Dec 24th - Yokohama, Japan
Nature (in the guise of a beautiful, flaming red sunset behind Mt. Fuji) and Man (deciding to turn on all the lights in Landmark Tower - the tallest building in Japan) conspire to gift us with a stunning Christmas eve image.
Pictures were, of course, taken - and will grace this site after the holidays.

Dec 22nd - Yokohama, Japan
Sad news. Koichi Yamaguchi, a co-worker, was found dead in Shanghai yesterday. Yamaguchi-san was a quiet, thoughtful, professional engineer who did all that was asked of him, and seldom asked for anything in return.
I never heard a bad word said against him, and I never will. Sayonara, Yamaguchi-san.

Dec 21th - Yokohama, Japan
Christmas in a cold place warms my heart.
Christmas in a warm place leaves me cold.
I know Christmas originated in the desert, but still.....
To me it will always be red cheeks, snow angels, hot chocolate, wet boots, clear star-filled nights, and sleigh bells (sleighs are decidedly a cold weather vehicle).
If you live in a warm weather city....
at least you have your tan!
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Dec 18th - Yokohama, Japan
Last night was Angie's birthday. Her age is irrelevant, because beauty (whether spiritual, physical, or other), is timeless.
She has the wonder of a child, and the wisdom of an elder. And cute, too!!
So, we went to see KODO, the best ancient drum group in Japan. A flurry of muscles, sweat, sumo-diaper-clad buttocks, grunts, drumsticks, rumblings, and joy.
Reckless, glorious abandon in an apparent call to the Gods of Thunder.
'Culture' is seldom this cool.

Dec 11th - Yokohama, Japan
Last night, I had a vivid reminder of why I love Japan so much.
We had a welcome party for myself and four other new managers at a local restaurant.
We sat and ate and drank for three hours.
So many images:
-Pots of boiling nabe; overflowing with greens, chicken, salmon, tofu, mushrooms, and the dreaded etc.
- A backdrop of tatami mats, shoji screens, miniature samurai armor, and a Japanese garden.
-Too much beer and sake, and too many red faces.
-Introductions, bowing, speeches, and the obligatory bouquet of flowers. It's not a Japanese party if someone doesn't end up with flowers. In this case, my newly married assistant Harada-san.
-Unidentifiable foods. Unidentifiable by me, my friends, or even the servers. But still good! (would you believe walnut tofu?)
-Stretching of legs. It's not just the white guys who get leg cramps when sitting on the floor.
-Photos, laughing, jokes, more bowing, more red faces, more pouring, even more sake, and then good-byes.
Kampai to a great Japanese night....

Dec 8th - Yokohama, Japan
We're two weeks into a four week hotel stay (then we get our apartment).
This is my comment:
Whoever invented the 'International' style of hotel should be sentenced to a lifetime of living in one.
There is no clue, anywhere in the room, of what country you are in.
Every piece of art, fabric, fitting, and furniture - everything in fact - is designed to convince the guest that he is in a sanitized, climatized, and lobotimized environment.
There can be no disappointments, inconveniences, distractions, discoveries or surprises.
BORING!!
In Bali and Thailand, the hotels provide an excellent introduction to the grace, culture, and color of the country.
Others should learn from this lesson.

Dec 4th - Yokohama, Japan
Winter arrived. One day it's sunny, and 60 degrees.
Next day, it's windy, 30, and rainy.
I left Singapore for this?
On the other hand, it actually feels like Christmas here!
It's really cool to reconnect with old friends.
Not only do I get to see my Japanese buddies, but many of my US friends also travel to Japan regularly.
So the warmth of friendship will have to overcome the cold of winter. With a little help from some hot sake!

Dec 2nd - Yokohama, Japan
Hmmm. Could it be that they call Japan 'the land of the rising sun' not because the sun is rising, but because the land is sinking?
Maybe. Anyway, we are getting used to the feeling of earthquakes again. The other night we felt four in a five minute span. No harm done.
It was 11:30 at night, and we are in the Intercontinental Hotel, so we just did some 18th floor bed surfing.
I hung ten, and Angie caught some air. Gnarly dude!

