If you were on a China IP address, you were only able to access China websites, and all international sites were blocked.

If you were on an international IP address (i.e. using some form of VPN), you were only able to access international sites and all China-hosted sites were blocked.

This incident continued for a good part of the morning, and there were various speculations and theories flying around.

1. The recent earthquake in Indonesia had caused a deep sea cable to break and the internet had some issues. (This theory was very quickly debunked, as it was not logical that it only involved China vs the rest of the world.)

2. The other theory was that a very important announcement was to be made in China. (While there are also speculations of that this important news is … what it really is/was … really beats me …)

So, today again I witness the fragility of the internet and how the lack of access can cause so much impact in our daily life. Did you have that same feeling?

I have been reading quite a number of unhappy/tragic/bad events happening back in Singapore through the online news portals. Are these news becoming more apparent, because of the lightning speed of the internet or are these news a real representation of the trouble that is simmering back in the sunny tropical island state, Singapore.

1. Rainy weather causing flash floods in various areas around Singapore – following on last year’s disaster flood in Orchard Road this flood is rather mild, but this is like a distant reminder from over 10 years ago when Singapore was flooded up to the waist. After that major flood, the govt expanded all waterways in Singapore and since than, we had never had a serious flood till the Orchard Rd incident. (CNA article here)

2. Maid found dead in water tank above HDB – this is freaky and gross all at once … (Yahoo article here)

3. Old lady dragged and killed by a public bus – this is very alarming as SMRT is increasingly getting foreign bus drivers to enter their team. Recently in Feb this year, when I was back in Singapore, I was on a bus driven by a Chinese National and I was alarmed at the way he was driving. It felt like I was back in China. Speeding from traffic light to the next. Braking suddenly, instead of slowing down gradually. People were falling down in the bus, bags were sliding across the floor. The driver even opened the door at the bus stop without checking if there was anyone leaning on it, and the American tourist almost fell out of the bus backwards (of course, she should not be leaning too). It was most definitely an unpleasant ride. (CNA article here)

4. 10 year old boy knocked down by a public bus … same as above … (Yahoo article here)

5. MRT disruptions occurring more frequently that ever … granted that the train system is over 10 years old, it should still work fine with proper maintenance and servicing. However, it seems that other more important issues like increasing revenue and profit seems to take precedence over ensuring proper service quality. It has always seemed strange to me that a public service company should actually be partly privatized and charged to have year on year growth in profit. All these profits would only boil down to additional cost for the general public. (CNA article here)

There are many more such unhappy news recently, but these have been the major ones.

I believe the govt and the people will have to collectively come together to make these changes … however, I am not sure how long this will take, as we all live in a new era …

This morning, Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, announced via Facebook that the company had acquired Instragram for US$1B. For a 13 man setup, it surely is a immensely huge deal. (Instagram’s CEO Kevin has a note on his blog about the acquisition here.)

Launched 2 years ago in Oct 2010 only for iOS devices, and only recently launched their Andriod App, the application has become one of the leading photo application that allows users to take a photo, apply a simple filter and share it with their following of friends. Many copycats have since followed suit …

We await what this new advancement will bring to the table for both Instagram and Facebook. For now, I will continue to use Instagram as I always do … sharing of little snippets of my life.

I recently booked and stayed at 1000 Island Lake Hotel, Intercontinental, China. The 3D2N trip was a story in itself and you can read about it here.

After returning from the trip, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a “Thank You” email from the hotel group to thank me for my stay. Upon opening the email, I was then disappointed that they did not even know who I was, i.e. there was no name addressee, no IHG prority club points update. I was just “someone” who stayed at their hotel. (see the email below)

3 Tips on how this email could have been better:

1. Address the customer (me) by name, since I had already provided all that personal detail during the booking process

2. Update me on IHG Priority Club, on how many points I have earned and how much more I need to go, or if I wasn’t a member, let me know the benefits of signing up and direct me to sign up right now to earn those points I had earned from my stay

3. Ask me for my feedback – a simple online survey will reveal abundance of honest and timely feedback about the hotel property, the staff and the service

These simple inclusions into the email would have made a huge difference in positively changing perceptions for the hotel group.

Having always been a great fan of 37Signals, I was very excited when I started on the book. The regular updates on Signal-vs-Noise was in no comparison to the book that comprehensively notes downs their thinking.

In many ways, the book was controversial as it points you in the same direction but with a whole new perspective. About work, about start ups, about self and team management. It also gives a new perspective of collaboration which makes so much sense. If only everyone could distil and practice the essence what was written, the world will be a very efficient place.

Read more about our trip to Qian Dao Hu (千岛湖) at ThenWhere.com.

On the final day of the holuday, we went with Zilin and Jintian to the Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Gardens (辰山植物园) for an afternoon in the sun, on the lawn, drinking wine and eating tidbits, and enjoying the flowers and fresh air.

It was really packed that afternoon, but we were glad that we had our little space there of peace and quiet. 1 year on, we are glad that the place has grown in popularity, and they now even have a shuttle bus to the nearest train station along Line 9 at Dongjing (洞经).

Photos from the trip on Flickr

1. While getting out of the Metro Station one morning, I was stopped by the police to check on my identity. I told him I did not have my ID card,a s I was a foreigner and who carries their passport with them all the time. Anyway, I let him key my passport number into his fancy handheld device and I went on my way. He wasn’t mean, but it was a strange to be stopped by him. Perhaps, I was dressed a bit too suspiciously … jacket zipped all the way, shades on with earphones blasting music.

2. At the part with 3 other ladies, we got onto the buggy (internal shuttle) and the driver asked me if the 3 ladies were all from Singapore. I told him … “yar”. Apparently, I wasn’t …

Is it my hair style, my dress sense or my spoken language … guess I will never know.

In this new year (2012 that is!), wondering if there should be a more focused conversation that should happen here. Had attempted to do so with the other blog (interacty.com) but it did not persevere and, hence, had also been neglected quite a bit in 2011.

What shall I do here?

A year to walk closer to God and to listen to what He has to say to me.

A year to cherish my dearest wife even more and to love and hold ever more.

A year to achieve greater heights and bigger dreams.

A year with meaning and blessings to others.

A year that is so much more.

Happy 2012 to everyone, blessed year ahead and bountiful returns for all.

2 key take away:

1. Opportunity – the best time to get something done is when one is young
2. 3 years – you only need to get through the first 3 years to know if you will be a success or not