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Like this song, my new fav, nice! Enjoy the video & have a fun weekend! TGIF ;) http://youtu.be/YqeW9_5kURI

Personally, when i started, my RM keep asking me to average down many many years ago today the stock is only 4cents I bought at IPO made about 30K then RM ask me buy in when it dropped i bought it at 90+cents and average down along the way until 40cents then give up lost more than 1/4mil p i s s e d o f f lesson learnt - never be greedy, make your own decision - if wrong only yourself to blame this is my biggest mistake in stock market, i will always remember so that i will not make the same mistake again business - will share later when others

Hi guys looking to service my home aircon however, i am quite worried to engage the wrong guy as i do not know any. anyone had engage one which you highly recommend? Thanks

This thread is meant for fellow forumers who have migrated down under or are intending to do so. Those who have, care to share some tips and information about how life is like? What instigated you to do so? Is life really better on the other side? I'm harbouring thoughts of migrating (or quitting, like our government puts it) down under. Life here is getting really suffocating man... no thanks to the influx of people from a certain large Asian country. Starting to feel like a second-rate citizen in my very own country.

The ice cream saga sibeh power leh... BMW Mini Ice Cream Is Only For Foreigners, Stock Price Plummeted: The Loss Is Equivalent To 460 Million Ice Creams! At the Shanghai Auto Show, netizens broke the news that the staff at the BMW Mini booth refused to distribute ice cream to Chinese visitors, claiming that it was gone, but then not only gave ice cream to foreigners, but two girls also thoughtfully taught foreigners how to eat it. This kind of differential treatment caused dissatisfaction on the Internet. BMW officials later apologized, but did not quell the anger. This incident was not only fermented in China, but was even reported abroad. As a result, BMW shares fell 3%.The market value has evaporated by 2.16 billion euros, or about 16.3 billion yuan,It can be said that a box of ice cream caused a murder, and the loss was great. Many people have no idea about this loss, so it’s easy to understand if you switch to the Luneurs ice cream presented by BMW. The price of this store is not cheap, and a box costs 30 to 40 yuan.Some netizens calculated that the market value lost by BMW is enough to buy 460 million Luneurs ice cream, not to mention giving away a circle at the auto show, it is enough for BMW to invite 1/3 of the people in the country to eat ice cream. The store also issued a statement before, denying that the staff belonged to their family. “The Luneurs brand did not participate in any on-site operations of BMW’s Mini brand activities during the Shanghai Auto Show. We are only a supplier of ice cream products. The two people who appeared in the video The staff and their specific services are not our responsibility and have nothing to do with this brand.”

Till recent, the term "Car-Lite City" have been used more than once by our ministers and PM. Come share your views and opinions what will be government action/plans to achieve this "Car-Lite City" vision. 1. Reduce COE Quota (OCS) 2. Increase Tax (Road Tax, PARF, ARF) 3. Increase ERP Charges 4. ???

http://youtu.be/lV3Ic1-JLyY

Let's start with this old song, one of a great singer from Singapore to bring back the memories of those everlasting songs 黄清元 (Huang Qing Yuen) - Man Li https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_oBFdIUqwc

