after weeks of 12-hour days (yesterday was a 15 hour day - left the office at midnight, and that was only cos we had to get out before our parking ticket expired!) spent in this terribly air-conditioned office in the middle of lebuh ampang where there are no nice shops & the food mostly sucks... it is SUCH a relief to be sitting here in starbucks bangsar at 9.30am just enjoying my brekkie & ciggy... my stupid internet at home isnt working so i used the excuse to bum around bangsar after running some errands.. and boy does it feel good to be walking around in quiet bangsar with the clear blue skies above and sun shining brightly!

of course, another very good reason for my good mood is that i'm going to bangkok tomorrow!! for my hen's trip nonetheless!! mmmm, am sooooooooo looking forward to the nice long massages, the awesome thai food, and the cheap & rocking partying, plus, best of all, just hanging with mah homeys..

the realization has just dawned that it is only 2 months away to the wedding... so now we are frantically trying to get things in place.. have just booked the church, found a florist, bought the rings and gotten the list of names from my parents.. but with only two months to go we still dont have a list from his parents, invitation card design still not finalised, menu not finalised, food tasting not organized, and a hundred other things not done..

as for the excitement, can't really say that i'm excited.. everyone keeps asking when's the Big Day? (its on june 2nd for the church ceremony & tea pouring and the dinner is on june 3rd) I don't really consider it as the Big Day since we've legally already been married for over a year ..it's more of a celebration rather than the "big day" itself.. for me, the exchange of vows & rings (ok, and the tea pouring, from the chinese custom perspective) are still outstanding and necessary for completeness, but i kinda wish we didn't wait so long to have the ceremony cos i'm already over the 'excitement' of a wedding...

anyhow, i hope i dont turn into bride-zilla over the next 2 months as we get all things sorted.. already potential tensions are arising over the order of events etc.. stress sial - have to keep everybody happy.. fingers crossed that no one gets offended with anyone especially amongst the families!

made the connection)was talking to a friend over happy beers today (happy beers = beers consumed during happy hour or purchased at happy hour prices or simply beers that make u happy, if you hadnt already and we got to the topic of weird sleeping habits.. apparently a mutual friend of ours (a very blokey sorta guy mind you) wears an eye mask when he sleeps... and she herself snores & sleep talks... (so does donk heh heh)..

i dont normally but i have been known to supposedly wake up and say something completely random and go right back to sleep as if nothing happened, and of course i have no recollection of it the next day.. my hubby also said to me today that this morning when he left i was sleeping "superman style".. have no idea what it means, but i tink it similar to the complaints i used to get from a poor dear who had gotten elbowed many a time when i suffered from nightmares.. oh, and i used to grind my teeth when i sleep too - drove my mum nuts whenever she came over to melbourne..

another friend of mine also shared with me once that her boyfriend annoyed the hell out of her because he would invariably wake her when he (out of reflex or out of sheer horniness i don't know) would start fondling her breast mid slumber..

anyone have any other weird sleeping stories to share?

It's Friday!! The weekend is here  *clap clap clap*

oh, & Happy Chap Goh Meh everyone!

I am stuck in the office, with not much to do at all the last two days thanks to my bosses not being around, and me being too efficient (such modesty haha). But seriously, the two tasks bestowed upon me I had already tried my best to drag them out as much as possible to fill up my two days. Tomorrow onwards will be a different story - we've got meetings with the Chairman and 3 of the Directors as well as the Head of Consumer Banking lined up.. so I'll really have to be on the ball, but for the last two days.. serious effort has been required not to fall asleep in front of my pc..

If I had internet access I wouldn't be complaining so much. Unfortunately this place has a policy of limiting internet access to 3 hours. All access to any chat program is completely barred (and no, I'm not tech savvy enough to know how to get past the firewall or whatever). No msn, no yahoo, no google talk, no skype, and not even web messenger! To make things worse, it's SOOOOOOOOOOOOO slow!! Even to check gmail, it takes 2 minutes to get in, and keeps disconnecting from the gmail server every 30 seconds.. so obviously gmail chat is also out of the question.

