The Last Supper

Great Chinese food in Jakarta on our last night there.

Some Field trip Adventures

Enjoying some FUN in the JUNgle

taking a break from climbing

starting the climb..

 canopy time!

 beautiful views of distant KL

 all smiles we survived the canopy walk!

Jakarta Adventures

Jakarta become real lively at night. All the street food vendors come out and sell all sorts of food from Nasi Goreng to fruit smoothies. 

A sky view of Jakarta from a high rise building. While Jakarta is developed there are still areas that need improvement. 

Grilled tiger prawns from a restaurant specializing in Sulawesi food. 

We visited a think tank named after a former Indonesia president, Habibie. We were briefed on Indoensian-ASEAN-US Relations by the Executive Director and the ASEAN Program Manager. 

After our visit to the US Embassy we went to visit the Indonesian National Museum. The museum had a collection of statues such as this one of Buddha to recognize the importance and diversity of religion in Indonesia's history.

To learn more about Islam and its influence on Indonesia we visited an Islamic boarding school. The kids we were really excited to get visitors from America. 

On our last day in Jakarta we went to visit @America. A place that promotes American cultures abroad. Look who we ran into while there. The POTUS!!!!

Getting excited about our last field trip in Jakarta.  

We were so thrilled to see an AU decal hanging at the @America Center. 

We celebrated Jose's 21st birthday!!!

Independence Celebration

I didn't get any bbq or go to any pool parties, but this will be one of my most memorable 4th of July celebrations. Celebrating America's Independence abroad at the Malaysian U.S. embassy. Extremely fortunate and humbled for being able to experience these invaluable opportunities. ‎#ProudToBeAnAmerican

pictured: Me in front of the American flag in the ballroom, Ambassador Paul Jones speaking with Dr. Heng, Marine escorts at the ballroom entrance, the lovely ladies of this trip: Holly, Myself, Jose, and Hoa.

Last Week in KL

We went to visit Parliament and met with several members of the Parliament from different political parties . This is a group picture with two MPs of the  Democratic Action Party (DAP)

The Petronas Towers at night. 

Professor Heng got us invitations to the attend the 4th of July party with the  U.S Ambassador  to M alaysia, Paul Jones. 

A celebratory cake. 

Mama's Kitchen famous chicken and rice dish. It was delicious. I will miss the food the most in KL. 

More Adventures in KL...Politics and Food.

Briefing of the 2103 Malaysian election results at a local think tank, CENSE.

Late night snack at the Chalk and Cheese downstairs. Rice porridge in a clay pot with century egg. Comfort food, indeed. Reminds me of the rice porridge I ate growing up.  

Fist time trying southern Indian food at Bangsar Village II. The food was amazing. 

Malay food vendors at the National Forest. By far the best Malay food  I've had in KL.

Taking a break to pose for group pictures while hiking up to the canopy walk  at the Malaysian National Forest. 

View of the city from the canopy walk. 

Gender issue in Islam, Political Strategy and Enjoying KL

After an overview of Malaysia’s political and economic history the last two days, we began peeling back the different layers of Malaysian society and investigate the vastly complex political and social dynamics of the country.  Through site visits to Sisters in Islam and Center for Strategic Engagement, we were introduced to the role of Islam in Malaysian society and the strategic landscape of its political system.  While ethnicity has played a central role throughout Malaysian society, religion has also been a major role in political and cultural identity.  Furthermore, the current political landscape is showing a shift in the dynamics that drive Malaysian politics.

Malaysia is unique in the fact that both ethnicity and religion are tied to national identity.  To be Malay one not only needs to be of Malay ethnicity but must also be a Muslim.  Islam is such an important part of Malaysian identity that being of the Islamic faith makes it extremely easy to gain citizenship in this country.  Islam has become more and more important in Malaysia and there is a desire to integrate Islamic values even more into Malaysian society.

Executive Director Ratna explains how she became involved with Sisters in Islam.

At Sisters in Islam (SIS) we were introduced to the Malaysian perspective of a growing international issue: Gender and Islam.  Generally, Islam has been seen as a religion that perpetuates the traditional role of women and unfriendly to women’s rights.  There is a movement that is trying to push forward a more progressive form of Islam using the Qur’an and Islamic studies to show that women’s rights and Islam are in fact compatible.  While issues vary throughout the world, Sisters in Islam have taken it upon themselves to tackle this issue in Malaysia.  They mean to show that women’s mistreatment is not validated in the Qur’an.  These issues span a wide range of Islamic family law but in particular Sisters in Islam are working against polygamy and domestic violence.   This has taken interesting form in Malaysia where women are free to work and can be found in leadership positions in Malaysian companies, managing both men and women.  While they may command in the workplace, at home they are still expected to be subservient.  The most inspiring part of visiting Sisters in Islam is seeing the bravery and strength of the woman who carry on this work.  They face ridicule from more conservative parts of society, labeled as dangerous and deviant, and suffer public scrutiny and criticism.  Our guest speaker, executive director Ratna Osman, told the story about how her son, after hearing Sisters of Islam being denounce in mosques throughout the country, asked her why she was working against God.

