therat

hardly mentions b'coz someone keep on insist HDB price is affordable. couple with 4k salary , buy 4 rm flat. Take 30 yrs loan. Not need to come out cash. This is affordable. But they never highlight VL and the CPF contribution to OA will reduce once pass 40 or 45 yrs old. When interest start to pick up, then they will know what is the so-call affordable

I need to change a new glasses liao. I think eye need some rest. bed time..

hmm.. ur option 1 and 2 look alike except 1 is "owners", another one is "owner" And one with 50k , 1 with $50k

wiped out is 1 thing. To come out hard CASH during old age to pay the HDB loan is horrible. Alot of new couple is taking max 30 yrs loan but how many of them take note of VL.

can. Go and wear white. easily 26% increment and no one question

nicole seah Video http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/specials/General_Election/62734.html#/site/servlet/ajax/page?channel=contentbean%3a59830&view=asLargeVideoListBoxPage&page=1&autoLoad=true&video=contentbean%3a62734@59830_largeListPage@1303412916956 tin pei lin video http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/General_Election/61336.html She is 3 yrs older than Nicole. But look at the way they reply and react. 1 sky 1 earth.

eg 1 deal : $300k 2nd deal : valuation $300k + $30k (COV) 3rd deal : valuation $330k + $30k (COV) 4th deal : valuation $360k + $20k (assume COV drop) 5th deal : valuation$380k +$20k (assume COV maintain) Just continue to add COV No wonder my block unit can from $370k shot to $460k within 1 yrs

If the ID refused to provide quotation, it mean they are not very keen on your business. So.. move to next Q

Job rotation. My SIL work in government sector told me. They can't stay on a job too long. Need to rotate one. Sound like musical chair.

Ya. I also notice that.

many many yrs back, they also say 2 children is enough.

hmmm.. Then next is what? Chinese? Tamil?

http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_659640.html WEDNESDAY'S report ('Malay taught as foreign language may halt decline in fluency') gave the impression to some members of the Malay community that the role of Malay was being lowered to that of a foreign language. As a result, Mendaki received several calls from members of the community expressing their concerns. Students at a Mendaki forum we organised on Tuesday who raised the question, and guest of honour, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim, who replied, clearly shared a common concern in improving and evolving the teaching of Malay to maintain its functionality. Promoting the use of the Malay language was a key concern among the participants at the forum which is part of the continuing outreach by Mendaki to engage youth on issues concerning the community. Dr Yaacob's remarks were made in reply to a question on the use of formal Malay and colloquial Malay. He noted that as the use of English at home becomes more prevalent, more creative ways must be found to keep Malay vibrant and relevant. He also stated that Singapore is unlike, for instance, the rural northern states of Malaysia where Malay is the predominant language compared with the more urbanised Malaysian cities like Kuala Lumpur or Johor Baru, where English is also rising in usage. He cited the use of the movies of the late P. Ramlee (an evergreen Malay entertainment icon), Malay adventure stories and Malay classical literature as content that could be made to teach Malay contextually and creatively to the young. To spur further discussion, he suggested that methods used in teaching foreign languages could be explored, to find out if these offer more ideas in teaching Malay to children who do not use Malay as a primary language at home. The discussion on the issues raised at such forums are collated and directed to relevant agencies as feedback. The views on continuing to enhance the teaching of Malay will be shared with the Malay Language Learning and Promotion Committee. Moliah Hashim (Madam) Chief Executive Officer Yayasan Mendaki

http://www.todayonline.com/SingaporeVotes/EDC110426-0000123/A-wrong-sense-of-housing-affordability--NSPs-Goh SINGAPORE - Paying nothing as a deposit for a new flat or covering monthly mortgages with Central Provident Fund contributions do not mean public housing is affordable, the National Solidarity Party said yesterday. At current housing prices, buyers will have to service their loans for the next 30 years, which will wipe out the CPF accounts of many buyers, leaving them with little for retirement, NSP secretary-general Goh Meng Seng said in response to recent comments by National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan. Mr Mah had said on Sunday that eight in 10 couples who buy new flats use only a quarter or less of their salaries to service their home loans, because they use their CPF. Combined with housing grants, a couple earning $4,000 could get a flat with "zero deposit", he had also said. But Mr Goh said many young people he has met on the ground cannot afford flats, even with a 30-year mortgage: "A 30-year mortgage isn't affordable. It would mean that all the youngsters now, in 30 years' time, wouldn't be able to retire; CPF would be zero. So what gives? Our future generation will suffer. "To say that - not forking out cash for deposit - is a myth. It has created a wrong sense of affordability." His NSP team distributed flyers at the Tampines MRT Station last night. The NSP is contesting Tampines Group Representation Constituency, where Mr Mah is the People's Action Party anchor minister. Mr Goh also defended his proposal that permanent residents should have a longer minimum occupation period for HDB flats: Eight years, compared to five for Singaporeans. Mr Mah had rejected that proposal as housing policy was already "stacked in favour" of Singaporeans. Mr Goh responded by saying there should be a mindset change with regard to PRs: "Whoever we want to attract, we should have the motive to make sure these PRs will become our citizens. We don't want (PRs of) a migrant nature." He believes that raising the criteria to eight years will elicit more commitment from PRs, as a flat will then become a home to them and "the natural path is to become a citizen". As for local issues NSP will campaign on, Mr Goh said Tampines has a number of problems, including an ageing population, lack of car park spaces and poor estate maintenance. Some ageing HDB blocks have leaking roofs and peeling paint, he said. His proposals include a community hospital to serve the elderly in Tampines, Simei and Pasir Ris-Punggol.

