Public listed companies’ annual reports are found freely on their websites for their shareholders and they can be pretty long, but i found that browsing through gave an immence view about business and finances. There must surely be a better way to analyse them…

• article 1
• article 2
• article 3
• article 4

and a report usually has the following parts…

1. Chairman’s letter
2. Stock history
3. Financial Statements – Balance sheet, Income Statement
4. Products of the Company
5. Competitive Analysis

Book Title: Bobbi Brown beauty
Author: Bobbi Brown & Annemarie Iverson
Year written/published: 1997
Book Source: Google Books, Library
Summary: Make-up
My Comments: It’s so fun to read and browse through these books
Some extracts:

Skin care…

Skin care necessities: gel cleanser, creamy cleanser, AHA lotion, rich facial cream, oil-free lotion, non-oily eye makeup remover, eye cream, body lotion
Skin-care extras: toner, gentle grainy scrub, soothing mask, clay mask, dry oil spray
oily skin: cleaner, toner, moisturizer, foundation, exfoliant, clay mask

you are a makeup virgin if:

• you are stunned that you have somehow reached adulthood without the first clue about wearing makeup
• you want a more sophisticated polished look but are not willing to make a big-time or makeup commitment
• your make up skills are remedial to nil
• you’ve always been uncomfortable with the idea of makeup and foundation

expiration dates:

• creamer/cleanser – 1 year
• cream/moisturizer – 1 year
• foundation, oil-based – 1.5 years
• foundation, water-based – 1 year
• gel cleanser – 1 year
• lipstick – 1 to 2 years
• mascara – 3 to 4 years
• powder – 2 years
• shadows – 2 years
• brushes – wash every 2/3 months
• sponges – wash weekly and discard monthly

10 steps for make up:

1. concealer
2. foundation
3. powder
4. eyebrows
5. eye shadow
6. eye liner
7. mascara
8. blush
9. lipstick
10. lip liner

five-minute make up

1. Apply concealer first, concentrating on the most recessed corners of your inner eyes. Using the pad of your index finger, gently press the concealer to blend.
2. Apply foundation to make skin look flawless. Blend carefully
3. Set concealer and foundation with loose powder, using a velour puff.
4. define brow with eye shadow
5. Use a shadow brush to dust highlighter all over the lid, from the lash line to the eyebrow. Dust medium-tined eye shadow from the lash line to just above the crease.
6. line the eye, suing the darkest shadow
7. apply one to two coats of black or brown-black mascara
8. Dust blush on the apples of your cheeks and blend well. Use a neutral color first , then apply the brighter pop of colour on top.
9. apply lipstick
10. define mouth with lip liner pencil

we all have a connection through a collective conscience… believe it??

Once some scientists dropped sweet potatoes for some monkeys in an island. Those sweet potatoes were dirty and so finally one day, a young monkey found a way to wash it in the water and then eat it. Soon enough the whole island’s monkeys started doing the same and and after 100th monkey even far away and unconnected monkeys were doing the same!!

Read more…

• article 1
• article 2
• article 3
• article 4

here’s how to embed it in a really easy manner…

1. Create your own *.kml/ *.kmz Google map file in your desktop Google Earth
2. Login to Google Earth Community
3. Create a thread of your own to upload the created kml / kmz file eg. mine!
4. Click -> View in Google Maps and it’ll take you to another web page (mine)
5. Click -> Link to this page -> Paste HTML to embed in website
6. cut and paste the code
7. and the result…. have fun navigating right here! i totally love the interactivity

Now, why do i say it’s the easy way?? Coz we just need to cut and paste the code

here’s some other links to do it in other ways… and i really gotta learn to with the APIs and javascript to do it the ‘harder’ or more interesting way!

1. Embed google my maps
2. dr2000
3. digital geography
4. Google Maps API
5. google mapplets

Book Title: Unlimited Power
Author: Anthony Robbins
Year written/published: 1989
Book Source: Google Books, Library
Summary: Success Principles
Some extracts:

7 basic triggering mechanisms that can ensure success:

1. Passion
2. Belief
3. Strategy
4. Clarity of Values
5. Energy
6. Bonding power (with people)
7. Mastery Communication

On success…

Bunker Hunt, the Texas oil billionaire was asked once if he had any one piece of advice he could give people on how to succeed. He said that success is simple. First, you decide what you want specifically; and second, you decide you’re willing to pay the price to make it happen – and then pay the price.

