Last updated · 7 August 2026

Privacy notice

This page explains how I handle personal data on Note Haven — a personal blog I write from Bukit Merah View, Singapore. I am Wen, the sole author and operator of the site. There is no company behind this blog, no analytics dashboard, and no mailing list. What follows is written in plain language because you should know what happens when you visit or write to me.

Who I am

I am Wen, a private individual living at Blk 115 Bukit Merah View, #10-08, Singapore 151115. I publish Note Haven as a personal blog: first-person notes about ordinary life in this neighbourhood. For the purposes of the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA), I am the organisation responsible for personal data collected through this website — not because I am a business, but because the Act covers individuals who collect, use, or disclose personal data in the course of their activities.

You can reach me at [email protected] or +65 6473 9251. Postal mail may be sent to the address above. I respond during quiet hours, mostly evenings, Singapore time. If you prefer a form, the hello page accepts messages and explains consent separately.

I do not share operational duties with anyone else. Hosting is arranged independently; the host may process server logs as part of keeping the site online, which I describe below. I do not employ staff, contractors, or data processors for marketing.

What we collect

The site collects very little by design. Here is a complete list of categories I am aware of:

Contact form submissions. When you use the form on hello.php, I receive your name, email address, message text, and optional subject line. You must tick a consent checkbox before sending. A hidden honeypot field helps filter automated submissions; if it is filled, the message is discarded silently.
Email correspondence. If you write to [email protected] directly, I receive whatever you choose to include — usually your email address, name, and message body. Attachments are rare; please do not send sensitive documents unless we have agreed.
Cookie preference. If you interact with the cookie banner, a small cookie named for consent storage remembers your choice (accept all, reject all, or a customised setting) for up to six months. Details are on the cookie notice.
Rate-limit token. When you submit the contact form, a short-lived session token may be set to prevent repeated submissions within a few minutes. It is functional, not used for tracking across pages.
Server logs. My hosting provider may automatically log IP addresses, browser type, requested URLs, and timestamps when you load any page. I do not open these logs routinely; they exist for security and troubleshooting. I do not combine them with form data to build profiles.
Third-party embed data. Every page on this site includes a Google Maps iframe centred roughly on the Bukit Merah neighbourhood. When the map loads, Google may receive your IP address, browser information, and the fact that you visited a page on notehaven.life. Google may set its own cookies or use similar technologies. I do not receive a copy of that data and cannot see who viewed the map. The cookie notice explains this embed in more detail.

I do not run analytics scripts (no Google Analytics, no Meta Pixel, no heatmaps). I do not use advertising trackers. I do not ask for your phone number unless you volunteer it in a message. I do not collect payment information because nothing on this site is sold.

Why

Personal data is used only for purposes a reasonable person would expect on a small personal blog:

To read and reply to your messages.
To correct factual errors you point out in a note.
To remember your cookie preference so the banner does not appear every visit.
To limit abuse of the contact form through rate limiting.
To keep the site secure and diagnose technical faults via server logs when necessary.

I do not use your data for direct marketing. I do not sell or rent contact details. I do not build mailing lists from form submissions. If you write once and never again, your message may still sit in my inbox until retention periods pass — but it will not be repurposed.

Legal basis under PDPA: for form data, your consent (the checkbox) plus my legitimate interest in operating a personal site people can respond to. For server logs, legitimate interest in security. For the cookie banner preference, your choice when you click Accept, Reject, or Save.

How long

Retention is short and practical:

Form and email messages: typically up to twelve months after our last exchange, unless the conversation is ongoing or I need the record to resolve a dispute you raised. I delete old threads during inbox clean-ups.
Cookie consent preference: up to six months, then the banner asks again.
Rate-limit session token: a few minutes to an hour — long enough to prevent rapid resubmission, then it expires.
Server logs: governed by the host's policy, usually rotated within weeks. I do not archive them separately.

If you ask me to delete a message earlier, I will do so unless I am required to keep it for a legal reason (which is unlikely on a personal blog).

Your rights under PDPA

Singapore's Personal Data Protection Act gives individuals several rights regarding personal data held by organisations — including individuals like me who operate websites. In summary, you may:

Access personal data I hold about you and know how it has been used or disclosed in the past year.
Correct inaccurate data, or add a statement if we disagree on accuracy.
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent — for example, you may ask me to delete a form submission. Withdrawal does not affect processing that already happened lawfully.
Request cessation of collection, use, or disclosure in certain circumstances, subject to legal exceptions.

To exercise any of these rights, email [email protected] with the subject line "PDPA request" and enough detail for me to locate your record (the email address you used is usually enough). I will respond within a reasonable time — PDPA allows up to thirty days in many cases, but I aim to reply sooner for a site this small.

If you believe I have not handled your request properly, you may contact the Personal Data Protection Commission (see below). I would rather you speak to me first so we can fix a misunderstanding quietly.

Contact for data matters

Data protection contact: Wen, [email protected], Blk 115 Bukit Merah View, #10-08, Singapore 151115, +65 6473 9251.

Please do not include passwords, full NRIC numbers, or bank details in email. I will never ask for them.

Google Maps embed on every page

Every content page on Note Haven includes a Google Maps iframe showing the Bukit Merah area at neighbourhood zoom — not a street-precise pin on my block. The map is loaded from Google's servers when your browser requests the page. That means Google may process technical data (IP address, device/browser type, referrer URL) and may set cookies or use local storage under Google's own policies. I chose the embed because readers sometimes want a sense of where these notes come from; I accept that convenience trades off against some third-party processing.

I do not control Google's data practices and cannot see their logs. You can block third-party content in your browser, use the cookie banner's Reject or Customise options, or install extensions that prevent the iframe from loading — the rest of the site will still work; you will simply see an empty frame where the map was. Full detail is on the cookie notice.

Change log

7 August 2026: First published version of this notice, aligned with the site build date. Covers contact form, cookie banner, rate limiting, server logs, and Google Maps embeds.

When I change how data is handled, I will update this page and the date at the top. Material changes will be noted here in plain language.

Personal Data Protection Commission

The PDPC is Singapore's authority for personal data protection. Their website is pdpc.gov.sg, where you can find guidance on your rights and how to lodge a complaint if you cannot resolve an issue with me directly. I hope it will not come to that on a blog this small, but the route exists and I respect it.

This site is my personal blog. What you read here comes from my own days, my own impressions, and my own memory — written at the time, not polished into anything official. These notes are reflections, not guidance of any professional kind: not medical, legal, financial, fitness, or news reporting. I describe places and ordinary moments from where I stand; I do not speak for neighbours or strangers, and I try to write about this estate with honesty and care. When a note touches something serious that happened nearby, I only write what reached me from my end of the street — never as reporting, never with details I do not have. If something here is wrong, please tell me and I will put it right.