Singapore tops the Asian ranking in The Global Competitiveness Report 2008-2009 conducted by the World Economic Forum (and partners) using both publicly available data and the Executive Opinion Survey.
The annual report assesses the ability of countries to provide high levels of prosperity to their citizens, which in turn depends on how productively a country uses available resources. Thus, the index measures the set of institutions, policies, and factors that set the sustainable current and medium-term levels of economic prosperity.
The top 10 overall ranking are USA, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Singapore, Finland, Germany, Japan and Canada.
The top 10 Asian economic entities are Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China and UAE.
Fast Food Fish Head is the (weird) name of a Chinese restaurant in Seri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The restaurant is famous for its steamed fresh-water fish.
Dinner with my family on Sunday (Oct 5)…
Steamed catfish with Chinese fermented black beans
Took a flight from Penang to Kuala Lumpur last Wednesday (Sept 24); almost made a costly hoo-hah… as I somehow managed to mistaken the arrival time in KL as the departure time from Penang. Luckily it’s a short (50 mins) domestic flight, thus still managed to check in just 10 minutes before the check-in counter was closed.
Life is colourful with these silly moments once in a while… hope that these stupidity won’t occur too often though lol.
Ramadan is a Muslim religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, in which the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
Ramadan is the Islamic month of fasting… Muslims would not eat or drink anything from true dawn until sunset [more on Wiki]
Ramadan is huge in Malaysia with Islam being the predominant religion; temporarily food markets (pasar ramadan) would be set up in various places during the month for the convenience of the Muslims to buy their food for breaking of fasts.
As for non-Muslim, it’s a month to sample a great varieties of dishes and cuisines from the Ramadan markets; it’s also quite a popular season for foreign travellers to visit Malaysia for the traditional food and cultural experience.
Sharing some photos from a Ramadan bazaar in Seberang Jaya, Penang…
Went to the National Rice Museum (Muzium Padi Nasional) in Kedah, Malaysia, in March 2008. The museum is near the city of Alor Setar, and is famous for its huge 360-degree ceiling painting on one of the interior domes.
The painting is a nice piece of art work, featuring the bird-eye-view of the surrounding environment around the museum, as well as the growing cycle of the rice crops from ploughing to harvesting and celebrations etc…
Pig innards congee (猪杂粥) is a common delicacy in Canton-based Chinese community, i.e. Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau, and some parts of Malaysia and Singapore etc.
Pig innard congee, takeout from a shop in Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur
The pig innards congee in Hong Kong is a bit different from those we have in Malaysia. The pork innards (liver, kidney, intestine, lungs, stomach etc.) in Hong Kong are normally cooked fresh with the congee, whereas in Malaysia the innards are pre-cooked and seasoned before adding into the congee.
Both style has its pros and cons… but the essence of the congee is with the rice porridge itself. The smoothness and thickness of the congee is often more dictating than the pork innards. The one I had in the photo for example was a bit too watery.
Chinese and some other Asians are quite accustomed to this dish, but westerners might take this as one of those bizarre food adventure.
Michael Wong, better known as Guang Liang, is a Malaysian singer-songwriter who enjoys great popularity in Chinese community around the world.
Michael made his debut in 1995 with Victor Wong as a duo group and became popular pretty soon across Asia. The duo broke up in 2000 to pursue their solo career; and it didn’t take long for Michael to re-establish himself as one of the top Chinese artists.
First Time
“First Time” (第一次) was a hit song in Michael’s solo debut album “Michael’s First Album”… all the songs below are written by Michael. The lyrics for First Time is by Zhang Tian Cheng; MV actress is Hsiao Shu Shen, a top Taiwanese model back then…