Breadtalk founder Quek to privatise company with 77 cents per share offer source: https://www.theedgesingapore.com/news/company-news/breadtalk-founder-quek-privatise-company-77-cents-share-offer SINGAPORE (Feb 24): BreadTalk Group, one of the more high-profile consumer brand names in Singapore, might soon join the growing list of companies privatised from the Singapore Exchange. On Feb 24, the company announced that a consortium led by BreadTalk founder and chairman George Quek is offering to buy over the remaining 29.47% of the company they do not already own. The offer price, at 77 cents per share, is a premium of 19.4% over BreadTalk’s last traded price of 64.5 cents earlier on Feb 24, before a trading halt was called. The offer price is more than double the net asset value of 32.5 cents as at Dec 31 2019. Besides Quek, the consortium includes his wife Katherine Lee, who is the deputy chairman and an executive director of BreadTalk, as well as other investors with smaller stakes, such as Thailand-based Minor International. In a stock market filing at 11.38 pm, the offerors note that the company has not raised funds from the stock market in the past decade, and that the company is now facing tougher operating conditions across the region. The offerors claim they are giving “an attractive cash exit opportunity for shareholders to liquidate and realise their entire investment at a premium to the prevailing market prices.” This announcement comes some five weeks after BreadTalk had sounded a profit warning for FY2019, saying that it was likely to report a loss for the financial year ended December 31, 2019. The group had cited contributing factors such as wider losses at its bakery business in China and Thailand, losses at its 4orth division due to a challenging operating environment, as well as the impact of the Hong Kong protests on the financial performance of its bakery and food atrium divisions in the former British colony. The group also hit the headlines due to the spate of resignations by key executive figures including CEO Henry Chu, as well as CFO and CIO Chan Ying Jian. Just half hour before Quek's takeover was announced, the group reported losses of $8.1 million for 4QFY2019 ended December, a reversal from earnings of $8.9 million in the corresponding period last year. This translated into a loss per share of 1.44 cent for the quarter, compared to earnings per share of 1.58 cents in 4QFY2018. As a result, the group booked a loss of $5.2 million for FY2019 in contrast to earnings of $15.2 million in FY2018. Revenue for the quarter increased 10.1% to $170.4 million from $154.8 million last year, which in turn saw revenue for FY2019 increase 9.0% to $664.9 million. Cost of sales for the quarter doubled to $132.2 million from $67.1 million a year ago. Correspondingly, gross profit for the quarter slumped 56.4% to $38.2 million from $87.6 million last year. A breakdown of the group’s revenue figures for FY2019 revealed that the bakery division booked a y-o-y increase of 2.0% to $287.7 million due to the consolidation of revenue from its Thailand Bakery business following the acquisition of a 50% stake in BTM (Thailand) from Minor Food Group. The group says that excluding this, revenue would have been lowered by 6.3% y-o-y, due primarily to lower revenue from both the direct operated stores and the franchise business in China, partly offset by stronger revenue by its direct operated stores in Singapore, as well as its international franchise business. BreadTalk’s food atrium division saw its revenue grow 5.3% y-o-y to $165.3 million following the consolidation of the Food Junction financials from November 1 2019 after the group successfully acquired Food Junction Management. Revenue from the restaurant division rose 15.0% from the previous year due to the addition of six more outlets - four in Singapore and two in Thailand, as well as the closure of one outlet in Singapore. The group adds that its UK operations have yet to turn profitable. Revenue from the group’s 4orth division surged 129% to $32.5 million in FY2019 as the group commenced Song Fa Bak Kut Teh operations in Beijing, Guangzhou and Bangkok, as well as deepened its presence in Shanghai. However, BreadTalk says that the division had not only incurred start-up costs for new outlets, but had also experienced below expectation performance in certain outlets. As at end-December, cash and cash equivalents stood at $157.6 million. The group has also not recommended a dividend for the quarter as it is in a net loss position. In 4QFY2018, the group had recommended a dividend of one cent per ordinary share. In its outlook statement, the group says that while its key markets such as Singapore, China and Hong Kong continue to be plagued by challenging operating environments, its management team has been working actively to turnaround the group’s loss-making businesses. “The outbreak of Covid-19 has added further challenges to the Group’s operations. The uncertainty in Hong Kong will continue to have a negative impact to our Food Atrium and Bakery businesses in the territory,” says BreadTalk. As a well-known brand, BreadTalk was an easy target for criticism over social media when its marketing and promotional activities went wrong. The company has been aggressively expanding over the years. Its most recent venture saw it take over food court operator Food Junction for $80 million in September last year. Year to date, BreadTalk shares have dropped more than a quarter. Even at the last traded price of 64.5 cents on Feb 24, the company is valued at 41.5 times historical earnings.

Will start this thread for users to share and query on their commonly use route from point A to Point B and cost of ERP. Anyone can share what’s the cost effective way of driving let’s say from Sengkang/Punggol to Tanjong Pagar from 730am?

Do you guys have experience with EPS Power Charger? Many shops selling them these days. i installed one of this in march this year because I was "convinced" that it could help to increase CCA - dealer show the reading after the installation. However, my car battery die on me twice since then. First time was one wk after the install and second time today. I am now having second thoughts with this "Power Charger" thing, my previous battery was 10 months old when it die and second one is barely 4 months old when it was changed today. Luckily, both were changed under warranty. Both batteries were Amaron maintenance free and I thought this is a reliable brand, so it is unlikely that i had two Amaron die on me within a year. Not sure whether the "power charger" is causing the damage to the battery.