Nov 25th - Yokohama, Japan
We ate dinner last night at the fabulous Garlic Jo's.
Great food - assuming you like garlic - great service, Pina Coladas that are second to none, and no smoking! It's one of my favorite restaurants in the world.
We then went to the video arcade - not surprisingly, Japan has the best arcades in the world - and shot a bunch of bad guys. Food and bullets - what a world!

Nov 24th - Yokohama, Japan
We're heeeeerrrrrrre....
Yep, we're back in Japan and it feels like we never left.
Blue Skies. Crisp Air. Short skirts and tall boots.
Must be winter in Japan!
Well, we've got lots of moving and settling to do, but other than that, things are good.

Nov 21st - Hong Kong
The weather has been great. The dim sum has been delicious.
And I've been able to buy almost 100 Hong Kong films on DVD, VCD or Laser Disk.
I'll be in movie heaven all winter!
In addition, we made some new friends, Judy and Sean. I'll be adding a link to their excellent site; Accommodating Asia.
Sean gave us a tour of the New Territories; a temple, a walled city, a clan house, and some wandering through orchards and fields.
A great look at the 'other' side of Hong Kong.

Nov 13th - Singapore
Time to say Goodbye.
Goodbye to Pepper Crabs, Nasi Goreng, and Chicken Rice.
Goodbye to Boat Quay, Orchard Road, Doc Chengs, and East Coast Park.
Goodbye to Indonesian riots, the Anwar saga, and the summer of haze.
Goodbye to ECP, ERP, MRT, DBS, PAP, and CSM!!
Goodbye to Jodis' wardrobe and Lilians' birthdays.
Goodbye to 365 sultry nights a year, and lightning storms.
Goodbye to Kevins' gong fu battles with the security door, weekend calls on my cell phone and Telepark fire alarm tests.
Goodbye to awesome Hong Kong movies, awful TCS 'comedies', and the smell of durian in the morning!
Goodbye to Changi Airport, Sing Air, and a dozen great nearby destinations Goodbye to Sarongs, Saris, Kebayas, and Cheongsams.
Goodbye to the 'Real' Night Safari, Borders Books, and to all the great food I've eaten.
Most of all, goodbye to all the great people I've met and friends I've made...
Now Hong Kong, Japan, and beyond.
Goodbye. And thanks...

Nov 4th - Singapore
Inching closer to 'M' day. The Big Move.
We'll head out of Singapore on the 18th, spend a few days in Hong Kong, then land in Japan.
Between now and then there're inventories to do, work to hand off, farewell dinners to attend, and last minute things to buy.
Which leads us to say, We love travel - it's getting there that sucks!
I have to also take an opportunity to mention that Oliver Sacks is brilliant.
We've been watching 'The Mind Traveler' on BBC, and it's an incredible piece of work that elevates the art of documentary film-making.
I can also highly recommend the books 'Awakenings' and 'The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat'. I've read a lot of his writings about neurology and genetics, but these shows allowed me my first opportunity to see the man.
As I said, brilliant...

Oct 25th - Singapore
Well, we're back from a week of house hunting in Japan.
We found a nice place in Yokohama, near Chinatown.
I'm looking forward to the one-year assignment; great people, great food, and great challenges.
I wanted to update this site from Japan, but surprisingly I couldn't find any internet cafes, and our hotel didn't have a business center. Quite strange for such a technology obsessed culture.
Fortunately, Japan is also baseball-obsessed, so I got to watch all of the World Series. The Yankees were incredible.
Are they the best ever?
Best 'Team'? Yes, I think so.
Best 'Collection of athletes and egos who just happen to be wearing the same color pajamas and won a title' (see 97 Florida Marlins')? Nope.
Lots of teams have more stars. Most teams have more ego.
But this is the best team I've ever seen.
And a great team is a beautiful thing to watch...

