I arrived back in Canada yesterday and it is starting to sink in that I am no longer going to be living in Asia. Everywhere I look I see something new but with a sense of familiarity, while at least in Vancouver that is the case.
Landing in Vancouver I thought was going to be stressful and full of issues, but I was pleasantly surprised by the process. Other then waiting in line for about 30 minutes to get through the initial customs screening the rest was a breeze. As after the initial screening a porter was there to grab my bags and then we got taken through a side door that bypassed the second lineup and have to give a big thanks to the customs officer who instead of making me fill out all the paper work just gave me a document and a number to call to have it all handled for me. So what I had budgeted as a 1 to 2 hour nightmare became a 30 minute wait in a line, next time I will get the Can-Am airport pass so I can also bypass the initial customs lineup.
It is really good to be back in an environment where great service is the norm as even the service at VanCity beats the private banking services with CitiBank which is known in Asia as the best. I walked into my old VanCity branch as I always kept an account there. Right away I had a couple people servicing me and while nobody offered me coffee or tea the actual service was amazing. They knew exactly what I needed and had the forms ready in a couple minutes. Really makes me feel comfortable keeping my money with a bank full of people that understand their system and customers at this level. Coming from Asia I could tell you so many horror stories from banks running two charging systems to a great story on what it took to actually get a Visa card in Thailand.
On a personal note I had a reunion of sorts with my guardian, which I haven’t seen in over 8 years. She is one of the closest people to me that can share stories of my late mother and is able to joke about my crazy family. So it was really good to touch base with her and hope now that I am within a reasonable flying distance I will be able to see her more often then every 8 years.
Also was able to meet back up with an old friend that I’ve known for over 14 years. Having that much of a history with someone is rare as traveling around the world and living in so many different places I’ve lost touch with most of my friends. But luckily my buddy Gurp is rooted in Vancouver and is always happy to take a few minutes of his day to hang out and reflect on the good old days. As with some of my best friends Gurp and I also share some great travel stories and I hope that I can get him over to Thailand in May to share in some new ones.
While I was in David’s office at VanCity I was looking at his desk and trying to figure out why there was a bunny rabbit on top of his computer monitor. Then like an old joke you just remember I smiled as it came to me that Easter must be coming. So I asked him when Easter was and it shocked me to hear that it was the following weekend. While I am Catholic I haven’t celebrated an Easter in over 5 years and really haven’t been aware of Easter for those 5 years as in Asia the only Catholic holiday that is noticeable is Christmas. So now while I am sitting on this plane headed to Toronto I am wondering if I should try to get a flight next weekend to Cuba or if I should just take the time to get to know Guelph a little better. I will decide in the next couple days as I don’t even know if we get holiday time with my new company during Easter.
Big moves and big changes in life are something sadly I am somewhat used to but I still have a little bit of that butterfly feeling in my stomach and honestly am a little nervous on what Guelph will bring into my life. I am getting older and like my guardian was saying I have done so much in the past 10 years, I hope that Guelph can be the place that I can experience the next 10 years as a member of a wonderful community.
In about 5 hours I will get my first glance at Guelph and I think tonight I will end up driving around Guelph to get a sense of the city. Can’t promise that I will blog tonight as even now I am really tired (it is 6am Singapore time) and while I been fighting to switch my body over to local time, come nighttime I will be ready for bed.
Saturday, March 31
Being Back Home in CanadaExpand this Post: Being Back Home in Canada |
Friday, March 30
South Korea Marks #48 for MeExpand this Post: South Korea Marks #48 for Me |
Well I just finishing up a 2 day stay in Seoul, South Korea. Seoul is interesting, very costly, along the lines of Japan costs, but minus the Japanese system and cleanness. I for the most part enjoyed the city/county. I managed to get a tour of the DMZ, which was interesting. I’ve seen the boarder between Mexico and the US and while not exactly the same the DMZ shares many characteristics, like long fences, barb wire and a general sense of displaced people.
The most notable thing from this trip was in my hotel room. Now we have all seen mini bars and I had though the most advanced mini bar system was those that as soon as you take the bottle out of the fridge a computer send notice to charge you for the item. Well here in Seoul they’ve gone further, as in Seoul they have installed actual vending machines within the rooms (see the photo). These 4 and half feet by 2 and a half feet machines sit in the rooms just waiting for you to get hungry or need a bottle of wine and the get this when you turn off all the lights they come on and wish you a goodnight sleep. While not something I expect in a 5 star hotel these hotel room vending machines are effective. My only problem was I didn’t have any money small enough to buy a drink and it doesn’t give back change.
