Hi

I have 2 sets of BRAND NEW St Margaret’s Primary uniform for sale. They were purchased in Dec. They are both size 11. Wrapper thrown away hence can’t get a refund from Bibi and Baba. I am selling at 30% off retail price. Please pm me if interested. I can consider delivering to your place.

financial_guru:

Poonie:

Hi Financial Guru

If gov't is listening to the grouses of the public prices of brand new hdb will drop. Do you think those still holding hdb should sell at its all time high to cash out and buy a condo now before condo prices go up further. Condo prices might go up further if govt change policy and forbid PRs to buy hdbs resulting in higher demand for condos? What is your opinion on these? Not sure if my analysis is correct.

The govt knows they have to engineer a soft landing in the public housing market which is too hot right now.
Personally I don't think they will take the drastic step of disallowing PRs to buy HDB. That will totally collapse the resale market!
PRs will still be allowed to buy HDB flats on resale market.
What I think will happen is:
1) They will relook at the BTO process and application for new HDB flats and increase the supply for the new flats to keep prices affordable.
2) Increase CPF housing grant for 1st time buyers, may link amt of housing grant to inflation?

Financial Guru
Thanks. We have a hdb in a prime location which we are very reluctant to sell. Thinking of buying a condo. Do you think I should keep it for rental and move back when we are old or should we sell it whilst it is at its highest price? Do you think the policy changes will affect pte pties or will the focus be on hdb prices?

Hi Financial Guru

If gov’t is listening to the grouses of the public prices of brand new hdb will drop. Do you think those still holding hdb should sell at its all time high to cash out and buy a condo now before condo prices go up further. Condo prices might go up further if govt change policy and forbid PRs to buy hdbs resulting in higher demand for condos? What is your opinion on these? Not sure if my analysis is correct.

I also learnt about this from my granny. Very similar except that only one mug of water is sufficient and must be very warm. I have been doing this since young. It really helps with bowel movement…comes within 15 mins of downing the mug of warm water. Not too sure if it really prevents all those health issues mentioned. Granny is 90+ now and has been a diabetic. Other than this there are no other health issues.

smurf:

Think it depends on the quality also. If you buy quality products, the bill will go up. What about eating out?

For us we cook all 3 meals at home...........maybe that's why it adds up higher. On weekends we eat out for about 2 main meals and not forgetting those sinful but yummy breakfasts!

Wow! $300 is low! How do you do it? Care to share some tips?


For our family of 4 and 1 maid, we are set back by $40-50 per marketing trip for fresh meat and vegetables and that’s done 2x a week. For household supplies and toiletries I shop every 2-3 weeks and that usually set me back by $80 - $120 per trip. In total it averages $600 per mth.

INNOVATE:

In this sch, as long as your kids are within the top 70 percentile, i personally think that efforts should be channelled to the development of sports or performance arts rather than fighting for a place in GEP or top mainstream classes.


Just pause for a moment and consider whether the above made sense.

Hi INNOVATE

Thanks for the valuable info you've shared here. My girls are in this school and it is good to know this piece of info here. Short of asking the teachers their level position do you have any idea roughly what score (80s or 90s) they must maintain to be in top 30% in the cohort? I presume we exclude the GEPs but include the E and F?

Thanks.

daisyt:

Another option is select those good ones, make into clips with software like imovie, premiere pro, element ... It can be stored in dvd or hdd to play on TV. I have done so for dd by events she participate. Still have a lot to do for her for since baby till now

Similarly I also have loads of photos both digital and hard copies. For digital I select some and have them as screensaver at home and in the office for daily viewing. For grandparents, I printed some and place in the IKEA flip-type photo frame for their table top.

daisyt

Where did you have the clips done? Any recommendations?

For many years we have seen top students who are China student. These are not just the 1 or 2 per year. There are many of such students around who were not given media attention. Don’t be surpised that those that rank below the nos 1 are also China students. Why I said so? Sometime back I went on line to look for Math tutor for my kids. I didn’t mind those waiting for A level results. I indicated that i only wanted A* students. The system sifted out so many tutors with China-sounding names with straight As. Some of them have been offered a place at local U but awaiting response from Oxford, Cambridge and a few Ivy-league Us. Their priority is to go overseas!


I don’t deny that these foreign kids have put in alot of hardwork to learn English in order to get such stellar results. Our kids are definitely disadvantaged not just in MT but other subjects too coz these China kids were already ahead in other subjects before they came over. Age aside…their syllabus cover much more difficult stuff compared to the same level here. So this means that as they mastered English, every other subjects would follow.

Many of our kids have been putting in alot of effort in MT but they just don’t come close. They are just not in the right environment to study Chinese unlike if one were in China. Take a good look at ourselves…we have studied MT under the old system with equal weightage in writing and reading/speaking but can many of us conduct a meeting in Chinese or read Chinese contracts let alone appreciate Chinese history. There are just too many factors from books, TV programmes, subtitles etc etc. No point going into all these cos they will fall on deaf ears and they have fallen on deaf ears! Don’t think learning Chinese in a different way or giving less weightage will make us lose our roots. My MT is lousy…can only read 60% of LHZB! But I appreciate all things chinese from food, films, drama to Chinese history. On the latter two, I would even read the English version just to find out how our ancestors used to live in the old ancient days and how it makes us who we are today.

Sorry to all dissenters…don’t shoot me but I really applaud this move and hope it will materialise and benefit my kids. I’ll not stop their MT tuition and all…still want them to be as Chinese as they are now.

MMM:

KSP:

Talking about phone charges, I have a colleague who went to China for 3 weeks and the phone bill was like more than S$3k!!! :!: :!: :!:

Yes... I think the per min call is not cheap. Can't remember if it is something like $3 per min. I always have to watch the clock when I talk to the family though it's paid by co. Don't want to overdo it. So I would do emails with hubby instead.

You can sign up a SKYPE account, hook up a webcam if you pc does not have one and talk to your loved ones via a mic. It does not cause you anything except the upfront infrastructure cost.

The family talk to my hubby this way almost every night. There is video too so we can each see each other.