Made in Japan, Outsourced Globally

I realized that I had an archive from my old blog. But this was the only thing worth salvaging from it.

I used to think that China was so far away and fascinating. It's still fascinating, but now I can say that I've 'been there, done that.'
- Street-side Szechwan drinking dirt-cheap beer, and a serene excursion in the 'Crouching Tiger...' scenery of Zhaoqing (Guangdong province).
- Freezing my butt off on the Great Wall and bumbling around the Forbidden City in Beijing.
- Shopping and walking through mini-China in Shenzhen.
- Visiting factories where global outsourcing is at work in northern Shenzhen.
- Walking down Nanjinglu and the Bund - the glitz and glamour of China's mistress, Shanghai.

I am going to make links on the sidebar for travelogs. Hoping to add my Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia) and Phuket trip some time. Some others on the horizon: Manila, Hanoi, Singapore, Malaysia, various parts of Japan. Woot!

Every trainee has a time to go. Last night, Erica, a trainee from Calgary, Canada bid her farewell.

There is a lot to be said about Hong Kong, but I never have the perfect words to describe it. Erica seemed to be able to overcome that obstacle quite easily.

From Erica:
Hong Kong is truly a precious city. From my first impressions, I can recall thinking that this city is so vibrant and full of life.... it is a city of contrasts, tall skyscrapers and remote islands, bustling "bargaining" markets and posh designer malls, authentic Cantonese food and delicacies such as roasted pork or chicken feet to a plethora of international cuisine, to a state of the art metro system (The MTR rocks!) to luxury cars and taxis everywhere.

Whatever you are looking for, you'll find it in Hong Kong.

In a city of 7.5 million inhabitants, an area five times smaller than the city of Calgary... I will always remember running into people all the time! Everyone gravitates towards the same places it seems.... Lan Kwai Fong (the main party district), Wan Chai (the "seedier" party district where you can dance on the bars and its very easy to solicit services from a local prostitute), Mongkok (the shopping MECCA of Hong Kong, cheap goods w/ cheaper prices), Causeway Bay (food, shopping, bars, karaoke, more food and shopping!), Tsim Sha Tsui (hotels, restauraunts, museums and offers the best view of the waterfront and Hong Kong skyline) and even if you venture out of the city, I've ran into people on one of the outlying islands as well - Cheng Chau- my favourite island retreat!

These are the places that serve as great platforms for getting together with friends and that exude an atmosphere conducive to fun and adventure!

I will miss being able to meet up with friends in less than 10 minutes using the MTR, or being able to take a ferry for a few dollars and escape the craziness of the city for a while on one of the islands. I will always remember how wonderful it felt to be part of the festivities during Halloween, Swiss Kwai Fong, Christmas and New Years. Hong Kong people know how to celebrate and decorate!Hong Kong has a heart and its beauty will resonate in my memory forever.

Bon voyage, Erica! And happy new beginnings in San Diego :)

I am listening to Return To The Source: Deep Trance and Ritual Beats while deleting documents and redundant presentations from my folder. Why haven't I discovered this before? "Sacred" by Neera puts me in the best of moods - heavenly. "Wizards Brew" by Medicine Drum puts me in an excellent state of mind.

To minimize shipment cost, I went through a major clear-out in the apartment. And I loved it. Throwing away the things you don't need. Making a pile of "to give away"s. Shedding extra baggage always feels great and puts a time limit on your reading material. My next date is with Carlos. Carlos Ghosn.

I'm leaving with nothing but a backpack and a pair of running shoes.

"a week ago, my company offered me a promotion and asked me to move up to our sf office." -- Kristie

Congrats KK! And see you in San Francisco!!!!

I met Chris Nilsen for lunch yesterday, which was an interesting encounter with the Aiesec hay-days. We spent some time poking at our pseudo-Japanese food. And then, somehow the conversation turned towards the sexual mores of Japan. I feel disoriented and conflicted when speaking about it because it's my culture... on the other hand, I can't help but be critical of it. Some may find this post offensive and a bit of a shocker. If so, don't read it.

In 2000, my two American friends and I went to a club in Shibuya. We had to walk through a path of sex clubs with neon menus telling you how much each trick cost. We saw store after store with "hand job - 900 yen," "golden shower - 1000 yen," etc. Love hotels lined the alley-way, with varying role playing cabarets for "naughty teacher" or "sexy nurse."

There are differences in such institutions too. Caba-cura. Tele-cura. Sex-cura. Strip club. I heard that there is a strip club called "Sushi" where the women are on turning sushi tables. And there is a hierarchy for these clubs too - a strip club is cheaper than a caba-cura, where the girls are paid to talk with clients. Apparently, anyone can strip, but it takes certain skill and a college degree to hold an interesting conversation.

Some studies indicate that the Japanese population scores low in the statistics for per capita sex. They're not talking to the right generation, perhaps. At the train station exit at Shibuya around 6pm, you encounter a mob of youths loitering around. Often times, girls in school uniforms, adjusting makeup, looking coy to meet their friends/boyfriend/or possibly a catch for the night. Some are actual high school girls. Others are twenty-somethings in school girl uniforms - a niche group that some men like. And then, there are the 12-15 year olds who start early. Sex becomes a mean to uphold a certain lifestyle of buying LV bags or Dior cosmetics.

I used to think that this was an anomaly to the rule, as I don't personally know people who practice such behavior. But Chris told me that some of his male Japanese friends who saw prostitutes regularly. Some even had girlfriends too. They were all twenty-somethings. When I walked through a prestegious university in April 2004, some of the conversations in broad daylight caught my attention. "She's so convenient. That's why I go to her, but I don't intend on dating her." And the high school boys just laughed as they prodded their friend for juicy details.