If anyone is coming to Seoul and going on the tour of the DMZ, bring along a large marble. You’ll understand when you are walking back out of the tunnel and if possible record the event and let me know how far it goes down.
Got to go, as I am just at the airport waiting to get on the plane and head to Vancouver and within 48 hours I will be in Guelph and hoping to stay put for at least a few weeks. As for why South Korea is #48 for me, well it is the 48th country that I have traveled to. I am hoping that #49 is Cuba as really interested to see that country and understand better about its culture and government. Will keep you posted as to which country becomes #49.
Thursday, March 29
Singapore Airlines New First ClassExpand this Post: Singapore Airlines New First Class |
It has probably been said before but I will say it anyways, the new first class with Singapore Airlines is like having a hotel room at 35,000 feet in the sky. Actually since there are only 8 seats/2 rows on the 777-300ER you also feel like your in some really small jet as the rest of the plane stays oblivious to you. On my flight there where only 6 people in first and with 3 dedicated staff we always had someone close by to help out.
My flight from Singapore to Seoul was 5 and a half hours, so I had a chance to get in a movie and a couple TV programs on the 24 inch LCD TV built into my seating area. While they didn’t have an actually IR remote for the TV it did have a nice controller attached to the seat, that also had a full keyboard. The keyboard is used to create/edit basically any office documents on the Singapore Airlines version of Microsoft Office. Note out to the Google guys that read the blog, should partner up with Singapore Airlines and offer up Google Apps in all their seats.
The seat which is huge, 35 inches wide and tall enough that even I can’t see over/around the side skirts also has a desk in front of you, where the TV and other things go. This monster of a seat at request also gets transformed into a bed, while at first glace I couldn’t figure out how they did it I did end up asking for turn down service to catch a nap. So what they do is the back of the seat folds down and then folds out to cover the area. Now I was told that this was 7 feet long, but I’m 6 foot 2 and my toes could brush the other end while I was sleeping.
Food and drink wise nothing really interesting, they service the typical caviar, champagne and fine meets but I have had better presentation at many restaurants, but I guess none of the staff are trained at that level of dining. Also no they didn’t let you just milk the champagne bottle, but they gladly where there to fill you up when you got low, but for me I was hitting it hard on the apple juice (champagnes little brother).
One thing amazed me the most out of all the things they had up in the first class cabin and its something I’ve never thought of or heard of before. It was that in the first class cabin on the seat belts they have an airbag safety system. This is something now that I’ve seen makes logical sense as the safety warning card with the people crunched up in weird positions for a crash could all be avoided with the installation of airbags on all the seats. We never got the chance to try out the airbags on the plane but I would rather hit an airbag then slam into the desk or TV in front of me. Probably see more Air Bag Belts if someone like Al Gore gets on a tantrum on airline safety.
Another notable item is the view as the seat takes up 4 windows and since you can see perfectly out of 2 of them you really get a sense of the sky around you. Just take a look at the photo, what a great view can be had and I am talking about out of the window. The feeling of space and freedom is always nice to have, too bad they can’t make longer/wider windows in this section as it sure would be nice to have an even wider view of the sky. Maybe in the future Airbuses this will happen as even though the view was great it felt kind of funny having so many windows to one seat.
Well overall I would say that the new Singapore Airlines first class is something really amazing but since it is so darn costly and also maybe at times not available with only 8 seats the business class is just as amazing. As the business class also has 35 inch seats and fully reclining beds, but is just not as finished and glamorous as the first class seats. Would I fly this first class again, well I will say hopefully not as I hope that in the future I can travel with colleagues and friends, which would make flying first class incredibly unfeasible, unless of course I was traveling with some of the Google boys after the vesting period.
Wednesday, March 28
Last Night in SingaporeExpand this Post: Last Night in Singapore |
Well it is all coming to an end and it feels very strange. Today the movers came and took away my boxes and I did my last few local things like closing my phone, power, Internet, and cable accounts. But part of me still thinks that I’ll be in my bed next week, but this will be the last night ever that I sleep in this bed.
Tonight went out with a bunch of my Singapore friends and had a great laugh and some serious talking on SEO, sorry Melissa next time we’ll give you time to study up on the SEO lingo. It was a good night and it will be a great memory to look back on.
