Is Buying a Home the Best Way to Build Wealth?

Posted to Sodahead (9/2/2015) on 10/2/2015
Commenting on "Is Buying a Home the Best Way to Build Wealth?"
http://www.sodahead.com/living/is-buying-a-home-the-best-way-to-build-wealth/question-4698794/

Many people will go to great extent to shop for cheap gadget and yet do not spend enough time to check out details before spending hundreds of thousands of hard earned dollars in real properties.

Several friends have asked me for opinion and advice after they have signed the purchase contracts. My standard response is "I cannot comment on what you have told me, and hope that you've made the right decision". A contract is a legal document, and trying to void one is beyond my scope. It is advisable to seek professional advice before committing, and no point to do so after.

Land appreciates but building depreciates. Every day, land gets more and more scarce, but building becomes older and older. Buying real property with no or little land is spending money on buying "thin air". Unless money is a dirty word and you have plenty to give away to the property developer or real estate agent, DO NOT get yourself that volume of thin air! Make sure that land near waterfront is not newly reclaimed or experiencing movement. Furthermore, properties near busy train stations, shopping centres, and popular schools command a good premium in prices.

Management graduates and staff at larger organisations are likely to have learnt the concept of continuous improvement. Similarly, properties must be maintained and improved continuously so as to minimise deterioration and in many cases, it can result in positive growth in real term.

London-Bound MAS Flight Delayed Due To Technical Trouble

Posted to Malaysian Digest (3/4/2014) on 3/4/2014 at 11:02 PM
Commenting on "London-Bound MAS Flight Delayed Due To Technical Trouble"
http://www.malaysiandigest.com/news/495640-london-bound-mas-flight-delayed-due-to-technical-trouble.html

Encountered similar problem on United Air few years ago when returning from LA, transit at Sydney to Melbourne. All the passengers, including my party of six on the leg of our holiday, had already boarded the plane at Sydney.

After five minutes, the passengers were told that the backup power supply malfunctioned, expected to be restored in a few minutes. It was rather warm and stuffy inside the plane.

More than half an hour later, the passengers had to get off the plane back to transit lounge. Another hour passed, but the problem could not be fixed. Finally, the passengers were informed to take a replacement plane to Melbourne.

PM never said MH370 had crashed (Post 2 of 2)

Posted to Free Malaysia Today (31/3/2014) on 1/4/2019 at 8:49 PM
Commenting on "PM never said MH370 had crashed"
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/03/31/hisham-pm-never-said-mh370-had-crashed/

MH370 is not the first and will not be the last airplane to be missing mysteriously. Most people are really good armchair generals, and many more speculate without evidence or foundation.

Closure is one of those words with a modern twist that I can't really understand. No premature death can have closure. There are too many why's to be answered.

It took many years for Titanic, warplanes and warships to be located despite fairly well documented evidence and eye witnesses' account.

Commonsense tells us that even all the floating debris are scooped up from the ocean surface and proven beyond any shadow of doubt that they belong to the plane, the location of these finds bear no relevance to the point where the plane went down, if it did go down in the Indian Ocean.

After spending many hours watching many episodes of "Air Crash Investigation", I am no wiser than those poor frontline people that have to face the music.

To be fair to them, they are as much in the dark as everyone else including the so called experts. Finger pointing neither brings MH370 back, nor improve air safety. The crux of the matter is "no one knows what had happened to MH370. Did it take a different flight path? Did it end in the south of Indian Ocean?"

PM never said MH370 had crashed (Post 1 of 2)

Posted to Free Malaysia Today (31/3/2014) on 1/4/2019 at 8:38 PM
Commenting on "PM never said MH370 had crashed"
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/03/31/hisham-pm-never-said-mh370-had-crashed/

Ended does not necessarily mean crashed. A plane may have exploded in mid-air and fragments fell into the ocean, or like the US Airways Flight 1549 landed in Hudson River, Canada are technically speaking not "crashes".

Inmarsat blow for Malaysia, time running out for SAR

Posted to The Ant Daily (31/3/2014) on 1/4/2014 at 2:18 PM
Commenting on "Inmarsat blow for Malaysia, time running out for SAR"
http://www.theantdaily.com/news/2014/03/31/inmarsat-blow-malaysia-time-running-out-sar

MH370 is not the first and will not be the last airplane to be missing mysteriously. Most people are really good armchair generals, and many more speculate without evidence or foundation.