Oct 15th - Singapore
Everything is coming together.
I'm going back to Japan on a one-year assignment, and the Yankees are going back to the World Series.
This week we're going to Yokohama to hunt for a house.
Should be fun!
But the hard part is leaving all the friends in Singapore.
sigh....
Other news: I've added new China, Hawaii, and San Francisco pages, along with a new Wonderings and the October cool list.
Use the drop down menu below to see all the new stuff.

Sept 22nd - Kuta, Bali, Indonesia
Just came from four days in Ubud, the artistic heart of Bali.
OD'd on beautiful young girls flitting about in shimmering costumes, to the music of the gamelan.
Ate lots of nasi goreng, and drank a lot of the local rice wine, known as arak. When in Rome, drink like a Roman!!
Finally broke down and bought a Balinese painting (of my alter-ego, Hanuman, the white monkey king from the Ramayana).
I also bought a killer looking Balinese knife, known through S.E. Asia as a kris. Let's see how the airlines like my collectible....
We also attended a cremation ceremony, and wandered through some rice fields. And there's still half a trip to go!!

Sept 18th - Singapore
I've got two tickets to paradise....
Bali, actually. We leave this evening for 9 days of glittering dances, tropical sunshine, and exotic culture.
Meanwhile, things are pretty quiet here. Still not sure where my next home will be. Or when.
But there's no better place to worry about your future than Bali - Island of the Gods!

Sept 12th - Singapore
Well, I put together a couple of new pages on my recent trip to Shanghai and Hangzhou, but my PC won't hook to the Internet, and I don't have time to troubleshoot it right now.
So, I'll doing this from a friends PC, but there's no ZIP drive here, so the upload will have to wait.
Anyway, I've been preparing for a big presentation, while still trying to negotiate my next job.
I think my hair might be turning gray, but who could tell??
Last night we went to a kimono show, which was (surprise, surprise) about as exciting as you would expect.
Still, it was interesting. Wilfred says that rather than kimono dressing, it would be better to watch kimono undressing.
And he's right!

Sept 4th - Singapore
Wow, basically a month since my last update!!
What's happened?
A trip to Shanghai, an excursion to Hangzhou, an MC stint for a company seminar, good business days, bad business days, disastrous business days, another incredible dinner at Doc Chengs with the amazing Micro Man (Mike Romani - if you don't know him, you should), job interviews, severe job uncertainty, and a cool night (last night) at Raffles Hotel Long Bar dancing and drinking with the local crew.
I promise more soon.

Aug 10th - Singapore
National Day meant a long weekend for all of us, plus a good fireworks show on Sunday night.
Had a great roller-blading session this morning with Shin, followed by swimming on a perfect sunny day.
I also did some research on Shanghai for my trip there next week.
Best news is that Angie returns from the US tomorrow!

Aug 6th - Singapore
I'm back home?
What the hell is 'home' anyway?
Singapore, where I've lived for 2 years?
Japan, where I lived for 4 years?
San Jose, where I owned a house, and lived for 5 years?
Pittsburgh, where my parents live?
Watertown, where I grew up?
If home is where the heart is, I'd have to include:
Monterey, San Francisco, Bali, Thailand, Hawaii, the pockets of a couple hundred friends, the window seat of about a hundred restaurants, and every moonlit beach on the planet.
In the end, I guess I'm lucky. Some people wander for years, never finding 'home'.
I've wandered for years, and never left home.

July 30 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Hangin with my parents and family...
Great time to be here. Blue skies, warm weather. Pool Time!
This week we've seen rabbits, deer, and snakes in the neighborhood, along with fireflies in the backyard.
I spent an hour watching the fireflies a couple nights ago. I realized that, if I weren't used to seeing them, fireflies are something that I would probably go out of my way to see!
But I don't have to....
Also spent the last few days getting aggravated at my dads' IBM Aptiva PC. Trying to get internet hooked up and it took awhile.

