A night of high drama

Throughout the tournament, I watch the games alone, sometimes from the bed in my hotel where the TV plays on even after I have fallen asleep (not surprising esp for the 3am matches).

There is one match though that the entire family was watching: J right next to me in the den, M with her I-House friends in NY and D in the kitchen (only listening to the cheers). D has the kindest disposition and can't bear to see Argentina and particularly the little man, Lionel Messi lose and after seeing Di Maria and him combine for the first two goals in the first half hour of the match, she couldn't bear the suspense of watching another hour of the match.As is often with her pronouncements, D was right. What a drama of a match it was. 

Consider this scribe from New York Time's Rory Smith as the teams went in for their half time break:

Even Argentina could not have imagined that the first half of the World Cup final would go quite that well.

Argentina has a 2-0 lead and appears on the cusp of its first World Cup championship in more than a generation after a first half that ticked pretty much every box.

Lionel Messi scored the opening goal, after Ángel Di María won what was admittedly an extremely soft penalty, and then set in motion another — a flowing attack finished by Di María that will go down as a bona fide classic World Cup goal.

Argentina has kept Kylian Mbappé not just quiet but essentially silent. It has forced Didier Deschamps, the French coach, into a double substitution before halftime, which can be simultaneously regarded as bold, decisive action, a commendable decision that he had got his setup for the game wrong, and a form of blind panic.

France carries enough of a threat, though, for Argentina to be at least a little wary of what happens from here on. It has just 45 minutes to hold on to win the World Cup for a third time, to give Messi the crowning glory of his career. But those 45 minutes are likely to feature wave after wave of French attacks, led by some of the most devastating players on the planet.

The second half started like the first. Argentina pressing and the game was played mostly in France's half. The Argentinian players, to the man, played with 100% commitment. Fighting for every ball, covering every yard... even every inch. So, D's premonitions were perhaps misplaced, until the last 10% of regulation time where France (Mbappe, in particular) scored twice to take the game into extra time. 

As always, D is right and her not quite watching from the sidelines was indeed good for her kind heart. In extra time, Argentina pressed again and was again rewarded with a Lionel Messi goal. And as is scripted by an oscar-winning screenwriter, in the last 10% of extra time (last three minutes to be precise), Mbappe scored again to take the game into penalties.

I'll let Rory Smith recount the night for us all. 

LUSAIL, Qatar — Lionel Messi had to wait, and wait, and wait. He had to wait until he was reaching the sunset of his glittering, glorious career. He had to wait until he had already tasted the sting of defeat in a World Cup final. He had to wait even after he seemed to have inspired Argentina’s soccer team to beat France in this year’s final on Sunday, first in regulation time, then again in extra time.

He had to wait until after he scored two goals — but Kylian Mbappé of France, his heir apparent on the world stage, had gotten three, becoming the first man to score a hat trick in a World Cup final in more than half a century. Regulation time ended 2-2; extra time ended, 3-3; and then there were penalties, which Argentina won, 4-2, the last twist in the most extraordinary final in this tournament’s long history.

Only then did Messi’s wait, his agony, come to an end. Only then could he finally claim the one prize that had eluded him, the one honor he craved above all others, the one achievement that could further cement his status as the greatest player to have played the game: delivering a World Cup championship to Argentina, its third overall but first since 1986.

A wild, raw energy had swirled around Argentina throughout this tournament. It coursed through the streets of Doha, packed with tens of thousands of Argentine fans for the last month. It washed down from the stands during each of the country’s seven games here, a pulsating, urgent electricity.

The players detected it, too, their euphoria after every victory just a little more intense, just a little more desperate, the pressure of not only ending Argentina’s 36-year wait for a third World Cup but ensuring Messi’s career apotheosis driving them on and perhaps weighing them down in equal measure. The 35-year-old Messi had said this would be his last World Cup, his last chance to experience a joy that he and many of the fans had not felt in their lifetimes.

Everything Argentina did in Qatar was to an extreme. Its loss to Saudi Arabia plunged the team into despair. Each of its subsequent victories unleashed a fervent, unrestrained exhilaration.

Sunday night had teased deliverance. With only a little more than 10 minutes to play, Argentina stood on the cusp. Coach Lionel Scaloni’s team had shouldered the weight of history, the weight of expectation, admirably lightly.

Argentina had not so much as quieted Mbappé as silenced him. It had gone ahead, 1-0, in the 23rd minute, when Ángel Di María was fouled and Messi put in the penalty kick. Argentina flexed its muscle in the 36th minute with one of the most sumptuous goals the World Cup final has seen, a flowing move orchestrated by Alexis Mac Allister and finished by Di María but hinging on a pass that was a moment of characteristic Messi alchemy, a silken touch that turned the most base material into something golden.

For all that time, the 2-0 lead looked like smooth sailing; Argentina should have known it would not work like that. In the space of two minutes late in the second half, France wiped out Argentina’s advantage, all of its painstaking work crumbling in the blink of an eye: another penalty, this one converted by Mbappé in the 80th minute, followed almost immediately by a fierce volley, again by Mbappé.

Argentina’s players slumped, the breath drawn out of their lungs. They had been so close. In an instant it was 2-2; they were as far as ever.