Last weekend I visited a Success Resources seminar with Robert Kiyosaki as the main speaker. I was wondering why these rich gurus like peng joon or Sandy JadeJe will wanna teach their secrets to others. supposedly secrets that can easily earn thousands every day or so. I am trying to be more positive and think of good reasons. i admit i am not those super selfless generous guys. I have my ways of trading and earning a good profit month to month, but I don't think I will openly share. i earned it the hard way and i don't dare to be responsible if someone learns and lose money. I have my ecommerce business that my company and I are working hard, but all these are like hardearned secrets we built up. Am I the odd one out? Or maybe coz I am not rich enough to be openly generous? I know this forex trader, he just opened his corporate office in marina bay, a nice trading floor. i put my money with him for 3 years, earning 3% per month and happy with it. so when he corporatised and planning to register with MAS for private fund, i ask him if he would be able to teach me more on forex, i don't mind paying to learn. this is a multi millionaire trader and he told me "sorry pal, i won't teach anyone.." i mean, that makes complete sense. i don't blame him for keeping his trading skills private. i just don't get it why so many gurus teaching their skills and knowledge for barely $2000 SGD (most of the courses at Success Resources are abt $1998 SGD) its so little. say one course has abt 100 particpates, thats $200,000 minus all the commission (credit card fees, payment for room, payment to Success Resources) maybe you get back only $120,000 or so? isn't that very little considering the skill sets they have can net them hundreds of thousands monthly easily? Why add competitors to their fields? i like to think they are nice generous people who really want to help the world, but i have this feeling I am the naive guy. just feel sad that so many people sign up, not sure how many will truly benefit from it.

chey i also thought this can only be found in SG/MY, now then i know What other type of biscuits you had in your childhood?

Goodwood road, 1968 Haw Par Villa , 1963 north Bridge road collyer Quay

Hey everybody, I'm thinking of giving the park and ride scheme a shot on an adhoc basis. Have any of you tried it? What's your experience like? How early do you reach the carpark and is it difficult to get lots (since it's first come first served)? I'm going to be working at raffles place for a couple of months and plan to park my car either at the park and ride carpark near buona vista MRT or near queenstown MRT at about 8.15-8.25am in the morn before taking MRT to raffles place.

Heard from friends this plant is dangerous http://shuangxingfu.blogspot.sg/2010/06/is-zz-plant-poisonous.html popular plant amongst Chinese and elderly my neighbour also have such plant...everyday walk pass

Who is better at removing dents? i understand that Lye is more expensive than Gary. Does it mean that the quality of Gary is not as good as Lye?

Hi Guys, Which credit cards got more benefit like discount and more cash rebate??? few month time I will have my wedding dinner and plan to use my credit card to settle payment. so far CIMB card is offering 0.5% rebate. any other cards to recommend??? hope this topic can help fellow reader benefit as well. beat inflation - spend what you need to spend but more wisely thanks and regards

Just watched these movies over the weekend. Find them quite nice, so i post here. Happy birthday SG50

Hi all, my friend just committed to a 2nd hand Opel Meriva, said that he liked the MTA transmission. However read quite a few reviews on the down side of such transmission. Maybe for slow city driving ok, but what abt gg up to KL on NSHW? Articles complaints were usually on the computer not being able to gauge which gear to go to on Auto mode, where you have to release accelerator pedal momentarily and step again. havent tried such a car before but looking forward to try his car when delivered. Any owners or previous owners on the meriva or any opel models can share on fuel consumptions, service costs, repair costs, usual problems etc? Cheers!!

Hi Chaps, I am interested to know more property investment members on the forum and discuss about your your property investment approaches, how you manage your property etc. Just a sharing thread where everyone can tap on each others experiences/know how. Feel free to chip in or even if you are not vested but want to find out more. I am currently vested in residential and industrial properties, I will kick off with the below. What I look for in no particular priorities - Focus mainly on districts 3, 5, 10, 11 - Areas with upcoming MRT stations - Old properties with unused plot ratio - Areas near schools or business parks. Issues faced till date - Termites - Air Con breakdowns - Stuff stolen on property belonging to tenants - Bad maintenance by the tenant Keen to find out more about - Retail Property investment - Overseas investments - Property Auctions - Medical Suites - Districts you believe with upcoming potential

Let me start this thread, hoping friends can share what apps for iphone and Android you think it's very handy, good and reliable. For me, the most recent apps I love are FREE GPS for iphone & Android WAZE FREE games for iphone & Android RF12, Gun Strike & 台湾名星3缺1 FREE Photo Editing My Sketch & Deco Pic FREE Online Radio Nothing beats Tunein Radio FREE Chat & Video Viber & Tango Maybe someone can share better apps here. Perhaps mine outdated, but all these I use it very often and find it very good........ Have you recommendation here!!

trans-cab cancels IPO after being told not enough subscribers ? wayang say insurance hike ?

