(Sometimes, you just feel like the only one out there)

Bittersweet Honey ♥/-
Short post for today.
It's weird how sucha supposedly beautiful and pleasant can turn out to be so horrible.

(Today's a beautiful day ... ...)

1. Because it is Day 10 = Ending school one hour earlier then usual :)
2. There is band and even though it's indoor test, music-making is still fun :)
3. There is PE, again. (Floorball is getting funner & funner) When we just had it on Wednesday :)
4. Mr. Shawn Lim came in for math which is fun & entertainment while learning :)
5. Being unanimously nicknamed "Flip" for some stupid reason by Mr. Lim :)
6. Audrey is on for Centrestage finals today! :)
   

Then it was all ruined by a certain natural phenomenom called menstrual cramps :/ Thus,

(Today's a horrible day ... ...)

1. Because i didn't go for band in the end. Cabbed home alone :(
2. Stomach was in agony almost for the whole day :(
3. Very low mood = Not happy Isabel :(
4. Can't go to Centrestage to see my darling Audrey :(
5. My day was just plain painful :(((

Thankyou dear donuts for making today at least bearable till i got home :D Thankyou Amanda for talking to me throughout Geog so that i won't think about the pain so much :D Thankyou Jia Min & Shu Lin for being so entertaining behind and making me laugh :D Thankyou Tjun Sern & Si Jia for lending me money to take cab home :D Thankyou Clara for the panadol :D Thankyou Zaza for helping me tell Mr Ng :D (Even though i didn't use it @ all -.- Turned out it only cost $10.80!) Muack love y'all so so much! ♥

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Even though you might have sung finish already but ... Jiayou my darling! Me supports you all the way kay! Love love you! ♥

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Bathed then slept like a pig for a few hours which was bliss. So anyway after all the drama, on a happier note: Daddy was in the Business Times yesterday!

(EDIT)

Kay apparently there's smth wrong with the link :X So just read from here.

This (SINGAPORE) The Good Class Bungalow (GCB) market has sprung to life with high-net-worth individuals stepping up their purchases.
July was an especially action-filled month which saw about 20 GCB transactions worth a total of more than $300 million. To put this in perspective, the entire first quarter of this year saw GCB deals worth only $27.5 million.
The action picked up in April, when $56 million worth of GCBs were transacted. It gathered pace in May and June, each month seeing deals amounting to around $188 million. In July, the market went ballistic.
So far this year, around 50 GCB deals have been transacted, according to caveats data compiled by property consultants and information on the latest transactions obtained by BT.
The year-to-date tally of over $800 million is healthy, considering that the whole of last year saw just 51 deals worth $830 million.
GCB agents expect the sales flow to continue in coming months. CB Richard Ellis's director, luxury homes, Douglas Wong said: 'It's likely that a total of 60-65 GCBs will be sold in the whole of 2009 - more than the 51 GCBs sold in 2008. The total quantum is likely to be around $1.1 billion to $1.2 billion, about 35-45 per cent higher than the quantum of $830 million in 2008.'
Savills Singapore director of investment sales & prestige homes Steven Ming says that 'although we do not expect the spike in GCB sales that was seen in May to July to be sustained, we do expect to still see healthy buying activity continue for the rest of the year'. He expects 60-70 transactions for the whole of 2009.
Apart from the general feeling that the worst of the financial crisis is over, he cites the low mortgage and deposit rates as reasons for the GCB market revival.
Agreeing, Newsman Realty managing director KH Tan notes that high-net- worth individuals prefer GCB investments to letting their cash idle in banks. They are also wary of investing in financial products following the Lehman debacle, he said.
'Another group of GCB buyers are foreigners who have become Singapore PRs and PRs who have become citizens,' adds Mr Tan, who recently brokered the $38 million sale of a Cluny Park bungalow.
BT understands the property was sold by former Kim Eng Securities managing director Douglas Ooi to a buyer who also picked up No 3 Cluny Hill earlier this year.
'When the IRs (integrated resorts) are ready, even more rich people from overseas will come to Singapore and become citizens. Some would be interested to invest in the GCB market,' said Mr Tan.
Typically, one has to be a Singapore citizen before one can own a GCB. However, PRs are known to have been given permission by the government on a case-by-case basis to buy small GCBs with land areas of about 15,000 sq ft, depending on their contribution to Singapore, according to Mr Tan.
Major GCB deals in recent months include a site at Dalvey Road said to have been sold by a certain Thomas Chan Ho Lam, for $27.01 million. Interestingly, a person with the same name is also understood to have bought a bungalow at Belmont Road for $30.5 million last month from Ong Kok Thai, managing director of Vanguard Interiors and the Peranakan Place Group.
Meanwhile, GuocoLand chairman Sat Pal Khattar is believed to be the seller of a bungalow at Rochalie Drive, which fetched $18.32 million. BreadTalk founder and chairman George Quek is reported to have sold his 2 Swettenham Road bungalow for $29.2 million to developer Simon Cheong.
The GCB market peaked in 2006 with $1.23 billion of transactions involving 119 deals. The following year saw 87 deals for a total $1.15 billion, according to CBRE figures. In the first seven months of this year, 47 deals totalling $710 million took place, CBRE said.
However, BT has learnt there are about six other transactions not yet captured in caveats, located in places like Belmont and Leedon roads, Maryland Drive and Astrid Hill. If these were to be included, the year-to-date tally would cross $800 million.
GCBs are the creme de la creme of Singapore's housing market, with stringent planning requirements.
There are only about 2,400 such bungalows in Singapore's 39 gazetted GCB Areas.
Mr Tan estimates GCB prices could increase about 20 per cent on average over the next 12 months.
Says Savills' Mr Ming: 'GCBs, being limited in availability, are a highly sought-after investment among the well heeled. As more rich are created, demand for these exclusive bungalows will gradually outstrip available supply for sale.'

