Chicago

Oh glorious weekend! Having gone to work all of last week despite food poisoning, headaches and a cold, I've decided to take a break from activities today - sleep in, shake off the last traces of the cold and bring you up to speed with my life.

I realise I haven't finished my American story, and since I'm not much of a storyteller, I'll show you some pictures instead.

Aditi and I went to Chicago over Thanksgiving - arrived on Thanksgiving Day itself in what seemed like a ghost town. Everything was closed and the streets were empty. I don't think we expected how quiet it would be, but it made for a great touring experience. We took to streets on foot, taking in the sights and feeling like we owned the whole town.

I took a lot of pictures of skyscrapers because I love them:

Not the best picture of Sears Tower, but it will have to do.

The Chicago Tribune with its Gothic Revival architecture.
I even like the fire escapes. Throw in some rain, the pitch black of night time, the dirty yellow flicker of the streetlamp above and dark sound effects and you have a scene from Batman!

Some scenes from around Millennium Park and beyond:

The famous Bean.
Bridge, or art?
I like this.

From the pictures, you can see that we enjoyed spectacular weather while we were there. If you knew the kind of warnings we received about Chicago weather in November, you would know that we were very lucky to have got such blue skies and sunshine.

From ghost town to Black Friday, Chicago came alive. All I knew about Black Friday were news reports about people getting killed at stampedes at Wal-Mart, so naturally, I was quite curious to see how the crowd would be. We joined the bustle along the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Ave, gawped at the Apple Store (well, I did... and the stacks and stacks of iPods flying off the tables) and did a little shopping.

We parted ways at the end of the trip, Aditi back to Georgetown and I, to Penn. The next time we met was in New York, where we could get lost (as we tend to do) and have Rachael come to the rescue - but that's another post!

KLIA East: A Shrewd Business Move

Now, I’ve been following the brouhaha over Air Asia’s proposed plan to build its own low-cost terminal at Labu with some interest over the past few weeks. When Tony Fernandes’ government-approved proposal for KLIA East was first made public, it immediately attracted a maelstrom of backlash and public outcry. Critics argued that first, the inevitable duplication of airport services and infrastructure would be a waste of resources and public funds, and second, the grossly underutilised KLIA could easily accommodate Air Asia’s thirst for capacity.

In response, Air Asia launched its own online PR campaign. According to Air Asia:

a) The airline expects demand to outstrip capacity at the existing LCCT by 2011, and is in dire need of a replacement before it receives full delivery of its new fleet of 100 Airbuses
b) Despite being MAHB’s biggest customer, all of Air Asia’s attempts to engage MAHB in discussion about a new low-cost terminal at KLIA were decidedly ignored
c) With Sime Darby on board, Air Asia promises that the cost of building KLIA East and providing associated services and infrastructure would be entirely privately financed

I can understand the public’s skepticism over Fernandes’ promise to avoid tapping into public funds – oft-quoted examples include certain airport operations like Customs, Immigration and Quarantine, and KTM and ERL lines. However, having dug through piles of articles and comments over these few weeks, I feel that the gurgle of hot tempers have missed the point completely.

Tony Fernandes is an impressive entrepreneur. After buying the struggling airline from government-owned DRB-Hicom for a grand total of RM 1 in 1996, he has since grown Air Asia into Asia’s largest budget carrier.

I believe that the KLIA East proposal was a deliberate and shrewd tactic to get things moving. Now that the dust has settled somewhat, the proposal and ensuing publicity appears to have achieved two subtle objectives – first, it boosted Air Asia’s bargaining power dramatically, and second, it forced the issue so far into the spotlight that MAHB and the government could no longer ignore it. Indeed, since the proposal went public, the government revoked its approval (a whole other kettle of fish) and pushed MAHB and Air Asia into negotiations. The result: a commitment from MAHB to complete a new low-cost terminal at KLIA by 2011 and valuable concessions to Air Asia in terms of cost and features of the new terminal.

Did Air Asia really have the means to build its own airport on the terms it outlined or was this a carefully orchestrated stunt?

Ultimately, this sandiwara is a painful reflection of the inefficiencies that plague our business environment. Whether it be highways and toll concessions, automobiles and approved permits or MAHB and the airline industry, decades of protectionist policies have made complacency, cronyism and rent-seeking a recurring theme among our GLEs. Can you blame Air Asia, whose profit margins depend on keeping costs low, for taking matters into its own hands?

