Putin - 2.0 reloaded

Do dictators ever change? I can't think of one that did, although apparently Putin's team is ready to launch Putin 2.0 as a much open minded man promoting for changes. I wonder where they will get the new programming from - they might have to look as far as Hollywood to get some inspirations!

Arab spring has turned into winter, the changes have been painful but worthwhile in the long run. It seems there might be signs of cracks in the freezing land of Russian winter. The young and middle class participation in the protest send alarming bell to the authority.

Britain on the sidelines of the new union

More than a decade ago, when the Euro was first introduced, it was like a fairy tale finally coming true. There were skeptics a the time, but majoriyt of us liked a modern day fairy tale and the idea of belonging to a big united family on this vast and diverse continent.

I remember Euro had a shaky start, but soon it gained more and more popularity. For years, I had wondered why some countries like UK, Sweden and Denmark had dragged their feet on this. The benefits seem to be obvious.

Now Euro, the very foundation of this economic union is on the brink of collapse, we suddently discovered that this single currency and united fiscal and financial policy was more of a dream than reality. Countries on this continent might have a long history of interactions (particularly through the monarchys)but we are still very different individuals with distinctive objectives for our own nations.

This new treaty provides a new platform for EU, this seems to be logic choice and long overdue review. Britain, not surprisingly decided to opt out of this. I think time will tell if this will be a wise move. We are a proud nation and our love affair with Europe has always been cold and warm throughout the years. Now our neighbours house is on fire, the decisions we make today will obviously have a long team effect on our relationship with them.

We are all in this together

Today we have the classic English weather in London, for one moment, it is a sunny day with blue sky and white clouds, for another moment, the clounds thickens and the sky is covered with dark clouds. It reflects the mood in the financial market in the last three months, swining between optimistic and pessimistic. But it seems there is one sure thing, it is a global market and global crisis and we are all in this together.

The central bank in China made a surprise move today by lowering the capital reserve requirement. Actually if you have been reading the news on Chinese website, you should not be too surprised. Both export and manufacturing index has dipped to a three year low, and the property market is showing sign of cooling down. The government, which will face the transition to the next generation leaders, face a real challenge of keeping the growth. Social unrest is spreading, and they know social stability is the key to keep them in power.

It is an interesting world we live in. Europe has the most enviable life style, but the idea of one great union seems to have gone out fashion now given the reality just does not add up. The America model seems to lack the human feeling and need at the core. The Chinese, contemplating on the recent success, also knows disasters are never far away from feeling complacent.

We are all in this together, searching for the better solutions to the world problems, there is no magic pill - hopefully the lawmakers will learn more from this lesson as when recession hits, people at the bottom are hit most.

Santorini - we are back

We visited Santorini three years ago and had a nice time there. We stayed in Kamari, a small town on the beach with a street by the beach full of restaurants, hotels and shops. Luckily we stayed in a lovely hotel Anthena on a slope going up to the hill. We discovered Perissa beach, a relatively quiet beach where we can relax and have a good swim. I remember getting the first boat out to Perissa every morning, the beach umbrellas made of hay swaying gently in the wind and watching sunset in a restaurant on the beach. Oia was a bit overrated, watching the sunset in the sea with hundreds of people is not my type of romantic experience.

We decided to come back and stay in Perissa for a week this time. We booked Zorzis hotel based on recommendations from tripadvisor. It turns out to be a lovely place to say. The rooms are small, but with balcony and a nice pool and lush plants and flowers around, it is a very enjoyable place. I especially enjoyed the evenings we came back from our dinner, the hotel owner Spiros would invite us to join him for a glass of wine, sitting in the courtyard and chatting into the night. He was a captain on trade ships going around the world. Under the dark blue sky dotted with bright yellow stars, he started telling us about his first love. It was Roseline, she is an English girl, they met when she was 20 and he was only 19 working as a sailor. "She was a good girl", he said in a deep and gentle voice, his eyes looking into the distance, "I loved her, We were together for four years. she wanted to get married, but you know when you were only 19 and had no money, this was not possible." I sensed the sadness spreading, like a delicate flower dropping from the tree, only a light sweet aroma still lingering in the air.

Perissa seems to be a little quieter than last time we visited three years ago. We were surprised to learn from Spiros that there is no main water supply system here in town, so water is brought in by a lorry every week to all hotels and houses. There does not seem to be much urban planning either, I guess anyone can buy a piece of land and build a house. It is a beautiful town by the beach, with better planning it would look much more attractive than it does today. There are quite a few cats gathering outside the house in the afternoon when the owner put out food for them, apparently in the winter time, there are only a few hotel/restaurants staying open, so the number of cats increase by two fold. We had a rather lazy time there, I did a few sketches, a first attempt in my life, and I was quite pleased with the result. I read the novel "one day" and found it slightly disappointing as it is a bit too predictable as one of my friends warned. I read the Obama book "the dreams of my father". I only picked it up from a pile of books left by the hotel guests. To my own surprise, I was quite drawn into the book, especially the part about his childhood.

