Our Economy is in the Doldrums. Will 2020 be worse or will we see good times again ?

Promenade des Anglais 2 Dec 2018 

The alarm bells are not exactly ringing themselves like crazy, but the economic situation here in Singapore has been on the slow slide down to negative territory.

Recently in October, I happened to go to Queensway Shopping Centre and bought a new pair of business shoes, as well as a pair of the latest ASICS Kayanos. Both the shopkeepers I spoke with were reminiscing about the 'good old days' just perhaps 9 years ago and never seeing their sales so bad in their decades of working in Queensway.

I was so taken aback that I did not even want to negotiate a discount with them and empathised about their plight. The new Gig economy whereby everything is being migrated first to the Internet Sales Portals like Q10, Lazada and Wish just to name 3 of maybe 100 B to C sites spells the death knell of the bricks and mortar retail shops, the mom and pop shops in the heartlands.

My friends are quite cut throat about not supporting the retail shops and will go so far as to check the prices from the shops and then buy them online for perhaps 30% cheaper.

Such is the sad reality of the traditional business which is fast going the way of the dinosaur.

Zurich Airport 2 Dec 2018 

The same feeling that one day AI, algotrithmic software and smart websites will be the end of our business. Not so fast, Speedy Gonzales. We have certain value propositions which no one else can replicate. Its not consumer goods like TV nor the fridge. Our equipment which we sell to the Quality Assurance Departments of companies dealing in Solar Panels, Lithium Ion Batteries, Food Research, Advanced Remanufacturing, Internet of Things and BioPharmaceuticals still require the element of DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE APPLICATION AND SERVICE SUPPORT.

The know how or domain knowledge of the application for these vast array of equipment still lies with the distributor, meaning Us. Hence, there is still some ways to go before the consumer gets so savvy that they can install high end environmental simulation equipment - something which no one learns in polytehcnic or mechanical engineering so our niche is still safe for perhaps the next 20 years.

   

2 dec 2018 Beautiful Day on the Promenade des Anglais with the Cote Azur in the Background

There are only 3 options if we want to continue. 1. Move part of the operations to a lower cost economy with cheaper price point products and compete in the traditional markets of electronics, automotive and semiconductors from there. 2. Move up the value chain and offer higher value added services like Test Services for pharmaceutical industry  and remain in Singapore. 3. Build our own brand and push on with Singapore designed quality and reliability at the same time capturing a niche in a non traditional market which we are one of perhaps 3 players worldwide.

Well, we have done all 3. 

2020 will be challenging on the local front, however, with the overheads at an all time low, and recurrent revenue streams coming in from non-traditional sources, I can say that we can do surprisingly well, if we get the lucky breaks real soon.

Carpe Diem.  

Python for Absolute Beginners Tutorial 2

This guy is a genius ! He makes the difficult language seem so doable !

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