I know I should be happy and moving back to Canada will be great for my personal life and family life, but it sure does feel a little strange to be leaving this all behind so quickly. As I really only started to consider this move to Guelph in February and its been only a few weeks since I confirmed that I would actually make the move, so its all a little blurry, but I do have a lot of good feelings on everything.
Have to my old SEO/PPC team in Singapore that our next lunch is on me, as sorry that I didn’t get a chance to meet up with all of you before I left. I will do my best to be back in May and you guys don’t drive Brent too crazy and remember the key to Peter’s happiness is just to add more TP pages. Oh and Liz did I mention how beautiful you look today, great you feeling good ok then can you buy the keyword “blog” for me with some of the monthly spend. Thanks Liz!
My flight leaves in 7 hours, which means I have at best 5 hours of sleep ahead of me, so I say goodbye to Singapore tonight and to all my friends and co-workers in Asia I wish you all the best in this coming year and while I am not here you are always welcome to email me.
Tuesday, March 27
Interesting time for SEO in AsiaExpand this Post: Interesting time for SEO in Asia |
Well as I am about to say goodbye to the SEO industry in Asia, I’ve had a few last minute attempts to keep me here but I am really looking forward to life back home in Canada. Also have to give a big “sorry man” to my buddy Ash over at Mc Donald’s as finally after about a year of working from within he’s been able to get the management of Mc Donald’s ready for SEO, but again sorry man, I need to head back.
I have really enjoyed being part of the SEO building blocks within Asia and while I’ve seen many of those blocks falling back down I really hope that with the increasing level of professionally organized events like ad:tech and Search Engine Strategies in the region it will bring the needed professionalism for this area to succeed. If not we’ll have a new acronym referencing in the Asian Internet advertising world as they’ll end up combing SEO and SEM into one large MLM system or maybe it will just earn the nickname PPF, Pay Per Fraud.
But wait, it’s not all that bad, as I do have to give props out to Marc as even though he’s been recruited to manage SEO for a large American company he’s kept true to his routes and is staying in the Philippines to grow and support the SEO/Internet community there. I just wish other SEOs in Asia could follow in his morals and professional conduct, I won’t bad mouth anyone directly but you know who you are. To those people all I say is, think past tomorrow and realize that being able to read SEO for Dummies and blog on topics your read on other peoples websites doesn’t equal education and/or being part of an industry.
Even with this goodbye I will always be a part of the SEO industry in Asia, while no longer day-to-day, whenever possible you will still see at the events and you know I am always there to help, just drop me an email or Skype me.
Monday, March 26
Eventful time in the PhilippinesExpand this Post: Eventful time in the Philippines |
Well after a few eventful days and nights in the Philippines I am on the plane heading back to Singapore for my last couple days there. The Philippines was great and it was made even better by an incredible bunch of people.
After the night on the town I did what comes naturally, I left my hotel at like 6am to get on another plane. See there was some management of a very large (but unnameable) Internet company out from the United States and Marc scheduled at the last minute a weekend away from Manila for all of us. So my buddy and I with these two managers headed off to Boracay an amazing Island way the heck in the middle of nowhere. It was funny as one of the American managers noted that he had to take a taxicab, bus, plane, van, boat, and finally a motorbike all within 2 hours just to get to our resort. My trip had one addition to that adventure, as my route to the airport included a visit with the local police as it turns out a one way street in Manila really means a one way street.
But it was all worth it as we all had a great time, racing around in dune buggies, parasailing and generally enjoying sitting on a beach doing nothing. My personal favorite was the racing around with the dune buggies, as they let us loose on this small town/village and I more then enjoyed myself while I helped out the civil engineers by clearing some tree’s and other debris from the sides of the roads (you can sure get a dune buggy sideways at 40km/h).
Sadly it all had to come to an end, but a couple of us including myself will be feeling the effects of a little too much sun for the next several days. Its strange to think that this time next week I will be walking into the office of my new job, probably wearing 4 layers of clothes and having no idea when the next time I will be laying on a beach just watching the world go by.
Well to the Philippines and the all the great people supporting the Internet industry there I hope we all meet up again but till then keep up the good work. Ok inside joke time, to our wonderful tour guide, I hope that with our next trip we can complete the James Bond tour, minus the fitness section.
Thursday, March 22
Last Weekend in AsiaExpand this Post: Last Weekend in Asia |
After nearly 6 years of weekend fun around Asia this weekend will be my last one as a resident of Asia. So I am heading off to the Philippines to see my buddy Marc and spend some time on a beach, as something tells me the only thing white under my feet in the near future will be snow.
