Election the unknown for next year's market (Post 2 of 2)

Posted to The Age (13/12/12) on 16/12/2012 at 2:23 PM
Commenting on "Election the unknown for next year's market"
http://theage.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/election-the-unknown-for-next-years-market-20121212-2b9vu.html

The apartment market in Sydney and Melbourne has been oversupply for many years, and many have not increased in value in real terms. Living in an apartment is a lifestyle choice, so says the apartment dwellers. Apartments used to be called flats in the 60s and 70s, including those high rise housing commission buildings. Like many single syllable word, flat is an English term, while multi-syllable (normally three or more) apartment American. In short, apartments of today are glorified, jazzed up flats.

Unless one has been used to living in an apartment such as those from high-density living places like Asia, it is difficult to understand the mentality of many who choose to swap their more comfortable home for a cubby house. The amount of body corps fee, all other associated costs and lost opportunity in investing a large sum of money for air-space instead of land, should be more than sufficient to have a full time person looking after a family's daily needs.

I still enjoy looking out of my window to see the beautiful flowers in the gardens, taking the shopping out of the car boot and entering through the door from the garage straight into the house, and having my video turned on reasonably loud to experience to the surround sound effect. Oh no, I can't see myself living in an apartment everyday!

Have I lived in an apartment before? Yes, I have stayed at my friend's luxurious apartments / condos overseas on several occassions, but did not like it.

Election the unknown for next year's market (Post 1 of 2)

Posted to The Age (13/12/12) on 16/12/2012 at 1:27 PM
Commenting on "Election the unknown for next year's market"
http://theage.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/election-the-unknown-for-next-years-market-20121212-2b9vu.html

Whichever party wins the election is not the determining factor for the boom-and-bust of the real estate industry. The concern of today is unemployment. The reported unemployment rate is totally unrealistic, and unreliable. To understand the extent of economic misery, all you need is to count the number of For Rent or For Lease signs in busy shopping strips, CBD commercial buildings, and the number of people carrying bags of purchased items in shopping centres.

Gone are the good old days of economic recovery. The wheel of economy stops when people stop borrowing and stop spending. Unfortunately, it is the uncontrolled spending leads to over commitment of debt here and overseas. The fear of inability to recover the debt by the lenders put the brake hard and the wheels come to a halt.

Accelerated spending helped China, India and many developing countries to create employment, which cannibalised ours and many developed countries'. The thought of employment recovery is farfetched, because there is no way but probably with one possible avenue that our labour costs can be lowered substantially to compete in the international arena.

That possible avenue relies on new migrants coming to Australia with different mindset and attitude towards work. The costs of construction, direct and indirect, may come down, not dissimilar to the scenario of Asian restaurants and cafes serving mouth-watering and appetite satisfying meals.

When will this prophecy be realised? I think the process has already begun!

Growing tomatoes is a great way to introduce gardening to young minds

Posted to The Age (2/12/2012) on 7/12/2012 at 1:25 PM
Commenting on "Growing tomatoes is a great way to introduce gardening to young minds"
http://theage.domain.com.au/design-and-living/growing-tomatoes-is-a-great-way-to-introduce-gardening-to-young-minds-20121201-2ankj.html

The question is how to plant the seeds in the parents' minds. They are far too busy in looking after themselves or household chores, let alone tending the garden.

I have not come across many people having new well thought out but rather "sterile" gardens. Those gardens with vegetables seem to be just a fad hobby. They "inherited" the gardens from the previous house owners, or for many Asians, the front and back gardens or lawn areas are turned into concreted slabs.

Many high rise apartments offer almost no garden space; while townhouses/units may have slightly bigger rear areas, but most builders concreted them to form an outdoor extension to the generally small usable indoor living zone.

The next very big thing

Posted to The Age (6/12/2012) on 6/12/2012 at 12:57 PM
Commenting on "The next very big thing"
http://theage.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/the-next-very-big-thing-20121130-2ajie.html

Why wait till the next project before people be friendly to the fellow neighbours and environment? They can still walk to next door to say hello, walk or cycle to the supermarket to do their shopping, or just turn off any unused appliances including all the chargers for mobile phones, iPad, computers, TV, etc.

There are many suburbs under utilised, not only around Fisherman Bend. It is good to have high density living to improve efficient utilisation of resources, but where are the employment prospects? Service industry can exists long term because primary or secondary industries exist. We can't keep importing goods, no matter how cheap they are from overseas, because our money flows out of this country. With that in mind, the secondary or primary industries will be at outskirts of CBD, leaving CBD an empty shell. This happened once before with decentralisation of Melbourne in the 60s.

The rise and fall of Dandenong and surrounding suburbs like Frankston is a good example for one to pay close attention to. Altona, Broadmeadows and surrounding suburbs will follow suit sooner than one can imagine

Surprise drop in jobless rate

Posted to The Age (6/12/2012) on 6/12/2012 at 12:25 PM
Commenting on "Surprise drop in jobless rate

http://www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/surprise-drop-in-jobless-rate-20121206-2awzn.html

No wonder people say statistics lies. If each full-time job is replaced by 5 part-timers, the actual scenario is negative not positive. The total earned by these 5 part-timers is far less than 1 full-time employee, because most part-timers are casual who are not entitled to sick leave, super, and other benefits.

Besides all the high profile business closure, more proof of economic slowdown is evident if you just walk down some suburban shopping strips, Dockland, shopping centres, and look up to some commercial buildings in the CBD. I would like to challenge such unrealistic optimism, and reliability of the mathematical model and definition of employment/unemployment rates.

Many real estate agents' representatives and TAFE teachers have fallen victims to the current debacle. Many casuals are never included in the calculations, and their rise and fall in numbers create distortion to the statistics. The number of volunteers has also increased for two reasons. First many retrenched or unemployed keep themselves sane by contributing their excessive spare time, and two these people hope to add something extra in their résumés to make them look more presentable instead of showing a period of absence in employment history.

Wake up all those in Canberra ivory tower; do something now before the next sand storm comes; you may not have the chance to pull your ostrich heads up that had been buried in it for those years.

Royals not amused: Sydney radio hosts 'sorry' for Kate hospital hoax

Posted to The Age (6/12/2012) on 6/12/2012 at 11:09 AM
Commenting on "Royals not amused: Sydney radio hosts 'sorry' for Kate hospital hoax"
http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/royals-not-amused-sydney-radio-hosts-sorry-for-kate-hospital-hoax-20121206-2awf3.html

Totally disrespectful. I sincerely hope no listeners will post as your relatives and make fun of you in the public airway. Think about it and grow up.

What young people fear most - and it's not the environment

Posted to The Age (5/12/2012) on 5/12/2012 at 10:30 AM
Commenting on "What young people fear most - and it's not the environment"
http://www.theage.com.au/national/what-young-people-fear-most--and-its-not-the-environment-20121204-2atc5.html

How many of the respondents are out of work with or without teenage children? If you have never been unemployed or struggled to survive from hands-to-mouth, you have no idea what you are talking about.

I have worked hard and actively participated in the workforce until a few months ago. I choose to wind down a bit. I had been young once. I went through past recessions starting from the 70's. No matter how tough those days were, I could find work. Indeed I worked three jobs, 7 days and 6 nights for months during University break, to keep me alive and save up for fees and expenses. For the rest of the time, I worked weekends. I rented a small store room in a share house near Melbourne University. Survival came before lifestyle.

Paul Keating created the smart dole queue, and in fact this will get longer each year. Lack of skilled tradespeople pushed up prices and wages, and this started a chain reaction. In the name of lowering labour costs, advanced developed nations handed over years of R&D, and trillions of dollars worth of blood-sweat-and-tears to China, making many Chinese very wealthy, and probably has the smartest workforce. Many factory workers work on hi-tech machinery and equipment, while we can only muck around with simulated diagrams on an iPad or computer.

For the concerned young people, your hands worth more than your brains and mouths! Don't despair, go to learn a trade instead of getting a worthless diploma!

Auctions looking up as rates go down

Posted to The Age (4/12/2012) on 4/12/2012 at 4:39 PM
Commenting on "Auctions looking up as rates go down"
http://theage.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/auctions-looking-up-as-rates-go-down-20121204-2asok.html

The only way we can see a real recovery in the real estate industry is not a rate cut, but good news in the employment front.

Almost every week, we read or hear about either companies going down the gurgler or jobs being outsourced overseas. What so big deal with another $40 or $100 less in loan repayment when all the other utility bills or rates and charges keep going up, leaps-and-bounce by more than 25 percentage point each time. Such increases swallow up any positive cut by the RBA and thankfully from the bank.

Without job security, there is no certainty in one's future, let alone one with a family. Those at the ivory tower with 6-figure pay cheque cannot understand the pain and suffering of the "working families" or very soon the "non-working families". For goodness, it is time the pollies grow up and stop the idiotic squabbles in the Parliament, and come up with constructive policies and strategies to curb the decline of employment.

