Phoenix Palace London near Baker Street Dim Sum

We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant called Phoenix Palace, which was very near Baker Street Tube station. The website of this restaurant - http://www.phoenixpalace.co.uk/ This restaurant has existed since at least we were students in London, so coming back here was good. It was just a short walk from Regent's Park.

This is the video of the food we had.


A rather large mural.


A glimpse of the menu.

The restaurant was rather large. Quiet when we got there (they just opened) but more and more people started to stream in, during lunch hours.

The dried beef Hor Fun which was very tasty indeed!

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Stratford, London, Walking Around

Stratford, London, walking around, including Westfield Shopping Center.



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Gold Bar, Gold Bar! (Bank of England Museum)

All that glitters is not Gold
From young, this I have been told
But what is this in my hand?
Just a yellow piece of hardened sand?

No, no, this is Gold
7kg or 16lbs, my hand can hold
Bank of England, yeah Angle Land
Oh what a treat, this is grand!



Bank of England Museum
http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/education/Pages/museum/visiting/default.aspx

The Bank of England is the United Kingdom’s central bank. It has a unique role in our economy, promoting the good of the people of the United Kingdom by maintaining monetary and financial stability. However our Museum is about much more than money! Discover the history of the Bank, its buildings, and the people who have shaped it over more than 300 years!

ViewHeathrow London Heathrow Terminal 4 Observation Deck

London Heathrow Terminal 4 - View Heathrow.  This is a great place for plane spotting!

 

UK Hotel Projects Failure - Singaporeans Lost Money

Losing money.  The project looked very enticing.  Buy a hotel room. Get a high return, promised - 8% of property cost on an annual basis.  That was the promised return.  Wow.  Cool.  The hotel brand looked reputable - IBIS.  Let's jump in.

Then the scheme started to unwind, because of financial issues with the company (Hotel Options) that sold the hotel rooms to investors.  This company was already in financial trouble, when selling these hotel rooms to the investors.  Now the company is under administration as the creditors took legal action against this company.

Obviously, this company did not reveal all these financial problems to the investors when they were marketing the products.

We have no invested in such instruments (like Hotel Rooms, Student Accommodation) for many reasons.

Another important reason - how do you 'own' a hotel room?  What rights do you have to that "room"? It is very different from owning a property in the UK, be it a studio apartment, a one or two bedroom apartment or even a house.  You get a proper title deed lodged with the UK Land Registry.

Suffice to say, be aware of all the risks before you jump into such investment.  When things look too good to be true, they usually are.

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Marks and Spencer Cafe (M&S) at High Street Kensington

Marks and Spencer - Cafe. This was the M&S at High Street Kensington. Came here to do some shopping and stopped for a coffee break. Very nice environment and a great place to chill and relax for a bit.

 

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Imperial War Museum, London, UK

A visit to the Imperial War Museum.  We visited in late 2014.  Took the tube to Lambeth North and walked here.  The museum was free to visit.  A great place to bring the kids too.  There was a special World War I exhibition that was very well curated.



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Premier Inn Breakfast

Premier Inn Breakfast.  Premier Inn is the default place for us to stay, when we visit the UK. In this video, I show you what they have for breakfast.  Breakfast costs £8.95 per adult.  Kids under 16 eat free.  I think up to 2 kids can eat free with one paying adult.  Pretty cool.

This Premier Inn was at King's Cross, London.



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Kensington Park to Hyde Park Walk (Early Morning Compilation)

While in London, I took a morning walk from Kensington Park to Hyde Park.   I was suffering from jet lag, so I had no problems waking up early.  It was a beautiful walk in the morning.  The weather was wonderful - absolutely delightful to spend some time in these parks.



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University of Westminster, London (from the outside)

University of Westminster was a former Polytechnic. Now a full-fledged University, it is not that well ranked in the international rankings, compared to the more famous Universities in London and the UK.  However, I am sure it is taking steps to improve itself.

The location is fantastic though, a short walk away from Oxford Circus.

The website - http://www.westminster.ac.uk/



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John Lewis Oxford Street, Lego Architecture Series

We were in London, shopping along Oxford Street.

We went into the rather large John Lewis to look around. The Lego Architecture series caught my attention. These sets are rather expensive in SIngapore so I took a video to capture the UK prices.

Upon return to Singapore I went to check out a Lego shop and I discovered that the prices in Singapore are more expensive on most models, but not outrageously so.

For example, prices in Singapore which I saw,

Big Ben $60
Falling water $189
Leaning Tower of Pisa $50
White House $110
Trevi fountain $89
Villa Savoye $120
Sydney Opera house $80
Needle $50

Which sets had bigger price differences? I noticed a few.