Salaried men who let off steam by going to these clubs - to boost business relationships or to escape from his family and wife. Frustrated housewives who resort to younger men or have phone sex. A girl once found a prostitute's card in her father's wallet and told about it to her mother. She just said, "I don't care and I don't want to know about it." When there is rigidity and social awkwardness in the family realm, most people tend to take the passive road to avoid confrontation. It seems as if somewhere along the way, the Japanese culture abandoned the notion of having real relationships for the less attached anytime-anywhere sexual bonds. It's a dark side of my culture that throws me off balance. No wonder cultural anthropologists have a field day in Japan.

My discussion with a Japanese business woman a week ago brought a new insight specific to Japanese culture. There is a concept of "chosho" and "tansho" (which in English, the closest thing I could compare it to is "pro" and "con," but it's not quite the same).

The Japanese chosho is that we have the ability to take in different cultures and adapt it/make it better (behold: Toyota, Seven Eleven, VHS). And the Japanese are also pacifists who favor harmony. But, this trait becomes a tansho when we have no moral grounding. The adaptability also means that principles are compromised to please others or to fit the epoch trends. Don't get me wrong, many Japanese will still uphold values such as "honesty (seijitsu sa)," "seriousness (majime sa)," "filial piety (oya kokou)" - but when asked what "justice (seigi)" is, the Japanese have a hard time answering in the chaos of opinions from everywhich direction pushing and pulling them. It's the hard questions where you can't be a fence-sitter that scares we/them Japanese. I feel guilty of it sometimes too.

I still think the seemingly hollow and superficial sexual behaviors do not reflect the majority of Japanese. Perhaps my trip back to Tokyo in March will give me a more truthful observation.

There are only few things in the world that scare me. And I just faced one of them last night.

Imagine, a couple of trainees, very decent minded people, sitting in a room singing to karoke. Yes, that's normal.

But trainees singing Backstreet Boys, Westlife, N'Sync, S Club 7 and Brittney Spears with the enthusiasm of screaming teen-boppers? I don't think so.

My eardrums are torn and my sense of dignity is shattered. Not because I was terrified of the songs... but because *gasp* I knew how to sing them all. OH, THE SHAME!!!

The problem with an international crowd is this: 99% of the time, the songs we can relate to are pop songs, because it's so darn universal. And the US does it best, when it comes to three-tone pop songs that anyone can sing. My only real purpose for the night was to humor people as we watched bizarre mismatch of great songs to Canto-MTV and choreographed dancing to classics such as "Bye Bye Bye."



Throw yo' hands up in the air!


"Oooo....My love... my daa-arling..." - Me: Patrick. Ceha: Demi ... okay, maybe not.


Interpretive dancing to some song (Las Ketchups?)

But I have to admit, I love karaoke. My fond memories include Jen, Lars and I showing up wasted one morning for karaoke, where 20 HK Aiesecers welcomed us as they happily sang Canto-pop. We terrified them with "It's Gettin' Hot In Here," "Bootilicious" (by 'Destiny's Children', mind you), and "We Are the World," where we made up @ly choreography on the fly.

However, my fondest memories of karaoke go back to my Berkeley days, where we would go to our favorite karaoke bar as a weekly ritual. Singing in front of people is actually a piece of cake after a couple bottles of Kirin and Asahi. The Japanophiles and the Japanese had to compete with the Jewish fraternity though, as they found our hole-in-the-wall hangout as the best place to do sake-bombs.

People from all walks of life gathered there, and at one point, I was a "regular" too. My friends were great singers, and they often wow-ed the Japanese crowd because they were "white people who could sing Japanese." Like Steve who looked like a total Californian boy but sounded like Fujii Fumiya, and Klayton who could improv harmony on any given song (with the intuition of a choir boy). Steve is now a JET teacher in Japan and Klay moved on from SEGA to becoming an independent video game producer in Silicon Valley - I miss those guys. There was also a bald guy who was always at the counter, who would sing the best rendition of "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "With or Without You." I think he was a cafe owner down College Ave. And my friend Robin, the mother hen of all of us. She usually took the initiative to drag us out to the bar.

Then there were the oddities: a freakish little man in a beanie, whom we used to call "Henna Ojisan (Weird Old Guy)" who wore heavy black-rimmed glasses that were 3 inches thick. The waiters and waitresses were working under the table to make some spending cash. And a lady in her late 50s, who was obviously trying to hide under 10 lbs. of make up. Sometimes her husband would also come by and sing some B'z. They both looked like they popped out of 70s Japan. They were all fun people though, embedded in the lifestyle of Berkeley. Eccentric and loving it.

I remember bringing Julio, a Dominican Republic @er, to the bar one night. (I SO wanted him to sing "Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard" - LOL) He thought it was the funniest thing where people just got mellow, ate yummy food, and exhibited themselves on the corner stage. My trainees and LC members were subjected to this as well - it was so much fun. (... come to think of it, they sang Brittney Spears and Spice Girls). I fondly remember Jojo, our Tunisian trainee, who belted out "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston. He got a standing ovation from the entire bar. It's so warm and welcoming like that.

Ah... must go again, even if subjected to American pop-torture.

I'm on mental and verbal diahrrea (a term I made up). My mind races at 120mph and my zip-zap attention span can take on a kid with ADD any day. Poor Dunc is subjected to my verbose tirade about my excitement and fears, but that's his job as a good husband. It's like having an anxiety attack while OD-ing on caffeine and a marching band as background noise. Chaotic, cacophonous, and gives you an ulcer.

us tax. hk tax. booking flights. contacting family. tokyo-yes. nagoya-maybe. tottori-steve???shipping things away. medical forms. transition. my learning. manila. farewell party. make that 2 farewell parties. article next month? book a ticket to ny. money transfer. courtney. traineeships may materialize. no heavy lifting. devour books i'm going to throw/give away. flatmate search for dunc. sign the flag. plan s.e.asia trip. contact a whole bunch of people. how long in singapore? media training. swimming with my hands tied. fire spinning. question mark?

oy... my mind is not made for multi-tasking sometimes... all i want to do is be on that plane outta' here, but it's not that simple.

