Who is Chen Guilin ("Gary Ng")?

It was first reported on 26/10 that "Gary Ng"--often labeled as Singapore's 'Edison Chen'--has been arrested. Police said women had come forward and made police reports, saying they had been cheated of money by this man. (It is later revealed that his real name is Chen Guilin.)

What kinda amused me is that the capture of this prolific--albeit indecent--photographer is due to the accusation of 'cheating'. And money.

And that leads to his downfall. A really long fall. Just see the list of charges he has to face! (Highlighted in bold, red below in the article.)

HE WAS dubbed Singapore's Edison Chen after he posted self-made videos of his sexual encounters with several women on the Internet.

The man called himself Gary Ng and shared up to 33 sex videos online since September 2008.

But as it turned out, it was a fictitious name.

His real name is Chen Guilin.

And now, Chen, 28, who is unemployed, is in trouble with the law.

He has been slapped with 21 charges, including one charge of possessing 1,100 obscene pictures and 437 video clips containing pornographic material on a laptop and two portable hard drives.

He was first charged in June and turned up in court on Wednesday to face more charges.

In all, Chen faces four counts of housebreaking, five counts of forgery, six counts of possessing someone else's identity card and two counts of criminal breach of trust.

He also faces one charge each of cheating, misappropriation and possessing a fraudulently obtained or stolen laptop.

Chen allegedly broke into the home of one of his victims between Aug 31 and Sept 5, 2008, and stole items totalling more than $36,000.

One of the items he allegedly stole was the victim's OCBC bank cheque book.

Over six days in September that year, he is said to have forged the victim's signature on the stolen cheques and induced the bank to give him a total of $81,150.

Forged signature

He is also accused of breaking into the home of another victim twice and later forging the victim's signature on a stolen HSBC cheque to obtain $10,000.

Chen, who is out on bail, is understood to have been arrested after several victims made police reports.

The New Paper reported last year that someone calling himself "Gary Ng" gained online notoriety after he posted his self-filmed sex videos on various amateur porn sites and sex forums.

Most of the videos began with him in office wear before he undressed.

He was careful to protect the identities of his partners by editing away the faces of the girls and himself, but he gave the videos titles based on the the women in them.

There were videos titled "Gary Ng vs Beer Promo Auntie", "Gary Ng vs Friend's Niece" and "Gary Ng vs Chua Chu Kang girl".

He claimed that he filmed his escapades, which took place at home or in hotels, and put them online in order to get back at women.

He said that he became disillusioned after three consecutive failed relationships.

Among his charges, unlawfully possessing someone else's identity card and housebreaking carry the heaviest punishment.

If convicted, he can be fined and jailed 10 years on each charge.

From Asiaone, "'Singapore's Edison Chen' slapped with 21 charges".

Kick-Ass is kick-ass!!

Oh, and have I told you that the movie, "Kick-Ass" is inspired by a comic by the same title? Wikipedia has more to say about the comic.



Yes, I finally managed to watch "Kick-Ass"! Yeah. Always enchanted by the movie's trailer.

It's a fun show. Inspiring even. Especially this part when he fought 3 thugs as they ganged up against one guy. It's a real bloody, hopeless fight and Kick-Ass is determined not to give up.

Diner Fight Guy 1: The fuck is wrong with you, man? You'd rather die for some piece of shit that you don't even fucking know?

Dave Lizewski (aka Kick-Ass): The three assholes, laying into one guy while everybody else watches? And you wanna know what's wrong with me? Yeah, I'd rather die... so bring it on!

Banksy Simpsons Intro - Tragic...but COOL!!!

Check out the clip, "Banksy Simpsons Intro". More about Banksy, do check the official website here http://www.banksy.co.uk/.

He also has an entry in Wikipedia, "Banksy" and take a look--partially quoted from Wikipedia: "Banksy is the pseudonym of a British graffiti artist, political activist and painter, whose identity is unconfirmed. His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique."

He's that talented, alright.

The winner of MediaCorp Subaru Impreza Challenge is...

...definitely the media! Funny how Greed can be such a motivating factor for one to win the challenge. Just ask George Lee who won in 2002 after a torturous 81 hours and 32 minutes. This year there will be 400 contestants from 8 nations.

Greed indeed knows no boundary.

The ultimate car challenge is back and participants from all over the region are now in Singapore, ready to quite literally put their hands on some cars!

Into its ninth year, the MediaCorp Subaru Impreza Challenge kicks off on Saturday at Ngee Ann Civic Plaza.

With 400 contestants from eight different nations namely, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Taiwan and Singapore, this year's challenge will see the inclusion of Vietnamese participants for the first time.

Contestants have to place their palms firmly on the cars, and the last person standing will drive away with a Subaru Impreza 2.5MT Sedan.

Sounds easy but it's not. The longest record so far since this challenge was introduced in 2002 is 81 hours and 32 minutes by George Lee in 2008.

"The way to last in the competition is to tell yourself that you are not in the competition. It's a mind over matter sort of tactic," MediaCorp Radio's assistant programme director Margaret Lim said in an interview with Primetime Morning.

Another tip: strategise your five-minute breaks

"Five minutes is all they have for breaks every six hours so in that five precious moments, are you going to answer the call of nature, go for the food first, are you going to get a massage?" she added.

While the Thai, Indonesian and Singaporean contestants traditionally perform better, first-time participant Phan Nguyen Quan Hung who has been conditioning his body through endurance training, is well prepared for the challenge.

"[I have been] jogging about two kilometres a day in my park near my home and eating healthy food and just go to sleep early," said the Vietnamese.

Apart from the grand prize of a Subaru Impreza 2.5MT Sedan, other prizes up for grabs include the Freshest Contestant award and the Friendliest Contestant award.

From Channel NewsAsia, "Hands geared up for MediaCorp Subaru Impreza Challenge".

Nordic IPO

Nordic Group IPO with the offer price of 20 cents per share. And with only 2 million shares set aside for public. I don't think I'll have a chance to get even a single lot. Heh. One can just try.

Nordic Group, a homegrown supplier of automation systems to the oil and gas industry, plans to raise about S$20 million through an initial public offering on the Singapore Exchange.

Nordic is offering 110 million new shares priced at 20 cents each. Two million shares have been set aside for the public, while 108 million shares are available by way of placement.

Nordic plans to use S$6 million of the proceeds to increase production capacity, expand its sales network and fund its operations in China.

It plans to deploy more sales personnel in areas where shipyards are concentrated -- such as Guangzhou, Jiangsu and Liaoning -- by the end of the year.

Another S$1 million will be used to expand its maintenance-repair-overhaul and trading divisions so as to tap into more opportunities for conversion and retrofitting works for existing vessels.

The remaining proceeds will be used for product development, acquisition of companies and technologies as well as general working capital.

The public offer opened on October 29 and will close at noon on November 8.

Listing and trading of Nordic's shares on the SGX Mainboard are expected to start on November 10.

From Channel NewsAsia, "Nordic Group to raise about S$20m in IPO".