Have to say sorry to my Thailand friends as while it would have been great to spend a few days together again, I still haven’t finished packing and this trip to the Philippines is long overdue. I’ll see all you in Thailand in May as I will swing by on my way to SES China.
Oh some public shame being sent to Troy over in Thailand as dude for a guy that doesn’t have a “job” you work more then Marc and I combined. So while we are on the beach catching sun I hope your hard drive crashes. Ok no I don’t as that would be bad, but hope you can get that Mac project finished and looking forward to seeing you in Guelph later this year.
Philippines will be great as I need a break, for me as all I seem to be doing here in Singapore is packing, eating and sleeping. This move has really been tough as it was a little rushed but it will mean once I land life will seem a lot more stable and smoother.
Well I am off to get on my plane, blog with you later.
Singapore Freight/Cargo/Moving CompaniesExpand this Post: Singapore Freight/Cargo/Moving Companies |
Attn: Singapore Expats:
If anyone is thinking about trying to airfreight things from Singapore a general warning out to you about the local freight/cargo/moving companies as they will do almost anything to not handle a personal move.
They seem to be only interested in corporate relocation where they can charge an insane amount of money, some even simply said no we’re not interested in a personal move and hung up the phone. This is what you get when you have ultra greedy and ultra lazy individuals running companies.
I actually had my best luck and pricing dealing with a moving company out of the UK called London Baggage, which then subcontracts back into Singapore, the price was 27% to 52% less then the local companies, out of those that bothered to price the move. London Baggage is worth a check and they even provide a local toll free number for Singapore.
Wednesday, March 21
Venting on Singapore AirlinesExpand this Post: Venting on Singapore Airlines |
So my deal on an upgrade turned into a nightmare of service and I haven’t even gotten on the plane. What happen was really strange, since I booked my flight using Air Canada instead of Singapore Airlines, Singapore Airlines didn’t want to give the first class seat to Air Canada.
Add to the confusion that while Air Canada has a 24 hour reservation/support line, its based in the US (so much for national pride) and they can’t call the 24 hour reservation service at Singapore Airlines as its located here in Singapore. They “say” their phones aren’t allowed to call international. I was like I spend nearly 5 grand on a ticket and you can’t make a phone call to solve a problem for me, well the answer was a long drawn out no. So had to wait till Singapore Airlines office in the US opened and Air Canada could “discuss” this issue with them further.
So finally this evening Air Canada called me, not in Singapore, but via my US office number and confirmed that they where working with Singapore Airlines to resolve this issue and I will be able to fly as I requested and paid for. Then 15 minutes later another call back from them saying that Singapore Airlines had given them the seat and all was good. Now I haven’t been able to confirm with Singapore Airlines, but at this point I need a good sleep, if I drank I would be in a bar about now, but I don’t so I blog. I wonder what’s worse, hmmm in few years from now I will be on a 12 step program and at a “BA” meeting saying, “Hello my name is Stephen and I am a blogaholic…”.
So what’s the big deal, well I fly a lot with my job and even more as a hobby and for me I can get really ticked off with bad service. I just don’t see the reason to hire staff that isn’t personable in such a people/service based industry. Some of the nicest people work in the sky (no Helen, I have no biased opinion) and can make a 12 hour flight feel like spending 12 hours with friends. But that’s not always the case and this issue brings me back to the days when I used to own and run SingapoorAirlines.com (notice the spelling). Surprisingly it got traffic, and even type in traffic but it eventually pissed Singapore Airlines off enough that they sent their legal thugs after me.
The site was very professional as it gave my feedback from flying with Singapore Airlines as well as feedback from other not so happy travelers. I did give the name to them along with SingapoorAir.com without getting my legal counsel involved (didn’t want to spend anymore then the $17.90 which was what the domains cost) but still felt bad and used. They didn’t even apologize for the poor service that spawned the sites creation or even say thank you for me giving them the domains. Oh well that’s the corporate world for you, life goes on and I still fly with them.
UPDATE: When I checked in for this flight they still didn't want to give the seat to me, had to wait while the check in staff talked with management, what a mess...
