What I learnt in Week 3....oh wait, I did not even have to go back to school at all this week save for the make-up finance tutorial for one hour! Grrrrrr.......imagine that I could have had 10 days of CNY hols! (starting from last Friday to this Sunday)
Super CNY holiday mood still....keke :p
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
From cc2c
OMG!!! I simply cannot believe it that I actually just watched a whole full length Bollywood movie, thanks to Adec!!! Hindi with subtitles!! If you are wondering what "From cc2c" means, it's actually this new movie in the cinemas called Chandni Chowk to China. Check out the trailer.
And I think you can probably guess it's some Indian dude that goes to China, ppl believe he's some saviour and at the end of the day supposed to learn Chinese kungfu and defeat the bad guys. Yah...something along that line. Highly entertaining yet a bit lame at the same time. Add in music and dancing amidst weird settings (check out the next vid to see what I mean!) typical of Bollywood movies and I couldn't help laughing my ass off the whole time. Plus the female lead was quite hot too although she looked better when she was playing the femme fatale. The biggest problem, however, was the show was tooooooo toooooo draggy with loads of unnecessary extended scenes and also with all that singing and dancing. (heck they even have an intermission?!?!)
Talk about a gr8 Sino-Indian cultural exchange!
Wishing everyone a Happy 牛 Year! MOooooo!
A rare moment getting most of the 4D-ians together
Family photo
Mum loves taking with the cow cos it's the 牛 year
And not forgetting yusheng....loads of yusheng lao-ed this year liaoz
And the LOLest moment in all my CNY life! My uncle, cousin and I wore the same Ralph Lauren polo T-shirt bought from the factory outlet in the US. And all of us did not buy it by ourselves either. Mine was a gift from Huiling and Yee Ling and theirs was also a gift from their youngest cousin. Now we look like we just came out from an UNO card game....minus the yellow :p
Family photo
Mum loves taking with the cow cos it's the 牛 year
And not forgetting yusheng....loads of yusheng lao-ed this year liaoz
And the LOLest moment in all my CNY life! My uncle, cousin and I wore the same Ralph Lauren polo T-shirt bought from the factory outlet in the US. And all of us did not buy it by ourselves either. Mine was a gift from Huiling and Yee Ling and theirs was also a gift from their youngest cousin. Now we look like we just came out from an UNO card game....minus the yellow :p
Wishing everyone a prosperous and safe year ahead! HUAT ARR!!!!!!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Week 2 Lessons
Quoting directly from the FYP lecturing prof: "To do a good FYP, one must KISS and be obsessive!"
KISS as in keeping it short and simple and obsessive in recording results. Muackz!
From Finance, Du Pont system is defined by:
Return of Equity = Profit Margin X Total Asset Turnover X Equity Multiplier
which is derived from as follows:
ROE = (NI/TE)
= (NI/TE)(TA/TA) (multiply TA/TA cos it is equal to 1 and rearrange)
= (NI/TA)(TA/TE) (multiply Sales/Sales cos it is equal to 1 and rearrange)
= (NI/TA)(TA/TE)(Sales/Sales)
= (NI/Sales)(Sales/TA)(TA/TE)
= (PM)(TATO)(EM)
where NI -> Net Income
TE -> Total Equity
TA -> Total Assets
ROE -> Return of Equity
PM -> Profit Margin
TATO -> Total Asset Turnover
EM -> Equity Multiplier
I friggin swear that whoever came out with this way of definitions in finance MUST be an engineer! I mean...who on earth would ever think of multiplying Sales/Sales?!?!
KISS as in keeping it short and simple and obsessive in recording results. Muackz!