Closure is one of those words with a modern twist that I can't really understand. No premature death can have closure. There are too many why's to be answered.

It took many years for Titanic, warplanes and warships to be located despite fairly well documented evidence and eye witnesses' account.

Commonsense tells us that even all the floating debris are scooped up from the ocean surface and proven beyond any shadow of doubt that they belong to the plane, the location of these finds bear no relevance to the point where the plane went down, if it did go down in the Indian Ocean.

After spending many hours watching many episodes of "Air Crash Investigation", I am no wiser than those poor frontline people that have to face the music.

To be fair to them, they are as much in the dark as everyone else including the so called experts. Finger pointing neither brings MH370 back, nor improve air safety. The crux of the matter is "no one knows what had happened to MH370. Did it take a different flight path? Did it end in the south of Indian Ocean?".

Missing MH370: Touching letter from a MAS pilot's daughter

Posted to New Straits Time (17/3/2014) on 19/3/2014 at 10:00 AM
Commenting on "MISSING MH370: Touching letter from a MAS pilot's daughter
http://www.nst.com.my/latest/font-color-red-missing-mh370-font-touching-letter-from-a-mas-pilot-s-daughter-1.518063

I posted the following to the newspaper under the name SphericalThinker:

We all have mum and dad, or/and spouse/partner, siblings, etc. but yet many people do not treasure the time when they are around; they are far too busy to be themselves, for their friends and even unknown people, and yet neglect the people closest to them until they are gone forever.

Parents bring us to this world, love us, nourish us, educate us, concern that we are too cold, too hot, get mixed up with wrong company, and they do sacrifice a lot for us. Unfortunately, many people greet others when they meet each day, and yet they think their parents are transparent when they live under the roof provided by them.

Most inexcusable is that many people spend so much time chatting on Facebook or on mobile phone, blogging, playing computer games, hanging out in bars or movie theatres with their mates or buddies, and yet they can't spare that miserable minutes or dollars to call the parents or loved ones to say, "I love you, and appreciate all the things you have done for me".

Many people entertain friends or business associates frequently to meals or parties, but do not do likewise to pamper their loved ones.

Friends, turn your sorrow to strength, and start loving your parents, spouse/partner and siblings who are still alive, whether they are close by or somewhere on this planet. You may not see eye-to-eye with each other, just try to talk heart-to-heart.

History cannot be changed, and time never waits. Say you love them now, not when they are gone. Only living people can hear you!

Miranda Kerr: Australia's new Wonder Woman

Posted to Grazia Ninemsn (23/1/2012) on 23/1/2012 at 10:12 PM, 7/2/2012 at 5:46 PM (Not published by Newspaper)
Commenting on "Miranda Kerr: Australia's new Wonder Woman" (Wonder Woman is a Yank)
http://grazia.ninemsn.com.au/blog.aspx

Pea brain - whoever came up with the idea and agreed to the photo shoot! It is an insult to our national flag, because Wonder Woman was not and will never be an Australian.

The Australian public should be given a public apology by Miranda Kerr for misrepresenting all the other great and wonderful (not wonder) women of Australia for selling Australia short (of fabric material), and promoting the "wonder" of Americanism by misleading Australians that we are connected with it via the display of the Australian flag.

The Pope did not like this Benetton image

Posted to Nine MSN (18/11/2011) on 18/11/2011 at 8:39 PM (Not published by Newspaper)
Commenting on "The Pope did not like this Benetton image"
http://grazia.ninemsn.com.au/blog.aspx?blogentryid=953267&showcomments=true

Whoever came up with that idea must be a very sick cookie. This is distasteful to the nth degree. The so-called "symbolic images of reconciliation" can create more divides than what was intended. The provocative photoshopped trash conjures up two gay men in action, which I find unacceptable and repulsive. I do sincerely hope that not only the Pope but also the affected world leaders take legal action against Benetton for such devious perversions.

