A project in Kuala Lumpur

Hi everyone,

We kicked off a new project last week in sparkling Kuala Lumpur. This is my second engagement for the year and the first one I’ll have in one of my favorite cities, food-wise.

I’m looking forward to a few weeks in this beautiful city. Culturally, I love how similar Malaysia is to the Philippines. The Philippines (according to my elementary school books, anyway) have historically close ties with the Malay race. Over time, we’ve been exposed to over three centuries of combined Spanish and American colonial rule, while Malaysia had a more English influence. Still, our languages still share structural similarities, and the food tastes remarkably like home.

Kuala Lumpur is incredible on the palate and terrible on the waistline. I’m enclosing a photo of Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng—which is fried chicken with fragrant coconut rice, topped with a smattering of nuts, sambal (chili) and dried crispy fish. Don’t ask how many calories it’s worth—I’m consoling myself that I walked about 2,000 steps to get to this restaurant, so that’s a fifth of my 10k-a-day goal.

Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng

Speaking of—McKinsey launched an Asia-wide fitness competition. Those of us who voluntarily wear fitness trackers have our stats monitored in Fitrackr (look it up!) and the activity scores are logged, with prizes awaiting the most fit. We’re a rather competitive bunch, and while I’m hardly a daily gym rat, I refuse to be at the bottom of the charts—so I’m trying to clock in steps even when the schedule claims it’s impossible. It’s 9pm and I’m 7,000 steps in, so there’s hope yet!

This is one of the biggest teams I’ve worked with—here’s a photo of us enjoying the skyline after a long day’s work. I’m looking forward to learning from them and delivering client value while having fun!

Anna