My KL Diary

Japan Stocks Come Back to 1989 Level, But... What You Can Learn from Japan's Failure. By Ben Wada on February 24,2024 Something about my home country Japan for a change.  The prime indicator for Japan Stocks, the Nikkei Stock Average or Nikkei 225, came back to the all-time high level since 1989 on February 22.  The below chart, from Nikkei Asia , shows it.   It was good but it took so long  to come back. The comeback is not totally a symbolic moment for the economic power of the island nation to come back. At least for Japan, the stock prices are no more an indicator of whether the business goes better or worse. In 1989, Japan’s GDP was the second in the world, just after the US.   In 2024, it would be the fourth, following the US, China, and Germany. For some 30 years, Japan has remained at the same place while many nations in the world have, fast or slowly, grown in economy.    Lesson Should Be Learned by Other Nations When the economy goes fro...

KLCC to Bukit Bintang Free Bus No More Bus Rates Revised to RM1 By Ben Wada on February 18, 2024 Bus Riders Reduced by Half  It’s a bit old story. Local newspaper said that Kuala Lumpur City (DBKL) would charge foreigners’ bus rides.   I don’t know the exact policy change, but found the bus rides from KLCC to Bukit Bintang cost me RM1.00 in the middle of January. Everybody gets on the bus using their Touch’nGO cards or credit cards on the card reader in the right side of the bus entrance. So I don’t know whether local people can ride them  for free. The 'free' bus, which was introduced in the guide book I brought from Japan in 2021, might be famous to non-Malaysian travelers. So I felt bad. As far as I can see, the number of riders has been reduced by more than half after the RM1 charge. The bright side of this is you can sit in the seat almost every time. KLCC bus stop, northeast side of Suria KLCC Pavilion bus stop, actually it is in front of Fahrenheit mall  ...

I Got an AI-Illustrated Me by Ben Wada, February 13, 2024 A trial of AI photo editor Lensa app When I asked how to make an illustration from my selfie, Google Gemini AI listed some AI photo editors. I tried one of them, Prisma. It was yesterday. Prisma’s Lensa app requested 20 selfies. I gave 17 pieces  of my easily available selfies. It made 50 pieces of  illustrated ‘my face’ in 20 minutes. AI illustration of me It was a kind of fun experience, but not all of them. Though Lensa said ‘seven days free trial’, the app charged me about RM 10 for its work through Google Pay. I will choose the other photo editors next time.

  Exchange TRX and SEIBU Visit the new mall and what you will find Ben Wada on February 10, 2024 The idea to visit the new mall, which opened last November, at the Exchange TRX came to mind this Saturday morning. The 453-meter tower is near and I have seen it everyday  on the route from home to the station. So I called a Grab car to get there. UNIQLO and MUJI  MUJI and UNIQLO at TRX entrance  The two shops were the first scene I had after getting off the Grab car and using the escalator to the ground floor. It is convenient that you can go to those Japanese clothes shops at one place for people who like to wear reasonable and fine clothes.  Both of the two have a wide shopping floor using three levels. Soppers can walk around the corners for men, women, and kids for bargain hunting. But, frankly speaking, their goods on sale are not different from other outlets of UNIQLO and MUJI. Is SEIBU, Another Japanese Retailer, Successful?  SEIBU in TRX   There i...

 JKT48 Comes to LaLaport BBCC, Kuala Lumpur, on Feb. 3 and 4. The shopping mall invited the idol unit JKT48 as one of CNY events.    Photo session with JKT 48   members of JKT 48