holland road - how to own a good-class bungalow

sussex estate


railway that's going to be gone after july tis year


the bridge that separates the hdb's from the bugalows


the holland road bungalows


the ghimoh hdb's


"mari kita....."


ghimoh market


$2.50 duck rice/porridge


$2 wanton noodle


$2 fried carrot cake

he met philip, a total stranger, in sussex estate, off holland road, after he crossed the bridge across the malayan railway next to ghimoh. philip asked him whether he could take pictures that's representative of singapore. then the conversion began..... and they just talked and talked, aboyt housing about inflation, food now really cost much more than say just half year ago, the horfan he used to tapau in an hdb kopitiam, cost $3, now it's $5.... but ghimoh market hawker centre still selling $2 wanton mee, $2 chaitowkuey(carrot cake), $2.50 duck porridge..... some hawkers are just too quick to increase their prices....

they talked about the singapore gahmen, the ministers' pay.... how one of his frens who gathered a few rich europeans, put their money in singapore, trusting it's the best place to bank their money for some oversea investments(he said one of his frens put money in thai bank, the next day, it disappeared). but the CAD moved in and froze the account, wanted to check into the legality of the source of the money.... and it's been more than one years now, the money is still stuck..... his fren's retirement plan is blowing in the wind.

philip, 54, is a troubleshooter. that's what he said he was. he specialised in selling company that's in trouble and work for the new boss to bring the newly sold company to health. he's mechanical engineer by profession.

he's rich not because he earns big salary, but he listened to his granny's advice; ie whatever money you have, use it to buy landed property. he bot his first landed property in Holland road area, in 2007 when the market was down, a 10,000 sqft bungalow for 5 million. he sold to Simon cheong the king of high-class residences developers, for $10 million when it peaked in 2008. and he bot another 10000 sqft bungalow in ooi teong ham estate for 6million last year when the market crashed. and now, he's sitting on another big pot of gold - the price of landed property had it's biggest jump in history for in the last six months. now, his house is a wobbling double-the-price, palace-like, better-than-bank-cash propety.

he's going to renovate his swimming pool for $260,000, more ex than building a new one. he said, he engaged an italian architect for that. and this architect is working on high end projects, doing one in nassim road - just making over on windows alone cost 2 million, and the house cost.....

64 million.....

you see to own a gcb(good-class bungalow), you have to own one before people know what's gcb....

.....else be a million-dollar minister!

oh, btw, our fren, philip is a chain smoker, and has 3 stent in him. he did not asked him whether it's from working too hard or scheming tirelessly to own another gcb!