I have the hardest time pronouncing "u" with the umlat in Mandarin. It's so frustrating that I'm going to tediously complain about it.

ju, xu, chu - but not shu. I am not tone deaf but completely hopeless when when it comes to language pronounciation. The sounds where you use your teeth and the front of the mouth are confusing. I just end up looking stupid with my lips trumpetting out making "Yuuooo..." noises.

I try to avoid ju, xu, chu words as much as possible because I can never do it correctly - but some words are inevitable.

chi = to eat (pronounced "choo" and lightly at the front of your teeth)
chu = to go (pronounced like a sneeze "a-choo" but shorter and with the dreaded umlat u)
xuyao = to want, demand (pronounced "shoe yao" and the freaking umlat u)
ri = day (also used in riben, which means "Japan" so I use it a lot. It's almost like a name, Ruben - but actually pronounced "zhru ben," with the sound coming from the back of your mouth and blowing a whistle - or you curled your tongue too far back and stuck it down your throat)

My colleague and I had our final Mandarin course today - it took us one full year to complete it. I must admit, though, an intensive training living in China would have done us more justice.

But we pick up interesting things every week. For instance:

yin tu wang = Internet ("yin tu" sounds like "Inter" and "wang" is literally "net")
xia wang = go offline (literally "get down from" the net)

This reminded me of how we say "ochiru"or "fall off" in Japanese, when people go offline. Modern Asian vocabularies are mostly literal translations from the Western world. It's as exciting as learning that "perro caliente" means "hotdog" in Spanish.

Zhongguo hen piaolian de yuyan, keshi wo yongyuan bukeyi shuo zhengque de. Suan le ba...

I am going to Vietnam in late February. I can only go to Hanoi or Ho Chi Mihn since it's only for 10 days. Which one should I choose?

HCMC offers the hustle-bustle of a modernizing city and would be very colorful. On the other hand, the natural lure of limestone islands in Halong Bay and the natural parks with endangered species may be a fleeting phenomenon I won't get to see in the future.

Bea and I will be going to Singapore - Malaysia (mostly discovering Malaysia) - Thailand for 3 weeks, causing trouble up the region. My nose is dipped deeply into Lonely Planet as we try to hit the hot spots. So far, we are looking at KL, Melaka, Tioman Island, Taman Nagara, Krabi (possibly...), Bangkok. My colleague in Malaysia wants to go scuba or snorkeling together too.

I would dearly appreciate recommendations!!! (and the nomadlife community would probably love to see it too!)

This post is overdue and it's been sitting around for a few days. So much has been going on that I had a hard time trying to make it as succinct and relevant as possible.


Monday, January 17 - Ousted Chinese reformist leader, Zhao Ziyang, closes another chapter on modern Chinese history after 15 years of house arrest. Zhao is most remembered for his tearful plea to the students to stop protesting before the June 4 military crackdown, but he also did a lot for agrarian and industrial reform for China to move forward from Communist to pseudo-capitalism with communist ideals.

I draw a lot of information for this post from reading an excerpt article from a book The Tiananmen Papers by Andrew J. Nathan - the article was published in Foreign Affairs in 2001. It is a bit long, but I find the actual dialogue between the Politiburo Standing Committee an amazing (but incredibly sad) account of how Chinese politics are made. If Chinese politics piques your interest, it is definitely worth a look.

Since this is one of my interests (Chinese economic, political, and social development), here's my attempt to offer some background on how it's relevant today.

1989: Tiananmen Square Massacre
The history of the Tiananmen Square Massacre began in April 1989 with a peaceful student desire to mourn Hu Yaobang's death. This eventually led to a mass student protest for democratic reforms. On May 13, it turned into a 2-week long hunger strike, and the hunger strikers gained the support of tens of millions of other citizens, who took to the streets in scores of cities to demand a response from the government.

The government at first tried to wait out the hunger strikers, then engaged them in limited dialogue, and finally issued orders to force them from the square leading to the terror on June 4.

In reaching that decision, the party suffered its worst high-level split since the Cultural Revolution. Those favoring political reform lost out and their cause has been in the deep freeze ever since.

Zhao's Legacy - How People Remember Him
At 4 am on May 19, 1989, following the close of the Politburo Standing Committee meeting, Zhao Ziyang and Li Peng visited Tiananmen Square. Knowing his political career was near an end, Zhao made remarks that brought tears to the eyes of those who heard him. "We have come too late," he said, and he begged the students to protect their health, to end the hunger strike, and to leave the Square before it was too late.

"We demonstrated and lay across railroad tracks when we were young, too, and took no thought for the future. But I have to ask you to think carefully about the future. Many issues will be resolved eventually. I beg you to end the hunger strike." -- Zhao Ziyang

When History Was Made
There are critical moments in time when history is made. The Politburo Standing Committee meeting of May 17, 1989 that finalized the mobilization of the PLA (People's Liberation Army) was such a moment.

In the crucial 5-person vote to authorize martial law, Zhao Ziyang and Hu Qili voted against, two were in favor, and one abstained. The Committee split and Zhao resigned, deferring to the Elder's decision in favor of Martial Law (if you can find the excerpt in the article, the actual dialogue that occurred within the Standing Committee and the Elders (including Deng Xiaoping) are that of verbal brinkmanship and crossing of the Rubicon).

Precedence Created - Western Capitalism Shot Down: China Marches to Its Own Tune
Hypothetically, if the student protest and call for reform had been peacefully accepted, China's recent history and its relations with the West would have been very different. Dialogue with the students would have tipped the balance toward political reform. Instead, China has experienced more than a decade of political stasis at home and strained relations with the West. This is apparent in the late 90s reaction by Beijing to the Falung Gong movement.