White House
Sold for 32.29 pounds or abt SGD65.
Singapore price - SGD 110.
Difference - SGD 45



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Premier Inn West Quay, Southampton, UK

We stayed at the Premier Inn, West Quay, Southampton pre-cruise, before our cruise on the Adventure of the Seas to Iceland and Norway in June 2014. The address is Harbour Parade, Southampton, SO15 1BA.

Premier Inn is a large no-frills type of hotel chain in the UK. We have stayed there before and have found the hotel to be consistent. We get good deals on Family rooms that can comfortably sleep our family of four.

See our video for our Premier Inn experience, including breakfast and dinner.

Take note, there is at least one more Premier Inn in the city of Southampton. Make sure you book the correct one. The Premier Inn close to the port is called Premier Inn West Quay. The address is Harbour Parade, Southampton, SO15 1BA

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Oldest Footage of London ever (or so the video claims)

Fascinating. Old video footage of London.



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Six Property Hotspots to watch: the top London growth districts tipped to rise by 2018

Six property hotspots to watch.  Should you head for these promising new growth areas in London?

The areas highlighted in an article from Homes and Property are:

Tottenham Hale
Current value: £450 psf
2018 forecast - £750 psf, a rise of 67%.

We are very partial towards Tottenham Hale. Why?  Well, we are invested there.  (Disclaimer!) There is a development by Bellway Homes, called Hale Village which we bought into and we are waiting for our unit to complete.  They are still selling units in later phases.  Watch this video and you get a good sense of the place.  Here it the link to the Hale Village development and regeneration.

If you buy into this development too, please let Bellway Homes know that you saw my blog post!

Old Oak Common

Current value: £600 psf

2018 forecast - £950 psf, a rise of 58%.

Royal Docks 
Current value: £600 psf
2018 forecast: £900 psf, a rise of 50%

The other 3 areas were Euston, Whitechapel and Woolwich.

Read the full article to find out more -
http://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/property-news/new-homes/six-property-hotspots-watch-top-london-growth-districts-tipped-rise-2018

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Josh Groban - Bring Him Home Les Miserables

Wow, what a powerful performance.


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Greggs Cafe - London - Breakfast

When we visit London, we can eat rather cheaply. For example, the family quite enjoys breakfast at Greggs, which is a coffee and sandwich chain all over London now. Here is a video of the Greggs opposite Earls Court Station.

The coffee is pretty decent.  Sandwiches are all good.  Less expensive than Pret A Manger.


This is breakfast on another day.  We were here before the sun came up.

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London Rental Market Enjoying Revival - Straits Times

The London rental market is enjoying revival.   Good news for buy-to-let owners.

Frankly, our apartments in London have had zero void thus far.  We have been in the London market for 5 years now and this fact gives us a lot of confidence in the London market.



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Singapore tops the list of the most expensive city in the world once again

Singapore tops the list of the most expensive city in the world once again, a new survey comparing the cost of living in 133 cities reveals.

Nudging just behind Singapore is Paris, followed by Oslo, Zurich and Sydney. London is the world's eleventh most expensive city, The Economists' Intelligence Unit report says. 

London is now as expensive as Tokyo, which was replaced by Singapore as the most expensive city last year.

Cities in Pakistan and India, including Karachi, Bangalore and Mumbai make up four out of the top five cheapest cities to live in last year.

The world's top five most expensive cities remain unchanged for the second year in a row, the report reveals.

The EIU's survey comprises 133 cities worldwide and uses New York as a base. It compares the cost of more than 160 services and products including food, clothing and utility bills. 

Jon Copestake of the EIU said: 'The situation of an unchanged top five is very rare for the worldwide cost of living survey and disguises some significant global drivers that are impacting on the cost of living everywhere. 

Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2977215/World-s-expensive-cities-revealed-Singapore-tops-charts-again.html#ixzz3Tbx3SyT3
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Singapore - More Private Properties Sold at a Loss

More private properties sold at a loss!

The chart below shows significant losses.

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Vacancy for Private Homes at 10 year high

Vacancy rates for private homes at a 10 year high - Straits Times 24 Jan 2015.

Rents under pressure.

24,062 - the number of vacant completed residential units at the end of the 4th quarter of 2014, nearly 2,500 units more than in the quarter before.

19,941 - the number of private residential units that were completed last year, up 52% from 13,150 in 2013.

3% - the full year drop in rents last year, marking a reversal from the rise in rents in the preceding four years

8% - the expected maximum fall in rents this year, with the most pronounced drop in the central region as firms cut back on housing allowances.

Borough Market, London, UK

We visit the London Borough Market.
It was the weekend and it was very crowded.  A lot of life and people.

We tried the Duck Confit sandwich.  Big portion but a tad too salty for my liking.
Wanted to try the Monmouth coffee, but the lines were way too long.

Tried some paella which was pretty good too.