NORDIC Group Limited - a solutions provider for the marine and offshore sector - is expecting to raise $22 million from its initial public offering (IPO), which opened yesterday.

The group - which is headquartered in Singapore - is offering 110 million new shares at 20 cents each. Two million of the shares are available for public subscription and the remaining shares will be offered by way of placement.

The 110 million new shares represent about 27.5 per cent of the group's enlarged share capital of 400 million shares.

The firm's activities fall into three business divisions - systems integration, maintenance, repair and overhaul and trading, as well as precision engineering.

'We have seen the bottom of the industry and we should be riding the up-cycle from here,' said Chang Yeh Hong, chairman and chief executive officer of Nordic Group.

Of the net proceeds of about $20 million, $6 million will go towards ramping up its production capacity, sales network and operations in China. A sum of $1 million will be spent on expanding its MRO and trading division, while $6 million will be held as working capital.

The group plans to issue dividends of up to 30 per cent of profits attributable for financial year 2010 to shareholders.

'This is to reward our existing shareholders and welcome new shareholders. We do not have a dividend policy yet,' said Mr Chang.

Among the risk factors highlighted by the company in its prospectus were its dependence on the marine and offshore oil and gas industries, as well as its reliance on the Singapore and China markets.

The IPO will close on Nov 8 at noon. Trading of the shares is expected to start on Nov 10. Collins Stewart is the issue manager, underwriter and placement agent of the offer.

From Business Times, "Nordic Group to raise $22m from IPO".

Mewah IPO - truly 'mewah'?

Mewah International is expected to offer up to 289.5m shares at $1.25-1.55 each. (The Malay word 'mewah' is 'luxury' in English, by the way.)

The price looks appealing, but the legal battle that the company is undergoing does not.

MEWAH International, a palm oil firm with refineries in Malaysia, is expected to raise as much as $449 million through its initial public offer (IPO) here, according to a report by International Financing Review (IFR).

The IPO also comes in the thick of an ongoing legal battle, as criminal charges have been brought in Malaysia against Cheo Tong Choon - the controlling shareholder and chairman of Mewah International - and its subsidiary Mewah-Oils, shows Mewah International's preliminary prospectus. The charges against Mr Cheo are said to be in his capacity as a director of Mewah-Oils.

The prospectus, lodged yesterday, shows that in March 2007, Mewah-Oils and Mr Cheo were charged with allegedly using two falsified Customs documents to discharge crude palm oil between October and November 2003.

Mewah-Oils has also been charged with stealing two batches of crude palm oil belonging to Lushing Traders.

According to the prospectus, this claim arose after Mewah-Oils bought 8.97 million tonnes of crude palm oil from Summerwind Trading, which in turn bought the palm oil from Lushing.

Malaysian lawyers representing the two accused parties are said to view these charges as having no merit, saying that the Customs documents that were allegedly falsified were filled out by an independent forwarding agent and there would be no reason for the parties to falsify the alleged documents since there is no Customs duty on crude palm oil imported into Malaysia.

Mewah International also says that the parties did not know whether the crude palm that Summerwind supplied was stolen.

The maximum penalty for the charges is up to five years' jail and a fine.

Mewah International is expected to offer up to 289.5 million shares in its IPO, including a greenshoe option of 37.8 million shares priced at $1.25-1.55 each, IFR said yesterday.

Mewah declined comment on the IPO pricing.

The company is Malaysia's second-largest palm oil refiner after Wilmar International, and the world's sixth-largest palm oil refining company.

The IPO size should be slightly ahead of that of Cache Logistics Trust, which raised US$334 million, making it the third-biggest IPO deal this year after Global Logistic Properties and Mapletree Industrial Trust, according to figures from Dealogic.

Another upcoming IPO is that of shipbuilder STX Europe's offshore support vessel unit STX OSV, which is expected to raise about US$400 million in net proceeds, as previously reported by BT.

Mewah International has three refineries and processing plants in Malaysia, two packing plants there and a packing plant in Singapore. It makes vegetable oil products such as cooking oil and margarine.

Its net profit for the six months ended June 2010 came to US$35.5 million, down 30.1 per cent from US$50.7 million a year ago, as rising costs outpaced profit growth. Gross profit margin for the six months came to 7 per cent, down from 11.9 per cent a year earlier. Half-year revenue rose 35 per cent to US$1.62 billion, from US$1.2 billion a year earlier.

Trading in the Mewah International stock is expected to start on Nov 24.

From Business Times, "M'sian palm oil producer seen raising up to $449m from S'pore IPO".

Paranormal Activity 2 - not 2 much, eh?

Paranormal Activity 2. Check out the chilling trailer here. And if you can't resist the spoiler, check out the plot here, you wimp!!

PARANORMAL Activity 2 came out on top at the box office this weekend, pulling in US$41.5 million (S$53.9 million) with its pre-Halloween horror story of ghosts caught on nanny cams.

The Paramount sequel was enough to scare off comedy stunt film Jackass 3D, which dropped to number two with US$21.6 million in ticket sales, according to weekend estimates by box office tracker Exhibitor Relations. Spy thriller Red with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren took in US$15 million, moving down a notch in the weekend ratings to third place.

Hereafter, Clint Eastwood's dovetailing drama about three lives touched by death, opened in wide release, netting US$12 million, which put the movie starring Matt Damon in fourth place.

It overtook The Social Network, the story of the founding of Facebook, which came in fifth with US$7.3 million in box office receipts during its third weekend in theaters. Secretariat, the Disney movie about a racehorse that won the Triple Crown, was close behind in sixth place at US$6.9 million.

Life As We Know It, a romantic comedy about two singles thrust into the role of parents after their best friends die in a car crash, took in US$6.1 million for a seventh place finish. Legends of the Guardians, Warner Brothers' animated owl drama, dropped to eighth place with nearly US$3.2 million in ticket sales.

Ninth at US$2.7 million was The Town, Ben Affleck's fast-paced flick about a bank heist in Boston. Easy A, about a high school girl who lies about losing her virginity to improve her social standing, was number 10 with US$1.75 million.

From Straits Times, "Paranormal Activity 2 tops".

Selina Jen exposed Carwey as Ping Cheat!!

3 pongs and yet only ONE read? Carwey, oh, Carwey. How great thou art...as a Ping cheat...NOT! (Screenshot above from Ping.sg 25/10 about 10 PM)

Mdm Sivakami Sivanantham vs MOE

I don't know whether to laugh or...no, definitely to laugh! An amazing case of a teacher accidentally locked, injured herself in her quest to escape her 'false imprisonment' & now sues MOE. Unbelievable.

A TEACHER, who was accidentally locked in a school on a Saturday afternoon and injured herself trying to get out, is suing the Ministry of Education (MOE) for negligence and for not ensuring a safe working environment.

Madam Sivakami Sivanantham, 39, also contends that MOE has caused her to suffer wrongful or false imprisonment.

