Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World

The man who fooled Wall Street, Hollywood? I would say he's the man who fooled the whole universe too, LOL.

This is a book that every Malaysian are so familiar with.... after all, we had been exposed to the details of 1MDB scandal since many years ago.  Being a Malaysian, I thought I know enough on the whole scandal. However, this book opened my eyes to more details that I wish to know. Credit must be given to the authors. You guys have put on hard work in collecting all the information. Well done!

I spend almost a month to finish this book. The story is so fascinating that I just cannot put it down. Perhaps this is due to the facts that the said scandal happened in Malaysia. If it happened elsewhere, I may not be so keen to explore further. The story begins in Penang and crosses the globe through Abu Dhabi, New York, Vegas towards Bangkok and China, where the mighty Low could be hiding right now. I am so amazed by the details analysis by WSJ reporters. Imagine, the brand of champagne was mentioned even though I do not give a damn on what they drank, haha! Further to this, tons of interview with dozens of peoples involved are presented in this book. So, it strengthen the facts that this scandal really happened such a way even though many will find it hard to believe. So, to sum it up, the authors did their part and it is a great effort in producing this book.

The flaw side... First of all, I thought many details on financial fraud were not explained. The whole "trick" was more like a story telling. Being in the finance industry myself, I found it hard to explain on the due diligence side. Well, some might argue that there are always some loopholes behind the rules and regulation. However, the facts that many mighty banks were involved and the said banks are all being "deceived" easily? Hard to believe... Secondly, this story is actually a super complex story to follow. We in Malaysia are exposed to the details almost daily. So, for us to understand the whole story is not difficult. However, a friend of mine in Australia found it messy. According to him, he lost interest after flipping for few chapters. So, the structure of this book may have some problems for those who are not familiar with the whole scandal.

For a full rating of 10, I am going to rate this book at 8. Well, there are some unanswered doubts especially on the tricky banking side. However, I do get more details as what I wish for. There are rumors there is a movie coming up on this book. Wow... really looking forward to see the movie!

从战争中走来（张爱萍人生记录）

我对这类书籍一直是感兴趣的。但是，这20年来，这类书籍我也读得太多了。因此，想购买时，其实也犹豫了一下。最后，还是忍痛买下了它。毕竟，漏掉知识的代价也太大了。

结果是。。。这类书籍真的不再吸引我了！作者很用心的阐述他和父亲两代人一起探讨战争以及整个人生的心路历程。整个旅程有快乐，有忧愁。人生的酸甜苦辣视乎都有。但是，对于读了一辈子中国现代史的我来说，感触真的不多了。。。毕竟，我也进入了不惑之年。感动的事不多，倒是一直活在自己的回忆里。如果是自己的回忆都来不及回去，怎能深入回去别人的回忆呢？

10分满分，基于个人原因，本人给予4分。这本书如果是十年前阅读，或许我会感动到落泪。但，在不惑之年以及岁月的摧残下。。。很多酸甜苦辣都不再那么容易触及心底。 书里倒是有句话我影响挺深刻的。据说，毛泽东曾经跟作者的父亲提及：“信心过高，容易犯左的错误，信心不足，容易犯右的错误。” 如果换来现今社会，左当成逻辑思考，右当作创意思考；毛主席的这句话还是挺有意思的。对于不了解中国现代史的读者，这本书还是值得推荐的。至少，两代军人父子的对话没一般历史书籍般沉闷。而且，里头的故事，我相信也真实的反映了当年的零零种种。

Madame Chiang Kai-shek: China's Eternal First Lady

"Mayling's peculiar mettle was smelted in America and forged in Shanghai. The woman she became was a seamless alloy of Southern Belle, New England bluestocking, and Chinese tai-tai, or matron," Laura Tyson Li writes in her superb biography of Mayling Soong, whose life spanned the 20th century... What a biography! Simply a breath-taking one...