Rot, rot, rot.. that's all I've been doing. I was smarter today - I actually brought my earphones so I could listen to music. I've been spenidng the day randomly trawling through my iTunes listening to stuff I haven't heard for ages. My very own Red FM hehe. My latest Repeat til I get sick of it song is Starlight by Muse.. it rocks!! Have no clue what it means but I think it's pretty cool in a spacey fing tau yet slightly emo sorta way. Cheem eh? Well actually I got hooked onto the song because the silly DJ on Hitz FM was singing it to the background track.. and from then on it got stuck in my head :P hahaha small things..small minds...

Man, doing sweet FA while being stuck in an office surrounded by boring bean counters is very damaging to one's brain. I DO realise how incredibly bimbotic and pointless this post is, but who gives a flying hoot? I'm BORED. I've run out of ideas of ways to entertain myself. I even had one and a half hour lunches on both days!! Took LRT and went all the way to KLCC yesterday. Today a friend was kind enough to come pick me up and go for some yummy chicken & mushroom pie at Vanilla Box. Surprisingly, Heritage Row is actually not bad for food! Though considering I had more time today we should have gone for lat jiu pan meen instead. I didn't know he knew where it was (cos I haven't got a clue and the person who was raving all about it is even more directionally challenged than me!)

Last week was a good week, just chilling out and undergoing self prescribed retail therapy :), hanging out & partying with my darling luscious lips (I didn't even get to kiss you good-bye! *sob*) Now I have one less person to layan me, which basically means I'm friendless once again.. *chai leong look* muahahahaa

OK, almost time to go grab a few happy beers.. yay!!

I know this is a little belated but I don't have internet access at work & I've been coming home very late.. so I didn't get a chance to post this til now..

The traffic on Valentine's Day was extremely bad coming back from work thanks to the last minute shoppers as well as everyone rushing to get ready for their big dates and what not.. I had to go meet some people at Souled Out and the traffic coming into Hartamas was not moving at all. At the junction after True Fitness, I decided to swing into Pro-jet to fill up petrol as my warning light had already come on since that morning.

After I was done, I stopped a little way behind the cars lined up trying to merge with the traffic going through the main road in Desa Sri Hartamas, as I didn't want to block the entrance of Pro-jet. This green Vitara (i think) behind me honks and so I move forward but as I look back I see the guy shaking his head and making hand gestures like I'm a stupid idiot for blocking his way. Already harrassed from all the traffic coming back from town, and what lay ahead, I got really pissed off and was cursing & fuming in the car. I then decided to reverse & swing round to the Modesto's carpark and walk to Souled Out instead.

As I drive past Burger King I notice the guy standing outside the green vitara, and still fuming, I gave him the finger & drove past. After I parked, and was walking past Burger King I noticed him still milling around and looking at me but I just kept walking (I did pretend to go into 7-11 after I turned around and saw that he wasn't there anymore, just to make sure he hadn't made his way to my car to scratch it or anything). I noticed him at the counter inside Burger King ordering so I made my way to Souled Out and had many happy beers..


When I got back to my car, I noticed a serviette tucked under my windscreen wiper..  I was so amused, and felt so bad for being such a bitch... Mr Suzuki, if you ever come across this.. I'm sorry I gave you the finger, sorry you had a bad day, hope your Valentine's day is tonnes better next year, and hope you have a great CNY!

Life is indeed strange sometimes.. just as you embark on a certain journey, thinking you'll give it your best shot, suddenly life throws enticing opportunities at you that seem promising.. opportunities which one has to experience in order to know whether or not you made the right choice..