The Economic situation in Greece is pretty dire, people worry about putting money in the banks because they think it is highly likely the government will pull out from Euro zone and they will be issued with local currency replacing the Euros they saved in the bank. And of course high inflation is the only to get out of the deep debt. This year, there are very few people from Atheners coming to Santorini. Spiros is worried the Italians might stop coming next year judging from their economy. We assured him the British would still come, well, given the rainy weather we have in Britain, we have to come here to soak up the sun - for our sanity really. We found a few nice restaurants in Perissa, the gods garden and the volcanos are the best ones. I like greek food, it is honest, fresh and good hearty good, the trick is not to indulge yourself too much...The greek are nice people too, they have a relaxed attitude towards life, and I really hope they will pull through this crisis.

London is on fire

London is calling and London is on fire!!!

I think, many people like me, still find it hard to believe this is happening at our door steps, one of the most dynamic and vibrant cities in the world. I am sure there will be a lot of soul searching after this, but at the moment, I believe we should not try to justify the riots in any way. It is a slippery slope, it does not get us anywhere. Whatever issues and challenges we face in the society, the ruthless damage and complete lawlessness must stop - unconditionally. The government and the police are here to protect innocent and decent people in the society, not the criminals. In this green and pleasant land, we can not accept the behaviour that undermines the very basic moral values. We are in the deep recession, the last thing we need is loss of public confidence and national image.

I find the government here is too soft, too concerned about being politically correct. The society is built based on trust and respect, and innocent people and their hard earned livelihood. The police apparently has been timid since the shooting of young boy in Totternham last week, but they need to be empowered with the necessary tactics. The home secretary said water cannon is not allowed. Why not? When these young people turned violent and started burning down houses and looting shops, they have lost the decency and dignity, the trust and respect is broken, so they must be told and learn in a hard way this is not an acceptable behaviour in a modern and civilised society. They are not "kids", even they are still young, but they are old enough to know this is not right.

I don't buy the argument that young people have to turn violent and destroy the very community they live it to get the attention from the authority. This is not a political statement, you only need to see the decoded messages they send through the blackberry "it doesnt matter what gangs you are from, join us and get in there and get free stuff". I am sorry, but this is not a way to call for change in the society.

There are a lot of challenges today in Britain, and the young people naturally are more affected naturally. But they can't blame the government or community for all their problems. I find a lot of young people here are simply not hard working and driven enough to make a difference in their lives. One of my nephews from my husband side decided when she was 25 that she wanted to become a single mom because this is the best way out. She does not want to get a job (ever!), becasue she has to get training and practice that she didn't want to bother. She was given a nice flat with a garden after the child was born, she immediately kicked out her boyfriend who had been supporting her financially. Now she is happily living on benefits, spending her days going around to see her friends in similar situation and now has a new boyfriend and planning to have another child so she can get better accomondation. She is a sponger of the society, creaming off what she can get from other hard working people. And you want parental control? It is impossible if you have a system that encourges single moms and runaway fathers. And we all know broken family has its consequences on the child's education.

Authority sometimes is considered a negative word in the west, but it does not have to be. You look around Asia, Japan, Korea, China, Singapore, the list goes on. Law and order is needed in any society, and so are the discipline, and this starts from parenting. The kids need to be told what is not acceptable and the consquences they have to face. And young people have to be prepared to work hard and have self discipline and esteem and respect for others.

There is high unemployment among the youth in Britain, but you have millions from other parts of Europe livinng and working in Britain, most of them are not skilled workers. Today, you will hardly find any English bartenders or waitresses/waiters in a cafe/bar/restaurant in London. Why? Because the young people her don't want to do this kind of low paid jobs. Same thing with a lot of low skilled building works, now dominated by easter Europeans.

The benefit system is killing this country. Young people need to understand working is the only way out of the dreadful trap they are in. They can't expect a life all crafted out nicely for them. They need to look up the role models who come from a unpreviliged background and become successful. There is no short cut to success in life. It is years of hard work, sweat and tears. It requires sacrifice and discipline. That is the succesful formula that is proven in Asia.

You can never give a person enough state social welfare. The society will not progress when there are too many spongers.

