Category Archives: General

Tanger

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Reached Tanger in the late afternoon. This Melting Pot Hostel is difficult to locate if you do not have someone to bring you there. When the taxi dropped me at the entrance of the Medina, this man rushed to me saying that he will bring me to the hostel. This looks like I have made arrangement with the hostel to pick me up but I did not. After a few turns of corners, I asked the man do I need to pay him. He said 5 Euro. I stopped. He also stopped and looked back. I said 10 Dirhams. He said okay. We continued for another few more turns.

After I have settled down with the hostel, I went out for dinner in this expensive petite restaurant. I only managed to stay in Tanger for a night and left the next morning to Spain. I did not see much of the place. 

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Morocco 摩洛哥

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The Trip to Morocco and The Sahara Desert 

Morocco. Casablanca.2

Casablanca

Back from the 16 days Morocco and the Sahara Desert trip, also had a visit to Spain and Portugal on the way back. Arrived in the romantic city of Casablanca on a sunny Saturday afternoon and stayed with the locals for 2 nights before I took the unpleasant train ride to Marrakesh. I think they have over sold the second class train tickets as many people couldn’t even get into the train when it reached the Casa-Oasis railway station. I had to wait for 2 hours for the next train.  Moreover, the train was delayed for 30 minutes. I had a tough fight with the other passengers to get myself, my 28 inches luggage and haversack up into the train. The cabins were just physically full and many of us had to stand along the narrow pathway for 3 long hours. Next time I must get first class ticket so that I could have a more comfortable ride.

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The Berber

Got out of the station in Marrakesh and I felt like I was walking into an oven; the weather was more than 40 degree C. I went up to the mountain and stayed with the Berber family for 2 nights as the weather is cooler up there.

 

Morocco. Marrakesh.1

Marrakesh

Back to Marrakesh, I had a delightful night in the Marrakesh square with the belly dancers, charming snakes, mischievous monkeys and Arabic music. The next day, I took a 3 days and 2 nights magnificent tour to the Sahara Desert. It was a long 2 days drive from the city to the border of the desert though we had stops for lunch and sightseeing and one night stay in the hotel. I found that I was like in the movie when I took the one and the half hour camel ride into the desert. We reached the tents at about 8 pm and had our dinner in the desert. We were entertained by the locals with songs and dance in a wonderful Arabic starry night. We left the desert in the next morning at about 6am. The actual stay in the desert was less than 12 hours.

Morocco. Desert.9

Sahara Desert

From the desert area, I took an unforgettable 12 hours public bus ride with the locals to Fes. I was lost in the maze in Fes and I know that was normal. Nevertheless, I visited the remarkable sights of the Chouara Tanneries which is worth for the trip. After 2 days in Fes, which I think was too long, I took the 5 hours coach ride to the blue city of Chefchaouen.

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Fes

This place is a must visit for those who are crazy of photography. This is an ideal place to take pictures as almost all the buildings have some forms of blue. I reached the final destination, Tanger, in Morocco after a desperate wait for the coach. Again, I got lost in the maze in Tanger.  

I took the ferry and crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to Spain. The immigration and customs checks were easy to pass through with a Singapore passport. 

Morocco.Chefchaouen.1

Chefchaouen

I was in Seville for a few hours before I took the 6 hours night coach ride to Portugal. Reached Lisbon at 5.30 am but realised that the Metro only starts operation at 6.30 am. I wondered around at the metro station like a strained stray dog in a foreign land for an hour before I managed to get the train to the Passport Hostel in Lisbon. 

Morocco is a tourist destination and it is clean and safe. I can see armed police and soldiers patrolling the city everywhere. The things are rather cheap as compared to Singapore. One Morocco Dirham (DM) equals to Singapore 14 cents. 