The Chinese are dealing with real stuff hands-on, with R&D knowledge and blue-prints handed to them free-of-charge from the so-called smart Western nations including Australia, while our university graduates know basically nothing more than just theories and designs on papers. Many Chinese factory workers are working on hi-tech machines while we still ponder when we will have the opportunity to see one.

Auction clearance rate plunges

Posted to The Age (4/12/2012) on 4/12/2012 at 4:36 PM
Commenting on "Auction clearance rate plunges"
http://theage.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/auctions-looking-up-as-rates-go-down-20121204-2asok.html

The APM figures are quite rubbery. Each week, the auction results of major cities are published online in The Age under auction results. The figures do not quite match the REIV results published in the Sunday Age. The question is, which one is more reliable?

I have written on many occasions that real estate agents tend not to report unfavourable auction / sale results, to avoid tarnishing their sales records, which the agents tend to brag to the potential vendors when appraising properties,

Auction results do not paint a realistic picture about the real estate market. During bad time like now, many houses are in the market to be sold by private treaty (private sale). Agents tend to ask for big marketing expense for auction, and owners who are in financial difficulty cannot afford to pay the additional money. It must also be noted that many smaller agencies do not encourage auction, because they do not have an in-house auctioneer or do not want vendor to incur an external auctioneer fee. Additional expense will make the agent to be less competitive in such cut throat commission base business.

Know the drill, do your homework

Posted to The Age (4/12/2012) on 4/12/2012 at 4:17 AM
Commenting on "Know the drill, do your homework"
http://theage.domain.com.au/home-investor-centre/know-the-drill-do-your-homework-20121130-2ajh5.html

It may look good in drawing, or even from the scale-model, but looking down from the real thing are the ugly roof tops of many old buildings. You may be also looking into someone's bedroom or lounge through the window in the opposite block, unknowingly become a peeping Tom. Similarly, your neighbour across may be watching your movement and activity.

Many people believe that it is safer to live in apartments, free from burglary or assault, but then there are always tenants who do not know the security rules, and kindly allow strangers to follow them into the building, or even press the elevator button for them.

Balcony has its advantages and disadvantages. Due to fire risk, many smokers do smoke in the balcony, but unfortunately the prevailing wind blows the smoke into the neighbour's apartment. Although the wall separating the adjacent apartments may be thin, it does form a much better sound barrier than the wall-less balcony. The noise of neighbour's chitchat, especially on mobile phone with their mates can be very distracting if one is watching a show on the television, or doing school work that requires concentration.

Instead of paying a substantial amount pay to owners’ corporation, I can afford to live in a bigger house having Jim's mowing to mow my lawn, paying Chubb to monitor my security alarm or buying enough food for a big Alsatian dog.

House prices on bumpy road of recovery

Posted to The Age (3/12/12) on 3/12/2012 at 12:59 PM
Commenting on "House prices on bumpy road of recovery"
http://www.theage.com.au/business/property/house-prices-on-bumpy-road-of-recovery-20121203-2apzv.html

Unfortunately Leith van Onselen was correct by predicting the fall would be between 30% and 50%. There are several areas suffered from such disaster, and the local papers' property section is full of house foreclosure sale. In fact, many new suburbs may become ghost towns if economy and employment do not take a different turn.

A lot of real estate gurus have been teaching and preaching that prices of real estate double every 7 years. The choice of word "every" is not the best, but without which the statement does has some merit. This is not impossible for a property to double in price if it is purchased at the bottom of the cycle.

Desktop take flight

Posted to The Age (30/11/12) on 2/12/2012 at 10:18 AM
Commenting on "Desktop take flight"
http://www.theage.com.au/business/property/tale-of-two-cities-a-happy-story-for-inner-suburbs-20121026-28b7t.html

To understand the psyche of this, one must understand why PC (PERSONAL computer) / desktop computer was invented and promoted. Certain things will always remain as private and confidential, and Cloud storage does not fit the bill.

Other reasons are about ownership and control. Ownership uplifts one's status, and with that comes with perceived power and control. In larger organisations, such culture of hierarchy and positions still prevails.

When the whole world goes Cloudy one day, there will be no locked filing cabinets or drawers in all workplaces.

Sale auction is moving to middle

Posted to The Age (25/11/12) on 30/11/2012 at 4:05 AM
Commenting on "Sale auction is moving to middle"
http://theage.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/sale-action-is-moving-to-middle-20121124-2a0cn.html

The increase in sales by Barry Plant Glen Waverley may not be due to improved market conditions. The Glen Waverley office changed ownership during this year. The previous owner put in more effort in his winning race horse than running the business. Currently, Glen Waverly office belongs to a group who owns several offices; synergy and pooled resources seem to pay off.

Without given a more comprehensive set of statistics, it is difficult to say whether the increase is due to cannibalisation of other real estate companies’ business in the area.

When the boom dies, many smaller agencies had their last grasp of sales by offering extremely competitive commission to vendors, which could also explained lower sales in the previous year by larger companies. These competitors are now history, resulting in "less man more share".

Readers must also take note that there are a lot more houses not sold by auction. Many vendors cannot afford to pay money for an auction campaign which requires more advertising money to get additional exposure in various media. Many vendors are already having trouble to pay their mortgage, let alone advertisement.

Is housing recovery just a pipe dream?

Posted to The Age (19/11/12) on 20/11/2012 at 1:45 AM
Commenting on "Is housing recovery just a pipe dream?"
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/is-housing-recovery-just-a-pipe-dream-20121118-29k61.html

The up swing of the current situation is inevitable. It is not due to the reasons MJ have given, but the bank vaults are bursting with cash and they need it to generate more to satisfy their greed.

During the recession of the 70s, Australia was still at the forefront in many industries and wheat export. Many parts of the world were underdeveloped. The second recession was rescued by the good fortune that European countries spending like no tomorrow using debt. China became a rising star, manufacturing ferociously to satisfy the world's hunger for materialistic needs. The "Western" countries stupidly handed years of R&D to China to produce goods at low prices, creating a pool of unemployed due to factory closure.

Many Chinese factory workers are likely to be smarter than our engineers and builders because they have the inside knowledge and hands on practical experience. That brought great wealth and prosperity to many Chinese, not dissimilar to the early days of the Western countries. Is over dependence on Asian investment good? Definitely not, for the Asians.

Technology advancement creates online demand and opportunities for overseas manufacturers and service providers. This will fuel unemployment for many Australians, in particular the people who are supposedly to be in their prime ageing between 30 and 40. Without employment certainty and security, they will wake up not from the Australian dream but Australian nightmare, without a roof over their head!

Teleworking - still a pipe dream?"

Posted to The Age (12/11/2012) on 13/11/2012 at 11:19 AM
Commenting on "Teleworking - still a pipe dream?"
http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/computers/blogs/gadgets-on-the-go/teleworking--still-a-pipe-dream-20121112-297eq.html

If everyone works from home, the economy will come to a complete stand still. All the commercial buildings will be vacant, and every town and city landscape will be completely changed, devoid of human soul. While we cannot bury our heads in the sand and stop progress, it is illogical to make such broad statement.

Online shopping will soon be a norm for many people, but the warehouses need to be stocked, and surely the items cannot be produced virtually on a computer except on a real machine manned by human on location. The raw materials and finished products need to be transported, and trucks require drivers.

How can people move the wheat fields to the house, or grow all the fruit and vegetables in their backyard? For meat lovers, do they rear chickens and other animals in their apartments? Oh yes, what about the garbage collectors; how do you expect them to collect the waste and dispose of it remotely?

What one must keep in mind is that if the job can be done in a Melbourne or Australian home office, it can be done much cheaper in other countries remotely.

Tale of two cities a happy story for inner suburbs

Posted to The Age (27/10/2012) on 27/10/2012 at 4:05AM
Commenting on "Tale of two cities a happy story for inner suburbs"
http://www.theage.com.au/business/property/tale-of-two-cities-a-happy-story-for-inner-suburbs-20121026-28b7t.htm

Whatever studies undertaken or predictions made for the next two decades cannot be trusted with a six-foot pole. Technology has changed and will continue to change the employment pattern to such unimaginable extent that even futurists and crystal-ball reading gypsies have problems foretelling what is ahead, even just for a decade.

In late 60's and early 70's, Carlton Association campaigned so hard to save Carlton, an inner suburb next to Melbourne CBD, from being declared as a slump. Brunswick and Richmond were not better off then.The houses were small, and many were not well lit.

Decentralisation moved the population to the outskirt of CBD, where factories were erected to produce cars, machineries, food processing, etc. By then footwear and clothing industries began to decline and eventually died after tariff was removed. Brick veneer homes were built and a generation of middle income class established. Decentralisation was so successful that the CBD went into a tail spin, and drastic efforts were made to lure people back.

