Best Reading in 2010

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

 I have reviewed this in Kiakahakl already. I had been wondering about the hype for this author and I discovered it's well deserved. Unquestionably my favourite of the year and next year I am looking forward to reading his 2010 release Freedom.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

I knew nothing about this novel when I started it, except that it made Oprah’s choice a few years ago. Fair play to Ms Winfrey, many of the books that make her Book Club are excellent reads and this is no exception. Its a fantastic cross continental, intergenerational yarn that had me totally hooked. Furthermore it crossed into territory that is challenging to the reader, something I think good literature should always aspire.

 

Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes
Reviewed here. War literature as good as it gets.

Paris Trance by Geoff Dyer

Dyer’s novels are an excellent ‘go to’ choice for me. I am a big fan of his style, and the capturing of contemporary nuances within his writing is outstanding. This is by no means an outstanding novel, ‘Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi’, reviewed last year was better, however it was still a joy to read.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Also reviewed this year. This guy is an incredibly talented writer and I also had the pleasure of reading an earlier work Number9Dream. Next year, his latest release, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is on my list.

Olive Ketteridge by Elizabeth Strout

The writing here is gorgeous. Strout is a class act using a central linking figure, Olive Ketteridge, who lives in a small town in Maine. From this she moulds together a collection of stories that will charm the pants of you.

Also enjoyed in 2010: Tinkers by Paul Harding and Far North by Marcel Theroux

Cars

Cars are everywhere in this town. But the extraordinary thing to me is the not the number of vehicles that are clogging the dozens of freeways, bypasses, junctions, Jalans, Lorongs, and toll ways in the Klang Valley. It’s not the ones moving that interest me, for their purpose is clear. It’s the ones that aren’t being driven that interest me.

Although I have no reliable stats to back this up, for every car I see on the road, I see another couple in driveways, carports, garages, roadsides, mall car parks, street corners, curbs, grass verges, double parked half on a curb and half on a grass verge, and on yellow lines whilst double parked outside a police station blocking the driveway. You name it, it’s been parked there. Cars here are like litter. A mess of trashy, rusted Protons, their windows having stopped descending years ago, apparently abandoned, under trees, brown mouldy leaves clogging the windshields.

Brash and beasty Porsche 4 wheel drives are squeezed onto the pavement to make way for the 4 other cars already parked in the driveway. When it comes to the resale value of your house, lots of driveway space will increase it significantly.

Strangely enough however, cars are expensive here, particularly foreign cars, which are taxed heavily to protect the domestic automobile industry. I assume that buyers are taking advantage of the 3% car loans that are available. I don’t blame them.


In Naples, Italy, it is not uncommon to see a narrow one way street blocked by a parked car, its owner ignoring the honking and abuse as they leisurely sip on their expresso in the cafe. The KL, Malaysian version of this occurred to me the other day. I was driving past Tanglin Hawker stall near Lake Gardens, home of reputably the best Nasi Lemak in KL. My progress along the narrow lane was halted by a mighty Proton Waja. The Malay driver flashed me a quick wave and smile as he abandoned the vehicle, scurrying to secure his place in the queue. I was in no hurry, and after all, who am I to deny a man his breakfast. So I waited for his return, holding a plastic, styraphome wrapped delight. Another wave and we were on our way through an obstacle course of badly parked metal.

Star Wars Action Figures

Its a big step I know, but I have decided that Isaac is old enough for the bequeathing of my treasured original Star Wars actions figures (there is also a Buddha that he thrown in there to make the play even more interesting).

For sci fi geeks out there you will also note in the photo, a wing from Darth Vaders tie fighter. Readers will note its distinctive shape making it distinguishable from standard imperial tie fighters.

Also, my pride and joy, a landspeeder as ridden by Luke, Obi Wan, C3PO, and R2D2 in Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope.

Bought for Christmas 1977, they have already taken quite a battering in the hands of a new generation. Luke Skywalkers head has broken off and subsequently been superglued back. Overall though, Isaac has been taking great care with my nostalgic items and has been enjoying them as much as I did 33 years ago.

Tech Talk - Ipod Classic

Its my birthday coming up and I've used this opportunity to replace the ipod that was stolen when we went to phuket (see previous post).

