Buy an Island

April 10, 2011 1 Comment

Tired of being a slave to your expensive pigeon hole? There is another retirement plan you can aim for. Trade off your small HDB Flat and be the king of your own island instead. For the same price (USD700K) of a 140sqm 5-room flat in Marine Parade, you can exchange it for a 1.25 acres paradise (above photo) out there in the Caribbean. Yes – all yours under a million sing dollars – freehold and you get to name your island / roads / beaches / trees etc! Think about all the possibilities!

Check out some of these sales here at http://www.privateislandsonline.com. Some of these islands are priced as low as USD30,000! (Of course, you won’t want to spend your holidays or retirement out there with the piranhas in the Amazon River!) If you are lucky, you may bump into a “chance-of-a-lifetime” sale. In 2009, after a failed romance, a 48-year old island owner in Brazil sold his white-sand-crystal-clear water idyllic “love island” (See Photo Left) for only USD12,500! He was blaming the island for his bad luck and lost love – and he just wanted to get rid of it at a cheap price. What a pity to sell that beautiful island for such a low price. All he need is a Fengshui Master to give him some tips to improve his luck.

Filed under Cool Stuffs, Jo's Thoughts

The Black Pearl of the Orient

April 10, 2011 Leave a comment

(Photo Taken: Way to Central Pier)

Filed under Life in Hong Kong

Lomo World (Updated)

April 10, 2011 Leave a comment


(Photo Taken: Big colourful Lomo collage of the Hong Kong Skyline outside Times Square, Hong Kong)

Filed under Cool Stuffs, Life in Hong Kong

Feeding Time

April 10, 2011 Leave a comment

(Photo Taken: A flock of pigeons feeding outside Harbour City, Hong Kong)

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Little 123rd Visitor

April 10, 2011 Leave a comment


Meet Boi, April and our little 123rd Hong Kong Visitor – Baby J. Yes, his name is just J. Creative daddy and mummy decided to leave the name open for Baby J to fill up himself when he is older. Yes, Daddy Boi said it – “Any name he wants. Be it Jeremy or Jennifer…” Aw…so cool.

Filed under Life in Hong Kong

The World of Bureaucracy

April 7, 2011 Leave a comment


2 very good “must-watch” documentaries to recommend. Both films display the hardcore facts of an eroding America. Shocking, mind-blowing and compelling. “Inside Job” exposed the ugly and wicked side of the dark investment world. This film will prompt you to rethink all the stories and pictures your loyal “Financial Planner” painted about your retirement plans. “Waiting for Superman” is a touching film about kids suffering under the education system of America. It reminded me of the cruel “lottery game” our own Singapore educator plays every year for primary school enrollment. The fate of your child lies on a simple game of ballot. Thankfully, we have many good public schools in Singapore. Of course, I am not a firm believer of the notion “good school = good future” but education should be fair and open for all. Why do we allow our educators to determine our child’s future in the game of a “lucky draw”?  Sadly, bureaucracy is king. And Bureaucrat doesn’t need brains.

Filed under Jo's Thoughts

By Pastry Chef Elkan

April 5, 2011 Leave a comment

It was Jorance’s 1st Birthday and my little Chef Elkan decorated his little cousin his first birthday cake! I still can’t figure out what is the graphic on the cake. Looks like a yellow bug.

Filed under Family, Life in Singapore

Shanghai Girl Returns

April 5, 2011 Leave a comment


Right after Felicia, Elkan and Jean, Echo was our 4th “Resident” in our new Central apartment. She was in town over the weekend (48 hours to be exact). Living under one roof with these 2 Shanghainese-Singaporean girls wasn’t easy, I was slave to them for 2 days – mentally and physically. Good thing I have Harshad to share the pain.

Filed under Life in Hong Kong, Wahbiang

City of Ali Babas

April 1, 2011 2 Comments

My last visit to Ho Chi Minh city was almost 3 years ago. The sleepy financial capital of Vietnam is evolving. New sky-scrapper “Bitexco” lit the evening sky. New shopping malls, casinos, office towers, hotels and branded boutiques are springing up in District 1. The city is slowly transforming. It reminded me of the good old days of Pudong in early 2000s.

Nevertheless, Ho Chi Minh needs more to speed up its growth. The city’s infrastructure is lacking. Its stagnant tourism needs a big revamp to attract more repeated visitors. The government and its ministries need to work together to find the right formula to get the city moving. Clean the street, tidy the traffic, fix the civil service standards and better city planning. Despite all these, the gem of Vietnam is in its people. They are a wonderful lot. Friendly, helpful and charming.


Crime rates are certainly on the rise. 2 of our delegates were robbed on separate occasions on the same night. The locals call these petty snatch thieves “Ali Babas”. I was told not to walk and chat on my iPhone (be it day or night). The thieves target these expensive phones (like iPhone and Blackberry). They will sneak behind you, grab your phone off your hand, punch you in the face and escape on a nearby motorbike. I increased my vigilance around me as I certainly do not want to be the third victim in the group. Guess we took our safety for granted outside our home.

Despite the bad “Ali Baba Experience”, this Ho Chi Minh trip was full of pleasant meetings and surprises. Coincidentally, Chen (my Taiwan friend) was also in town. It was his second trip and I showed him around the city. Later that evening, at our company’s welcome party at the hotel’s rooftop, I bumped into my ex-Poly school mate, Peter Lee! He was our new Creative Director in Taiwan! It was a shocking moment when I saw him walking into our party! Can’t imagine seeing him here in Vietnam after so many years! (We last met in 1999!) What a small crazy world!

I spent my last 2 nights clubbing with an old friend, Kevin (a Singaporean who was based in HCM since 2006). It was good to have him to show us the night life of Ho Chi Minh. All of us had such a fun time together here in Vietnam. (Not forgetting to mention about the low-budget movie Harshad and my boss, David shot on the streets in their hot robe and red under-pants! Opps, not supposed to say this out here!)

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Lomo “Ho Chi Minh”

March 28, 2011 Leave a comment


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