July 20th - San Francisco, California
What a great time and place in which to be hungry!
We had a bunch of great food this weekend, including Cambodian at Angkor Wat, and a great burger at Little City Cafe, but the top prize goes to our meal at Betelnut, a SE Asian eatery on Union Street.
Great food, great atmosphere; reminiscent of Singapore. I highly recommend it.
We also found time to hike Angel Island and enjoy the great views of the city on this amazing weekend (85 degrees in SF?).
Gotta like it.

July 15th - San Jose, California
Back in another home. Strange to see the changes that come over this company where I have spent more than 10 years. We're in one of those 'revolving door' modes.
Lots of motion, no real change.
People coming, people leaving, changing jobs, re-orgs, new goals, and so on. No one has a clear take on this action.
Still, we do what we do. What else is there?

July 13th - Waikiki, Hawaii
Bruddah Iz has a new, posthumous CD out. It's a live collection that you MUST own. I'll get details later....
Sooo many Japanese here. I don't mind, in fact I love being around Japanese people. It just surprises me, given the economic situation. As I sit here, Hashimoto is resigning. Still there are loads of my nihonjin friends playing 'yen giveaway'. Odd.

July 11th - Kona, Hawaii
HRC - Hawaiian Regional Cuisine, is now officially my favorite food.
Fresh Hawaiian ingredients, awesome fish, and asian spices. It rocks.
Try Merrimans, The Coast Grill, or Cafe Pesto.
Besides food; there was snorkeling with a sea turtle for 45 minutes, hanging out at luaus, cruising the Volcanoes in search of Pele, and just groovin on the Hawaiian vibe...

July 4th - Yokohama, Japan
Yokohama is hotter than Singapore. Really!
Other than that, it's great to be back 'home'.
Got some oishii food, saw old friends, and marveled at the continuing development of Yokohama. They've got a good Cali-vibe going here now. It's worth checking out.
In Japan fashion news, the word is 'Aloha'. Hey, any trend that puts salarymen in flip-flops and has Japanese women walking down the street in bikini tops and mumus is a winner with me!!
Japan never ceases to amaze me...

July 1st - Singapore
Tomorrow we're off again.
Four days of business in Yokohama, Japan.
Seven days of pleasure in Hawaii (Kona and Honolulu).
Six days of business in San Jose.
Six days of home leave with my family in Pittsburgh.(and time with Indiana, the worlds greatest dog). FOURTY-SEVEN hours in airplanes!!!!!!!!
Old friends, new friends, favorite sites, new discoveries;
The unknown and the unexpected.
Wanderings in the East/West World.
This is what I live for!!

June 26th - Shanghai, China
I'm sitting in the Ritz-Carlton hotel, where Bill and Hillary will be sleeping in a couple of nights. I'm leaving tomorrow, so they won't need to throw me out. Oh well.
Shanghai is pretty vibrant (vibrant being a nice way of saying that people are maniacs on the roads). Chicken isn't a game here, it's a a common road skill; for cars, bikes, and even pedestrians.
The food is excellent. For example, we had amazing 'burst in your mouth' dim sum at the Mei Long Zhen restaurant.
We also found a day to visit the intricate gardens of Suzhou. It's a city that deserves an extended visit. (and will get one, later).
Other than that - the weather is rainy, the people are friendly, and my business goals were accomplished.
Not bad.

June 17th - Singapore
Well, Range of Vision has won another 'Best of Tripod' award. This time it's for "Japan - A Wanderers' Guide".
If you've never seen it, maybe it's time to take a look!
You'll find a shortcut in the handy dropdown menu....
Thanks again to everyone who has given advice and encouragement.
In other news, I leave for Shanghai on Saturday morning. We'll be there for a week of recruiting.
Of course, I expect to find time to see the acrobats, and to visit some Chinese gardens in Suzhou. Oh yeah, and find some food...
Reports will follow.