It fits nicely in the the Bose speaker dock and thus truely portable music has been restored to the Snell-Soto household once again.

NZ Vs Australia - Four Nations Rugby League Final

I'm still buzzing this morning after an incredible performance from the Kiwis in the final last night.

The boys were under the pump for the first 30 minutes and were not playing well. Australia will regret that they did not put more points on during this period. The aussie commentators were continually trying to write the kiwis off (Phil Gould - tosser) and just after him making the comment that the kiwis were " out on their feet", the winning try was scored with time up on the clock.

In Benji Marshall, NZ has a champion player and leader and last night he really showed that.

Now come on All Blacks, the Kiwis have showed you how to do it in the big games. Get it done next year!

Book Review - The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS EXTREME OVER ANALYSIS AND MAY BE PRETENTIOUS TO SOME READERS.


This novel was first released almost 10 years ago to significant critical and commercial success. ‘The first great American novel of the 21st century' is one example of the many plaudits that have come its way. Following his latest release, ‘Freedom’, Franzen adorned the cover of Time magazine, an extremely rare event for a fiction writer in this day and age.

The Corrections is the story of an American family. The elderly parents live in a dull mid western city and their three grown up children have moved away. The matriarch of the family wants to have one last Christmas together as a family and the narration follows their history both individually and collectively. Along the way Franzen weaves socio-economic, medical, racial and sexual issues and in doing so makes a hugely powerful statement on the state of not only the modern family, but society on a broader level.

It’s an incredibly ambitious novel and when released on 11 September, 2001, it was at the forefront of an increasing critical introspective examination within popular culture of the dysfunctional behemoth that is the US of A. Expanding further on the historical context that applies here, aside from 9/11 and the can of worms that opened, the watershed movie in American cinema, American Beauty had recently won the best picture Oscar. These 2 projects explore similar themes; however Beauty didn’t go far enough in challenging the facade of the American dream enough to be judged a masterpiece. The Corrections does. It lays out on the table the themes and characters of this family tale, then picks each up and dissects it under a surgical strength lamp.

Nothing escapes Franzen’s microscope. He delves into the dark moral crevices between our comfy sofas to such an extent that only a saint would not blush on occasion when what he finds is a little too close to home. And it’s all carried out with plenty of humour and use of metaphor and imagery that challenges and interests on every page. As for the characters, we care, despite all there faults. For all its heavy themes, it’s a novel with heart. Masterpiece.

Book Review - Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes

No other war (or police action to be precise) has been more dramatised in fiction in modern times than the Vietnam conflict. We’ve all seen the movies and heard the stories of this war that, like so many before and since, have appeared such deadly exercises in futility. Despite this being a well mined field (pardon the pun), Matterhorn takes it to a higher level. Written by a decorated Vietnam veteran over 35 years, we follow a young Lieutenant, who, unlike the other grunts he charges over, is well educated and not obligated to be there.

This novel has an incredibly sincere quality and is consistently powerful. There is no doubt that Marlantes really knows what he’s writing about and the peripheral issues such as race relations and politics within the marine corp are tackled head on. This is war literature of the highest order and the raw emotion captured is, at times, quite simply breathtaking. Its no boys own adventure but equally it is not portrayed without humour; there is much of the gallow variety here.

The writing is superb, telling it like it is; and without pretention. This novel has reached a wide audience, including no doubt those whose previous knowledge of Vietnam was limited to Oliver Stone movies and China Beach. It’s clearly a project of passion and deserving of all the accolades it has received.

Tech Talk

On a previous post I have talked about my aversion to things of a modern, technological bent.

No more.

I have just returned from Singapore with this wonderful gadget, a surprise gift for Lina. Its fresh out of the box so it has'nt been given a test run but I'm sure its going to be a handy device.

Isaac turns 4

On a previous post I have written of the ultimate kids birthday party that were, to me at that time, a curious and unfamiliar Malaysian phenomenon.

Love a country - love its customs. Last weekend we laid on our Kiwi version of the Malaysian Birthday Extravaganza when we celebrated Isaac's 4th birthday. Dinosaurs was the theme and for another perspective on such parties in this fine city see this post of a fellow expat KL blogger (and no this was not quite the extravagance of our sons party; although it was pretty close).

