They’re Eating Up the World!

China. Ten years ago, it was one of those Bermuda Triangles in the world economy. Even if they are known as one of the populous nations on earth, it was known then as one of the depressed and poorest countries in the world.

Today, it is different.

You could sense it in Hollywood itself. Kung Fu Panda, The Warriors, Forbidden Kingdom, and now, The Mummy III.

2008 will be different. Not because of a lot of things happening in the world, but because for the first time, people around the globe will be forced to see a shocking reality—China is eating up the globe. Beijing Olympics is coming. And around the world, people are in panic in learning how to speak Mandarin.

Even my sister is speaking Mandarin in her sleep! (She’s taking up Mandarin in school).

Is this really happening? Well, if you’re in the Philippines you get what I mean. After all, we are so well-contented with emulating, criticizing our own little problems, while outside our little country, a shift is happening in the world. What is so surprising is that we don’t even care what happens to the world outside. Talk to your colleagues about this and they will just say “so? Anong pake ko dyan?” While the rest of the world is trying to ride the Asian rise, we on the other hand would want to go to America and live the American Dream, which is—truth be told—declining as we speak. This shift is not just a cultural shift. It’s a shift of the balance of power, from West to East.

CNN and Fox News echo it everyday. “Hundreds of US Banks are closing.” “Inflation is escalating.” “Thousands are unemployed.” “The US Economy is at its lowest in 20 years.” And we are so oblivious to this.

The time of the West, like what New York Times heralded, is over. The “Asian Century” is here.

The question is, will the Philippines rise up with the rest of the continent?

If you’re a geek, a Filipino geek, you don’t have the right to boast about anything. Because the knowledge you’ve accumulated now would probably be taken up by 10 year olds in Singapore and China today.

Jin Yang, a 12 year old gymnast featured in Discovery Channel’s “China Revealed”, has been training since she was 5 years old, with that sole goal of winning gold in the Olympics. No TVs and playtime for her. Bringing honor to her nation is her highest priority. Now, multiply her by the millions.

So what are you doing today? Do you still fidget your time in studying? Don’t want to finish school? Want to join a rock band like the rest of the kids in the country? Don’t want to risk for your dream? Have you given up on your ideals? Wait a few more years and the Philippines would be erased on the world map.

That is if we geeks don’t do something.

If you’re not horrified, irritated, and panicky, I am.

~resplend3nt

Backpacker Chronicles: Malaysia – Brunei – Singapore [Part One]

Sabahan women of Malaysia

Part One: Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

If traveling is a crime, I’d be first to have his head go rolling. I simply can’t get enough of the quirks as well as the booboos that come with an unplanned itinerary: getting lost in massive and unfamiliar cities, going loco over labyrinthine subway stations, boarding (and hoarding) incredibly cheap (almost free) flights, taking long walks that end up at hawker food stalls, climbing breathtaking mountains (and literally losing my breath, injuring my knee and getting extremely dehydrated on my way down), and the thrill of having my passport stamped by excessively cheerful, or sometimes impossibly poker-faced or oftentimes unreasonably snooty immigration officers. Yes, I am a self-confessed backpacker. Give me a ticket and a Lonely Planet and I’ll be off to my next crazy adventure.

It has been exactly a year since I backpacked around three countries in Southeast Asia with my sister and artist friends. What started out as a no frills (ho-hum) schedule turned out to be an unforgettable and insanely exotic three-week adventure around the warmest and wealthiest nations in Southeast Asia: Brunei Darussalam, Singapore and Malaysia.  Being invited to facilitate a week-long art workshop in Brunei proved to be one heck of an exhange deal. The trade off was for us to come up with an experiential multi-media art program for kids in exchange for the school taking care of our allowance, airfares, board and lodging in Brunei and Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia. We purchased our tickets to Singapore which fortunately only costed about $65 roundtrip (thanks to Air Asia’s phenomenal zero fares promo!).

Sunset in Kota Kinabalu

As our first destination, Kota Kinabalu, a charming and rustic coastal city in Sabah was a pleasant surprise. Its grid-like arrangement of streets and major roads built by its 19th century English urban planners makes it easy to explore while its multi-ethnic population composed of Malays, Kadasan-Dusuns, Chinese and indigenous Filipinos gives it a unique oriental hodgepodge look and feel. Kota Kinabalu has spectacular sunsets and possesses a bustling market that sells tasty chicken satay, raw sea cucumbers, dried seahorses (sold by the kilogram) and intricately crafted Philippine-made mementos. Its proximity to Brunei, Indonesia  and the Sulu archipelago in southern Philippines makes Kota Kinabalu a gateway to Southeast Asian travel. In fact, direct flights to Macau, Bali, Manila, Cebu, Bangkok, Singapore are available in Kota Kinabalu’s two international airport terminals.

Satay vendor in Kota Kinabalu

High end hotels as well as insanely affordable backpacker’s lodges are strewn all over the city. The cozy Borneo Backpackers and Step In Lodge are popular among international tourists. Local coffee and grilled seafood are available at the Borneo 1945 Museum Kopitiam located at the ground level of Borneo Backpackers. Mountain climbers and wildlife enthusiasts may have their Mount Kinabalu and Kinabatangan River Safari tour packages arranged through their chosen hotels and lodges. Tourists who opt to take a sidetrip to Brunei (via Labuan Island) may take a ferry at the Jesselton Ferry Terminal in Kota Kinabalu. The ride may be wild and bumpy at times so make it a point to check the latest weather forecast on the day of your planned trip. It may be better to take direct flights to Brunei via Royal Brunei Airlines. To those who prefer a more unconventional route going to the oil-rich sultanate, you may take an exhausting and convoluted minibus-boat-ferry ride from the Kota Kinabalu bus terminal. Speaking from experience, my friends, sister and I were left with no choice but to take the last option. What seemed as an impeccably planned itinerary faced an unwelcome glitch when the ferry at Jesselton terminal left for Labuan thirty minutes earlier than its scheduled departure time because of a sudden surge of passengers brought about by the cancellation of an earlier ferry service. Without enough cash on hand, we were forced to ride a hopelessly shabby minibus to Menumbok to get to Labuan Island, our final stop before entering Brunei. What appeared to be a blind leap to no man’s land turned out to be an unforgettable sideshow as we were fortunate enough to meet a Malay-speaking Filipino fisherman among the passengers. If not for his hospitality and utter kindness, we would have found ourselves at a place that only God knows where.

Safely reaching Brunei, the scorching sun was still high and the second day of our three-week adventure had just begun.

Borneo 1945 Museum Kopitiam

[To be continued]

~Speck Tackle