June 13th - Siem Reap, Cambodia
Visiting Angkor Wat is like a virtual reality trip through 'Indiana Jones', 'Platoon', and 'Oliver Twist'.
'Oliver Twist' because of all the witty urchins who follow you about. 'Platoon' because you keep thinking about the pile of skulls at the local temple, and how recently tourist-hunting was considered a sport. And 'Indiana Jones' because of the incredible jungle-covered temples.
As Kevin, Angie, and I stood in Ta Prohm, a temple from the 12th century that is overwhelmed by giant strangler fig trees, we heard thunder, and the skies opened to rain.
I expected our guide to say, "We have angered the Gods. I will go no further,"   then run away.
It's that kind of place.
It would be worth coming here just for the temples, but there are also great people and interesting villages.
More details later this week.

June 9th - Singapore
Finally got a chance to visit my newly renovated local library.
I can't tell the difference! Oh well...picked up a handful of books and did my homework over the weekend.
I was reading up on Hawaii, Shanghai, and Cambodia. Why?
Well, Kevin, Angie and I are heading into Cambodia for the weekend. We're visiting Angkor Wat, probably the single greatest man-made construct in South East Asia.
I've been wanting to get there for years, but the Khmer Rouge kept the adventure stakes too high for my taste by killing a few tourists each year.
Now, with Pol Pot dead, things look fairly stable, so.....
Wish us Luck!!!

June 4th - Singapore
As part of the Festival of the Arts, there was a dance group from the Cook Islands performing at the local train station. They shimmyed and shaked to the pounding of primitive drums and passive viewers.
One of the dancers told me, shaking her head, that this comatose audience was the most energetic they had seen in Singapore.
Sad, very sad.
But, not surprising. You have to give credit to the gov't for trying to expose the citizens to culture; but you also have to wonder if it does any good....
Anyway, I liked it. Sweaty flesh, bright colors, sweet harmonies, and THOSE DRUMS.
Chunka-chunka-chunka-chunka UHHHH!!

June 2nd - Singapore
The Singapore Festival of the Arts started this week. We attended the WOMAD music festival, which was outstanding.
Justin Vali, from Madagasgar, gave a virtuoso exhibition on the strange looking native instruments of his country.
Shooglenifty, a Celtic rock'n'reel band, got the crowd bouncing to their stunning aural soundscape.
Thang Long Song, from Vietnam, featured their 'dan bau' player on a reading of 'Theme from The Godfather' that was equal parts Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Lee, and Liberace;
I swear...
And there was more.
All in all, it was a Range of Vision day.

May 22nd - Singapore
It's Friday.
Suharto is gone (sort of).
The past two days have been an endless show of blue skies, dramatic clouds and painterly light.
The Yankees kicked the Baltimore Orioles all over Yankee Stadium twice in a row.
To say it has been a good week would be a major understatement. 

May 21st - Singapore
The power of music (on me anyway...) 
I was in Kentucky Fried Chicken, munching on a Zinger burger, and, while talking to Desmond and Eric, my attention was drawn to some music from the overhead  speakers.  
A seductive, sparse piano line with a faint mid-eastern rhythm behind it. My ears perked immediately. A haunting voice wavers over the melody. I strained to hear it over the ambient noise in the room.  It's 'Uninvited', the new Alanis Morissette track from the  movie 'City of Angels'. 
Like seeing just a hint of a pretty woman, the tease of  not being able to clearly hear the song only sharpened  my senses, and helped to pull me 'out of the moment'.  
Eric and Desmond faded away. The sound of schoolgirl Singlish melted into a blur. I was sucked out of the restaurant, and into the song. 
And then it was over. Till next time.
The five senses never cease to amaze me.

May 19th - Singapore 
My jokes of the 14th don't seem so funny with around 500 dead in Indonesia.
Of course, the saddest point is that  it isn't the military killing people. It's brother killing brother.  Which is how corrupt goverments stay in power.
It only reinforces the saying, "We don't get the government we want. We get the government we deserve".
Do you want brighter news?
Try this: My new friend in China, Qu Hong - Beijing tour guide - has email access, and we've been writing each other.
Who would have imagined everyday citizens in China having access to the world?  It's exciting to read the joy in her first words outside of China. 
Technology CAN be good.... 