At the start of the hearing on Monday, the teacher at Zhangde Primary School testified that the school moved to its new premises in Tiong Bahru in 2005.

On Feb 11, 2006, she went on a Saturday to do some work and prepare her classroom for the following week. Leaving her handbag in the teachers' staff room on the second storey, she was in the classroom till 12.30 pm.

She then found that the roller shutters to the staff room and the ground floor exits of the staircases all locked. Her mobile phone was in her handbag so she tried shouting for help but to no avail. In a 'state of frenzy', she climbed out a ventilation gap at a staircase and jumped down some 3.7 metres. She injured her right ankle and had to hospitalised and awarded medical leave for more than a year.

From Straits Times, "Teacher sues MOE".

Manga 'Opera', Japan Anime Live coming soon to Singapore?

Yeah! That will be FUN! (Hey, check it out, they even a trailer in YouTube, "JAPAN ANIME LIVE - OFFICIAL TRAILER - FULL Version"!)

THE heroes of Japanese manga cartoons are preparing to take Europe by storm in a new 'pop opera' featuring a wild mix of martial arts and music billed as the world's biggest manga show ever.

The tour starts on Saturday in Paris before going on to Belgium, Germany and Italy. AFP was invited to a rehearsal in the city of Pomezia near Rome, where Japanese performers spoke about a unique show tailored to Western audiences.

'My character is a happy boy with guts and he never gives up to reach his goal, whatever it costs,' said Shiina Taizo, 24, who plays the role of Naruto.

Taizo is a star in Japan but little-known in Europe. He said this is actually no bad thing: 'Here I can visit all the sights with complete freedom.' The show is being organised by Japan's biggest production houses and publishers of the comics and cartoons, which are wildly popular in Japan and have a growing following especially in Europe and the United States.

Japan Anime Live will feature previously unpublished episodes and performers sing in Japanese. The lyrics appear in phonetic spelling on a giant karaoke screen with the English titles: 'Tonight,' "You'll find a way' and 'Sail.' The stage is dominated by a giant Japanese drum and multiple screens show manga characters with multi-coloured hair, futuristic uniforms and giant eyes.

The manga aesthetic reigns supreme at this ultra-Japanese show but producers said they're not only expecting manga fans to come. The show, which lasts two and a half hours, is divided into five sections shaped around five major manga series: Naruto Shippuden, One Piece, Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and Gundam Series.

From Straits Times, "Manga 'opera' hits Europe".

STX OSV IPO

Suddenly there seems to be a rush of IPO! Latest which makes it to the news is IPO of STX OSV (Offshore Support Vessels). Some funds will go to building a 2nd shipyard in Brazil. More info should be available when its prospectus is available.

SHIPBUILDER STX Europe yesterday ended weeks of anticipation when its offshore support vessels unit, STX OSV, lodged its preliminary prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Although the prospectus was light on the initial public offering details, talk has it that STX OSV's proposed mainboard listing will raise net proceeds of US$400 million.

The shipbuilding company intends to use some of the proceeds to construct a second shipyard in Brazil, extend its Norwegian yard capacities, and improve manufacturing capacity and equipment at two Vietnamese and Romanian yards.

STX OSV's shares will only be priced two weeks later, after the company's management team concludes its road shows in Singapore, Hong Kong, the US, Europe and Scandinavia.

Goldman Sachs is STX OSV's sole global coordinator, bookrunner and issue manager.

STX OSV is headed by Roy Reite and recorded first half profits of US$91 million this year. The company owns nine shipbuilding facilities throughout the world and specialises in highly customised OSVs like platform supply vessels and anchor handling tug supply vessels (AHTS).

In May 2008, South Korean shipbuilding group STX bought over STX Europe's former entity, Aker Yards, and delisted it from the Oslo Stock Exchange.

Since earlier this year, the group has mulled over whether it ought to float one or more of its units, and whether to list on a European stock exchange or in Singapore.

Late in September, STX Europe received an 'Eligibility to List' letter from the Singapore Exchange.

STX OSV's listing here will be the group's second after STX Pan Ocean, South Korea's largest bulk-shipping line, which is also listed in South Korea.

In time to come, STX OSV may be the first of many Norway-based firms to list or dual list here. The Oslo-listed marine oil storage and production vessel operator BW Offshore said it planned to dual list its shares in Singapore, hopefully by the first half of 2011.

Its Singapore-based CEO Andreas Sohmen-Pao told Reuters that the listing 'has been prepared' and that 'since we have a new structure between Oslo and Singapore so we can do it easily without going through the full relisting procedure'.

BW Offshore has chosen DnB Nor as its primary banker.

From Business Times, "STX OSV IPO seen raising US$400m".

Stick Fight - FIGHT!!

Stick Fight - Cool Animation. Check out the clip here. Amazing how fluid their actions are. (8.8 millions have viewed the video. That's how good it is!)

Anchun IPO

Yet another IPO: Anchun International Holdings. Priced at 28 cents/share, there would be 130 million shares offered--of these, only 2 million are for public subscription. Not really considering.

CHEMICAL systems engineering and technology solutions provider Anchun International Holdings has announced an initial public offering of 130 million shares at 28 cents each for a listing on the main board of the Singapore Exchange.

The offer comprises 105 million new shares and 25 million vendor shares, representing about 25.7 per cent of Anchun's enlarged share capital of 505 million shares.

Of the 130 million shares on sale, 2 million are available for public subscription and the remaining 128 million shares will be available by way of placement.

Anchun intends to use about $21.5 million of the IPO proceeds to expand production facilities, $3 million to enhance R&D capabilities and technology solutions and the remaining $1.4 million as working capital.

Established in 1993, Anchun provides integrated chemical systems engineering and technology solutions to the Chinese petrochemical and chemical industries.

The company says its revenue increased by 173.8 million yuan (S$34.3 million), or 143.6 per cent, from 121.0 million yuan in FY2008 to 294.8 million yuan in FY2009 due to higher-value contracts it completed after the opening of its Lusong plant in mid-2008 increased production capacity.

Anchun also says its overall gross profit margin has held steady at more than 40 per cent for the past three financial years. The IPO closes at noon on Oct 21. Anchun's shares are expected to start trading on Oct 25.

Kim Eng Corporate Finance is the manager, underwriter and placement agent for the IPO.

From Business Times, "Anchun offers 130m shares at 28cents each".

Shaken. Badly. (With a nice sleek result, though)

Remember this very old photo of mine--in my early months of starting to blog in 2005? Experienced a similar result & kinda amused of how it turned out. Here's the question: what was the object that I took a shot at? Answer correctly and...(nah, I don't think anyone will get the right answer. Heh.)

i Light Marina Bay 2010: 15/10 - 07/11

Check out the official website of this curious event, "i Light Marina Bay".

About the event: i Light Marina Bay is Asia’s first sustainable light art festival, from 15 October to 7 November 2010.

i Light Marina Bay celebrates the nightscape with the use of energy-efficient lighting and creates awareness for energy-saving lighting technology for the urban environment.