Manufacturing and related industries employed a lot of people. Frankston and Dandenong were the new rich suburbs. Good time needs good money, and our labour cost could not compete with then backward developing countries. Very soon they were handed over "free" high-tech knowledge by the developed and advanced countries. Factories began to close, and set off a chain reaction up-stream and down-stream industries.

Online businesses will have the same impact on brick-and-mortar retail outlets. In addition, online education will produce the same fallout to the teaching sectors.

The question then is "where will employment be found?". Pessimistically speaking, CBD will no longer be the hub, and travelling to work in the CBD will be the thing of the past!

Sexism tirade shifts dynamics of bitter contest

Posted to The Age (22/10/2012) on 22/10/2012 at 10:12 AM
Commenting on "Sexism tirade shifts dynamics of bitter contest"
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/sexism-tirade-shifts-dynamics-of-bitter-contest-20121021-27zma.html

Prime Ministers come and go, but Australia will still be around even these are long forgotten. With that in mind, any leader with vision and genuine desire to create a Utopia for Australians will be put on the pedestal and remembered forever.

Backstabbing, calling names, negative campaigning may work for a short time, but any counter attack will turn the tide. The Parliamentary debates are jokes, and the performers are not better than clowns in circuses.

Public apologies were made and crocodile tears rolled down about the "stolen generation", but is there any sorry being said when billions are spent on projects that went down the gurgles or lined the pockets of the unscrupulous people? This money can be better spent the forgotten poor, and quality education.

I shall vote for the one who can tell us what they will do to create a better Australia!

Economy sheds 27,000 jobs

Posted to The Age (12/7/12) on 12/7/12 at 12:34 PM
Commenting on "Economy sheds 27,000 jobs"
http://www.theage.com.au/business/economy-sheds-27000-jobs-20120712-21xf2.html

Many casual workers especially students, who work for cash-in-hand, have never been reported and therefore have not been counted in the statistics. Many of these jobs are now gone, but have not reflected in the unemployment rate.

If a full time job for an employed person is now turned into a part-time / casual position but taken up by 2 persons, the total hours in now reduced to only 2 paid hours, this in fact nonsensically reduced the unemployed by 1. If this involves three part-timers / casual, the unemployed figure is reduced by 2, and so on.

A lot of older people are keen and looking for employment, but they are the neglected one. In addition, many unemployed are suffering from depression and medically unfit to seek employment.

For goodness sake, don't kid the innocent public with all these mumbo-jumbo crap. The whole statistical calculation must be revamped so that the real pain and suffering are reflected, otherwise realistic and humane policies cannot be made or formulated.

Turnbull's gay marriage swipe

Posted to The Age (7/7/2012) on 7/7/2012 at 3:34 AM
Commenting on “Turnbull's gay marriage swipe”
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/turnbulls-gay-marriage-swipe-20120706-21mou.html

Custody matter is very messy for many divorce opposite-sex couples. After the parents have gone through those very ugly and nasty divorce processes, a lot of the children suffer immense psychological trauma. These are children born as a result of the union of their biological parents. Due to many factors, including holding strong views of uncompromising I’ism and love for materialistic ownership instead of relationship, couples start to drift apart. Unfortunately, the number of divorces is on the increase.

For gay couples, the so-called children are “created” or “conceived” in laboratory and later “implanted” by surgery. The “ownership” of children will always be an issue, either morally or legally. A child of a same sex couple not only has no less than two fathers or two mothers in physical sense, they may have additional father or mother who donates the sperm or egg. The child may also have an additional surrogate mother who carries the embryo. Assuming that statistics does not lie, more than 30% of same sex-couple marriage will end in divorce, and if so, all hell breaks loose when custody is decided upon.

At least one of the same-sex partners has no biological kinship with their “child”, and the parents’ divorce may cause the child’s identity turn upside down. The child may feel betrayed not only by their parents, but also by the society and all the professionals who allow such union and operations to proceed.

Scheme to shield fare evaders

Posted to The Age (5/7/2012) on 5/7/2012 at 11:46 AM
Commenting on "Scheme to shield fare evaders"
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/scheme-to-shield-fare-evaders-20120704-21hnf.html

It does not make any business sense at all. Soon many bunnies will get no compensation at all, and it can be foreseen different kind of bunnies will be conned to sell the concept like the pyramid selling model. How is the scheme administered, and what will be the operationg cost to run it?

I dare those fare evaders to do the same when staying in a hotel, hiring a car or just eating at a local pizza joint.

Wake up, pay your fares or have the guts to run as candidates in election to give youself the chance to change the law.

No room for a view

Posted to The Age (14/5/2012) on 14/5/2012 at 3:53 AM, 3:57 AM
Commenting on "No room for a view"
http://theage.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/no-room-for-a-view-20120513-1ykr8.html

Those people choose to live in high rise should have the commonsense to realise that their apartments are not the only one around. Melbourne is slow to adopt overseas trend of high rise in the CBD, and there is no excuse for those city dwellers not to take heed of examples in Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.

While many current high rise buildings may be green by design, they are definitely not green in the larger scheme of thing. They are the culprits which make CBD a concrete jungle, contribute towards the wind tunnel effect, shield off sunlight essential for human in the form of Vitamin D, increase flooding due to lack of open “soil” area to absorb rain water, and increase green house gases due to lack of trees and other vegetation.

The higher floor may command better view, if there is not another high rise around to block it, the quality of air may not be as good. As warm air rises, it carries with it other polluting suspension. The fresh air from the open windows may not be that “fresh” after all. Many buildings have passages which receive no sunlight, and fresh air, which means electrical equipments and electricity are needed to provide artificial lighting and recirculate the air 24 hours a day.

Some living in apartments especially on the higher floors may have the misconception that there is not a need to install curtain or opaque blind - they are wrong. When lights are turned on inside the apartment, the other apartment dwellers across facing the windows can see clearly what’s going on inside the building. Privacy may be compromised.

Before buying an apartment, why not leasing one for a year to check out the pros and cons. Landlord pays the management fees and rates, which can amount to couple of years of coffee supply.

Top of worry list: work, work, work

Posted to The Age (8/5/2012) on 8/5/2012 at 2:34 PM
Commenting on "Top of worry list: work, work, work"
http://www.theage.com.au/executive-style/management/top-of-worry-list-work-work-work-20120504-1y47u.htm

It was just one of those hectic month-end years ago that the mainframe computer system chose such auspicious to go down. I was managing the computer department then. The phones were ringing, and users were asking for their hardcopy reports. I could not do anything to get the system up and running.

My MD saw me having my cup of coffee, looking very relaxed, and asked curiously why I looked so calm and showed no sign of being stressed.

I replied, "I can do a great job in designing software, managing my staff, getting the department running smoothly, but I can't perform miracles. I am not an engineer, and I have to leave it to the expert to fix the hardware before I can continue my work. There's no point in getting myself stressed over this"

Why Gillard should quit

Posted to The Age (30/4/2012) on 30/4/2012 at 11:13 AM
Commenting on "Michelle Grattan - Why Gillard should quit"
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/michelle-grattan--why-gillard-should-quit-20120430-1xts3.html

Julia Gillard lacks all the traits of a good leader, and in fact, this is lacking in most political parties. Many of the so called party leaders depend so much on advisers’ opinions, and I just wonder who the voters really have voted as their representatives in the Parliament.

All the evidence whether empirical or real, had been pointing to inexcusable and unacceptable behaviour of any these members of parliament, and Julia Gillard should have nipped these matters on the butt decisively from the beginning.

Trust is earned and Julia Gillard has never in a single day as the Prime Minister worked on it let alone lost it. Not only Julia Gillard could not recognise or realise the importance of trust which can make or break people holding the highest position, but also all the advisers, and all the good-for-nothing people around her.

There is no need for any elders to give Julia Gillard the nudge to step down; in fact any nudge from anyone will only topple her completely due to her inability to make rational decisions.

Make room: state population set to soar

Posted to The Age (24/4/2012) on 25/4/2012 at 10:33 AM
Commenting on "Make room: state population set to soar"
http://news.domain.com.au/domain/real-estate-news/make-room-state-population-set-to-soar-20120424-1xi6l.html

A properly run aged care home provides not only a room-accommodation, but also medical and other auxiliary and ancillary care, regular nutritious meals, exercises and activities under supervision. I have close relatives in aged care home, and have been volunteering in several for more than a decade. In comparison with some aged who choose to stay at home, my relatives have better quality of life and probably cost a lot less to the community at large.

Feeling weak (Post 3 of 3 Posts)

Posted to The Age (15/4/2012) on 18/4/2012 at 2:45 PM
Commenting on "Feeling weak"
http://watoday.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/feeling-weak-20120414-1x0g2.html


@Andrew Smith, you're quite correct to point out about international students market. In fact, I've written many articles about this AUD18.8 billion industry (when at its peak), second largest "export income" after the mining industry.