France smelled blood; Argentina could do nothing but hang on for extra time. Messi roused himself again, driving the ball home in the 108th minute after goalkeeper Hugo Lloris made a save on Lautaro Martínez.

Once more, Messi was swamped by delirious teammates. Once more, he stood in front of Argentina’s fans, pumping his arms, an idol and his worshipers. And once more, Mbappé would not be denied, would not accept a cameo role in someone else’s story. His shot struck the outstretched arm of Argentina’s Gonzalo Montiel. Mbappé drilled home the penalty. The game would go the distance, to the sweet cruelty of penalties.

There, for once, it would not be Messi — or Mbappé — who delivered the decisive blow. They both scored. But no matter how teams try to manipulate the order, to direct destiny, penalty shootouts are, invariably, a place for unlikely heroes and unfortunate villains. Kingsley Coman and Aurélien Tchouaméni missed for France, leaving Montiel, an unheralded right back, standing with his country, and Messi’s legacy, on his shoulders.

The noise that Argentina’s fans emitted when the ball struck the net seemed to pierce the sky. Messi’s wait, at last, was over.

In the moments after he had arrived at what he has always seen as both his destiny and his duty, though, Messi seemed improbably, blissfully calm. As his teammates ran to one another, to the massed bank of Argentina’s fans behind the goal in which the final, crucial blow had been delivered, most of them could bear it no longer.

For most, all of that hope, all of that belief, all of that fear broke at once. Di María’s face was stained with tears, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. Messi, on the other hand, simply smiled, a brow briefly furrowing in a manner familiar to any harried parent as he tried to work out how his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, might bring their three children onto the field.

It was only when he embraced his mother a few minutes later that he could maintain his composure no longer, when he finally allowed his joy, his relief, to sweep him away. Messi might have learned long ago that it would not be easy to emulate Diego Maradona, to turn Argentina into a world champion; he could not, surely, have imagined it would be quite this hard.

Now it was done. He congratulated his teammates. He joined them, arms slung over their shoulders, as they danced and bounced with their fans. He found his family, clasped them tight.

And then he was summoned to the stage that had been erected in the middle of the field. FIFA likes to draw these things out; before the World Cup trophy is presented, it must run through the young player of the tournament, the top goalkeeper, the leading scorer, the best player. That final prize went, of course, to Messi. This World Cup was about him. It has always been about him.

He collected his best-player statue from Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s president; shook hands with the assembled dignitaries; and walked off down the podium. The trophy he cared about was sitting there, golden and gleaming, in his sight.

There were a few minutes, yet, before he would have a medal placed around his neck, a ceremonial bisht draped over his shoulders, and the chance to hoist the trophy into the air. It was an hour or so before he would be carried around the field on his teammates’ shoulders, a vast crowd of staff members and partners and children in their wake, a homage to Maradona’s celebrations in 1986, the last time Argentina was champion of the world.

He still had all of that to come. He would have his moment, soon enough. But now he stopped next to the trophy. He looked at it. And then he leaned down, ever so slightly, caressed its smooth dome, and kissed it, once, twice. Messi had waited long enough. He did not want to wait any longer.

Rory Smith is The Times’s chief soccer correspondent, based in Britain. He covers all aspects of European soccer and has reported from three World Cups, the Olympics, and numerous European tournaments.

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Messi vs Mbappe, and more

The quarter-finals saw two teams who didn't give up, didn't show fear, didn't panic go all the way to the semis. Croatia and Morocco bested former world and European champions like Brazil, Spain and Portugal along the way. 

In a way, the inclusive sub-plot that ran through the world cup with giant upsets created by the likes of Saudi Arabia, Japan and South Korea in the group stages continued. 

Hard work however takes a toll on the bodies. By the time these team reached the semis, the players have played 6 matches, some for 120 minutes with penalty shootout to boot. 

There is only a finite capacity in the muscles and even the great Luka Modric or Saiss petered out in the semis. Saiss literally had to be replaced early in the match against France and Modric a pale shadow of the playmaker he was in the earlier 5 matches.

Then there is always a tinge of controversy... well, it is the world cup after all. An early penalty awarded to Argentina didn't seem deserved. Morocco also seem to have been denied not one but perhaps two penalties in their game against France. 

It's never easy officiating these matches where some players can run as fast as Olympic athletes and the ball can travel upwards of a 100kmh. 

But what that meant is we have two of the finest players in the world today in opposing teams in the final. One plating in perhaps his second last world cup tournament and the other only in his second. There are teammates in the same Clun (Paris St Germain, where the older striker is mentoring the junior). PSG is now owned by the Qataris, a purchase that happened shortly after Michel Platini cast France FA'S vote in favour of Qatar hosting this world cup. Intriguing indeed, one that only FIFA can script. 

There is of course that juicy Netflix documentary, FIFA uncovered, aired just before the tournament. I watched that with an open mind but came away feeling that the filmaker is as guilty of bigotry (against the instititional capabilities of Africa and the middle east as much as FIFA is guilty of corruption. Plus, the poor economic business case aside, the impact it will have on Qatari society will be largely a positive one. So much for the human rights defenders who cannot even keep their own country safe.

But sticking to football. 