The Festival features a Light Walk comprising over 20 dynamic light art installations and sculptures as well as interactive and performance-based art displays from talented local and international design luminaries.

The artworks are installed at various locations around Marina Bay including the newly opened waterfront promenade.

The event is free to the public. The Festival is presented by Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in collaboration with Smart Light Singapore.

More than 10 buildings, including One Fullerton and Marina Bay Sands, will support the "i Light Marina Bay" festival which starts this Friday and will last till 7th November.

Properties involved will light up using less energy to raise awareness on sustainable urban development.

One Fullerton, for example, will switch off selected building facade lights, while Marina Bay Sands will raise air-conditioning thermostats in the property's basements.

The main draw of the festival will be the light installations placed around the Marina Bay reservoir being done by local and international artists.

Many of these installations are made from recycled materials and use little energy to dazzle the cityscape.

Mary-Anne Kyriakou, the festival's director, is hoping that audiences will be able to enjoy the dazzling displays.

"What we're hoping that the audience takes away with them and the public, is the feeling of inspiration, excitement, fun, and an event whereby the built environment is not just about spending money, it's about bringing your own picnic and just enjoying the built environment and urban space in its most natural form," she said.

From Channel NewsAsia, ""i Light Marina Bay" festival supported by over 10 buildings".

Sabana REIT IPO: Singapore's first Shari'ah-compliant

So what makes it different than many other REIT-s already traded in the Singapore stock market? It's dubbed to be Singapore's first Shari'ah-compliant real estate investment trust.

No pricing yet of this IPO. At least not till the end of the year. Let's see.

Freight Links Express Holdings expects to list Singapore's first Shari'ah-compliant real estate investment trust (Reit) worth about $600 million by the end of the year, sources close to the deal told BT yesterday.

The trust - which would hold about $850 million of Singapore industrial properties - is expected to be the world's largest certified Shari'ah-compliant Reit.

The three Shari'ah-compliant Reits now available in the region are all listed in Malaysia. They include Axis Reit, an office property trust that is currently the biggest listed Islamic Reit with a market cap of 812 million ringgit ($341.2 million).

The other two are Al-Hadharah Boustead Reit, which invests in plantation assets, and Al-'Aqar KPJ Reit, which focuses on healthcare assets.

Logistics company Freight Links, which owns 51 per cent of the Reit's manager, Sabana Investment Properties, said in a regulatory filing on Monday that it would subscribe up to 5 per cent of the IPO and invest as much as $30 million.

The other owners of Sabana Investment Properties are Blackwood Investment, which is run by private investors and owns 45 per cent of the trust, and Tarian Capital Partners, which owns 4 per cent.

BT understands that Singapore-incorporated Tarian Capital was formerly called Emirates Tarian, due to its links to Emirates Investments Group (EIG), a Dubai-based company known for glitzy property projects. EIG sold its stake in Emirates Tarian, which was renamed.

EIG, through the former Emirates Tarian, had its fingers in Singapore high-end property projects in recent years, including working with Ritz-Carlton to develop the Ritz-Carlton Residences.

Sabana Investment Properties, which was incorporated late last year, has been looking for warehouses to put into its portfolio since then, a source said.

Freight Links has already sold five properties worth $193 million to the Reit manager. The remaining properties for the trust - known as Sabana Reit - were acquired from various listed and unlisted parties.

These included Sim Lian Group, which said in May that it would sell properties worth $46.3 million to Sabana Reit. Soilbuild Group also sold the trust a warehouse in August for $60 million.

BT understands the listing is aimed at attracting funds from Middle Eastern investors, as few Shari'ah-compliant products are available.

One distinguishing factor of a Shari'ah-compliant Reit versus a conventional one is in having at least 95 per cent of the gross floor area of the properties adhere to Shari'ah laws, which prohibit any links with alcohol, tobacco and pork consumption, for instance.

This means that earnings generated from the 5 per cent of gross floor area of the warehouses not certified to be Shari'ah-compliant cannot be deemed for profit or distributed as dividends, and have to be given to charity.

Varying benchmarks are used by Reits to gauge the level of compliance, given differing schools of thought in Islamic teaching. Malaysia grants compliance if 80 per cent of the gross floor area follows Shari'ah law, sources said.

BT understands Sabana Reit is designed to meet stricter requirements expected in the Gulf region - to draw investors from that area.

The warehouses in the Reit are undergoing the final step in the certification process and are expected to meet compliance standards, BT understands.

The Reit also has to use Shari'ah-compliant banking and insurance products, given the different structure under Islamic finance. Under Shari'ah law, businesses cannot make money from interest fees, for example.

BT understands the upcoming listings of Global Logistic Properties and Mapletree Industrial Trust have helped boost confidence in the Sabana IPO, which has garnered strong interest from Middle Eastern investors. The Reit's roadshow is expected to start in November.

Shares of Freight Links surged 6.7 per cent or half a cent to end at eight cents yesterday in response to Freight Link's announcement made after the end of trading on Monday.

HSBC, Daiwa Capital Markets and UOB are joint book-runners for the Sabana IPO.

From Business Times, "Freight Links delivers IPO with a difference".

Sabana Reit is planning to raise about $600 million in an initial public offering on the Singapore Exchange in the first syariah-compliant listing here, a person familiar with the situation said yesterday.

The company - poised to become the largest syariah-compliant real estate investment trust in the world - is planning to launch the offering by the end of the year, the source told Dow Jones Newswires.

Sabana Reit is planning to acquire a portfolio of properties worth about $850 million and the company received a conditional eligibility-to-list letter from the SGX on Friday, the source said. Office buildings cum warehouses, logistics centres and chemical facilities may form part of the property portfolio.

Singapore has been pushing for the development of Islamic finance, encouraging companies to offer a range of syariah-compliant products including bonds and other investment products such as Reits.

Syariah Reits differ from conventional Reits in the type of assets held by the trust - their portfolio properties must have no connection to activities such as gambling, or products such as alcohol or pork.

Singapore logistics firm Freight Links Express Holdings on Monday said it planned a $193 million sale and leaseback of five properties to its unit Sabana Investment Partners, which owns Sabana Reit.

Freight Links, through its 51 per cent stake in Sabana Investment Partners, said it would participate in Sabana Reit's IPO.

From Today, "Sabana Reit eyes $600m IPO in first syariah-compliant listing here".

Mapletree Commercial Trust IPO

Mapletree Commercial Trust IPO is set to be available by the middle of next year. This year we'll have Mapletree Industrial Trust IPO to add to the existing traded Mapletree Logistics Trust.

Still considering if only I don't have this doubt about the branding of the name "Mapletree". Hmm...

INVESTORS may be able to own a slice of Vivocity - Singapore's largest mall - by the middle of next year, according to Mapletree Investments chief financial officer Wong Mun Hoong on Tuesday.

Mr Wong told a briefing that the firm is planning to list a commercial real estate investment trust (Reit) that will raise at least $500 million.

