Haha, this one is strictly for those who are interested and know about this type of investment. Finally exited, after 6 years.
What is land banking? (dun quote exact, as this is from my own understanding!)
In lay man's term, a piece of 'raw' land (or agriculture land) was bought by this big company at a very cheap price and then they'll open up and invite investors to 'share' this land. Everyone gets a title deed etc. So after that, the process of land 'development' will be initiated. Means that the idea was to prepare documents, plan, design whatever, so that the piece of land or the area surrounding it will slowly be developed. Once that happens, the developers will be keen to take over this initial 'raw' land and to turn it into either commercial or residential areas. And once the price has been announced and where all the other investors agree to a certain percentage, the land will then be sold. Then each small investors will get their share. Minimum purchase at that time was half an acre but you can share with others if you like. So my brother's friend suggested to my brother and he was interested, so I follow.
That piece of land was at Canada, and the instrument during that time was, you pay the downpayment (a quarter of the purchase price and subsequently, you can pay via loan by morgaging the land). The finance company that provides the loan was the same one that sold the land to us. So, the interest for that was very very high. If not wrong, about 11-14%.
So, in year 2002 (I think la..) my brother and I paid SGD$3750 each for the downpayment. Then every month pay about SGD$180 each to service the loan. The interest are all calculated in Canadian dollars so, as the year goes by, Canadian currency grew so we actually paid abit more.
In year 2007, the land was sold. But everything was only finalized in year 2008. So we got our money back. After minus the mortgage loan payment and lawyer's fee, the approx. profit is about 6%. Ok bah? At least better than bank interest rates lor.
Nowadays, the investment mode has changed a bit whereby, the investor just dumps in $10K (in whichever currency of the land). For example, USD$10K will give you about 0.333 acre of land. The previous one was C$37K will give you about half an acre.
19 April, 2008
18 April, 2008
NDSL
My precious~ (in Gollum's voice...) Haha!
Yeah, mine.. all mine! Bought this second hand from a colleague. Most of the time, I'd be doing the Brain Age stuffs. First time did that, my brain was 80 years old! Gosh! Luckily now is about 31.. best I had was 27 so far. Anyway, my maths no good. Likely to get stumped at 8 x 7, or 9 x 7.
11 April, 2008
idol gives back
Reminds me of our own charity show, but this one in the States packs a whole lot more $$$$ power! Celebrities that earns millions donates a couple of thousands of dollars each, so raising a few million is definitely possible. According to the reports, 22 million has been raised from yesterday's show. I remembered Ryan saying that even before the show started, big corporations has already pledged around 13 million. Of course, the money raised from these will not only benefit American kids, it will also go to the world. The beneficiaries included Children's Defense Fund, the Global Fund, Make It Right, Malaria No More, Save The Children and the Children's Health Fund.
The show's opening was great. I loved the people from "So you think you can dance"! Saw Benji, Travis and a whole lot of them from 2006 show. Fantastic! They're definitely worthy to watch! And it's a pleasant surprise to know that Teri Hatcher can sing! Haha!
The show's opening was great. I loved the people from "So you think you can dance"! Saw Benji, Travis and a whole lot of them from 2006 show. Fantastic! They're definitely worthy to watch! And it's a pleasant surprise to know that Teri Hatcher can sing! Haha!
09 April, 2008
uni
Met up with Wendy yesterday. Our annual exodus. Haha! We'll meet up with each other during our birthdays. So that'll translate to something like... twice a year! She's one cool gal that one.
She was from the same hall as me when we were in university. Without her, I think I'd died of boredom during my final months in university! We'd sit glued to the TV when its time to play the Pyramid game (or was it the Wheel of Fortune?). Heh, fun fun fun!
So yesterday we went to Central to makan. Initially wanted to try Happy Pot at Esplanade, but we didn't want to risk it since it was raining. So a change of venue.
Anyways, we settled into Tomton. Ordered 1 cabbage soup with kurobuta slices (like a mini steamboat with only 1 ingredient!), 1 set of kurobuta cutlet with miso sauce and 1 bowl of ikura + uni rice. Muahahaha, I've always always wanted to try uni (sea urchin) but never really gotten to it. So yesterday was an opportunity! It was really just a tiny eeny bowl. Here's how it looked like:
uni + ikura rice bowl
And yup, its really an acquired taste. Wendy was like, "Are you sure you wanna eat that? Really really sure? Probably it'll taste better with some wasabi!" Hahaha, for a moment, I thought I'd freak out!