When the government policies brought in so abruptly, billions of dollars were wiped out, even if a third to quarter is gone, that will equate to AUD6.1b to AUD4.7b, good enough to achieve budget surplus without hurting the taxpaying public.

Will the students swamp the colleges again? I doubt so. UK, USA and Canada have been attracting the students with more favourable Visa and after-graduation-stay conditions than Australia.

Many private colleges and TAFE could not survive such disastrous downturn, and became history. Dragged down by this collapse are many teaching staff, mainly sessional teachers, who are the baby boomers. Reduced income implies reduced investment in property or stock market.

Australia is not an isolated island in the global market. Our success attracted many vultures who wanted a slice of the action. Our government should learn a lesson not to introduce policies on the run!

Stocks dip after RBA minutes

Posted to The Age (17/4/2012) on 17/4/2012 at 10:49 AM
Commenting on "Markets Live: Stocks dip after RBA minutes"
http://www.theage.com.au/business/markets-live/markets-live-stocks-dip-after-rba-minutes-20120417-1x4gg.html

The graph looks spectacular, doesn't it? It is just the scale of the graph that plays the trick.

There's nothing to celebrate these days - the PIIGS are still getting leaner, China has to dig into her own pocket because lean PIIGS are not good for Chinese export, and lean China means less mineral export from Australia to China or same volume at lower prices.

If banks keep increasing interest, more money will be deposited and not go out, that means less profit eventually. If borrowing becomes more and unaffordable, the real estate will continue to decline. Collapse in real estate industry means more defaults, and bank write-off.

Am I too pessimistic? No way, I think I have my brain at the right place and think like a common citizen, while those gurus sitting in the ivory tower having been throwing darts to the future outlook dart board.

Feeling weak (Post 2 of 3 Posts)

Posted to The Age (14/4/2012) on 17/4/2012 at 5:46 PM
Commenting on "Feeling weak"
http://theage.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/feeling-weak-20120414-1x0g2.html


@Garry, I'm glad that all the young people you know are sensible and save a lot. Very likely they can save more, because one cannot have a cake and eat it too. You see, how can they really save a lot if "They are saving, and living their lives."

Although the duration of the loan may last for 30 years, good sensible people with reasonable income should pay off the primary residence between 7 and 10 years. There is plenty of time left even after 10 years of financial burden.

If people don't start saving as much as possible when they are young, don't expect to have spare cash left after they get settled, or start a family. Job hopping will become a thing of the past as time catches on.

My views may not apply to many, but I still like to share with people who can see value in them. For the first 25 years, it's time for study and pursue of knowledge to establish a career launching pad; 25 years of career ladder climbing, financial building and investment, solid work with some travelling; 25 years of active relaxation, travelling and volunteering.

After which, I can't guarantee my body can still cope with active life style, and my bones won't need a grease change.

I am in my third phase of the cycle; otherwise I don't have the time to comment on this news article.

Feeling weak (Post 1 of 3 Posts)

Posted to The Age (15/4/2012) on 17/4/2012 at 3:16 AM
Commenting on "Feeling weak"

http://theage.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/feeling-weak-20120414-1x0g2.html

I have written on many occasions, and still believe firmly that the real estate market will not see an upswing until March/April 2013.

The Labor Federal Government, especially Julia Gillard and Wayne Swan are still far too indulged in budget surplus. This is an absolute nonsensical strategy, which basically means collect more money from the people of Australia and cut spending on the people. They cannot have the cake and eat it at the same time. If the surplus money does go back to the people, the budget should be a neutral one - no surplus or deficit.

It is no point to squeeze blood out of rock, the already heavily debt-laden Australians who are facing employment uncertainty. What Australia needs is trade surplus, getting more money to fill the coffers from external sources.

All these create enormous uncertainty for business and property investors, which can lead to further economic downturn especially those states that are not involved in the mining industry.

Australians must also take the blame too by spending more and more on online purchasing from overseas, and swamp the every corner of the Earth creating an outflow of money to other countries. This adds to the burden of trade deficit.

Do not ignore Harvey Norman, David Jones, Myers and the car industry complaining about poor performance in sales. These are the siren warning about disastrous staff sacking, which in turn sets out a chain reaction affecting all other service industries.

Downturn in real estate industry affects a lot of related industries, and the negative effect feedbacks to the real estate loop. Many young people are living like there is no tomorrow; true if they keep sipping coffee the travelling overseas, their hope of owning a house is just pie in the sky.

Safe vehicles are driving the drop in road deaths

Posted to The Age (116/4/2012) on 16/4/2012 at 11:34 AM
Commenting on "Safe vehicles are driving the drop in road deaths"
http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-news/safe-vehicles-are-driving-the-drop-in-road-deaths-20120415-1x1q4.html

Safe vehicles are driving the drop in road deaths. Safe drivers will eliminate road deaths.

What's the choice?

Safe vehicles are driving the drop in road deaths

Posted to The Age (116/4/2012) on 16/4/2012 at 11:34 AM
Commenting on "Safe vehicles are driving the drop in road deaths"
http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-news/safe-vehicles-are-driving-the-drop-in-road-deaths-20120415-1x1q4.html

Safe vehicles are driving the drop in road deaths. Safe drivers will eliminate road deaths.

What's the choice?

Wanted: a visionary to plug the leadership

Posted to The Age(14/4/2012) on 14/4/2012 at 2:15 PM (Not published by Newspaper)
Commenting on "Wanted: a visionary to plug the leadership"
http://www.theage.com.au/national/wanted-a-visionary-to-plug-the-leadership-hole-20120413-1wz3p.html

I called 4 real estate agents to appraise a house, and only young representative impressed me very much. The house was a rental property, dated with telltale sign of mission brown door frame and skirting. However, he did not see all these as the downside. He was very enthusiastic, saw the potential, talked about the positives and explained how he would market the house.

Whether he could sell the house eventually is secondary, but he excited me by giving me hope that the house could be sold at the current depressive market. He never put any other real estate agents down; in fact throughout the whole appraisal process he concentrated his energy in the house only.

Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott are worse than lack lustre and lack vision; they lack the enthusiasm and salesmanship to put ideas across. They lack the important rapport called honesty and trust. Their views are superficial and mainly party line driven.

Julia Gillard is like a little spoilt brat; she wants her way to get the carbon tax bill passed, miscalculates the Malaysian solution and refuses to impose GST on online imports less than AUD1000; despite the public outcry, the risk of wiping out most of the small businesses which employed bulk of the working population and torment the already heavily debt-ridden farmers who are the guardians of the Australian food bowls.

Tony Abbott has to work on his body language. However, body language is a reflection of what he is within. It would be better if Tony Abbott could come up with something more positive in revitalising the manufacturing industries or any industry for that matter.

On many occasions, political parties use negative campaign to scare voters on their choice, but time and again the tactic failed. Polls after polls people of Australia have spoken that they want a strong a leader, a leader that leads and not to kowtow to foreign powers; a leader to give us hope, create job opportunity for present and younger generation and drive Australia economy further.

China was a third world country perceived to have nothing to live for during early Mao’s time. Australia was a lucky country according to Donald Horne then. Now China has the largest airport, fastest train, tallest building, rocket, space station, factories that building hi-tech computers and electronic, factory of the world, etc. What do we have in Australia – primary producing industries that cannot absorb all the so called smart Australians having university degrees? Can Julia Gillard or Tony Abbott do anything to move Australia forward?

The ugly side of online shopping (Part 2 of 2 Parts)

Posted to The Age (11/4/2012) on 11/4/2012 at 9:06 PM
Commenting on "The ugly side of online shopping"
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/the-ugly-side-of-online-shopping-20120411-1wq5q.html

The new Australian Consumer Laws are not helping the small business operators, especially on refund and return of items. Many unscrupulous "purchasers" have been misusing such loophole which is a better option than hiring the item. Items are “purchased” but returned to the retailers after the intended uses are satisfied, e.g. a HD TV for football final, expensive gown or hat for a special occasion, an expensive camera to take the wedding photos, etc.

The Federal Labor Government is stupid to the highest degree by not taxing many overseas online purchases. These should incur not only the GST, but also an additional tax called the loss revenue tax. When a retail shop closes its door, not only there is directly loss of employment for the staff, but also loss of rental for the premises owner, utility usage, vibrancy of the surrounding business precinct, unemployed staff’s ability to spend which sets another chain reaction, etc.

