Thursday, April 30, 2009


Let's bookmark these 3 condos TOP 2009 One North Residence: ave psf $858, on sale 66 of 405 units Carabelle: ave psf $736, on sale 31 of 338 units Botannia: ave psf $681, on sale 61 of 493 units

2010 is probably the year to watch when people who bought in 2007 will see the TOP of their properties... read somewhere that 70% of the foreigners bought on DPS and that they form 22% of the buyers in 2007 (correct me if I'm wrong) .. also gather that these foreigners are the speculators chasing up the prices

CapitaLand profits fall 83% SINGAPORE - CAPITALAND, Southeast Asia's largest developer, said on Friday its first quarter net profit dropped 83 per cent from a year ago as property values fell across the region. The developer, whose largest shareholder is Singapore state investor Temasek with an 40 per cent stake, earned $42.9 million in the three months ended March, down from $247.5 million a year earlier. 'We do not expect a quick and sharp turnaround in global property markets,' CapitaLand CEO Liew Mun Leong said in a statement. Analysts expect CapitaLand to post a 62 per cent fall in net profit to about $485 million this year due to slower home sales and a drop in the value of its investment properties, according to the median forecast of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. Shares of CapitaLand fell 9.5 per cent in the first quarter compared with a 3.5 per cent drop in the benchmark Straits Times Index. -- REUTERS

Whether it was pent-up demand, discounted levels or other factors, sales did reach very high levels given the recession. But most sales were in the mass market segment, which consultants tip to be the best-performing sector this year. Demand for prime and high-end homes remains sluggish

Experts have long noted that a recovery in the stock market typically precedes an economic recovery, with a recovery in the property market after that.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009


Don't need too much theory. Just the following simple rules:- 1. Buy within your means 2. Choose the best location (i.e. near where the rich people stays or in central location) 3. Max up the loan. (keep the balance for raining days)

Monday, April 27, 2009


It's no longer that expensive to maintain, in fact it's downright affordable. Imagine this, 6 years ago, it used to be about $70k after the COE was renewed. Two years later it dropped to $48k thereabouts. When I bought it two years ago, it cost $23k. One of my friends bought one about a month back for $16k, about 4 years to run. Some feedback I got from the watering hole was about $29k for one with a brand new COE but about 18-19 years old

Sunday, April 26, 2009


M102.963
2.0 litre version with KE-Jetronic fuel injection.
Applications:
1990 200E

Mine is Mar '91. When I bought it last April, the mileage is 306000.Now it is about 324,000.Tires are 15 inch, 195 wide, Pirelli P7. I inflate up to 300psi, short of max 350 psi.When I top fuel to max, and drive to the quarter mark. Mileage is about 510 km. My estimate is about 9.8km/l.I press the throttle like a miser, and my rpm is usually reaching only 2.5k.

Sg Kadut; Propel, the merc scrap yard. I buy all of them from Tye Soon at waterloo street.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009


We would like to give you some advice here.
What do we mean by professional development and what does that have to do with you as a medical school applicant?
Applicants often ask what they should do before they apply to medical school. Perhaps you have asked. Perhaps what you really meant was -- what should you do to help you get into medical school? Is volunteering in an emergency room a good thing to do? How about research? How much? What kind?
Those questions suggest a "recipe" approach -- one semester of research plus a stint in an ER plus a visit to a soup kitchen equals a successful medical school applicant.
We disagree. There is no checklist of approved activities and there is no formula for getting into medical school.
So what do we want? We want you to be convinced -- and then to convince us -- that you have the aptitudes, interests, and motivation to be a good physician. We want you to be convinced -- and then to convince us -- that you've tested the waters and know that it's right for you. To do that you need to actually have done some things -- research, hospital volunteer, tutoring, shadowing, AIDS education, VISTA, Peace Corp, whatever -- and that you have:
Learned more about yourself
Learned more about medicine
Learned more about people
Learned more about science
and had fun doing it. We want you to be convinced -- and then to convince us -- that your goal is your own professional development and not simply getting into medical school.

Thursday, April 9, 2009


Good bicycle tights worn under the pants during route march/fast march will go a long way to avoiding abrasions My days in SISPEC were one of the most memorable, no 'real stress' or responsibility, no need to worry about recession or money no enough - like one of my company mate used to say, everyday you wake up in the morning (or at night!) just chiong and chiong, and then when all finished, sleep. Then next day wake up chiong again, no need to think so much. Important thing is build good relationships with your section/platoon mates, and enjoy the ride!

Use good socks, I use Thorlo Combat socks, and good shoe pads from Avia.It helps trust me. And get your pack conditioned, sponges and all to make it comfy. Put some lemon or preserved plum in the drink, makes it taste better and gives you salt

Tuesday, April 7, 2009


Buyers under DPS has to pay more in total, so those with cash will not opt for this. We can conclude many of these DPS buyers are shallow-pocket flippers. What makes it worse is the unexpected credit crunch. Besides, flippers are normally people with a risky-income profile like bankers, remisers, property agents ... who make a lot of money in the 2007-boom and became too optimistic about the property market. These people will be faced with sudden loss of income and will find it very hard to get a bank loan. DPS buyers cannot just walk away from the deals and think their maximum loss is the 10-20% downpayment. Developers can resell at any lower prices and the defaulting buyers will have to pay the difference plus all legal fees. So these shallow-pocket flippers will have to sell their units at whatever prices the market will pay. I see a property price crash coming from middle 2009

hmm lots more places connected by MRT.. maybe in long run, premium given to places next to MRT will not be so steep anymore.. at the moment, HDBs next to MRT can do 20k - 30k higher than those further away..

Monday, April 6, 2009


Blk 28 Jalan Bukit Merah, about 900 over sq ft, tenenat $3.3k. Selling $680.000. Good frontage.

"You have to be able to differentiate between people who are tire kickers and people who are serious," she said. "I have turned down a lot of overpriced exclusive, mainly from people who don't have a plan."

Sunday, April 5, 2009


The other think you want to look at is historical data. Based on URA index, it took on average 8 quarters from peak to bottom in Singapore in the last 3 boom - bust cycle. If Q2 - Q3 2008 was peak, then there are good chances that Q2 - Q3 2010 will be close to bottom