London School of Economics

Walking around the London School of Economics.

The LSE is one of London's finest institutions, and growing from strength to strength.  In recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to gain admission to this prestigious London institution.

Many British and international students want to study in London and often, the LSE is one of their top choices.



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Young Cheng Restaurant London Chinatown UK

This small and non descript Chinese restaurant/eatery called Young Cheng turns out to be one of our favorite places to eat, when in London, UK Chinatown.

The restaurant is located diagonally opposite the Les Miserables theatre.  The address is 76 Shaftesbury Avenue, Soho, London, W1D 6ND.

The place is rather small and cramped.  The service is efficient and don't expect any frills. The food is very good and very reasonably priced.  The servings are very large and we can easily share the dishes.  Ordering 3 single-serve dishes is more than enough for my family of 4 as we are not big eaters.

The cooking?  Above average in taste. Overall, the place provides very good value.

Of course, this place is not as famous as the likes of Four Seasons and Royal China.  

However, for a place to eat casually, I would dine here without doubt.  Check out my video below.



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Massive Crowds Oxford Street London UK, Hamleys, Black Friday Weekend

Massive crowds outside Hamleys, Oxford Street, London UK.  This was the Black Friday weekend. I think many people were out shopping.  The weather was rather chilly, about 10 deg C.



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6 months to offload a condo, 3 to sell a flat

Slowing market?  Most definitely.

It now takes about 6 months to sell a condominium, and 3 months to offload a flat.

Seriously, 3 months to offload a flat is still very fast, by any international measure.  Our experience in London informs us that selling a flat there takes at least 6 months, if not longer.  The London market has also cooled significantly.

I suppose gone are the days that flats sell like hot cakes.

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No one home as EC waits for occupants

Vacancy rates soar as supply spikes.  Upgraders take longer to sell flats.

The resale market is rather lacklustre.  Vacancy rates at executive condominiums are at their highest level in more than five years.  Demand for HDB flats has cooled, so upgraders take a significantly longer time to sell their HDB units.

Vacant EC units rose to 16.2% in the third quarter, from 12.2% in the second quarter and justt 6% in the first.   The 2,375 vacant units came mostly from newer projects.  This is unsurprising.  There seems to be a flood of supply in the market.

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Housing and Development Board - The Promise

A video produced by the Singapore's Housing and Development Board or HDB.  The HDB is responsible for public housing in Singapore.  Very touching video.  There is a lot of meaning to the word, home.



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PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - Vegan Movement - http://www.peta.org/

PETA or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals claims to be the largest animal rights organization in the world.  Over the weekend, they held an 'exhibition' in Trafalgar Square London, urging people to 'Choose Vegan'.

Broad speaking, a Vegan is a person who does not eat or use animal products.  It goes beyond a vegetarian.  Check out the pictures from their website below.  Quite dramatic indeed.

London, Trafalgar Square in late October.  I do wonder if the humans feel cold.

This is what is called a human body exhibition. At least the sun was shining.  Makes for a better exhibit.

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Battersea Phase 3 Selling Well in Singapore

Half the units allocated to Singapore based buyers for phase 3 of Battersea Power Station project were sold on the first day of its global launch.

Wow.  While the Battersea Project looks attractive, phase 3 prices are really high, in my opinion.  I guess the Singapore-based buyers have deep pockets and are willing to invest in London.  Not bad.

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Rents Set to Fall with Glut of New Condos - Singapore

Rents set to fall with flood of new condos.  In this ST article,

1. It is fast turning into a tenant's market, with a glut of new condos completing soon.

2. In the past year alone, about 16,000 non-landed private homes were completed, URA figures.

3. 25,000 new units expected to be completed between this quarter and end of next year, with more than half in the suburbs.

4. Numbers point to potential glut in the vicinity of Dairy Farm and Hillview Avenue.

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London - views from the sky

Gorgeous video. In the first minute, you get great views of the city, including the skyscrapers in the City of London.

 

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Singapore Property Correction Not There Yet - DPM Tharman

Property prices in Singapore have not seen a "meaningful correction" yet, said DPM Tharman.
"If we do not get a meaningful reversal after each upswing, property prices will run ahead of the growth of household incomes over the long-term."

From the tone of this interview, I think the Government is signaling clearly that the cooling measures like ABSD will be here to stay for now.

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Peter Lim - New owner of Valencia Football Club

Billionaire Peter Lim is the new owner of Spanish side Valencia. Here are some facts about the media-shy Singaporean and the La Liga club.

Five things you should know about Peter Lim.

1. In 1991, Mr Lim made his fortune when he invested US$10 million (S$12.51 million) in Wilmar International, then a start-up palm oil company owned by tycoon Kuok Khoon Hong, a former client and friend of Mr Lim’s – and the nephew of Malaysian businessman Robert Kuok (he now lives in Hong Kong), one of Asia’s best-known billionaires. Mr Lim’s five per cent stake in Wilmar was worth US$1.4 billion in March according to Forbes.

2. He put himself through the University of Western Australia, in Perth, by working as a taxi driver, cook and waiter, among other odd jobs, and graduated with a degree in finance and accounting.

3.Nicknamed the “remisier king", Mr Lim was ranked by Forbes to be the 10th richest man in Singapore last year with a fortune of US$2.05 billion.

