Punished for pleasure

One of the things one is punished for in the Islamic region of South East Asia is alcohol. Quite natural as there are abominations in the face of Islam. Hence they are taxed with a vengeance. Flying from Kuala Lumpur to Paris I now get to enjoy the satisfaction of good wine for a small buck. My first taste was a Beaujolais. I bought it mainly based on the visual presentation but it is kind of a special wine. Every year there is a new version and on the first day of the release major gatherings around the stores are common. It's trying the new Beaujolais day! The 2009 edition by Jean-Paul Brun which I bought in a small supermarket was balanced and sweet to my satisfaction.
In comparison to my experience in food (mainly eating it) I know noting about wine. This should be changed. But how to I go about getting to know wine?

Middle Aged Teen Angst

I'm not sure if you remember the days when girls and boys around you where filled with angst and emotion swelling over and well annoying the shit out of at least me. Those days where junior high school and high school I guess. But not everywhere. In these lands on the south east it's still flowing well in the late twenties. And it's mostly girls. After traveling around here for a while I've befriended quite a few people, on Facebook..
Let me tell you the Facebook life here is something else. Not sure if it's because it's the only outlet of emotion in communication that is allowed or if it's just such a convenient way of saying what you think in a alone against the world fashion that was never available before online social networks.
Either way. Every day I face the horror of emotional outreach towards the world and sadly towards my notifications and mailbox too. Is it just me? Is it just me that think filtering out all a persons messages and post is the only solution left to avoid tidal flows of teen angst from scorns of Asian girls in their "way to old to be writing this"
Ok you might be arguing that it's a bit late since they are all kept at home by overprotecting parents until they are married off and then the parents live with their kids anyway..
Well it's not a uncommon fact that women well in their middle years still fret over uncommented posts, messages and Facebook statuses here. Yes many a time at my office and others have there been intrigue in the air and bewilderment over unjustified neglect in Facebook response... And then comes the teen angst flowing out on the digital tides we all surf on. Personally I think it's one wave to big and too not concerning me to handle but who knows. Maybe it is everyone's duty to listen to this, or filter this shit out.

Highlife: The power of brands

As I walk by Hard Rock Cafe and Hotel in Kuta Bali and see the masses flock outside I'm reminded again of the strong brand focus Asia has. I mean if you want to be somebody you need to look like somebody and to look like somebody you need to wear a brand. Why? well obviously the only way to be some one is to be wear what people things some one should wear.
In the ghetto west and later in street sub cultures like hip hop and such sneakers and shoes became the status symbol. For the rich maybe cars or yachts. Here it's definitively all about clothing and bags but the brand focus and the desire to consume all the is something is just so extremely powerful here. It's ofc better to wear a Burberry jacket in 30+ degrees heat and feed your kids nasi lemak and water every day as you ride around on your bad ass scooter. And then defining a bad ass scooter as one with a few LEDs on. Where did that desire to be unique go? and Why is it better to life in a dump and pay up your butt for a brand on top of the same cotton shirt as your neighbor wears. Yeah the poor one that put his kids to school...