Called Mapletree Commercial Trust, it will hold about $3 billion to $4 billion of commercial properties - anchored by Vivocity Mall, which is valued at $2 billion.

It could also include other commercial properties owned by Mapletree Investments, such as Merrill Lynch HarbourFront, the PSA Building, and Mapletree Business City. The reit will be listed by the first half of next year, if market conditions are good.

The news comes as the initial public offering (IPO) of Mapletree Industrial Trust (MIT), which will raise gross proceeds of $1.19 billion, was launched on Tuesday.

But Mapletree Investments, the property firm owned by Temasek Holdings, is already gunning for another big issue in the form of the commercial reit.

From Straits Times, "Want a piece of Vivocity?"

"Misery" - The fairer sex and violence committed BY them!!

I'm currently hooked by this cute (in a kind of sadistic kind) video clip of the song by Maroon 5, "Misery". The title brings to mind to that of the Stephen King's horror book/movie, "Misery".

So if next time you're in a dispute with a woman, think of the above 2 "Misery" and beware. She may just be too good in her kick or adept in swinging that axe.

The video clip of the song by Maroon 5, "Misery".

Stephen King's book/movie, "Misery".

Inebriation (Inception Parody/Spoof)

"Your Liver...Is the Scene of the Damage". Lol. Yes, yes...I know the movie, "Inception" has long passed, but the spoof "Inebriation" is just too good to miss out. Check it out, "INEBRIATION (Inception Parody/Spoof)". So far it has gathered 598,531 views. Not bad, huh?

THE DRUNK IS REAL.

'Inebriation' is a mock trailer created by Atomic Productions parodying the concept of Inception, in a dangerous and unstable world of shared drinking and drunk within drunk.

Liquor up, frat hard, and get ready- for INEBRIATION.

The Husband: One Man's Story of Moving In, Moving Out, and Moving On (Probably better than "Eat Pray Love")

"Bye, Honey! Oh, and look! I'll always be wearing the Ring!"

Yeah. The saddest part about the show, "Eat Pray Love" is very much on the Michael Cooper character. Divorced by the supposedly protagonist, Elizabeth Gilbert. After, what, 8 years of marriage life? Oh man, I do hope the book, "The Husband: One Man's Story of Moving In, Moving Out, and Moving On", is actually going to make it to bookstores.

The project of the book is used to be titled, "Displaced":

Millions have followed Elizabeth Gilbert’s journey around the world after a heartbreaking divorce. That was Liz’s story. This is Michael’s.

Michael thought his marriage with Liz was rock solid. When it suddenly crumbled, his life was set adrift. In Displaced, he offers an intimate look at the end of the marriage and at his personal struggle to recover. Through more than a decade of human rights and humanitarian aid work with communities upended by poverty, disaster, and conflict, Michael witnessed time and again the incredible resilience of the human spirit—in Kosovo, Mongolia, Iran, Iraq, and elsewhere. This time, it was his turn to embrace the sometimes painful conviction that for every ending, there must be a new beginning.

Thoughtful, evocative, and often humorous, Displaced is a smart and hopeful look at one man’s journey to rediscover his values and rebuild his life.

3 out of 8 countries which start with the letter "I" (and must have at least an airport) are featured in "Eat Pray Love"!!

Yeah! Wow! (So what, actually?! Hah!)

In the movie, "Eat Pray Love" the annoying Liz travels to 3 countries with start with the letter "I" (Italy, India, Indonesia). How many countries in the world, by the way, which start with the letter "I"? According to this website, there are 8 of them (at least they must have an airport!).

Those countries are: Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel,and Italy.

Dolce Far Niente - Pleasant Idleness - The sweetness of doing nothing

An Italian character in the movie, "Eat Pray Love" was quoted to say, "We call it "dolce far niente", the sweetness of doing nothing."

Hmmm...I like the concept. It sounds so noble when it's said in foreign language, isn't it? By the way, there's a similar concept in Hokkien called "CHIAK TSUA (chia'h tsoo'ah)" which literally means as "to eat snake". Then again, I'm not so sure. The latter tends to be intrepreted negatively, that is, "to goof off or skive". (Reference "Talking Cock")

PS. Check out this clip featuring the part of Dolce Far Niente, "Eat Pray Love - Dolce Far Niente clip".

A Sudanese Prince emailed me!!

Yay!

Oh wait, the situation must be very bad in Sudan that their Prince must use a rocketmail account. Introducing Prince James Urhobo with his jamessss@rocketmail.com.

A scam with an interesting story, albeit badly written. Heh.

Dear Friend,

I got your contact today, with hope you are reliable and trustworthy.

I and my sister Prince James Urhobo and Princess Kiyara Urhobo a nationality Sudan. Our parent was murder by some rebel in our country so we decided to move down to Accra Ghana for th safety of our life by the help of the united nation. we are seeking an asylum as a refugee here in Accra Ghana. We want you to stand as our beneficiary / next of Kin to retrieve our consignment containing $45 million United State Dollars, which are in the STATE right now.

The consignment got to the state with the help of a UN diplomat Dr.Andy Debert. It was suppose to be deliver to Late Jessica smith, but she pass away suffering from cancer of the lungs which led to her death. Presently the consignment is been deposited in a storage house for safe keeping.

I need your assistance to retrieve the consignment from the Diplomat to relocate the consignment to you as our God parent / beneficiary. And you will invest the fund on properties in your country urgently. You will be required to.

(1) Assist in the banking safely of the said funds
(2) Advise on lucrative areas for investment
(3) Assist in purchase of properties.
(4) Assist us to continue our education and to start a better life over there.

If you can render your assistance in this regard, 40% of the total investment sum will be for you, as your commission.

It will be done under a legitimate process so that we will not breach any international or local laws, governing this matter it’s a 100% risk free.

I wait in anticipation of your reply and co-operation.

E mails me: pjamesssss@gmx.com

Thanks and God bless you


Prince James Urhobo

Dr Joseph Ong Chor Teck, Temasek Review founder exposed...

In today's edition of The New Paper (TNP), "Doctor who?", Dr Joseph Ong Chor Teck is pointed (some may prefer the word 'exposed') as the founder of Temasek Review (TR).

The article was written by a Ms. Ng Wan Ching & apparently TR has stricken back with an article that also include her HP no. Yeah, real mature. I know.

I don't really give a damn about TR. From one anonymous to another, I understand that we are really just a nobody.

But I am truly amused at how exciting the story spreads. In Channel NewsAsia Forum, the topic has so far gathered 7 pages of response as well as in--so far 2 pages of posts--MyCarForum, "BREAKING: Founder of Temasek Review Exposed!!!" (There's even a photo of the TNP article if you're too cheap to buy today's paper!).

The smartest commentary on the story is so far from one Channel NewsAsia forum member, SDP Gloomberg.