From Finance, Du Pont system is defined by:
Return of Equity = Profit Margin X Total Asset Turnover X Equity Multiplier
which is derived from as follows:
ROE = (NI/TE)
= (NI/TE)(TA/TA) (multiply TA/TA cos it is equal to 1 and rearrange)
= (NI/TA)(TA/TE) (multiply Sales/Sales cos it is equal to 1 and rearrange)
= (NI/TA)(TA/TE)(Sales/Sales)
= (NI/Sales)(Sales/TA)(TA/TE)
= (PM)(TATO)(EM)
where NI -> Net Income
TE -> Total Equity
TA -> Total Assets
ROE -> Return of Equity
PM -> Profit Margin
TATO -> Total Asset Turnover
EM -> Equity Multiplier
I friggin swear that whoever came out with this way of definitions in finance MUST be an engineer! I mean...who on earth would ever think of multiplying Sales/Sales?!?!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Bruges - Shoot first. Sightsee later! (7 Jun 08)
Next destination in Belgium: Bruges. A medieval town which is very popular with tourists because of its storybook like fairytale setting. Touted as one of the romantic spots to go. Anyway, the experience to Bruges was further heightened due to the release of this movie "In Bruges" around the time of my SEP. Though I actually watched the film after coming back to S'pore, I found it to be a dark comedy and it was interesting to be able to relate to some of the scenes which I found particularly enjoyable just to be able to recognise the place the guys were filming in. The movie tagline "shoot first, sightsee later" was pretty catching too, which I tried to do with my camera, not with guns like in the movie. Keke...A synopsis which I will put here, and I recommend watching this film. Mind the abundance in profanities though....
Bruges (pronounced broozh), the most well-preserved medieval city in the whole of Belgium, is a welcoming destination for travellers from all over the world. But for hit men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), it could be their final destination; a difficult job has resulted in the pair being ordered right before Christmas by their London boss Harry (two-time Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) to go and cool their heels in the storybook Flemish city for a couple of weeks. Very much out of place amidst the gothic architecture, canals, and cobbled streets, the two hit men fill their days living the lives of tourists. Ray, still haunted by the bloodshed in London, hates the place, while Ken, even as he keeps a fatherly eye on Rays often profanely funny exploits, finds his mind and soul being expanded by the beauty and serenity of the city. But the longer they stay waiting for Harrys call, the more surreal their experience becomes, as they find themselves in weird encounters with locals, tourists, violent medieval art, a dwarf American actor (Jordan Prentice) shooting a European art film, Dutch prostitutes, and a potential romance for Ray in the form of Chloë (Clémence Poésy), who may have some dark secrets of her own. And when the call from Harry does finally come, Ken and Rays vacation becomes a life-and-death struggle of darkly comic proportions and surprisingly emotional consequences.
In Bruges trailers
In Bruges trailers
A 60 min train ride this time over to Bruges from Brussels, continuing on the same railway line with Ghent. This is probably the reason why people tend to skip Ghent for Bruges or in fact even tie Ghent in with Bruges for their travels like what I have done.
Those yellow billboards show the train timings which have been very helpful in planning the trip here and around in Belgium...luckily there was this lady that pointed out to me there were different sections for weekdays and weekends else I would be staring at the wrong timings
Considerably more tourists and people in Bruges than in Ghent, and that can even be felt in the train station liaoz...
Train station, relatively modern compared to Ghent's
Map of Bruges. Bruges has been dubbed the "Venice of the North". Romantic: check. Canals: check. Cobbled narrow streets: check. No cars, just pedestrians: uncheck. Gondolas: uncheck.
Minnewater Park, a romantic hotspot. The Use-It guide highlights some of these spots throughout Bruges
Ducks and swans...omg...JY would love this place
The Minnewater Park is in the vicinity of the Beguinages. Beguins were women from Roman Catholic lay religious communities active in the 13th century. They were sorta like nuns, but not exactly so cos they had no formal vows, could return to the world and wed. Kinda complicated, but the point is they formed an independent separate community and tourists are expected to behave in a respectful manner. The Beguinages were their sanctuary and it's a very tranquil place
Entrance to the Beguinages
Walking inside the Beguinages
Horse fountain. Not sure why they built one here, but horse carriages are aplenty here in Bruges and this is one of the gathering points
Loads of tourists on huge tour groups here in Bruges, especially Japanese middle-aged ones. Got this Japanese lady to take a photo for me and she was rather amazed to see I was travelling alone. (Hmm...same for the korean lady in Zaanse Schans...lol) She first thought I was a fellow Japanese on the tour group!
This was just an absolutely LOL moment!! This family was boarding the carriage when horsy decided to pee...big-time. The little girl in red let out a loud "eewwwwwww!" that everybody stopped to look what happened! You could even see the girl's disgusted / amused expression. Classic moment!
And it's still pissing.....horse piss with the slight drizzle....hmm...can't really tell what's on the ground...
Ok...all rdy...giddy-up and time to go!
Pressing on...through a street of shops selling lace and chocs
And through what is known as the most narrow street in Bruges. Also used to be the red light district in medieval times
Church of Our Lady towering
Crossing the bridge over to the church...sights of Groenerei (canal) with loads of people waiting for the tourist boats
Inside the Church of Our Lady...