It is sad when our business environment stifles enterprising Malaysians, forcing them to resort to a kind of political tango and manoeuvring that would make the plot of Desperate Housewives seem trite in comparison. This “two steps forward, one step back” way of getting things done does not bode well for Malaysia’s economic progress.

I think people should cool off and think about the real ‘why’ behind this spectacle. Admittedly, the ideal solution to this – taking away the protectionist policies and clamping down on rent-seekers – will require a paradigm shift in the mentalities of our political and business leaders. Without a commitment to improving efficiency and a willingness to take the country’s long term interests to heart, it will be, tomorrow and everyday after: rinse and repeat.

In the meantime, with the hand dealt to him, I daresay Tony Fernandes played his cards boldly and won.

Introspective

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually enjoying the chill. Granted, it's still early days - averaging in the 50s, on the odd day down to 40s - though the days are getting shorter. The fall foliage was beautiful, but it only lasted a few days; now the colours are much more muted. My apartment keeps the cold out surprisingly well, and when I do venture out the air is fresh and crisp and wet after the rain (it has been raining a lot) - I just love it. It's the kind of weather that makes me want to go on a long, long walk from 69th St to 1st St to take in the whole city. Unfortunately, I'd likely be courting disaster going on my own. I live on 38th, and there's been 2 shootings on 40th in the past month.

I did, however, get a precious glimpse of the city at night yesterday - a group of us went to see the Philly Orchestra at the Kimmel Center along the aptly named Avenue of the Arts - it was breathtaking. I've been feeling pretty lukewarm about Philly - most of the time it's old, dirty, dangerous - but that night, walking back through the mist, my mind lifted in a swirl of music and enveloped in the rich red glow of the theatre - I felt an uncontrollable burst of appreciation for the city.

Everything is so much better after the rain.

---

We weren't allowed to take photos inside the theatre, so here are a few scoured from the web.


The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, and home of the Philadelphia Orchestra. [Source: www.gophila.com]


Inside the Center. [Source: www.gophila.com]


The cello-shaped interior of Verizon Hall. The program for the night - Beethoven's 8th Symphony and excerpts from Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg. [Source: www.phillymag.com]

Part 2 - Philly and Beyond

Indeed, I could not have picked a better time to come to the states. Events of note in reverse chronological order:

ELECTION DAY TODAY!

Everyone is excited and the whole campus is abuzz! Based on my unscientific poll of yard signs, buttons and T-shirts seen today, McCain doesn't stand a chance here in University City, and especially on campus. In fact, according to a friend, the few closet McCain supporters have taken to emerging only in the middle of the night, chalking "Vote McCain" on the pavement and sticking up the odd McCain poster. Otherwise, it's one big Obama party! Cars are honking outside because volunteers are standing at the curb with signs saying "HONK FOR OBAMA!", the mood is upbeat and I just can't believe it's election day. I can barely fathom what both camps must be feeling right now, having invested almost two years of their lives in the campaign. This is the make or break. I mean, wow. I can't wait to see how this plays out tonight. It will be monumental.

One of the many yard signs I polled.

HALLOWEEN

I knew Halloween was big here, but I didn't know it was that big. Lots of pumpkin carving too. This was the day I had my 15 hour assignment marathon so you can guess that I wasn't out partying, but rest assured, everyone else was. People really took the effort to dress up, and I spotted some pretty awesome costumes on my way to poker at 12am. No pictures though. Instead:

(Photo from the internet) It took me half a minute but when I realised what was going on it cracked me up. One of Obama's campaign slogans is "Yes We Can!"

PHILLIES WIN THE WORLD SERIES!

So I was a baseball noobie, and still am, but I understand at least that winning the World Series, and more so after a 28 year drought, is a BIG deal for Philadelphia. While I wish I could appreciate the Phillies win a bit more, the unbridled ecstasy that ensued was infectious. For 3, 4 hours straight that night after the win, people ran down Spruce St (one of many, no doubt) screaming and jumping and celebrating, cars honked and flashed their lights as passengers stretched as far out as they could from the windows waving, laughing, cheering with everyone around them. The next day everyone - security guards, cafe staff, students - were decked out in Phillies gear and congratulating each other. There was also a huge parade in Center City.