Quote from http://forum.channelnewsasia.com/viewtopic.php?p=4321909&sid=4e4fc0fabd5de478b197ee7626c4d352

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/party-flags-flouting-parliamentary-elections-act-065554766.html#mwpphu-container Party flags flouting Parliamentary Elections Act? Party flags displayed along Serangoon Avenue 2. (Yahoo! photo/Ion Danker) The internet is abuzz with Singaporeans questioning if it was against the rules for political parties to display their flags in neighbourhoods before Nomination Day. Several netizens spotted People's Action Party (PAP) flags being planted in several estates in Bukit Batok, Woodlands, Hougang, Toa Payoh and Kovan and posted them on Facebook, while a Temasek Review report asked Singaporeans to complain about the flags to the Elections Department. According to the Elections Department website, candidates can only start their election campaigns from the close of nomination (27 April), and up to before the eve of Polling Day (which is the Cooling-Off Day). In the regulations, any form of election advertising such as the use of flags, can only be displayed during the campaign period stated. Flags displayed along this road at a HDB estate. (Yahoo! photo) Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Inderjit Singh told Yahoo! Singapore that their PAP flags are out only at their branches and said that this is quite normal. "For every election we do that. I'm sure the opposition is doing the same. We are not putting banners in any places except in front of our branch offices where we will conduct our election activities from," he added. However, Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang preferred to let the Elections Department ensure the rules are not flouted. "I think its better to ask the Election Department rather than asking the Workers' Party whether they flout the rules and what we are going to do. We do have law enforcement here in Singapore and I think ED is the one that's supposed to … it's their job. It's not our job." Choa Chu Kang resident, John Tan, 23, said that he called up his neighbourhood police post to check if it was against the Parliamentary Elections Act after his friend posted a picture of the flags on Facebook. According to Tan, the police officer he spoke to said they will investigate and get back to him. When contacted by Yahoo! Singapore, the Elections Department, which is in charge of managing the conduct of political parties during the General Election, said that they are unable to comment but will be looking into the matter. Under the law, any person who commits such an offence shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding S$1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months and every offence under such regulations shall be an arrestable offence within the meaning of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010 (Act 15 of 2010). =============== BTW, Bedok also. Flood by flag

everyone get the same letter. If everyone got a job and employer referral. Almost 100% will get PR Now, they no longer receive this invitation letter.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1124709/1/.html HDB resale price increased 1.6% in Q1 By Linette Lim | Posted: 25 April 2011 1535 hrs SINGAPORE: HDB resale prices increased in the first quarter of this year, albeit at a slower rate, as property cooling measures kicked in. The Resale Price Index increased 1.6 per cent in Q1, compared with 2.5 per cent in the previous quarter. Cash-Over-Valuation premiums dropped nine per cent or S$2,000 to S$21,000 from the previous quarter, with the proportion of resale cases transacting above valuation remaining at 96 per cent. Data released from HDB also showed that the number of resale transactions fell by about four per cent to 6,228 cases in first quarter of 2011. Median sublet rents in Q1 remained relatively stable with increases from one-room and five-room flats and decreases from two-room flats. Subletting transactions rose by eight per cent to 6,365 cases. The total number of HDB flats approved for subletting rose to about 36,400 units in Q1, compared to about 35,000 units in the previous quarter. HDB also announced that it will launch another 3,185 flats located in Hougang, Sembawang, Sengkang and Punggol for sale under the April 2011 Build-to-Order (BTO) exercise. In total, HDB said it will offer 22,000 new BTO flats in 2011 if demand is sustained. Last year, a total of 16,000 BTO flats were offered. In addition to the BTO flats, units under the Design, Build & Sell Scheme (DBSS) and the Executive Condominium (EC) Housing Scheme will be offered as well. An EC site at Punggol with an estimated yield of 700 units, and two DBSS sites at Sengkang and Bendemeer Road with a potential yield of about 1,500 units, will be released for tender in May and June 2011 respectively. - CNA/fa