 To be frank, I am very much familiar with histories in regards to China, Taiwan, Mao Tze Tung and the mighty Chiang Kai-Shek. However, this book serves as something indifferent as the author seems to see everything from the perspective of Madame Chiang Kai-Shek. The matter of fact is: Soong's three daughters are well known for three different meaning. The eldest loves money, the second loves country while the youngest simply loves power and authorities. As such, among the three, I am always looking forward to know more about Mayling Soong since the other two were not as controversial as Madame Chiang.

I thought the author did well in this book. The only weak point perhaps lies with the fact that it is more like a historical book rather than a biography. After all, Madame Chiang's whole life was tied together with Chiang Kai-Shek... Since Chiang Kai-Shek's whole life was tied together with China's revolution, the biography of Madam Chiang will automatically become a boring historical book! Perhaps the author should concentrate more on the personal side of Madame Chiang... I was particularly looking forward to know more about how she falls in loves with a general who never knows how to love a woman! LOL...

Having said that, I am still quite satisfy with what I read. At least it was a good revision on my side... Furthermore, for the first time ever I am reading China history from a different perspective (a third party perspective). As a result, I am going to rate 7/10 for this book.  To sum it up, it is a "must read" book for historical lovers!

Asian Godfathers

Financial Times said: "Alarming... Englightening... Joe Studwell should be named chief myth buster for Asian business." ~~~ Agreed !!!

Business Week said: "An intriguing and myth - shattering study of the region's powerbrokers...[and] a richly reported study of power and stunted economics development." ~~~ Agreed !!!

The Washington Times mentioned: "A superb and thoughtful book that deserves a broader range of readers than the serious policy wonks, economics fans, and Asia hands likley to reach for it reflexively." ~~~ Just could not agreed more...

My favourite Wall Street Journal Asia rated it as "A Blast".... and finally, The Times (London) classified the said book as "A first-class study... The product of an original, inquiring mind."...

Now my turn to say something about this book.... LOL. One word to sum it up ~~~ "Awesome"! This is a real nice book with plenty of facts and lessons to ponder (whether you are a student, a politician, an economist or a rubbish like me, LOL) about... My first glance on this book was actually on a Chinese version. In fact, I found it hard to get the English version eventually (Chinese version? It is everywhere !!! LOL). Perhaps, this book attracts more Chinese (Chinese education?) readers since they are kind of familiar with "Chinese God Fathers", LOL.

Well... something crossed my mind after finished the book ~~~ It is rather hard to believe that the author has not been taken to court for his great stuff... LOL. Here are some entertaining excerpts to suport my point:

"HK and Singapore perform a simple economic trick: they arbitrage the relative economic inefficiency of their hinterlands."

"...T.J.S. George's observation that 'he detected in Lee the insecurity of a man alienated from his Chinese morrings, a man who, because he does not quite belong anywhere, has had to remake Singapore in his own image to compensate for his own alienation'."

"Asian godfathers are not the product of social mobility. The notion that they are, however, is part and parcel of the tycoons' self-image. It is important to their personal sense of pride and it is critical to the maintenance of authoritarian political structures and unfree markets in the region."

As a summary... perhaps most of us familiar with most of the stories (rumors?) written by the author. But, an outstanding written job plus detail analysis certainly add up extra points to the collection of stories (rumors? LOL). I personally like it so much that I would rate it as high as 9 out of 10. A deduction of -1 was purely based on the facts that the collections of stories might not be accurate 100%.... putting it aside, this is a must read book ! Simply awesome....

Here are some other nice excerpts from the book:

People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.

When a man tells you that he got rich through hard work, ask him:"Whose?" ~ Don Marquis

The good thing about Confucianism is it makes Asian people willing to suffer pain... ~ Hong Kong tycoon Ronnie Chan

The Middle East Since 1945

"The perfect way to get the grips with the great historical events.." ~~~ This is how history channel came into our life.... and it is also one of the great channel that spurs my interest on middle east histories....

Frankly, I am too familiar with China histories (let alone Malaysia's very own 'sejarah', LOL) and quite close to understand the whole stuff about Europe. However, middle east always remains a mystery to me... So, when this book available in the market, I have no hesitation to go for it.