I will be giving my real estate stuff the back seat for a while, taking on instead an office job - (i will miss my flexi hours),  for three months i will be taking a consulting job with a bank as a client, after which I will be joining another bank as a full time employee.. trying my hand at banking was something i'd always toyed with while still at ibm, considering the number of projects we did at banks (2 of my ex-team members have also joined banks in australia).. we shall see what it's like to be a banker (though i don't know if my role actually qualifies me as a banker :P)

time will tell.. hopefully i will have more time & more exciting updates (or rants) with my ass stuck to an office chair most of the day.. i do dread having to fight kl traffic during peak hours & also i do hope i don't put on weight from all the sitting around :(

am really looking forward to mambo.. it's been a while... and i foresee that i won't be able to go for a long long long time now that i actually HAVE to wake up very early :P ..mambo here we come!!

choices. you complain when you don't have them, and you toss and turn sleeplessly when you have too many.

even when the alternatives aren't at all bad, it doesn't mean choosing between them isn't difficult.

so much anguish over a small little thing called opportunity cost. i know i can't be in 2 places at a time, i can't have my cake and eat it too, etc etc. but this is like - halfway through eating a normal cheescake, being offered a delicious-looking bannoffee cake, on the condition that you give up your cheesecake. would you take it? you've never tasted bannoffee (however it's spelt) before. do u go ahead and give up your cheesecake for something that could potentially taste better?

In the property world, there are a number of ways to satisfy the clueless. It can range from the dubious science of aligning the moons to determine if it's a suitable time to buy, to analytical views that consider all kinds of political and natural influences before arriving at a conclusion. And let's not forget the chartist's outlook that neatly maps everything out so that history can repeat itself in cycles.

I used to like the latter - it was easy to plot and loosely had the support of the past to fall back on. However, with the shrinking of the world in tandem with the expanding of the global village, I'm sensing an uneven spin to the cyclical nature of things.. which may mean out 10-year trough-to-boom revolution has to be recalculated while another way to see the future should be sought.

The news is not the most idyllic place to find it, though. With opinions being so varied, I suspect that any clarity will only come about after the first quarter of the year. So far, what's been said has been rather conflicting, and the choice of whose side to take depends on whether you have a "half empty" or "half full" disposition.

Early last month, participants at an investment seminar organised by RHB Research Institute were told property will "likely remain soft" this year due to the slowing economy and the alarming overhang in completed units. "Potential buyers are likely to delay purchases (which would) adversely affecting sector earnings," opined an RHB analyst, adding that "even the higher end segment is in danger of slowing with unsold units creeping up". He added that any further reduction in loan interest rates would also not "reverse the weak market".

In striking contrast, on the same day RHB's report was published, Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop was quoted in another daily as saying he has noted improvements in market confidence, especially in the residential sub-sector, and that this would continue into to the New Year.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak agreed with this assessment when a fortnight later, he said property is "expected to grow int he next three months" due to the implementation of the Ninth Malaysia Plan, the preservation of a low lending rate climate and the prospect of the stock market pushing new limits.

International pundits too are in discord over the future of property investment in this region. According to a report by Global Property Guide, contrary to popular belief, the region's residential prices have "yet to recover to pre-Asian crisis levels". After adjusting the figures to account for inflation, it said Singapore's properties are currently 37 per cent below their peak, while in Hong Kong, it's 61 per cent. On our shores, the publication said prices are still 10 per cent down from their best."If the present construction boom continues across Asia, the next decade isn't going to be much fun for property investors," it commented.

But the International Property Herald Tribune said Asia's property markets are among the strongest in the world, and any slowdown is only because they are "catching their breath" as they continue to expand this year. A British report on the Daily Reckoning website too painted a glowing picture of investing in Asia, particularly Malaysia.

As a foreign investor who bought a "bolt-hole" in Kuala Lumpur in 2004, the author Andrew Lomax said "it's a good time to consider (investing in) Malaysia." Explaining how he feels his stress "lifting off" every time his plane touches tarmac and how the country is well located within four hours flying time of half the world's population, Lomax is a strong advocate for foreigners to take up alternative residency on our shores. "The price of residential real estate is low by international standards," he wrote. In early 2004, I paid US$95 psf (RM340) for a flat in KL.. since then, it has risen to around US$130 to US$145 (RM468 to RM522). "It may be a trite comparison, but when compared to West London at US$1,200 (RM4,320) or New York at US$1,100 (RM3,960), to my simple mind KL seems remarkably good value.