beliefs…

In fact, there’s no more powerful directing force in human behaviour than belief. The people, who have changed history – whether Jesus, Mohamed, Copernicus, Columbus, Edison or Einstein – have been the people who have changed our beliefs. If we want to model excellence, we need to learn to model the beliefs of those who achieve excellence.

breathing patterns…

Let me share with you the most effective way to breathe in order to cleanse your system. You should c=breathe in this ratio: inhale one count, hold 4 counts, exhale 2 counts… … … Why exhale for twice as long as you inhale? That’s when you eliminate toxins via your lymphatic system. Why hold 4 times as long? That’s how you can fully oxygenate the blood and activate your lymphatic system. When you breathe, you should start from deep in your abdomen, like a vacuum cleaner that’s getting rid of all toxins in the blood system.

how behaviours spread… 100th monkey syndrome

Now this is not unique. There are numerous cases where individuals with no way of coming in contact with one another act in remarkable unison. One physicist will get an idea, and simultaneously 3 physicist elsewhere will get the same idea. How does this happen? No one knows precisely, but many prominent scientists, biologist believe that there is a collective conscience we can all pull from – and that when we align ourselves through belief, through focus, through optimal physiology, we find a way to dip into this collective consciousness.
A key part of this process is knowing what you want The unconscious mind is constantly processing information in such a way as to move us in particular directions. Even at the unconscious level, the mind is distorting, deleting, and generalising. So before the mind can work efficiently, we must develop our perception of the outcomes we expect to reach. When the mind has a defined target, it can focus and direct and refocus and redirect until it reaches its intended goal.

opposites attract?

Want to know the worst cliche over coined? “Opposites attract”. Like most things that are false, it has element of difference add a certain excitement to things. But overall, who is attractive to you? Whom do you want to spend time with? Are you looking for someone who disagrees with on everything, has different interests… …  Of course not! You want to be with people who are like you and yet unique.

stories…

There’s a famous story told about Tom Watson, the founder of IBM. One of his subordinates had made a horrendous mistake that has cost the company and said, “I suppose you want my resignation.: Watson looked at him and said, “Are you kidding? we just spent 10 million dolalrs educating you!”

Book Title: Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door 2006
Author: Rick Steves
Year written/published: 2005
Book Source: Google Books, Library
Summary: This book had general tips and really good resources on travelling… especially cheap and great travelling. Towards the end chapters, the author recounted his travel stories in Europe.
My Comments:I really enjoyed reading this! great resource + great insight.. and yes thanks to Rick Steves, i’m addicted to a new genre of books – Travel Books!
Contents page:

Part 1

1. Getting Started
2. Planning your itinerary
3. Transportation
4. Money
5. Sleeping and Eating
6. City Skills
7. Special Concerns

 Part 2

1. Italy
2. Portugal, Spain, Morocco
3. France
4. Belgium and Netherlands
5. Germany, Austria and Switzerland
6. Eastern Europe
7. British Isles
8. Scandinavia
9. Throughout Europe
10. East Mediterranean

Some extracts:

your best itinerary in 8 steps:

1. Read up on  Europe and talk to travellers
2. Decide on the places you want to see
3. Establish a route and time-line
4. Decide on the cities you’ll fly in and out of
5. Determine the mode of transportation
6. Make a rough itinerary
7. Adjust by cutting, streamlining, or adding to fit your timetable or budget
8. Fine Tune

What to pack

shirts, pants, shorts, swimsuit, underwear and socks, one pair of shoes, jacket, tie or scarf, money belt, money, documents and photocopies, small day-pack, camera, sealable plastic baggies, water bottle, wrist watch, ear plugs, first-aid kit, medicine and vitamins, sunscreen and sunglasses, soap, clothesline, small towel, travel info, maps, address list, small notepad and pen, journal

optional: picnic supplies, packing cubes, inflatable pillow, mp3 player, poncho, insect repellent

electronic: laptop + charger + battery, mobile phone + charger, mp3 player, digital camera + storage + charger + battery, PDA

Itinerary Skills

• Moderate the weather conditions you’ll encounter
• mix cities and villages
• join in the celebration
• save your energy for the biggies
• establish a logical flight plan
• see countries in order of cultural hairiness
• save your good health
• minimise one-night stands
• leave some slack in your itinerary

and i loved this short suggestions…

Consider flying ‘open jaw’

