Nothing beats having a good cup of tea and a good book after dinner after a long workday. It would be an icing on the cake if I have a quiet garden with some crickets sing. I like history books and biographies; written by heroes and villains, as long as they are genuine. This form of relaxation is even more enjoyable, especially during pandemic days, where travelling seems like something of the past. The pace of life has dramatically dropped.
There will hardly be another instance where I arrive at KLIA at 6am in the morning from the UK, and catch the 3pm flight to China.
Reading has become the new way to travel and to meet new people.
It is so much beneficial than scrolling social media, watching dramas or playing computer games (which I stopped when I entered university). Life has a lot more to offer, while we improve ourselves by learning from others. The opportunities will come, but it is up to us to recognize and grab it.
Today marks the 5th month into the (surprise) new job in Singapore, and it has been terrific. Not smooth sailing all the time, workload has increased but I find it truly interesting and valuable. Structured training has been fun and I met new people. The 7 of us (global new hires) are 100% aware of our responsibilities and timelines. I am truly fortunate and will be forever indebted to my boss, mentors and seniors. Not the quickest learner, I am determined to add value to the team. It is amazing how your previous work experience and past learnings propel you to do greater things.
So never give up and always make the best out of the worst situations.
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John Bolton's The Room Where It Happened was a book a picked up at Clementi Library. It feels like a guide for what was going on in Trump's White House. I was fortunate to visit Washington DC and do all the touristy stuff back in March 2019, such as admire the heavily secured White House and the magnificent Capitol. So it was interesting to read about the rooms inside.
Check out my post on my visit to Washington DC at:
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For a start, any reader would need to take a very very very neutral approach. Trump's tenure as the 45th POTUS was since as a complete disaster on the international scene. He basically bulldozed and removed most of Obama's contribution on the international stage, e.g. quitting the TPPA, exiting Paris Agreement on Climate Change, souring relationships with the EU and etc. He ran on an American First policy, built a wall with Mexico and waged trade wars on China.
Nevertheless, this would have garnered quite some support domestically. I suppose this is what democracy is.
John Bolton's book on his stint as National Security Advisor under Donald Trump was insightful. It records down how politicians think, calculate and react. Being a long time Republican and served with at least 2 other Republican Presidents, Bolton is a seasoned politician and administrator.
To start with, I never liked the regime, or Bolton for that matter. It was a relief when a second term did not material.
Bolton was a Trump supporter but later resigned and turned into his fiercest critics. He was at the center of power, and was privy to almost all decision making process in the White House. Needless to say, he had a lot to share, and Trump had wanted to ban this block-buster book, especially right before the Presidential Election in November 2020. As a lawyer, he definitely knew the implications of dropping such bombshells on the president during his term. Trump tried his best to ban the book, but was unsuccessful.
From his writings, Bolton described himself as hawkish, someone who advocates aggressive public policy, especially in foreign affairs. He was in a hurry to get things done. In fact, on some issues, he was even more aggressive than Trump, especially on North Korea. While Trump wanted photo opportunities and media attention with Kim Jong-Un, Bolton was sweating in his pants. Trump of course, was his own man. He met Kim twice; in Singapore (2018) and Hanoi (2019). Bolton didn't want to have anything to do with it. According to Bolton, US was being played by North Korea. US was giving out too many goodies.
Some parts of the book was difficult to read and stomach. I often found myself irked and puzzled. It looked like a book for the domestic reader in the US. Bolton's theories and sentiments were extreme. He was anti-China, anti-Iran, anti-Venezuela and anti-EU. He was convinced that foreign countries are taking advantage of US being too kind and diplomatic. I always believe that globalization is symbiotic. For example, US companies setting up factories in China and thus achieving lower production cost and a global market. They definitely earn big bucks, but as a consequence, jobs are shifted overseas too. How are you going to blame China from snatching jobs away from the US? It was the US companies who made the move abroad to tap cheaper labour and resources.
The book also gave interesting insights on Trump's personal life, management skills (or rather none of it) and his Twitter career. An interesting part of the book revolves around the challenges of Trump's aids and supporting crew. Having quite an unpredictable leader was a nightmare, as the scripts get changed without much warning. It was interesting to see how the White House team managed Trump's temperament. I think we could learn a thing or two in terms of reacting to unforeseen circumstance.
Overall, the book is filled with a lot of negativity, and provided harsh realities and calamities of the Trump administration. We need to thank Bolton for tabling them out. This book could be studied by crisis management personnel.
