3M

3M Co. on Thursday said fourth-quarter net income jumped 74%, but shares fell as the company said it faces price pressure in its business of optical films for improving the performance of LCD screens.


Looking across its many industrial businesses at 3M's prospects for 2010, company executives told analysts that they don't expect much positive news in residential housing, commercial construction or the automotive business but that consumer markets are expected to grow "slightly."

I'm sure most of you are extremely familiar with this friend of yours, named 3M am I right? They are famous for the provision of adhesives, where else can you get your Scotch Tape? Also, they are famous for the Post-It notes as well. You stick them all over the place so you better remember 3M for that!

And how can we ever forget the Probation Plate that all first year drivers have to place in their car before they drive off during the first year?


A little background information for you guys on 3M.

3M is actually a company notoriously famous for the diversification of its products. It has a total of 50,000 products and they are still diversifying with a introduction rate of 100 new products per year. However, they stick very closely to their strength and source of energy which is the bonding and chemical technology. No matter what they produce, it is always related to the above mentioned technology.


The company said on a conference call with analysts that its film business within its Display and Graphics unit has drawn strong interest from makers of LCD screens because it improves energy efficiency by more than 30%.

Everyone is concerned about saving of energy now! That is why 3M is extremely shrewd, they know how to move with the flow of the market. They know that LCD screens now are extremely competitive with competition on the thickness of the screen and the quality of the colours displayed.


Also, with the introduction of the movie "Avatar", 3D has been brought to an all new high level. This movie has triggered the move to bring 3D into video games and television shows. Recently, the Argentina's soccer match has been premiered in 3D over 9 lucky countries and the results is tremendously successful.


In no time, people will be moving into 3D even as they are watching their favourite Ellen Degeneres show or their favourite HD movies at home during a Saturday night. Hence, more people will be buying great television sets to help them better visualize the 3D effects and this is the best opportunity for 3M to reap alot of profits too.

So, 3M's move into the film business for the LCD screens is the most apposite move you can find right now! They always diversify consistently and they move out of an industry once competitors start to catch up. This way, they will move out with no losses and that they can enter new business where the cycle starts all over again. Money just keeps falling into their pockets!



However, customers "continue to drive price reductions, and we will need to respond with continued aggressive cost reduction and productivity in order to fund needed new products," he added.


Price competition is always notoriously famous in the industry where products are priced at a low cost. Cost leadership is extremely crucial in this industry so 3M has no choice but to capitulate at times.

However, bear in mind that their cost cutting is not to thrive and compete in the industry. They look at the bigger picture, their aim is to reap enough money until it is saturated whereby any more cost reduction will term their profits as being insignificant. Then, they will use all the money and reinvest them into the new products and they start working again!


That's the beauty of 3M.


Gorgeous isn't it?


Credits -marketwatch, -conference, -tinypic, -cnet, -kssupplies, -techdigest, -planet

Warren Buffett's Baby Berkshire

Well, you can stop dreaming. The company's B shares (BRKB) currently trade at the bargain basement price of $74 and change. Of course, you probably still can't afford the company's A stock, which fetches more than $111,000 a share.


Berkshire decided to split its shares, despite Buffett's long-held stance that he would never do so, after the company announced last year that it was purchasing railroad Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

The above is the most prominent reason as to why Buffett has agreed to capitulate to the request of the public, that is to split the stock in the ratio 50-1.


By doing so, they have enabled themselves to raise enough stocks to be registered in the S&P 500. In addition to that, the stockholders at Burlington Northern Santa Fe gets to own more stocks from Berkshire Hathaway now.

On top of this, Buffett has business in the telecommunication business, insurance business, commodities business, beverage business and many more. Some of the well known brands which you might be familiar with are Coca Cola(THE drink that everyone is holding on their hands), P&G(Diversified company with a plethora of products but yet remain consistent to their hedgehog concept), Kraft(well, they got Cadbury and Irene so do I have to say more?), Wells Fargo(impeccable management team that all corporations can ever dream of) and American Express(well done for their credit system).


Many are worried about their profligate investment in the Burlington's deal as it is seen more as an investment in coal. Now that people are moving towards natural gases and natural energy like wind, solar, do you think people will still use coal?