End of Part 2 of 2

The ugly side of online shopping (Part 1 of 2 Parts)

Posted to The Age (11/4/2012) on 11/4/2012 at 9:00 PM
Commenting on "The ugly side of online shopping"
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/the-ugly-side-of-online-shopping-20120411-1wq5q.html

Time has changed and so must the retailers. Yes, I’m on the side of the retailers, because I can see that their livelihood is seriously being jeopardised. The price of an item sold includes many costs, and besides the brick-and-mortar cost, the running costs, and a large component is the service cost and the related on-cost for the staff. It is not unreasonable that if service is rendered, even though the item is not purchased, the business operator should have every reason to recoup the service cost incurred.

While Canberra Business Council’s intention may be good, their advice on adjusting to the business cycle is far from satisfactory. Many small business operators do not have the purchasing power and hence the bargaining power. Due to the size of our country, and low population density, cost of product distribution is very high. While the concept of jut-in-time may be appropriate for component usage in large manufacturing companies, this may not work for small ticket items in most retail outlets. The opportunity cost for losing sales will also have negative impact on business good will.

End of Part 1 of 2

Tall and thin the new fashion for Melbourne developers

Posted to The Age (9/4/2012) on 9/4/2012 at 5:01 PM
Commenting on "Tall and thin the new fashion for Melbourne developers"
http://theage.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/tall-and-thin-the-new-fashion-for-melbourne-developers-20120409-1wk86.html

Several Melbourne skyscrapers and architecture have ruined the skyscape, and can only be described as eye sore. This proposed design resembles a one-finger salute, arrogant, not complimentary to the surround, looks very much like a drill bit, and a symbol of instability for those who believe in Fengshui. Every time I go up to a tall building in Melbourne, I can see the ugly and rusty roof tops of the nearby old buildings. I believe this building is not an exception.

PM adopts Howard 'trust me' line

Posted to The Age (27/3/2012) on 27/3/2012 at 9:02 AM
Commenting on "PM adopts Howard 'trust me' line"
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/pm-adopts-howard-trust-me-line-20120326-1vuov.html

If a person is new to the game, trust is given as a matter of “benefit of doubt”. Subsequent trust is based on that person’s behaviour, action and performance. In short, trust is earned, and once that is broken, the damage is almost irreparable in most cases. There was an “original Gillard”, then the “real Gillard”. It looks like we are getting a re-jigged 1203 version Gillard. If whatever she says, she means the opposite, what she is telling us is “DON’T TRUST ME!”

Aussies are known to be knockers, and people in opposition party are not different. How much longer is Tony Abbott going to knock the Government / Julia Gillard? A week is a long time in politics, and when the time due for election arrives, voters are feeling just as sick to vote for the opposition for their less than impressive policies, only if they have any real policies.

The opposition cannot afford to sit on their backside to wait for the opportunity to come to push the Government over. Opportunities are created at times, and the time is now. Australia is not like some northern African countries, and it is unlikely to see riots in the streets to bring down the Government, yet!

When the “hidden” employed, educated Centrelink dependents, distressed former house owners, heads of broken families were to join forces, the repercussion can be disastrous. “Where the hell are you, Coalition strategists?”

Big retailers hammered

Posted to The Age (22/3/2012) on 22/3/2012 at 4:20 PM
Commenting on "Big retailers hammered"
http://www.theage.com.au/business/big-retailers-hammered-20120321-1vkdi.html

Besides online shopping, there are other factors at play. China’s design is no longer dreary and dull. Many designs are comparable to European designs, and accepted by many consumers.

In fact, some big boys are importing directly from China, and by cutting off the many middlemen in between, the retail prices are much cheaper. I can get my jeans from Kmart as a price I used to pay in Hong Kong, minus the heckling.

The consumers’ mentality tends more towards disposable. Long product life cycle seems to be things of the past, whether it is fashion or electronics. It does not seem wise to pay for something overpriced, or costs too much, because soon the product will be out-dated and a new one need to be purchased.

Many take on the will-do attitude these days. Furthermore, there are outlets which sell recycle high-end market fashion at bargain basement price.

The generation that grows up Myers and DJ are now beyond the “used by date”. These yesterday consumers, in fact, can most afford but they do not require as much cosmetics, handbags, hats, fashion, etc.

For consumers who are prepared to pay more to go to these well known establishments, they do expect certain level of services. However, this has been downgraded to what had happened in Hong Kong before SARS struck the island – customers received no service, and the staff were kings / queens.

Sparse transport adds to health woes

Posted to The Age (22/3/2012) on 22/3/2012 at 3:45 PM
Commenting on "Sparse transport adds to health woes"
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/sparse-transport-adds-to-health-woes-20120321-1vk8d.html

It is not about the infrastructure, but population density within an area.

It is true that many CBDs including Melbourne are well served by public transport, because the trains, trams and buses converge to the city. On the contrary, not everyone of the vehicle will go out to the same spot, and therefore services and frequency drop dramatically. Many countries have a lot more efficient public transport services, including Singapore and Hong Kong. In busy Hong Kong CBD, normal size and mini buses are everywhere competing with cars and trams on the main roads; some meander at high speed in the narrow laneways. However, the problem of infrequent public transport services also prevails in the outskirt.

Couple of years ago, the Hong Kong Government had to restrict 50% of the buses to run at peak hours to ease the congestion!

In one high rise block in Hong Kong, the population can be as high as a complete Australian estate. There is no way we can keep complaining unless we review the type of life style, demographics and population growth. Whether the services are run publicly or privately, no tax payers will support services run at big losses.

Lenovo plans to be first with Windows 8

Posted to The Age (16/3/2012) on 16/3/2012 at 3:06 PM
Commenting on "Lenovo plans to be first with Windows 8"
http://www.theage.com.au/it-pro/business-it/lenovo-plans-to-be-first-with-windows-8-tablet-20120316-1v9es.html

@AM, if you are a real contributor, not just to kick start the conversation, I strongly suggest that you attend some training courses on computer; otherwise you'll be an embarrassment to your child if you continue to tell people about your "experience".

Wanted: a visionary to plug the leadership

Posted to The Age(14/4/2012) on 14/4/2012 at 2:15 PM (Not published by Newspaper)
Commenting on "Wanted: a visionary to plug the leadership"
http://www.theage.com.au/national/wanted-a-visionary-to-plug-the-leadership-hole-20120413-1wz3p.html

I called 4 real estate agents to appraise a house, and only young representative impressed me very much. The house was a rental property, dated with telltale sign of mission brown door frame and skirting. However, he did not see all these as the downside. He was very enthusiastic, saw the potential, talked about the positives and explained how he would market the house.

Whether he could sell the house eventually is secondary, but he excited me by giving me hope that the house could be sold at the current depressive market. He never put any other real estate agents down; in fact throughout the whole appraisal process he concentrated his energy in the house only.

Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott are worse than lack lustre and lack vision; they lack the enthusiasm and salesmanship to put ideas across. They lack the important rapport called honesty and trust. Their views are superficial and mainly party line driven.

Julia Gillard is like a little spoilt brat; she wants her way to get the carbon tax bill passed, miscalculates the Malaysian solution and refuses to impose GST on online imports less than AUD1000; despite the public outcry, the risk of wiping out most of the small businesses which employed bulk of the working population and torment the already heavily debt-ridden farmers who are the guardians of the Australian food bowls.

Tony Abbott has to work on his body language. However, body language is a reflection of what he is within. It would be better if Tony Abbott could come up with something more positive in revitalising the manufacturing industries or any industry for that matter.

On many occasions, political parties use negative campaign to scare voters on their choice, but time and again the tactic failed. Polls after polls people of Australia have spoken that they want a strong a leader, a leader that leads and not to kowtow to foreign powers; a leader to give us hope, create job opportunity for present and younger generation and drive Australia economy further.

China was a third world country perceived to have nothing to live for during early Mao’s time. Australia was a lucky country according to Donald Horne then. Now China has the largest airport, fastest train, tallest building, rocket, space station, factories that building hi-tech computers and electronic, factory of the world, etc. What do we have in Australia – primary producing industries that cannot absorb all the so called smart Australians having university degrees? Can Julia Gillard or Tony Abbott do anything to move Australia forward?

The case for RBA tipsters being wrong – again (Part 2 of 2 Posts)

Posted to The Age (5/3/2012) on 5/3/2012 at 1:02 PM
Commenting on "The case for RBA tipsters being wrong – again"
http://www.theage.com.au/business/the-case-for-rba-tipsters-being-wrong--again-20120305-1uc2k.html

The rate will remain unchanged due to societal pressure rather than economic rationalism.

The unemployment rate will not change because of the inaccurate model used for calculation, and the seasonally adjusted data are just as rubbery due to "goods-dumping" from China.

The case for RBA tipsters being wrong - Again (Part 1 of 2 Posts)

Posted to The Age (5/3/2012) on 5/3/2012 at 12:44 PM (Not published by Newspaper)
Commenting on "The case for RBA tipsters being wrong – again"
http://www.theage.com.au/business/the-case-for-rba-tipsters-being-wrong--again-20120305-1uc2k.html

The current model used to calculate unemployment rate is unrealistic and unreliable, and should not be taken into consideration for RBA to decide rate changes.