I routinely fly ‘open jaw’ into one city and out of another… …

identity theft

• protect your credit card and debit card
• safeguard your PIN code
• use your credit card sparingly
• use your debit card even more sparingly
• make photocopies of your passport and credit cards
• be careful of what you email
• monitor your accounts

travellers’ first aid kit

band aids, antiseptic handi-wipes, antibiotic cream, moleskin, tweezers, thermometer in hard case, medication for colds + diarrhoea

outsmarting thieves…

• money belts are peace of mind – a small nylon zipped pouch strapped around waist under your pants/skirts… you wear it completely hidden from sight

•  operate with a day’s spending money in your pocket – you odn’t need to get at your money belt for every euro

money belt items…

passport, plane ticket, railpass, credit card, debit card, cash, plastic sheath to keep them dry, contact list, trip calendar + calendar

General…

• rick steves (link page)
• Backpack Europe – backpackeurope
• Eurocheapo: eurocheapo
• Eurotrip: eurotrip

Places to see and things to do…

• Plan your trip – rick steves
• Internet Cafes: Easy Everything

Accomodation

• Hostelling International budget accommodation
• ** European Hostels Youth Hostels 
• ** rail eupore hostel
• VIP Backpackers Resorts International has over 1200 hostels in more than 60 countries.
• Plain Vanilla Magazine dedicated to freestyle travel
• Venere.com Hotels, apartments and b&b accommodation worldwide
• Hostel Central Online bookings for hostels and budget hotels.
• Travel Europe Search and book over 3500 available

Transportation

• Eurail
• Travel by Train – Europe
• Airports: Europe airport guides
• Complete list of timetables for trains (download)
• ** Rail Europe

Podcasts

• Rick Steves Audio Tours
• podscrolls

list of other links…

1. graffitties

to show codes, we use the textarea tag like this:

example here!!

other links:

• article 1
• article 2
• article 3
• article 4

Wanted to have a list of handy sites when travelling…  and i’ll keep updating whenever i find more

General…

1. Lonely Planet
2. Rough Guides
3. Karen Brown
4. Michelin Guides – maps for Europe
5. Cadogan Guides
6. Time Out - city guides
7. Rick Steves
8. Independent Traveller
9. Virtual Tourist
10. Trip Advisor

Accomodation…

1. Bed and Breakfast
2. Hotel Guide
3. Hostelling International

Budget Travel…

1. lets go – for budget traveling
2. Frommers

Transportation

1. Net Travel - search for flights anywhere

Others… for different people…

1. Family
2. Students

Women Travellers…

1. Journey Women
2. Gutsy Women
3. Women Travel Club
4. Women Travel Tips

Entertainment & Fun

1. Culture Kiosque
2. Events Worldwide

Scandinavia is a region in Northern Europe which is centred around the Scandinavian Peninsula and it usually refers to the 3 modern countries of…

1. Denmark
2. Norway
3. Sweden

And what about Nordic countries??

While the term Scandinavia is most commonly used for Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the term the Nordic countries is used unambiguously for..

1. Denmark
2. Norway
3. Sweden
4. Finland
5. Iceland

There’s European Union and 27 countries are part of it:  

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and United Kingdom

Europe can be viewed as divisions…. here’s a list along with the countries’ capital cities…

Eastern Europe:

1. Belarus -Minsk
2. Bulgaria -Sofia
3. Czech Republic -Prague
4. Hungary -Budapest
5. Poland -Warsaw
6. Romania -Bucharest
7. Russia- Moscow
8. Slovakia -Bratislava
9. Ukraine -Kiev

 Northern Europe:

1. Finland- Mariehamn
2. Denmark -Copenhagen
3. Estonia -Tallinn
4. Finland -Helsinki
5. Iceland -Reykjavík
6. Ireland -Dublin
7. Latvia -Riga
8. Lithuania -Vilnius
9. Norway -Oslo
10. Sweden -Stockholm
11. United Kingdom -London

Southern Europe:

1. Albania -Tirana
2. Andorra -Andorra la Vella
3. Bosnia and Herzegovina -Sarajevo
4. Croatia -Zagreb
5. Greece -Athens
6. Italy -Rome
7. Macedonia -Skopje
8. Portugal -Lisbon
9. San Marino -San Marino
10. Serbia -Belgrade
11. Slovenia -Ljubljana
12. Spain -Madrid
13. Vatican City -Vatican City

Western Europe:

1. Austria -Vienna
2. Belgium - Brussels
3. France - Paris
4. Germany - Berlin
5. Liechtenstein - Vaduz
6. Luxembourg - Luxembourg
7. Monaco - Monaco
8. Netherlands - Amsterdam
9. Switzerland - Bern

it wasn’t until 1800s that okay came about… from different variations of stories. Interesting

