Visit Sao Paulo - The DON'Ts of Sao Paulo, Brazil

What I learned from running.

I have never been an athlete until the end of 2014 when my wife invited me to go the gym. Go to the gym was one of her plans to start 2015 in shape. My first thought was 'what?', but as I am married to her and I have the principle to 'never leave one soldier behind", I said - 'yes, let's do this'. 

I ran 1 kilometer that day. It was like I had run a marathon, (at least, that was what I imagined), but I felt something good inside on me. I kept going to run with her in the days and weeks following. She was my coach. I improved my running from 1k to 2k, and then 3k, and 4k. Today, almost 3 years later, I am training four times a week to run my first half marathon (21k) in November. 

What did I learn from running? To be mentally strong, to never give up, to be disciplined and most important, believe that everything that I target in my life I am capable of accomplishing. Why? This journey from 1k to 21k (November) wasn't always easy. I had moments when I thought - 'Why am I doing this?', 'I think that I can't finish it', 'I will stop it ', 'I can't do this anymore'. All at once, I always found energy out of nowhere to finish the training. 

Today, in any area of my life, when I see myself in a difficult situation, I remember all my practices and suddenly an inner voice starts to say for me - ' You can accomplish whatever you want!'.

I have to say thank you to my wife who always gave me support and was responsible for the beginning of this journey. 

My childhood friend Alexandre and I, after running Half marathon of Florianópolis in 2016. He ran 21k and I ran 10K. Thank you my friend.

 

See you all and success. 

Too many people in their 20s make the same mistake when they take a new job

Natural Intelligence - People

I was wondering whether the companies are focusing much of their efforts in this trending (big data + AI), forgetting the core of management - strategy, organisation and leadership. More than that, are they forgetting the need for humans?

Accordingly with Ridderstrale and Birkinshaw in their new book - Fast/Forward, "Many companies are more comfortable analysing and debating than acting decisively and intuitively". Furthermore, "The default assumption that more and better information is always better actually cramps companies’ ability to move fast." 

Imagine that you have a huge data system (big data) with all the information about your customers and potential new customers. What do they like or dislike, where they live, work, have lunch and dinner, what is their favorite team in the NFL, what sort of car they use to drive and better, they wish to drive. In other words, maybe you would know them more than themselves.

Now, imagine that you have an AI system working all this information and giving you a mountain of options to approach your client. We would assume that the presence of people in this process is dispensable, or even not so important. Also, we would think that this is the path to success. 

I agree that all tools are well received helping the management of companies, but I believe that we would never forget that people will be always running them. Once, one of my professors told me - "Competitive differential is something that only you know how to do. Moreover, it is something unique, singular."  When I think about that, I always get the conclusion that people are the only "material" that is singular in this universe. 

From the moment that everybody is doing the same thing, (big data + AI), it is no longer a differential. On the other hand, if you have someone in your company, unique, singular, he/she is your competitive differential. So, take good care of them.

See you all and success!

Quotes - Peter Lynch - Beating the Street

These are some of Peter Lynch's outcomes about the market's behavior. I thought captivating and I am sharing them with you.

He says that we should memorize and repeat the following quotes at the shower, to save ourselves from making mistakes in the future. I will make short notes for each one, reporting my own experience.

"A good company usually increases its dividend every year" (I've never thought about it. It's something to cover from now on)

"You can lose money in a very short time but it takes a long time to make money" (True, you have to be patient)

"The stock market really isn't a gamble, as long as you pick good companies that you think will do well, and not just because of the stock price" (People who think that stock market is a gamble, in general, put their money in options. I've already done it myself and it wasn't a good experience)

"You can make a lot of money from the stock market, but then again you can lose money, as we proved" (The important is act as an investor - thinking in a long term)

"You have to research the company before you put your money into it" (Don't follow the flock)

"When you invest in the stock market you should always diversify" (True!)

"You should invest in several stocks because out of every five you pick one will be very great, one will be really bad, and three will be OK" (Interesting)

"Never fall in love with a stock; always have an open mind" (I have this problem sometimes. I really fall in love for some stocks - I am being honest.)

"You shouldn't just pick a stock - you should do your homework" (As I said before, don't follow the flock. Someone once told me - make money demands a bunch of effort!)

"Buying stocks in utility companies is good because it gives you a higher dividend, but you'll make money in grown stocks" (Following the advice of the master Warren Buffet)

"Just because a stock goes down doesn't mean it can't go lower" (Never buy stocks because they are under the line, they can go deeper)

"Over the long term, it's better to buy stock in small companies" (This is exactly what I am doing right now. May be small companies would have a better governance)

"You should not buy a stock because it's cheap but because you know a lot about it" (Ouch!! I did a lot of that - but I learned)


Bye and success to you all!

