Python for Absolute Beginners

I am giving myself 3 months to be fully conversant with Python ; this is essential for coding and for my future work possibilities, as we need to equip ourselves to be ready for the 3rd age and that includes being software ready for the Cloud, as well as Blockchain.

Wish me Luck !!!   

Barcelona 4 - 7 Dec 2016 Marina and La Rambla

Taken from the rooftop of our gorgeous hotel, 

Dequesa de Cardona Hotel 

One of my all time favourite cities in Europe, Barcelona evokes a sense of "joie de vrie" or joy of life from the people, the Catalnonians. Barcelona city is a seaside port, and the marina is one of the many highlights of this amazing place. 

Our hotel when we stayed, Dequesa de Cardona is located along the Passeig Colom right by the marina,and its 5 minutes minutes from the southern start of the La Ramblas which is the walking street where there are a multitude of shops, steet artists, tourists, together with pickpickets (Barcelone has the dubious honor of being the world's pickpocket capital).    I would highly recommend its hotel, the staff are really friendly and helpful, the room was huge for the reasonable price ((500 ft2) quiet facing the indoor courtyard) of EUR 151.5 hich included a WONDERFUL buffett spread (costing EUR 18 each) serving 6 types of Nespresso, omelettes, fried eggs done any style, so many different kinds of cheese andthe piece de resistance, the Jamon Iberico ham (small pieces) - best in the world ! 

I had the shock of my life when I was pickpocketed and had my handphone stolen right under my nose by a couple of petty thieves. So, travellers be warned, keep your wallets, credit cards, passports and cash in separate places and only take what you need for the day.

I saw with my own eyes 2 guys chasing madly after some pickpocket, not realising I was the next foolhardy victim.

Atop Parc Guell 

There are literally more than a dozen places to visit and soak in the history and culture. 3 of them are related to the famous architect and designer Antoni Gaudi. The picture above, is Parc Guell, which Gaudi was commissioned by the Government to create a modern theme park of sorts and which he did with his signature "no sharp edges" style.There was also the La Pedrera Building which was another signature building and the world famous La Sagrada Familia church first built in the 1500s, and Gaudi was the last designer to add on his touches to the outer facade. The aithorities plan to finish the church in 2025, 100 years after his sad death after being hit by a tram and left to die on the road in 1925. 

The La Pedrera Building is a communal house meant for several families perhaps an extended family home. 

La Rambla is both an attraction for its multiple popup stands selling lots of football momentos for their world class Barcelona team, street artists who go to painstaking lengths to amaze people with their makeup and art, as well as the street artists, painters, student doctors offering free health checks and musicians which make this place a "Unique Walking Street World Renowned. "

When we visited Barcelona 3 years ago for 5 nights, the place evoked a magical, bohemian and definately artsy feel about it. Never mind the pickpockets, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit there and would recommend to anyone who plans to go, do keep your valuables close at hand, separate your cards, money, passport and store them carefully. Never bring more than you need for that day of sightseeing.

So, in a nutshell, what are the top 8 places of interest to visit in Barcelona ?

8. Iberico Ham Museum, La Rambla

7. Born District - small stylish restaurants serving tapas ; must try the vermouth. 

6. Montjuic hill, Jaon Miro museum

5. Marina, eat some fabulous seafood there

4. Parc Guell 

3. La Pedrera - amazing architecture, and do visit the rooftop to view the chimneys ! 

2. La Rambla - watch your wallets and passports

1. La Sagrada de Familia (Sacred Family Church), inside decor is mind blowing. 

CARPE DIEM. 

Place de la Catalunya

Department Stores, Boutique Shops, Restaurants 

The Wanderers to beat Villa by 3 - 0

This is the first time this season I feel so bullish about the Wolves. They have come of age and despite the small squad of about 21, Nuno has managed to blood several youngsters and certainly some have proven their mettle in the European and Carabao Cup games. 

It is definately a good sign that the team has got strength in depth, and following the injuriestto Wily Boly, and Romain Saiss, Ryan Bennett, Nuno has managed to find good replacements in the form of Neto, Vinagre (excellent),Kilman and even Patrick Cutrone.

