Toledo is an ancient city set on a hill above the plains of Castilla-La Mancha in central Spain.
I took the bus from Madrid to Toledo. The travel time is about an hour more. I got lost after touring the place as I couldn’t find the bus terminal. The road was quite empty and there was no one to ask for direction. After some walking ups and downs, I managed to find the bus terminal and took the bus back to Madrid.
If you do come to Valencia, you must visit the City of Arts and Sciences as the place is very impressive. The Oceanogràfic is the biggest aquarium in Europe. The Hemisfèric is a digital 3D cinema with a huge 900 meter concave screen. The Science Museum offers different interactive exhibitions about science and technology. The Palau de les Arts is the place for performance of operas, concerts, zarzuela and ballet. The Umbracle is a huge, open-access garden. Moreover, there is the busy topless beach which you could tan yourself under the hot summer sun.
The bullring inValencia
I took the bus from Barcelona to Madrid. Madrid is the Capital of Spain and it is situated in the center of the country. This is a city where you can walk and explore the interesting places without taking the bus or train.
I joined the free walking city tour when I was in Madrid.
Entrance to the museum is free in the late afternoon.
Barcelona is an enchanting seaside city with boundless culture and fabled architecture. The city is big. I stayed there for a week and still found that I have not seen enough. I am waiting for another opportunity to visit Barcelona again.
From the airport, I took the bus and later changed to the metro to get to the place where I have booked the accommodation. I stayed in the Saint Jordi Hotels for 3 nights. This is about 10 minutes walk to the famous La Sagrada Família. Later I moved to Christopher’s Inns Hostel and stayed for another 3 nights. Both hostels provide good buffet breakfast.
For dinner, I got food from the nearby supermarket and and heat them up in the microwave.
I joined the walking tour in the morning. In the evening I joined the food tour where the guide took us to a local restaurant to taste the Spanish tapas.
The walking tour is very popular and we are divided into a few groups. The tour is free by we are expected to give some tips to the guide after the tour. This is cheaper than taking the tour from travel agent.
In the others days, I walked around visiting other places of interest.
The street performers were amazing. Will need to pay to take pictures with them.
The Street street performers were amazing. Tourists will need to pay to have pictures taken with them.
I also took the train to 2 nearby places, Sitges and Toledo, for a day trip.
Siam Ocean World
Siam Park
Madame Tussaud
I arrived from Beijing to Bangkok on a late evening flight. Surprisingly, certain places in Bangkok were flooded and the taxi refused to take me to my destination. Somehow I got a taxi driver to take me to a dry place to stay for the night, with an over-charge. The next day I moved to Khao San area and stayed there for a few days. These pictures are taken somewhere near Khao San road.
The Roman number system is based on seven letters, all of which are assigned with specific values. These seven letters, with their Hindu-Arabic number equivalents, are:
I (1) V (5) X (10) L (50) C (100) D (500) M (1000)
There are a few rules in the Roman number system.
Rule 1: When a letter is repeated, its value is repeated.
Examples : I = 1, II = 2, III = 3 X = 10, XX = 20 CCC = 300
Rule 2: When a letter follows a letter of greater value, its value is added to the greater value.
Examples : VI = 6 (5+1) XV = 15 (10+5) LX = 60 (50+10) DC = 600 (500+100)
To write 70 in roman numerals, we just need to add XX to L (10+10+50). So, 70 will therefore be written as LXX. To write 800, just add CCC to D (100+100+100+500). In this case, 800 is written as DCCC.
Rule 3: When a letter precedes a letter of greater values, its value is subtracted from the greater value.
Examples : IV = 4 (5-1) IX = 9 (10-1) XL = 40 (50-10)
XC = 90 (100-10) CD = 400 (500-100)
The smaller value I is in front of V, means subtract 1 from 5 to get 4. In the same way, X is in front of the L reduces 50 by 10 to get 40. In like manner, X is in front of C means 100 less 10 and CD denotes 500 less 100.
Note: Generally, the symbols are not repeated more than three times to denote a number. To show the number 40, we would need to write XL (50-10) and not XXXX. (10+10+10+10). As for 4, it is usually written as IV (5-1) and not IIII (1+1+1+1).
Rule 4: A horizontal bar over a letter or letters indicates that the value given to the letter or letters is to be increased one thousand times.
Examples : MCD = 1,400 (1000+ 500-100).
____
MCD = 1,400,000 (1,000 times of 1,400)
Summary
VII = 7 XI = 11 XIV = 14 XVIII = 18 XXII = 22 XXXVII = 37
XLI = 41 LXII = 62 CXIII = 113 CCX = 210 MCM = 1,900
__ __ ______
XICCC = 11,300 CLXX = 150,020 MCMV = 1,905,000
__ __
M = 1,000,000 XCC = 10,200
Source : “Arithmetic Made Simple – Revised Edition” by A.P. Sperling and Samuel D. Levison. Revised by Robert R Belge, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Syracuse University. Published by Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
According to Diane DiResta, using the right colour in a presentation could make a greater impact in the delivery. This is because colour creates associations in the minds of the audience members. It adds drama, affects moods and changes perceptions and motivations.
DiResta suggested that we should consider the purpose of the presentation when choosing the background and graphic colours.
Red stimulates emotions. It works well for sales and marketing presentations. Red means passion, desire, competition, danger, stop, error, downturn. Bright red may be too intense for some people. Burgundy is an alternative. Red is the appropriate colour to show a loss. “The company is in the red.” Red is a good choice for persuading or moving people to action.
Green inspires involvement or interaction. It’s a good colour for training sessions or other presentations when you want people to participate. Green also means social, intelligent, open, growth, money, readiness, spring, new beginnings. A green arrow on a slide would signal an upturn or growth.
Gray communicates a lack of commitment or neutrality. A gray background would not be the best colour for persuasive presentations. Instead, gray is best used as a bridge between different segments. If your sales module is in red and your marketing segment contains green backgrounds, a gray slide between the two subtopics would work well.
Blue is a clam, conservative colour. It suggests trust, stability, loyalty, tradition. Many corporate logos are blue. Where red has a stimulating effect, blue lowers the listener’s blood pressure and heart rate. To increase your credibility, use blue.
Yellow is associated with cheerfulness and hope for the future. It also signifies restlessness and change, and it can create feelings of anxiety. Yellow is too bright and stimulating for a background colour. It reflects the most light and will produce a glare in the eyes of the audience. It’s best to use yellow in headings.
Purple has a mystical quality. It may represent fantasy or take on a childlike quality. Purple is not a good colour for business information because it may not be perceived as important. Purple backgrounds are better suited for fun, humorous, or light topics.
Brown is perceived as passive, searching for something solid. So it’s best not to use brown for business backgrounds. It will be seen as unstable and less credible than other colours.
Black signifies power and sophistication. Black absorbs all light, making objects appear closer to the eye. A red square on a black background will look larger than it will on a white background. If colour can stimulate emotion, black represents the absence of emotion. A black background is ideal for things that have happened or situations in which the audience has no choice but to accept the data. Unchanging financial data or information that is a done deal will work well on a black background. Black removes emotion.
Source: “Knockout Presentations – How to deliver your message with …..” by Diane DiResta. Published by Raffles, an imprint of SNP Editions Pte Ltd