The model is unrealistic because anyone works for one hour paid employment during the survey period is considered employed. If that same person works for 35 one-hour jobs, he is in fact equivalent to a full-time worker, but instead he is counted 35 times.

It is unreliable because seasonally adjusted is not no longer valid. Many people purchase goods when sales are on, including Christmas items after Christmas, summer fashion after summer, etc. The latter is true, because most goods are sourced from China, and there is a two-season difference between China and Australia.

What is more concerning is that when travel expenditure is down, this is a reflection more on air travel. Unfortunately air tickets are made up of two components, the actual cost of ticket and the fuel surcharge. Many airline companies are living in the lah-lah land by slashing the ticket price continuously to an unprofitable level just to attract extra patronage. This price slashing is not to curb inflation, but for survival. It is, therefore incorrect to be used as a determinant variable for RBA.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard's surprise move to put Bob Carr into Foreign Minister role (Post 2 of 2)

Posted to Adelaide Now (2/3/2012) 2/3/2012 at 7:05 PM (not published by Newspaper)
Commenting on "Prime Minister Julia Gillard's surprise move to put Bob Carr into Foreign Minister role"
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/national/gillard-to-reshuffle-cabinet-after-rudd-revolt/story-e6frea8c-1226287011216

All these reshuffling will cost the taxpayers truckload of money, because all those involved will have stationery thrown into garbage bins, to redecorate the offices, recruit and appoint staff, reorganise computer information for access authorisation, receive training and briefing on the new position, fix myriads of mistakes made when climbing the learning curve, etc.

Julia Gillard is no stranger in regards to staying in a position for short duration. She was a Jacquie of all trades, and Ms of almost none. This is the best way to make excuses that "I'm still new to the job".

For the dumped or out-of-flavour MPs, such as Harry Jenkins, Kevin Rudd, Robert McClelland and Mike Kelly, please look deep inside your hearts and do the honourable thing by resigning thus bring forth an early election to rid off this habitual lying PM.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard's surprise move to put Bob Carr into Foreign Minister role (Part 1 of 2)

Posted to Adelaide Now (2/3/2012) 2/3/2012 at 6:22 PM (not published by Newspaper)
Commenting on "Prime Minister Julia Gillard's surprise move to put Bob Carr into Foreign Minister role"
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/national/gillard-to-reshuffle-cabinet-after-rudd-revolt/story-e6frea8c-1226287011216

Liar, liar, liar! Once a liar it is always a liar. Now, another liar comes on board!

I'm in fact referring to the habitual liar PM, and Carr who categorically denied of having the PM offering him the FM position, his expressing enthusiastically about Australia's bid for a seat on the Security Council which he had never been a fan of, and he said he did not want to go to Canberra, but will be sitting in the Senate. Bob Carr may be the excellent choice as the Foreign Minister, but Julia Gillard is definitely the wrong choice as the Prime Minister.

Carr a good addition, but what a saga

Posted to The Age (2/3/2012) on 2/3/2012 at 5:57 PM
Commenting on "Carr a good addition, but what a saga"
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/carr-a-good-addition-but-what-a-saga-20120302-1u7gq.html

Liar, liar, liar! Once a liar it is always a liar. Now, another liar comes on board!

I'm in fact referring to the habitual liar PM, and Carr who categorically denied of having the PM offering him the FM position, and his expressing enthusiastically about Australia's bid for a seat on the Security Council which he had never been a fan of.

Tough times for young job seekers (Post 2 of 2)

Posted to The Age (2/3/2012) on 2/3/2012 at 3:22 PM
Commenting on "Tough times for young job seekers"
http://www.theage.com.au/business/tough-times-for-young-job-seekers-20120302-1u721.html

Since Hawke and Keating years, young people are encouraged to go for paper qualification in University, and even now, the Government is so proud of the increase in University enrolment. The reasons for the increase are of twofold: one is due to the lowering of marks to gain entrance to higher education, and second, young people cannot find employment and hence are forced to pursue further education after high school.

At the vocational trade front, Australia is still crying out for more tradespeople many of whom have retired or are retiring. The shortage drives up cost of labour in construction, plumbing, connection and maintenance of household utilities, etc.

The smart Alec politicians want to make Australia to have a highly educated and qualified workforce. By population proportion, when Australia churns out one university graduate, USA churns out 15 and China 62.

Workforce needs work! Closure of factories takes away not only the full time jobs for the working families, but also apprenticeships and employment for the young people who need the starting point for future career path.

It is not that the young unemployed are choosy; just that some of the workplaces are inaccessible by public transport, and they may not speak the language to enable them to service special racial clients.

By the way, I'm a very qualified matured age unemployed, but fortunate enough to survive mortgage-free!

Tough times for young job seekers (Post 1 of 2)

Posted to The Age (2/3/2012) on 2/3/2012 at 2:56 PM
Commenting on "Tough times for young job seekers"
http://www.theage.com.au/business/tough-times-for-young-job-seekers-20120302-1u721.html

It is a myth to think that when one is prepared to work, and with certain qualifications, there is no problem in getting a job, or any job.

When one is in employment, it is easier to look for another job. If one is out of employment or has never worked before, there is a Buckley chance to get one.

Not all young people have problems with attitude (a term I still don't quite understand), and not many can afford iPhone. Some even have to resort to prostitution to earn enough to survive, and hopefully get out of the rut when they finish their study.

I am not a young job seeker; I had the opportunity to work three jobs to get through my University. I shared with several students renting a house in Faraday Street, Carlton when it was almost declared as a slump. I could afford to take on jobs that paid little, because the shared rent was minimal, close to Victorian market, did not have to travel to University and stayed in the air-conditioned library to do my homework until it closed late at night.

These days, the cost of living is very high and hourly pay rate is low. The comparative ratio is disproportionate. I know of a master-degree-graduate in International Banking working as cashier in a restaurant, a bachelor in architecture at Bunning's garden centre as sales staff, but many unemployed who have lost their self-esteem and confidence.

Plans for the future (Post 2 of 2)

Posted to Sydney Morning Herald (25/2/2012) on 1/3/2012 at 12:31 PM
Commenting on "Plans for the future"
http://smh.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/plans-for-the-future-20120224-1trbw.html

Many apartment owners are wasting their money paying owners' corporation fees to subsidise other owners' / tenants' life style e.g. maintenance of swimming pool, gym, library, etc. if they don't use such facilities.

Plans for the future (Post 1 of 2)

Posted to Sydney Morning Herald (25/2/2012) on 1/3/2012 at 12:21 PM
Commenting on "Plans for the future"
http://smh.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/plans-for-the-future-20120224-1trbw.html

"It's so light and bright ... on the plans," No one can tell from a 2-dimensional plan whether the finished apartment will be light and bright. The buildings on the sides, front and back can affect the amount of sunlight shone inside the building. Furthermore, the design of corridors and interior colour can have an effect on the intensity of brightness.

There are always risks associated with buying off the plan. Such practice is very common in Asian countries. The developer may go under if GFC hits Australia harder than expected, and that the development cannot attract enough early birds to place orders. Overseas inestors can buy up to 50% of a new development, and the remainder must be sold to locals.

Far too often buyers are over eager to rush into placing their orders and pay the asking price. Good negotiators should always ask for special discount for being the first to help kick start the business.

It is most unfortunate that Australia with large land mass has to resort to high rise, high density living, turning many CBD's in Australia into concrete jungles, causing many City dwellers lack Vitamin D sourced from sunlight.

While many people want to live in clean and green environment, high density living is not the solution. Most buildings are artificially lit, and require expensive air conditioning for heating and cooling, including the wasted common areas. Energy is also wasted on filtering and recycling the air within the building.

Australian foreign minister resigns amid speculation of leadership bid

Posted to CNN (22/2/2012) on 22/2/2012 at 7:10 PM (Not yet published by Newspaper)
Commenting on "Australian foreign minister resigns amid speculation of leadership bid"
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/22/world/asia/australia-rudd-resignation/index.html

I posted a comment to the news article published by Herald Sun (19/6/2011) on "Kevin Rudd set to party to mark his 'assassination day'. I reckoned that the whole thing was a conspiracy. Kevin Rudd’s resignation at 1:20 am Washington DC local time or 5:20 pm Melbourne Eastern Standard Time is the continuation of the saga.

The following is my original post, which was also posted to my blog site http://sinfongchanpolitics.blogspot.com.au/2011/06/kevin-rudd-set-to-party-to-mark-his.html

Kevin Rudd was never dumped. It was just an act to rescue Labor from total annihilation in the previous Federal Election. A change of leadership was the only way to beg the people of Australia for mercy to give this incompetent party another chance. With further intentional deterioration in performance will give Kevin Rudd an excuse to return to his rightful place - showing that he was not that bad after all.