The Intelligent Investor - Benjamin Graham

"To invest successfully over a lifetime does not require a stratospheric IQ, unusual business insights, or inside information.

What's needed is  a sound intellectual framework for making  decisions and the ability to keep emotions from corroding that framework."

Warren E. Buffett

Great Expectations - Charles Dickens - Chapter eight

After a night in Mr Pumblecook's house, Pip is taken to Mrs Havisham house after breakfast. Arriving there, they are greeted by a young lady. Pip describes the house as "... was of old brick, and dismal, and had a great many iron bars to it. Some of the windows had been walled up; of those that remained, all the lower were rustily barred. There was a courtyard in front, and that was barred..."

Oddly, the young lady allowed only Pip's entrance, leaving Mr Pumblechook on the outside. Mr Pumblechook says goodbye to Pip saying that would be good if Pip did not disappoint her sister or "... who brought you up by hand ..."

 
Pip outlines the young lady as "... she seemed much older than I, of course, being a girl, and beautiful and self-possessed; and she was as scornful of me as if she had been one-and-twenty, and a queen ...". She is Estella.

Conducted through the house, Pip gets a room where there is an old lady. " ... in an arm-chair, with an elbow resting on the table and her head leaning on that hand, sat the strangest lady I have ever seen, or shall ever see ..." That lady was Mrs Havisham.

Being seen by her, Pip is invited to play. In the first moment, Pip is a little scared, but is comforted by Mrs Havisham, who says that there is no reason to be afraid. After be reluctant in playing cards with Mrs Havisham, Pip calls Estella under the command of Mrs Havisham. All seated at the table they start to play cards. Estella has a look of disdain on Pip and he knows that. Mrs Havisham asks Pip why he is so patient with Estella although she only diminishing him and says bad things about him.
This is an interesting passage from the book:
‘She says many hard things about you, but you say anything of her. What do you think of her?’
‘I don’t like to say,’ I stammered.
‘Tell me in my ear,’ said Miss Havisham, bending down.
‘I think she is very proud,’ I replied, in a whisper.
‘Anything else?’
‘I think she is very pretty.’
‘Anything else?’
‘I think she is very insulting.’ (She was looking at me then with a look of supreme aversion.)
‘Anything else?’
‘I think I should like to go home.’
‘And never see her again, though she is so pretty?’
‘I am not sure that I shouldn’t like to see her again, but I should like to go home now.’
‘You shall go soon,’ said Miss Havisham, aloud. ‘Play the game out.’

So, Pip goes out with the promise to return after six days. When in the courtyard, Pip decides to explore the limits of the land. Pip has some strange views about a woman hanged ,and he believes that Mrs Havisham is the woman in his views. Frightened, he leaves the house and heads to his home.

In the way, he starts to think about everything that happened.
"I went along, on all I had seen, and deeply revolving that I was a common labouring-boy; that my hands were coarse; that my boots were thick; that I had fallen into a despicable habit of calling knaves Jacks; that I was much more ignorant than I had considered myself last night, and generally that I was in a low-lived bad way". 

See you on Chapter nine.

Great Expectations - Charles Dickens - Chapter seven

It seems that Pip is changing his views about his father's figure. He is questioning how good his father was to his mother and his family.
"I should have formed the worst opinions of that member of the family"

 
Pip is getting classes with Mr Wopsle great-aunt. He is now able to read and write - the latter, not very well. Pip describes Mr Wopsle great-aunt as "... a ridiculous old woman of limited means and unlimited infirmity!"

 
There is the introduction of a new character, Biddy, Mr Wopsle’s great-aunt’s granddaughter. She is an orphan like Pip and basically, she manages a kind of "shop" that Mr Wopsle’s great-aunt keeps at her Educational Institution.  Pip sets out her as "... her hair always wanted brushing, her hands always wanted washing, and her shoes always wanted mending and pulling up at heel."

 
Pip writes his first letter to Joe with great effort. When Joe receives the letter and reads it, he starts to cry emphasising how good is Pip. However, Pip suspects that Joe doesn't understand all the matter of the letter. Joe confirm that he understands only his name in the letter - J O E, but he imagines that the whole meaning of the letter is gorgeous.

Joe starts to describe how his childhood wasn't easy, with his father restricting his access to studies and how he had to look after his mother in order to avoid his father brutality.
Pip is surprised when Joe starts to emphasising qualities in his sister and bringing recollections when they met each other in the early days.
"... your sister is a fine figure of a woman."

 
Also, Joe remembers when he asked her if she was ready to move with him and have a life together. Thus, Pip's sister said yes, but with one condition - bring Pip with her. 

Mrs Joe arrives at home with Uncle Pumblechook after a day in the market's farm. She bought new clothes for Pip and says that from now on he will play at Miss Havisham house. Pip describes Miss Havisham as "... an immensely rich and grim lady who lived in a large and dismal house barricaded against robbers, and who led a life of seclusion."