May 14th - Singapore 
Back in the real world.
Is there anything better than a  three day work week? Yeah, I know, a two day work week...
On the other hand - Nuclear Tests in India (what the hell are they THINKING???).
And open season on students in Indonesia. This world never stops surprising me.  My early nomination for most incongruous image of 1998:  Smiling holy Muslim schoolgirls in Indonesia chanting  "Kill Suharto, Kill Suharto". Better have a bullet-proof  vest under that kebaya.
You go, girl!!   

May 12th - Phuket, Thailand
A little swimming with the sharks today. They were  leopard sharks, I guess. About five or six feet long. I saw three of them, snorkeling over some coral reefs  near Phuket. Great scenery. 
Submerged, with only the sound of my breathing, and the snap/crackle/pop of parrotfish munching on coral, I enjoyed the zen of floating among the fish. 
This trip has been a real return to nature for us. Birds sing non-stop, a baby bat learned to fly in front of our eyes, we played with a tree frog for awhile, and  geckoes were everywhere.
Gotta like it... 

May 9th - Phuket, Thailand
Living in a Thai house would be pretty cool.
I decide  this after a couple days in a Thai-style villa at the  Banyan Tree Resort. Of course, air conditioning is a nice addition, along with an outdoor bathtub in a tropical garden. 
The Banyan Tree also has the coolest swimming pool  we've ever seen (or swam in) and the best massage I can remember having (though, admittedly, a good  massage can short-circuit my brain cells). 
Very Sanuk (Thai for fun)! 

May 6th - Singapore 
I've spent the past 3 evenings expanding the 'Bali  Wanderings' section. Seven new pages, and more than thirty new pictures of my favorite place on earth.  Check it out! 
For the next six days, Angie and I will be spending  time with my favorite people in the world, the Thai. We're headed to Phuket for sun, water, and chili.  You may have wondered whether it would be possible  to grow tired of seeing all these glorious white sand  beaches. The answer is no. 
Finally, wanted to say Happy Mothers Day to my mom. This has been a tough year for her, successfully battling cancer, undergoing chemotherapy, and now breaking her arm in a car accident. 
I'm sure she'll be cooking and cleaning in no time, cause that's the way she is! 
My parents were better teachers than any school could ever hope to be, and they continue to teach me lessons about how to live, even today. All I can do in return is say 'thanks' and 'love ya'.   

May 3rd - Singapore
A local magazine, '8 Days', which is sort of a blend of TV Guide and People Magazine, did a feature this week on the popularity of 'Pan-Asians'. 
'Pan-Asians' is their inaccurate term for what we've been calling 'Weasterners' here at Range of Vision.
Seeing as almost all have some Western blood,  'Pan-Asian' is a limiting term that perhaps is more palatable to the locals. 
Still, it's interesting to see the local press notice that there are a (growing) group of people who don't  fit neatly into East or West, but are comfortable (and   popular) in both. 
The strange thing is that 'Weasterners' should be no  big deal in Singapore. Singapore should be full of  them (in fact, should be breeding them!). 
As we move into the East/West world, Singapore could be leading the way, a center of the East/West galaxy, but instead is standing on the sidelines, like a star-struck teenager.  

April 24th - Singapore
It's a beautiful Friday, so I go to my favorite spot by the MRT station to eat lunch and watch people.
I'm in luck today, as a Chinese man is there, playing the erhu (a chinese violin), and singing Hokkien opera. He's receiving a lot of donations, but curiously few people actually stop and listen. I stay for 45 minutes, drop some money, say thanks, and return to work.

April 22th - Singapore
Walking to the food court for dinner last night (Indian curry), I get the overwhelming urge to be in Bali; eating nasi goreng while watching sarong-clad, barefoot people place offerings along the street. The smell of incense and the sound of gamelan music are like a drug in my veins, calling me back.
I go home and play a gamelan cd, while looking at my Hofker (a painter of Bali) book. Not quite the same, but better than nothing!

