Lucida at Novena – Singapore – District 11

Lucida at Novena – Singapore – District 11

A factual escapist therapy, you demand less communicating to despair to the scrumptious fashion residing in it. With 62 units articulately mature in a 25-storey plumb region, every layer spells 3 magnetized apartments where nix routine is spared. The preponderant notion of immunity and joy ordinary, you’re promised the interest.

With 62 units articulately formed in a 25-storey plumb part, every plane spells 3 attractable apartments where zero everyday is spared. The paramount belief of freedom and joy everyday, you’re promised the game.

Tenure : Freehold
Location : 2 Suffolk Road (District 11)
Architect : JGP Architecture Pte Ltd
Development : 25 Storey Development with 62 Luxurious Units
Expected TOP : 31 December 2011

Floor Size :

Type A - 1 bedrm - 624 sqft
Type C - 3 bedrms - 1324 sqft
Type B - 2 bedrms - 1066 sqft
Type BP - 4 bedrms - 3854 sqft
Type B1 - 2 bedrms - 1098 sqft
Type CP - 4 bedrms - 4176 sqft
Facilities :-

- Swimming Pool
- Wading Pool
- Children’s Playground
- 24 Hours Security
- Carparks
- Hot & Cold Water Jet-
- Gymnasium
- BBQ Area
- Landscape

Buy, Sell, Rent, Invest, In SIngapore

Mindy Yong

(+65) 91002985

mindy@mindyyong.com

http://www.hotvictory.com

Tierra Vue at St Patrick – Singapore – District 15

Tierra Vue – Singapore – District 15

Settled along relaxed tree-lined St Patrick’s Moving within amenity-rich Marine Parade, Tierra Vue promises to be a developing with a number. Carefully and sensitively fashioned to harmonise with its environment, this 129-unit home will dimension a seeable orchestra of pools, gardens, airy balconies, growing trees and teemingness of physical loose.

From the erectile 113,000 sf curtilage,to the deliberative option of leafage that present air in the hot climate, to the symphonic prime of materials and flag that give pay the use its uncomparable individuality, Tierra Vue give be a revel to the senses with its sagittate lines, modern compeer detailing and enticing flag.

Project : Tierra Vue

Developer : MCL Land (Properties) Pte Ltd
Address : 36, 38, 40, 42 St Patrick’s Road
District : 15
Tenure : Estate in Fee Simple (Freehold)
Expected TOP : 31 December 2010
Total Number Of Units : 129

Types : 2 Bedroom

Type A - 88 - 98 sq m (27 Units)
Type A(P) - 88 -135 sq m (09 Units)

3 Bedroom

Type B - 113 - 118 sq m (51 Units)
Type B(P) - 116 - 147 sq m (16 Units)
Type TB - 142 - 170 sq m (09 Units)

4 Bedroom Penthouses

Type PH - 178 - 210 sq m (17 Units)

Buy, Sell, Rent, Invest, In SIngapore

Mindy Yong

(+65) 91002985

mindy@mindyyong.com

http://www.hotvictory.com

Waterfall Gardens at Holland/Farrer Road - Singapore - District 10

Waterfall Gardens at Holland/Farrer Road - Singapore - District 10

Set back against the confluence of Farrer Road and Holland Road, Waterfall Gardens is your sanctuary from the ebb and flow of everyday life.

Located in Singapore’s exclusive District 10, this freehold condominium offers unobstructed views in every direction. With the city and major expressways mere minutes away, take a plunge at anytime into the river of excitement that urban living offers.

Name :  Waterfall Gardens
Developer :  Acecharm Pte Ltd
Tenure : FH
Property Type :  CONDO
Location : 8, Farrer Road,Singapore 268820
District : 10
Unit Type :(Waterfall Gardens)

Total Units: 132 in two 12-storey buildings

3, 4 Rooms:

Penhouses with rooftop swimming pool (12 units): up to 450 sq.m. (4844 sq.ft.)

 
Facilities

BBQ pits
Covered car park
Playground
24 hours security
 Squash court
Swimming pool
Wading pool
 

 
Nearest MRT Station

Commwealth MRT Station (1.29 km)
Buona Vista MRT Station (1.73 km)
Queenstown MRT Station (1.96 km)

Nearest Schools

St Margaret’s Secondry School (1.03 km)
Nanyang Primary School (1.07 km)
New Town Primary School (1.21 km)
Buy, Sell, Rent, Invest, In Singapore

Mindy Yong

(+65) 91002985

mindy@mindyyong.com

http://www.hotvictory.com

Design awards for Singapore HDB estates

Design awards for Singapore HDB estates 

Sengkang, Ghim Moh estates score well for innovative design, user-friendly features

By Ong Bi Hui 
 
HOUSING Board estates are not known for their innovative designs, but two cutting-edge ones are starting to change all that.
They have just become the first HDB estates to win design awards for both their good looks and user-friendly features.

