I had an old blog post titled “Is property the reason why Singapore is not among the happiest countries in the world?”. I thought the topic was a bit dry. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be one of the most read posts in my blog. That is not a good sign. It shows that many Singaporeans are not really happy with life. Because normally, people don’t read an article when they … [Read more...]
The secrets hidden behind Chinese wisdom
Gong Xi Fa Cai! This year’s Lunar New Year was different for the devoted Buddhists. Due to Covid-19, the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple at Waterloo Street was closed early on the eve of Chinese New Year - no more race to be the first to put the incense sticks inside the burner right after midnight to get the best of luck in the coming year. The answers behind Chinese … [Read more...]
4 life lessons that blogging about properties has taught me
As we are approaching the end of 2020, it’s time we took a moment to do some year-end reflections. It has been more than ten years since I first started this blog in August 2010. I don’t know how many readers followed my blog since Day One (and I am very grateful if you are one of them). Those who did probably notice that my blog posts have evolved over the years. With … [Read more...]
Always question what the media tells you
(This article is from my new book Behind The Scenes of The Property Market: Finding The Truths and Exposing The Lies of A Not-So-Transparent Industry. Pre-order of the book ends on November 6, Friday.) Do you believe in the infallibility of the mass media? Or do you think the press can be wrong? According to the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer Global Report, Singapore … [Read more...]
Busting six property myths of the Ghost Month
2020 is a double spring leap year (双春闰年) in the Chinese lunar calendar. With a double fourth month (闰四月), this year we have 13 months and a total of 384 days instead of the normal 354 days in a lunar year. For the same reason, the start of the 7th month in the Chinese calendar has shifted from July to August. This year the Ghost Month falls on much later dates from August 19 to … [Read more...]