THE FINANCIAL CRISIS

Unfortunately I have two group meetings lined up tonight with the first starting in 10 minutes so I will have to come back to this. Happy reading!

Part 1 - Penn and Wharton

It's been a solid two months since my last post, and possibly the longest lull in blog activity yet. I have 43 days left till the end of semester - 43 days! Unbelievable. So a ton of things have happened in my two-month hiatus, most of which I will attempt to account for in this epic two-part series.

I apologise in advance for the uninspiring quality of photos - most were taken in a hurry, and grand plans to go back and capture the earthy red of Huntsman Hall against the dappled morning sun obviously never materialised.

Life at Penn

I don't want to bag Melbourne Uni too much, because if I think hard enough I can conjure up some passable merits of studying in Australia, but my time at Penn, however short, has made me realize the extent of what I'm missing out not studying in the US.

I love the academic experience here - unlike the maximum of 24 subjects you can take at MU over a 3 year degree, at Penn (Penn being a proxy for any good school in the states) you pay your tuition and take as many subjects as you want or can handle. Compared to the apathy and disconnect at MU, people here seem that much more interesting, more motivated, more curious, more enthusiastic and more inspired. There is so much in way of learning for the sake of learning, whether through guest lectures, preceptorials or forums. And as a bonus, they get to listen to lots of famous people. I've caught Vikram Pandit and Bill Chen so far, whereas previously on campus: Admiral Michael Mullen, Whoopi Goldberg, Stephen Colbert (!!), Steve Ballmer etc.

Anyway, enough words for now, here are a few scenes from around campus:

Locust Walk, my favourite strip of campus. My favourite places always involve a little footpath flanked by big leafy trees. There are quite a few of those in London.

The Penn Bookstore, my second favourite place on campus and the most impressive university bookstore I've had the fortune to set foot in. One half is a full service Barnes and Noble, with a Starbucks, reading areas, elevators and restrooms, the other half sells dorm essentials and houses the Penn Spirit Shop, which sells a mind-boggling amount of Penn merchandise in every form imaginable. Not satisfied with Penn and Wharton hoodies, shirts, notepads and binders? How about Penn boxers, Penn flannel pajamas and Penn children's clothes?

The footbridge leading into Locust Walk. On the right of the bridge and just out of view is Huntsman Hall, which is the main Wharton building.

A statue of Penn's founder, Benjamin Franklin. He is everywhere on campus. Evvvverywhere.

The Quad on the left of Spruce St, where most of the freshman year live. I live on the right of Spruce St, a little further up and opposite from the Quad.

The Quad Tower.


Life at Wharton

Life at Wharton has been the main reason why I haven't had time to update. While I have the same number of contact hours as I do at MU, the out-of-class workload is several notches above anything I've ever experienced. First of all, Whartonites are workaholics, all of them. Huntsman Hall is open 24/7, group study rooms are booked out everyday (see below) and people are studying/thrashing out a group assignment in there at odd hours of the morning.

The circadian rhythms of your average Whartonite. All work, no sleep.

Compared to some, my workload is actually decent. There are days where I'm in meetings till 2am, sleep 4-5 hours a day or work on the same group assignment for 15 hours straight starting at 7am (this 15-hour marathon was topped only by me returning to my room to nap an hour, then playing poker till 6am the next morning), but then, there are days where I watch half a season of Scrubs instead of doing homework and write two-part epics on life in America.

So, all in all, I am having a fantastic time at Wharton. I love the challenge, I love the intensity, I love the people I've been working with, I love the group projects and I love that I am learning so much more in one semester here than in the 2.5 spoonfed years at MU.
Huntsman Hall, the missile silo. It looks bigger and better in real life.


/Part 1.

Phillies vs. New York Mets

This blog is a bit like Arrested Development - the little teaser the previous week (or post, in this case) has no bearing whatsoever to what actually comes up next.

So I went for my first ever Major League baseball game last week - what an experience!! Armed with a half-baked understanding of the game and its rules, I trooped off to Citizens Bank Park with 24 other exchange students from around the world for a taste of this integral slice of American culture. Apparently this would be an interesting match because the Phillies and the Mets had tied the night before, and would be jousting for first place in the Eastern standings this game.

The atmosphere on the subway was particularly festive - fans were decked out in red and white (and some blue) with huge 'P's emblazoned on their fronts; some sported all manner of flags, signs and caps.

