Hydrogen president reenergizes in Southeast Asia

by Rick Peterson

We all need to recharge our batteries, even in challenging economic times. For the past nine years, I’ve been fortunate enough to rejuvenate my mind, body and spirit in Southeast Asia. In February I made my seventh visit to this wondrous part of the world, experiencing, once again, its delicious food, disparate cultures, people, pace, scenery and languages. For me, there are few better ways to expand my perspective, renew my creative energy, and come home with fresh ideas.

On this trip I made my first visit to Penang, Malaysia, a multicultural city dominated by temples. On one George Town avenue – its famed “Street of Harmony” – I walked past magnificent houses of worship for many of the world’s great faiths, including Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and a Chinese religion combining Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. This one street alone offers up a fascinating brew of classic hymns, burning joss and haunting calls to prayer.

Another new destination for me was Hong Kong, Asia’s “world city.” Hong Kong’s skyline is dominated by temples of another kind: muscular towers of global finance and commerce. One “temple” that particularly caught my eye was the sleek and architecturally imposing A.I.G. tower. Its top is adorned with a six-story-high video screen proudly presenting the A.I.G. logo in splashy motion-graphics. Given recent events, I half expected to see 20-meter-high letters spelling out: “A.I.G. We’re sorry.”

Although much of my trip was devoted to sightseeing, eating and refreshing my personal perspective, I was also able to make new friends. One of the wonderful things about partnering with a global company such as the Agilent Technologies Electronics Measurements Group is the opportunity it presents to meet and work with great people from different regions and cultures around the world, including Southeast Asia.

Thanks to our Agilent friends here in the States, I was introduced to company executives in Malaysia and Hong Kong. These meetings brought home to me the fact that, while the entire world is muddling through an economic downturn, we still have every reason to be optimistic. The wheels of the international economic machine have not ground to a halt. In fact, I was very impressed by the vigor of the business communities in both Penang and Hong Kong, which seemed to be energized by an air of entrepreneurialism.

As refreshingly different as Southeast Asia is from the United States, I’m always happy to return home to Seattle. Such trips not only allow me to appreciate the cultural tapestry of other regions, but also to appreciate anew all that makes Seattle a great place to live, work and visit.

Here are some photos from my most recent adventure.