The following was quoted from Channel NewsAsia Forum, "BREAKING: Founder of Temasek Review Exposed!!!", a post by SDP Gloomberg (the bold points are his/hers):

TR Exclusive: Police leaked confidential information to The New Paper journalist

October 7th, 2010 | Author: Editorial

A formal complaint has been lodged with Mr Benny Lim, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs against the Singapore Police Force for allegedly leaking confidential information obtained during a police investigation, to a journalist from The New paper.

The complainant, Mr Joseph Ong was called up last year by Ang Mo Kio Police Division for investigation into a minor offence case. No further action was taken against him and he was given a conditional warning by the Head Investigation of Ang Mo Kio Police Division, DSP Chris Voo Hong Ping.

In his email addressed to the Permanently Secretary, Ong wrote that he was approached by a journalist from The New Paper in his office today who wanted to interview him on his one year-old case, which he refused.

Obviously perturbed by his refusal, the journalist, Ng Wan Cheng (Hp no: 9823 0493) claims that even without his input, she will still continue to write her story and publish it anyway because she had done all the necessary fact finding on his case and merely wanted to hear his side of the story.

To prove her point, she went on to reveal details which Ong had ONLY provided to the Investigating Officer who took his statement last year.

A shocked Mr Joseph Ong then called the Investigating Officer and Head Investigation of Ang Mo Kio Police Division who replied and confirm that “information provided to the police during an investigation is strictly confidential and may not be communicated to outside parties not privy to the investigation.” This was concurred by a lawyer friend he subsequently contacted.

When contacted by Temasek Review in a follow-up email interview, Mr Joseph Ong remarked that: “I am perturbed that such supposedly confidential information was leaked to the press which will surely erode public confidence in the Singapore Police Force. “

When asked if he will consider legal action against the parties responsible, he said: “I will need to consult my lawyer further before deciding on the course of action (to take) but I will not rule that out.”


Amanda Tan


Editor’s note: Email was sent to Mr Benny Lim and copied to Attorney-General Chambers, Police Public Relations Branch, Ang Mo Kio Police Division, Chairman of SPH and Temasek Review.

Posting this article actually makes TR look bad IMO

Point 1: What assholes, they actually publicly post the reporters phone number in public. lol. Then again, it's TR, not surprising that they would go down to that level

Point 2: The reporter actually bothered to go ask for the other side of the story which is more then what we can say for TR which normally post rumours and hearsay as facts

Point 3: They are actually giving credit to the article. That the reporter has valid "insiders" source. Again unlike TR(see point 1)

Point 4: TNP was speculating, TR confirm the article for them. lol

Point 5: So much for TR's nonsense on Free speech. Look at the TNP article, that *censored* threatened to sue.

Pinocchio (Call me Emily!) has gender issues. LOL!!

Pinnochio: "I am a girl trapped inside a boy's body trapped inside a puppet's body". And the wooden wonder wants to be called as Emily. Not Pinnochio. Hahaha. Hilarious. Check out the clip, "Pinocchio Has Gender Issues".

Singapore's biggest IPO: GLP priced at $1.96/share & public offer on 11/10

Priced at the top end, the 1.76 billion GLP shares on sale may raise at least $3.45b. And it's going to be the biggest share offering in 17 years! What other excuses do you need to activate that herd mentality, people?!

(Yeah, the hype has started since well early last month! Do refer more in "IPO: Global Logistic Properties (GLP)").

The public offer opens Oct 11. Take note of the date. We should be able to learn more about this IPO once its prospectus available in SGX.com.

ORDERS from investors are pouring in for Singapore's biggest share offering in 17 years, which has been priced at the top end of expectations.

Shares of Global Logistic Properties (GLP), the logistics unit of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC), will go for $1.96 each, according to media reports citing sources.

The indicative range had been $1.78 to $1.96 per share.

With 1.76 billion shares on sale, this means GLP is set to raise at least $3.45 billion from the initial public offering (IPO), which marks the first listing of a company majority-owned by GIC.

But this amount could rise to $3.9 billion if GLP decides to exercise a greenshoe option to sell an additional 234.6 million shares. In its 1993 float, SingTel raised about $4 billion.

Reports said the pricing decision had been brought forward following enthusiastic demand from investors. GLP had originally planned to release the price on Monday.

From Straits Times, "GLP IPO a big draw".

Global Logistic Properties (GLP), a unit of the Government of Singapore Investment Corp (GIC), is looking to bring its Singapore listing forward to the week starting Oct 11 after recent roadshows showed very strong demand for the offer, people familiar with the transaction said yesterday.

GLP is looking to raise as much as US$2.7 billion ($3.54 billion) in an initial public offering. In a prospectus filed with the Monetary Authority of Singapore last week, GLP said an indicative listing for the stock was scheduled for Oct 18.

Two people said the date for the book closure has also been brought forward to Oct 7 from the originally scheduled date of Oct 11. The preliminary prospectus released last week said the public offer opens Oct 11. GIC declined to comment when asked about the revised listing date.

GLP, which owns logistics properties throughout Asia, plans to sell 1.173 billion shares in a price range of $1.78 to $1.96 a share. The company is also offering 588.98 million shares separately to cornerstone investors. If successful, the GLP share sale will be Singapore's biggest IPO since Singapore Telecommunications Ltd listed in 1993, raising $4 billion. It will also dwarf last year's CapitaMalls Asia's US$2.02 billion IPO.

A person familiar with the transaction earlier this week said cornerstone investors have committed to invest about $1.2 billion in the IPO. The person said the nine cornerstone investors are Alibaba, CBRE, Chow Tai Fook, ING Clarion, Lion Global, Nan Fung, NSSF, Owl Creek and Peter Lim.

From Today, "GLP bringing forward IPO".

Probably the best Casino in Singapore: RESORTS World Sentosa (RWS)

The best Casino in Singapore: Resorts World Sentosa. Seriously considering to accumulate Genting Singapore shares. Heh.

RESORTS World Sentosa (RWS) has the edge over its rival Marina Bay Sands (MBS), architects and gaming industry experts said yesterday.

They believe the Sentosa integrated resort (IR) gives customers a better user experience which will keep them returning and spending.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Asian Casino and Gaming Congress at MBS, the experts said that in terms of accessibility and customer service, RWS has started off with a stronger hand.

Both IRs opened this year, but the experts said that RWS' loyalty programme and location gave it an advantage.

RWS is tapping into its Malaysian parent company Resorts World Berhad's experience in running a casino in a market much like Singapore, with a large customer base built up over 39 years.

Like most casinos, it uses a loyalty programme which it calls Genting Rewards to entice customers to return. Gamblers accumulate points to offset against hotel stays and show tickets.

From Straits Times, "RWS 'has edge over rival'".

ACJC sex video

Check out the steamy, hot "girl-on-girl" sex video here! I have nothing against gay relationship, but to have it videoed...Sigh, it's just plain careless!!!

A steamy sex video of two female first-year students of Anglo-Chinese Junior College has caused an uproar there, leading to the duo leaving the school.

The pair were said to have had a tryst in one of the toilets in school.

From Straits Times, "Furore over ACJC sex video".