Meat Loaf at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre

Posted to Brisbane Times (7/10/2011) on 7/10/2011 at 10:39 AM
Commenting on "Overcooked Meatloaf leaves sour taste"
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/entertainment/music/overcooked-meatloaf-leaves-sour-taste-20111007-1lc73.html

Posted to The Age (7/10/2011) on 7/10/2011 at 10:39 AM
Commenting on "Meat Loaf at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre"
http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/music/review/gig/meat-loaf-at-the-brisbane-entertainment-centre-20111007-1lcaf.html

A (rotten) tomato seller would have done fantastic business if he was allowed to set up a store outside the Entertainment Centre. Since Meatloaf was paid for the event, he should not deserve any credit even for his appearance. All the concert goers, as consumers, have the right to demand a refund for goods not delivered in the conditions expected within reason.

Should cafés be able to ban kids?

Posted to Body+Soul at (30/9/2011) on 1/10/2011 at 10:27 PM
Commenting on “Should cafés be able to ban kids?”
http://blogs.bodyandsoul.com.au/what-body-soul-thinks/article/should-cafes-be-able-to-ban-kids/

Some kids’ behaviour is no difference from any drunkards who scream and mess up the place for relaxation and enjoyment. In accordance to EPA, even a siren or burglar alarm cannot be continuously sounded for more than 7 minutes. So, why should kids be tolerated and allowed to scream on top of their voice for over 7 minutes?

Food premises are governed by Food Acts, and mess made by some kids is unacceptable and unsightly. The owner has the obligation and responsibility to keep the premises clean and hygienic in according to the Acts.

The owners can be fined for lacking a duty of care. If owners do not stop kids running around and jumping on furniture, they are in breached of OHS laws. Any incident resulting in injury can be fined substantially or may even end up with big compensation. So cafe owners, laws are on your side to ban screaming, misbehaving kids who may cost your cancellation of licence and insurance pay out.

Cafes / restaurants are neither child care centres nor kindergartens. It is not unreasonable to ban the kids from the premises for peace of mind on owners’ part and their clients’. If the parents insist, ban them, too. For goodness sake cafe / restaurant owners, don’t be bullied by irresponsible and uncivilised humans if they tell you that you are discriminating them.

When politicians start tinkering with education, you know your kids are in trouble

Posted to Malaysian Chronicle (1/9/2011) on 1/9/2011
Commenting on "When politicians start tinkering with education, you know your kids are in trouble">/span>
http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=18568%3Awhen-politicians-start-tinkering-with-education-you-know-our-kids-are-in-trouble&Itemid=2#.Tl7cLaQLafw.facebook

Posted on 1/9/2011 at 12:48 PM
"Plagiarism, cut-and-paste and the outsourcing of tasks and assignments have become the norm in the higher institutions of education – all due to the lack of proficiency in the English language. " is neither unique to Malaysia, nor due to lack of proficiency in the English language. This is NOT uncommon in Australia, and I had to fail many of my students (as high as 90% in one class), with the blessing my Departmental Director. In severe cases, they had to repeat the subject / module.

The problem is, what do the lecturers / tutors do when they discover plagiarism? Many will sweep it under the carpet and score the assignment / project accordingly, some will give them borderline pass, some will interview the students asking them why they do such silly things. Education is a business, and many colleges / universities don't like high failure rates. Teachers / lecturers are pressured to pass students despite poor performance. So the practice continues on.

Plagiarism is a no no, and is always stipulated in the college / university student diary or policy handbook. Students MUST BE reminded on the very first day they enter the classrooms / lecture halls the consequence of plagiarism. I'm not a very popular teacher / lecturer, but I do "produce" some excellent performers and achievers.

Posted on 1/9/2011 at 1:28 PM
Symbols used in Maths and Science are universal, and therefore the language of delivery is not important.

Germany, the largest economy in Europe uses German instead of English in their education system.

Many mainland Chinese students go to Germany universities to study, without knowing a word of German at the start. I met several of them on one of my European tours. They were very fluent with German, and spoke little English. How did I communicate with them? In Mandarin / Potunghua, of course.

I am thankful that my late father sent me to a Chinese-medium school up to Primary 6. That provided me a good foundation, despite the fact that I went on an English-medium school after that. I still write blogs in Chinese in Chinese newspaper, tell stories to the Australians about Chinese traditions and culture, and developed bilingual software in Chinese / English for HK clients.