April 21th - Singapore
Hey, it's secretaries week, so I'll take a moment to say that Jodi Chia, my administrator and zen gardener par-excellance, is a daily blessing in my life. Whatever is the basis for it, she has a calm about her that is (especially in the service industry!) a gift I hugely appreciate. Xie xie!

April 20th - Singapore
A great weekend in Sin City. Hey, that's not my name for Singapore, it's the airport designation - SIN. Honest!
Anyway, Saturday was spent on Orchard Road. Seeing as I'm sitting in the crossroads of Asia, at a crossroads in my 'career' (choice time again...), I decided to spend the evening at the Crossroads Cafe in the Marriot.
There I met an entertaining retired gentleman from Switzerland. He lived in SE Asia for 26 years, and had some interesting opinions. There's not enough room here to elaborate, but he gave me food for thought, as I was served excellent Sate for eating.
I also had a nice conversation with 'Annie', an elderly ummmm, pimp is I guess the best word. 'Annie' was trying to sell me on the abilities of some of her girls that work on Orchard Road. Angie is in the US this week, visiting her parents, so 'Annie' wanted to help fill the void in my life. I assured her that the help was not necessary, and spent my evening at Borders' Books, instead.
Sunday, I spent the day at the beach, reading and people watching.

April 12th - San Francisco
We had a good weekend in San Francisco. A little cold. Three excellent dinners ('Splendidos' in Embarcadero Center, 'Chows' in the Mission District, and 'McCormick and Kuletos' in Ghiradelli Square), music all over the place (I love listening to street musicians in SF), an the eclectic vibrancy that can only be The City.
And you gotta love the new 'no smoking in bars' law. Unless, of course, you smoke. Though most smokers just step outside for their cigarette.

April 9th - San Jose, California
In the time that I have spent in Asia, my company has grown from 1500 people to 4500 people. Most people are strangers to me.
So, it's particularly nice to see old friends, like Cynthia, Dan, Jesse, and John.
And it's nice to make a new friend, like Carrie. Unfortunately, 4 days are not enough to catch up with everyone.

April 5th - Honolulu
Rain, Rain, Rain. Good for Hawaii, bad for Glenn and Angie.
So, we spent time at the excellent Bishop Museum, supplemented my slack key guitar cd collection (Borders Books has a great selection), and spent nights watching hula. Who needs sun?
If you have one romantic bone in your body, you must go to the Halekulani on Waikiki Beach to watch former Miss Hawaii, Kanoe Miller, dance the hula in front of the setting sun. Kanoe's picture should be in the dictionary, to illustrate the word 'lovely'.

April 1st - Singapore
I was in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, this past weekend.
If KL were a web site, it would have a big 'UNDER CONSTRUCTION' sign on it.
Everything is being built or rebuilt. It's hard to think of many positive things to say about the city. The people are nice. There are some good restaurants (check out Citrus,if you're there). Prices are good. That's about it.
In fact, the highlight of my trip occured in the airport. I saw the new Vanessa Mae video on a 4 x 5 video monitor bank. A Wall of Vanessa. Excellent song,and a good video. It stopped about 5 other travelers in their tracks.
Anyway, I'm off for Waikiki tomorrow morning. Sunsets, Mai Tais, and hula...

March 23rd - Singapore
The local newspapers are full of doom and gloom for the travel industry.
"Revenge of the Killer Haze" could cost Singapore 1 Billion Dollars, (more than Titanic!) To most of us that would be a good reason to find a solution, but things work  differently in this part of the world.
I hear from many friends that Koreans are responding to their part of the economic crisis by being warmer to tourists (and their money). That's always a good thing, and with the devaluation of the won, makes Korea a pretty attractive destination. No haze, great food, and an interesting history.

March 9th - Singapore
Like a bad 'B'-movie,"Revenge of the Killer Haze", the noxious yellow smog of Indonesia is rising from the dead.
We've got all the elements of a classic bad film: Natures' power gone awry, evil governments, the passive masses, a few lone voices of reason, coverups, death and destruction, and a sense of impending dread. All we lack is a hero to save the day.
Sadly, this is not a movie.