Tuesday, March 20
Differences between Singapore & GuelphExpand this Post: Differences between Singapore & Guelph |
Some of my friends back here in Asia don’t really understand how big the difference to life in Singapore is compared to life in Guelph and to tell you the truth I don’t know how much different it will end up being either. But what I do know is some of the statistical differences, such as:
Population
Singapore 4,492,150
Guelph 127,009 (138,183 including the surrounding township)
So Guelph has the population size of around 3% of Singapore's, but this is probably higher then actual as in Singapore there are hundreds of thousands of illegal workers and tourists that are not included in the official population.
Land Size/Area
Singapore 699.4 km²
Guelph 86.66 km² (378.45 km² including the surrounding township)
Amazing that Guelph is about half the size of Singapore but with 3% of the number of people. To give you anouther aspect to land/people ratio, here is the home I am looking at getting in Guelph: http://www.virtualproperties.ca/r5007/photogallery.htm this land use would be something that only the president of Singapore would be able to acquire, but in Guelph its just another house on the block.
Weather
Current Temperature in Singapore 32 °C / 89 °F
Current Temperature in Guelph -5.6 °C / 21.9 °F
While I did find an average temperature for Guelph, it is somewhat useless as the temperature range in Guelph goes from -11.0 °C to plus 25.7 °C depending on the time of year, but anyways the average temperature in Guelph is between 1.8 °C and 11.6 °C.
Where as in Singapore there is a constant temperature year around, which ranges from 24 °C and 30 °C, even on some of Guelph’s warmest days it won’t reach the average temperature I’m used to in Singapore, oh boy…
That is why after living in Asia for nearly 6 years my biggest fear is how my body will adjust back to not only colder temperatures but also variation in temperatures. One thing I do know is that I will have a much larger wardrobe in Guelph, which will include lots of long johns and parkas.
Housing/Rental
3 Bedroom Condo in Singapore $1,450 CAD / $1,900 SGD
3 Bedroom House in Guelph $1,200 CAD / $1,550 SGD
There is no point trying to compare renting a house in Singapore to renting a house in Guelph as in Singapore you can expect to pay at least $4,000 SGD / $3,000 CAD for a house. The Singapore prices are not higher due to western style of living this is the actual average cost of a place in Singapore. If you wanted western style living you can expect to pay at least $2,500 to $4,000 a month for a condo.
Cars / Automobiles
Singapore entry level 2007 Honda Civic: $56,250 CAD / $73,000 SGD
Singapore fully loaded 2007 Honda Civic: $62,400 CAD / $81,000 SGD
Canada entry level 2007 Honda Civic: $16,980 CAD / $22,000 SGD
Canada fully loaded 2007 Honda Civic: $23,630 CAD / $30,650 SGD
In Singapore a combination of government corruption and local dealership greed has made owning a vehicle almost impossible. As the price of the same car in Singapore can buy you 3 in Canada, not to mention that in Singapore you are only allowed to own the car for 10 years. After 10 years you have to re-buy your car from the government otherwise it becomes scrap metal.
Me being a car nut this has really been one of my biggest problems living in Singapore as sadly to say I haven’t owned a car during my life in Singapore, but I can assure you I will own one (maybe even two or three) when I am in Guelph.
Food / Mc Donald’s
Big Mac in Singapore $3.00 CAD / $3.85 SGD
Big Mac in Guelph $3.76 / $4.90 SGD
Ok right now all those who know me in Asia are probably laughing and can add to that list the lady who answered the phone at the Gordon Street Mc Donald’s in Guelph, but I had to compare the cost of a Big Mac. So it looks like its going to cost me $1.05 SGD more to bite into a Big Mac, maybe I should have held out for a bigger salary or maybe I should just buy more shares in Mc Donald’s. (The price was updated as someone mentioned to me that the Tower Street Mc Donald's originally used in the quote was in Fergus)
Those are the current differences I could find, but will add more once I am in Guelph. Hope to make note on the taxi cost, bus fare, silly things like power costs as I know my friends back in Bangkok are always talking about how much power costs them, as well as anything else I come across that would make a good comparison.
Saturday, March 17
Blog Guelph - blogguelph.comExpand this Post: Blog Guelph - blogguelph.com |
Sue Richards over at Blog Guelph has really been busy over the last year posting hundreds of posts and photos related to Guelph. While the navigation is a little hard you will find enough great photos and content right on the homepage.
I really think Sue should start putting some of her stuff on Getty Images as some of the photos she have really give a nice showcase of Guelph. Maybe in future years she'll add a Guelph calendar in addition to her "Breasts of Canada" calendar.