The Party believes it has learned from Tiananmen that democratization is not an irresistible force. There is a widespread view in the West that where globalization and modernization occur, fundamental changes in the party-state system are inevitable, leading to the rise of civil society and some form of democracy. Whether this is right or wrong, the leaders in power in China do not believe it. For them, the lesson of Tiananmen is that at its core, politics is about force.

Opinions by Overseas Chinese and Hong Kong - Is Zhao Relevant Today?
Reading Opinions - 'What Will Zhao's Legacy Be?' has been extremely interesting. Just go and see it for yourself. Witnesses of Tiananmen Square and young Chinese vocalize about China and democracy here.

HK media is one of the most liberal in Asia and you can get uncensored coverage. In contrast, little was shown or discussed in Beijing - China Central Television (CCTV) was not even allowed to telecast about Zhao's death.

The response in Hong Kong is that of sympathy and democratic hopefulness - at least the South China Morning Post (SCMP) expresses so. Personally, I recall the half-baked response of the HK public for the June 4th vigil, where the pro-democracy ralleyed and emoted while a complacent majority strolled the streets went on with business as usual.

There will be a vigil this Friday at Victoria Park in mourning for Zhao and Tiananmen Square victims. HK Legislative Council (Legco) had a bit of a ruckus yesterday when pro-democracy legislators held a moment of silence and the pro-government side walked out of the meeting: it's testy waters here and a very uncomfortable divide is occurring with the watchful eyes of Beijing.

And On a Side Note...
I had dinner with a Japanese AIESEC alumni on Tuesday - we were discussing about "mianzi" (or "mentsu" in Japanese). Both have to do with maintaining one's pride in public, which is very central to Asian culture. However, she pointed out that the angle which we use it is very different. The diffence is subtle - the reaction and perception is probably the dividing line.

The Japanese try to avoid "smashing one's mentsu" because it makes one feel shameful and fearful of bringing such shame to themselves and others. The Japanese apologize profusely when such things happen - or - try to brush it under the rug as much as possible.

The Chinese try to evade "losing mianzi" because the repercussion is fury, ill-fate to the family, and scorched guanxi (family-bound, good relationships). The Chinese will never admit that they were wrong, and if it happens, they will pursue the perpetrator to the edge of the earth and make sure that he/she who made you lose face will go down in misery.

Somehow this is still relevant in Chinese politics today.

We sometimes drag out old pictures to reminisce.

I was telling Erica the other day that I don't really miss things. It kind of fell out of my system to linger onto things. Jesse's recent post, talking to Kirk, and recalling my discovery in Agra, India may hold a clue.


The people I left behind so that I can grow.


The City I love - vibrant, laid back, and multi-cultural.


Some people I met along the way...


Good 'ol times! (one of my favorite photos)


AIESEC dayz...



HK life (Life is really tough out here...)


New faces, new places.


GAP photo shoot. Well, this was the only photo I had with Duncan in it (my wonderful flatmate).

But in the end of the day, it dawns on me that I don't "miss" these things with intense passion. When I went to India, everything was so amazing, and I tried to capture the moment and not hold anything back. I "like" the sense of nostalgia, but the amazing feeling never returns as it did in that moment.

My selfish plan is to continue having amazing connections with people but not to get too attached to hinder forward propulsion.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

-- Robert Frost

Pre-midlife crisis.

This is a term Donata coined 4 years ago, as she got ready for graduation and her traineeship to Egypt. I pull it out of my sock drawer sometimes, only to wonder if I'm going coo-coo from it too.

We are so youthful, with the energy and potential to do anything. It's also because we are unskilled and malleable. The career ladder climb flickers before us, forcing us to look up, while covering our behind. Each step we take may be a heavenly ascendence up the career elevator - or - a bad break-up that lingers with foul stenches at your next job.

We repeat this climb, and somehow one thing leads to another. So you want to do it right. No mess ups whatsoever. The trepidation for failure makes us paranoid about choices.

Owais and I used to talk of personal legends. Will we do something in AIESEC that leaves a remarkable impact that people will talk about years and years after you leave? Well, maybe not. But we are egoistic creatures who secretly or publicly desire to say "I was the ONE".

The AIESEC community is made of these egoists who want to be the ONE. I won't deny it - I do too. Some people are already doing it. Some are jealous that small entrepreneurs are doing these wonderful things. Some are Jedi in training and digging deep into studies or their specialties hoping to be the ONE some day.

I have a dream too. It's not a new idea (Global Entrepreneurs, H.E.R.O. for Children, MindValley, to name a few), but I hope I live through it to realize it.

As we all travel through this search for being individual ONEs, we inspire each other and create our own personal legends. But when this can be connected and the ONEs find cooperation at the right time, the legend will even be greater.

Still in training... Getting there... And staying connected...

The recent debate about current AIESEC direction, role of alumni in the org, and the difference between exchange and non-exchange change agents has made me want to post about one particular person.

Let me tell you about Joe.

Joe was my boss when I first came to the AIESEC traineeship here in Hong Kong. He was the Director of Procurement, Greater China at Emerson Electric, an American Fortune 500 company in manufacturing. (I'm not stating this fact about my company out of ego, but to give you a background of where Joe stands). Joe is an @OSU (Ohio State Univesrity in US) alumni, who went on an exchange to Germany during his student days. Joe was also a Peace Corps volunteer in the '90s under a business development program for a coal mining village in Chile. However, it is not his profile, but his way of thinking that intrigued me the most.

On the other hand, I cannot tell his story without tracing his path through AIESEC, the Peace Corps, and the corporate career he is leading today.

