Offices, from Disneyland to ghost towns – will they ever be the same again?
Having not worked in an office for two decades and more, a visit to one, for me, used to be like a visit to Disneyland. I’d gape and gawk at the cool spaces, quirky pods and booths for meetings and calls, even snooze corners and always, always, the pantry which by 2019 had blossomed into full-blow [...]
Travel allows you to do whatever makes your heart sing
That’s why travel brands are dancing all the way to the bank
In a clear sign that travel is back, I’ve been getting a lot of visitors lately and it’s such a pleasure to be playing tour guide again at home instead of having to play domestic tourist as we all had to do these past couple of ye [...]
From Jumbo crabs to jumbo jet: The aircraft that changed travel and shrank the world
Last night, I headed to Jumbo at the East Coast Seafood Centre to have chilli crabs. It’s not a place I frequent often because well, as locals, we usually avoid places that are popular with tourists and having not had many visitors the last couple of years, I had almost forgotten it was there.
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The dance of the golden lion: We’re all experts by now
As I watched the golden lion perform its dance last night at the Lunar New Year celebration hosted by Sentosa Development Corporation last night, I couldn’t help but relate it to the very similar stunts and manoeuvres we in travel have had to make to survive the pandemic and come out the other sid [...]
The art of conversations: The difference between an AI GPT and Human GPT
Tip: Make sure the way you speak cannot be replicated by a machine
After having had lots of morning conversations with my new-found friend, GPT, you can imagine my delight when I got to mingle with real humans at an arts event the other evening in Singapore.
First, I had to adjust myself to a hu [...]
Meet Susie and Kevin, travel’s Achilles heel
WE need to rethink the issue of human labour in our industry, urges Timothy O’Neil-Dunne, principal, T2Impact. How can we do more with fewer people?
As the world emerges from the pandemic, the desire to travel has exploded. Looking at the future it is hard to ignore that in the field of travel, [...]
Letter from the skies: The Chinese are coming, so is AI on steroids – hello, 2023
Let's welcome back Chinese travellers with empathy, and brace for the AI revolution to come
I AM writing this at 15,000 feet, onboard an ATR 72-500 on a Firefly flight between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Firefly, a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, has carved out a nice little niche for itself on on [...]
Letter from Thailand: Hilltribes, elephants, Michelin dining and weed make for a heady concoction
THE kids had been waiting from 7am. They were excited to meet the “foreigners” whom they heard were bringing snacks and winter jackets and their teachers, Kru Prueng and Kru Nim, had told them they’d soon have fresh supplies for the new school year.
We had started out at 8am from Lisu Lodge [...]
I interviewed ChatGPT about travel, life, and overcoming the fear of Artificial Intelligence
THERE are a few reasons why some people may be afraid of AI. They may not understand how it works and may be unsure of what it is capable of. Another reason is that some people may be afraid of the potential for AI to become smarter than humans and potentially pose a threat to our existence. Additio [...]
Letter from Tucson: Desert scapes and tastes, boneyard and beauty of flight
THE night before I left for Tucson, I had my first experience of an NBA match between the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns. Of course, before this, I knew next to nothing about the teams, players and not much about the game.
I mean, I had tried to play basketball in school but was relegated [...]