...which houses the "Madonna with Child", a sculpture by Michelangelo and one of the rare few works outside of Italy.
Walking amidst the gardens of the Church. Nearby is the Hospital Museum, where it used to be an old hospital in the medieval times. Good place to recuperate over here
The Gruuthusemuseum, with a rather unique medieval flavour
Sights along the Rozenhoedkaai
Stopped for lunch, couldn't help but got tempted by waffles again...the name of the eatery Sweet Bruges din help matters at all...so in I went
The Belfry in the distance, arriving close to the heart of Bruges
Grote Markt, certainly a very bustling centre of activity
The Belfry, where many of the scenes of "In Bruges" was shot
A short distance away is the Burg, the centre of government power in Bruges
What on earth is this doing at the Burg?
This piece of artwork is mockingly referred to as the "Governor's Carwash" as it's in the middle of the historic centre where the governor lives and it looks like a carwash!
But the main attraction here ain't the governor or his carwash. Can you spot what it is?
It's this unique chapel that is sticking out in the corner, the Basilica of the Holy Blood (Heilige Bloed Basiliek)
And it is named so as it houses the relic of the Holy Blood - a vial of blood that is said to be that of Jesus. The little cylinder was taken on a crusade in the 12th century and everyday, this relic is taken out to be worshipped at certain times. I was fortunate to be in time to catch the ceremony and get up close to the relic. The amount of dedication, faith and respect the relic is treated with is beyond words. The relic is also paraded through the city annually in the Holy blood procession. In the movie "In Bruges" there's also a scene in this chapel where the leads briefly discuss about this
Headed down to the nearby Vismarkt, which kinda resembled an ancient Roman forum
This couple was taking their wedding shots here at the Vismarkt, which attracted quite a bit of attention from the cheering crowd. Of all the weddings and couples I have seen while travelling in Europe, Bruges is certainly one that leaves me the best impression of a romantic getaway with its fairy-tale setting.
And the wedding photographer getting her best shot...
...as the couple strolled along the bridge amidst other curious onlookers
And the couple gamely posed for us as the crowd cheered on
Walked 20 min to the Kruispoort, which is like the main entrance and old gatehouse into the city
And an area where windmills are aplenty alongside this park on the outskirts of the city
Back to the Belfry, time to climb up the tower. All 366 steps of it! Also presenting one of the funniest scenes from "In Bruges" about climbing the tower!
Hell yeah...it's squeezy and narrow...like what Colin Farrell tells the American dude
And it's twisty too with turns here and there...
View from the top
Trying to spot the North Sea in the distance
Ended the day by seeking out Da Vinci, a famous ice cream store in Bruges. Must be insane to be eating ice-cream in this weather, espcecially when it's cold. And Bruges is known for being wetter since it is close to the North Sea.
Coincidentally it was also here where I met my primary sch classmate, Eric. Right here....in f&*&ing Bruges, as Colin Farrell would put it! What are the chances of meeting a friend here in Bruges? Wows...totally amazed and stopped to chat with him. He was bitching about the wet weather as well. Keke...It's gd to see a familiar face around. :)
Those yellow billboards show the train timings which have been very helpful in planning the trip here and around in Belgium...luckily there was this lady that pointed out to me there were different sections for weekdays and weekends else I would be staring at the wrong timings
Considerably more tourists and people in Bruges than in Ghent, and that can even be felt in the train station liaoz...
Train station, relatively modern compared to Ghent's
Map of Bruges. Bruges has been dubbed the "Venice of the North". Romantic: check. Canals: check. Cobbled narrow streets: check. No cars, just pedestrians: uncheck. Gondolas: uncheck.
Minnewater Park, a romantic hotspot. The Use-It guide highlights some of these spots throughout Bruges
Ducks and swans...omg...JY would love this place
The Minnewater Park is in the vicinity of the Beguinages. Beguins were women from Roman Catholic lay religious communities active in the 13th century. They were sorta like nuns, but not exactly so cos they had no formal vows, could return to the world and wed. Kinda complicated, but the point is they formed an independent separate community and tourists are expected to behave in a respectful manner. The Beguinages were their sanctuary and it's a very tranquil place
Entrance to the Beguinages
Walking inside the Beguinages
Horse fountain. Not sure why they built one here, but horse carriages are aplenty here in Bruges and this is one of the gathering points
Loads of tourists on huge tour groups here in Bruges, especially Japanese middle-aged ones. Got this Japanese lady to take a photo for me and she was rather amazed to see I was travelling alone. (Hmm...same for the korean lady in Zaanse Schans...lol) She first thought I was a fellow Japanese on the tour group!