One of my favorite photos from Blog Guelph is this one. It looks so peacefull and really reminds me the value of actually having seasons. When I look at this photo I can just imagine in spring the leaves budding, summer with the trees in full color and then in fall when the leafs are falling to the ground. Its going to be so nice to have seasons again.
If you are looking for some great photos from Guelph I highly recommend taking a look at Blog Guelph.
Visit Blog Guelph at http://www.blogguelph.com/
GuelphCAM - guelphcam.comExpand this Post: GuelphCAM - guelphcam.com |
This is one of the websites based in Guelph that I usually visit everyday. I find the live stream of video and the still photos really entertaining and it really gives me a good idea on the weather conditions in Guelph.
Kev the website owner really looks after his cams as they’re never down and that’s something rare in the webcam business, but his consistent uptime is probably due to his understanding of computers and system administration.
I really look forward to meeting up with Kev when I arrive in Guelph and hope that I can get myself a nice enough view and add on to his website with some more camera angles.
GuelphCam is a great if you would like to get an idea on Guelph’s weather or if you are just looking to waste a few hours watching the cars.
If anyone else has a Guelph web camera please add a comment here and I will be sure to review it and add a link to your website.
Visit GuelphCAM at http://www.guelphcam.com/
Thursday, March 15
Hampton Inn & Suites GuelphExpand this Post: Hampton Inn & Suites Guelph |
The Hampton Inn & Suites Guelph (operated by the Hilton chain) is where I will call home for my first month of life in Guelph. I called several of the hotels in Guelph and ended up selecting this hotel as not only was Naushad Ismail the general manager very personable he was also very persistent. In the end I went with the two room suite as I didn’t feel like being stuck to a single room for a month.
Some of the other hotels I considered where the Travel Lodge Inn & Suites, while the rate was a lot better they seem to have less of a business theme and their location I was told by others is above a local pub, but I can’t confirm that.
Another two hotels I considered where the Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, yup that’s right they have both in this small city and it confused me as when the don’t seem to share much information between the two. But I will say that the Holiday Inn has one thing that the Hampton Inn & Suites is missing and that would be a restaurant on site.
While all the hotels offer free breakfast and free Internet access the only one to have a restaurant on site is the Holiday Inn, but Mr. Ismail from the Hampton Inn & Suites assured me that there were plenty of great restaurants beside their hotel and some offer delivery, which I guess can be as good as room service. I often forget about delivery as in Asia it is very uncommon to have any nice actually cooked food delivered so while I travel in Asia I really rely on room service.
As for the Hampton Inn & Suites in Guelph they are located at 725 Imperial Road North, please don’t rely on the current Google Maps data for this hotel as for some reason this hotel is coming up as being located at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites address. This might be due to the fact that the same owner operates both properties and someone made a mistake or that someone has gone and spammed Google Maps, but either way I am sure I can help them correct this problem over the next month.
The Hampton Inn & Suites has both suites and normal rooms, with some of their rooms having nice whirlpool tubs, too bad my room doesn’t. Also all rooms have a fridge, microwave and sink to make longer stays easier. A nice touch of style in the rooms is the use of large LCD TVs, which gives the room more space and at the same time gives is a very fresh/new feeling.
I have attached actual photos of the rooms and once I check in I will update this post with more relevant information. If you would like more information on the Hampton Inn & Suites Guelph you can visit their official homepage here.
It is only 16 more days and I will be officially starting my life in Guelph, I really need to start packing...
Wednesday, March 14
How to Rank Better in GoogleExpand this Post: How to Rank Better in Google |
This blog wasn’t started to talk about Google/SEO/SEM but I added this category and will post relevant information periodically.
With my job the most common question I get is “How can I get my website to rank better in Google” and while I always try and help those who really have a good message, product or service I don’t have enough time to teach/help everyone.
That is why in the last few years I have been helping the masses by speaking publicly at events like Search Engine Strategies, ad:tech and one of my favorite venues eComXpo University.
This year’s eComXpo University will open March 20 and again this year I will be giving a presentation on the subject of SEO.
I really like the idea of eComXpo University as it gives the chance for a lot of webmasters and SEO’s from places outside of the main stream markets like the US and the UK to have access to experienced professionals within the industry. I hope that in the future more and more conferences offer an online/live webcast version, as the developing search markets really need this level of support.
I will be giving the presentation entitled “How to Rank Better in Google” and it explains the top things that a webmaster or Search Engine Optimizer can do to rank better in Google. Topics include IP addresses, domain names, GEO targeting, text link building, homepage links, site maps and advanced SEO content structure/navigation.