Joe was an active business student at OSU, and he was involved in ICX. Eventually, he decided to go to Germany for an exchange (this was when "raising a TN for sending an SN" was strictly followed) - which ended poorly, considering that his company shut down a couple weeks into his traineeship. So he decided to travel through Europe, making money off of dishwashing. He was quite excited about his experience and said that he had the best time, despite of what had happend with his TN.

After his traineeship, he signed up for the US Peace Corps (PC) and was assigned to go to Chile. When he first arrived, the organization he was supposed to be helping was a dud - it made no use of the volunteer, had no plans, and embezzled money out of its own funds. Joe complained to the PC office and was reassigned to a Catholic church that helped local businesses. He told me that one of the hardest things was choosing 5 good proposals to support the community while rejecting hundreds of others. But he knew that being able to support the 5 good business plans 100% was going to help the community more than scattered resources.

After his 2 years of PC service, he discovered opportunities within the PC network and received a full-ride scholarship to Thunderbird. This set him off to a good career, and he worked in 2 MNCs before coming to Emerson. Until recently, he was the Director of Procurement - Greater China, managing our Shanghai, Shenzhen and other small offices in China - roughly 100 employees in our Asia procurement organization. Today, he is in a director position at another electronics firm.

Over beer, he was telling me his experience in AIESEC and the Peace Corps. At one point, he paused and said, "I miss the good old days when I was doing work in the public sector and traveling around - more flexible days. But you know what? The position I am in today allows me to influence SO much. The engineers I train today, the people I hire, bringing our business to the Chinese factories - this equates to employment and conducting ethical and efficient business. It's a ripple effect. That's how I can feel good about what I do today."

It may be hard to read this without feeling a little skeptical, but I found that comment genuine because it is coming from Joe (I used to be belligerantly anti-sweatshop labor and pro-humanitarian treatment of workers - I still am, but have a newfound appreciation now that I am close to the global manufacturing scenery). For the last 16 months I have been at this company benchmarking manufacturing practices in Asia and understanding issues in low cost country manufacturing. I'll leave my comments on that for another day, but it's no longer "China = cheap labor, mass production, low quality" - there's interesting dynamics and progress that requires a positive relationship between a Western investor/company and the developing country supplier/market.

As a manager, Joe was very inspiring - he has an open door policy, genuinely cared about individual employee development and seeking promotional opportunities, followed through on every promise, actively learned Mandarin and Cantonese to speak with employees and customers, and went through all this with personal health issues. Nobody in my company fully understands nor appreciates AIESEC - but despite that, Joe helped raise this TN and sold the idea from within to mutually benefit AIESEC and Emerson. As a concerned alumni, he also complained to me several times that not enough AIESECers were going on exchanges themselves. He told me that hiring a trainee for my position was heavily based on the trainee's AIESEC involvement and understanding of the organization.

Ultimately, Joe is someone who has taken an interesting path in life and has made it to a position of influence. Both AIESEC and the Peace Corps experience contributed in making him who he is today and he's passionate about both organizations.

Just wanted to share that with you. These Joe's - they do exist (btw, his name is really Joe - I'm not making this up :)

said Mr. Jayasinghe, Sri Lanka's ambassador to the EU - The Asian Wall Street Journal, Thursday, January 13, 2005

For you crazy cats about liberal trade...

Debt Talks - A Dead End?

So, we've had the debt moratorium talks with the Paris Club and G7. The wealthy nations are not ready to give out debt cancellation, but they are offering moratoriums. And what the heck is a "moratorium" anyway?

n. mor·a·to·ri·um
1. An authorization to a debtor, such as a bank or nation, permitting temporary suspension of payments.
2. An authorized period of delay in the performance of an obligation.

Okay, now that's cleared up... It's a fancy word for a temporary debt freeze. So when it comes to debt, how do all the countries balance out? Check out this article by BBC for a comparison of country debt in the tsunami-affected region and a (way too) brief history of debt in Third World countries today.

So far, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Seychelles indicated they would accept the suspension of debt, and even asked more aggressively for debt forgiveness and unconditional aid. Thailand and India have refused the moratorium, in fear that it will be like screaming "Fire!" in a crowded theater, scaring valuable (and cautious) investors away.

Developmental economists debate about debt all the time (in favor of debt reduction over more loans, which inevitably will go to corrupt or incompetent governments/cronies). I said I'll comment on the debt issues for the tsunami - I'm afraid that at this point in time, the world remains wary from the 60's and 70's era and has left it for WB and IMF to take care of complex issues. A clean slate (with debt cancellation) for developing countries remains an idealist's dream.

Continued from the WSJ article...

Sri Lankan officials are lobbying the EU to relax some of its import restrictions, such as the "rules of origin" requirement that puts some Sri Lankan exports in a higher tariff bracket. Though Sri Lanka was pressing the EU for trade concessions long before the tsunami, Colombo hopes that the disaster will give added impetus to the talks.

"Trade, not aid, is really the engine for growth," said Mr. Jayasinghe. "Market access [to Europe] is something we would also hope for."

So... What About This Trade Thing?

The EU's trade department is exploring 3 ways to help areas affected by the tsunami:

1. It will speed up an overhaul of a system that gives trade preferences to poor and developing countries. - All developing countries can benefit from the new rules, but coincidentally, they will go a long way to propping up tsunami-hit economies. The EU had been working on this proposal already, but is now in talks for speeding up the system overhaul to all developing countries.

Thai shrimp, Indonesian fish, and Indian and Sri Lankan textile exports to the EU are expected to boom under the new rules. Significantly, the rules will give Sri Lanka duty-free access to EU textiles markets.

2. In the regions affected, the EU also may opt within the next two weeks to eliminate punitive import tariffs on some companies that are considered to be "dumping" on the EU market. This is a selective measure on companies affected by the tsunami disaster (excludes in-land companies) - such as Indian plastics, Indonesian chemicals, and Thai steel and iron tubes.

