What is in a Chinese Character?

  
Well, this book is an eye Opener...

Chines character evolved in one of the 4 ways :

(1) Pictographs : water, mountain, tree

(2) Ideographs : one, two , three, up , down

(3) Deterministic- phonetics : meaning-sounds eg mother sounds like horse ( ma- ma)

(4) Compound : 2 trees make a forest ( mu mu= lin )

Well if I learn 1 word a day, then after 3 years , i should have a thousand words in my vocab. Enough to read and understand a Chinese Daily !

The Every Other Day Diet

 
















Wow... this is something new...

Coupled with the 8sec-12sec exercise for 20mins 3 times a day, I find that the fats will burn easily and effortless ( ok... with some effort but not so much that you will be put off )

I have lost 5 kgs since 2 months ago... and still indulge in my favourite chocolates every other day.
But I am more conscious of the calories now...  More information makes choices wiser eg 1 tablespoon of oil is about 100 calories, so while the salad tastes better with more oil, moderation will go a long way in reducing weight. A 250 gm bar of chocolates may contain 1,000 calories... so if you are targeted a 300 calorie meal, then just take a small piece if you do not want a shock at the scales.

Remember  MVC ( Moderation Variety Colur)?
Now add Every Other Day ( EOD )  into the theme ....

As Luck Would Have it

Are you born Lucky?

Or Can Luck be Created ?

"Luck happens when Opportunity meets preparation " ...?

(1) Keep an open mind
(2) Keep informed
(3) Be prepared ( Defensive pessimism  )

Show and Tell

 













If you need to make a presentation , make sure you read this book first.

It is all about : YOU----> YOUR IDEAS ----> YOUR AUDIENCE   ( Y I A )
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3 RULES : TRUTH ---> STORY----> PICTURES   ( T  S  P )
                                                                           ( HHD ) ( T6P)  (     )


(1) Tell the TRUTH ( Head, Heart, Data )

(2) Tell a STORY ( Types ,6 modes PUMA, , )
  (3) Tell it with PICTURES

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 STORY

I. ....his Types of Story
(1) Report : increase Info ( eg new info )
(2) Explain : to increase ability ( eg cooking )
(3) Pitch : to clear a hurdle for new sales
(4) Drama : to overcome Old beliefs

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II . 6 modes  : WHO/WHAT ... WHEN, WHERE, .... HOW MUCH, HOW, WHY


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III. His FLOW of stories : PUMA   ( Presentation Underlying Message Architecture )

(1) Head
(2) Body
(3) Legs
(4) Tail
  

The Futures

 


This is a good history on the development of the futures industry in Chicago...

1808 : Fort Dearborn built for fur trade
1812 : Fort Dearborn massacre
1816 : army returned
1818 : Illinois admitted to the Union
1830s : canal was built to connect Chicago and Illinois rivers, linking the Great Lakes
1835 : Odgen arrived in Chicago from New York , and saw a land bubble in the making
1837 : land prices crashed
1848 : the canal opened. Railway tracks laid, telegraph came.

Chicago was built halfway between the North Pole and the Equator. When winter came the rivers froze, and corn cannot be delivered. In spring when the rivers thawed, sellers converged in Chicago and pushed prices down. Traders "dump their corn in the river "

Traders saw an opportunity to guess the price of corn, and a futures market was born.

1856 : business flourished on the back of the Civil War
 1865  : contracts were "standardized"

Traders are slightly different from gamblers. Gamblers created risks to bet on  ... they threw dice that didnt have to be thrown, they ran horses that do not have to run.

In the futures, they do not have to manufacture the risks because the risks would present themselves. Farmers would not be able to deliver the corn, and the traders provide "insurance".

Futures took off in chicago because everybody was speculating in Chicago; hopeful businessman constructed warehouses, homes , railroads. Risk and opportunities were plentiful.

Futures then became a game ... a speculative sport that captured headlines as rich men of Chicago played it between their business dealing and pursuits.

"corner " : buying the futures until there is no more to buy, thus driving up prices to a corner
"burying the corpse " : selling the corn at a loss to drive down the price
" market is like the Niagara Falls " : something men could influence but never truly control
" high prices is like fertiliser " : they make crops grow



... " they tell a version of the same story. The details vary, mangled by time, whiskey, egos, and personal grudges..."

"... they're like the last guests at a party, tipsy, full of stories, and not quite sure how to get home."


More nuggets of wisdom :

(1) " When a man lost money, it was best to take the loss and move on. That was surprisingly hard to do. "   ( pg 19)