Find Singapore.Net Forum Index » Singapore Issues » I am 55......... Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5  Next    View previous topic :: View next topic  Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 8:43 pm szhcornan73 Diamond Member   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 5697 Location: Where do you think you want me to be? [szhcornan73] have not post anything in the thread yet. This is first post in this thread. _________________ Cheers Szhcornan Fair is Foul; Foul is Fair I'm also @ 我听。好歌 sharing nice chinese songs with you. Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 9:36 pm alpha Diamond Member   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 1902 Location: Utopia ... Last edited by alpha on Sat Apr 30, 2005 9:01 pm; edited 1 time in total _________________ Insight comes from the realisation that observation is going on without an observer, witnessing without a witness. Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2005 1:26 am alpha Diamond Member   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 1902 Location: Utopia Lai CF wrote: I considered I have a blessed life and my only regret is that I have so little time to pursue the "softer side of human nature" like, arts, poetry, opera, philospohy, sociology, history and things concerning humankind. *sigh*...so much to learn, so little time. ..........and yet still unable to walk the "path least travelled" and smell the flowers by the sides. Understand... What is Art? It is the response of man?s creative soul to the call of the Real. ? Tagore The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed. ? Albert Einstein The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility. _________________ Insight comes from the realisation that observation is going on without an observer, witnessing without a witness. Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2005 9:01 pm Lai CF Diamond Member   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 2600 Location: Singapore Vincent wrote: A memory of yesterday's pleasures A fear of tomorrow's dangers A straw under my knee A noise in mine ear An anything A nothing A fancy A chimera in my brain Troubles me in my prayer So certainly there is nothing Nothing in spiritual things Perfect in this world - John Donne Happy 55th Birthday Mr. Lai. Thanks, Vincent. John Donne, ?Sermons?: From a sermon preached 12 December 1626 [Inattention at Prayer] "But when we consider with a religious seriousness the manifold weaknesses of the strongest devotions in time of prayer, it is a sad consideration. I throw myself down in my chamber, and I call in, and invite God, and His angels thither, and when they are there, I neglect God and His angels for the noise of a fly, for the rattling of a coach, for the whining of a door; I talk on in the same posture of praying; Eyes lifted up: knees bowed down; as though I prayed to God. And if God, or His angels should ask me when I last thought of God in that prayer, I cannot tell. Sometimes I fund that I had forgot what I was about, but when I began to forget it, I cannot tell. A memory of yesterday's pleasures, a fear of tomorrow's dangers, a straw under my knee, a noise in my ear, a light in my eye, an anything, a nothing, a fancy, a shimmer in my brain. It troubles me in my prayer. So there's nothing, nothing in spiritual things perfect in His world. I turn to hardy and earnest prayer to God, and I fix my thoughts strongly as I think upon Him. And before I have perfected one petition, the spirit of slumber closes my eyes and I pray drowsily." Yes, Vincent, at this stage of my life, I had no more fear of tomorrow?s dangers, as I strive to find my God?.and accepted my death: ??Now, this bell tolling softly for another, says to me: Thou must die. I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun My heart thread, I shall perish in the shore; Swear by thyself, that at my death thy Sun Shall shine as it shines now, and heretofore, And, having done that, thou hast done, I fear no more. John Donne ?A Hymn to God the Father? _________________ AT the end of it all....wu wei Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2005 11:26 pm patgoh Moderator   Joined: 26 Apr 2005 Posts: 3608 Location: Singapore Hi Mr Lai, Whenver you have the following feeling, it is time to go for a good holidays. After the holidays, life will never be the same again. I do have the same feeling sometimes. Patgoh Quote: CONCLUSION I am dog-tired, physically and mentally exhausted, and everyday it is so hard to wakeup and start the daily grind all over again?.ad infinitum. I am working 6-day week, from 8am to 6pm. I ask myself: Is this the meaning of Life? And I am so tired of Life. And all I see there is still ten more years of toils ahead of me. When will it all ends? Posted: Sun May 01, 2005 12:37 am sae_0203 Princess Ambrosia   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 2398 Location: NE, Singapore yupe yupe Lai... have a holiday... spa week... together w Ms Lai _________________ Out of cluster, we can find simplicity and, in the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 1:13 pm Lai CF Diamond Member   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 2600 Location: Singapore Grunt wrote: Now, if memories serve me well...in the late '60.....as a student too...... How come my bus fare from East Coast Road to Jurong cost me only 10 cents only while yours was about 6 years ealier cost more ? Single trip or hopped and board a few time type, if that then it explain..... I remember the bus ticket is rather LONG type from the earlier 3" X 1" type !.....It's was an SBS................ Is my memory failing ? Hi Grunt, thanks and sorry for the late reply. Indeed, since 1957 to 1963, it had been always 25 cents fro students and children and 50 cents for adult. It is the maximum fare Tay Koh Yat Bus from Sembawang Terminal Station to Beach Road Terminal Station. Yes, LKY had already nationalised all bus services and formed SBS. That is where SIngapore is still a socialist state and PAP Government subsidised all bus fares then. Whereas, during my time, Tay Koh Yat is a privated owned bus company. Isn't it a shame as nationalisation of all bus services is another HONEST MISTAKE to improve efficiency transportation service.............but forgetting that MONOPOLY tends to be bloated and has no incentive to improve productivity. WHy worry where Tripatitism means you can indulged in Threesome Orgy and screwed the captive and hapless consumer for free. And yes, it is a long ticket with all the stages and bus conductors punched holes in it. ANd if the bus conductor is fromt eh same village of yours, you may get a free ride (although all those fellow villagers insisted on paying) or he may pinch "extra stages" for you. "Guan xi" does count a lot those days. _________________ AT the end of it all....wu wei Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 1:29 pm Lai CF Diamond Member   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 2600 Location: Singapore patgoh wrote: Hi Mr Lai, Whenver you have the following feeling, it is time to go for a good holidays. After the holidays, life will never be the same again. I do have the same feeling sometimes. Patgoh hi Pat, sae, Thanks for the concern. Not only I am mentally and physically exhausted, but my Soul is bone tired as well. I seek solitude and quietude for my Soul,..by "strolling in the woods and smelling the flowers by the paths, to seek and walk the paths least travelled". I am raging at the injustice of it all and seek my God to find peace for my soul. Indeed, Pat, I would said your forum, FBU and YPAP saved my sanity as I can rage and pour all my frustrations out. As PM Lee said: "I got to grasp every opportunities and WORK HARDER as before to retain my employability". I am 55 and facing competition from both the 30, 40-something local and foreign talents; and must worked HARDER than the competitions to retain my employability. Else, why should they employ me where they can get an equivalent for half of my pay? Which Young Singaporeans are willing to work 8am to 6pm, 6-day week plus telecommute where I continue at home to work 7-day a week. For those Chinese company I worked with, it is very much pre-LKY Singapore,.... Give me loyalty and I will take care of you. Afraid holiday is the last thing in my mind as I am bound body and soul to my employer who provide substenance for my family. I nee to survive another 10 years to ensure my three fledgings have a chance to be able to fly away from this nest called Singapore. Of course, they do have a choice to stayput if they so desired. Cheers Pat and sae, I would do teh SIngapore High Jump as it is against the wish of the God I am seeking. me no Simon Lee but Lai CF............... ...and I still have one sweet Lady of mine to woo with love poems........... ...and of course the fun of dodging flying pans from my better half.... hey, you all young punks, go out and enjoy the sunshine and let oldster like me moan, whinge and whine here. _________________ AT the end of it all....wu wei Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 2:01 pm geminii dreamfairy   Joined: 30 Apr 2005 Posts: 2747 Location: Dreams FairyLand Quote: hey, you all young punks, go out and enjoy the sunshine and let oldster like me moan, whinge and whine here. _________________ actuallee, age 55 is good, got rebates on mrts, cinemas, ntuc fairprice on tuesdays, medical benefits, huge sum of cpf money to claim... why whine? age 55 compares to lky is still young lah. lky still strong and sound. the heart is always young if u thinks young. Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 2:16 pm servant Moderator   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 4607 Location: kopi tiams Hello Master Lai (aka sasi?) "oey high oei chye boey si" (teochew, if you can whine and moan means you are not dead!) Keep up your struggle. It is not that you must die, it is that your children must live....your responsibilities! You must have married late to hav so young kids Anyways, sori for late reply, me not as eloquent as you are so cannot write long essays like you do, thus cannot "share" me experiences with forummers hehe. Dun even hav O level Btw, if i hav your qualifications i wud consider joining the party. Carry some balls and get into "proper" singaporean careers. Most of the MPs i hav met do not come close to you. They are nuts! PERIOD. Just riding the PAP tiger for their own nenefit! i know too many of them to be able to attest to this. They talk cock most of the time!! You are soooooooooo much better off than the kopi tiam fellas i mix with. They wud lose an arm and leg to be you! As for me, in my state, health is wealth. really nothing else matters....next week go for "pet-scan" $2,500/- all in. Might go Thailand instead. Plus airfare still less than half Have a nice day! _________________ "ONLY HEAR THE GOOD STUFF" : Sinkapo Poh Ko Tian Tai aka Radio TCSS!! [Talk Cock Sing Song] Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 2:33 pm Ramseth Last Pharaoh   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 996 servant wrote: As for me, in my state, health is wealth. really nothing else matters....next week go for "pet-scan" $2,500/- all in. Might go Thailand instead. Plus airfare still less than half But according to local mediafeed, Thailand sounds kind of dangerous, got tsunami, got Islamic terrorists and separatists, roadside shootings, broad daylight muggings, medicine and doctors not certified by Singapore's trusty Ministry for Health, unhygenic water and foods, aids, contaminated syringe, etc. etc... You sure or not? Seek treatment in Singapore sounds safer. Minister Khaw Boon Wan cares for you. Medisave, Medishield, Medifund, no one gets left behind. Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 3:19 pm servant Moderator   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 4607 Location: kopi tiams Dear Master Ramses_XII Please do not be fooled by our media. Singapore has far more crimes if compared in size and per capita. Only the Chinese papers report more on such and suicides too. The otherday a bloke flew down near me home...all silent. i understand there are many such super persons in Singapore recently! Thailand has over 70 million population in a land mass a thousand times ours. Put the PAP in charge and see if they can brag? It seem relatively safe here because criminals especially car theives hav no where to run. In most countries you cannot flash your Porshes around Thailand has by far the upper hand in sex change operations. Not only cheaper but better (i do know some of these results). In fact there is a beeline of Singaporeans making their way there. Their current Pathologist is World renown! They have the same CT Scan , Pet Scan , MRI machines. Question is how come they can buy from the same supplier cheaper? Well, they are blessed with a very caring Royal whom all Thais love. He would NEVER allow a PAP kind of Medical Scam like those you mentioned Pet scans are considered outpatient treatments and are therefore not covered. It is obvious that you are blessed with good health therefore you dun know, "boh tiok chum hmmm chai tiah" (never kenna the needle yet so dun know pain, hehe) Muslim uprising has been there for decades. The Thai Gahmen chose to isolate them in the south. They hav their reasons. It is hard to find a muslim restaurant in Bangkok. They do not encourage them to settle there PERIOD Well good for them because the Thais are homogeneous. Chinese and others have to assimilate and change their names. This way they progress as a Nation faster. Only a Muslim who is prepared to change religion and name can live in Bangkok Sadly the South had been used by their muslim neighbors to propagate their "abang" approach (which they tried to use on us previously but were unsuccessful). If you look at their faces they are Malays even with Malay names! Ok not to digress, i hav used Thai hospitals before. Excellent, polite and much much cheaper. They can only get better........we? plagued by high costs, will go downwards. Call this Globalisation? Hav a nice day..GOD BLESS! _________________ "ONLY HEAR THE GOOD STUFF" : Sinkapo Poh Ko Tian Tai aka Radio TCSS!! [Talk Cock Sing Song] Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 6:03 pm Ramseth Last Pharaoh   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 996 Playing devil's advocate is kind of fun. Actually, I used to live in Thailand. Couldn't have said it better than you. :wink: This Thursday, May 5, is Coronation Day of His Majesty Prachao Yuhua King Bhumipol. Long live the King! By the way, to be fair, Pattani province does have some technical grounds for claims to secession. It was a Malayan state (just like Kedah, Kelantan, etc.) before WWII. The Japanese 'awarded' Pattani to Thailand for 'cooperation' and 'non-resistance'. For some reasons, after WWII, the British and Malayans decided not to reclaim Pattani from Thailand. Even till today, Malaysia has insisted it doesn't want Pattani back. Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 7:47 pm Lai CF Diamond Member   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 2600 Location: Singapore Redbean wrote: laicf, not that you discover the artistic aspect of life late. not many people can afford that aspect of life. it was all hand to mouth until the 70s. then the golden 80s and early 90s. the kaboom. many people have lost everything they had built over the last 20-30 years. like the joseph told the pharoah in the bible, 7 good years 7 bad years. and the pharoah was lucky. he got the message early and saved during the 7 good years to provide for the 7 bad years. we thought our 7 good years would be followed by another 7 good years. now what? return some of the savings to the people? Redbean, that is precisely my point. A person education is built from 3 sides with a solid foundation [nurture] - Academic - Laboratory - Extra Circulum Activities That is, I had the first 2 and are now seeking the last one.....to pursue my dream because it is my passion not because I need it to survive. But after 40 years of development, isn't it a shame that PM Lee said to enable us to retire "we must work longer and WORK HARDER". Then, of what use is all the sacrifices of the 1st and 2nd generations effort to build SIngapore into a modern city-state as it is to day.........only to see our children and grandchildren loaded onto another Treadmill, another digit, grinding away their lives, no better than beast of burden, beast of the field? My 2nd Generation's desire for our children and grandchildren - 1) Never again, we vowed that they should suffered the same poverty as us, and from want. 2) Never again, they should late education opportunities due to lack of finance. 3) Never again, they should endure pain due to lack of medical facilities. 4) My 4th Vow [a blessed few like me that can offered to our children] is that my children learned to live like Americans and English: - they will work 5-day week, weekend is for strolling in the woods, smelling flowers, gardening and pursuing their passions. - their priority is to rush home to have dinner with their family not still nose to the grindstone everyday of their life like a Japanese salaryman. - they can pursue a 2nd unversity education because it is theri desire to pursue knowledge for knowledge seek, to follow their passion, to seek to fulfil their desire to live as they wish. Yes, if all goes kaboom in the 90's, just blame PM Goh Regime, a she build a rickety house on teh firm foundation that the Old Guards handed over to him. He tried to plaster over all those fissures in the critical members as "hair line cracks, normal wear and tear, corrosion, nothing to worry about", adding temporary props to strengthen the House of Singapore, treating the symptoms but not the sickness. But too make shocks, too many tremors, and the rickety House of SIngapore came tumbling down in the 21st Century. Now, it is PM Lee job to rebuild this House of Singapore. Has he got his father's charisma to motivate and persuade a nation of unhappy Gen-X and Gen-Y citizenry to rebuild,..especially the 2nd Generation is bone-tired, ageing and disenchanted? 2nd Generation like me, betrayed, discarded and never trust them again? _________________ AT the end of it all....wu wei Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 8:27 pm Lai CF Diamond Member   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 2600 Location: Singapore Moi wrote: moi a nee soon gang member used 2 klash with chong pang gang maeB wallap lai cf or laicf wallaped moi ... :lol: ..no moi, I did not join any of those traids. And your gang too far away from my kampung....so never fight you at all. Indeed, Nee Soon was a hotbed of triad activities and that nearby rubber plantation at Sembawang Hills was rumored to be used as triad initiation ceremony for new recruits. Moi wrote: moi a ahmad ibrahim ole boy.. kannaed pubic kannin as well did moi sait bad bad indeed.... ... AHmad Ibrahim Secondary was located at Sembawang Circus, just directly opposite from teh now Causarina Road where the famous Causarina Prata Shop is. It was the first "integrated" secondary school with a Malay vernacular secondary school opposite the sport field, if I can recall correctly. Sang Nila Utama Secondary School at ALjunied Road was the only Malay vernacular secondary school in SIngapore. I think Moi, green trouser or dress was your school color isn't it. Ahmad Ibrahim and Naval Base Secondary School was the only English stream secodnary schools serving Sembawang, Nee Soon and Upper Thomsaon areas. During the 50's and 60's, Naval Base Secondary School was notorious for having at least ONE pregnant female student per annum. The Quah footballing family and Suresh Anandan and his late brother (He was killed in that Silkair Crash) studied at Naval BAse Secondary School. Moi wrote: happee bursdae lau lai korrect cpf dun forget 2 split hor... NO prob to give you a treat when I