The Coris, a precinct in Sengkang New Town, and the upgraded Ghim Moh Gardens estate, which is 32 years old, both won bronze awards at the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Universal Design Awards.

‘Universal Design’ generally refers to design that allows users to get around easily, with easy-to-use facilities.

The BCA Awards were launched in September last year, and this year saw 34 entries, with most being refurbished buildings.

Both estates stood out due to their accessibility to residents, with seamless connectivity throughout.

The Coris at Sengkang, which has 14 residential blocks, had a comprehensive signage system so visitors can find their way around easily. There are also various recreational and communal facilities, including an area for the elderly to exercise, jogging tracks and pavilions.

Ghim Moh Gardens features wheelchair-friendly lifts that stop at every floor, safer clothes-drying racks and elderly-friendly toilets. Getting around is easy, with markets and bird- viewing spots all linked by sheltered walkways.

This year, three silver and six bronze awards were given in six categories of buildings: commercial, institutional, residential, open spaces, refurbished and open.

Other winners include Terminal 3 at Changi Airport and the National Museum of Singapore.

At last year’s awards, Ikea Tampines clinched the top prize, the gold award, but a prize in this category was not handed out this year.

Professor Cheong Hee Kiat, chairman of the award assessment panel, attributes this to it having ‘raised the bar’ this year.

He said: ‘Buildings need to be a holistic package. They must be comprehensive, integrative and have that special touch, while taking into account the owner’s corporate philosophy.’

Winners will receive their awards from Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan next Thursday. Those interested in applying for next year’s awards can visit www.bca.gov.sg.

Source : Straits Times - 16 May 2008

Singapore Property - Buy , Sell , Rent , Invest

Mindy Yong

(+65)91002985

mindy@mindyyong.com

Singapore MM’s wife in serious condition after stroke

Singapore MM’s wife in serious condition after stroke
 
She can speak and recognise family members but remains in hospital after Monday’s stroke

By Li Xueying & Kor Kian Beng 
MORE ALERT NOW: Mrs Lee’s daughter said her intelligence is not affected but physical movements may be frustrating. — ST FILE PHOTO
 
MRS Lee Kuan Yew, wife of the Minister Mentor, is in hospital after suffering a stroke on Monday.
However, her haemorrhage has since stabilised and, while she remains in ‘a serious condition’, she is able to recognise immediate family members, said a statement from the Minister Mentor’s office yesterday.

Mrs Lee, 87, experienced sudden weakness in the left side of her body and slurring of speech at 12.20pm on Monday.

She was taken to the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) for an urgent brain scan, which revealed bleeding in the right side of the brain, and was subsequently admitted to the Neurointensive Care Unit in Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

‘The haemorrhage stabilised after two days of close monitoring and treatment, before she was transferred to the general ward on Wednesday,’ said the statement.

‘Currently, she remains in a serious condition although she is able to recognise immediate family members.’

The Lees’ daughter, Associate Professor Lee Wei Ling, who is director of the NNI, told The Straits Times that Mrs Lee was ‘more alert’ yesterday compared to earlier in the week.

‘Her intelligence is not affected, but physical movements may be frustrating,’ she said, adding that Mrs Lee’s left arm is not moving well.

‘But what we said, she understood. She can also speak. She is in good spirits given the circumstances.’

Mrs Lee suffered a stroke in 2003 when she and Mr Lee were in London on a European tour. The bleeding was also in the right side of the brain then.

She recovered soon after and was well enough to continue accompanying Mr Lee on official trips.

Their last official trip was in March when they visited Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Bahrain in the Middle East.

Source : Straits Times - 16 May 2008

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Mindy Yong

(+65)91002985

mindy@mindyyong.com

What is a stroke?

What is a stroke? 
 
ACCORDING to Dr Alvin Hong, consultant neurosurgeon at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre and Gleneagles Medical Centre, there are two types of stroke.
‘One is caused by blockage in a blood vessel, so that blood cannot flow to the part of the brain that the vessel supplies.

The other is when a blood vessel within the brain bursts, causing blood to leak inside the brain. Mrs Lee suffered this type of stroke.”
What causes it?
Most haemorrhagic strokes are spontaneous, meaning there are no underlying causes, such as tumours or blood abnormalities. It often happens in older people due to degenerative changes in blood vessels.

In people in their 40s to 60s, the most common cause is high blood pressure.
Effects of stroke
Effects can vary. If the bleeding is in the brain stem, the damage can be serious.

If the stroke is in the left side of the brain, the person could be paralysed on the right of the body and also have problems communicating with others as speech is controlled in the left brain. This can be very disabling.

If the stroke is in the right side of the brain, language ability most probably won’t be affected.

Another factor is the size of the blood clot. A big blood clot will do more harm.