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1124797/1/.html SINGAPORE: The price of resale flats went up in the first quarter of 2011, but Cash-Over-Valuation premiums fell to S$21,000 - a 9 per cent drop from the previous quarter, according to data from the HDB. Observers attribute the lower COV premiums to the government's cooling measures which took effect in the first quarter of this year. Going forward, analysts have mixed views on the outlook for COV premiums. "Currently the COVs have come to a point where it is not going any much lower. Based on our PropNex data, the COV for the month of April has already gone up to a median at S$23,000, which is where we were starting prior to the first quarter," said PropNex CEO Mohamed Ismail. For the first quarter of 2011, the price of resale flats rose 1.6 per cent. This is higher than the 2.5 per cent increase in the previous quarter. Meanwhile, median sublet rents in Q1 remained relatively stable with increases from 1-room and 5-room flats and decreases from 2-room flats. Subletting transactions rose by 8 per cent to 6,365 cases. Some analysts believe COV premiums will likely continue to fall as a result of new supply coming on stream. Separately, HDB said it will launch another 3,185 flats in Hougang, Sembawang, Sengkang and Punggol for sale under the April 2011 Build-to-Order BTO exercise. This will bring the total supply of new BTO flats this year to 22,000, compared to the 16,000 BTO flats that were offered last year. "I think the fact that there's going to be 22,000 new HDB dwellings up in the marketplace, and the government's ramping up in terms of its development missionary to develop more HDB properties...will mean vendors cannot hold on to their COV asking prices," said Mr Donald Han, vice chairman of Cushman and Wakefield. Despite the supply of new flats, Mr Han believes there could be a one to two per cent uptake in HDB resale prices in the next one or two quarters. Mr Ismail also thinks the resale prices will trend up, as new supply of BTO flats are not a perfect substitute for the resale units.

In early years, PR is quite easy to apply. Even operator can apply for PR I think before 2-3 yrs back, all poly and uni grads are offer PR straight after exam. Now, not that easy.

when foreign come to Singapore, don't know English. Never mind , government will provide FREE English lesson English-iliterate foreigners flock to free CC language classes sponsored by Singapore taxpayers Foreigners, PRs and new citizens are flocking to free language classes organized by Community Clubs sponsored generously by Singapore taxpayers to help them “integrate” into Singapore society. In 2008, foreigners, permanent residents and new citizens made up 55 per cent of participants in English classes and 47 per cent in the Chinese ones, a People’s Association (PA) spokesman said. Minister for Youth Development, Community and Sports Dr Vivian Balakrishnan unveiled a $10-million Community Integration Fund in October last year to make new immigrants and PR feel “welcomed” and “happy” in Singapore. How about presently citizen child who are weak on English and Chinese. They need to pay using their own money for tuition. While NEW Citizen learn English FREE. The fund will be used to organize events for the newcomers as well as to provide free language classes for those who are unable to speak English and has already been tapped on by various grassroots organizations including a Residents’ Committee in Yew Tee, to hold free weekly conversational English lessons for new immigrants from China, Myanmar and Vietnam. The Straits Times reported a Myanmar national Yin Yin Oo, 26, who has been an accounts executive in Singapore for more than a year, saying that she was at the ‘intermediate’ level in reading and writing, but needed help with spoken English, so she signed up for the classes at the community club. It is not known how she managed to get a job in Singapore in the first place if she needs “help” with spoken English as there are more than qualified Singaporeans around to be “account executives”. Good question but is there any answer how she get her pass? Unlike other countries like Australia and Canada which require prospective immigrants to pass an English proficiency test before they are even allowed to work there, Singapore has no such rules. Due to the ruling party’s lax criteria for immigrants, even English iliterate PRC construction workers, masseurs and cleaners are given Singapore PRs and citizenships. According to a Wall Street Journal article on 13 January 2010, the relentless influx of foreign workers ”has kept local blue-collar wages lower than they would be otherwise, exacerbating Singapore’s gap between rich and poor.” Singapore has the highest income-gap among the thirty most developed countries in the world. Though it is the second richest nation in Asia after Japan, its citizens have a low domestic purchasing power comparable to other first world countries. (read UBS report here) A recent report by the International Labor Organization revealed that Singaporeans work the longest hours among Asian countries, more than the Japanese, Koreans and Taiwanese, but are paid less than them. The median monthly pay of an average Singaporean worker is only $2,600 compared to $180,000 for a Singapore minister. It has hardly increased over the lat decade. Singapore’s octogenarian strongman Lee Kuan Yew dismissed the importance of the widening income gap at a ministerial forum last year on the grounds that it “matters little” so long the government continues to create jobs for Singaporeans.

Finally, I manage to login. This noon, left my block. Saw there are 1 PAP flag. Come back at 5:30pm, saw more PAP flags. So fast , can nail flag liao ar?

I never bother to read what that ah Mah say. whatever he say is only excuse. Wondering, who will WP sent to my GRC.

ya. agree with kalimantan. Especially if you are not the only child. Don't. Never and ever get involved with parents

need to sell away 1 HDB, don't know within how long.