Perhaps it's an unusual perspective on my part, regardless, I am firmly of the view that a children's party should also be cause for the adults to leer it up as well. It's difficult standing around at a kids party, clock watching, and longing for the a boredom numbing beverage, whilst the ankle biters are busy having all the fun. With this in mind, in addition to the pass-the-parcel games, chocolate fountain, and fairy bread, we laid on an adult food spread and beers.

So here is a snap taken that day, with more to follow later. We hope the party was enjoyed by young and old alike. Lina and I certainly enjoyed putting it on, and Isaac...... well the picture speaks for itself.

Back in my day.........

Oh no!......I must have been in Malaysia for a while now because I am commenting on 'the good old days'.

Our local neighbourhood is a traditional pocket of KL's satellite city, Petaling Jaya, more specifically the unimaginatively named, Section 17. We actually live in a neighbouring suburb called, you guessed it, Section 16, however 17 is where we go for food, marketing, and other life essentials. Massages for example.

The central point of Section 17 is a park square which is ringed by open drains, Grandma/pa shops, noodle houses, and hawker stalls that have seemingly remained unchanged in living memory. Well, at least for the 5 months I have lived in this hood. In more exotic locales around the world it would be called a plaza. Section 17, as could be presumed from the name, is not exotic, however this should not detract from its unique and particular charms.

The charm is certainly not historical in nature. Petaling Jaya, at most, 50 years old, is an example of post WW2 (sub)urban planning, Malaysia style, as people branched out from the KL inner city to the wide western expanses. The charm lies in sitting down for a bowl of pan mee spicy soup with pork innards and ikan bilis in a open air night market perched on a plastic, backless chair, elboes rested on wobbly plastic table that you share with several other strangers, sweat dripping down your forehead as a result of the 30 degree temperatures, 95% humidity and an additional chillispice factor of 10 degrees for good measure. It lies in nipping down to the kopitam on the square corner by 12 on the dot to get the best char siew in PJ. The owner who looked well past retirement is legendary in these parts and his wares sell out by 1230.

Last night I passed the aforementioned kopitam and was horrified to see it gone. In its place was a monstrosity. A most heinous affliction that is without doubt threatening Malaysia's cultural heritage.

A franchised kopitam. Its name escapes me, suffice to say there are several big names around who are apparently proving successful in spreading their evil scourge on the Malaysian landscape.

These places are hideous, with their pristine photos of old style kopitams adorning the walls. Generically uniformed staff with notepad and pencil to write your order. Chairs so comfortable that people were dozing in them. Jets of spray sending a soothing mist over the patrons as they sip kopi ice, for which they were charged twice as much as the previous establishment. And the scary thing was that the place was full. To the rafters. Malaysians are undeniably aspirational. They want gleaming, shiny, modern things. And places such as these are meeting the demand. What happened in the old days was that the old man owner would pass the business on to his children. In this day and age, the children would rather work for investment banks then slave away in a coffee shop - of course. So in steps the franchise.

Where are my pipe and slippers!

DVD TV Series - Yes Minister

This classic from the eighties has been our regular nighttime viewing of late. Of all the classic television series from this period, Yes Minister is the one I least expected to watch, but what a find its been. Featuring the irritating, self serving, head of the civil service, Sir Humphrey Appleby and the idealistic, yet ultimately equally self serving, Jim Hacker, (Minister of Administrative Affairs), this series was renowned for being Maggie Thatchers favourite programme. Its wonderful political satire and a reminder that the most important thing in TV or movies is the quality of the writing.

Independence Day

Our 3rd Merdeka Day has been and gone in Malaysia. As for the lasting memory of Malaysia's national day: a display of multiple flags that I am quite unaccustomed to in NZ. They are on cars, shops, sides of buildings, anywhere is fair game. And some of them are huge. As a NZer its fair to say the emotional connection with our flag is quite low. How much the flag waving reflects the degree of nationalism and general love for country is unclear. I imagine its just another chance for a public holiday for many Malaysians. The thing I like most about this public holiday, over and above the multitude of other holidays (17 was Lina's count this year) is that the celebration is of secular and non-racial origin. Its a day for all Malaysians unlike the Muslim holy periods, Chinese New Year, and Deepavali which cover the 3 main races in Malaysia. Perhaps that is why Merdeka day is when we hear and read on the government controlled radio and newspapers, the importance of being proud to be Malaysian. Lets hope that its real and not alot of manufactured hot air. I'm a big believer in healthy patriotism and that every country needs a time during the year to do some nationalistic navel gazing free of controversy and debate (would be nice to have this in NZ eh!).