Definitely, and this is probably the last few opportunities left if you really want to slam hard on coal. After this decade, there will probably be a revolution.


People will start to abandon coal and fuel as more restrictions and costs will be placed on their use. This is pretty flagrant a fact as you all might have already realised. Nowadays, the temperatures are ratcheting up without any mercy. Usually, we are not even able to feel the rise in temperature because it is too subtle, but now we can. And this just goes to show how disastrous the situation is right now!

Nonetheless, natural energy like wind and solar are way too exorbitant for us to harness right now. We obviously need the help of the economies of scale plus stimulus packages to finance the projects.


As you all might have read already, 50% of the natural energy projects were saved because of the stimulus package and unfortunately we had to let go of the other 50% due to the lack of funds.


But this is a long term goal strategy so it is imperative that we continue to find the most effective way to harness the natural energy at the lowest cost.


For now, we will still have to rely on the coal and fuel to provide us with the brobdingnagian amount of energy and electricity we need to sustain our lives.

And this also means that Warren Buffet has made the correct investment. So go ahead and buy the baby berkshire shares while you still can because they will triple in no time.




Credits -cnn, -motorbooks, -product, -louisana, -chunguy

Demise of Burj Khalifa

Remember Burj Khalifa ?

The world's tallest building?

Sad to say, it has closed down ...

 for now.


"In recent weeks, thousands of tourists have lined up for the chance to buy tickets for viewing times often days in advance that cost more than $27 apiece."


That's a really expensive ticket but I guess the price is worth it if the experience is indelible.


Imagine looking from the top with your loved ones. You can keep the photo for years and when you look at it. . .

You will feel the awesome breeze, the dreamy feeling of looking from the top.


And maybe you can even recall "flying" back into the building using the figments of your memory.


"In a brief statement responding to questions, building owner Emaar Properties blamed the closure on "unexpected high traffic," but then suggested that electrical problems were also at fault.


The shutdown comes at a sensitive time for Dubai. The city-state is facing a slump in tourism which accounts for nearly a fifth of the local economy while fending off negative publicity caused by more than $80 billion in debt it is struggling to repay."


What I find really appalling here is that the building owner actually displaced the blame onto the public.

Do you still recall the closure of Singapore Flyer for a while ? It has lost millions of dollars just from a few weeks of closure.


I can only imagine how much is Burj Khalija going to lose given the scale of it's operations.


Laugh sneakily ... hahahahaha.


How can I laugh at their misfortue you might ask? Well they totally deserved it.

In business, customers are always, or at the very least most of the time right. By displacing the blame onto them, you are just shirking the respnsibility and worst still on your customers.


I mean... Hello ??!?!? What do you mean the problem is with the high traffic? So you think we should all hibernate at home and not go to Dubai then? If that is so, then so be it! All of us shall leave Dubai to die.


That's the last thing you will do in business!


When you make a mistake, you should firstly admit it (be a man) and be willing to bear all responsibilities and liabilities involved with the incident.


Everyone tend to throw the blame out of the window and keep all the credits in their own house all the time.


I'm still very surprised that the owner actually said such a thing. Obviously the problem lies with the electrical powerhouse.

Do you know the total amount of electricity used to power up that building is enough to light up an entire city? What a waste of money right?


It takes hundreds of dollars to pump water up to the top floorth's toilet.


That exorbitant sum is almost unethical !


It's really time to reflect in this dire situation they are in right now.


Pushing the blame away is definitely no panacea to the salient problem on hand.


There is a fundamental problem here they need to fix; that is their mindset and style of doing business.

Credits -photoshoproadmap, -littlemansmom, -eface, -boston, -cityofbardstown

Valenew

Valenew = Valentine New Year


I'm sure you guys have realised by now.


This year's Valentine's day fall on Chinese New Year.


Pretty amazing too and what's more fanatical is that my friend's birthday fall on 14 February. She is going to have a major dilemma as whether she should celebrate her birthday or valentines or Chinese New Year. Poor thing man!

Anyway, I'm sure it will be a conundrum for most of the couples out there too eh?


My friends have suggested some ways as to how you can solve this problem.


1. You can celebrate Valentine's Day with her on Chinese New Year Eve, however she might find it a bit insincere considering that she has to tend to her reunion dinner and on top of that, it's not the real date itself!