 
The purpose of that idea, and may be who had the idea was Uncle Pumblechook, is to teach good manners to Pip. The chapter closes with Pip going to Miss Havisham with Uncle Pumblechook. 

See you on Chapter eight.

Great Expectations - Charles Dickens - Chapter six

Basically, chapter 6 is a narrative about Pip's regrets. He has a strong and lovely bond with Joe. 

"...I loved Joe - perhaps for no better reason in those early days than because the dear fellow let me love him..." 

Pip is broken for not be capable to tell Joe, the truth about what had happened in the pantry.
What keeps Pip from telling the truth is the fear of losing Joe's confidence.

"I ought to tell Joe the whole truth. Yet I did not, and for the reason that I mistrusted that if I did, he would think me worse than I was. The fear of losing Joe’s confidence,and of thenceforth sitting in the chimney-corner at night staring drearily at my for ever lost companion and friend, tied up my tongue"

See you on Chapter seven.

Great Expectations - Charles Dickens - Chapter five

The sergeant comes into the kitchen with Pip. One hand holding handcuffs and the other on Pip's shoulder. He wishes for Mr Joe services, to fix the handcuffs. They aren't working properly.
Joe says that he can fix the problem, but it will take two long hours and a few preparations. The soldiers help Mr Joe with all arrangements and he starts the job.
Pip is twice relieved. The presence of the soldiers there, made Mrs Joe forget about the pie, and he thought that the handcuffs would be for him.

Mr Wopsle asks the sergeant what is the purpose of the excursion. He answers that they are looking for two convicts that escaped from the hulls. Pip is worried about. He is sure that the two convicts are the same that he had encountered one day before.
Joe's job has done,  and he invites some of the members of the dinner to go with the soldiers and look for the fugitives. Mr Pumblechook and Mr Hubble declined. Mr Wopsle says that he would go. Joe asks Mrs Joe whether Pip would go or not. She approves but says "If you bring the boy back with his head blown to bits by a musket, don’t look to me to put it together again." Here again, Dickens has made masterly use of good humour.

After receiving orders from the sergeant to keep in the rear, and speak no word after reached the marshes, Mr Wopsle, Joe and Pip leave the house. When they arrive at the same place that Pip was a few hours ago, Pip starts to think that maybe the convicts could think that he is responsible for the chase. Walking through the marshes they come to the old Battery, there the soldiers stopped. It seems that they found someone."Here are both men!’ panted the sergeant, struggling at the bottom of a ditch. ‘Surrender, you two! and confound you for two wild beasts! Come asunder!’ It's the Pip's convicts."

After being handcuffed, both convicts start to blame each other. One saying that he was the victim of attempted murder and another denying the accusation, saying that he was only trying to return the convict to the hulls, therefore helping the authorities. "The other one still gasped, 'He tried - he tried - to murder me. Bear - bear witness.’

‘Lookee here!’ said my convict to the sergeant. ‘Singlehanded I got clear of the prison-ship; I made a dash and I done it."
After a long walk, they returned to the prison ship. There the convicts were locked again.

See you on Chapter six.

Unit 4 - Writing - Essay

Essay

Low-cost airlines have revolutionized travel - but at what price?

Pros

- Allowed more people to flight;

- Improved the economy system of cities and countries.

Cons

- Quality of the service has decreased;

- Overbooking;

- You have to pay for everything but the flight.

More than before, we've seen plenty of traditional airlines companies changing their business and offering low-cost flights. Over and above, dozens of new airlines companies around the world, have been created with this purpose. This shift is changing the way people are currently using the system. It's clear to all of us that low-cost companies have revolutionized travel - but at what price?

The highest contribution of the low-cost airlines is to allow access to a wide range of passengers, something never seen before. Right now, more and more people can travel by plane, mainly because they can afford the cost of the airline tickets.

In addition, these flights have been improving the economy system of cities and countries. The more people travel, the more people spend money buying things and increasing the local markets. It's money in movement.

On the other hand, however, to keep the low price of tickets the airline companies have been decreasing their quality of service. One good example is the overbooking. The premise of low-cost airline companies is to have full of the seats occupied. So, in order to get this, plenty of times the passengers have to face overbooking. Finally, besides the low price of the tickets, the passengers have to pay for everything that is not included in the ticket regulation. For example, passengers have to pay for on boards meals, size and weight of checked bags, change of flights, etc. Frequently, the final price paid for the tickets is almost the same given for other companies including everything mentioned and other advantages for the passenger.

To sum up, although low-cost airlines had given access to millions of passengers around the world, who had even thought about flying before, the quality of service delivered is below the acceptable in most of the time. Thus, I believe that the price paid for travel with low-cost airline companies could be high in the end.

See you!!