Many overseas students from Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Korea, Burma, China, etc who come to Australia for Higher Education undertake a year or two of intensive English language classes. Many become just good as other English-speaking students.

Posted on 1/9/2011 at 1:38 PM
In respond to MARA, I did get away from being sacked. I took the policy handbook to the Director, and asked whether the policy was for real and I should follow it. No Director would ever say NO to policy written by the college / university in black and white as well as on the website. I then said to him that he had just given me permission to fail 90% of the students! This is effective negotiation!

Posted on 1/9/2011 at 3:15 PM
Only human students plagiarise when they do their assignments / projects. Tutors, lecturers or professors assess or mark the students’ submissions, and therefore they are not the culprits of plagiarism. As for colleges and universities, they cannot plagiarise because they are non-living things!

Oprah has done her part; Australia has to come up with the goods!

Posted to msn Travel (18/7/2011) on 18/7/2011 at 6:07 PM (not published by Newspaper)
Commenting on "Oprah's Aussie visit 'not worth it'? "
Title Oprah has done her part; Australia has to come up with the goods!
http://travel.ninemsn.com.au/Blog.aspx?blogentryid=848436&showcomments=true

This is an example showing that many Australians just like to knock. How is $5 million compare with the potential gain with the $25 million Gillard's government spends on promoting the carbon tax which is objectionable by 85% of the population? Oprah did her utmost in all her Down Under shows to promote Australia. Good promotion requires good marketable products to achieve sale. It's up to Australia to come up with the goods to attract the Americans to come over. Have the airlines, tour companies and hotels come up with packages so tempting that the Americans cannot refuse? I recently returned from a cruise with a lot of Americans onboard. Many I have spoken to love to visit Australia. These are in the sixties and older. They do have plenty of money - they don't come for beaches, ecotourism or adventure. They come here to be pampered and relax. They will shop for things they can't get in America. The crux of the matter is, what are we going to sell to these Americans who can afford?

Don't get stung by tax myths

Posted to news.com.au (30/5/2011) on 31/5/2011 at 2:32 AM
Commenting on "Don't get stung by tax myths"
http://www.news.com.au/money/tax-time/the-great-tax-myths/story-fn8qmzek-1226065548422

This is one of the best articles I have ever read.

I would like to add that property investors have to realise if they buy the property when the market is low and you can get a good capital gain in future, then they are smart. If they buy it at the peak and the interest rate is on the rise, then the maintenance or owner’s corporation, land tax, rates and charges will swallow up the rental income resulting in negative return.

One must not expect 100% rental occupancy for the property; otherwise the bank manager will not be happy when they do not receive repayment on time.

In regards to negative gearing, put in simple language, every successful company or business wants to have a healthy income statement or balance sheet; making a loss to offset tax payment just defies good business practice!

Due to privacy legal reasons, no one really knows how many property auctions in recent times are mortgagee auctions, and how many real estate agents are honest enough to tell you have just bought an over-priced property! What is happening now is just history repeating itself.

Just be careful property investors, there are many traps out there!

Read more:
SinFongChanRealEstate.blogspot.com

China's economy about to overtake US

Posted to Monash Weekly (25/4/2011) on 26/4/2011 at 1:35 PM (not published)
Resubmited Part 2 of 3 on 10/5/2011 at 9:23 PM
Commenting on “China's economy about to overtake US”
http://www.monashweekly.com.au/news/world/world/general/chinas-economy-about-to-overtake-us/2143313.aspx

Good on China. This is a great example for many countries to follow! Unfortunately, far too many countries adopt the NATO’s motto - Talk Only No Action!

With a population of 1.3 billion people to support and yet can win the economic race is definitely a modern day fairy tale. Australia has only 23 million people, but keeps whinging about the size of the population – this is just laughable!

While Australia still needs to resolve the NBN rollout, China has already built the highest rail track in the world linking Beijing to Tibet, the fastest bullet train, a modern international airport bigger than London’s Heathrow Airport, thousands of wind turbines, booming automotive industry building electric cars, rockets to send satellites and astronauts to outer space, and the most awesome one is that China is the factory of the world now!

