celebrating national day on facebook

I've been a little too busy to blog, what with work, travelling, and re-reading all the Harry Potter books before I get down to book 7.

And of course, there's Facebook. It's full of little pleasures, adding long-lost friends and re-establishing old contacts. It's so much more user-friendly and clean than Friendster, and the host of customisable applications also make it far more interactive. It also has more facilities to encourage interactions such as alumni groups, interest groups and networks. Although of course, it also opens up the possibility of being spammed in many different ways. So I'm currently caught up in a popularity contest with my fiancee, who is still ahead of me by about a hundred friends.

I blame that on the fact that most Singaporeans (apart from the college kids and ex-overseas grads) do not seem to have caught onto facebook yet. Instead, they are still spamming me with Multiply, Tagged, and whatever other invitations. In contrast, my fiancee is adding her old overseas primary, middle and high school friends by the busload.

The fact that few Singaporeans are on Facebook, and there is a network for Singapore opens up interesting possibilities. A peek into the discussion thread What we hate about Singapore? revealed some interesting insights into the expat communities pet peeves about our island nation. So after reading the 137 posts by 64 people, this is a quick summary:

1. People walking too slowly
2. Annoying cellphone ringtones (esp techno)
3. Shortage of taxis esp around 11:30 pm (ok this one's been done to death)
4. No etiquette in MRT queues, giving way on roads, etc

A bit different from what I might have said, but it did make me see Singapore in a different light. And when you're done reading the rants, there is also What do you love about Singapore? Only 38 posts, but quite heartwarming nonetheless.

Happy Belated National Day