Happy Merdeka Day Malaysia.

Book Review - Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Cloud Atlas is a novel by David Mitchell, published in 2004. It consists of 6 stories that are largely stand alone, however are connected. For these connections to become apparent, the reader must have some patience; 100 pages, I was on the brink of banishing it to my ‘Try again later’pile, the saving grace being uninterrupted R & R on a Lang Tengah (see earlier entry) that enabled the breakthrough. My perseverance was rewarded in large measure; however I draw well short of labelling this novel an outstanding piece of work. The breadth of writing styles is unquestionably its strength, ranging from 19th century literature, airport mystery novel style, and science fiction to name a few. Furthermore, Mitchell invents a futuristic English dialect born in a post apocalyptic world hundreds of years in the future. This was certainly no average read.

Mitchell has a fantastic imagination making for a super science fiction element and by the time I had reached the invented English dialect, I was hooked. Which is just as well. It was as comprehensible as an Irvine Welsh character with a speech impediment. This is a remarkable novel for its scope and breadth and you can only respect a writer who has pushed the boundaries this much. Mitchell has described the common themes of the 6 stories; ascent and descent as well as the predatory nature of individual and group. However, the structural connectivity between the stories is too shallow, too implausible, for the sum of its whole to be considered profound. Despite this, for those who enjoy a challenging, and at times brilliantly entertaining read, I highly recommend this novel.

Boys Weekend at Pulau Lang Tengah

I have been on many a ‘boys trip’, whether it be accompanied by good mates or the rugby team. This month I experienced a unique version of this time old tradition when Isaac and I spent a long weekend on the island of Pulau Lang Tengah on Malaysia’s east coast.

This expedition was a last minute arranged affair. Lina, was scheduled for a company trip in Bali during the same weekend (poor thing!), and the original plan was for us lads to hang out in KL. After carefully considering agendas for such a weekend, I did some thinking. A conservative estimate was that we had ridden the underwater walkway at the aquarium 3 times in the last month. Furthermore, the cleaning staff at the national planetarium is now on a first name basis with Isaac following multiple visits over the past year. A breath of fresh air was clearly

required - literally. My only requirement was that it needed to be vastly different from the urban jungle that is KL. Sand and waves would be nice, so after quickly crossing off Sunway Lagoon as an option, I settled on Lang Tengah.

The physical beauty of the Malaysian North-East Coast Islands is spectacular. Our resort was one of only several on this tiny island, nestled in a cove, flanked by rock, with acres of coral below the sea and beyond.

Predictably, there was no challenge in keeping Isaac amused during our 4 day stay. The Malaysian staff and fellow guests were more than happy to assist. Furthermore, after the first day, the staff had satisfied their curiosity as to why this Mat Salleh man was travelling alone with a child. My explanation still drew puzzled stares but presumably it became clear that no kidnapping was involved and therefore no need to call Interpol.

What I love about staying in beach resorts is that if you let yourself, it’s easy to slip into that delightful holiday dreamland state. Where whole books are devoured before lunch. Those same books that, at home, take dozens of before-bedtime sessions. Even the conformity of the regular mealtimes, the predictability of the natural surroundings; these quickly become your friends.

During these 4 days, the pattern of beach strolling at sunrise before breakfast becomes firmly established. Isaac soon sorted his regular haunts and hangouts during the day. Visiting the dive shop to watch the divers suiting up. Lounging poolside, checking on the new arrivals from around the world and what they had to offer. Loitering at the beach, encouraging romantic honeymoon couples to join him in sand castle making. At times I felt a bit like the security attachment, watching, ready to pounce when required; usually to save the other party from any unwanted pestering.

As for activities, the highlight was unquestionably the snorkelling. For those with children who have seen ‘Finding Nemo’ a million times, get the dive mask and snorkel on them as soon as you can, then enjoy the look on their face as they see it in real life for the first time; priceless.