Thus with the recent liberalisation of our country's foreign investment policies and the push to finally make the Malaysia My Second Home a success, a highlight for this year could be the arrival of more expatriate purchasers on our shores.

A prediction or a certainty?

At the end of the day, much of what we want the future to be is in our minds. Think optimistically; think challenge, not problems, and that's what we'll get. Of course, you could always be the contrarian.

ok, doc came in n said it's dropped to 95, so... suxxxx, gotta stay at least another night..

meanwhile, i'm enjoying the haagen daaz ice cream suet smuggled in for me.. yummy!!

mini plates in my blood count dropped to 129 yesterday, by this afternoon i'll know whether i have to stay here for nye.. doc says if it doesn't drop below 100 i shud be able to go home.. to me it doesn't matter so much whether i go home or not, i i doubt i could really go out anyway even if i was discharged.. what gets to me most is having to eat bread, porridge, or some sort of soupy vegie mee sua with fish, EVERY MEAL!! Don't get me wrong, under normal circumstances, I don't mind eating bland food, and I actuallly love eating fish and vegies and soup and mee sua. but i've been eating it every single meal since tuesday morning.. i'm so craving a chicken drumstick or the char siew that Ann made for her christmas party on Monday (the last really delicious thing i tasted in the last week). my mum was gonna make steamed chicken for me, but then she came back from the market and said that the market people said i souldn't eat chicken if i have fever..so i have to have fish again.

AAAaaaaAARrrrrrRRRRggggGGGGHHHhhhhhHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

while everyone is excitedly making plans for new year's eve, i'm wondering whether i'll still be stuck in a hospital bed..

after three and a half days of high fever (clocked 102 degrees on tues morning, and 102 degrees again this morning), the doctor decided to test me blood, and though the platelet count came back marginally low, he still felt i should come into pantai to be safe rather than sorry, and do further testing. apparently a lot of people have been falling prey to dengue recently... so sure enough, i tested positive for dengue, and since typically dengue fever lasts 7 days, i'll be lucky to get out of here by nye. even if i was discharged, no way i could go out.. kononnya dengue patients can feel lethargic and depressed for about 2 weeks after being discharged..

so anyway, i'm thankful my fever has subsided for now.. and that pantai actually has free wi-fi.. see, i am thankful for small mercies :P

i have gotten a couple of random messages and "smiles" on friendster before, but this takes the cake! (it's up there with the guy who sent me his tailored rendition of the Keane song)

i've cut and pasted EXACTLY WORD FOR WORD for your amusement.. don't say i never give u anything! (i even left his phone number n email address in case u really want to check out his sexy butt muahahhahahaha)

*******************
hai there, i know a lot of guys email
u, but, i can tell u that i am
diffrent from others..:)
Diffrent in what way?
Emm...that is for you to explore...
Remember, u never try, u never know!

I am chinese,single and available, :D
not bad looking, have a slim and average body,together with a sexy butt too :P
I love traveling & like music so much ,just like what people always say: "no music no life!".

Besides, i like to go for party especially rave party,and clubbing! Also, i am into swimming, movie,photography, reading, surfing, chit-chating, enjoying nice food and drink as well as shopping(can u imagine a guy who enjoy shopping?)!

Sometimes i am wild, sometimes i am sweet;
sometimes i am cool, sometimes i am hot!
Do u think u can handle me?
:P

Since i am single and available, i am into any kind of relationship.
Life is too short!!!
Let's enjoy together n live life to da max!!!

Take care my dear,
especially in these days!
Drink a lot of H2O ya :)
:)


P/S:
I seldom online these days cos i dont have internet access at both home and office,
I will only go online at cyber cafe occasionally, so y not we keep in touch in sms or tel?
my number is 012 2345 135
sms/call me so tat we can know each other better n enjoy life to the fullest!