So, here we are, 10 hours before the final game of this world cup. It will be another 4 years before another champion is crowned. Tonight, we will know if Messi can finally match Maradona in carrying his team to a world cup winners podium or is it the more universally balanced French team with a lightning fast Mbappe as the tip of the spear that will emerge victorious for the second consecutive tournament. 

Meanwhile, for the neutral spectator, this promises to be a good game at so many levels. North vs South. Mentee vs mentor. And not to mention, another entertaining match in this awesome world cup tournament.

Rivalries

As I got older, I am finding that I have less passion in which sports team wins or loses. I watched the games for the athletic skills of the players (which I don't and at this age will never possess). I also watch for the human drama. Whether its a selfish Max Verstappen who wouldn't yield a spot to team mate Sergio Perez who has helped him all season or a never give up Lee Chong Wei especially against Lin Dan.

In the case of this World Cup, I had wanted the highest drama: to see the two South American giants battle it out in the semifinal, or even better to see the two finest players in this generation, Ronaldo and Messi, play against each other in the final. Alas, by 1am today, neither of these were possible.

Brazil had lost out on penalties to Croatia and Ronaldo's Portugal lost to Morocco. While the chance of  seeing CR7 against his GOAT rival was not to be, I actually am happy to have a team represent a country, a continent and a culture in the semi-finals. These tournaments have mostly been played either on European or South American soil, and in nearly all cases, a country from the continent would win. Could Morocco having beaten their European neighbours just north of them across the Mediterranean Sea keep on conquering and beat France next and play in the final? They would be the first "outsider" team to do so.

At the turn of the millenium, the first World Cup finals outside Europe and South America was hosted in Asia, specifically Japan and Korea. The Korean team made us Asians proud by making it all the way to the semifinals. South Africa hosted the tournament in 2010 and now Qatar became the first Arab host nation. And an Arab country is in the semi-finals too. So no Argentina vs Brazil, no CR7 vs LM10. 

There was one match up that did happen: England vs France. Expectedly the quality of football is not as high and Mbappe was kept quiet most of the match. But the drama was intense throughout. 3 goals. Unpunished fouls (which unjustly even resulted in France scoring their first). And a missed penalty by their captain and most prolific scorer, Harry Kane (tied with Wayne Rooney).

This tournament has given spectators plenty of drama and let's hope the last 4 matches of this 40-match tournament will give us more

the samba is gone

There are, in general, two types of trilogies:

1. the Star Wars one which begins with A New Hope, then Empire Strikes Back and we conclude happily with the Return of the Jedi.

2. or the Godfather one which chronicles the rise of a reluctant new leader (vanquishing his enemies), then his consolidation of ever greater power (even if it meant killing his own) and finally after a lifetime of sin, even "just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in again" and he had to pay the ultimate price.

A high note, followed by a low one, then a crescendo of happiness. Or a high, higher and then a sad even tragic low end. 

And so it is with the 2022 FIFA World Cup. 

Part 1: The group stage could well be a story of a hopeful more equal world. What with Asian and African teams besting the world champions from Europe and South America. 

However, part 2 of the tournament with the round of 16, the saying "form is temporary, but class is permanent", some of the old empire order seem to have been restored. All the stronger teams (on paper) won, even if some matches went all the way to the Russian roulette of a penalty shootout. 

So, what is part three - the quarter finals - which pits the top 8 best teams in the world against each other, like? On paper, any team can now win. Well, the first two quarterfinals were Europe vs South America. 

And like in the movies, both matches last night had the same plot. South Americans played better. They scored first. Their talismanic best player made their goals. The European opponents however were fitter and fought till the end and had equalised in the last minute to take the game to penalties. Thereafter it is no more about skill but nerves and some luck.

Croatia and Argentina prevailed. 

There is another definition of class, though. Not just about the footballing prowess but about how one behaves in victory as well as in failure. Consider the Japan team who beat both Germany and Spain and then lost in a shootout to Croatia (who went on to beat Brazil). 

And then consider the captain of Croatia, the ever classy Luka Modric, consoling Brazil players after the match.

And then consider the Argentina team who taunted a defeated Netherlands team who just lost the shootout.

And as we march onto the 4, 2 and eventually one winning team, I hope that not just form but also class wins. 

the samba is back

Unlike previous World Cups where I read up well written articles of sporting drama, I have not done so in the 2022 edition, more than halfway through the tournament.

This is partly because I have been watching the matches and had no need to read the narrative of others of how the game unfolded.

And what a World Cup this has been. South Korea beats Portugal! Saudi Arabia beats Argentina!! Japan beats both Germany and Spain !!! (in that so-called Group of Death).

By the Round of 16, there were representations from all contients: two teams from Asia, two from Africa, two from South America, as well as from North America and the Pacific and of course the European teams.

My dad would say, "the ball is round" meaning you cannot predict how exactly it would rest. So results are never predictable. That football is a global game and that nations are investing in its development, it cames as no surprise that the top 32 are of comparable quality. However, by the time the field is halved, the surprises also ceased. All the stronger teams (on paper) won their games, not easily though I may add.

All except one: Brazil, and I was lucky to have caught that game live, and so good was the football that Brazil played that it got me looking for inspirational authorship and I found this one written by Jonathan Liew for The Guardian.