completed my 5-cycle. Sori loh, cannot split, it belongs to my wife and 3 children. I decided to leave my S$76,000 cash with CPF to service my mortgage loan (S$2,660 per month....and my total monthly CPF contribution is S$902.50 only!). Anyway, CPF paid 2.5% interest and local banks paid less than 1% for fixed deposit. No, I am chary at SGX as I still got S$280,000 tied-up there. Not going to touch SGX and unit trusts with a 10-foot pole unless it is to sell for capital gains. Thanks Moi........sori for late reply..you know bugs... _________________ AT the end of it all....wu wei Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 8:43 pm Lai CF Diamond Member   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 2600 Location: Singapore Jupiter wrote: "Happy Belated Birthday" Mr Lai. Sori for the late greeting, just read your posting. BTW, I'm not too far behind you, but no hope to collect CPF when my time comes. :( Moi-san, Mr Lai had collected his "deposit" from CPF Board. Understand that 2 mths before your 55 Burst-day, they will send you a letter to "invite" you to collect your "tear & sweat" $$$$$. Mr Lai, don't forget to belanjah me also hor. Thanks Jupiter, Moi and the rest. No problem to belanjah...just arrange to meet after EPL season ended on 21-May...you lot can organise and arrange for a gathering....and the bash is on me...budget not more than S$1,000 and you bring you own wine and something cuddly for the othere "free" hand..... Anyway, when I completed my 5-cycle, I will to like to invite you lot to my big bash in celebration of life. No, Jupiter, my wife and I decided against withdrawal as we do not need the cash. Moreover, CPF paid 2.5% interest as compared local and foreign banks which paid less than 1% interest even for fixed deposit. ANyway, my total monthly CPF contribution had been drastivcally reduced to S$902.50 per month when I am 55 and will fall to S$550 when I am 60 to 65. That is, the ordinary accounts of S$76,000 is used to service my monthly mortgage loan of S$2,660. By my calculation, in 2008, this S$76,000 will be completely used up. hen, I will have to use my cash of S$100,000 from my matured endowment insurance, to service or redeem the rest of my mortgage loan. Not forgetting that special accounts need to be increase to S$120,000 by 2013. And on 01-July, we will know how much will we have to put in Medisave and Medishield. Well, I understand that before 62, you can used 50% of your special accounts to buy insurances or for mortgage loan. AFter youa re 62-years old, you can't touch the special acocunts and CPF will "ration" out S$500 pm to you as pension fund. cheers Jupiter,..CPF belongs to the Governemnt, defintiely not to the CItizen. PM Lee May Day Message to you lot of Young Punks: "I will provide employment opportunities for you.....but you must WORK LONGER AND WORK HARDER to grasp these opportunities"..... :?: _________________ AT the end of it all....wu wei Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 9:22 pm Ramseth Last Pharaoh   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 996 Lai CF wrote: I decided to leave my S$76,000 cash with CPF to service my mortgage loan (S$2,660 per month....and my total monthly CPF contribution is S$902.50 only!). Anyway, CPF paid 2.5% interest and local banks paid less than 1% for fixed deposit. No, I am chary at SGX as I still got S$280,000 tied-up there. Not going to touch SGX and unit trusts with a 10-foot pole unless it is to sell for capital gains. You got so much money and experience in investing. My Princess also never ask you to share your CPF or money, only ask for advice only, you also never share some advice. She's so nice to you somemore. You damn stingy and disappointing. Re: Moved by Lai's true story Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 9:31 pm Lai CF Diamond Member   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 2600 Location: Singapore Lumbraya wrote: Hello Mr. Lai, Although I am not very familiar with the "politics of your country", I submit that if your country was not governed by one party, but comprised of a dozen or so MP's from the non-ruling party, there probably would have been a more lively debate which may have provided a broader perspective of the various issues discussed/mentioned in your moving story. Good luck, and auspicium melioris aevi. Regards, Thanks Lumbraya. But the poitcics of my time is really fierce with real gunman and "ahrd" men. I would said that Lee Kuan Yew rode the Communist Tiger to power, survive the dismounting and managed to caged the Tiger. I recalled the Fear Factor in the early 70's. One day on an impulse (maybe Fate), I dropped in Klinik Rakyat at Victoria Street (that old row of building near Stamford Road junction, which was knocked down and rebuilt into Stamford Court). Surprise, surprise, the doctor was none other than the late Dr. Lee Siew Choh. We chit-chat and I told him I was not interested in politics. He said: "Young man, everyone must be involved in politics. here take