2. So, I suggest you might as well bring her home to see your parents, no obligations of course, just a casual meet-up and chitchat session. But, that sounds tough isn't it? She might be too tensed and apprehensive about meeting your parents.


3. But, not to worry, I personally think this one is the most plausible one. For me, I tend to be rather free from 9pm onwards as my relatives start to leave one by one. Usually, the mahjong sessions last till 8pm or so and then they will break for dinner and before you know it, everyone becomes pretty much laid back.


They either watch the television or they start to chat in their own small groups or some will leave early. So, this is your best opportunity to dissapear without a trace. (Whether or not you want to inform your parents is up to you of course. A caveat for you, they will definitely question where you are going and you might be stuck with them for quite a while, so it's best to leave subtly).


This way, you will be able to celebrate Chinese New Year and collect your fair fat share of AngBaos and at the same time, you have already showed your face, so it's not rude.

Cool eh?


Well, at the same time this is a great business opportunity for the many businesses out there.


They can offer heart-shaped "Ba Gua" for those Ba Gua lovers.

At the same time, they can introduce lovey-dovey Tigers red packets. I'm sure it will be a hit.


To entice lovers, they can sell Chinese New Year related mementos to capture their love. For instance, making a couple prominent amidst a huge crowd at Chinatown.


That will for sure be extremely memorable. What are the chances that you see people counting down to New Year and Valentine's Day at the same time.

Also, during Chinese New Year, many tend to go shopping all over the place.


This is probably the best time for retailers to sell Valentine's related clothes and accessories to couples. Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day both stand by the colour RED, so perhaps a super-red theme can be developed which encapsulates the essence of both seasons.


There probably won't be any other time when you can find a couple's willingness to buy to be this high.


Of course, the key is to have a core story (i.e. their own love story) behind the product you want to sell or you won't be able to entice them to buy. Something that they can look back to when they grow old. Let this be the best Valentine's Day in their entire life.


Yep, so enjoy your Chinese New Year this time and for couples, enjoy your Valentine's Day meaningfully this time round as it could probably be the most indelible one.

Credits -wikimedia, -victorialodging, -businessfromhomeequalsmoney

District 10

Hey guys,


I'm heading down to District 10 this coming Friday.

Done my research on the place and the food.


From what I hear, the service is quite bad and the food are often served cold.


I was flabbergasted when I hear that because I do not want to dissapoint my friends.


Afterall, this meal is to celebrate our ORD along with Jaryl's birthday.


But thank goodness, the managers assured me that all these have been corrected already and that it willl not happen again.


So I will see how it turns out this Friday.

I haven chosen to sit outside because I surmise that it will be cooler out there and the lightings will be cooler as well.

Wide selection of wines

Baby ribs

Beer battered fish and chip

Pizza

I pray hard that this will be a great dining experience and that we are all going to have a hell load of fun!!!

Credits -district10

China tops Green

A new report by the Breakthrough Institute, a progressive think tank in Oakland, argues that China, along with Japan and Korea, will dominate the clean-energy race by out-investing America.

Asia tigers have surpassed the U.S. in virtually all clean-energy areas, including wind, solar, and electric-car batteries.


Ever since the late 1990s, companies have veered their business strategy and have since begun to focus more on the environment and conservation policies.

Their reasons for that was that if they are responsible towards the environment, they will then build a symbiosis relationship with their consumers and naturally, the trust level of the consumers for the company will rise. This will then construct stronger rapport between the two parties.


However, I think that they should keep at it in the past because going green is easier than done. The vast amount of technology is extremely exorbitant and worse still, they are brand new, there's no foundation in the first place, everything has to be newly constructed.

This is clearly strenuous for countries like India and other developing countries who are struggling to fight the economic crisis and at the same time, grow exponentially in order to catch up with the rest of the world. They are still at their industrialisation stage and asking them to go green at this point in time is as good as asking them to shut down all their factories and work.

But International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Saturday said the institution plans to create a $100 billion "green" fund to fund low-carbon growth. This is a move that recognizes that developed countries are having trouble with money and the developed ones are down with the financial malaise.


Rich countries should have taken the opportunity to ramp hard on green technology back then and they would have been in the lead now and more of their energy sources would have been a lot more sustainable than what they are now.