Or else email me at hunchenkhor@hsbc.com.my

**********************

2 days in a row - wow!! it's a miracle!

i was so productive today, it's a wonder what a little lethargy will do to me.. i decided to get off my arse, dragged it out of bed bright and early this morning, made breakfast for my hubby before his flight (and even cut & packed an apple for him, can u believe that?!) got spruced up for a viewing which got postponed in the end, went to take pics of another apartment, arranged more viewings, dropped stuff back to my in laws & my parents' place, went to the gym for 2 hours (one of them being for a yoga class called Power Balance, which made me feel utterly demoralised at my lack of flexibility and balance  ), re heated leftovers for dinner & watched The Saint on HBO (it's a feat, cos i can never sit still for long enough throughout an entire movie on TV), cleaned up and threw out the remainder of the leftovers, vaccuumed and mopped the apartment, showered, read today's paper, and listed down everything that i did today on my blog (ta-da!!)

What a day!! Wish me luck for tomorrow's viewings..

i was very tempted to say screw it, shut my laptop & attempt to go to sleep as i haf done a few times before.. but i havent blogged for such a long time.. so, here's a not so short one for when i get old and wonder wat happened to the last few months of 2006? it basically went to checking out apartments, houses & shops, showing them to people, checking out cool projects, meeting people & talking abt real estate, driving around getting acquainted to different areas in klang valley.. also, house shopping (buying stuff to decorate our new home, not buying new houses - i wish!!) 

have been too lazy to party, having to work weekends is a bit of a bummer too.. oh yeah, my birthday passed by quite uneventfully in a very pleasant way (meaning i'm so grateful i did not have to go through any ordeals involving flamings, puking and massive hangovers).. birthday lunch at kampache was very nice indeed..

last night too was a mild drinking session that was quite pleasant.. a lot of effort in organising (i just hate organizing house parties of any sort cos i fuss & worry too much abt everything).. the food was yummy but i was rather overwhelmed by the amount of leftovers..thanks all of u guys (u know who u are) for helping to pluck the bones out of the tuna, for making the salad dressing, for getting the fire started, for going back and forth from the apartment to the bbq area to grab stuff, for cooking, for cutting the steak into bite sizes, for throwing cute chicks into the pool, and especially for cleaning up, but mostly, just for being there..:) sorry i'm getting all old & sentimental yada yada.. must be the christmas fuzz..

okee, gotta hit the sack.. got a viewing bright and early tomorrow morning.. been slacking too much already!

Anyone heard of Jaya1? It's a 10 acre commercial development (comprising offices, retail and F&B outlets, with a proposed theatre & convention center) in a strategic location. This is actually a project of a personal friend of mine, and the last I spoke to him, there were only VERY LIMITED units (about 3 or 4 per block) left! Go check out the sales gallery (they have a pretty impressive model there!) and ask for Charles; he's the dashing young director - just tell him that Camillia sent you :)

Check out the website & the newspaper articles below for the full details..

http://www.jaya1.com/

 

I've got a gorgeous & HUGE bungalow in Country Heights with 10000 sqft built up area and a full size swimming pool - very nicely done with a koi pond flowing through the house - available for rent from Dec 06. If anyone knows of any expat families looking for a spacious home with luxurious fittings, please drop me a message, thanks!!

I've been running around like a headless chicken, and my phone is constantly barking at me, as well as nagging me to feed it despite the fact i charge it every night.. my stupid headset has conked on me possibly due to use and abuse, i'm thankful i have not gotten into any accidents while trying to describe a property and coax prospects into viewing, negotiating terms with clients or co-broke agents & negotiating kl traffic at the same time *phew*

anyhow, cames across this article some time back and procrastinated posting it up for the longest time.. i seriously dont have time to blog anymore - have been meaning to post up a few articles actually.. will get to it eventually!!

                              _____________________________________

Potential in secondary and auction property sector (from StarBiz)

PROPERTY investor and author of You Can Become Rich In Property, Dr Peter Yee said the secondary and auction markets offered “bargain buys” for those interested in investing in the property sector.  

He said the property market was a “good tool” regardless of whether it was the up or down cycle, as long as investors remained prudent and prepared well before investing.  

Nonetheless, Yee preferred completed properties to those that were under construction.  

“There are too many uncertainties in uncompleted properties. Demand can disappear anytime, especially when there is a crisis.  