Our accommodation was on the rustic side, the food uninspiring, and there were a few too many cigarette butts littering the ground, however I was not disappointed, simply because I knew what to expect. And, to be honest I like it a bit rough, and Isaac was certainly not concerned in the slightest. We came to the island to enjoy some time away from the city and to spend some quality boy’s time together. Mission accomplished.

Huge lizard wandering through the resort

Isaac acquainting himself with fellow resort inhabitants





Getting and giving some diving tips. Beginner divers in the pool.

The mess hall....I mean dining area.

Film Review - Inception

A studio throws close to US$200 million at a 10 year old pet project of Chris Nolan, directing his first movie since Batman: The Dark Knight – sounds promising. It gets better when you find out the movie is about extracting and implanting ideas and information during people’s dreams.

I really wanted to love this movie and was even guilty of trying to convince myself throughout the viewing, that this was a great film: it isn’t. The core concept is undeniably fun but the plot becomes all too clever for its own good, weaving a messy, tangled web that becomes progressively more unweaverable. This is a good movie however with wonderful action and is generally well cast with the English actor, Tom Hardy especially watchable as the specialist in impersonating targets within the dream world. The feel of the movie is great, highly stylised with a low-tech vibe that makes it all about the ideas rather than the nuts and bolts.

For this film to have been considered great however, the promising concept had to be seamlessly blended into the plot. It does not do this smoothly enough to justify the masterpiece label that many have given it.

Auf Wiedersehen Andreas and Myriam

We hosted the leaving party for this wonderful couple who are returning to Germany after a 2+ year stay in Malaysia. They are part of our Running South East Asia team and have been very good friends. A great night was had and we are very sad to see them go.

Haere Ra (farewell).

Dinner at Leonardo's

Food is a big deal in Malaysia. It is something that every Malaysian whether they are Malay, Chinese or Indian have passion for. The day revolves around makan and everyone has firm views on food. A common greeting is Suda Makan ("have you eaten yet?")

Currently the government is promoting the concept of Satu/One Malaysia to discourage tension between the races in Malaysia, and one tool used in the promotional marketing is the concept that food unites Malaysia. Unfortunately this is clearly false as evidenced by our meal at Leonardo's restaurant in Bangsar which specialises in Pork dishes. Suffice to say there were no Malays in attendance that evening due the Muslim stance on pork.

Pork figures significantly in Chinese culture. They love it and the place was packed. I admit to a profound weakness when it come to matters porcine. Belly, shoulder loin, spare ribs, bacon, I will devour it everytime. And for the pork lover, Leonardo's is heaven as we started with the pizza with prosciutto and red peppers stuffed with pork mince. The main course was pork knuckle and just in case our taste for pig was not sufficiently satisfied, it was garnished with crispy bacon. It was definitely too much for Lina and I but I would highly recommend this place for a group.

Just don't expect to see Satu Malaysia in action here!

Pizza with Proscuitto

Red peppers stuffed with pork

Pork knuckle

Asia is the future?

It seems that the general opinion is that Asia has entered this post recession economic phase in a position of strength.

Asia is the future?......

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10658718

DVD Review - Alice in Wonderland (Director: Tim Burton)

I should preface this review by stating that the prospect of another Tim Burton/Johnny Depp/Helena Bonham-Carter collaboration fills me with cynicism. They create a guaranteed cash flow at the box office and unfortunately have become an all-to predictable team for such fantasy projects. Credit where credit is due, Burton does it well: if craggy, claw-like trees, and Goth/pop genre is your thing, but please Tim, let someone else provide a much needed breath of fresh air into it. His one- trick style failed me long before the awful Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the tragedy is that a wonderful acting talent in Depp has followed along.

The wonderland inhabited by Alice and the array of trippy characters is suitably hallucinatory driven, in keeping with Carroll’s vision, but there is something to saccharinely sweet throughout. A softness. And again, that word – predictable. Johnny Depp is fine. He plays the Mad Hatter and he meets the brief. Mad that is. As for Bonham-Carter, she should give thanks that nepotism is alive and well in Hollywood today. So irritating.

Despite this, the experience was thoroughly enjoyed by my 3 year old son, who was transfixed throughout. So if that is the audience that is targeted, I guess this film succeeds.

