Three thoughts to bring in the New Year!
1. Malaysian and Singaporean Hawker Centre
I’ve always thought Malaysian food was the best in the world hands down, and specifically, that of Penang. It’s the best of multiculturalism – the blend of Chinese, Indian and Malay cuisines makes for an absolute gastronomical explosion. I’ve also always wanted to ask someone who earns $2USD per dish if they’d send their family guarded recipe overseas and charge $10-15 per dish. The numbers look good, the quality of life would improve and the best food in the world would starting making headlines and the western world would drool.
Well, Anthony Bourdain got to it first in NYC. It seems one of the world’s most renowned chefs agrees with me. http://pagesix.com/2014/01/09/anthony-bourdain-to-open-world-food-market/
Let me know if you want to start it in Australia or San Fran…
2. Bitcoin
I think there’s a tonne of potential in bitcoin. I think there will continue to be a huge illicit demand from those who wish to move money around without government interference. But I also think it has HUGE potential if the market becomes a little more efficient and the value less volatile. One that really appeals – making remittance extremely cheap? In my case, I saved quite a lot in bank fees and foreign exchange rates between the AUD and USD.
From current conversations with friends, classmates and family, not everyone shares my optimism. I suppose we shall see but I’ve got my money where my mouth is.
3. The decline of the desktop computer
The break gave me a chance to reflect upon my gaming days and how I miss assembling desktops. It appeals to some inner want to put things together and build something tangible. There’s something about researching, assembling and troubleshooting till you have this working machine. However, a quick bit of research clearly showed the decline: there are much fewer computer magazines around and they’ve all intelligently diversified their focus from the desktop to personal computing in general. Gamers have moved to the consoles and PC games in San Francisco’s Gamestop have been relegated to one shelf in the basement’s corner.
Cheers!
