1550 hrs August 12th 2005

Back from Taipei,

quite a good trip.

What a surprise

to see how Taipei

has transformed

in few years.

I used to hate Taipei,

it was dirty,

smelly and polluted.

Now I marvel

at the wide boulevards,

clean streets,

greenery.

There is a certain air

of prosperity

in the gleaming malls.

This is the result

when you have

a better democratic system,

when the Democratic Progressive Party,

took to the streets,

and pushed out Kuo Mintang.

When businessmen takes care

of business,

you get world class companies

like Acer, TSMC, Hon Hai.

Over in Singapore,

when you have scholars

taking care of business,

you have Chartered Semicon

and SuZhou industrial park.

In Taiwan, industries

sued the tax authorities

and won.

Try suing the Singapore government.

Taiwan achieved all this

at a time

when Mainland Chinese missiles

are pointed at it,

when people demanded independence.

Yet they skillfully avoided

a public referendum

but at the same time

fostering closer economic ties

with the Mainland.

The Communists ain't gonna

lob missiles at you

when your economy

is critical to them.

Nonetheless,

I went to this sparkling mall

Taipei 101,

bought 3 bohemian pieces

for Ms X.

She said

it was expensive.

But so what,

for $350

in exchange

to see her smile

when she tries them on

Priceless.