Monthly Archives: April 2009

Down the drain

Posted by Leaf on April 4, 2009 2 comments

Earring On Telegraph Road by the Berkeley campus, there are a bunch of vendors hawking handcrafts and knick-knacks. I got a few pairs of handmade earrings from some different vendors. For example, this pair came from Salma’s Treasures. Unfortunately, its mate fell down the sink drain while I was trying to put it on. Bummer.

The BART

Posted by Leaf on April 3, 2009 3 comments

While I was in Berkeley and Las Vegas, I had a running list of commentary about the stuff I saw and things I did.  I meant to jot them down but never got around to it partly because I figured if it was really interesting I’d remember it and if I forgot it, then it wasn’t worth mentioning anyway.  Evidently, all I had in my head after the trip was food.
BART
Last night, while I was winding down, I flipped through the photos again to relive the trip.  And I came across this.  It’s a seat on the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit).  I took this photo because BART seats are very special to me.  The first time I visited the Bay area, I took the BART from the airport into the city.  I was so grossed out by these cloth seats that I sat at the edge of them all the way home.  When my sister & b.i.l. took me downtown to see the sea lions, I was appalled when they leaned back comfortably into their cloth BART seats.  In my head, I pictured a billowing cloud of foul smelly dust that flew up when they plopped down on them.  So it’s been a memorable part of each of my visits.  Gingerly sitting down to minimize puff action and only at the very edge of the seat to minimize seat-butt contact.

Aside from this quirk, I’m a totally normal person.

Pop Quiz!

Posted by Leaf on April 2, 2009 3 comments

First day of Globalizing the Enterprise.

1. Which of these countries is the US’ biggest trading partner?

a) Canada  b) China  c) Japan  d) Mexico  e) United Kingdom

2. Which of these countries had the largest trade surplus in 2006?

a) Canada  b) China  c) Germany  d) Japan  e) United Kingdom

3.  In how many languages can one view the NBA website?  Take the written driving license test in OH?  Take the written driving license test in CA?

a) 3   b) 9   c) 17   d) 32

4.  Name the country of ownership for each of the following brands/companies.

  • 7-Eleven
  • Mack Trucks
  • Miller Brewing
  • Nissan
  • RCA
  • Sony BMG Music Entertainment
  • Volvo

5.  The U.S. is McDonald’s most profitable market.  Which of the following countries came in second in terms of operating profits for McDonald’s in 2007?

a) Brazil   b) Canada   c) China   d) France   d) United Kingdom

6.  A 2007 analysis ranked major world cities in terms of the cost of doing business there.  The 10 most expensive cities were: Copenhagen, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Moscow, New York, Osaka, Oslo, Seoul, Tokyo, and Zurich.  Can you guess the top two most expensive cities from this list?  And the bottom two?

7.  Which of the following U.S. companies does not have overseas operations?

  • AIG
  • Black & Decker
  • Boeing
  • Coca-Cola
  • Hooters
  • Krispy Kreme

Answer in the comments and I’ll tell you who’s right.

Crossing the river

Posted by Leaf on April 1, 2009 6 comments

About a week ago, I closed on a little one bedroom condo. It’s about 5 years old, so pretty new. This means I’ll be moving to VA in a few days. It has taken me almost a year to find this place, but I’m very happy with it. I’ll be really close to the metro and there are a lot of little restaurants and shops within walking distance.

I’ll post pictures up soon!