Swelling around the blood clot usually gets worse in the first 24 to 48 hours. Blood clots can threaten life by exerting so much pressure that the rest of the brain is also affected.
How to treat the condition
Sometimes, to save a life, doctors operate to remove the blood clot.

If the clot is not so big and the rest of the brain is less affected, doctors use medication to bring down the swelling in the brain.

If one waits long enough, all blood clots disappear. The problem is that one could die before a clot disappears.

Typically it takes five to seven days before a clot subsides significantly.

If a patient is quite stable after three to five days, he will probably remain so because swelling and bleeding are worst in the first two days.

In Mrs Lee’s case, the fact that she can recognise family members means the rest of the brain is working. The reason why it’s considered a serious condition is because it’s only the fourth day.
Recovery prospects
Doctors will have to first treat the complications of the stroke, of which a chest infection is the most common. Such patients often lie in bed and do not cough or breathe deeply enough. Secretions from the lungs are not cleared and they get a chest infection.

As the blood clot disappears and the pressure on the surrounding brain drops, the brain will begin to recover.

‘Once the danger period has passed, the patient will require intensive rehabilitation. It takes time, and patience,’ said Dr Hong.

Source : Straits Times - 16 May 2008

Singapore Property - Buy , Sell , Rent , Invest

Mindy Yong

(+65)91002985

mindy@mindyyong.com

Singapore Retail sales index up 5.6% in March

Singapore Retail sales index up 5.6% in March

By OH BOON PING

Excluding motor vehicles, overall sales volume rose by 6.1 per cent.

The strong growth was partly attributed to higher prices, but at constant prices the volume of retail sales actually declined marginally from a year ago, says the DOS.

Total retail sales value in March was estimated at $2.89 billion, compared with February’s $2.59 billion, with almost all retail sectors reporting higher turnover year on year.

 
 
For example, sales of supermarket goods, furniture & household equipment, department store items, optical goods & books, watches & jewellery and telecommunications apparatuses & computers in March this year continued to grow at 13.6 per cent to 16.7 per cent.

However, the motor-vehicle segment reported a decline of 8.1 per cent, continuing its downward trend since October 2007.

As for restaurants, receipts fell 1.8 per cent from the previous year, even though sales of fast-food outlets and food caterers rose during the period.

For example, turnover at fast-food restaurants rose by 1.6 per cent while revenue of food caterers and other eating places increased by 8.9 per cent and 6 per cent respectively.

The DOS said the increase was partly due to higher food prices. ‘After removing the price effect, the volume of catering trade declined by 3.1 per cent.’

In a report, HSBC economist Prakriti Sofat noted the contraction in motor-vehicle sales, but added that as certificate of entitlement (COE) premiums fall ‘to the lowest level in around a year, motor-vehicle sales will probably see a bounce in the months ahead’.

Looking ahead, the economist believes that retail spending here should remain firm.

‘Singaporeans got their first ‘growth dividend’ at the end of April (with the second in October) which, together with tax rebates, healthy job gains and historically low interest rates, suggests that households should let loose the purse strings,’ Ms Sofat said.

 
Source : Business Times - 16 May 2008

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Mindy Yong

(+65)91002985

mindy@mindyyong.com

Singapore CDL reveals what it does for society and environment

Singapore CDL reveals what it does for society and environment

By CONRAD TAN
CITY Developments Ltd (CDL) yesterday launched its first annual report focusing on the property developer’s impact on the environment, such as energy usage and carbon emissions.
The 54-page voluntary report, one of the first of its kind for a Singapore public-listed company, also details CDL’s activities and performance on various social and environmental issues, including efforts to improve the efficiency of energy and water use at its property projects and to reduce the amount of waste it generates.

But profits still come first, managing director Kwek Leng Joo said at a media conference to launch the report yesterday.

‘Businesses are for profit. Companies are out there not primarily to do charity work, think about how they should protect the environment or how they should repay kindness to society,’ he said. ‘The primary obligations are to the shareholders and investors.’

A company needs to be profitable first ‘before it can even put itself in a position to talk about CSR (corporate social responsibility) or anything else’, Mr Kwek said.

Just a day earlier, CDL reported a 31 per cent jump in net profit to $165 million in the first quarter from a year earlier. And last year saw record revenue and profit for the second-largest developer here amid the boom in property prices.

 
 
But a public-listed company must also be sure that ‘whatever kind of business it is in is sustainable’, which is where CSR issues are relevant, Mr Kwek said.

As a major property developer, paying attention to environmental conservation and protection issues is necessary to ensure that its core business of developing and managing new projects is sustainable in the long term, he added.

According to the report, CDL invests 2-5 per cent of the construction cost of a project in environmentally friendly ‘green’ design and features.

The company said it aims to track and measure its social and environmental efforts and performance against international benchmarks, and is setting up a formal CSR committee comprising senior management that will report directly to Mr Kwek.