Originally a banned book, this copy of "Muslim Women" has been unbanned.

The class then feasted at a Southern Indian Restaurant, Nirvana Maju, where we did indeed find food Nirvana.  Professor Heng took the lead in ordering a collection of various Indian dishes of lamb, fish, chicken, pickled vegetables, fried bitter melon and Mango Lassi.  We all walked out the restaurant with extended bellies and big smiles.  Thankfully our next destination required us to take a short walk so that we could digest our food before our next guest speaker.

Co-founder and Director of Center for Strategic Engagement, Rita Sim, gave us a very enlightening macro view of Malaysian politics.  As a political consultancy firm, they have been on the forefront of Malaysia politics and their research allowed us to gain insight into the current political situation.  It is an exciting time to studying Malaysian politics since they just had elections this year where there was a large shift to the opposition coalition, making inroads against the ruling coalition, Barisian Nasional, who has been in power since 1969.  The largest party of the opposition is the Democratic Action Party (DAP), which has support from the Chinese Malaysian community and is a spin-off of Singapore’s People’s Action Party (PAP).  This coalition is supported by the PKR, mostly made up of Malay urban middle class, and PAS, an Islamic party.  The complexities of this system is a bit out of the scope of this blog, but there are a few facts that can provide a basic understanding.  UMNO is the largest part in the ruling coalition and work with the Malaysia Chinese Association (MCA).  However, MCA has lost its base, where many Chinese have jumped to the DAP.  The opposition coalition is a hodge podge of political parties, mostly united in its fight to get Barisian Nasional out of power.  However, they also have a desire to get rid of the NEP, an economic policy that has been in place since 1969, whose economic development plan included special rights for Malays.  Many Malaysians believe it is time to get rid of this policy.  While Barisian Nasional lost the popular vote, they did not lose the majority in parliament (parliament members are based on district, not population).  BN did lose their 2/3 majority.  According to Rita, everyone was unhappy with the elections: the opposition did not win a majority and the ruling coalition lost its overwhelming majority.    Major political divisions are generational, rural versus urban and ethnicity.  The younger generation, urban and ethnic minorities tend to support the opposition.  Perhaps one of the most interesting survey result was that an overwhelming majority of women support a UMNO and PAS alliance, both parties supporting a stronger Islamic state.  This was a big point of discussion for the class, especially after just coming from the Sisters in Islam visit.  While we can only speculate as to why this is, it seems that many feel stronger traditional values would provide a better, more moral society.

Outside of these complex intellectual endeavors, the class has been enjoying the entertainment this city provides from late night street food, large mega malls and delicious desserts.

China O Cafe.  Delicious Nyonya Chinese food, set in a 1940s China ambiance.

"Snowflake" shaved milk ice at Mid Valley Mall.

Late pita and pasta outside HELP University.  "The Humble Chef"

Smog Blog part 2: It Gets Better

View of KL from HELP University Residence

June 26th 2013

API 100

View of KL from HELP University Residence

June 27th 2013

API 53

Shifting winds and other meteorological activity seem to be slowly improving the haze situation. According to the Malaysian Department of Environment, air pollution in the KL area has returned to acceptable levels.  

First night out exploring the city by going to dinner in Chinatown

We ate at the Old China Cafe restaurant. A very popular place among  KL locals. The food is Chinese but have  influence from Malay cuisine. 

The local Giant supermarket nearby campus. It sells everything you can think of that you'll need. 

Indian buffet at the Ali Maju. There are several Ali Maju's near HELP's campus. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

View of the city from my dorm room on the 20th floor. We are lucky to be on the penthouse. 

Black 505 Rally

On June 22, 2013 supporters of the Opposition rallied against the alleged misconduct by the Election Commission during the 13th General Election. It was called '505' because the election was held on May 5, 2013. 

Love this woman.

Also, the guy in the top left corner was so weird and wouldn't leave me alone.

The only other foreigner I saw at the rally, who is obviously the dopest person I've never met. 

A native Malay ^^

 The cutest thing 

                                                She was so pretty and I love this picture.

 People thought I was a reporter and would ask me to take pictures of them..with them..whatever

                         Some nice folks.

"I don't want a corrupt government who lets political parties empty our national treasury- I don't want foreigners voting in the election- I don't want a Chinese minister who is not for the chinese people- I don't want highway tolls or car prices to increase- I am Chinese, Am I wrong?"

The current government is Barison Nasional (BN)...which is why you'll see signs saying Blackout Nasional. 

Bangla Nasional refers to the allegations that Bangladeshis were given citizenship in exchange for votes.