Now while general admission into eComXpo is free, to access the university section will cost you $49 and considering what you will learn from not only myself but from all the other presentations this will be the best $49 you can ever spend. But since it does cost money and since I know some of the SEO world doesn’t have access to credit cards and maybe some are just starting out and $49 is not something they can afford, for these people and these people only I offer my corporate pass to access the university presentations.
Please if you can afford the $49, please register at http://www.ecomxpo.com/ as they offer a great service and are a great part of the future of the industry.
To help ensure that this offer isn’t taken advantage of I haven’t posted the pass details publicly, but they are available if you send me an email to eComXpo@Gwelf.com with the reason why you can’t afford the $49. I read mail daily and will reply quickly and you will be sent the pass details. Also sorry, no pass details will be sent to email addresses from free/public email providers.
No email addresses and no email will be kept, used to reply to you other then to send you the pass details, no email will be sold to anyone, or given to anyone and after my reply to you your email address will be purged from my server.
Monday, March 12
Arrival Date in Guelph ConfirmedExpand this Post: Arrival Date in Guelph Confirmed |
Today I booked and paid for my ticket back to Canada and on to my life in Guelph. I will arrive in Canada March 30th in Vancouver, spend the night and then fly to Guelph (Toronto) the following morning. So I'll be checked into my hotel in Guelph probably around 8pm local time on the 31st.
I managed to get a decent rate for my flight and as an added bonus it only cost me another $250 CAD to upgrade to First Class so of course I upgraded. It will be interesting to see how Singapore Airlines handles their "New First Class" as most airlines these days either have no first class service or a downgraded/cheaper version of it.
For those of you back in Singapore you might be thinking of a certain someone when I mention flying with Singapore airlines and while yes she does work in the first class cabin on this route the likely hood of meeting her is rare as there are just so many flight attendants and so many routes she could be on.
For some people it would be great to be flying off somewhere, but for me this is my 16th flight this year and I've probably spent more time at airports and in the air then at my home. So for me what I am really looking forward to being at "home" in Guelph and getting back to a daily routing that doesn't involve me getting on a plane.
Sunday, March 11
My Gut Feelings on Guelph (and Hong Kong)Expand this Post: My Gut Feelings on Guelph (and Hong Kong) |
I remembered last year when Microsoft approached me and offered me the position of being the Team Leader and Spokesman for AdCenter International. Reason why I remembered it again was the position would see me based in Hong Kong and while being in a high profile position with Microsoft had its advantages I really didn't want to move to Hong Kong.
My gut feeling on Hong Kong was it has too much of a corporate environment and that everyone was just there to work and make money, so I politely rejected their offer and somewhat forgot about working and living in Hong Kong. Now being back in Hong Kong for a few days I see that I made the right choice and my gut feelings where correct.
Happiness, I learned along time ago doesn't come from money or the endless pursuit of what money can buy, for me I found that happiness comes from having strong relationships and a sense of belonging to and contributing to a better society.
So what about my gut feelings on Guelph, well I let you in on a little insider secret, I didn't take the position in Guelph for the money, it was one of the lower offers I had just looking at the cash, but my gut feeling on Guelph and the company I will be working for far out weighed the long term value of the other offers.
My gut feeling on Guelph is 90% really good as I think will be a city full of people that love the small town/city atmosphere and have a good sense of community. I also think that its a city with a lot of culture that is easy to experience as the size and the locals make it easy to interact with everything/everyone. Also really excited about the fact that its less then an hour to Toronto so while living in Toronto doesn't interest me at all, being able to go up for Raptors games and other events at the Air Canada Centre is really a plus.
The 10% of my gut feeling that is a little off is based on the large university crowd in Guelph, while this could be a good thing it also could be bad. I am hoping that the University of Guelph attracts more laid back/small town type people as that last thing I want to do is move into a non-stop party town with wild discos, but so far it looks like its more the cafe type crowd, which is great!
On top of the 90% positive feelings towards Guelph I have to say that I have a 99% positive gut feeling toward my new corporate environment. The company really seems to care not only about me but all its employee's, which is really important. I have been with companies where they'll pay me a good salary, treat me good with perks and benefits but then totally take advantage of the majority of the staff.
Thankfully from what I have been told and from the employee blogs I could find, I hear nothing but good things about the company, the staff and the senior management. So either they're really good at propaganda or I am in for a really nice place to call home.