Zoe Knight, head of socially responsible investment research at Merrill Lynch, said the report is a ‘breakthrough’ for Singapore.

Other Singapore-listed companies that have published separate environmental impact reports include Singapore Airlines and Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing.

Source : Business Times - 16 May 2008

Singapore Property - Buy , Sell , Rent , Invest

Mindy Yong

(+65)91002985

mindy@mindyyong.com

Leng Beng says Singapore real estate market sustainable

Leng Beng says Singapore real estate market sustainable

CityDev boss sees further investment opportunities ahead
By EMILYN YAP

HOTEL and property tycoon Kwek Leng Beng believes Singapore’s real estate market is sustainable and further investment opportunities lie ahead.
‘I am also waiting for the opportunity … to go in and buy at the right time,’ he said at a property conference yesterday.

The executive chairman of City Developments said growth in Macau’s gaming industry had driven up residential property prices there sharply. And with two integrated resorts and big events such as the Youth Olympics in the next few years, Mr Kwek reckons the future is bright for Singapore real estate.

According to country head of Jones Lang LaSalle Singapore Christopher Fossick, the current slowdown in property demand is largely sentiment-driven, and many investors are probably waiting to purchase at better prices.

In terms of office space, Mr Kwek said: ‘There has been a lot of talk that by 2010 and 2011 there will be a lot of oversupply. I do not believe so because in the first place, construction is a problem here.’

He cited rising construction costs as a reason for this view.

 
 
While office rents have been rising, Mr Fossick does not see this as a major business concern. Sharing feedback from multinational companies, he said wages are a much larger component of the cost of doing business, compared with rents.

Mr Kwek is also positive on the outlook for the hospitality real estate market. He believes the shortage of hotel rooms in Singapore and the rise in intra-regional travel will keep room rates on an uptrend.

Although Mr Kwek is generally upbeat on prospects for local real estate, he did express one concern. While investments from institutional funds have helped steady the market, ‘funds have a duration of life and will get out’, he said.

On the other hand, ‘for the retail buyers, when they get out, they don’t get out all at the same time’.

Mr Kwek asked in a panel discussion why the recent boom in Singapore’s property market did not attract many individual investors from the West, while funds showed huge interest. The director of property at Henderson Global Investors Asia, Chris Reilly, said this could be due to the lack of familiarity with Asian real estate among retail buyers in the West.

 
Source : Business Times - 16 May 2008

Singapore Property - Buy , Sell , Rent , Invest

Mindy Yong

(+65)91002985

mindy@mindyyong.com

Interest in Asian property seen growing - Singapore

Interest in Asian property seen growing - Singapore

GIC Real Estate says weaker market favours those taking strategic position
By EMILYN YAP

(SINGAPORE) The sub-prime crisis may have affected Asian property markets, but interest in the sector is likely to grow. The Government of Singapore Investment Corp’s (GIC) real estate arm is also confident about investment opportunities going forward.
‘There is plenty to go around - we will all have fun competing,’ said president of GIC Real Estate Seek Ngee Huat at a property conference yesterday.

Going by the pace at which real estate projects are emerging in Asian cities, Dr Seek believed that there would be a continuous supply to meet different risk-return appetites.

Dr Seek recognised that the sub-prime crisis has weakened Asian markets, particularly Japan and Australia. ‘The contagion effects of the sub-prime crisis . . . can potentially accelerate the downward spin of the current cycle,’ he said.

Nevertheless, the outlook for the property market was not entirely bleak. ‘Weak markets favour those who have capacity to take a strategic position,’ Dr Seek said. ‘The sub-prime meltdown presents threats but there are also opportunities.’

And many around the world are likely to see investment opportunities in Asian property markets as well. ‘Massive build-up of investment funds in the world, coupled with the attraction of Asia as a growth region of the future, will ensure continuous global interest in Asian real estate,’ said Dr Seek. He pointed out that this will inevitably lead to greater competition.

 
 
Dr Seek said that GIC Real Estate had focused mainly on developed markets in its first 10 years, and only started investing in Asia in the 1990s. Even then, it was ‘way ahead’ of other institutional investors.

GIC Real Estate ranks among the world’s top 10 real estate investment firms, according to its website. The unit has over 200 investments across more than 30 countries, culminating in a multi-billion US dollar portfolio.

GIC Real Estate had in March, through its affiliate Reco Hotels JV Private Ltd, entered into a joint venture with Host Hotels & Resorts Inc to explore investment opportunities in Asia and Australia. The real estate unit also bought the Westin Tokyo hotel for about 80 billion yen (S$1.05 billion) in February.

Source : Business Times - 16 May 2008

Singapore Property - Buy , Sell , Rent , Invest

Mindy Yong

(+65)91002985

mindy@mindyyong.com