There is no silver bullet for building a harmonious society, it is a tough balancing act between Keynes and Friedman. Too much state benefits encourages laziness, too little create unstability. My personal view is that free health care should be provided for everybody, but state should provide very little benefits for other benefits. You will be surprised to see how people's potential can be unlocked.

Christchurch - a little town near Bournmouth

From Lund in the Nordic sun

It is truly amazing how weather can change your perceptions about a place. Here I was, strolling through the Lund city centre in the early evening sun. I don't know how many times I have been here, 18 times maybe, which in any case a lucky number. The city seems to be bursting with life. I only noticed today that the whole city centre is cobble stone paved, which makes it just as charming as any medeterannian cities. All the restaurants, bars and cafes have their tables and chairs out in the sun, people are drinking and soaking up the sun. They all look really happy. You come to appreciate the warm sunshine more in a Nordic country, as the summer is short, yet when it comes, it is warm and sweet and it lights up life like wild fires. The sun beams down through the red tiles on the roofs, casting gentle shadowes on the cobble paved street. It is almost post card perfect.

I got an ice cream and walked around the streets, I felt I was rediscovering Lund. I never noticed there are so many restaurants and bars in this small town. I had the impression of Lund as a dark and gloomy place and the town centre is small, with only a few shops and restaurants around. Maybe some restaurants and bars only open in summer or the Swedish economy is booming against all the odds in the Euro zone? Whatever it is, I was enjoying what I saw. Then I thought of Gainesville, the college town I lived in Florida. It is similar to Lund, with students making up big part of the population. I remember being enchanted by the perfect lawn, squirrels jumping in the big oak trees, red tiled building dotted in the green campus, and of ocurse the forever sunshine. But compared with a small European city like Lund, it lacks of certain charm and flair. It is hard to say what the European charm is, but it is kind of life style too, you know when you see it. In Lund, a typically small Scandinnvian town, on a sunny and warm evening like this, you feel the sense of enjoying life and relaxed attitude in the air. I think it has something to do with their society as well, people are more equal and it is a very safe and peaceful place where you see more the bright side of life.

Thinking of bright side of life, I almost wanted to have another ice cream, but then I thought of the quote "you can't have too many of the good things", well, maybe another time then.

Talking about life style, I suddently realize that there is one priceless thing Europe could export, which is life style. The old engine of industrilization might be in trouble, but the culture side of things have not died. And I know as a Chinese, we know there are many admirers in China who want to import that life style. And the golden key to this life style is: focus on quality of life rather the quantity of material life. I know there is a top job I could not refuse, that would be the life style embassador of Europe to China.

Munich - a charming city in south Germany

The inner strength of a nation

The inner strength of a nation is reflected in how the people react to a devastating event. I have been deeply impressed by the way Japanese come to terms with the effects of earthquake and Tsunami. I admire their courage, the emotional depth and the controlled and dignified way responding to the disaster. One colleague in Japan wrote in her email to me, “there are a lot of disruptions in the public transportation in Tokyo due to power cut, but nobody in the office complained about it…” I think this is the very Japanese way. They don’t complain and blame, they just take it in stride.
There is a little Japanese restaurant Suzu around corner from our office. Today they are doing a donation to the relief efforts in Japan. Maki, the owner of the restaurant has lost friends and godson in the earthquake and Tsunami. I went there at lunch time, there was a long queue of people getting their sushi boxes. Apparently the news has gone out pretty quickly, the office workers around came out. All the proceeds today will go to British red cross. I got in the queue feeling sad and happy at the same time. It is a warm sunny day, the flowers have come back to London. There is a guy name Masa playing a pop violin in the restaurant. The tunes were enchanting with a touch of sadness. Gazing into the blue sky, looking at the busy staff preparing for the sushi boxes and the crowd around me, I felt very moved.

A risky strategy from the west in Libya

It sounds all terribly familiar, the force from the free world wanted to help the people suppressed by dictators. It sounds good on paper, although with no clear exit strategy or any milestone as targets for the plan, it is a very risky approach as we have learned in Afhganistan and Iraq.

I think we all agree Gadaffi should go as he is mad and brutal, but Libya's future has to be decided by their own people. The opposition is ill equipped and badly organized and so far has demonstrated very littel leadership to rally the country behind them. It is a very difficult situation compared with Egypt where the protestors had managed to convert the army.

It seems to me that the air strikes can only keep Gaddaffi's troops from advancing rebel's stronghold, but as soon as air strike stops, rebel's stronghold areas will fall into Gaddaffi's hands. This friendly support offered by the Allies provides no clear winning formula for the rebels. It is a half cooked formula that does not really help Libya people.