Book Title: Berlin – The Downfall 1945
Author: Anthony Beever
Year written/published: 2002
Book Source: Amazon
Summary: What was happening to the German civilians when Hitler was loosing the war?
My Comments: Fantastic book… my first book read on a war documentary.
Some extracts:

lessons…

One important lesson is that one should be extremely wary of any generalisation concerning the conduct of individuals. Extremes of human suffering and even degradation can bring out the best as well as the worst in human nature. Human behaviours to a large extent mirrors the utter unpredictability of life and death. Many Soviet Troops, especially the frontline formations, unlike those who came behind, often behaved with great kindness to the German civilians. In a world of cruelty and horror where any conception of humanity has almost been destroyed by ideology, just a few acts of often unexpected kindness and self-sacrifice lighten what would otherwise be an almost unbearable story.

A soldier’s word…

‘We no longer fought for Hitler, or for National Socialism, or for the 3rd Reich, ‘ wrote an Alsatian veteran of the Grossdeutschland Division, ‘or even our fiancees or mothers or families trapped in bomb ravaged town. We fought form simple fear… We fought for ourselves, so that we wouldn’t die in holes filled with mud and snow; we fought like rats.’

from whom we can all learn from…

1. Benjamin Graham
2. David Dodd
3. John Burr Williams
4. Warren Buffett
5. Bill Miller
6. Philip Fisher
7. Charlie Munger
8. George Soros
9. Peter Lynch
10. Charles Schwab

Map of Europe

picture credit: backpackingeurope.com

and the Countries in Europe now includes:

Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia (Slovak Republic), Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City

Book Title: The World’s Best Kept beauty Secrets – What really works in Beauty, Diet and Fashion
Author: Diane Irons
Year written/published: 2005
Book Source: Google Books, Library
My Comments: I was seriously surprised by how the author mentioned many home-made remedies… i never knew
Some extracts:

Cleansing…

1. Pineapple Juice
2. Lemon Juice
3. Tomatoes
4. Most citrus Fruit

Toning

1. rose water
2. Witch hazel
3. Hydrogen Peroxide
4. 2 teaspoon green tea, ½ cup water

Exfoliating

1. sugar + olive oil
2. oatmeal + water
3. sea slat

Masks:

1. 1 cup oatmeal, 3 drops of almond oil, ½ cup milk, 1 egg white
2. peach + brandy
3. Tomato mashed up
4. banana + honey
5. pure honey

Hair:

1. 2 eggs + warm water
2. mix an egg into shampoo
3. tablespoon of powdered gelatine to shampoo
4. ¼ lemon + water for shining
5. ¼ vinegar - water for shining in brunette hair
6. 1 egg, 1 teaspoon honey + 2 teaspoon olive oil to wet hair – 30 minutes
7. yogurt as conditioner after shampoo
8. olive oil + 14 teaspoon butter + 1 min microwave – 20 minutes. Shampoo
9. 1 tablespoon honey + shampoo
10. brew an espresso / strong coffee – add to dry hair – 30 min

a classic wardrobe:

1. black skirt
2. tank top
3. well-cut jacket
4. basic trousers
5. white cotton shirt
6. a watch can double as bracelet
7. black/white t shirt
8. cardigan sweater
9. classic sunglass

if u love books… Google Books is surely a must for more information, a preview of particular books and even connecting with fellow book readers with your own set of book list!

love ir!

so our keyboard’s alphabets are laid out in a weird qwerty arrangement instead of being alphabetical… but why?? QWERTY is the design of the keyboard and its name comes from the first 6 letters… and it was patented as early as 1860.  and why?

… splitting up keys for letters commonly used together to speed up typing by preventing common pairs of typebars from striking the platen at the same time and sticking together.

some more links about why qwerty…

• webopedia
• earthlink

in fact, there’s another type of keyboard too – Dvorak layout!

Another classic problem solving question – Konigsberg Bridge! To put it simply: People tried to find a way to walk all seven bridges without crossing a bridge twice, but no one could find a way to do it… until Euler came to explain why! And his analysis on this problem was the first of Graph Theory – of vertices, edges and faces.

picture credit: Wiki

And Euler concluded that it was not possible to cross the bridges only once. Euler general law states: A path traversing the network of crossing every segment once is possible if the network is connected and has at most 2 vertices with odd valence (number of edge ends at the vertex). 

some other links on this interesting problem:

• youngzones
• math forum
• mathworld