Thai Cooking

On most Sunday mornings, Lina and I teach swimming at our pool to Chris, the son of good friends of ours, Hansa and Jo. Last week after class, we were lucky to sample Hansa's superb Thai cooking. Hansa is Thai and is always a great source of knowledge where to get the best Thai food in KL.

So she came, laden with ingredients ready to cook in our kitchen. As you can see from the menu, all the great Thai favourites were prepared and it was a delicious lunch.

A huge thank you to Hansa and Jo again

Hard at work


Red Curry

Cabbage

Thai Omlette

Pork Salad

Pedestrian in KL

Thats me, the speck in the middle, taken from our previous condo in Northpoint, Mid Valley several month ago, walking home from Bangsar.

Walking in KL is an unusual and dangerous pasttime and elicits stares from passing motorists. This was only the second time that I have walked this route. See my previous post for why this has been an infrequent event.

More Home Made Food

This is duqqa, made at home. Delicious with bread dipped in olive oil and then into this stuff. Great for a party appetiser. It is very easy to make using hazel nuts, almonds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and tumeric.

The Asian Food Channel........

Over the past year or so our family has been making the effort to reduce intake of processed food.

Why...because food in plastic or a can is evil! OK I’m joking, well half joking, I haven’t become a complete , brown rice eating, roman sandal wearing, only organic eating, whale loving, new age greenie.....yet!

My eating philosophy is simple: FAT IS NOT BAD. SALT IS NOT BAD. SUGAR IS NOT BAD. The real enemy is processed food with its additives and mountains of processed, refined sugars and sodium that we only know about if we dare to read the fine print.

So what has the family done about it? We are now eating more home cooked produce e.g. home made pizza, home made cookies, home made juices (don’t kid yourself – carton juices are evil! Do yourself a favour and have a coke.) And pictured below is the latest addition to our repertoire; homemade pasta. Yes it takes time, but the improvement in taste over packaged pasta makes it worth, aside from any health benefits.

Its a Tough Life in the Tropics

More on Phuket

We knew it was hot and here is a quote form the event website describing the conditions.


"What a scorcher it turned out to be! It was definitely no walk in the park for participants this year, as we experienced the toughest conditions to date. Temperatures on race day were in the predicted range of 26-32C, but for most it was the humidity that proved to be the challenge. Humidity was 100% overnight and only began to drop at 8.30am, when the sun got higher. The heat index tells us that at 10.30am though the temperature was 'only' 32C it felt like 39C because of the high humidity."

Long Weekend at Phuket - Laguna Half Marathon

It’s the middle of the week and I am still feeling the effects of an eventful long weekend away.

The Laguna half marathon in Phuket was the latest race destination for our intrepid crew of recreational expatriate runners from South East Asia. As with previous trips of this kind, Lina and I flew solo, leaving Isaac at home where he attended a friend’s birthday party on the Sunday. Lina decided to make the weekend a little more leisurely and skipped the running part. I don’t blame her; our accommodation, Indigo Pearl was a very comfortable choice. It is a vast resort but still has the attention to detail that one would expect from a boutique hotel. The theme is based on the tin mine that was at this location many years previous and the design of the room is largely industrial artistic. There were 3 pools to choose from, including a pool bar, infinity pool and one for the kids as well. Young Keisha was loving the latter pool however I suspect her father was longing for some more quality time in the pool bar with a few Singha beers for company!

Things were not all smooth sailing however as we arrived via Air Asia missing our luggage. Luckily, my bag including running gear arrived later the same day. Lina, however had to wait till late on Sunday for the arrival of her luggage, missing our IPod – bloody thieves! Furthermore, I lost my voice the day before the race, a symptom of a dreaded lurgy that has been lurking in me the past week. On the eve of the race I was not feeling up to 21 km so I decided to make the call on whether I would run at 4.30am on race day. The throat was still croaky but good enough.

The gun went off for the half marathoners at 6.00am and I was very happy with my 5 km split times up to the 15km mark. I was starting to tire at about 13 km and the last 4-5 km was a real slog. Given the circumstances I was happy with running under 2 hours for the first time. Many thanks must go to my running mate and fellow manmum, Damien who has pushed me on our weekend runs and as a result my running has significantly improved. Stefan was the winner in our group with a well run 1.40 half. It was very hot and sunny with a low sun for the first 10km and unfortunately there was scant local support for the competitors, unlike at the Ankor Wat event. As usual, plans for a big night following the race ended with a chorus of yawns and droopy eyes as we all struggled to last till midnight.