Saturday, March 10
Most Unique Mass Transit SystemExpand this Post: Most Unique Mass Transit System |
For those of you who haven't been to Hong Kong, this story will be of interest to you. As in Hong Kong they have come up with a very unique and useful mass transit system.
While lots of cities have implemented trains, buses, and shuttle services I think Hong Kong is the only city to install moving walkways & escalators within its downtown core to move people to and from work. Yup in Hong Kong instead of getting into a bus or a train and heading off to work you just simple stand still and let the escalators take you where you want to go. Another nice feature is there is no cost to use them, but maybe in the coming years you would have to put a 10 cent toll to enter, hehe the subway of the future.
I am enjoying my time in Hong Kong and it helps me remember that while there is a lot of money here in Asia it is really not for me. As with a little too many people and way to much variation in wealth within one place can make a lot of upset/grumpy people.
Friday, March 9
In Hong Kong for the WeekendExpand this Post: In Hong Kong for the Weekend |
Living in Asia for many years its been really easy to fly to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, but this weekend I will make one of my last trips this year to Hong Kong and see a couple friends and see more of the city.
This move to Guelph got me thinking about how nice it was having so many cultures and countries within a 3 hour flight of Singapore. While I will miss that I am sure I will spend enough time down in the Bahamas, Mexico and hopefully Cuba that it will all make up for what I am missing here in Asia.
I will know very soon, but being in Guelph from what I understand is very convenient as Toronto's airport is so close, they even have a shuttle service from Guelph to the airport with a company called Red Car Service. I am sure that I will become a regular client of theirs.
Well I packed lite on this trip and when I get back I have to see about getting quotes from movers and start really packing my stuff as I start work in 24 days.
My Blog Was HijackedExpand this Post: My Blog Was Hijacked |
Well this being my first blog and my love to play with all the neat tools at Google lead me down a path that ended in great failure. I ended up hijacking my own blog within Google and Gwelf.com was transformed into 404 error page.
It freaked me out, had to give some engineers at Google an after hours call but within 4 hours they called me back with a working solution. Leave it to me to find a flaw within the wonderful world of Blogger, I guess they took Blogger out of BETA a little too soon.
I won’t comment on how exactly I hijacked the blog as at present Google hasn’t been able to fix this problem within its system and they’ve taken my case into a private support group. Lucky for me, Google was able to fix my problem as I was both the hacker and the blog owner, had I only been the blog owner then the engineers at Google wouldn’t have been able to help and it would have gotten even more messy involving Google account managers.
The reason for Google’s and my non-public disclosure on this is there are at present 34,361 websites that are vulnerable and generally the web is full of great people but give just a few the power to cause problems and we might just see 30,000+ more AdSense websites spring up overnight, or worse 30,000+ websites all selling “blue pills”.
So I send big thanks out to Jonathan and the rest of the engineering team at Google for helping get access back to my blog and if anyone here has had their blog hijacked and is looking for the solution please contact Google directly, you can reference my blog Gwelf.com and its case file #121996221. If there is no reply from Google, please feel free to contact me and I will send you the steps needed to regain control of your blog.
Thursday, March 8
About Gwelf.com & Stephen the BloggerExpand this Post: About Gwelf.com & Stephen the Blogger |
Welcome to Gwelf.com (Life in Guelph Ontario Canada), this is my first blog and it was created to allow my friends, family and future community members in Guelph to learn more about what it is like to live and work in Guelph Ontario Canada.
So what is with the domain Gwelf.com? Well when I decided to move to Guelph and started to research about the city I found that many websites use the term Gwelf along side Guelph to help people understand how to pronounce Guelph. So when I decided to buy the domain Gwelf.com, as it had a nice tie into the city.
A little about me, my name is Stephen and while I have lived all over the world, I originate from very humble upbringings in the Canadian prairies. Work wise I have been in the Internet advertising industry since 1997, which has allowed me the chance to travel and work all over the world, two things I really love.
But now after years of being the consultant and often times living out of a suitcase I have opted for a more stable life where I can focus on more then just work. That is what leads me to Guelph and to starting of this blog. So I am moving to Guelph, a city I've never been, to take on the role as in-house SEO counsel for a large Internet content company, wish me luck.
I have no idea what will come of this blog and I can't promise that I'll blog daily or weekly, but when something happens and I have access to blogger I'll do my best to share it with the rest of you.