these pamphlets and read it." I was stunned and shocked. When I left the clinic, I dumped those pamphlets into the nearest dustbin. That is the Fear Factor at work, and everybody was worried abour teh midnight knock on the door for being associated witht eh Oppositiona nd branded a "Communist". But in the 60's, Barisan Socialis was the main opposition and was strongly supported by virtually chinese-educated community. PAP was viewed with suspicion then. Oh Moi Nee Soon was a hotbed of Barisan Socialis supporters and PAP did not get a foothold there in the 60's. And at the same time, PAP Government practiced "pork barrel politics" and Nee Soon was left out of any national development program and left to rot. WHen Barisan Socialis split with PAP in the 60's, virtually all PAP branch offices left PAP. Lee Kuan Yew was stunned and from that day onwards, PAP branch offices had no power to elect officials and all these power resided with the cadres of PAP. Well, PAP managed to survive the 1963 Election else SIngapore History will take a different turn. Then Barisan Socialis made the biggest mistake of their life. They decided to boycott Parliament and take their battle to the streets. And of course, LKY clamped down hard on them and that was the end of Barisan Socialis. David Marshall tried, and became an ambassador to France. Lim Yew Hock of Alliance migrated to Australia. Jeyaretnam came to power over the unhappiness of port-workers at Anson and was supported largely by the Indian community over there. Rather foolhardy and spoke with his heart on his speech, thinking that it is still England over here,...and well, the rest is history and he went bankrupt with defamation suits one after another. Chaim See Tong, together with the late Fok Tai Loy (I had business dealing with him) formed SDP. He won Potong Pasir and see off challenge from Ma Boh Tan, Andy Gan, Kenneth Chen and who is that latest PAP chap? But he is ageing, does not have a viable success and appear more like a poodle to PAP,..an acceptable face of Oppostion to PAP, and hence his survival. But alas, as he was rising, he nursed a viper to his bosom by the name of Chee Soon JUan, which destroyed CHaim See Tong SDP. At their heyday, they won Bukit Gimbak and Nee Soon Central?? That is, there were FIVE oppostion in PArliament. ALl came to nought due to SDP in-fighting, Chee Soon Juan dismissal from NUS and subsequent litigious and defamation suits, incompetency at oppostion wards, etc......and they were all booted out in the next election, leaving only Chaim See Tong (Potong Pasir) and Low Thia KIang (Hougang). Oh... Anson is no more and was absorbed into a GRC. Jeyaretnam was barred from Parliament because he was a bankrupt. During that time, Francis Seow and Tan Liang Hong stood for 2001 General Election. Again, their mouths got better than their better judgement, and they left the country to aviod those defamation suits. Oh, even his bungalow was in his wife's name, somehow or rather, the COurt ruled that in fact it was Tan Liang Hong and I think it was sold to pay for all those judgements awarded against Tan Liang Hong. The Future? An ageing Chiam See Tong will most likely to lose his seat in the next election, latest to be held by 2007 but most likely at end-2005. Low Thia Kiang of Worker Party (WP). Well, WP is short of funds and still carried that stigma of being foe workers, you know, in SIngapore context "lower class" and having difficulties in attracting fresh and young talents,...and most importantly, finance to compete against PAP. Just imagine, election deposit is S$13,000 to ensure "serious candidates" will run for election. TO compete against 84 seats, WP needs at least S$1,902,000 as deposit, and I don't think they had that fundings. Moreover, as they ar4 beginning to garner more support, I suspect that PAP, this time around, will train all their big guns on WP and re-capture Hougang. Well, this is all my take on the Oppostiona nd hope to communicate with you further on thsi matter. cheers and have a nice day. _________________ AT the end of it all....wu wei Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 10:01 pm sae_0203 Princess Ambrosia   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 2398 Location: NE, Singapore Quote: You got so much money and experience in investing. My Princess also never ask you to share your CPF or money, only ask for advice only, you also never share some advice. She's so nice to you somemore. You damn stingy and disappointing. ramses nowadays very bad, never sayang me at night. Lai?s never share his CPF Money but he is still stacking Cash at Mandai? (so long.. still haven?t finished?) ya ya also never give me advice on investment? panpan so sad. _________________ Out of cluster, we can find simplicity and, in the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 10:18 pm Lai CF Diamond Member   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 2600 Location: Singapore Ramses_XII wrote: Lai CF wrote: I decided to leave my S$76,000 