[Disconnecting ...]
1. I've just come back from Ho Chi Minh City this afternoon after 4 days. Downloading the emails took some time and clearing them will take a few more hours. I decided not to bring the notebook along because we were on vacation and being connected would have spoilt it. But the longer you are disconnected, the more you dread the work that piles up. That's life.

2. Before the days of email, the files would reach up to the ceiling (I'm exaggerating a little) when you come back after a long trip overseas. Clearing the backlog might take days. Except for countries like Myanmar, you can stay connected almost anywhere in the world now. After a full day's work, you still have to plough through the emails after coming back to your hotel room. The result often is not enough sleep. However, there is much less of a backlog waiting for you when you return home. You can't win both ways. When I'm travelling, it makes a big difference whether or not there is broadband. So many emails now come attach with huge files. If I'm on a dial-up connection, it takes forever. I've told MFA staff that the most important thing to look for in a hotel room is the quality of the line. After that, whether or not there is a reasonable gym.

3. But it is important to be disconnected from time to time. All of us need time out. When I led a Young PAP delegation to China ten years ago, the thought that crossed my mind as we embarked the ship in Chongqing for the river cruise throught the Three Gorges was that, finally, no handphone connection for three days. We could be like Li Bai cut off from the rest of the world. As we got on the deck, a big signboard proudly announced the availability of Inmarsat telephony. Welcome to the modern age. Maybe what need disconnecting are not the lines but our preoccupations.

Do also read my posts on Beyond SG