Some people just never learn

After my post on the horror Ferrari crash at Rochor Road less than a month ago, there was a second driver who hit the red light and caught on camera. This makes me sad and angry, what are these selfish bastards thinking? Unfortunately, this bugger did not die on the spot, so I hope that he will be slapped with a severe punishment for his deed. 

Photos from my iphone

Again?

CM was the female MVP of last night's bowling competition. Fuyoh! Beh tahan.

Singapore not suitable for drivers like Michael Schumacher

Actual Video of Ferrari crashed on Taxi at Bugis / Rochor Junction

More stories:
Ferrari driver and taxi passenger killed in three-vehicle crash - Story first posted on May 12
Cabby in Ferrari accident dies
Dead Ferrari driver's wife asks who is female passenger
Japanese passenger killed in horror crash identified
Who's the mystery female passenger in horror Ferrari crash?
Ferrari crash fuels Singapore anti-foreign sentiment

Potholes: Pimples on the Road

Driving on Malaysian roads is a daily challenge. Somehow most of the roads have cracks and potholes all over and motorist have to choose either to accept the premature demise of their vehicle's suspensions or to drive with extra care. And with extra care, the flow of the traffic will definitely be disrupted. Some gungho drivers with skills like Vin Diesel would choose to swerve and veer to avoid those chuckholes, it's like playing TV games. And god knows how many motorists (especially motorbikers) have lost their lifes due to this road defect.

I don't know if anyone realise this, the road surfacing work done by prestige housing developers tend to last longer than JKR's. This is a serious issue because the quality of work by the government body or its contractors is really disappointing. And I notice that the way they patch the potholes are superficial as they merely fill up the hole with fresh tar without reinforcing the gravel base. So potholes at the same spot will always appear after a few months. And this is one of the tactics the government plays on us whenever the general election is approaching. Road surface will be freshly treated to demonstrate the will of the ruling party to improve our lifestyle, but deep down inside we know it's a big fat lie.

We do not want well-tarred roads for a few months only once in every 4-5 years! We do pay our road tax annually and so our vehicles deserve much better road condition all year long, like those in Singapore and Australia. And seriously, Malaysian government should strive to provide this basic infrastructure to all Malaysians and revise their SOP of road construction and maintenance.

Enough lamenting. Let's roll over to http://mypotholes.com/ to see how the humorous and creative ang moh uses the potholes to produce art. 

The Way We Park

Labour Day One Day Trip

Thanks to BT for the whole day activities, impromptu, but very enjoyable.

Dimsum for breakfast.

Visit to Tebrau Industrial Park, Cemerlang Industrial Park and Pasir Gudang Industrial Area.

Karaoke session was the climax and CM and I were awed by your vocal.

Dinner at 有记XO.

And the night concluded with dessert at BlackBall.

Moon

Saw this waning gibbous moon two days ago on our way back. It was an opportunity I've been waiting for to test out my 200mm zoom lens. Too bad, this is the best shot I got, but it is more than enough to bring me back to my secondary school days so many, many years ago. Yes, am an old man now.

I don't know how many schools back then have an astronomy club in Kluang, I am grateful till this day that my alma mater did. I remembered we invited the members from the Starhunter Magazine to our school for a night observing session. The event cost a hefty RM3,000, but somehow, we were able to accumulate the sum via peddling fruit juice during Hari Kokurikulum and selling coupons for the event. There were so many uncertainties and hurdles back then and till today I still don't know how we overcame them, but we were very fortunate that the Starhunters arrived in time with their awesome telescopes, it didn't rain that night, the sky was clear and the participants had a great time.

Oya, and we also had an informal session to observe the Leonids and the ring Sun eclipse within a year! Now, where is my photo on the Sun eclipse I risked my eye taking....hmm.

And this reminds me that I am deeply indebted to my dear friend, Ca Non, who supported me relentlessly all along, in each and every event held that year. Those SJM students (1998) will not be able to witness the beauty of planet Jupiter and Saturn without his determination. Thanks Ca Non, you may not see this, but I am truly grateful and glad to be able to work with someone like you. 

Also, the club owns a refracting telescope with a focal length of 400mm which can only be used to observe the moon. I had the priviledge to loan it from the school to observe the moon privately. And no, I didn't use it to peep at my female classmates staying next door (too innocent back then, haha).

I don't know what others felt when they see through the eyepiece of the telescope. For me, I felt an immediate quietness and solitude with the celestial object surrounded by darkness. Then, tranquility sinks in as if I am being sucked out into space. It's like electricity (Okay, I copied this from Billy Elliot, haha). The feeling is similar to swimming with the whale shark when I scuba dive. Unforgetable.    

 

Invest in REITS

What is REITS?

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) - pronounced as R-I-T-S, not R-A-I-D-S, are trusts that are set up specifically to invest in real estates. So, you're actually investing in a property management listed company, so to speak. REITs invest their capital into various types of real estates.