Today's match against Aston Villa will be a Midlands derby and though the Villa are not very consistent, Wolves are peaking right now with  Raul Jiminez, Diego Jota, Adama Traore all scoring lots of goals.

Defensively, Wolves need to be more rock solid, and Patricio has let in some pretty tame goals, he should buck up. Coady had made some howlers in the past, as has Dendoncker and Saiss too. Its easy to blame the defenders when a goal against the team is scored, but if they can replicate their form as they did against Man City 3 weeks ago, they are practically unbeatable and can trump any team in the Premier League.

I am optimistic tonight, they will show their bite and win the derby by 3 - 0.

Kickoff Time is 10.00 pm.   




Post Script : I was wrong about the scoreline, Villa struck late into extra-time to edge the scoreline to 2 - 1 ; Hats off to them though. They played their hearts out.

Well done the Wanderers !!! 

Ho Chi Minh Visit 28 - 30 Oct 2019

Have a snack and a Tiger beer at the 5th floor bar and I get a wonderful view of the surroundings particularly the Unification Palace in the background. 

Ho Chi Minh's own Notre Dame
Vietnam was a colony of France in the 19th Century.

Reunification Palace. The signing of the peace treaty between the North and the South and thus unifying one Vietnam in 1975 was in this historic building 

Very French Like Magazine Booths similar to the ones selling magazines and books on the left bank of the river Seine  

2 weeks ago I made a business trip to Ho Chi Minh (formerly Saigon) and I was impressed by the economic progress the country has made in the last 15 years. Since the terrible Vietnam war which saw the US retreat amidst accusations of many terrible atrocities committed to the Vietnamese people, the country has in the 44 years since come a long way.

Though the country is Communist ruled, the economy has opened up to many capitalist industrialists and there is a great sense of progress among the people in terms of 
standard of living and tourism is one of the key revenue generators contributing to the GDP of the country. The others being car manufacturing, textile and agrculture. 

There is a young population, many of whom are bilingual speakers, English and Vietamese Some are even trilingual, with many speaking passable Mandarin to cater to the burgeoning Chinese investors, visitors and tourists flocking to the country in the last 3 - 4 years.

Many people are hoping that Vietnam will benefit from the fallout of the Trade standoff between the 2 economic powers US and China and that is why I am also there to try to get a tiny foothold into this country of almost 70 million.

The Genius of Antoni Gaudi - Barcelona Landmarks

La Sagrada Familia Church 




 
                                                        La Padrera 

Inside La Padrera  

Park Guell  

           

                   Baroque Gothic style of La Sagrada Familia Church  

An Oasis in Bangkok - Nice Residence

A none too imposing sign outside 

I have been coming to Thailand for almost 25 years on and off mainly for business. The last 2 years, my favourite place to rest my weary head after a long day's work is Nice Residences. Situated off Sukhumvit  63, along a small soi in the Ekkamai district, it has all the simple creature comforts for a short stay in the city.

Forget 5 star elegance and pretentious in your face ostentatious faux neo classical interior designs. No bell boys, nor fancy carpets, bubble lifts, high tech gyms nor buffett breakfasts for the masses. 

This 2 star hotel offers the basic amenities which I truly appreciate :

a) Quiet oasis in the city

b) Friendly staff who recognise me by face and are very informal and relaxed.

c) Large 400 ft2 room with balcony, clean with bathtub, free wifi,aircond.

d) 24 hour gym with running and cross training machines

e) 10 m lap pool

f) Proximity to the nice pubs, restaurants offering so many types of food, Japanese, 

   Korean Western, you name it. The feeling is laid back bohemian.

    

    Super Bonus 

d) Waking up to birds chirping outside your balcony and the greenery of a large garden 

    from 2 bungalows just  next door. It is a major change to the hustle and bustle of the 

    workday and I get to chill - right in the heart of Bangkok  

The peace and quiet of the country just outside my balcony is priceless !! 

Its roughly 30 minutes by taxi (BHT 250 or so) from Suvanabhum airport to the Ekkamai District and there are many taxis, Uber vehicles and even motorcycle taxis available, moving around is never easier.Traffic in Bangkok can be erratic as is the fumes during rush hour, so its best to arrive late morning or early afternoon and check - in. 