My honest opionion is the west came too late when the situation had turned into a civil war. Now the only way to protect libya people is to get rid of Gaddaffi, but that is not a task west has committed to. The danger of this half way strategy is that they will be trapped there for a long time and libya people will suffer from prolonged civil war and air strikes. The reality is that the west should have a more determined approach, either do not come at all or go all the way to get rid of Gaddaffi.

I think the justification of the west air strikes offer little comfort, as they don't seem to mind other injustice and civilian casualties elswhere around the world, for one, they seem to think civilian casualities in palistine is not a big deal and ongoing brutality toward protestors Bahrain, Yeman, etc are ok. Why help people from all countries that suffer from injustice and cruelty. The seletive favourism does not go down well.

The truth is that the world is a complex jigsaw, with countries in different development phase in terms of democracy and economy. Ther is no one size fit all. The road to freedom and democracy is bound to be a bumpy one, with huge sacrifice by the pioneers. However slow and hopeless it might seem at times, I do believe we will get there eventually, maybe in our different ways.

It is a beautiful sunny day here in London, and cherry bloosoms and daffidils are in full swing. I can't help to appreciate the peace and simple pleasures in life and at the same time feel deeply sorry for the people who are struggling in our big world.

2011 - we will remember

It seems that 2011 has kicked off in a quite memerable way, it started with the unrest in the Middle East, now the huge earthquake and Tsunami. We don't know what will be in the store for us yet for the rest of the year, but 2011 is certainly a year that will be remembered.

Be careful of what you wish for

It is Friday, and like the "day of departure" announced by Egytian revolutionists three days, Libyans are geared up for a day of victory or death to topple Gaddafi. Interestingly, from the definte tone of refusing foreign aid, they now are asking for foreign help to set up no fly zone.

Foreign interference in a country in an open civil war is not a good idea. This tool, is a double edged sword, both west and east have learned this in a hard way. We should not be naive here, there have been a lot of countries in Africa in a civil war and west have not shown much of interest to "help to speed up the democratic process". There is no free lunch in this world. If Libyans get foreign help to overturn Gaddaffi, in my opinion there will be a permanent scar to this revolution. Yes, without foreign help, they are under immense pressure from much more well equipped Gaddafi troops, but if they don't succeed today, they will succeed in the near future, because justice is on their side and justic will prevail in the long run. The complications arising from foreign involvement is not something easy to manage, and could trigger discontent from certain part of the population.

Revoluationary heart

It was an unusual sunny day in the gloomy Feb, it was Friday and I was walking along the fulham palace road amid the busy morning traffic. This is not an attractive road in west London, too many odd little shops dotted along the side of the street, many of them represent the business from the past, now on the downward spiral of dying out. But my mind was unusually active in the early morning sun, I was still exited by the development in Egypt last night, looks like Mubarak was definitely on the way out. I passed by charring cross hospital, a grey 70s building on the roadside, a man standing on the side of the street was handing out some newspaper, and it reads “Mubarak goes” in the bold headline on the front page. My heart jumped with enthusiasm for a moment, I rushed to the office hoping to have a quick glance of the breaking news on the Internet. But when I opened the Reuters news page, I realized he has not resigned. However, this day later on proved to be the day of his departure.
As a total outsider watching these extraordinary events unfolding, I was amazed and stunned by the Egyptians courage and determination. The scenes in Tahrir square are not completely foreign to me, I can well relate them to my own countries and my own experience. There was not a clear leader or organizer in this movement, but they did with sheer enthusiasm and persistency. It will be a long road before the true democracy gets established, but it brings hope to desperate people.
Revolution is a big and loud word, and it is a word all dictators were afraid of. Democracy is a beautiful thing, it brings freedom and tends to be associated with prosperity. But looking around in Asia, you can argue that a country can still develop economically even without a democratic government, so democracy itself is not a cure for poverty. The leaders in Asia, particularly in China, cleverly acknowledged the need of economic development in the society, it is a good way to keep the majority of the population from taking to the street. And the Chinese society, rooted from farming oriented self sufficient and self preservation culture, seem to be quite content with the unparallel path of economic and political reforms, at least the affluent middle class. Although we learned in history that the elite in the society rarely are the drivers of the reform and revolution, it is always the underdogs that see opportunities from the changes.
The Middle East seems to be caught in the wildfire at the moment, inequality and poverty are always triggers of the political movement, when the basic needs of human beings are not fulfilled, they will fight for a better life. The revolution in the western society happened quite some time ago, although there were vivid examples that all rights had to be fought for, they were not given for free to start with. I always think I have a revolutionary heart but fall short of courage and determination.