It was a still and sultry night in Qatar’s capital: the grass a little greasy to the touch, the stadium bouncing and jiving, the football from a brighter and less troubled world. And there were times when watching Brazil’s symphonic demolition of South Korea when it was briefly possible to leave behind earthly cares, partake of the simpler pleasures in life, lose oneself in the pure, riotous joy of football.

Brazil really were that good. For the first 40 minutes, as they waltzed and wove their way to a four‑goal lead, they played the sort of football we have not seen from them for many years: special-effects football, computer-game football, football so filthy you needed a cigarette and a shower after watching it.

For 40 minutes Neymar and Richarlison and Raphinha and Vinícius Júnior and Lucas Paquetá blazed little triangles, quadrilaterals, shapes that didn’t have a name yet, shapes embroidered and gilded with wicked flicks and outrageous stepovers, crowned with the choreographed dances they have been preparing for months in advance.

The crowd bayed for more, not because they wanted to see the Koreans humiliated, but because how could you possibly want something this fun to end? It was a reminder, perhaps, that while football may have been invented on the public school playing fields of England, it was perfected on the pampas and praias of Brazil. And it was possible to imagine, watching on a hospital television somewhere in Sao Paulo, an 82-year-old cancer patient offering a quiet nod of approval at this hypnotic whirl of yellow shirts.

Afterwards, Brazil’s players gathered up a banner bearing a single word: “PELE!” It was respectful and restrained, fitting and stirring: everything, in other words, that their preposterous Neymar tribute eight years ago was not. Perhaps this is a Brazil side that are not only inspired by their history, but have learned from it too.

And so, will this be 2002 or 1982? There will be no grace for Brazil in leaving Qatar as beautiful losers. None of this means anything unless they win. The tightly-wound fist of Croatia, who await them in the quarter-finals, will offer an entirely different flavour of test to the cavalier and exhausted South Korea. There remains a qualm or two about the defending, with Paik Seung‑ho claiming a late consolation and Alisson required to make at least two magnificent saves. But really, this was no time for cold realities.

That much was clear from the moment Vinícius Júnior opened the scoring with an incredible, improvised practical joke of a finish: a little punt of the toe, Ronaldinho-like in its cheek. It was Raphinha who set up the chance with some brilliant skill on the right. The clock showed seven minutes.

Almost immediately Richarlison was fouled and the returning Neymar scored the penalty, sending Kim Seung-gyu the wrong way with a little comedy shuffle. That was the point when South Korea may have suspected it was going to be a long evening. Richarlison would go on to score the pick of the goals on 28 minutes: dribbling the ball three times on his head, laying it off, getting it back, and finishing with an affected coolness. Even coach Tite joined in with the jig this time.

South Korea went for it. What else could they do? Alisson made two good saves from Hwang Hee‑chan, but every Korean attack left them ever more vulnerable to the speed of the break, and shortly before half‑time one such counter led to a dinked cross from Vinícius Júnior, finished with a scathing finality by Paquetá on the volley.

That was enough, really. Had they called off the game after 45 minutes, everyone would have been happy. And yet due to competition regulations Brazil were still contractually bound to play the second half, a half that unfolded with roughly the same pace and intensity as a money‑spinning pre-season friendly in Charlotte. And ultimately the Koreans deserved something, even if it was only the footballing equivalent of a party bag.

Paik’s goal, smashed in from long range after Casemiro headed away a free-kick, was a cheering souvenir for the Korean fans, who have been so memorable this tournament.

And so Asia’s World Cup has lost its last Asian team. South Korea have certainly had their moments in this tournament, not least their dramatic win over Portugal, and in particular those few minutes after the end when the entire squad hunched around a tiny mobile phone screen to watch the climax of the Uruguay game. The bulk of their squad probably has one more World Cup in them – Son Heung‑min will be 33 in 2026 – and in the striker Cho Gue-sung they have unearthed a real talent who may soon be signing for Celtic.

But it was Brazil’s night, even if it was not theirs alone. Up in the emptying stands, his bald features framing a thin smile, the Fifa president Gianni Infantino gazed upon the spectacle he had brought into being.

In a way, this was the sort of unforgettable entertainment content he had been craving all along: the point when all the awkward moral questions and irritating Western provocateurs could simply melt away, buried under an avalanche of Brazilian pizzazz. A monster singing in perfect tune is still a monster. So yes, this was Brazil’s triumph. But in a bleak sort of way, it was also Qatar’s.

a hung parliament

Malaysia just had its 15th general elections and for tue first time in its 65 year history as an independent country, no party (or pre election coalition) garnered the majority seats. Its a hung parliament. 

The King's office has issued a decree to have the parties form a majority coalition and to present it to him by 2pm tomorrow. I do find it surprising that he is not asking for the party with the most seats to attempt that first. Indeed, I alerted the PH leader's office that get the constitutional lawyers to check if what the King has asked for is in keeping with our laws. Shouldn't he first allow the ticket with the most seats the chance to form the government first before asking the next party to do so. Because it can end up with the “losing” parties combining to form the government which ultimately perverts the will of the people. 



Within our office, there has been some exchanges of views and here is mine:

That no party/pre-election coalition would get majority has been widely predicted. Even the fundamentalist Islamic party getting more seats is not surprising reflecting the trends towards conservatism (even extremism) the world over. 