Share traders calling it a day as market volume dries up Average net commission on the decline, slumping to about S$1,000 from around S$6,000 to S$8,000 a decade ago By Kenneth Lim [email protected] 23 Oct5:50 AM Singapore KISHORE Rochey was a trading representative for 20 years before calling it quits in September this year. He said that the average net commission earned by his peers has been on the decline, with through-the-grapevine estimates falling from around S$6,000 to S$8,000 a decade ago to about S$1,000 when he left. "It made no sense to stay around." Mr Rochey's story is not unique. Market liquidity in Singapore is at a multi-year low, commissions are suffering and many in the industry are either looking for other sources of income or simply moving on. While many in the industry acknowledge macroeconomic effects in the market, they also blame regulations that have raised the costs for speculative traders and cut spreads and commissions for trading representatives. In response, Singapore Exchange (SGX) stressed that it cannot jeopardise long-term market quality for short-term liquidity droughts, and noted that it has taken several initiatives aimed at helping the industry. The numbers do not paint a pretty picture. Market turnover fell 21 per cent in the financial year ended June 30, 2014, to S$286 billion, according to SGX. That is the lowest turnover since fiscal 2006, when the size of the total market was less than what it is worth today. Looking at turnover as a proportion of market capitalisation, the average turnover velocity in FY2014 was just 40 per cent, compared to 71 per cent back in FY2007 (view infographic). UOB-Kay Hian Holdings posted a 31.8 per cent decrease in first-half commission income this year, to S$113 million. DBS Group Holdings' brokerage income for the first half of 2014 fell 29 per cent to S$85 million. OCBC Bank matched DBS's decline, with brokerage income dropping to S$26 million. An executive at a brokerage who deals with remisiers said that the number of trading representatives in Singapore has fallen to about 3,900 in 2013 from more than 4,300 in 2011. Jimmy Ho, president of the Society of Remisiers of Singapore, remarked: "I quote one remisier who's been in the industry for over 40 years, and he said it's never been like this before." Those who are still in the game are looking for other ways to make a buck. Mr Rochey noted that some brokerages are encouraging their remisiers to help refer their clients to specialists of other products and asset classes such as contracts for difference and forex. "But at the end of the day, when the commissions are so low . . . there's just not enough meat," Mr Rochey said. A trader who has since moved to another part of the desk said that investors are also looking to overseas markets for more action. Emerging markets such as Thailand, for example, offer more inefficiencies that investors are better able to capture, he said. "You have to look to where the money is," the trader said. "Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, even the US, where the volatility is there. If you're talking about money flow, in South-east Asia, you don't have to look that far beyond Thailand and Indonesia." Industry veterans cited a number of factors for the industry's current woes. The first, and most obvious, is that equity trading volumes across the world have not been great ever since the Global Financial Crisis. "From 2009 until now, the market has gone out, so people don't have the courage to come in big time," Mr Rochey said. "You need a whole new breed of investors to come in and create the volume, who didn't experience the pain of 2008 and 2009. That will take a decade." Singapore has been hit especially hard because of the penny stock collapse that began in October 2013 and continues to weigh on small and mid-cap counters. But the industry said that regulations, some of which were in response to the penny meltdown, have made it hard for the market to recover from that hit. The trading executive said that SGX's removal of its S$600 clearing-fee cap in June has crimped large-volume day trades. "Now the clearing fee has no cap, so it's very expensive for them to trade," the executive said. "Low liquidity and volumes mean it's also hard for them to trade more, and the bid-ask size is smaller now, so for them to make money from day trading is very hard." Mr Ho said that proposed rule changes such as the shortening of the settlement period to two days from three days and the requirement for brokerages to collect collateral will suppress the liquidity provided by contra trading. Contra trading refers to the practice of taking and unwinding positions without collateral within the settlement period. "If you ask for margin, that's operating like a bank," Mr Ho said. "Any exchange doesn't operate this way, because any exchange must combine the speculative and fundamental elements. If you take out the speculative element, the market won't function." But SGX is adamant that some of those rules being complained about actually improve market quality, and changing them to address what it views as a short-term liquidity downturn would be myopic. "Yes, from an exchange perspective and from my perspective, I'd like to have higher turnover," chief executive Magnus Bocker said. "But the question is, I'm here to long-term service the investors, I'm here to protect the retail investors and the institutional investors, I'm here to protect the integrity of the market, I'm here to support that we can raise money for companies." Mr Bocker also argued that although liquidity is thin at the moment, other aspects of the market, such as ease of capital raising for issuers and the costs for investors are still robust. Programmes that incentivise market makers and liquidity providers are also showing early success. "If you go back and say it's not so good, I would say the three important functions of the equity market work well," Mr Bocker said. Mr Rochey, who said that he now makes more as a private investor, felt that brokerages should also be more aggressive in incentivising volumes. Graduated takes of commissions, where a remisier's share of commissions is stepped up if the remisier's volume crosses a threshold, should be utilised more, he said. "If the broking houses want to revive the industry . . . share more of the profit." The trader said that the market situation is unlikely to improve for the rest of the year. "In two weeks' time, we're into the month of November, and for the European and US funds, this is fund closure time for them . . . The market will get quieter."* http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/stocks/share-traders-calling-it-a-day-as-market-volume-dries-up#xtor=CS1-5