Anyways, it wasn't that bad. Tasted like pig's brain, only much mushier but it really really have a bad smell! The rest of the meal was alright. The soup was nice. But I think, likely won't be going back there again.
It was good to catch up with old friends... Thanks Wendy and Happy Belated Birthday!
She was from the same hall as me when we were in university. Without her, I think I'd died of boredom during my final months in university! We'd sit glued to the TV when its time to play the Pyramid game (or was it the Wheel of Fortune?). Heh, fun fun fun!
So yesterday we went to Central to makan. Initially wanted to try Happy Pot at Esplanade, but we didn't want to risk it since it was raining. So a change of venue.
Anyways, we settled into Tomton. Ordered 1 cabbage soup with kurobuta slices (like a mini steamboat with only 1 ingredient!), 1 set of kurobuta cutlet with miso sauce and 1 bowl of ikura + uni rice. Muahahaha, I've always always wanted to try uni (sea urchin) but never really gotten to it. So yesterday was an opportunity! It was really just a tiny eeny bowl. Here's how it looked like:
uni + ikura rice bowl
And yup, its really an acquired taste. Wendy was like, "Are you sure you wanna eat that? Really really sure? Probably it'll taste better with some wasabi!" Hahaha, for a moment, I thought I'd freak out!
Anyways, it wasn't that bad. Tasted like pig's brain, only much mushier but it really really have a bad smell! The rest of the meal was alright. The soup was nice. But I think, likely won't be going back there again.
It was good to catch up with old friends... Thanks Wendy and Happy Belated Birthday!
07 April, 2008
Remembering Charton Heston
Mr Charlton Heston has passed away at the age of 84.
We'll best remember him in great classic movies such as:
Ben Hur
enslaved (think I had a jigsaw puzzle of this... when I was a young kid)
the great chariot race
Ten Commandments
Parting the Red Sea
Goodbye Mr Heston.
We'll best remember him in great classic movies such as:
Ben Hur
enslaved (think I had a jigsaw puzzle of this... when I was a young kid)
the great chariot race
Ten Commandments
Parting the Red Sea
Goodbye Mr Heston.
05 April, 2008
man & woman
Word has it that "A man will pay $2 for a $1 item that he needs, while a woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need but is on sale..."
How apt! How true!
I was at Causeway Point today and was just about to walk to MOS burger to have my lunch when suddenly a sales girl placed a small bottle of hand cream onto my palm and said, "Here.. give you a sample!" I was like, ok. Free sample, why not. Then she said, "Come come, let my colleague show you a demo of our other product." I was like, ok.. why not.
So off I went into the small small confine of a demo 'corner'. Then out came a bottle of sea salt. Not any sea salt mind you. It's all the way from the 'Dead Sea'. Ok, few thousand miles away, I suppose?
Anyway, the girl rubbed a small lump onto the back of my hand and she described the benefit of the minerals etc and how it'll actually cleanse not only the 1st layer of the epidermis but also the second and third. I was just about to ask her how many layers of skin do we actually have... but the demo ended. She was at the part of how the product will also circulate the blood, as well as moisturise the skin. Massaging any parts of the body irregardless of whether we're using any other product should in fact, in some ways promote blood circulation, right?
Anyway, of course, she asked if I'd like to get one bottle of the salt. "How much?" "Well", she said. "We're currently having a promotion and its on 50% off the normal price." I was thinking, "50% from $200, will still need to pay $100 bah..." Then she said, "Usual price is $78+, so now is $36+ only." I'm sold. So ok. I got one bottle.
Then she said, "Wait, let me show you another product. A face scrub that works wonderfully around the eyes area as well!" Oki doki, you get the gist. So in the end, I ended with one bottle of dead sea salt and one bottle of face scrub. Total damage, about $70 in total.
So in the end, I got these:
(sea salt)
and
(Exfoliating & Cleansing Facial Gel)
Haha, 女人钱真好赚， 尤其是我的！天啊！Anyway, ok lar. First time I bought a product from Israel. Sounds exotic. Sounds far far away.
And I suspect it won't be the last time that I'm doing stuffs like this. Mark my words. Sigh...
How apt! How true!
I was at Causeway Point today and was just about to walk to MOS burger to have my lunch when suddenly a sales girl placed a small bottle of hand cream onto my palm and said, "Here.. give you a sample!" I was like, ok. Free sample, why not. Then she said, "Come come, let my colleague show you a demo of our other product." I was like, ok.. why not.
