We are slowly recovering from the disaster submarine fiber cut due to the earthquake in Taiwan. It is definitely one of the worst I remember…the last time a fiber cut affect us that badly is in 1994.

First, lets clarify a few misconceptions: submarine cables are not under the seabed. It is just lay across the sea. It is only when it crosses major shipping lines and fishing zones (mostly near the coast) that it is lay (5 to 10m below) under the seabed. Therefore, it is not unusual for submarine cable to be cut, mostly due to deepsea fishing.

So when one submarine cable is severed, the operator generally have “restoration”, either on their own (self-healing cables) or using their competitors cables. This minimized the disruption. What is unusual is that this earthquake in Taiwan sever all the major cables (see above for the fibers near Taiwan).

As far as reports goes, SeaMeWe-3, ACPN2, C2C and EAC (ANC) (link) are severed. In other words, all the major submarine cable at the same time. Under other circumstance, when SeaMeWe-3 cuts, we can fall back to APCN2 or C2C or EAC. But when all of them are cut at the sametime, there is really nothing to fall back upon.
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I went to a neighbourhood secondary school – Anderson Secondary School. Now, it is one of the better neighbourhood school but it was a humble school back then. I often represented the school for competitions (mainly math and computer) and the teacher in charge often gave us this advise “Don’t worry about losing. It is the experience that counts.” – We never won anything.

A few years later, I entered Hwa Chong Junior College, one of the top JC. I still represent the school for competitions (math and computer again) and the teacher in charge often gave us this advise “Play to win. We must win.” – And we won, mostly.

“Of course! You won cos you are in one of the top JC with the smartest students!”. But I have great teammates in Anderson too, smart students who went on to the top schools in Singapore. I dont think we are any weaker in Anderson compared to Hwa Chong. Yet we lose in one and we won another.

I believe the difference is the attitude. If you think you going to lose, you already lose.

So play to win. And only play if you will win. Dont waste your time otherwise.

I took my family back home over the weekend thinking I could be back in KL on Monday. A phone call later, meetings lined up and there goes my weekend. When I was thinking whether to go back to KL on Tuesday, I come down with a fever. Arghh. I missed a very important meeting (Very sorry!!).

More meetings later, I end up on a flight to Korea tonight. I am worried if the cold weather will make my fever worst…Hope I get some good rest later.

Rule One of giving advise: Never give advise to something you won’t do yourself.

Dont recommend your friend to buy something you wouldnt buy yourself. Dont give advise to action you wont do yourself.

Never never believe one who dont do what they preach.

Perhaps my Chinese host in Xiamen thinks I am too thin (I am not!) but they are very determined to make sure I put on at least 5 kg before I leave Xiamen. Regardless of the Chinese tradition of “finish everything you had on your plate, even one grain of rice”, every meal I had so far is twice as much as I can finish, and then more. And I had all sort of werid animals as food, including a supposingly endangered animal but disguise as something else. Dont ask…I dont want to know either.

The most fun part is the trip to 日月谷温泉 (RiYueGu Hot spring). It is definitely one of the best hotspring I visited. It is fairly new (built 3 years ago) by Taiwanese, very elegant and lots and lots of pools to choose from. The weridest is this pool where they have very small hotspring fishes from Turkey. You go into the pool together with the fishes while the fishes eat away your dead skin…My Chinese friends told me it is ticklish feeling. I politely declined. I am not going to feed the fishes :P

I am on my way to Xiamen. Come to think about it, it is the first time I am flying on Silkair so I am not sure what to expect. If you are wondering I am going to Xiamen and not to Hong Kong for the big ITU World 2006, you aren’t the only or the first to ask. No, I didnt plan for the trip ITU World…I didnt thought I need to be there. But as it turns out, I may have to end up doing a day trip over for a brief meeting. But lets see.

The last two days was kind of crazy for me. I fly back to Singapore on Thrusday to have dinner with Cory & Jean from SecondLife who was in town. They also gave a talk at SMU which nearly 300 people turn up. I have to wait nearly an hour for all the fans to finish shaking his hands and asking questions. By the time we settled down for dinner, it is already 9pm.

Series of meetings later, I am back in the airport flying out. I feel quite bad for my wife and kid who hardly have any time with me…Sorry :-(

Incidently, my little daughter discovered Youtube yesterday. She refused to go to sleep until she got her Hello Kitty..and still crying for more after watching it twice. :P

For me, I enjoyed the rejoice, the FU (Thanks Rob :-) as well as the bullshit :-)