However, they disregarded the importance of it for they were overly-complacent, thinking that they can build it up slowly since other countries are still floundering. But they were wrong, very wrong. Just look at how China easily overtook them within a couple of years. They have not even been in this market for long, as least not earlier than the United States and yet they are dashing forward at the speed of light now.


I trust that they know the long term potential benefits of that move and that they will not regret it ever. Yes, Obama has agreed to spend $80 billion of the stimulus package on things green, but that pales next to the $217 billion the Chinese government plans to dole out over the next five years.


Fact: Without the stimulus package, more than 80% of the green technology would have failed. Currently, only 50% of the projects have pulled through

If the United States wants to catch up on China's trace, they had better go all out while they still can before China gobbles up the entire United States in a while time. It is already on the way to digesting Japan's second place in the economy, just like how Avatar obliterated Titanic's first place in the global worldwide sales.


It will not be long before China hits on United States and take over the world where Chinese rules.



Credits -cnn, -brown, -acus, -flickr, -amazonaws, -crossroadstalk, -marketwatch

Appreciate

Okay, first and foremost, I will like to offer you a caveat that SHOULD NOT be taken lightly.

Before you continue reading, please make sure you are full or at least half full.

Trust me, eat something first or you will die a hungry man/girl after this post.

I'm not kidding! You will !!!

Let's begin then.

There are 4 steps to read this particular post.

Step 1: Scrutinize the picture

Step 2: Look at the name, not that you can pronounce it, but neither can I :))

Step 3: Fantasize

Step 4: Repeat Step 1-3 for the next picture

Simple right? Okay let's do this !

Salade Francillon

Succés

Progrés

Salade des Nonnes

Moka cake

Lemon and Chocolate mousse

Gateau Foret Noir

Frisee aux Lardons

Floating island

Filet de sole de douvre dieppoise

 Chef Gille's

Charlotte

Charlotte Cake

Chocolate mousse

Chocolate mousse and dacqouise

Well done.

You have made it through all the food.

I'm really impressed you are not dead yet!

Haha, kidding.

Okay see you guys again okay?

You had better go hunt for some food now

I'm sure you are damn hungry now right?

Farewell

Finally, it’s time for the all-time favourite departure of all the guys. First a little complaining before I start with the tribute to the people that has made everything a pleasant journey for me.




Without a doubt, this is truly one of the worst organisations ever, backed by all the top-notch Business books. More often than not, it’s not the organisation per se; rather it is the people in it.



For instance, the so-called leaders are always making trite comments and questions to bridge the gap but they are de facto bringing us further apart. Saying for the sake of saying, almost like a routine they impose on every individual that enters, completely disregarding the fact that we are unique individuals so to speak.



Worst of all, they are always relying on draconian measures to force people to acquiesce to authority. Such pathetic form of management is abysmal and disgusting. It is truly a miracle that it has managed to survive for so many years.



As Jaryl has mentioned, that period of their life is probably the brightest.



To sum it up, it is truly a stultifying experience fraught with systems that chronically stymie the people in it. HOWEVER……..



I was never alone at any cross roads thanks to the awesome bunch of friends in there, namely Jaryl, Dominic, Samuel, David, Wei Kuan, Zhi Qi, and many more. They made everything a breeze, always able to add levity to all the solemnness in there and the mundane tasks we are assigned. I have managed to somewhat enjoy the time in there thanks to these people.

Beng Kiat is a fine example of a man with fine mettle and leadership. He not only gets things done but he does it in a smart manner circumventing all the onerous jobs termed Saikang by all. Even when we are forced to do the shit, he’s always there with us right until the job is completed. Furthermore, he never expects anything out of others that he himself is not capable of doing. Possessing a unique sense of humour, he never fails to crack all of us up whenever we are bored. One of his favourite quote of all time which we always laugh at, “SERIOUS SHIT!?!?!”

David is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best motivator and advocate for “aiming the best” campaign if there is such a campaign. Given your presumptuous nature, you constantly question our ignorance. We are always running away from what we do not know and rely on what we know to get away with it, an example of escapism but then you have challenged us. And that made me realise that sometimes it’s not what you know, rather it’s more important to know what you do not know. The Migital case study will definitely be the apposite one for me to use when I need to illustrate impeccable services. Of course, not forgetting the clandestine balcony talks we had, it has truly helped me become a better person I must say. Yep, so all in all, you have truly been a great buddy.