For food and entertainment in the evenings, there are many eating establishments serving French Food, sushi, wine and cigars, a huge Don Don Donki Building with at least a dozen Japanese restaurants, numerous 7 - 11s nearby if you crave a snack. And of course the 2 must haves whenever I stay here ; 

a) The Bee Hoon Soup along Sukhumvit 63 (see previous post) 

b) Coffee and Tuna Sandwich grilled with Americano at Rocky Rooster just opposite along the Sukhumvit 63 main road.

Pool 10 m long  for dipping and just lounging around 

The best thing about Nice Residences ? The price : It is BHT 1,250 per night (or approximately S$ 55 or (US$ 38). You can't get even a capsule hotel for this price in Singapore !   

Really a super deal for small business owners like myself. Inexpensive, No fuss, clean, 

convenient accomodation right in the heart of the city. 

Its not the Ritz, nothing fancy, no buffett breakfast, the nearest BTS is almost 2 km away, so there is no good (read MBK or Siam Paragon) shopping centres nearby. The seedy bars of Nana and Soi Cowboy are nowhere in sight. 

Suits me to a "T".

The Lounge at Nice Residences 

So make a beeline to this Oasis in the City, the next time you want a change of scenery. 

 Nice Residences

 188/8 Sukhumvit 63 Ekkamai 14

 Klongtun-nua Wattana District

 Bangkok 10110, Thailand

 Tel :+662 391 5888

 www.niceresidence.net

 Email:nice@niceresidence.net

When Changing Money for Overseas Travel, choose money changer with smallest 'spread'

This might seem elementary for some, but whenever I travel overseas, and need to change a reasonable sum of money, it is better to change at a downtown money changer. The reason is that, they offer a smaller 'spread' between buying the S$ in exchange for (say) Thai Baht and when I return the remaining money can be sold back to the same exchange centre or similar for minimal loss.

For example, if I changed $1000 at today's rate, the Changi Bureau de Change gives me a rate of S$ 1 for BHT 20.8.  So for $1000 changed, I would receive BHT 20,800.

If after my short trip, and I used only credit cards and changed back the BHT 20,800. The rate they 'buy' from me is BHT 25 for S$ 1. Hence, that 20,800 would change back to S$ 832.

I would have lost $168 in the process or $18.80 for every $100 I changed to BHT and did not spend. That's 16.8 %.  A huge commission for the money exchanger.

The spread by the money changers in Changi is 25 - 20.8 or 4.2 ; 

Look at the Thai airport, for every S$ 1000 I changed, I would get BHT 21,350. So when I left Thailand and changed back, the 21,350 would change (sell BHT to get S$) 21,350 divide by 22.75 or I get back S$ 938. 

I would still lose S$ 62 per S$ 1,000 or S$ 6.2 per $100 changed. 

But the spread is less 22.75 - 21.35 or 1.4    

In this recent trip of mine, as I did not have the luxury of time (perhaps poor time management on my part), I bought Thai Baht at the Suvanabhum airport and sold Thai Baht on my return at the Suvanabhum airport before heading back. 

What's the Best Way to Save On the Exchange Rate ? 

Estimate as accurately how much I need tor the trip in cash. 

Before going on trips, if need to change money,  estimate as accurately how much you expect to spend in cash. If you spend up to 95% of the cash you convert, well then good for you. You needn't have to change back the money to your local currency. 

Go to any money changer in town 

(Chinatown People's Park Complex has many, little India too , as well as Harborfront).They should offer you a better exchange rate. That is more foreign currency to sell to you when you buy with your Singapore dollars)

Buy what you need for your trip 

They should offer you easily BHT 21.8 to BHT 22 per S$

Choose the One with the Smallest Spread

Normally they will not post the spread so clearly on the electronic board, but the spread normally is  way smaller than what the Bureau de Change or money changers offer to you at the Changi Airport terminals. Choose the Money Changer with the Smallest Spread.  They are all quite competitive, hence the downtown changers will not deviate much from each other. 

Return to the same money changer 

Change money back to your S$ currency with the same exchange which offers smallest spread. This way you can pare the loss if you need to change back to S$ currency.