Just think about this, why did Kevin Rudd just so happen had to admit to hospital at the peak of election campaign? It was just to avoid answering questions from the media. Former mates Wayne Swan and Julia Gillard did not visit Kevin Rudd at the hospital, nor a phone call to check on his condition was just unthinkable; in short, they are not fit to be called Australians if this was done intentionally.

Why in the world Julia Gillard has to kowtow to Kevin Rudd and keep Foreign Ministry just for a political "enemy", and provided such a big budget for him to travel around the world.

The so called conflict between Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd went on and on like a pork chop. This is nothing more than a distraction so that Australians will not pounce on the government continuously about the wasteful unproductive projects and mismanagement of the country.

Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd did not come from the lower rung of the labour force. They were well educated and had not really dirtied their hands in the shopfloor during their younger days. Their ideal on Labor movement is no more what they have learnt from textbook. They use the Labor Party as the platform and vehicle to enable them to rise to the top.

Deep down inside, they are unlikely supporters of Labor movement, which is a hindrance to Australia’s progress. The current show down is a way to destabilise the factionalism within the Labor Party, so that the Party can move more towards the less industrially militant position like the Liberal’s.

Perception is everything to gain confidence of the people of Australia. Once again, Kevin Rudd appears like a sacrificial lamb and Julia Gillard the big bad wolf. Despite all these drama and stress, Julia Gillard seems patient, cool and unmoved. She is a very smart lady and appears to be unassuming. By stepping down, Kevin Rudd is seen to be honourable and “submit” to play the game of peace, and he will be given a chance to rule the country again, does extending the life of Labor Party in power.

During the past few months, many key Ministers are in dead silence. They are all in the plot, and know very well what is behind the story, and how future will unfold. For what Kevin Rudd has done, he will be given a Diplomatic post likely in China, Indonesia and upcoming Burma, countries that have great strategic significance to Australia.

Relative calm will prevail for the next few months, and many bills will be passed with the help of the Independents, Greens and even Liberal MP’s who now have lost patience with the leader. Many of these bills will result in Australia going into further debt. The real unemployment rates, not the so called official ABS reported statistics, will rise. The mining boom is going to fizzle out as China’s economic prosperity begins to slow down.

Julia Gillard will remain as the Prime Minister until the next mutiny which will take place prior to election 2013. At this appropriate moment, the baton will be returned to Kevin Rudd, a god send saviour who has the charisma to pacify the restless Australians, as the country’s economy takes on a tail spin!

Sadly to say, the Liberal Party’s inaction leads to their missing a golden opportunity to get Julia Gillard out of office, if that is their intention!

Shares lower on Greece doubts

Posted to The Age (22/2/2012) on 22/2/2012 at 1:47 PM
Commenting on "Markets Live: Shares lower on Greece doubts"
http://www.theage.com.au/business/markets/markets-live-shares-lower-on-greece-doubts-20120222-1tmo0.html

Only bunnies believe Greece has such magical and mythical power to influence our stock market overnight!

Unlike, the Chinese God of Wealth who "is" obese (sign of prosperity) and has a smiling face, Plutus the Grecian mythological God was lame and blind!

If you lose your money by following the gypsy-style crystal-ball-reading analysts, I can visualise that you are a hopping mad blind Freddy!

Making the most of the small outdoors (Post 2 of 2)

Posted to The Age (18/2/2012) on 21/2/2012 at 10:53 AM
Commenting on "Use your illusion: Making the most of the small outdoors"
http://theage.domain.com.au/design-and-living/use-your-illusion-making-the-most-of-the-small-outdoors-20120220-1tinw.html

..... I enjoy living in a house with front and back gardens. The only time I live in an apartment or rooms-only building is when I am on holidays.

I designed and landscaped my own gardens, with some professional help. Landscaping garden is one of my hobbies, and I file it under my artistic portfolio.

My wife does the regular maintenance like growing and harvesting the vegetables, trimming and regenerating flowers and shrubs. She also handles the horrible job in weeding among the display!

Cleaning the pond is a chore, especially on sunny, hot summer days. The dead leaves and flowers from the water lily and plants surrounding the pond fell to the bottom of the pond. Even with a circulatory pump running, mosquitoes still lay eggs in the undisturbed part of the pond surface. In addition, the Lilydale topping path that turned green then black due to the moss needs to be attended. Unlike the Japanese who treat moss as part of the scheme of thing, I prefer my path stay whitish.

There are many gum trees and deciduous trees in my neighbourhood. The leaves from these trees are not fussy where they land after the wind subsides. My garden is just as good as someone else’s for landing!

I don't quite understand the part on "the downpipe connecting three gutters". Anything not forming part of your property but connected to yours may void certain clauses in the house insurance policy and do check with appropriate water and drainage authorities regarding whether any legislation is breached.

Making the most of the small outdoors (Post 1 of 2)

Posted to The Age (21/2/2012) on 21/2/2012 at 2:46 PM
Commenting on “Use your illusion: Making the most of the small outdoors”
http://theage.domain.com.au/design-and-living/use-your-illusion-making-the-most-of-the-small-outdoors-20120220-1tinw.html

How long will such beautiful courtyard last? People choose to live in a cubby house in overpriced inner suburbia are likely to be either overworked or over lazy in house work / garden maintenance. Even a small garden needs time and tender loving care. The water feature may look good and sound good, but soon the water trough will gather moss and algae, even with running water. Leaves from neighbouring trees can fall into the water, and need to be removed.

“Sow carrots. Baby carrots are ideal for troughs.” Baby carrots will become big carrots, and what can they be used besides feeding them to the pet rabbit? After baby carrots, what else can be grown in the trough, not another lot of baby carrots?

Just keep in mind anything that grows needs more attention than something that is dead or artificial!

Changing needs call for reinvention (Post 2 of 2)

Posted to The Age (21/2/2012) on 21/2/2012 at 2:15 PM
Commenting on “Changing needs call for reinvention”
http://theage.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/building-conversions-set-to-increase-20120217-1tck2.html

Who in the right mind could imagine Australia had to resort to high rise buildings for dwelling in the CBD like our nearest neighbours Singapore, Hong Kong and now China? It defies logic that people choose to live in cubicles not much bigger than a prison cell instead of living in big houses as an expression of freedom and success. The kitchen is no more than a show piece, because cafés, restaurants or fast food outlets are down the street. How amusing to hear that so many trendy City dwellers are health conscious!

How many people really make use of the balcony? I have not seen many people sitting out in the in the balcony enjoying the cold Melbourne winter or sunny afternoon. Practically speaking, it is good for hanging out the clothing to dry, but this will upset the management which forbids such eyesore practices, and so dwellers dry them in clothes dryer, a complete waste of energy, and rendered them as Green hypocrites. Well, can a building be given a 5-star rating if clothes dryers are used instead of the true solar energy?

Changing needs call for reinvention (Post 1 of 2)

Posted to The Age (21/2/2012) on 21/2/2012 at 2:13 PM
Commenting on “Changing needs call for reinvention”
http://theage.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/building-conversions-set-to-increase-20120217-1tck2.html

Melbourne is not prone to volcanic and seismic activities, but it does from time to time experiences minor earth tremor, not big enough to bring tall buildings down yet. However, Christchurch, New Zealand should be a wakeup call for multi-storey building owners and developers to have a closer look at their existing buildings to ensure that they can withstand something more than a Mickey Mouse earth movement and safety measures are taken to minimise casualties in unfortunate circumstances.

Many people are buying waterfront apartments to have calming and picturesque view of the water. Unfortunately, many owners of the lower floors of these buildings soon realise that the views are arrogantly blocked by “two-finger” salute of another high rise built in front of theirs.

Rendering is a waste of money, especially near the open sea, unless it is done properly. No wonder the pool of money contributed by the owners for future maintenance is known as the “sinking fund”! The southerly winds are harsh on the surfaces, and if erratic rainfall pattern were to continue in the long haul, rendered surfaces will look dirty and tired very quickly!

ANZ recruiting in Philippines as local jobs axed (Part 2 of 2)

Posted to The Age (19/2/2012) on 19/2/2012 at 12:22 PM (Not published by Newspaper)
Commenting on “ANZ recruiting in Philippines as local jobs axed”
http://www.theage.com.au/national/anz-recruiting-in-philippines-as-local-jobs-axed-20120218-1tg3l.html

Just in case some readers are not familiar with the basic accounting equation, profit or loss of a business is equal to income minus costs and expenses. Salaries, wages and superannuation, office rental, utilities, etc are costs and expenses, and since with less people around, the costs and expenses will be drastically cut. The profit will increase even if the income remains unchanged.

Are these CEO’s that smart to come out with these strategies? No, many just spend company’s money to engage consultants to plot against their own people! If part of the CEO’s reward is based on performance, this is the simplest way to make more profit without increasing sales!