Destination in sight:

The subway spilled out into the cool, breezy evening and snaked its way to the entrance. Along the way, there were what must have been scalpers or desperate fans hollering, "Extra tickets? Anybody got extra tickets?"

Why? Because:

I'm sure he's famous:
As a matter of fact, Rollins scored a couple of home runs that night...

The big screen that kept us entertained all night:

Nothing can quite convey the atmosphere and excitement of being part of such a huge crowd than actually being there:
At the time of this picture, the Mets had been booed on the pitch and the Phillies greeted with a rousing roar. The smell of fries (not chips - if you ask for chips, they actually give you potato chips) wafted across and made me hungry, vendors were hauling crates of cold beverages up and down the stands yelling, "BEER! Get your ice-cold beer!", the two Mets fans sitting next to me were popping salted nuts and the game was about to begin! I felt like I was in a movie.

A few broken bats and home runs later, the Phillies get an early lead 3 to 1:

As I realised that night, part of why baseball is so lucrative is that it's made itself into the perfect live spectator sport. Sure, the scoring system helps - with 9 innings and lots of breaks in between, it's a little more exciting than cricket yet not so involved that you can't get up and grab a hotdog, then come back and check the score. More importantly though, there's so much more to 'being at the game' than just focusing on the pitch and players. There's so much fanfare going on off the pitch or on the big screen that gets the spectators involved and having fun, and ultimately, well, attending.

For example, every now and then a trivia question or a mini-game would go up on screen. People would call out their answers, or rally their neighbours into a chant; then, once the answer pops up, a collective sigh emits from the 'losers' and the 'winners' celebrate with laughter and cheers. Or, the roving camera shows up on screen with the words 'Flex Cam' superimposed, and zooms in on various people in the stands, while the rest cheer at the fat guy bouncing his wobbly arms or boo at the fit, over-keen guy whose flexing fills the camera. All this, while the 'macho, macho maaaan!' refrain plays in the background. Then, an ad for XYZ Hotdogs gets played, after which, as the ad wraps up, an XYZ Hotdog mascot on a buggy drives onto the pitch (between innings obviously) and shoots foil-wrapped hotdogs into the stands. The crowd hoots and cheers and gets on its feet, while arms flail about amidst calls of "HERE! HERE!"

I tell you, that hotdog shooter is some contraption...it's a 45000 capacity stadium and it shot one right up and over the edge of the stadium!

Then, there are the traditions, the staple at baseball games, the potatoes of an Irishman's diet - like the 7th-inning stretch. During the half of the 7th inning, everyone gets up - some stretch, some sing racuously to 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame", and others like me, so clearly out-of-place, crack ourselves up, lift our hands in amusement and join in the chorus.

Then, there are things I thought only happened in movies:
He proposed! Most of the crowd were supportive, though some hecklers met the gesture with calls of "LOSER!". Luckily this one had a happy ending - the girl giggled, covered her face, wiped her eyes, gave a barely discernible nod and shy Mr. Phillies Fan kissed his bride-to-be. I think it's a little embarassing given how the concept has been done to death in movies and goodness, I mean, there are so many ways it could go wrong! Anyway, ended well so, good luck to them!

Now, admittedly, I haven't watched many sports live in the stadium, so I don't know if the spectator carnival happens in other sports the way it does in baseball. Sure doesn't in tennis. Maybe football? You tell me. But first...

Here's a game for you, can you guess the attendance?

A record, sell-out crowd of...

Unfortunately, after a 7 inning lead by the Phillies, the Mets staged a late comeback in the 8th, scoring 4 points, and finally, won the game at 6-3. Invigorated, the vastly outnumbered Mets fans led a chant of 'Let's Go Mets!' - interspersed with a forcible 'Boo!' by disgruntled Phillies fans.

"Let's go Mets!"
"Boo!"
"Let's go Mets!"
"Boo!"

Me? I was a happy camper, despite the outcome.

More stories and adventures to come!

Next week: An exclusive interview with the evangelical right's new heroine. Thanks McCain for helping me make up my mind.

America - Part I

So. Having settled most of the housekeeping (bank, phone, apartment etc) I'm taking advantage of a momentary lull in orientation activities to collect my thoughts and update everyone on my first week in America.

