s not really clean either. However, this is why there are great opportunities to start fresh in Detroit. With many prospective industries taking root in Detroit, I hope the next time I come back, I won’t recognize the landscape, but smell the familiarity in the people.


Detroit is still filled with majestic buildings dated from the early 1900s, preserved as it is. Here's the interior of the Chrysler building in mid-town. Once the headquarter of Chrysler, this is one of the luck buildings that have been kept up well and still used today.










Downtown Detroit.



For more photos of Detroit and Packard factory, see HERE





9 different airports in 1.5 months. I am getting a little too old for this.