Morocco. Tanger.1

Tanger

One glass of freshly squeezed orange juice in the  square of Marrakesh is 40 MD which is about 56 Singapore cents. One meal could cost about S$5 – S$9. The issue is that from a small city to a big country, we could find that travelling is such a pain. I spend more than 3 days waiting and travelling on the bus/train/coach during the trip.

The Roman Number System

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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.

Learn about using Colours

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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

Learn about The Geese Story

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Found this article and think that it might be good to share it with you. This is the story of the geese where they work together to reach their destination. This is about Teamwork.

In the fall when you see geese heading south for the winter flying along in the “V” formation, you might be interested in knowing what science has discovered about why they fly that way. It has been learned that as each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.
People who are part of a team and share a common direction get where they are going quicker and easier, because they are travelling on the trust of one another and lift each other up along the way.

Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go through it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the power of the flock.
If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation and share information with those who are headed the same way that we are going.

When the lead goose gets tired, he rotates back in the wing and another goose takes over.
It pays to share leadership and take turns doing hard jobs.

The geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep their speed.
Words of support and inspiration help energize those on the front line, helping them to keep pace in spite of the day-to-day pressures and fatigue. It is important that our honking be encouraging. Otherwise it’s just – well honking!

Finally, when a goose gets sick or is wounded by a gunshot and falls out, two geese fall out of the formation and follow the injured one down to help and protect him. They stay with him until he is either able to fly or until he is dead, and then they launch out with another formation to catch up with their group.
When one of us is down, it’s up to the others to stand by us in our time of trouble. If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other when things get rough. We will stay in formation with those headed where we want to go.

The next time you see a formation of geese, remember…

IT IS A REWARD, A CHALLENGE AND A PRIVILEGE to be a contributing member of a TEAM.

三十六计 智谋大全

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人 与 动 物 的 重 要 区 别 是 在 于 人 能 运 用 大 脑 进 行 思 维。

智 谋 就 是 一 种 整 体 性 的 辩 认 思 为。智 谋 就 好 比 一 把 无 形 的 刀 子 深 深 的 藏 在 人 的 脑 子 里, 要 使 用 时 这 把 刀 就 会 闪 亮 亮 的 露 出 刀 丰。智 谋 就 是 人 在 特 定 环 境 为 达 到 目地 所 采 取 的 巧 妙 方 略。

能 引 用 智 谋 的 人 不 易 被 人 挤 倒, 肯 动 脑 筋 想 计 的 人 始 终 能 站 立 於 工 作 位 上。人 生 就 是 战 斗, 战 斗 必 有 计 谋。 这 里 有 三 十 六 计 智 谋 大 全 送 你 们 好 好 的 使 用。

(1) 瞒 天 过 海
(2) 围 魏 救 赵
(3) 借 刀 杀 人
(4) 以 逸 待 劳
(5) 趁 火 打 劫
(6) 声 东 击 西
(7) 无 中 生 有
(8) 暗 渡 陈 仓
(9) 隔 岸 观 火
(10) 笑 里 藏 刀
(11) 李 代 桃 僵
(12) 顺 手 牵 羊
(13) 打 草 惊 蛇
(14) 借 尸 还 魂
(15) 调 虎 离 山
(16) 欲 擒 故 纵
(17) 抛 砖 引 玉
(18) 擒 贼 擒 王
(19) 釜 底 抽 薪
(20) 混 水 摸 鱼
(21) 金 蝉 脱 壳
(22) 关 门 捉 贼
(23) 远 交 近 攻
(24) 假 道 伐 号
(25) 偷 梁 换 柱
(26) 指 桑 骂 槐
(27) 假 痴 不 癫
(28) 上 屋 抽 梯
(29) 树 上 开花
(30) 反 客 为 主
(31) 美 人 计
(32) 空 城 计
(33) 反 间 计
(34) 苦 肉 计
(35) 连 环 计
(36) 走 为 上 计

六 六 三 十 六, 数 中 有 术, 术 中 有 数。
阴 阳 变 理, 机 在 其 中,机 不 可 设 , 设 则 不 中。