and This(SINGAPORE) THEY are wealthy and successful people who can probably afford to buy any home they want, but many of them are being drawn towards good class bungalows (GCBs). There are only 39 designated GCB areas in Singapore and Binjai Park is one of them. However, these areas are not all equal. Douglas Wong, director of luxury homes at CB Richard Ellis says: 'Some GCB locations are more prestigious than others.'

If one is looking for exclusivity, the most expensive GCBs are generally in the Nassim and Lady Hill areas. This is followed by those in the Tanglin vicinity.
"For instance, the current asking price for GCB land in the Nassim area is between $1,500-$2,000 per square foot (psf) whereas in Chestnut Drive, GCBs have been known to have transacted at around $550 psf," says Mr Wong.
There are also pros and cons to buying either an old bungalow or a newly built one. 'Some old GCBs have unique architectural features and come with a rich heritage. Buyers, however, have to be prepared to set aside some money to refurbish and upgrade the building and fit it out with modern conveniences,' says Mr Wong.
New buildings, he says, can be tailored to specific tastes but also be expensive. But what usually pushes up prices is the location.
A martial arts movie star who picked up a GCB at Binjai Park for $19.8 million at around $871.36 psf earlier this year appears to have gotten a good buy.
It was reported that the seller of the house had incurred a loss of $1.2 million on the deal, having bought the property in early 2007 for $21 million, or $924 psf.
William Wong, managing director of RealStar Premier Property Consultant says that the selling price for a newly built GCB will generally be higher than that of an old GCB. 'The choice normally depends on whether the buyer is price sensitive,' he says.
Mr William Wong also points out that a new house might take as long as two years to build although it is more likely to be built to the owner's precise specifications.
If one is looking for exclusivity, the most expensive GCBs are generally in the Nassim and Lady Hill areas, says Mr William Wong. This is followed by those in the Tanglin vicinity such as the Rochalie, Bishopsgate and Chatsworth areas.
On the prices, GCBs in the Tanglin vicinity range from $1,200-$1,400 psf for the top of this category. 'Other popular GCB areas are in the Swettenham, Pierce, Dalvey, Cluny Park areas where prices can range from $1,100-$1,300 psf,' he added.
'1,000 psf is the standard price for an average GCB. Prices have been moving up over the last six months. Now is a good time to buy as there is a huge demand with many permanent residents trying to purchase GCBs of 15,000 sq ft in size,' added Mr William Wong.
Permanent residents are permitted to buy landed property, but only with permission from the government. Foreigners cannot easily buy a GCB or any other landed home here as the government restricts foreign ownership of residential property. However, foreigners who take up Singapore citizenship may buy landed property.
The exception to the restrictions is the gated residential enclave of Sentosa Cove, where ownership rules were eased to allow foreigners who are not permanent residents to buy landed homes or land plots, though permission is still needed.
Apart from some restrictions on ownership, CBRE's Douglas Wong says that one of the common misconceptions when buying a GCB is that some buyers unknowingly pay a premium for a home that actually falls outside the designated GCB areas. 'Some buyers think that as long as a bungalow has a land area of 15,070 sq ft, it is considered a GCB, not knowing there are only 39 designated areas,' he added.
Before buying any home, it is also useful to do some checks. For instance, Mr Douglas Wong says that it is useful for a surveyor to be called in to assess and ascertain the site boundary for issues such as encroachment.
A structural surveyor or engineer can also be engaged to assess the structural integrity of a house, especially if it is an old or conserved bungalow. It is also important to check with the relevant authorities about possible drainage and road reserves as this could affect the the boundary setbacks.
Finally, the terrain, shape of the site and frontage are other physical characteristics that are important, especially if one is going to build a new house.
But with only about 2,400 units of GCBs in the market, almost any GCB would be a rare find.
Donald Han, managing director of Cushman & Wakefield, points out that GCBs represents just 3.5 per cent of total landed housing and a mere one per cent of total private residential stock.
'The majority are owned by the who's who - and are seldom placed for sale in the market. On the contrary, there's an increasing pool of buyers made up of high net worth individuals, GCB collectors as well as permanent residents who are looking to buy GCBs for their own use,' he adds.
GCB buyers are a discerning group of investors who also have a different view on what makes a good investment. 'Yields are not part of the investment criteria - which is typically less than 2 per cent,' said Mr Han.
Instead most see GCBs as a good long-term asset class of investment, 'especially in land-scarce Singapore where land value appreciates over time'.
And Mr Han believes that the outlook for GCBs is also good. 'Generally, GCB prices have fallen by 35 per cent since the peak last year; and with the improved outlook in real estate sector, we expect further price upside in this sector,' he said.

YAY :)

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Alright time for more sleep! Not as pain as in the afternoon already, but still, pain :] Gonna sleep it off tonight ^^ Hopefully it goes away! Nights people ^^

Y

Do you still remember?

P.S Argh why are there obscene big gigantic spaces between every single line :( Stretches the whole post to so loooong!