Type of REITS

The REITs in Singapore can be broadly classified into the following types [1]:

1. Retail REITs - CapitaMall Trust, Fraser Centerpoint Trust, LippoMall (Indonesia Only)
2. Residential REITs - Saizen REIT (Japan Only)
3. Hospitality REITs - Ascott REIT, CDL Hospitality Trust
4. Healthcare REITs - Parkway Life REIT, First REIT
5. Office REITs - Frasers Commercial Trust, CapitaCommercial Trust, Keppel REIT
6. Industrial REITs - Ascendas REITs, Cache Logistics Trust, Cambridge Industrial Trust, Mapletree Logistics Trust, Mapletree Industrial Trust, Sabana REIT.
7. Hybrid REITs - Mapletree Commercial Trust, Starhill REIT, Suntec REIT

In summary, ranking by various qualities [1]:

• Defensiveness (From Highest to Lowest) – Healthcare, Retail, Retail/Office Hybrid, Industrial, Office, Residential, Hospitality
• Dividend Yields (From Highest to Lowest) – Hospitality, Residential, Office, Industrial, Retail/Office Hybrid, Retail, Healthcar
• Weighted Average Lease Expiry (WALE) (From Highest to Lowest) – Healthcare, Industrial, Retail, Retail/Office Hybrid, Office, Residential, Hospitality

Why invest in REITS? [2]

Great way to diversify your portfolio.

REITs solely invest in real estates and make money from leases and other forms of rental income. Such income has a very low co-relation with economic cycles as compared to other industries. Thus, this is an alternative vehicle to build a source of relatively stable, regular income. A must for long term investors to diversify their investment portfolios.

Fixed income and capital appreciation.

The income earned from rent and leasing out of real estate assets is passed on to investors through dividends. Typical dividend yield for Malaysia and Singapore REITs counters are in the 6%-8% range on average. Moreover, any increase in the value of a REIT’s real estate investment portfolio or increase in distribution per unit (DPU) leads to an appreciation in the market value of the REIT. Stable.

Convenient way of investing in real estate

1. Lower cost & Diversification: It will cost a bomb for retail investors to invest in real estates individually, and by doing so, it's like putting all your eggs in one basket. Via REITs, one is spoilt for the variety of real estates he/she can invest in at a lower cost.
2. Liquidity: One can invest in REITs and pull out anytime by selling off their units in the market fast. Selling off a property takes months to complete.
3. Professional Management: REITs have professional management teams to manage, maintain and upgrade the real estates, and also to collect rental incomes. Investors do not need to worry about late payments, plumbing problems...etc, and all the paperwork involved. 

How to invest in REITs?

Some pointers in assessing REITs [3]:

1. Competent management.
2. Ever increasing dividend payout.
3. It should be actively acquiring new assets or upgrading their existing assets.
4. The properties under management must be located at strategic location.
5. It should have sufficient and variety of tenants.
6. Must have promising long-term tenancies.

[1] Calvin Yeo, Making Passive Income, http://www.investinpassiveincome.com/

[2] Stock Investing 101, "3 Reasons Why You Should Invest In REITs", http://www.stockmarketinvesting101.com

[3] Personal Finance Money Tip, "How to invest in REITs", http://kclau.com

 

Disclaimer: This is a self-learning article for the author and the references are cited accordingly. This is not an invitation to buy or sell. I do not guarantee the accuracy or validity of the information above. Do your own due diligence before investing and invest at your own risk.

It's all about the driver

I remembered some character in a street-racing action movie once said, "It's not about the machine, it's all about the driver."

And I totally agree with that.

More than ever, I encountered drivers manoeuvring their kancil like ferocious lambo on the road. I think this is just another verson of mat rempit. You know, some people just have an ego larger than their pockets, balls outgrowing their brains. 

Now, if a vunerable vehicle can cruise around like it is the mother of all roads, it's no wonder the trucks or express buses are driven like battle tanks on the highway these days. 

Pandan from Kluang

Dear Mom,

The first one didn't make it. Nonetheless, the second one not only survived, but flourish like anything as can be seen from the picture on the left. So now it is ready to be harvested for culinary flavoring and as cockroach repellent in the wardrobes.

Will need to segregate out the young stems from the pot in near future :)

Wiki's description on the plant:

"It is an upright, green plant with fan-shaped sprays of long, narrow, bladelike leaves and woody aerial roots."

Keywords: Pandan leaves, pandan wangi, Pandanus amaryllifolius (Scientific name)

Slow down please, when approaching a slope

We are funnelled sometimes on Malaysian road

I don't understand why we have this stupid road system where multiple lanes will eventually converge into one lane. And knowing how disorderly we Malaysian drivers drive on the road, those impatient will curse, those lawless will cut queue, those reckless will collide, those in a hurry will cry.