That these are not surprising developments however doesn’t mean these are good developments. And how good or bad it is depends on what the two leading coalitions (PH, led by my friend Anwar Ibrahim; or PN, led by Muhyiddin who won power through the back door by betraying Anwar) can cobble up. 

Anwar’s coalition includes the Chinese-dominated DAP who has proven to be difficult bedfellows esp with the Malay parties. So he has his work cut out. That said he has the largest number of seats.

A partnership with BN, the erstwhile ruling party, would easily get both sides over the line. However that partnership would certainly entail pardoning Zahid (who has 42 outstanding corruption charges) and possibly also Najib (who has been found guilty). 

On to our business: I think the Public Sector business will need to be rebuilt (yet again). The ministers who are key buyers of our work to date (MOF, MITI) both lost their seats as did MOH Minister who had bought us in the past. They are the larger consulting users so in any scenario with any coalition these three buyers won’t be in play. 

If Anwar becomes PM, we will have a good chance as over the past years, I have seen him umpteen times to talk about the country’s socio economic agenda and he is a big fan of SEDA and has mentioned it several times in parliament (and I even played the clip of him doing so at a global plenary back in 2019). So we are in play for a KSA level whole of country transformation should he win. 

On the SWF side, we don’t have a large book of business today and so if anything the impact could even be positive as the current crop of CEOs have proven to be small buyers. 

On the GLC side, the relationships we have at P, M, T, S etc should continue regardless of who is in power as we have served them through various regime change in the past 5 years. 

On the private sector side, my tycoon friends are optimistic. They welcome a legitimately elected government (rather than a back door one) and with the anti-hopping law in place, they are hopeful that a semblance of stability will return and the environment for doing business will improve.

In any case, the best people to advise how to create a positive enabling environment for socioeconomic development is us and we will be ready to do this bringing the best of firm to bear.

My two sen 😀 worth

a modern silk route 8

I am on this leg of the journey on my own. D flew back home yesterday and I have a couple more days of business meetings in Riyadh.

The mode of travel may be different from a century ago but the geography remains. It is still a desert, albeit one blessed with many natural resources, especially here in Saudi Arabia.

Some have called the natural resources a curse rather than a blessing because it enfeebled rather than enabled the most important resources of all in any country: its people. 

When God, through Moses, led the people to the Promised Land, its interesting that he put them through 40 years of hardship and then led them into a land that actually have limited resources. Instead, the people had to rely on their own ingenuity to overcome the environmental drawbacks. It is no wonder that after millenia of such reprogramming, Jews went on to master many aspects of knowledge: Einstein, Spielberg, Streisand etc. 

In three of my meetings here today, I was accompanied by a talented young principal, A and in running between meetings we walked past a prayer room. He commented in passing that, when all else fails (with respect to the high ambitions we have shaped with the clients), they can always go to that. I replied that I too believe in God but I also think God wants us to apply ourselves. God gives a destination and a road map but we have to undertake the journey ourselves. This "God willing" mentality is incredibly hope and life sustaining when faced with incredible odds where divine intervention is required but it cannot be the go-to for every situation.

God gave us a destination (heaven), a navigation guide (bible) and also free will as traveller in this life on Earth.

There was this line in the movie Lawrence of Arabia where one of the men in his troop had fallen off his camel on their way from Wadi Sarfa to Aqaba. They travelled via land through the Nefud desert (considered impassable even by the Bedouins) to Wadi Rum where he raised a larger army to surprise the Turks who were attacking them and expecting them from the sea. Lawrence acted without orders and this strategy was therefore not recorded in the British Empire's playbook and came back to haunt them in their defence of Malaya and Singapore a few decades later when their guns were also all pointed out at sea.

Lawrence and his men have to make the crossing in 20 days or else the camels who will not drink will die of thirst and so will the men. So, there was no time to lose and Lawrence's counterpart did not want to turn around to get the man who fell. Lawrence did so while the troop was resting for the day and brought the man safely back. He then said this, "it is not written".

It is very much with this philosophy in mind that I share my advice with the public sector officials here esp pertaining to human capital development where its not just about the quality of teaching but also the inculcating of desire, drive and detail. And not losing the sense of cohesion, now that's nation building at its best. 

That's what countries like Indonesia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia whom I have visited on this trip are doing. Some of them suffer from a culture of complacency and conservatism that they almost have to unlearn their recent past in order to move forward again. I am confident they can move forward they shall as Lenin once described, "There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen"

And some of the changes they make are "genie out of a bottle" nature where you cannot put the genie back. Society is transformed. Like this video clip of an acoustic band playing in the terrace of a hotel in Riyadh right next to a bar serving cocktails (non alcoholic, of course). It wasn't so long ago when one couldn't get a tourist visa into this country, where women can't drive, and where music cannot be played.

Very few countries in history have achieved this. Singapore is one shining example. In 50 years, it went from one of the poorest countries (in nominal GDP / capita terms) to richest in the world. It is no wonder that ambitious leaders in the middle east look to this little island state in the far east for inspiration and exemplars. And I guess having a leader who will readily take anyone to task is one way, albeit frightening, to ensure results are attained. That is certainly the case in this country and coincidentally it reminded me of an LKY quote, “Between being loved and being feared, I have always believed Machiavelli was right. If nobody is afraid of me, I’m meaningless.”