"We will give relief to companies that were touched by the disaster, but we will not lift measures across the board," said an EU official close to the case. Fair enough - for both the Asian countries and the EU market.

3. The EU is also looking into diverting existing funds into trade assistance for affected area. Every year, the EU gives several million euros toward long-term trade-development projects, such as training. These funds, for instance, could be redirected to help reubuild devastated fishing industries to meet international food-safety standards. Fungibility is key.

A very crude logic to all this is:
EU trade preferences (trade barriers) go down
--> developing countries can export products to EU market + EU consumers benefit from cheaper goods
--> developing countries are able to build their export economy, pumping in technology and improvements over time for long-term development
--> competition increases, labor wages will rise, cost and quality of living will rise, developing countries will start importing goods from developed countries out of need/want = trade
--> More level global playing field

Again, this is a very crude logic of capitalism and trade. It's a country's choice not to go on this capitalism band-wagon, but it's not even an option right now with high trade barriers.

What's the Catch?

Before the EU can install the new rules, it needs approval from the EU's 25 states as well as the European Parliament. That approval has been stalled, as individual members have quibbled over sections of the reform.

And what about the US? Well, incidentally, the WSJ that day reported that in November 2004 there was a record-high in a US trade gap. The weak dollar would have been good news for US exports, but the indexes showed that it wasn't the case. Due to high oil demand and prices, US imports are on the rise. The US is on a guard for its trade policies, no doubt.

For the last 1 1/2 year I was in Asia, the local papers were quite sensitive each time Bush put up safeguards on Chinese and Hong Kong textiles - and it happened a lot. When trouble's a-brew at the homefront, I foresee the policies becoming more hostile and the gates closing tighter.

Breakthrough or Another Disappointment?

One of the things that I am starting to see is the momentum that this tsunami-crisis has. This can potentially be a breakthrough for world development (developing countries penetrating First World markets). My bets are still on the cautious side, but never say never.

I wish investigating about this could be my day-job...

The melancholiness wafting through the air makes me believe that rain is more than precipitation.

Why does rain make people feel down? The grey sky, the cold... Even the touch of raindrops. But there's no real reason to be so.

The Hong Kong saunters move morbidly slow, leaving one to ponder why such skinny pedestrians take up so much street space. But I am no longer exasperated at the geriatric shuffle. I just accept that they are slow and they enjoy their walks (perhaps even secretly enjoying the frustration of others). The children are sweet as they weave energetically through the crowd. How did they ever get so adorable?

Vendor after vendor, I cannot find the magazine I am looking for. I will have to go to a more expat-concentrated district for such luxury. Chinese Newsweek, Asian tabloids, pornography, and comic books are wrapped in vinyl to avoid getting moist.

After walking 6 blocks, I am already near my apartment. I buy an Asian-style pizza at the bakery and trudge up the hill. After recovering my breath, I sit down to watch Oprah and drink soy milk. The pizza reminds me of something... I know, it's my mother's potato salad. They put mayo on almost all baked goods here - the combination seems almost revolting. The Oprah show focused on child abuse today. A mother who was raped and inpregnated by her father. And her daughter (who has the same father as her mother) comes forth to tell their tale.

It leaves me feeling sick and a little helpless.

I am reminded that I need to renew my library books - which I will do online with my HK ID card. Just punch in my ID number, last 4-digits of my phone number... and vowala, renew book for another 2 weeks. Only takes 1 minute and saves me from fines. Sometimes, I think Hong Kong has the most superior infrastructure and city planning in Asia (with Singapore being a very close rival. But Japan's inefficiencies and shortcomings are very obvious to me).

The rest of my week will be spent making speeches, recounting what happened in Thailand to the AIESEC audience. It leaves me with a mixed feeling, now that it has been so long and I begin to question how the aid money is being used in the tsunami-affected countries.

Everybody has been nice, but they don't understand. They don't really want to understand. 'It wasn't your time.' 'You were meant to stay and do more.' 'God has his ways.' The only time I let my anger show was when a colleague said 'You know, these things happen so that the world can get rid of excess population. It's nature's way.' I would have punched him if I wasn't so furious and my head was throbbing so much. I am tormented by the video clips and curious spectators who want to show me these clips. I kill my feelings until they are bludgeoned by numbness.

I am waiting for someone to listen to me, so I can emote and move on. I'm too stubborn to let my anguish show, but I can't hold it in any longer without self-destruction. Please come back soon. Just give me 2 hours of your time, and I'll buy you as many caffe lattes as you want. Thanks, babe...

Sometimes being a nomad means taking risks of being away from basic source of comfort. I am lucky to find solace here so I can get back on my feet again.

For the lack of a better title, I used my lunch to fulfill that role. It was yummy (Chicken Masala Curry and Malaya Vegetable Curry).

My colleague and I were not in the mood to learn Mandarin with the Monday blues. But if there was one thing, nay, two things we learned today, it was that the laoshi smelled of McDonald's and that the Chinese have invented many ways to say "think."

Juede. Renwei. Xiang. Xiangnian. Kaolu. There's probably more. I could come up with some in Japanese. Kangaeru. Shian suru. Kouryo suru. Omou (spelled in 2 different ways).

Some languages are better equipped with vocabularies. They are just more expressive and subtle in the differences. But who am I to judge, when I only know a few. I sincerely hope that I get to learn a really cool language (and somewhat useful beyond African borders) when I go to the intensive training later this year.

