Southeast Asia has long had a love affair with mega-malls. Often it has been a relationship borne out of convenience, for these vast air-conditioned commercial hives offer ideal respite from the perennial heat and Biblical downpours that are so much a part of life in the region. While I have never been a full-fledged fan …
Continue reading Chinese New Year Mall Madness in Kuala Lumpur
'Tis that time of the year once again: Those 168 hours of tradition-induced reflection and introspection that occur every year between Christmas and New Year's Eve. Yet, while I have been up to my own fair share of resolution ruminating, it is the end-of-the-year roundup of past events that news podcasts and websites get caught …
Continue reading Look Back at 2011: Real Estate Bubbles in China
Hamburger inventor, film aficionado and golf all-star Kim Jong Il died last Saturday of heart complications from "overwork," said state media. The death of the Dear Leader -- said to have begun his life under the halo of a double rainbow that simultaneously brought about spring, according to North Korean official history -- left citizens …
Continue reading Kim Jong Il leaves behind tears, questions and Korean Godzilla (VIDEO)
In the days before and after my recent trip to Singapore, a good deal of my downtime was spent poring over Joe Studwell's Asian Godfathers, a book that dutifully takes up the onerous task of explaining the rise of Southeast Asia (looking strictly at Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines) and Hong Kong's ethnic …
Let's serve up a hypothetical situation: While out grocery shopping, you see a sizable person trying to shuffle his/her way down a cramped frozen food aisle. There after, you take a second look at the gallon of double dutch ice cream (with extra marshmallows) in your hand, and then a cursory look at the calories …
Continue reading Green vs. a spendthrift shade: analyzing the eco-resort trend
Justin Calderón 