Brand Shopping! Polo Ralph Lauren

Men's Small size: 150 sgd (Local retailing @ 240 sgd!)




Boys XL Size: 25 SGD!






Boys XL size: 12 SGD!









Adult Large size for men: 70 SGD!






3T size for kids: 22 SGD!



Polo Ralph Lauren fans in Singapore who cannot get enough of this label and wish for more bang for their limited bucks, go to their online store @ www.ralphlauren.com!

The US online store during sale periods, release fantastic bargains at sometimes up to 70% off local retail prices!
Sign up as a member to be notified of promotions and you will sometimes get promotional sale code sent to your e-mail.

I love Polo ralph lauren men's polo shirts & their baby clothing! My Jade looks darn adorable and chic in them! Proud mama can also sashay down Takashimaya, Paragon with my head held high as I pretend to be one of those ladies of leisure albeit for a short period of 1 day! And all, at a fraction of the local prices!

Being blessed with a small build, both hubby & I, we both wear the children's largest possible sizes (mostly only available in the US online stores and seldom locally!). Hubby's crew neck & v-neck Tee-shirt cost me 12 SGD only, while a polo t-shirt cost me 25 sgd.

My dear hubby grumbles about my splurging, but heck! He only updates his wardrobe for Chinese New Year once a year and that's the best time to show off your new designer togs!

My most recent spree cost me 350 SGD. Not bad for 3 polo tees, 2 t-shirts for hubby, a top for moi & 2 tops for mon bebe, all from POLO RALPH!

How to ship back?

1) I use http://www.comgateway.com/ concierge services as Ralph Lauren USA doesn't accept Singapore credit cards. They charge 5% of total cost for concierge service and a base + weight charge for item delivery to Singapore.

2) Alternatively, you can explore using http://www.vpost.com.sg/. There is also a concierge charge.. but I heard that comgateway can be cheaper for such services!

Property Fever!

Singaporeans have a longstanding love affair with property. After all, in land scarce singapore, owning a piece of land or strata land is the ultimate status symbol..

Commonly, it is viewed that the property prices will continue to appreciate over the long term due to supply issues in Singapore.

2007 is the year where we see a record enbloc sales in the domestic market. Coupled with strong influx of foreign interests in the local business environment and the upcoming IR projects locally, it seems that property prices are destined to move upwards only.

Yet, one would remember stories of people caught in the last property down-cycle that lasted 10 years! Stuck with mortgage loans way higher then valuation, these people are holding on to negative equity assets and only recently did prices shoot up enough to cover their initial purchased prices.

Since 2004, prices of government housing in central zones have shoot up. Then, to buy a HDB at valuation or below valuation was common and a dime a dozen in the resale market. Today, however, if you pay less then 20,000 SGD above valuation in cash, it is considered a bargain. In central zones, it is almost impossible to command anything less then 30,000 SGD, especially for high floor, great view, unblocked apartments. My own apartment appreciated by 40% from 2004 to 2007 alone! Not bad for only holding on to it for 3 years.

Property markets move in cycles. Since 2001, it has been slowly appreciating since the bottom was seen in the '97 crisis. But the momentum only picked up in late 2006 and speed up considerably. It started with the high end luxury segment and as more & more buyers got priced out of the market, mass market private property market segment starts to hot up. 2008 is expected to be a year where mass market property and HDB prices will continue to appreciate steadily as more buyers, priced out of the central regions, move their eyes to the near central zone, with good accessibility to amenities (near MRT, good schools and food & shopping).

Property investment has to be undertaken by people who are in for the long haul and hence do not need the liquidity of money. They also have to be prepared to hold the property for long term rental yield or for own stay should the market turn against them. Mostly importantly, the mortgage loan has to be affordable.

Resale property transactions take up to 6 months in some cases!