Well... a very simple description on the middle east... Perhaps, it was due to the facts that we are focusing only on the histories after 1945. Having say that; although simple, I thought the author did his best in explaining the events. However, for someone who is details oriented (Yes, I am... LOL), I bet he or she would prefers to have more.... Besides, the more you read on, the more you feel like reading a text book. No joke... I was like preparing my examination while I am reading throughout the whole book, LOL. So, for those who are not passionate about histories (or middle east), this book will end up as one of your most boring book on the shelf.

Overall, it is a nice book to explore... It deserves a rating of 6 out of 10.... The text book style is not an issue to me since histories always my favourite. Like I said above, I just prefer more details ....So, stay tune and I will be back with more stuff about middle east histories sooner or later... Cheers!

晚清有个袁世凯

好久没看历史书了(尤其是中国历史)。前阵子一直在看毛泽东的东西，现在想到还真想吐，哈。。。

【晚清有个袁世凯】是作者赵焰“晚清三部曲”的第三部。第一和第二分别是【晚清有个李鸿章】和【晚清有个曾国藩】。老实说，单单听到李鸿章和曾国藩，就已经联想到看毛泽东书籍的感觉了（又想吐了，哈）。所以，最后只选择了第三部的袁世凯。。。理由很简单；毕竟关于袁世凯的书籍也不多，能够像赵焰般解剖袁世凯的书籍更是少之又少。

先提一提几个重点（本人从未听说过的袁世凯）。。。原来袁世凯家族就是三国时代袁绍的遗脉。很多学者惯性的把袁世凯联系到了三国时代的曹操。袁世凯出生地点与曹操家乡还真不远（别忘了，袁绍可是曹操儿时玩伴）。两人多变的性格再加上末代权臣的特殊地位还真容易让人把他两联想在一起。唯一不同的是，曹操面对的敌人都是自家人（汉人）。而袁世凯由始至终都有着个东洋敌人在旁从中作梗。作者本身也把袁世凯和曹操做了个对比。但作者认为袁世凯更像其远祖袁绍。曹操至少一生不称帝。袁绍与袁世凯就因为称帝，最后落得家破人亡。

作者解剖袁世凯的同时也不忘其短短政治生涯里的一些贡献。袁世凯上台之后推出了一系列整顿及深化金融改革的措施。比如说，收回各地乱发的纸币以统一货币，制定了银行和证券交易法规，各种证券和期货交易所的开发，降低税收，简化开办工厂手续等等。。。1914年和1915年，袁世凯政府还实现了财政收支平衡，并且略有盈余（约计每年可余二千万）。这样的状况，在晚清至民国初年，简直是个奇迹！！！

那到底袁世凯是英才还是枭雄？我个人偏向于把他归类为“治世之能臣， 乱世之枭雄”。无论如何，作者代后记关于历史的意义写的真好。作者说：“对待历史，放下天使或者审判者的架子，少一点人为的标签，多一份理解和明白。只有在明白之中，才能找到历史的真实路径。” 我非常赞同，所以我无权审判。而且，历史书本是应该帮助人们了解历史好让我们在过去与当下之间，寻找因果律的会通性。因此，对于袁世凯这号人物，我不多说。但，我个了蛮推荐这本书。理由是，笔者的文笔真不错。解剖方面也的确做到'放下天使或者审判者的架子'。整体内容除了知识性，也没一般历史书那么沉闷。10分满分，我应该都给8分吧。。。少掉的两分让我看多几本作者写的书，再给吧！哈。。。

以下是内容和作者简介：

晚清重臣，新政领袖，民国总统，恢复帝制的野心家，这是完全的袁世凯吗？这个河南人如何以自己的勇气和狡猾，不借助于科举的捷径登上了权力的巅峰？这个曾经被国内外寄予希望的“中国华盛顿”，是怎样在实验了一段民主共和之后，一步步重回专制的老路，又是怀有怎样的动机想当皇帝的？本书以贴身紧逼的方式触摸历史，从丰富的史料中寻绎出悖论式的连番提问，展开一代权臣袁世凯波谲云诡的一生，并以文化散文的方式透视其内心世界，写他的坚韧不拔，写他的大义凛然，写他的摇身一变，写他的委曲求全，写他的敢为人先，写他的阴险毒辣，写他的不识时务，写他的身不由己……这是作者“晚清三部曲”的第三部，把一个时代变迁大起大伏中注定牺牲的人物写得淋漓尽致。