There is however a time and place for everything, as the good book of Ecclesiastes remind us. In today's society, fear may not necessarily breed obedience and love may not necessarily equate to weakness. The right leaders knows that style is situational,and in fact should be changed constantly. Only the outcome, that of uplifting the potential and spirit of the people is immutable. That both my children, and N as well, are working for the state or state-linked companies really make me proud. Their jobs matter. Hopefully, they will keep Singapore strong and safe and connected as one of the most important capitals of the world on this modern silk route. 

a modern silk route 7

"Nothing modern that is remarkable

Nothing historical that is apparent"

D, 30 OCT 22 @ Sufra, Amman 

Now, that's a quote worthy of T.E.Lawrence, another famous Oxford alum, whose canyon we visited this morning on a sunrise drive through the northwest corner of Wadi Rum desert. The landscape of Wadi Rum is so out of this world that movies like Prometheus, Dune, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Martian and of course Lawrence of Arabia was filmed here. 

Photo credit: Mary Evans picture library

D was thinking of Wadi Rum, Mount Nebo and Petra in Jordan's past and glorious as that may be, the modern day country is anything but. Its poor yet expensive. Its historical yet dirty. Its Islamic yet kids are unattended and unschooled.

The second line refers to Qatar and maybe there is something to be said about rulers who try to create something out of nothing.

Nothing is exactly what we are doing now at half past midnight awaiting to board our 2:45am flight. The fact that Jordan, a major trading country of the past, is not as connected to the rest of the world as Doha is speaks a lot to its place in the network of global business centres today.

What is perhaps most tragic is our sense of how it is taking care of its future. Much like Malaysia where education standards for the young (both the teaching and learning thereof) have fallen, and then exacerbated by politicians who buy their way into power by providing safety nets rather than trampolines for the citizens. So not only are the population poorly educated, they also lack hunger and drive; all vital ingredients to help uplift a nation to live to its fullest potential.

In fact, the refrain we heard here in Jordan is, alas, we don't have oil and gas like Saudi or Qatar. When in fact, my meetings to Riyadh and Doha are very much because the leaders here want to diversify their economy and instill greater skills and drive in their people. 

D felt that Qatar had developed so fast using/buying the talents of the world that little of their own history is evident. So, between the high end, clean malls in Doha vs the chaotic shops in downtown Amman, the latter still has a charm. But then again, the charm begins to fade when the cleanliness mindset is so sorely missing. Even high up in the desert plains to Showbak Castle or along the beach of Aqaba right across from Israel, and on the streets of Madaba, the city of mosaic artistry, trash is everywhere but in the bins and for that matter there are few bins. 

In fact, it astounded us to see children playing amongst heaps of trash and it shocked us to see kids living amongst the trash and just running on to the streets to beg for money. Quite unlike the free range kids we saw in Kashgar or Samarkand. Those kids are cared for, albeit freely.

There is a lot to be done in Jordan and that its king is listed in the Panama papers as one of the wealthiest man on earth only makes it more tragic when he is so revered and loved. 

Jordan is a beautiful land with friendly people. It deserves better. This important country at the strategic crossroads of the Silk Route can be better. It needs strong leadership and governance. 

We had only a brief 3 days here and packed in a lot. In the last 3 hours here, we ambled up and down Rainbow Street (Amman's high street) and ate the best food we had so far throughout the Middle East at Sufra. Even Jordanian wine, St George, is OK. D even saw a worker sweeping the streets and so happy she was to see that, she asked for a photo with him. So, yes, they can improve if they put their minds to it.

a modern silk route 6

Today's entry is anything but modern because we are driving from Wadi Rum to Aqaba and then on to the Dead Sea and Mount Nebo and Madaba. If any of these names sound familiar, it's because you have probably seen it in the history books or more likely in the bible. 

Mount Nebo was where Moses, the heroic leader who led the Israelites out of slavery and Egypt died, before entering the promised land. He did get to see it though from the top of the mountain. We will shortly be at the same spot he was. 

In advising governments especially emerging countries trying to uplift their people, I have recounted the story of 40 years of wandering in the desert. That's more than a generation worth of humanity and it is what it takes to help purge a defeatist mentality that has become ingrained in a people who have been enslaved for centuries before. 

Some books of the bible can read like a Tom Clancy novel. Consider this plot:

Moses led the Israelites to Mount Sinai, where he was given the Ten Commandments from God, written on stone tablets. However, since Moses remained a long time on the mountain, some of the people feared that he might be dead, so they made a statue of a golden calf and worshipped it, thus disobeying and angering God and Moses. Moses, out of anger, broke the tablets, and later ordered the elimination of those who had worshiped the golden statue, which was melted down and fed to the idolaters.

He also wrote the ten commandments on a new set of tablets. Later at Mount Sinai, Moses and the elders entered into a covenant, by which Israel would become the people of YHWH, obeying his laws, and YHWH would be their god. Moses delivered the laws of God to Israel, instituted the priesthood under the sons of Moses' brother Aaron, and destroyed those Israelites who fell away from his worship. In his final act at Sinai, God gave Moses instructions for the Tabernacle, the mobile shrine by which he would travel with Israel to the Promised Land.