Samuel the chef, I want to thank you for bringing us, albeit Dom and Jaryl are already immersing themselves in it, to the world of culinary. You have brought our cooking skills to a step out of a gazillion steps closer to that of Jamie Oliver’s. When it comes to cooking, it’s all about experiences (which I can see that you are constantly working on) and a bit of luck. There will come a time for a breakthrough, which I’m not sure when myself but I do believe, in good faith, that the day will come if you persevere with relentless consistency! Of course, all the things you do in camp never fails to crack us all up. The most memorable one will have to go to the one when you woke up from a nightmare when you took a short and I mean REALLY SHORT nap on level 5. I can totally visualize it being premiered on the Hollywood Oscar’s award ceremony. It was that classic man. But thanks to you, we always have something to laugh at and go OMG. As Jamie Oliver said, “I am a total liability and would be absolutely no good for running any department in government. I get in press conferences and start saying f$#k all over the place.” I’m sure the same applies for you and that you will find your place soon enough.

Jaryl: My late night chat buddy when we are alone. Of course, the chin-up buddy during that particular infamous weekend which we all can’t forget. Always the one punching bag for all sorts of bitchslaps but yet, always taking our nonsense in his stride. You have always been supplying with an abundance of happiness at the expense of your own pride. Epitome of altruism there I have to admit. And of course, you are a key member of our clique. All the improvement in our debating skills emanates from you, the true top-class debater. Teaching is tough but I can see that you are enjoying it. However, do come and talk to us about it if you encounter any troubles along the way okay? Come to us if you have trouble bridging up relationships with your students. We are always there to listen to the many interesting stories you have to tell. All the best to you and I hope that there will be way more bombs to excite you in the later part.

Thank you Dominic for bringing me to the world of beauty where you taught me the various crucial yet simple steps right down to the minutiae on how to take good care of one’s outer appearance. A wine connoisseur as well with a plethora of knowledge about the best wine to couple with different types of meals. Of course, how can I forget about all the stories that you have repeated for at least 3 times each? But I must say that you have improved a lot considering the fact that you are able to skilfully manoeuvre your way of it simply by adding a few new details to the old stories. Nonetheless, your stories are very fresh and exciting, and that includes the Nyonya drama, even better than Little Nyona I must say. And not forgetting your friend who is in the same line as Jaryl, if you know what I mean. I’m looking forward to the many more that will come in the future okay?

Wei Kuan always giving the most senseless and absurb comments all the time but at the same time they managed to crack us up all the time without fail. Your quirkiness is one of the most unique one I have ever seen, almost synonymous to that of Ms Swan's. Sometimes, I really do not understand the link between your answers and our questions but I guess that’s the fun part right? You always make us go, “WHAT!?!?!” Haha. And you are perpetually hitting on our "girl" friends, never willing to let it go, aren’t you tired of it already? It’s quite dangerous to let you know our secrets from now on. Tsk tsk tsk. However, I must say that you are truly a digerati that has always provided me with the best solutions to my IT problems. Thanks a lot for saving me a lot of inconvenience. I’m glad to have you with me during the last lap of my course in there. Looking forward to hear more of your atomic ideas and the beyond god realm world that you are about to create.

Zhi Qi, always putting others above self, a true trademark of a compassionate doctor indeed. You have been my highest benchmark to aim for when it comes to tolerance. You have taught me to never act impulsively and to maintain a placid persona so as to deal with every conflict objectively at all times. Best of all you are one of the best listeners I know. You have once asked me if it’s ethical to talk nicely to someone whom you dislike. Now I think I know the answer to that question. Facades are ubiquitous I guess, just like lies. But, ultimately it boils down to your intention behind it. If you are doing it for networking or for future backstabbing, it is wrong of course. But for your case, I guess it’s just out of courtesy or that you are afraid of hurting their feelings. That can be a bad point and also your Achilles’’ heel at the same time. People might simply prey on that attribute of yours and exploit you in the future. So, please do not entertain those people that do not deserve your compassion and understanding.



Yep, that’s the end to this tribute to all my best friends.



See you all the in the real world out there soon.