作者简介：

赵焰，男，安徽旌德人，中国作家协会会员。出版有《晚清有个曾国藩》、《晚清有个李鸿章》、《蝶影抄》、 《行走新安江》、《千年徽州梦》、《思想徽州》、《男人四十就变鬼》、《夜兰花》等书十数种。

目录：
第一章 顽童，还是天才？
第二章 无私，还是抓权？
第三章 英勇，还是退缩？
第四章 练兵，还是抓权？
第五章 告密，还是无辜？
第六章 元凶，还是智者？
第七章 变法，还是投机？
第八章 立宪，还是抓权？
第九章 归隐，还是蓄势？
第十章 共和，还是宪政？
第十一章 专制，还是民主？
第十二章 虚伪，还是怀柔？
第十三章 元凶，还是无辜？
第十四章 英才，还是枭雄？

Notes To The Prime Minister - The Untold Story of How Malaysia Beat the Currency Speculators

"Notes to the Prime Minister"…. True, it is a book with record of discussions between Tun Dr. Mahathir and Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop during the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997/1998. Well, the title of “Notes” is appropriate… However, I am not so sure about “The Untold Story of How Malaysia Beat The Currency Speculators”… Are they beaten at the end? Hmm…. Foods for thought today…

Since I am not an expert, (If I am, Tun Dr. M might spot me walking down a street in Kuala Lumpur too, LOL) I am not going to dig much into the rational of peg and unpeg. Just a few obvious points…. First of all, as we can see, ringgit was pegged at a time when the great of Asian Crisis was already over. If Malaysia did not peg the ringgit in September 1998, the Ringgit would have gradually appreciated anyway (The movement of Rupiah and Won during that period will tell the whole story)…  Secondly, at the point the Ringgit was fixed against the USD in September 1998, I believe it had already settled around its long term equilibrium value. At the end, the so called “capital controls” failed to prevent capital outflow. At the same time, they were also imposed at a point in time where speculation was already dying away. Worse, the appreciation of the USD four years later made Malaysia’s exports completely uncompetitive… Finally, here is the man who was part of the team at Bank Negara which incurred huge exchange losses betting on the British Pound in 1992… Yet, Tun Dr. M spotted him walking down a street in Kuala Lumpur to teach him about currency and currency trading? Just an example… the issue of “Impossible Trinity” keeps on popping up in my mind when I read about his suggestions to lower down interest rates during the turmoil. With due respect, is he really the right man? Hmm…..


Forgive my sarcastic wording… I am just telling some facts based on my personal understanding. To sum it up, just take a peep at Korea and Indonesia (Thailand too despite the political turmoil). Obviously, the said countries are much better at the moment even though they accepted the so called “stringent conditions” from IMF! Want more evidence? Hyundai vs Proton? Not strong enough? Just check how many of you are using Samsung products at the moment, LOL.

Well, the good thing is… I am kinda fortunate that I am not in the political scene. Just read through the notes in the book… I would sum it up with one word: EXHAUSTED!!! Look at the time and schedule starting from walking on the Kuala Lumpur Street to the Argentina trip. Then, check through all the dates and times on the notes. It is really tough for two of them to work through the whole process. Like I mentioned above; I am not an expert. Hence, it is not fair for me to just criticize without appreciating their hard works. My final words on this two mighty political giant… taken the final results aside, I do believe they had did their part in their respective role. Big applaud on that…

Ok… summary on the book… Well, not a bad book to read… but, surely not an excellent book to recommend to book worms!!! LOL. In my humble opinion, this book is as good as” Doctor in the House” (which I did not bother to buy at all, LOL). Read it if you got time. If you are busy, there are plenty of better choices…. Rating? 5/10 with credit goes to the writing of author rather than the contents! LOL…