I am suffering a minor 3rd degree burn right now, and it's all my fault (nothing serious). Heating packs are great inventions. In fact, the Japanese went one step further and invented stick-on heating packs. I have now had these heating packs on my back for over 24 hours (except in the shower). It keeps me warm. I even have some inside my shoes. Mmm... warmth... (HK is in 10C weather right now - it's cold for us spoiled children, and I always say coldness is relative)

My childhood friend, Cortney, sent me pictures of us when I used to live in Long Island, NY. Technology revives old memories - I just hope it won't revive the old hairstyle (yes, go ahead. laugh all you want).



Enough is enough. I need to get my mind off the tsunami thing at some point. It's just so hard when it's in your face every day and every corner you turn. I need to find my sense of balance or I'm bound to fall flat on my face.

I have refrained from drawing any conclusions of all this - and perhaps there is nothing one can conclude - it's all a continuation.

I have had a lot on my mind lately - and my mood shifts all the time. It's like taking a breath - the rise and fall, all natural, of a human being. Everything kind of whirls around - so many thoughts.

There was a lot to think about on many different levels and scopes - let me try to dissect this and describe it to the best of my ability.

STATE OF MY BEING
Physically, I have gotten over it - my appetite has returned although my stomach has shrunk and I can't finish anything when I go out (good news for diet :). The first couple days, I was nauseous at the smell or thought of any food and was going to pass out (especially the smell of oily Cantonese food in the streets - ick).

Mentally, I have stopped having nightmares and have significantly reduced outbursts during the day. It strikes unexpectedly and I almost feel like a third person watching myself break down. When I am with friends, I tend to be very cheery, although they later tell me that I look down and depressed. It just takes time.

SO LUCKY IN EVERY WAY
Thank you, thank you, thank you! A lot of people have been sending e-mails, texts, phone calls, and comments that have helped pick me up. I was lucky getting out of this incident, but I am also very lucky that there are people who care for me. I also appreciate the on-land support I'm getting here in Hong Kong - thanks guys. Even the smallest hellos brighten my day. Thank you!

KEVIN'S THOUGHTS
I have to mention my fellow Wheeling buddy Kevin's comment. He wrote:

I was thinking, wow!, it's so hard to really make a positive difference. And then I really thought about how easy it is to make a negative difference, how easy it is to hurt. How easy it is to cause damage and break people, and relationships down.

He was on to something - and in my own interpretation given the context, I want to say, "Why do we keep on creating strife and damage by human intention and error - when we already have nature dealing its hand. If we are grieving over the terror that nature can induce, what can this grief do for something we can actually control?" I echo what Rajiv wrote in his letter.

ON LIVING
I have now faced death twice in my life - the first time was bad enough to shake the core of my beliefs. Life experiences can really change the way a person lives - so when the tsunami disaster struck and the hand of death came close this time, I actually had little to regret.

Some people may think I'm a cynic and a horrible person when I say this, but I really didn't have any regret in light of this disaster. Asked if something changed in me from this experience, it's hard to say "yes, I appreciate things more. I learned so much." Because I already knew what was important to me and I have communicated and continue to communicate love to the ones I care about. I just live honestly - a Japanese way of saying this is "sunao ni ikiru."

That's not to say that I wasn't thinking how sad it would make my parents, friends, and colleagues if I ceased to exist. It would be terrible making them feel sad and vulnerable.

In my honest words, the core of who I am has not changed. I keep on wanting to make positive differences in the world, learn more, love more, and live life to the fullest. It just seems silly for me to live timidly and fear the unknown or something beyond control. That is my belief and it's still standing.

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
Africa. Well, some of you know that I am in the process for applying for the Peace Corps. And I've been bumbling a little about Africa. Over the course of the Christmas holiday, the Peace Corps recruiter told me that now I am in the running for the NGO development position for the HIV/AIDS program in... Africa (yes, the continent. No country assignment decided yet).

This news has set a new goal for me to polish up on my edumacation and reread some articles and books. This is also keeping my spirits up that I am A) pursuing something I have always studied and wanted to do and B) while not jumping to go to the tsunami relief, I will be committing 2 years of my life to something that will help in the humanitarian side of things in the world. It sounds like balancing karma to me.

I am also aware that I have to stay realistic about this - no Peace Corps volunteeer in a country for 2 years will cure AIDS or uplift an entire village from poverty. And I am not one to gleam with idealism twinkling in my eyes - I've gotten over that phase. But there will be an impact no matter what - and I wholeheartedly believe in that.

LOVE IS ALWAYS APPROPRIATE
I like this phrase a lot. I bought two books while I was in Phuket Airport - "Words of Wisdom" and "The Art of Happiness" by H.H. the Dalai Lama. Having experienced so much in over 24 hours, the books seemed apt. While I was furiously writing my book (the narrative) on The Economist, I looked for words by the wise that fit the theme. This just fit so well.

One of the things that I did a lot while I was at the evacuation camp was smile. Given the circumstance, most people looked nervous and conversations grew dim (and the language barrier made it hard) - so most of us greeted each other with smiles. I distinctly remember a Swiss man who kept on smiling to cheer everyone up - everywhere I looked, people tried to keep spirits up with their crinkle in their eyes and smiling lips.

Walking in the streets of Hong Kong, I see people bustling and seriously concentrating on something. Stern frowns or unflinching gazes. So I smile. Why not? I know that if it was in the US, people will grin back or at least give a shy smile. It's harder to get a smile out of people in Asia because it's not a part of the culture to look into a stranger's eyes or to make expressions in public. But I smile anyway :)

NEWS AND AID
For a while, I wasn't able to read or watch the news. To be absolutely honest, I have watched little of the footages on video - I just don't turn on the TV any more. But I do read the papers. And when I start, I can't stop. Some stories make my heart jump or my breath stop. Others, I read over and over again, but nothing processes. There's no consistency or a rule to this - I just let information go through and some I retain while others just flush out of my system.