A video of two female Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) students having a steamy tryst in one of the school’s toilets is creating a huge storm of debate.

According to The Straits Times, the illicit encounter in a cubicle of the toilet near the school canteen was said to have taken place in September. The steamy video has since been circulated to several others in the college.

The two first-year students, who reportedly did not know if and at what point they were being filmed, have since left the school.

A second-year male student from the school, who declined to be named, told Yahoo! Singapore that he found out about the video last month.

He said that it was not the first time the two girls involved were seen behaving intimately around the school grounds.

“It’s not the first time the girls have engaged in such acts. It has happened on other occasions but unfortunately, this time the act was caught on video and it was leaked,” he said.

ACJC principal, Kelvyna Chan has declined to comment directly on the facts of the episode but disciplinary action has been taken on all those involved, including, stripping some of their positions in co-curricular activity groups..

She told ST, “We would like to assure you that no one has been expelled from the school. From time to time, students are involved in actions which the school does not condone. With all matters pertaining to discipline, we include engagement with the parents and counseling for the students. The objective is always to learn from our mistakes, do better and be wiser.”

When asked whether ACJC helped the students secure places in another school, Mrs Chan declined to comment further.

It is said that one of the girls has been admitted into another junior college and will resume her studies next year.

The case comes hot on the heels of a similar episode in the US which led to an 18-year-old university student to commit suicide.

Two weeks ago, Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi was secretly filmed by his room-mate having sex with another man in his dormitory room and when the online footage spread, Clementi jumped off a bridge to his death.

The latest ACJC incident also shows how carefree the young are about the use of Internet.

An ex-ACJC student who called herself Liying told Yahoo! that there is a need to educate the young on using the internet wisely.

“I think youths these days should be educated and informed, know where his or her boundaries lie, and the implications of uploading such content onto the Internet,” said the 22-year-old.

Psychologist Daniel Koh, of Insights Mind Centre, was also quoted on ST as saying that he found the ACJC case “troubling” because the encounter between the two girls happened at a public place and that fellow students secretly filmed the act.

From Yahoo! Fit to Post, "Anglo-Chinese Junior College hit by video scandal".

Firefighters attacked by gang of monkeys

Firefighters in Taiwan's capital Taipei were attacked by a gang of marauding macaques as they tried to clear away the bodies of two monkeys run over in an earlier accident.

Check out the clip, "Firefighters attacked by gang of monkeys" & decide whether the monkeys are indeed evil--with the reference to the previous post of a macaque killing a baby, I for sure still think so.

The Macaque Menace: Baby snatched & killed

Well, it is said that macaques can be an aggressive breed. But to the extent of kidnapping a 4-day-old baby whose face & neck were later bitten and dropping the baby to her death?! Kill that macaque manace! Oh wait, it was killed...

The above photo seemingly so innocent is not longer is. I have this gruesome image of the second shot of the photo showing the pigeon laying dead with her neck broken. Evil.

IN MERE minutes, a young woman turned from a happy mother to a grieving one when she lost her four-day-old baby to a wild monkey that was shot dead several hours later.

In the 1.15pm tragedy yesterday, the macaque stole into the living room; snatched the child and fled up the roof of the house. The baby fell to the ground and died.

The mother, V. Revathy, 26, had left her first-born child in the living room of the single-storey house near Taman Happy Garden to use the toilet. The baby's body was discovered later outside the house with her face and neck badly bitten. She was rushed to the Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital here where she was pronounced dead.

Revathi's father-in-law A. Valayutham, 70, was in the living room with the newborn but had gone to get a glass of water when the tragedy occurred.

'We frantically searched all over the house and saw her body covered in blood lying outside the house,' he said.

Valayutham added that he had noticed a few monkeys outside the house compound at that time.

From Straits Times, "Baby snatched by monkey".

More from Asiaone:

The area where the family stayed was sandwiched between two residential areas with a foliage of trees nearby where there were monkeys.

Negri Sembilan Wildlife and National Parks director Ishak Muhamad said the macaque was shot dead at 4pm.

"We suspect the macaque was rummaging for food inside the house. It could have taken the baby to the roof thinking the newborn was food.

"The baby died when it fell to the ground. The monkey had apparently released the newborn, probably because it was alarmed by the parents' shouts," Ishak said yesterday.

He added that the parents had called the Fire and Rescue Department at 2.15pm, which immediately contacted the Wildlife and National Parks Department.

"We reached the house at about 3pm and set off with the baby's father to look for the macaque," he said.

Ishak said department officers saw the macaque in some bushes several metres from the house at about 4pm.

The macaque was shot when it began to act aggressively.

Ishak added that it was the first such case in the state, and believed the male monkey was attracted by a female kept in captivity as a pet by the family.

"This is very unusual. Normally, these monkeys simply steal food or pluck fruit from the yard," he said.

The baby's father, lorry driver V. Neru, 29, who was not at home when the incident occurred, said he could not believe that such a thing could have happened.

"I rushed to the hospital only to be told that she was gone.

"She was our bundle of joy and we were looking forward to spending many happy years with her ... I just cannot believe she's gone," he said.

R. Shanty, 35, who lives nearby said it was common to see monkeys in groups of three or four in the area.

"A while back, my pet dog was attacked by these monkeys. Its badly-bitten body was thrown from a tree.

"I really hope the authorities take action and not wait until another life is lost," she said.

Rahang assemblyman M.K. Arumugam, who visited the family yesterday evening, expressed regret over the incident.

"I have brought this matter up before but sadly no action was taken. I am very disappointed that something like this had to happen before the authorities took notice," he said.

From Asiaone, "Macaque abducts, bites and drops baby from roof".

---

Update on 09/10: Residents living in nearby housing estates in Seremban claim that the authorities shot the wrong macaque. Yes, they are all experts in macaques now, I guess. In any case, they should then be the ones hunting for the killer.

RESIDENTS living in nearby housing estates in Seremban, where a monkey had killed a four-day-old baby on Wednesday, claim that the authorities shot the wrong macaque.

They believe the real culprit is still at large in the forested areas.

Retired government servant Mohinder Singh, 74, said: 'The monkey killed by the officers... was much smaller. Alpha males are bigger and stronger and have even attacked and killed mongrels.'

Last year, he added, a group of monkeys almost attacked a five-year-old girl who was playing outside her house.

Another resident, P. Vellai, 56, said the dominant monkey was not afraid of women. 'The alpha male is huge. The one shot by the officers does not fit the description,' she said.

But the state's Wildlife and National Parks Department said it has cleared all macaques from the area. Its director, Mr Ishak Muhammad, said his officers had combed the area thoroughly.

From Straits Times, "'Wrong monkey' killed".

of Mrs Lee Kuan Yew dies at age 89

Rest in peace, Mdm Kwa Geok Choo. You've lived a wonderful life.

Madam Kwa Geok Choo - the wife of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, and mother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has died on Saturday.

Mrs Lee Kuan Yew, age 89, passed away peacefully at home at 5.40 pm.