End Part 1 of 3

Is there anything China cannot excel in? China is progressing at lightning speed – thanks to technology transfer, it is rather unstoppable. What is more concerning is that China will soon be the office of the world. With the unprecedented speed of technological advancement, a modern office is no longer an enclosed space with fixed locality - staff can be situated in other parts of the world, and documents filed and backed up in computer servers remote from the source.

Can you imagine the benefit of outsourcing office services to overseas companies? Just compare that with buying goods online from other countries – there is no GST if the value is under $1,000. Outsourcing office work saves on payroll tax, compulsory superannuation guaranteed contribution, office expenses, union interference, etc. What is going to happen to employment?

End Part 2 of 3

2009-2010 $19.1 billion international education industry has become the thing of the past. Australian government move to change the visa and permanent residency policies have led to a drastic decline in international students coming to study in Australia, causing a financial blackhole in our economy. This subject has not been raised openly and treated urgently by both political parties.

With economy of scale and determination, China can train more people in China per week than probably all the Australian learners / trainees trained in one year. It is just a matter of a decade or so, professional trainers in China will lose their accent, and international students from all over the world will be pursuing their qualifications in China. After being an educator / trainer in the industry for about 15 years, I can only say that future learners will probably get higher quality training in China than Australia, and at fraction of the cost.

After all that being said and written, are there no negatives about China especially the way she deals with human rights and social justice? I can only say it is a matter of opinion, and this is not relevant to the subject in discussion.

End Part 3 of 3

Keeping mature aged workers in jobs

Post to Bayside Bulletin / Redland Times (7/4/2011) on 8/4/2011 at 12:53 AM

Commenting on “Keeping mature aged workers in jobs”

http://www.baysidebulletin.com.au/blogs/the-view-from-here/keeping-mature-aged-workers-in-jobs/2127430.aspx

The biggest problem why many qualified mature-age workers can’t find jobs is that many recruitment companies and human resource departments are run by people who don't know about the nature of the positions advertised. They look for perfect match. Whoever can write an application with lots of BS that match the selection criteria will stand a chance for an interview, otherwise the application will be thrown into the non-Recycle bin.

End of Part 1

Post to Bayside Bulletin / Redland Times (7/4/2011) on 8/4/2011 at 12:53 AM

Commenting on “Keeping mature aged workers in jobs”

http://www.baysidebulletin.com.au/blogs/the-view-from-here/keeping-mature-aged-workers-in-jobs/2127430.aspx

There is no joy for a grey-hair applicant after getting a phone call to go for an interview. The next hurdle is to face a younger, feeling insecure manager who doesn't want anyone that can present a threat to his/her promotion or even replacing him/her in the future.

Many job advertisements are written by graduates who have just finished a TAFE / uni course, using terms or jargon that many people can't understand.

End of Part 2

Post to Bayside Bulletin / Redland Times (7/4/2011) on 8/4/2011 at 1:31 AM

Commenting on “Keeping mature aged workers in jobs”

http://www.baysidebulletin.com.au/blogs/the-view-from-here/keeping-mature-aged-workers-in-jobs/2127430.aspx

How many of these terminologies can a mature-age experienced person including managers who have been working for decades with small companies “decode”? e.g. 2IC, ICC, CCT, CO, MO, L&D, L&M, PD, KPI, KRA, 360 Degree feedback, 6 Thinking Hats, etc.

Who wants to appear like an idiot in front of an interviewer bombarding the applicant with these out-of-the world terminologies? How many courses do we expect the mature-age unemployed to attend to upgrade their qualification or to re-train? Who do you think the trainers are and what sort of qualification do they trainers have?

End of Part 3

Post to Bayside Bulletin / Redland Times (7/4/2011) on 8/4/2011 at 1:32 AM

Commenting on “Keeping mature aged workers in jobs”

http://www.baysidebulletin.com.au/blogs/the-view-from-here/keeping-mature-aged-workers-in-jobs/2127430.aspx

Do I sound cynical? Sure I do, I'm one of the unfortunate candidates.

To add salt to the wound, I'm more qualified and experienced than my students and yet if one of my students and I apply for the same position, guess who will get the job? Not me, for sure! Unfortunately, I’m over qualified – haha!

Will you take a Jack of many trades, and master of some like me? I love to hear from you!

End of Part 4