For a number of years, I have had a soft spot in my heart for the city of Keelung. That's because my former secretary Amy comes from Keelung, and I've greatly enjoyed visits with her family there. Now I have another reason to like the place.

It's now official.Even monkeys can beat the stock market index.

After the deep divisions which ASEAN faced last year over its stance on the South China Sea issue, the only way forward for the organization was an attempt to rebuild unity. That direction was apparent at this week's leaders' summit in Bandar Seri Begawan, where host Brunei sought to rekindle the 10 members' old habit of functioning by consensus.

Japan under the leadership of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appears to have abandoned its desire to cultivate friendship with its neighbors, notably Korea and China.

“Asia Pacific economic economies will see subdued growth in 2013 after last year's sharp slowdown caused by external factors,” is the prognosis from a recent U.N. survey.

These past few weeks have been somewhat hectic for the government of Myanmar. First, there was the prestigious peace award given to President Thein Sein by the International Crises Group, recognizing his work toward a peace that can be achieved.

The need to reinforce patrol and monitoring activities on the water and in the air around the Senkaku Islands to respond to China's perilously provocative acts has grown.

Amazing. A terrorist bomb goes off in Boston, a fertilizer plant explodes in Texas and miraculously, the “simmering tensions” on the Korean Peninsula suddenly don't seem to matter any more. In fact, they have evaporated.

Once again, Malaysia is in election mode and once again, candidate lists are checked to see who might be running the country next.

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung Se's response must have been unexpected for the Japanese government. Yun cancelled a trip to Japan that was scheduled for Friday and Saturday. This was a protest against visits by three Cabinet ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. The South Korean Foreign Ministry says the Shinto shrine “glorifies Japan's wars of aggression.”