“Also, we do not know if the property could be rented out,” he said, adding that investors should not take on additional risks unnecessarily. 

“It is better to buy completed units that are selling below market prices,” he advised.  

Yee said patience was important in finding the right bargains.  

“Start looking, identify an area and familiarise yourself with the location,” he said.  

For those unfamiliar with auction properties, they could seek assistance from bank auction agents, who would provide the required information and offer their expertise, he said.  

Subsequently, interested buyers should inspect the property and its neighbourhood to ensure that they are synergistic with their needs and that the area has an occupancy rate of at least 80%. 

Finally, investors should look at the legal and finance issues such as conducting a land title search, checking up on the property’s quit rent, assessment fees, utility bills as well as making enquiries about bank loans. 

I've been running around like a headless chicken, and my phone is constantly barking at me, as well as nagging me to feed it despite the fact i charge it every night.. my stupid headset has conked on me possibly due to use and abuse, i'm thankful i have not gotten into any accidents while trying to describe a property and coax prospects into viewing, negotiating terms with clients or co-broke agents & negotiating kl traffic at the same time *phew*

anyhow, cames across this article some time back and procrastinated posting it up for the longest time.. i seriously dont have time to blog anymore - have been meaning to post up a few articles actually.. will get to it eventually!!

Potential in secondary and auction property sector (from StarBiz)

PROPERTY investor and author of You Can Become Rich In Property, Dr Peter Yee said the secondary and auction markets offered “bargain buys” for those interested in investing in the property sector.  

He said the property market was a “good tool” regardless of whether it was the up or down cycle, as long as investors remained prudent and prepared well before investing.  

Nonetheless, Yee preferred completed properties to those that were under construction.  

“There are too many uncertainties in uncompleted properties. Demand can disappear anytime, especially when there is a crisis.  

“Also, we do not know if the property could be rented out,” he said, adding that investors should not take on additional risks unnecessarily. 

“It is better to buy completed units that are selling below market prices,” he advised.  

Yee said patience was important in finding the right bargains.  

“Start looking, identify an area and familiarise yourself with the location,” he said.  

For those unfamiliar with auction properties, they could seek assistance from bank auction agents, who would provide the required information and offer their expertise, he said.  

Subsequently, interested buyers should inspect the property and its neighbourhood to ensure that they are synergistic with their needs and that the area has an occupancy rate of at least 80%. 

Finally, investors should look at the legal and finance issues such as conducting a land title search, checking up on the property’s quit rent, assessment fees, utility bills as well as making enquiries about bank loans. 

Nope, I'm not talking about the Samuel L Jackson movie, I'm talking about my new job! Yes, surprise surprise to those of you who don't know yet, I've ceased to be sampah masyarakat and am now a real estate negotiator!

I quit my old job cos I didn't really want to be flying around teaching techies how to run their IT shop anymore. Though I will miss the frequent flyer miles, free food & alcohol, I decided it's better to just stay put in one place and get into some sort of routine and live a more "settled" life. I also gave the old corporate ladder a miss since this was a good opportunity for me to pursue something I'm truly interested in and passionate about. I'd already been learning about and dabbling in it for a few years as a hobby even back in Melbourne, and also with my student accommodation business Embrace.

It has been a very interesting 3 weeks - I've been learning a lot though I'm sure I still have lots more to learn. I'm enjoying every minute of it - the challenges as well as the flexibility this new job is giving me. It does have its drawbacks re income as it's not as easy money but it's a sacrifice I'm still adapting to.

So don't be surprised if I post random real estate related articles or info on projects and such.. and OH, please don't forget to let me know if you or anyone you know are looking to buy /sell / rent / lease out any properties be it houses / apartments / shoplots / offices / vacant land. MY primary focus is Bangsar (since I grew up there), Damansara Heights, Mont Kiara and KL city & city fringe - though this doesn't preclude other areas. Just give me a call on 012 359 8303 or send me a message - I'd be happy to assist and throw in some free real estate advice :)

Meanwhile, check out my current listings here and WATCH THIS SPACE!