The next event for the gang is undecided, some may be moving on from these parts shortly which will be sad to see. I am keen to repeat the Ankor Wat event in December as the conditions make for a good opportunity for a PB.

The Classic All Blacks in KL

Mehrts running through the game plan

Yes I know what you're thinking and yes its fair to say Jonah has continued his lifelong aversion of the Beep test!

This guy sneaked in....his face is familiar....

Jonah lining up a place kick. A handy kicker as well.

The biggest Rugby occasion in Malaysia for sometime has hit town this week with the arrival of

the Classic All Blacks for an exhibition game against a World XV on Saturday.

I was lucky enough to assist with Physio duties for training yesterday afternoon and it was a veritable whos who of recent All Black Rugby. The star of the show is Jonah Lomu of course and he was swamped by autograph hunters. The boys were doing it very tough in 42 degrees and 90%+ humidity and it was awesome to rub shoulders with a few sports heroes.............and Ruben Thorne!

http://www.spiritofrugbychallenge.com/CAB.aspx

I will be in Phuket for the Laguna half marathon this weekend so will miss out on running the touchline for the game itself.

Article in Expatriate Lifestyle - Meet the Manmums

http://www.expatriatelifestyle.com/latest-articles.html

Book Review - From Third World to First: The Singapore Story:1965-2000, Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew

Having lived in South East Asia for the past 2 years, I had been meaning to read the memoirs of a giant political figure in the region, Lee Kuan Yew, the former Prime Minister of Singapore. Under his stewardship, Singapore moved from a colonial backwater to a thriving first world economy. It is clear throughout the book that Lee harbours no regrets for being the architect of draconian policies in Singapore that have garnered widespread criticism amongst liberal outsiders. The results apparently speak for themselves as far as economic data is concerned. Singapore is top of the class, having started as a hopeless cause when they were expelled from Malaysia in 1965.

Of course along the path of Singapore’s transformation, there has been collateral damage; reduced free speech and personal freedoms, and for this Lee feels no need to apologise. It was all part of the greater good and those critical of the regime are always painted as troublemakers. Lee clearly has no time for the checks and balances system of governance in Western democracies.

Lee’s single minded strength of will resounds in his writing style, and love or hate his policies, one can only admire the way he has turned his vision into a reality. To do this in the context of a 4 million strong nation is undeniably impressive. Singapore is criticised for being sterile, and lacking in creativity and innovation as a result of the ‘nanny state’ mentality, but in fairness to the regime, within which Lee is still very influential despite stepping down as Prime Minister in 1990, they have introduced policies to make the Singaporeans more free thinking, something considered essential in today’s ‘knowledge’ economy. Furthermore, Lee never sought the cult of personality leadership style that has poisoned other such ‘fatherly’ leaders worldwide, whose egos far surpass their ability to deliver a better lot for the people they purportedly represent. His vision was entirely centred on the betterment of Singaporeans, not personal gain.

Mucho Running Ahead

Only a few weeks left before the first of 2 half marathons that I am doing in June:

Laguna Half marathon in Phuket

&

Kuala Lumpur Half marathon

1st Anniversary of Manmums Kuala Lumpur

It’s hard to beleive that it has been 1 year since the inaugural gathering of our stay-at-home dads playgroup in Kuala Lumpur. Our league of gentlemen with children under their trusted care started out as 3 and was mentioned in my blog last year. It has now expanded to a dozen or so plus children from all corners of the globe.

To celebrate this auspicious occasion, an original member, Michael opened his home for a party complete with presents, dress up (for the children only!) and cake. It has been fantastic to meet up with a great bunch of lads and I have been lucky enough to make some great friends. Isaac certainly looks forward to the Manmums playgroup every Monday and furthermore, we will appear in a future edition of Expatriate Lifestyle, the photo shoot already having been carried out

The 2010 edition of the Manmum Olympics will finally get underway this Thursday with a session of 10 pin bowling.

We party all day in this house

The inmates are rebelling

Isaac very excited about his Ben-10 gift

Nutritious Manmum food

Charles & Kayla

Sometimes being a manmum can turn you a bit potty