Hey bros and sis, just to share an encounter that happened to me in JB a few hours ago... After a whole afternoon and evening of shopping/eating/etc etc, I ended up at B.point Shell petrol kiosk(the one right next to JB CIQ) to top up before returning back to Singapore. As I was just about to start re-fuelling, suddenly this malay dude (30s-40s) appeared out of nowhere and pleaded with me for help. He claimed that he was robbed, and lost his NRIC and passport so he was identification-less and there was no way he could cross back into Singapore. He had "already approached the JB polis for help but they told him to go to KL HQ or something to settle his issues there". Since there was no way for him to get to KL, he wanted me to help contact his daughter and ask her to bring his birth cert to City Square tomorrow morning at 8am to prove his identity to the officials. 1st thing I said was my phone wasn't on auto-roaming, so I couldnt make any calls. This was to make it so I had no reason to take out my phone anyways, in case. He then asked for paper and a pen to write down the contact details of his "daughter" so that when I am back in Singapore I could make the call. I was still re-fuelling then, and suddenly his topic changed to "how much do you pump per tank?". I started to be more suspicious, because a guy in desperate need of identification for the authorities probably wouldn't be thinking about how much petrol I would be pumping. Just to gauge his reaction, I said $200/tank. His eyes lit up like fireworks. I slowed down the rate of the fuel nozzle, just to drag out time, and to start scanning my car's reflection for anyone else who might approach me from behind. He then walked one round to scan the occupants in my car (wifey, sis-in-law, her bf and another friend), and stopped at the fuel pump itself. Kept telling me that I could just lock the fuel nozzle to let it pump on its own, rather than me manually squeezing it in short bursts (since I was doing that to continue dragging out time and scan my reflection even more). It was at this point when he asked what brand my ride was, that I dropped all doubts about him really being in trouble. I just told him it was a Mazda, which was a lie ... since generally Mazdas aren't a popular car to be GTA-ed in malaysia (in case it wasn't just a simple scammer, but part of some organized crime crap). To my relief, the petrol station supervisor suddenly popped out, spoke a few words to the fella and he scampered off right there and then. I didnt manage to thank the supervisor as I was still in adrenaline mode and afraid that others might pop out. Although he certainly won't be seeing this, I still wanna say a very big thanks to the abang!!! Thankfully, all my occupants were aware that something was up even though I hadn't communicated anything to them, and they were all mentally prepared to take action and had stowed their bags and valuables already. My only regret was that both of my steering wheel locks were in the boot, so if I had needed a weapon all I was left with was the fuel nozzle. From now on, I will ensure that I am armed in some way when topping up petrol, no matter how busy the station might appear to be, and no matter whether it was intended to be just a simple scam, a robbery or a GTA. Even if I look stupid, it doesnt matter cuz the safety of my occupants and myself are of utmost priority. Plus, you only need one hand to operate the fuel nozzle anyways. I realise the post got abit long-winded, but since it was the first time something like that has happened to me instead of just reading about it, I feel the need to share and spread the message of being aware and alert at all times especially when one is in Malaysia. If you have occupants in the car, make sure that they are also on the lookout and not chit-chatting away or playing on their phones or whatever. Cheers, and have a wonderful and safe weekend!