So off I went into the small small confine of a demo 'corner'. Then out came a bottle of sea salt. Not any sea salt mind you. It's all the way from the 'Dead Sea'. Ok, few thousand miles away, I suppose?
Anyway, the girl rubbed a small lump onto the back of my hand and she described the benefit of the minerals etc and how it'll actually cleanse not only the 1st layer of the epidermis but also the second and third. I was just about to ask her how many layers of skin do we actually have... but the demo ended. She was at the part of how the product will also circulate the blood, as well as moisturise the skin. Massaging any parts of the body irregardless of whether we're using any other product should in fact, in some ways promote blood circulation, right?
Anyway, of course, she asked if I'd like to get one bottle of the salt. "How much?" "Well", she said. "We're currently having a promotion and its on 50% off the normal price." I was thinking, "50% from $200, will still need to pay $100 bah..." Then she said, "Usual price is $78+, so now is $36+ only." I'm sold. So ok. I got one bottle.
Then she said, "Wait, let me show you another product. A face scrub that works wonderfully around the eyes area as well!" Oki doki, you get the gist. So in the end, I ended with one bottle of dead sea salt and one bottle of face scrub. Total damage, about $70 in total.
So in the end, I got these:
(sea salt)
and
(Exfoliating & Cleansing Facial Gel)
Haha, 女人钱真好赚， 尤其是我的！天啊！Anyway, ok lar. First time I bought a product from Israel. Sounds exotic. Sounds far far away.
And I suspect it won't be the last time that I'm doing stuffs like this. Mark my words. Sigh...
一眼瞬间
competition time
mtv
lyrics:
(女)白茫茫的星光
洒在长长路上
想念的冰凉
你知道吗
你浅浅的微笑
深似海的眼光
都能掀起我
滔天的巨浪
(男)你相信吗
这是命吗
这次我们放弃抵抗
哪怕拥抱
在身上
画下深深的伤
(合)只要看你一眼一瞬间
哪怕是最后画面
我的世界
因为爱过而完美
谁都不该离太远
只要看你一眼一瞬间
足够我熬过千年
我不后悔
爱若让末日提前
我们要一起
好好迎接那句点
(女)白茫茫的星光
洒在长长路上
想念的冰凉
你知道吗
你浅浅的微笑
深似海的眼光
都能掀起我
滔天的巨浪
(男)你相信吗
这是命吗
这次我们放弃抵抗
哪怕拥抱
在身上
画下深深的伤
(合)只要看你一眼一瞬间
哪怕是最后画面
我的世界
因为爱过而完美
谁都不该离太远
只要看你一眼一瞬间
足够我熬过千年
我不后悔
爱若让末日提前
我们要一起
好好迎接那句点
(女)如果相爱是错
(男)错过又算什么
(合)这一次我们
宁死不放手
往彼此的心里跳
跳过天荒地老
wo oh ...
只要看你一眼一瞬间
哪怕是最后画面
我的世界
因为爱过而完美
谁都不该离太远
只要看你一眼一瞬间
足够我熬过千年
我不后悔
爱若让末日提前
我们要一起
好好迎接那句点
Can't imagine but the guy's name is Jam... Jam Hsiao. Haha!
02 April, 2008
遗落
lyrics:
你沉默低下了头
倔强地抹去了含在眼角的泪光
我傻傻望着窗外来来往往的人
紧握着一只喝空的杯
是真的不懂得心疼
真的不懂爱吗
为什么我始终学不会
要让你心碎不要让你流泪
明天你将离我有多远
对你始终不曾说再见
被遗忘的语言在记忆里搁浅
我在默默地失眠
使我漫不经心的燃烧
你的付出热情和骄傲
你对我有多好我爱我有多少
我被遗落的心只有你知道
时间已停止流动
我的心已落在你我错身的瞬间
我抬头望着天空
你泯灭的心走进我
就将要各自飞
是真的不再有牵挂
真的结束了吗?
你知道我始终放不下
始终不能面对
你不再是我的宝贝
明天你将离我有多远
对你始终不曾说再见
被遗忘的语言在记忆里搁浅
我在默默地失眠
使我漫不经心的燃烧
你的付出热情和骄傲
你对我有多好
我爱我有多少
我被遗落的心只有你知道
明天你会离我有多远
对你始终不曾说再见
被遗忘的语言在记忆里搁浅
我在默默地失眠
使我漫不经心的燃烧
你的付出热情和骄傲
你对我有多好
我爱我有多少
我被遗落的心只有你知道
遗落的心只有你知道
Notice how many times '始终' always appear? Haha! The lyricist must really like the use of this phrase!
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