This was just an absolutely LOL moment!! This family was boarding the carriage when horsy decided to pee...big-time. The little girl in red let out a loud "eewwwwwww!" that everybody stopped to look what happened! You could even see the girl's disgusted / amused expression. Classic moment!
And it's still pissing.....horse piss with the slight drizzle....hmm...can't really tell what's on the ground...
Ok...all rdy...giddy-up and time to go!
Pressing on...through a street of shops selling lace and chocs
And through what is known as the most narrow street in Bruges. Also used to be the red light district in medieval times
Church of Our Lady towering
Crossing the bridge over to the church...sights of Groenerei (canal) with loads of people waiting for the tourist boats
Inside the Church of Our Lady...
...which houses the "Madonna with Child", a sculpture by Michelangelo and one of the rare few works outside of Italy.
Walking amidst the gardens of the Church. Nearby is the Hospital Museum, where it used to be an old hospital in the medieval times. Good place to recuperate over here
The Gruuthusemuseum, with a rather unique medieval flavour
Sights along the Rozenhoedkaai
Stopped for lunch, couldn't help but got tempted by waffles again...the name of the eatery Sweet Bruges din help matters at all...so in I went
The Belfry in the distance, arriving close to the heart of Bruges
Grote Markt, certainly a very bustling centre of activity
The Belfry, where many of the scenes of "In Bruges" was shot
A short distance away is the Burg, the centre of government power in Bruges
What on earth is this doing at the Burg?
This piece of artwork is mockingly referred to as the "Governor's Carwash" as it's in the middle of the historic centre where the governor lives and it looks like a carwash!
But the main attraction here ain't the governor or his carwash. Can you spot what it is?
It's this unique chapel that is sticking out in the corner, the Basilica of the Holy Blood (Heilige Bloed Basiliek)
And it is named so as it houses the relic of the Holy Blood - a vial of blood that is said to be that of Jesus. The little cylinder was taken on a crusade in the 12th century and everyday, this relic is taken out to be worshipped at certain times. I was fortunate to be in time to catch the ceremony and get up close to the relic. The amount of dedication, faith and respect the relic is treated with is beyond words. The relic is also paraded through the city annually in the Holy blood procession. In the movie "In Bruges" there's also a scene in this chapel where the leads briefly discuss about this
Headed down to the nearby Vismarkt, which kinda resembled an ancient Roman forum
This couple was taking their wedding shots here at the Vismarkt, which attracted quite a bit of attention from the cheering crowd. Of all the weddings and couples I have seen while travelling in Europe, Bruges is certainly one that leaves me the best impression of a romantic getaway with its fairy-tale setting.
And the wedding photographer getting her best shot...
...as the couple strolled along the bridge amidst other curious onlookers
And the couple gamely posed for us as the crowd cheered on
Walked 20 min to the Kruispoort, which is like the main entrance and old gatehouse into the city
And an area where windmills are aplenty alongside this park on the outskirts of the city
Back to the Belfry, time to climb up the tower. All 366 steps of it! Also presenting one of the funniest scenes from "In Bruges" about climbing the tower!
Hell yeah...it's squeezy and narrow...like what Colin Farrell tells the American dude
And it's twisty too with turns here and there...
View from the top
Trying to spot the North Sea in the distance
Ended the day by seeking out Da Vinci, a famous ice cream store in Bruges. Must be insane to be eating ice-cream in this weather, espcecially when it's cold. And Bruges is known for being wetter since it is close to the North Sea.
Coincidentally it was also here where I met my primary sch classmate, Eric. Right here....in f&*&ing Bruges, as Colin Farrell would put it! What are the chances of meeting a friend here in Bruges? Wows...totally amazed and stopped to chat with him. He was bitching about the wet weather as well. Keke...It's gd to see a familiar face around. :)
Overall thoughts: Bruges is definitely much more touristy than Ghent, and more volatile weather. However, it's sure touristy with a reason as it is sure dead pretty and one of the better looking medieval towns in Europe. Plus points for its romantic allure.
And there concludes my Belgium tour. Headed off next to Luxembourg. For more pics of Bruges, go here
And there concludes my Belgium tour. Headed off next to Luxembourg. For more pics of Bruges, go here
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