4. Married to former actress Cherie Lim, Mr Lim is a Manchester United fan, owning several Manchester United themed bars across Asia. He tried to buy Liverpool for £300 million (S$631.2 million) in 2010 but his offer was rejected.

5. Home to Valencia's new owner is the entire 11 storeys of the Abelia condominium, located near Orchard Road. Mr Lim is also said to own 25 Ferrari cars.

Five things you should know about Valencia football club

1. Up until Mr Lim acquired the club, Valencia was the only club outside the duo of Real Madrid and Barcelona to have won the Spanish La Liga since 2001. Former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez led Valencia to the league title in 2002 and 2004. However, Atletico Madrid on Saturday claimed its first La Liga title in 18 years by drawing 1-1 with title rivals Barcelona.

2. Due to the financial crisis, work on Valencia's new stadium – the 61,500 Nou Mestalla – stopped in 2009. The stadium has remained untouched since.

3. To stay afloat, the club had to sell key players like David Villa, David Silva, Jordi Alba, Roberto Soldado and Juan Mata - All Spanish internationals.

4. Valencia have only spent four years outside of the top flight during their 92-year history. Most recently they spent a year in the second division in the 1986-87 season.

5. They are the third most successful club in Spain, with six La Liga titles and seven Spanish Copa del Rey victories. No prizes guessing who the two most successful are.

- See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/the-big-story/explainers/story/5-things-about-peter-lim-and-his-new-football-club-valencia-20140518#sthash.nU940AZx.VuQVPBul.dpuf

America Needs Leadership To Overcome Emotional Recession

Leadership to overcome emotional recession, America needs to create good jobs, see article from New York Times which was reprinted in the Straits Times.

During the Cold War years, (1945 to around 1989 collapse of Berlin Wall), Western economies delivered broad prosperity to the middle class. Communism failed in stark contrast and the Communist states largely gave up their economic ideology in the face of a more superior economic system.

Had Western capitalism not delivered, we may all be Communists today. But look what is happening now - decades of stagnation in the West. In the USA, the median annual earnings of workers with bachelors degrees have not increased in three decades. This has led to a loss of confidence in the regime.

Does it then come as a surprise when we see an increased resurgence in extremism of all forms? The world needs bold leadership. I don't know where that is going to come from.

Coming back to Singapore, we see similar psychological trends. This New York Times article talks of an emotional recession. Some in Singapore have talked about emotional or social deficit.

 Thanks for reading.

Arsenal Emirates Stadium, Arsenal Football Club

On a recent trip to London, I got off the Tube at Finsbury Park and started to walk towards Arsenal.

It was a nice area.

Finsbury Park Interchange.  Buses and Underground and Trains.

Here is a video of Arsenal Tube station and then outside the Emirates stadium.

Picture of the road.

Outside the massive Emirates Stadium.

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President Tony Tan of Singapore Visits London

President Tony Tan is currently in London for his first state visit, on the invitation of Her Majesty the Queen.  Here are some photos.  Will post more as I come across them, so please check back.  I will start posting the most recent updates closer to the top of the blog post.

State Banquet hosted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Beautiful hall.

More pictures of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge from the first day.

Duchess of Cambridge - Second Appearance of the Day
The Duchess of Cambridge arrived at the Natural History Museum in London this evening for the 2014 Wildlife Photograph Awards looking so lovely in a sky blue Jenny Packham wrap dress with nude peep-toe pumps.

Aside from a simple clutch, she kept the rest of the accessories to a minimum and wore her hair down in soft curls. The three-quarter length wrap dress showed just a bit of a royal baby bump. Kate never shies away from color—just one of the many things we adore about her style—and this particular shade of powder blue is so flattering, and gives her that perfect glow.  [source - e-online]

Note, Kate did not attend the State Banquet hosted for President Tony Tan.

Duchess of Cambridge - First Appearance
The Duchess of Cambridge was forced to cancel a number of official engagements due to her severe morning sickness, a condition known as Hyperemesis Gravidarum. She joined her husband Prince William to official greet the President of Singapore Tony Tan Keng Yam at London's Royal Garden Hotel - a great honour for Singapore.

The Duchess opted for a duck egg blue coat dress by Alexander McQueen and complementary fascinator by Jane Taylor for the high profile event with a pair of classic black heels an clutch.

Duchess of Cambridge and Mrs Tan
At the Royal Garden Hotel.

State Banquet
Venue of State Banquet, hosted by the Queen.

Mall Leading to Palace - Fly the Singapore Flag.

The Mall leading to Buckingham Palace is lined with the national flags of Singapore and UK.

Gorgeous day.

1972 - Her Majesty The Queen visited Singapore.  One of the events was to watch a horse race at the Singapore Turf Club, where Her Majesty gave out a trophy.

Earlier today, here is a picture of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

The Queen shows President Tan some items related to Singapore from the Royal Collection

Is that a Chinese junk?  One that many of our forefathers sat in order to come to Singapore from China.

Can't tell what they are looking at from this angle.

Previously
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh welcome President Tony Tan and Mrs. Tan.

All standing at attention. Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have to stand in the sun!

President and Queen travel to Buckingham Palace in the Diamond Jubilee Stage Coach.  Here are some screen grabs.

President Tony Tan and The Queen posing for a photo at Buckingham Palace, after alighting from the Stage Coach.  Notice the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, far left.