A statement from the Prime Minister's Office said the wake is held at Sri Temasek, official residence of the Prime Minister located within the Istana grounds, from October 4-5.

Visitors who wish to pay their last respects may do so on October 4-5 from 10am to 5pm.

Members of the public may call 6835 6614 for any queries.

A private funeral will take place on October 6 at Mandai Crematorium.

The family requests that no obituaries and no wreaths or flowers to be sent.

All donations will go to the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) Health Research Endowment Fund.

Madam Kwa was one of 8 children.

An outstanding student at Methodist Girls' School, she also topped the 1936 Senior Cambridge Examination for the whole of Malaya and Singapore.

At Raffles Institution, she caught the attention of a young Lee Kuan Yew when she gave him unexpectedly stiff competition for a Queen's Scholarship.

But academic rivalry aside, he knew he had found his equal, and his soul mate.

Their relationship grew through the years of Japanese Occupation, and by September 1944, love had blossomed.

When World War II ended, Mr Lee left to study law in England in 1946. But he was miserable until she joined him at Cambridge University a year later.

The two married secretly on 23 December 1947.

She had just turned 27, and he was 24.

Mrs Lee said: "You can't explain these things ... He had tremendous aplomb, self-confidence, very jaunty, he was a handsome young man."

When they returned to Singapore in 1950, they tied the knot again, this time with their parents' full knowledge.

When Mr Lee got more involved in politics and became Singapore's Prime Minister in 1959, it was Mrs Lee and his younger brother, Lee Kim Yew, who built up and expanded Lee & Lee - the law firm all 3 had set up in 1955.

Mr Lee once said his great advantage was that he had a wife who could be a sole breadwinner and bring the children up.

That was his, quote, "insurance policy," which allowed him to play the role he did in Singapore's history.

In October 2003 - Mrs Lee suffered a stroke while on a visit to London.

Fortunately, she made a swift recovery and was again seen in public at her husband's side at community events, and on official trips overseas.

And she was there when Lee Hsien Loong was sworn in as Singapore's third Prime Minister.

Although she had shied away from a high profile, her contributions to Singapore had been most significant, and pivotal to its history.

"If she weren't an influence, supposing I had married somebody else, I might have become a different person, not that I would be a different person, but the things that I would have been able to do, the kind of backdrop I would have had, family, support, would have been different," said MM Lee.

From Channel NewsAsia, "Mrs Lee Kuan Yew dies at age 89".

Cathay "75 movies for $75" promotion -- bad publicity IS bad publicity

Think of "incompetent management", no, try instead to google for "incompetent management", and the result page will present you the chaotic incident with regards to Cathay's "75 movies for $75" promotion.

You can read the whole screw up with regards to this promotion in Hardwarezone forum here. 67 pages so far and counting...

CINEMA operator Cathay's ticket promotion offering 75 movie passes for $75 to patrons to celebrate its 75th anniversary at The Cathay Cineplex went horribly awry on Friday.

The police had to be called in to control an angry crowd of people who were unable to get their tickets even though they were among the first few who had queued overnight for the tickets.

Student Leslie Tan, 17, was third in line with his three other friends and complained: 'I feel cheated. We spent the whole night queueing and we did not get what we came for. It's not fair.'

The one-day promotion, on only at The Cathay Cineplex, had been advertised to movie-goers for about a month. According to publicity flyers, the offer was available only to the first 75 people to line up outside the cinema's box office on the fifth floor.

From Straits Times, "Mad rush for tickets".

Yamada Green Resources IPO

Yamada Green Resources, the mushroom grower offers 74.91m new shares and 30.09m vendor shares. Priced at 22 cents per share. Considering...considering...

For easier understanding of IPO prospectus, check out the Investor Web-clips (Yamada Green Resources being the first one making use of this platform!) on the websites of Singapore Exchange, SGX Academy.

CHINA-based shiitake mushroom grower Yamada Green Resources has launched its initial public offering of 105 million shares for a Singapore Exchange (SGX) mainboard listing.

The offer comprises 74.91 million new shares at 22 cents each - from which Yamada seeks to raise net proceeds of $13.8 million - and 30.09 million vendor shares.

Of the invitation shares, two million are for public offer and 103 million for placement.

The company plans to use about $5 million of the net proceeds to acquire 30,000 additional mu (a Chinese unit of area measure of about 730 square metres) of plantations of eucalyptus, the wood which Yamada converts into sawdust and makes into logs to grow its modified shiitake mushrooms on. Yamada currently owns 20,000 mu of eucalyptus plantations, the size of 1,800 football fields.

Yamada is one of the largest shiitake mushroom producers and cultivation base operators in China's Fujian province, with 2,614 mu of shiitake cultivation bases.

It also sells dried produce and processed convenience food made from konjac - a plant which most people know as what the Japanese use in oden and konnyaku jelly - in China, Japan and the US.

Speaking at a media briefing yesterday, Yamada's executive chairman and CEO Chen Qiuhai said that acquiring more eucalyptus plantations made sense for the company as the Chinese government pays more attention to the indiscriminate logging of trees.

He foresees that more stringent environmental regulation might create a shortage and hence price increase of frutex, plants that are smaller than trees but larger than shrubs which shiitake cultivators grow the mushrooms on.

'So we have to be one step ahead of the competition. Having our own eucalyptus plantations ensures us upstream resource sustainability,' he says.

'It gives us an added advantage moving on before our other competitors realise that making synthetic logs is going to be a problem.'

Yamada's net profit grew from FY2007's 10.4 million yuan (S$2 million) to 81.7 million yuan for FY2009. It posted revenue of 236.2 million yuan for FY2009, a compounded annual growth rate of 80 per cent from 2007's 73 million yuan.

Yamada intends to use $4.6 million of the net proceeds to increase its leasing area of cultivation bases by 2,500 mu; $2 million to establish its own distribution and marketing network in cities like Shanghai, Guangdong and Hubei by FY2011; and $1.8 million to strengthen the processing capabilities of its konjac-based food products. The remaining $400,000 will go towards general working capital for its existing and expanded operations.

The acquisition of the 2,500 mu of additional plots of cultivation land is essential for Yamada to maintain its dominant position as a shiitake mushroom supplier.

Output has grown tremendously from 9,061 tonnes in 2008 to 21,618 tonnes in 2009, but utilisation of land is almost at 100 per cent, says Mr Chen, who expects demand for the mushrooms in increasingly affluent and green foods-conscious China to reach 1.82 million tonnes by 2012.

The invitation closes at noon on Oct 6. Trading of Yamada shares is expected to start at 9am on Oct 8.

DMG Partners and Securities is the issue manager, underwriter and placement agent for the IPO.

From Business Times, "Yamada plants IPO on SGX".

---

Update on 09/10: Yamada closed its first day trading yesterday at 37 cents. It hit the intra-day high of 41 cents, intraday low of 35.5 cents. Also as expected from any IPO-s on their first day of trading, Yamada was the mostly traded with 140,972 lots changing hands.