From a development perspective, the debt reduction topic is most intriguing. Here we are, post-Cold War era, and the geopolitics seemed no longer a big enough incentive to do a huge humanitarian favor. I'm not going make a judgement call just yet, but it is a very interesting form of international assistance. On one hand, debt reduction can do a huge favor to the development to a country. On another, if a government does not have the capability or a good plan, any aid or support is going to flop.

In my little head, it really comes down to how constructive each government can make use of the debt reduction and aid. Debt freeze is at least expected in emergency crisis - and some countries were realistically not thinking about repaying debt for a decade or so. One tragic news in this context is that Maldives was taken off of UN's list of least developed countries 6 days before it was hit. Now it is back on again - and half of Maldive's economy depended on fishing and tourism. I will definitely be following this topic.

WHAT AM I DOING?
Following the conversation on nomadlife, I feel like I need to get quickly back on my feet and go out and do something. The least that I could do was bring it home to the people I know - sending on the story, asking them to donate. Even my Chinese colleagues read the lengthy narrative - they all said that they read it with a dictionary in hand!

AIESEC in Hong Kong is running a fundraising effort, creating a CD with a song, photos, and information on the tsunami. They will be inviting their alumni and community to come - where UNICEF representatives will be describing the relief efforts and I will be making a speech. I don't know how much my presence will help, but I hope to rally up those willing to listen to make a contribution.

So all righty... I'm outie. Oh, and I'm also looking forward to my Southeast Asia backpacking trip in March! If anybody is heading to this side of the world from Feb 24 - March 31, let me know. saki_takasu1@yahoo.com

We were merry last night as we ate Indian food and drank bargain Australian wine for a friend's farewell. All of us being concerned global citizens began discussing what we could possibly do to help the tsunami victims.

In Hong Kong, the Lan Kwai Fong Association promised to put in 50% of proceeds that day into the Red Cross and UNICEF. We never made it to that side of town last night, but we thought the gesture was still grand for a party community like Lan Kwai Fong.

The group began brainstorming on fundraising events, and veered to the topic of holding parties. According to one of my friends, "the end justifies the means. Any way to rake in money is a good action." Or holding a charity box and approaching everyone who is walking on the street - people never expect being approached in kindness in the streets of Hong Kong, right?

But we got talking further on the topic of "even if we donate, how will our money be used?" To be honest, that exact question had been bothering me for a while. I chatted with an Indonesian Aiesecer in Java earlier that day. When I asked him what is most needed right now in Aceh in light of the trouble with fuel and aid distribution, he paused, and simply said: "helicopters. We need helicopters."

Sitting back in the comfort of our offices and living rooms, how can we make a discretion on putting money where it counts? According to my two OZ mates, international organizations have the credibility and leverage, but the administrative costs are also large.

My friend, Paris, also happens to know an NGO (affiliation of an ex-Aiesecer off an island in Indonesia, very close to the epicenter), which is so focused on one thing that the admin cost is only around 5% and he is certain that it has the skills and infrastructure to use the money wisely. While I had donated quite a bit to the Red Cross, I asked Paris to send on the good word for further contribution to this NGO...


The arrow points to Nias Island - Main island in the Mentawai Islands
As of Dec 30th:
- Northwestern town of Lahewa - extreme devastation, yet to be reached
- Central coast town Sirombu - 150 dead and more than 1,500 people left completely homeless

Dear all,

I hope each of us is considering what little role we may each play in helping those affected by the tragedy.... I am writing to offer one alternative... one channel... for funding some of the relief efforts....

One of my close Indonesian friends works for a small NGO called SurfAid International (she is an ex-AIESECer based in Padang, Sumatra). This NGO has a sole focus on helping the Mentawai Islands, a very poor, inaccessible, group of islands, off the west coast of Sumatra. As you can see from the image, they were one of the closest land masses to the epicentre of the quake.

It is called SurfAid International, because pretty much the only thing of "international significance" that the Mentawai Island's provides is some of the best surfing in the world. The New Zealand doctor who established the NGO wants to channel money from the global surfing community (and other interested ppl) into one of the world's poorest and most isolated communities. As you can see from their website www.surfaidinternational.org they focus on very basic health and sanitation requirements of these islands.

I am not a surfer, nor do I have huge respect for the global surfing community, but I do know the doctor, and his excellent team, who run SurfAid. Having spent a week in their offices in Padang, Sumatra, I have chosen to fund through this channel for four reasons:

i) first and foremost, they work with very isolated communities who were very close to the epicentre of the quake

ii) they are small NGO - so a very high percentage of my donations will make it directly through to relief efforts

iii) they are very focused - they do one thing: "help the ppl of the Mentawai Islands with basic health needs"

iv) they have an existing infrastructure - they already have on ground ppl, networks, partners to scale-up relief

This isn't a Paris sell job, I just wanted to prompt each of you to think about what tangible contribution you might make, and I wanted to offer a very personal endorsement of an NGO where your contribution (no matter how small) will be channelled very directly through to helping some of those closest to the centre of the devastation.

If you have been thinking, my $20 USD donation to Red Cross/Oxfam etc etc won't be worth much by the time 80% is taken out on admin and overhead, this is an alternative...You can donate online via their website. Every dollar you donate, will be matched by the New Zealand government....

I would be very grateful if you can forward this mail onto others you may know, who are looking for a funding channel that will directly reach those who are worst affected.

Prayers
Paris

While I don't endorse everyone to rush at this one organization, I say 'go for it!' if you truly agree that it is going to the right people. I think logistics companies like DHL are doing a great job at trying to make a constructive relief effort.

If you are feeling any guilt or suffering at the inability to help... I'd say think hard and put the money where it is going to be constructive. Talk to others to help them make an informed decision. In the end of the day, we're not sure if our aid money goes to helicopters and fuels so that other aid support gets to where it needs - but it has to be used somehow and there is a need for long-term reconstruction. I take comfort in that.