cash with CPF to service my mortgage loan (S$2,660 per month....and my total monthly CPF contribution is S$902.50 only!). Anyway, CPF paid 2.5% interest and local banks paid less than 1% for fixed deposit. No, I am chary at SGX as I still got S$280,000 tied-up there. Not going to touch SGX and unit trusts with a 10-foot pole unless it is to sell for capital gains. You got so much money and experience in investing. My Princess also never ask you to share your CPF or money, only ask for advice only, you also never share some advice. She's so nice to you somemore. You damn stingy and disappointing. Well, Ramese, if I am that smart and bought Keppel Corp at S$1.50, Venutre at S$5 and Creative at S$5,.....I will be a multi-millionaire today. But engineer thinks logical and do too much risk analysis and I dare not speculate in 1992 over properties and dare not but Neptune COurt at S$192,000 (it rose to S$700,000 in 1995). I am comfortable and dare not give any tips here for fear of "inside trading" charges and also, I am completely out-of-touch with SGX since 1999. But one stock I had tracking since 1992...SembCorp Industries. In 90's, it rose to S$15 at its highest and I understand Temasek Holdings sold away part of its holdings. There were rumors (all false) that SCI wer in dire straits and need to merge with Jurong Corporation because of its cash hoards. Therefore, ask yourself, when will Juroing COrproation goes IPO as it is cash-rich? Next, SCI is saddled with STIC money-lossing venture in industrial parks and resort development. Remember that SCI was a conservatively run GLC with S$300 million cash prior to Philip Yeo; and it ended up with S$3 billion highly-geared company in order to turn it inot a conglomerate with "oomp"? Understand that SCI will settle the Solitaire law suit (maximum S$750 million liability) by end-2005. Today, SCI turnover is about S$3 to S$4 billion and still have yet to achieve the late WOng Kok Siew Vision to become the Bechtel of the East with annual S$9 billion turnover. Therefore, as SCI share is S$1.97, it will be a huge huge gamble on investor like me who dreams that within 10 years from 2005, the shares will be around S$10 to S$15 per share. This, my friend, this is called risk taking....wanna to bet on SCI? Oh, I bought MCL Land at S$1.56 and this year, theya re returning a special dividend of S$0.61 per share....one of my rare hits.... I am still waiting for Allgreen to become another "CDL". Orchard Parade? Well, I am hoping Government will amend their land usage law at Orchard Road and Tanglin Road and allowed Far East Organisation to redevelop Orchard Parade Hotel into a high-end condo (like Marco Polo, Boulevard and Cockpit) and hopefully will gross S$1 billion profit like Ardmore Park. Watch out for Hotel Properties owned by Ong Beng Seng and his wife, daughter of Peter Fu. They owned large slew of land at Orchard Road area and if they settle their dispute with the Hilton Group (I think they got 50 years franchise signed in 1970?), who knows they may turn Four Seasons Hotel and HIlton Hotel into one big high-end condo development? Nope. I did not own any HPL shares. SCI...they are returning their capital at S$117 per 1,000 shares this year. cheers, Ramses, now you know why SGX is more dangerous than FIVE casinos in SIngaore. Just to reiterate, all those "analyses" are based on 1999 rumor, speculation and heresay info. _________________ AT the end of it all....wu wei Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 10:30 pm Ramseth Last Pharaoh   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 996 Okie dokie thankie. I'll think about SembCorp, CDL and HPL. I speculate on pseudo-cash only (a.k.a. margin). But for Princess, she wants to invest with her CPF. 35% of OA for her at this time surely isn't suitable for direct SGX investment. How about some unit trust recommendations for her? Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 10:31 pm Lai CF Diamond Member   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 2600 Location: Singapore Redbean wrote: a good remincent of the not too distant past. we took the same boat, walked the same road. and it was a long way off and then, not that far away. i am not sure the young of today are interested in the rumblings of old men. heard of this name ang kai teng, from chongpang, ex ri too? .... Sorry, Redbean..I can only dimly recalled. But yes, I dimly recalled now a person by the name of ANg, a coffeeshop owner's son..but I never met him at all. Guess it is because my family moved to Toa Payoh Lorong 7 in 1969. But there was a Yong, a Hakka, who is my classmate and I think he is a tailor's son, who stayed at Chong Pang Village. Redbean wrote: i never knew poverty actually. everyone was so poor then that you thought that was normal...until one day i looked at poverty face to face, in the mirror. that was the day after i visited a richer classmate's home, though just a flat. the first bed i slept on was an army bed. my bed was linoluem floor under