Things to note when investing in Singapore private property:

1) Downpayment (1% option fee, 4% to exercise the fee)
2) Obtain bank loan approval. (Typically max. is 80%. More stringent requirements are available if 90% loan is required, at higher interest rates). The balance not covered under bank loan has to be paid via CPF or cash.
3) Stamp duties 3% of purchase price less 5,400sgd if price is more then 360,000SGD.
4) Legal fees cost of 0.4% of property price
5) Valuation. Any amount above valuation has to be paid in cash (or via personal loan) and not covered under mortgage loan.
6) If you own a HDB property, you need to pay 10% property tax on the private property's annual value instead of a 4% taxation if you reside in it. Also, you are not allowed to reside in the private property while still holding on to ownership of a HDB. For renting out is still possible.
7) HDB owners cannot use all their available CPF for investment in a 2nd property. 50% of the minimum sum ( to date: ~96k) must be left behind in their CPF Ordinary Account + SRS account. The excess can be invested.
8) when you do sell your private property, normally property agents will charge the sellers 2% of the transacted price, though this is negotiable.

Coin Deposit Machine - DBS Bank

A shopaholic mommy also need to save for a rainy day... AK & I have a policy to empty our wallets periodically of 1sgd & 0.50 sgd coins into a HUMUNGOUS milk bottle saving bank (in PINK! no less!).

The problem arises when we wish to bank in the coins..it was such a hassle to bring to the bank. Moreover, there are queues and service charge! The alternative was changing the loose change with small shopkeepers..

The good news is, after having automatic cash deposit machines, i finally see coin deposit machines @ DBS Bank in Towner Road Branch.

Charges? 0.75cents per coin. but charges are waived off if deposited into kids savings bank, subject to a cap of 200 coins per deposit. Isn't this GREAT?! All our coins goes into Jade's account.. She has a growing savings bank account that has frequent deposits from mom & dad when we can spare the extra cash per month on top of our regular savings for her.

The coins can add to a great deal per month. If weekly we drop in 10 sgd in total we have extra 40sgd/ month into savings which when compounded @ a miserly 1% per annum for 15 years, we will get 10,000 SGD at the end of it!

Of course, we try not to keep the money in low savings return accounts.. oh yes, what calculators to use to get such figures? Try below!

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/calculators/savings_calculator.asp

My latest addition to my bag collection

I admit, i am a sucker for brands. What will the shopping world be like without Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Gucci, Tods, Kate Spade, Coach, Polo Ralph Lauren, Burberry's, Ferragamo etc BOUTIQUES lining the fabulously famed shopping streets in the world?

Their boutiques are oh, So Glam! With that sheer touch of luxury and gleam, the shopping experience isso much more enhanced!

Men would think that we women are nuts, throwing hard earned money into the drain by splurging on bags that will get dirty, or worst still, branded shoes which will trod upon the dirt of the world (Shocking! What a waste of good money!)

Let me tell you, shopping at luxury boutiques isn't just all about walking out with an item. It is about enjoying that brief period of bliss that come from soaking in the atmosphere. Once past the doors of the boutique, suddenly, all your worries fell off and it is like you have entered another world, a paradise.

The attentive sales people, the smiles that brighten up at the flash of your gold card, that feeling of casually browsing few thousand dollars bags with ease, finally selecting an item that will allow you to strut proudly down Orchard Road with your ridiculously big shopping bag, and later on with your ridiculously priced branded item. Paying for it.. to know that you can afford to pay for that expensive bag, is a delight to me constantly. It is proof that I have worked hard for the item that I bought!

Of course, since then, the number of items got more. It is almost like an addiction. The kick of spending the few thousand dollars has faded into numbness.

For that few minutes of bliss, the price tag is worth it. Amen.

Yes, i am trying to justify my buy..

DAMAGE: 800SGD for a water resistant canvas sling bag from Gucci. This will be my X'mas/New Year Bag.

New discovery - Brenda Cheah jewellery!

ok, fans of her might say I am slow.. after all she has been around at least since 2005 and have outlets in Kuala Lumpur too!


A friend was raving about her semi-precious jewellery design and their versatility. As it happens I have been on the lookout for a classic piece of Jade + Pearl necklace to add to my jewellery collection that can somehow change its outlook for travelling purposes, so I only need to bring 1 piece!

This particular piece was a tad too long and the excess, the sales manager was kind enough to convert it to earrings for me complimentary! Comes also with suede leather string and ribbon string to convert its look for night & day!

DAMAGE: $550 SGD