How can these people go to bed with a clear conscience every night?

End 2 of 2 Parts

ANZ recruiting in Philippines as local jobs axed (Part 1 of 2)

Posted to The Age (19/2/2012) on 19/2/2012 at 10:26 AM
Commenting on “ANZ recruiting in Philippines as local jobs axed”
http://www.theage.com.au/national/anz-recruiting-in-philippines-as-local-jobs-axed-20120218-1tg3l.html

Whose jobs will be axed next?

For any major restructuring of a large organisation, the axe always starts from the lower rung of the leader. As the number of workhorses diminishes, supervision and management roles of the middle management are reduced, and so will the positions.

Well, you guess it right; once the middle managers are gone, the senior managers will be the next in line. I have come across a very senior manager from an Asian country who strategized the restructuring of the Australian operation received the same treatment after he had executed professionally many of his fellow colleagues.

The saddest thing is the senior managers are too naïve to think that they have done a good job and will be rewarded accordingly. The only ones that reap the benefit will be the CEO and Directorates, who claim the credit of turning the bottom line to show healthy profit.

End 1 of 2 Parts

Demetriou's pay drops as AFL records net loss

Posted to The Age (17/2/2012) on 17/2/2012 at 12:23 PM
Commenting on "Demetriou's pay drops as AFL records net loss"
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/demetrious-pay-drops-as-afl-records-net-loss-20120217-1tcwj.html

He does not play a game, make a loss and yet gets $1.8 million, just like many CEO's in many Australian companies.

Apathetic Australians in power or in control make this happen. A person with good character does not necessarily make a good business operator or leader.

PM wins votes but not voters

Posted to The Age (17/2/2012) on 17/2/2012 at 11:39 AM
Commenting on "PM wins votes but not voters"
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/pm-wins-votes-but-not-voters-20120216-1tbrn.html

The ways Labor spent money on all past projects can only be compared with people with pea brains. Two wrongs don't make one right!

Carbon capture storage (CCS) was doomed and carbon tax will cause many Australian businesses to doom. Two doomed carbon schemes don't make one oxygen breather for Australian business.

Don't let this pain and suffering to continue further after the next election. Julia Gillard got rid of Kevin Rudd, voters will get rid of Julia Gillard. Two hopeless leaders don't make one great Australia!

As for the Coalition, two negative knockings don't make one positive policy.

May I ask the Coalition why two parties in coalition cannot beat one?

Rents rise by 13% in sought-after suburb

Posted to The Age (15/2/2012) on 15/2/2012 at 1:48 PM
Commenting on "Rents rise by 13% in sought-after suburbs"
http://theage.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/rents-rise-by-13-in-soughtafter-suburbs-20120213-1t0e7.html

Most people, whether they are renters, owners and investors have not much or no idea at all about the costs of owning and keeping a property. With rising utility charges, rates, land tax, on top of bank interest charges, property owners are in no way laughing to the bank. In fact, the contrary is true.

When one wants to start a business, he/she has to prepare a business plan and many potential wise operators will even attend courses on how to manage business and basic accounting.

A few hundred thousand dollars investment in property is worth more than some small businesses, and yet I have not come across anyone to take the effort to learn about income, expenses, breakeven, small business operation/management, negotiation skill, demography, real estate market trend, etc. Some of the course items mentioned are not rocket science, but only very few real dummies will find these difficult to understand.

If the initial rent charged was low, there is a lot to catch up in rent increase. Investors are not saints, and they need to make a profit to justify their investment. Many properties purchased during the last few years were at highly inflated prices, and the rental return for property investors has been in the red. Unless they are other form of income to cover their shortfall, many will have to sell their investment properties to cut their losses. The cumulative loss is far more than the capital gain in the past few years.

Unfortunately, many investors cannot curb their losses even in the next seven years, unless annual rental increase over this period is at least double that of the inflation rate. By my calculation, some may even have to increase rent by 40% to achieve breakeven.

The Ugly Side of Online Shopping (Part 1 of 2)

Posted to The Age (11/4/2012) on 11/4/2012 at 9:00 PM
Commenting on "The ugly side of online shopping"
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/the-ugly-side-of-online-shopping-20120411-1wq5q.html

Time has changed and so must the retailers. Yes, I’m on the side of the retailers, because I can see that their livelihood is seriously being jeopardised. The price of an item sold includes many costs, and besides the brick-and-mortar cost, the running costs, and a large component is the service cost and the related on-cost for the staff. It is not unreasonable that if service is rendered, even though the item is not purchased, the business operator should have every reason to recoup the service cost incurred.

While Canberra Business Council’s intention may be good, their advice on adjusting to the business cycle is far from satisfactory. Many small business operators do not have the purchasing power and hence the bargaining power. Due to the size of our country, and low population density, cost of product distribution is very high. While the concept of jut-in-time may be appropriate for component usage in large manufacturing companies, this may not work for small ticket items in most retail outlets. The opportunity cost for losing sales will also have negative impact on business good will.

End of Part 1 of 2

Four Corners has Labor sides on edge

Posted to The Age (9/2/2012) on 9/2/2012 at 12:14 PM
Commenting on "Four Corners has Labor sides on edge"
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/four-corners-has-labor-sides-on-edge-20120208-1rezy.html

The strategy Liberal Party needs to adopt now is to "Conquer and Divide". Each Labor MP can serve only one master, either Julia Gillard or Kevin Rudd, and therefore, for each supporting group, the number of MPs is less than the total number of Liberal MPs working as a team.

If any Liberal MP is stupid enough to start infighting now, they should be sent to Christmas Island and never to be released! Liberal's infighting will cost the party missing the boat to win the next election, presumably an early one.

For the Liberal's leader, too much negativity can lead to voters' revolt. Prove to me why I should vote for the Party if I perceive the Party is nothing more than just a bunch of sour grapes, and cannot think of anything positive to say, such as how the Party can bring employment and prosperity back.

Unemployment and trade deficits are not just numbers. They represent jobs that bring home the bacon. They are the roots of many family breakup, depression, and other human sufferings.

Ten of thousands of home owners prepared to switch over rates

Posted to Herald Sun (9/2/2012) on 9/2/2012 at 2:58 AM
Commenting on "Ten of thousands of home owners prepared to switch over rates"
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/ten-of-thousands-of-home-owners-prepared-to-switch-over-rates/story-fn7x8me2-1226266201942

It's easier said than done. Furthermore, most people find it too troublesome to keep switching banks - CBA may be higher in interest rate today, but after switching ANZ may take the cake. This is no difference from shopping around for cheap petrol.

In many cases, real interest rates chargeable are not published publicly, and until one sits down to negotiate with the lender, there is no guarantee that the self-proclaimed bargain hunting expert actually wins the day.

Negotiation demands confidence and skills. Many borrowers are unlikely to do a good job when confronted by experienced professional lenders. Compounding this is that negotiation normally takes place at the lenders office, and therefore gives the lenders a winning edge, at least at the psychological level.

Borrowing approval criteria are getting more and more constrained; those whose income has been reduced due to reduced hours of work may not have the same borrowing power as before. Borrowers are stuck, and unable to refinance their loan at the same magnitude.

EastLink catches driver nappying

Posted to The Age (6/2/2012) on 6/2/2012 at 12:08 PM
Commenting on "EastLink catches driver nappying"
http://theage.drive.com.au/eastlink-catches-driver-nappying-20120205-1qztg.html

"You can exit and re-enter EastLink in the same trip, provided you keep in the same direction, don't repeat a section, and complete your trip within 60 minutes".

The rule is simple enough and not ambiguous to understand.

As a comparison, when a passenger travels on a train with a 2-hour ticket, 2 hours means 2 hours, or else he/she has to purchase a day ticket. Further to that argument, a day ticket cannot be used by a passenger who wants to stay overnight at some place and continues to use that ticket the next day.

Travelling on a toll way is a choice. The purpose of using it, for many people, is to cut down travelling time. If one wants to rest and have a bite-to-eat, why travel on the toll way unless that is the only way to travel on.

Tony Abbott's Try-A-Thon

Posted to The Age (4/2/2012) on 4/2/2012 at 11:32 AM
Commenting on "Tony Abbott's Try-A-Thon"
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/blogs/rocco-bloggo/tony-abbotts-tryathon-20120202-1quq4.html

Will the future Prime Minister of Australia stand up, please?

No one is trying harder than Tony Abbott at present to get the top job; he is determined to get it.

It is better for someone to declare his position, his vision no matter how unpalatable it is for the audience, than a little mouse who pussies around!

We don't really know how good or bad Tony Abbott will be until he gets there. Isn't it true for Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, too? They had big ambitions that caused more hardship, made promises not kept and spent money on projects that lined the pocket of the unscrupulous!

I always believe that those who sit all day will remain at the(ir) bottom(s)!