the table. hahaha. something like the japanese, you don't see it during the day. . I remembered dimly that it was a hard linoleum bed with those hard ceramic square and oblong pillow which the adult slept on. I can never get used to it and always slept flat. I was about 6 or 7 years old before I got one of those "soft" western pillow. No insult to Hainanese. They said you tell a Hainanese by feeling the flatness at the back of their head. During my time, we felt it was great fun to put our hand to back of a Hainanese and siad "Hey, it is flat" to their great irritation. And yes, during my time, Hainanese male were regarded as the handsomest of all CHinese. Nope, the back of my head is not "flat". Redbean wrote: that was life then. maybe, if there is interest, we can talk about the past a little more. Yes, Redbean, the intention of this thread is to attract discussions on life in the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's as compared to what it is now...........and most importantly, what motivates the 2nd Generation to become what they are before and now. cheers and have a nice day tomorrow. _________________ AT the end of it all....wu wei Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 10:44 pm Lai CF Diamond Member   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 2600 Location: Singapore Ramses_XII wrote: Okie dokie thankie. I'll think about SembCorp, CDL and HPL. I speculate on pseudo-cash only (a.k.a. margin). But for Princess, she wants to invest with her CPF. 35% of OA for her at this time surely isn't suitable for direct SGX investment. How about some unit trust recommendations for her? Except for UOB SE Asia Regional Fund, my unit trust investment is 100% loss..and I still got S$50,000 stuck there. I am biased against it and would not touch it with a 20-foot pole. However, my brother makes 70% return on his CHina Market Unit Fund since he invested on it last year. As I said, it is all TIKAM TIKAM and got to wait long long (for me 10 years from now) before I can see my stock portfolio double or even triple. Hyflux? In 2002, while having a chat with a Dutch, he was commenting that the French pull-out of teh desaliantion plant project because they thought that the heavy capital expenditure is simply too risky? Now, with thehigh oil price hovering at US$50 per barrel, and Hyflux offered selling to PUB (Water) at that tender was S$0.76 per unit...plus of course all teh necessary escalating costs tied to fuel oil prices. Will Hyflux get at least 15% of ROI on the investment of about S$250 million (just guess, I dunno teh actual figure) when this desalination plant comes into operation by end-2005? Oh, I suspect Hyflux expanded too rapidly and may not have the corproate management to expand them further in teh face of fierce local, regional and global competition. I have a dimmed view of Olivia Lum (I think she worked at Beecham as a chemist before) as a visionary to grow Hyflux......and Hyflux maybe ripe fro a takeover bY GLC like SCI and Keppel Corp with their own expanding utiltiy and waste management business. Keppel Corp was awarded the S$250 million "Design Build Owned and Operate" Ulu Pandan NEWater Plant and the offered price wa I rhink S$0.46 per unit for NEWater and S$0.26 for Industrial Water. Mostly, Keppel Corp will "swallow" Hyflux in the future when Hyflux hits a fnancial bump. cheers, further on NEWater...akan datang. _________________ AT the end of it all....wu wei Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 10:55 pm sae_0203 Princess Ambrosia   Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 2398 Location: NE, Singapore Quote: Hainanese male were regarded as the handsomest of all CHinese. hmm really huh? hmm got prove? can i c? u can give me yr pics too... hehe saw from the news... our ex leader has past away... May the soul of the faithful departed rest in peace. _________________ Out of cluster, we can find simplicity and, in the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity I am 55.........   Find Singapore.Net Forum Index » Singapore Issues You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum All times are GMT + 8 Hours   Page 2 of 5   Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5  Next All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First  Select a forum Bulletins----------------Announcement/Forumers' Notice BoardChitchat BoxWelcome to Your Forum Current Affairs----------------Singapore IssuesInternational IssuesPersonal EncountersMoney Matters Marketplace Indulgences - Cute, Clucks Clans----------------The Dream Chamber of the Silken KindsTime OutThe BlogAsia Paranormal Investigators Rest & Relax - Of Mind, Body & Soul----------------Food, Foods, FiestaLifestyle & RomanceSports & HobbiesJokes & Lighter MomentsMovies & TV CornerThe Frog and Frigate PubQuote of the dayVideos - Watch & Share Interesting videos here ------------------------ Click Here Consultation & Suggestion----------------Computer Services/InternetFeedback & SuggestionsSpitting Stool