From Sinai, Moses led the Israelites to the Desert of Paran on the border of Canaan. From there he sent twelve spies into the land. The spies returned with samples of the land's fertility, but warned that its inhabitants were giants. The people were afraid and wanted to return to Egypt, and some rebelled against Moses and against God. Moses told the Israelites that they were not worthy to inherit the land, and would wander the wilderness for forty years until the generation who had refused to enter Canaan had died, so that it would be their children who would possess the land. Later on, Korah was punished for leading a revolt against Moses.

When the forty years had passed, Moses led the Israelites east around the Dead Sea to the territories of Edom and Moab. There they escaped the temptation of idolatry, conquered the lands of Og and Sihon in Transjordan, received God's blessing through Balaam the prophet, and massacred the Midianites, who by the end of the Exodus journey had become the enemies of the Israelites due to their notorious role in enticing the Israelites to sin against God. Moses was twice given notice that he would die before entry to the Promised Land: in Numbers 27:13, once he had seen the Promised Land from a viewpoint on Mount Abarim, and again in Numbers 31:1 once battle with the Midianites had been won.

On the banks of the Jordan River, in sight of the land, Moses assembled the tribes. After recalling their wanderings he delivered God's laws by which they must live in the land, sang a song of praise and pronounced a blessing on the people, and passed his authority to Joshua, under whom they would possess the land. Moses then went up Mount Nebo, looked over the Promised Land spread out before him, and died, at the age of one hundred and twenty.

At this juncture, it is worth highlighting that M told me last night, speaking as an experienced blogger herself, that I cannot cut and paste from Wikipedia. In my defense, I am using it to add factual historicity to the opinions I express in these writings. So, in a way, yes I am justifying plagiarising 🙃.

Well, we are also plagiarising Moses' journey too. Like him and his flock, we are travelling from the south to the north through Paran desert (complete with the odd camel on the road through the former territories of Edom and Moab, now aptly renamed Wadi Musa or Moses Canyon) to the Eastern banks of the Dead Sea and will also be atop Mount Nebo. It took him 40 years to get here on foot and we will do it in 4 hours, in a Kia Cerato chauffeured by Waseem ("the best driver in Jordan", according to one of his many "cousins" everywhere). 

The Dead Sea has attracted visitors from around the Mediterranean Basin for thousands of years. It was one of the world's first health resorts (for Herod the Great), and it has been the supplier of a wide variety of products, from asphalt for Egyptian mummification to potash for fertilisers and today there is a large potash site just south of it. It is of course a tourism destination but our driver told us he is worried it is disappearing.

The Dead Sea is receding at a swift rate; its surface area today is 605 km2 (234 sq mi), having been 1,050 km2 (410 sq mi) in 1930. The recession of the Dead Sea has begun causing problems and multiple canal and pipeline proposals, such as the scrapped Red Sea–Dead Sea Water Conveyance project, have been made to reduce its recession. We were glad to be here, partake of its mud therapy and float in its waters, one of the saltiness in the world. By we, I meant me coz D found it too much trouble to change our of her jeans just for a salty dip and muddy scrub plus her back acted up. So, I did.

And it's an experience I would recommend to everyone, NOT. First, saltwater got into my eyes three times and had to be washed off by the thankfully ever ready Ramada staff. Then water got into my mouth and it sure was like eating a large spoonful of salt. And then to top it all, I entered the waters with my glasses and handphone thinking that I will get some nice shots in situ. Well, the wave washed over me and I lost my glasses and wet the phone. Oh yes,did I fail to mention that the Dead Sea (though just a lake) actually had waves! It felt like I voluntarily put myself through the plagues. 

All said, the water and mud is supposed to have therapeutic properties. I had some scratch wounds (from itchy dry skin) which stung a bit but now feels so much better. And my skin fresh off the mud bath does feel baby smooth. So, would I do it again... well, I just might but with a lot more care next time. 

From the Dead Sea, we went to Mount Nebo and here we saw what Moses apparently saw: the expanse of the Promised Land ahead of him. I can only imagine how he felt to have come so close and yet not finish it. On the other hand, these men and women of faith, its often about the journey rather than the destination and what a journey of courage, heroism, struggle and faith that Moses had. 

And so it is with our journey this time that I draw many lessons, especially from the failure of public service, responsible child raising and from the fortitude of my pain bearing better half. 

a modern silk route 5

To be fair to you dear reader, all four of my similarly titled blog the last few days have been misleading. Because neither Singapore or Jakarta were really part of the Silk Route of old. Doha maybe but only to a limited extent as a small fishing port and some of its produce may have found its way up the Arab Peninsula to the major trading centres. 

Amman would have been one but Petra certainly was one of the more important capitals back then. Today we visited Petra, the aptly christened Red Rose City with buildings (tombs mostly of all descriptions: from simple burial sites to mausoleums for royals) and temples and shops and of course dwellings; all carved out of the side of the multi-hued mountains in this magnificent canyon. 