But first, getting here. LT and I met up first at KLIA, since we were both headed to Penn on exchange. The flight was comfortable enough - made a little easier by my noise-reducing earphones, lots of sleep, my success in staying hydrated and surprisingly good food on Northwest Airlines. We made our first transit at Kansai Int'l Airport in Osaka, a modest and poorly signed airport for the non Japanese-speaking visitor. Some coffee and toast and 5 hours later, we piled back on the plane and set off for Detroit.

To try and get my body clock aligned, I stayed awake and watched the movies playing on the main screen (no in-seat entertainment on Northwest). Drillbit Taylor (lousy show) and Leatherheads, a (romantic) comedy/sports movie set in the roaring twenties and starring George Clooney, Renee Zellweger and John Krasinski (from The Office!). That was enjoyable - great cast, great 1920s style music and some funny moments.

12 hours later...

Detroit Metropolitan Airport, looking suspiciously like KLIA

After an hour delay, our connecting flight took off for Philadelphia. I slept like a pig through most of the hour and a half flight, but when I woke up, the sun was shining, it was something like 27C out - it was fantastic! I guess I was bracing myself for the cold so much I forgot it doesn't start till later. Now quite fatigued, we hailed a cab for the hostel where we would spend the next 3 nights.

Unfortunately for us, we landed a really unhelpful cabbie. We gave him the address - 4640 Spruce St. But, as we got onto Spruce, he started barking at us to tell him where to go. I've never seen this place in my entire life, and there he was expecting us to point it out. We peered desperately out the windows and saw that the row of houses that flanked the road were numbered even on the left and odd on the right. Very usual and sensible. We reasoned with the cabbie that since we've just passed 4300, 4640 must be further up the road on our left and if possible could he please keep going. He got impatient, pulled up on the right side and stabbed his finger at the space betwen 4167 and 4169. "No...over THERE! Over there!" he kept saying. After about 5 minutes of confusion, we decided to pay and walk the rest of the way. The meter showed $23, but he quoted us $27. We stalled a little, unsure if he had already included the tip in his quote. Finally we decided he did, paid the $27, after which, he ordered us quite coldly to get our bags ourselves and get out.

So maybe we didn't tip him after all - but I really wasn't feeling very sorry by then. Anyway, we managed to drag a combined 70kgs of luggage up the block and a half, across the road to the hostel, and up 3 flights of rickety stairs to our beds.

Needless to say, we were out in blink.

Coming up next: More updates and photos of campus and Philly center city. Stay tuned!

Baffled

[excerpt]

Subject: Lunch with Me?

Dear Star Last Semester Financial Accounting Students

I would like to take you all to lunch one day shortly. Do you think you
could each provide a day or days when you are free to my PA Lorel. She
can work out a time and get back with you.

We will hold it in University house here on campus.


Regards

John

Professor John D Lyon
Fitzgerald Professor of Accounting
Head of Department
Department of Accounting and Business Information Systems
The University of Melbourne

[/excerpt]

I'm still a little skeptical over the authenticity of this email - it feels a little out of left field, though not one I'd put past John Lyon. The subject line made me laugh. I can almost hear him narrating this email in his humourously sardonic, highly modulated style of speech that makes his lectures so memorable.

Sadly, I will have to miss it, being in different continents and all. Bummer. I would've dearly liked to meet him on a more personal level - his larger-than-life personality would've made for one interesting lunch!

I CAN'T STOP LISTENING TO JASON MRAZ - I'M YOURS

This kind of dependence is unhealthy. What if I accidentally deleted all copies of the song I have? What if my internet connection fails and I can't download a new copy? I mean, I'll have to depend on the radio stations for my 30 plays a day fix - actually, that might just work...

It's been 2 and a half weeks since I arrived in KL, enjoying the holiday I missed last summer. That sentence feels structurally unsound. Anyway, I've been driving a lot, playing some badminton and mostly, just catching up with friends.

I have 2 weeks to plan my future because application deadlines don't wait for you. I feel maybe a little lost.

What a feeling!

The Age does this weather thing where they tell you what the temperature actually is, and then what it feels like:

I think it's a pretty useful model to express just how long this exam period has been:

The good news is, it's over. I had to do a fair amount of exam marking after my first two morning papers, but it wasn't too bad since I started studying earlier in anticipation of the marking commitments.

So there are a few weeks more before I leave for KL (18 July) - in that time I'll probably be packing and moving, renting out my room, playing frisbee again, going on a trip or two and organising a last few things for the exchange. Woohoo!