Rupert and me: We got stoned together
More years ago than I care to remember, I was working as a journalist on The Sun newspaper in London when our new owner appeared, sleeves rolled up, and happy to get his hands dirty.This was the time when newspapers were still being put together with hot metal type, and the place where the printers [...]
Who’s doing your Social Media?
Yesterday I attended an HSMAI South East Asia event. It was a breakfast session entitled: Social Media – A Distribution Channel?Hosting was Andrew Chan, President HSMAI SEA Chapter. Mario Jobbe of Brand Karma delivered the Keynote. On the panel along with Mario were: Anil Damodaran from [...]
Winner selected for TravelRave Talent Challenge
Singapore Management University student, Mabel Fu Meibao, has won the TravelRave Talent Challenge, a competition run by the Singapore Tourism Board and WITNext to raise the awareness of travel and tourism careers among young talent in Asia.The Challenge, launched in August, asked 18-25 year olds acr [...]
Funds raised for Phare going towards scholarships and a permanent home for artists
It was good to learn that the Phare Cambodia Circus for which we raised fund last year was performing at the PATA Travel Mart in Phnom Penh recently.Director Dara Huot told us that the estimated S$100,000 raised during last year’s WIT Charity Auction, co-hosted with Dorsett Hospitality Internation [...]
Travellers want unique, enriching experiences on their vacations, reveals TripAdvisor
The majority of travellers, both global and from Asia Pacific (APAC), say that “enhancing perspective” and “liberation” are the main motivation for travel, according to the latest TripBarometer from TripAdvisor.The TripBarometer: Psychology of Travel report, conducted by independent research [...]
Tagged and the rest of it is free. Really?
No sooner than we arrived to Le Blanc Resort in Cancun, Mexico, we were given a transparent wristband with an 8-digit number and logo. We had been tagged. We had entered the world of an all-inclusive resort.Have I ever done this before? No.I listened in amazement to the instructions given to us by [...]
Thaipusam Festival – more than just a ritual of body piercing
Thaipusam is one of the most unexpected festivals that you would imagine to see in Singapore. Yet it's real. 100% authentic. And quite unbelievable!His gaze was intent. He was looking for support, for power to overcome bodily pain. To conquer the physical and enter the spiritual. He, was [...]
The difference between Phuket and Bali
Bali or Phuket? Phuket or Bali? That is often the question for European travelers when they are in search of beach destinations on their first trip to South-East Asia. It has been a long 12 years since I was last in Phuket. And somehow I don't have many memories from that trip. I have a vague rec [...]
The Friend Effect
It is an irony that it took someone who found it hard to make friends – I love that first scene where he is dumped by his girlfriend – to start a business which allows everyone to make friends.I am talking, of course, about Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, and his story as told by the D [...]
The Goodness in Social Media
Happy Lunar New Year to everyone and a belated Happy 2011! It’s been a hectic few months wrapping up the end of last year and starting this year. We’re looking forward to an exciting year ahead for us and are planning quite a few things to delight you.Recently, I’ve been inspired by the go [...]