The nearly 6 hour walk we had here (from 7 to 1pm) reminded us of at least 3 other places. The most recent is our trip last year to Matera which also featured cave dwellings and innovative water cistern management systems plus being a well used movie location. Then of course we saw similar rock hewn buildings in Mogu, China back in 2019. Then 8 years ago, we were in Peru at another UNESCO world heritage site of Machu Pichu and not just because of the monumental stone- work there but also a shared history of an 18th/19th century re-discovery by European explorers.

Petra had all of these and a bit more and a bit less. 

More because it is perhaps the oldest and best preserved. Mogu's art paintings have been vandalised, for example. More because it is intricately made, whereas Matera are more about inventive negative architecture. More because it is much older perhaps a millenia or so older than Machu Pichu. And more also because walking through it was really like walking back in time because they did nor overdevelop this place and left the local culture to organically coexist so the hike is  complete with Bedouin folks including kids in your face (for just the right amount).

But it is also less. Because all the other places I mentioned above have been better managed especially to benefit the local community. A telling case in point: it took the government a century after the rediscovery of Petra to develop it into a economic tourism activity whereas Machu Pichu was developed shortly after its rediscovery. 

Petra not only has a far longer but also far richer history. So there was so much more that could have been extolled. In the iron age between 1200 and 600BC, t was the home of the Edomites (the Ammonites lived in Amman in the north). The Edomites are supposed to be descendants of Esau and Petra was a natural water catchment area given its configuration of mountains. This made Petra a stopping ground for merchants even back in biblical times. Then one of the nomadic Bedouin tribes that roamed the Arabian desert, the Nabateans emerged and used their knowledge of the terrain to see of their enemies. They were particularly skilful in harvesting rainwater, agriculture and stone carving (and ample evidence of all three are still seen today). They established Petra as the capital of Nabatean empire and it was believed to be one of the richest cities esp with all the spice and fragrance trade that centred there. Its importance started to decline when the Romans colonised it and  as sea routes started to emerge. So much history and I should add that the Petra Museum was indeed well done though nothing like how the Qataris did in the National Museum of Qatar despite their far more limited history. Incidentally, Doha probably benefited from the growing sea trade and its ironical that I am coming from and going to Doha in this trip.

Back to present day, here I am, literally sleeping under the stars in the Wadi Rum desert, just south of Petra. Well, there is a bubble tent next to me with running hot water (though it strangely decided not to work for D... even the water system here follows the male chauvinistic culture here 😀) but I decided to have the camp lay out a bed outside. It's a cool 18°c and my ears are soothed by the Arabic music wafting from the musician entertaining guests in the main tent and the sweet scent of sisha permeates the air. What a life!

Tomorrow, we are going to have a jeep drive in the desert and see sights that first captivated Lawrence of Arabia. Its a sunrise drive and so we have to be up really early. 

a different kind of route

While D & I were on a modern silk route (looking at ruins the Roman empire left behind), her centurion of a grandfather whom we saw just before going on the trip passed away. He is on a journey too. The most important one... a route to heaven.

She wrote a eulogy for him which J read out at his funeral. M and J call him Ah Chor and he is the only great grandparent they ever knew.

 "My earliest memories of ah gong are going on rides with him. 

He had a scooter which was parked below the large mango tree in the house at 32 Alexandra Terrace i used to sit on it now and then and have a burn mark on my left calf as a natural tattoo to mark one of my early adventures with it.

I remember in particular one car ride where we went for a drive and we visited one of his bosses' house - some ang moh chap. I had the chance to see the compounds of a nice big house and play for a short while inside a place very different from my own home. It seeded in me an early desire to appreciate houses and i would go on to take long walks in my teens and aimless drives when i finally had my license, in different neighbourhoods in whichever country i was in, just to marvel at the beautiful ones and dream of living in one some day.

Ah gong was a driver and a story teller.

He wasnt particularly demonstrative but through his stories and commentaries about life in general and world affairs and situations reported on the news channels on TV, he shared his advice and imparted his wisdom in his booming voice in a mix of English and hokkien. Sometimes laughing at his own comments, sometimes admonishing everyone in general. World politicians not exempt!

He was a distant figure when i was growing up, a fierce presence in the family.  I would engage with him at the milestones of my life, with my boyfriend now husband, my babies now adults, and he always had some advice for us. Study hard, work hard, drive carefully, watch the road, slow down at the junctions, pay attention to traffic lights, take care of yourself. Simple words but heartfelt, evergreen and applicable in life. 

Though undemonstrative, his greatest show of love was embracing the Christian faith. I never thought it possible but was awed when he agreed to follow in ah ma's footsteps - demonstrating in death what may not have been apparent in life. That love is never too late and it is wise to listen to the wife! :) My aunties and the faith leaders in their communites have been exemplary in their patient steadfastness. God bless them.

Ah gong it will be difficult to practise my hokkien without you. It is an important part of our heritage that I have not been good with but at least i think my driving "eh sai la"! I am not bad at sense of directio  and parking! In the last couple of years I am very glad to have had the chance of taking you on a couple of car rides and sharing a meal or two with you in our our home. 

Happy journey ahead ah gong! I will think of  you driving now with Jesus and ah ma and uncle tat now - and imagine that there are no traffic lights or speed limits in heaven!

"Ah gong, le gah Jesus jiak hong liao!"

(Ah gong you can go joy ride with Jesus now)"