New Year wishes

I've made resolutions for the New Year. For the Chinese New Year, I'll make wishes instead :)

I wish ...

• For the generosity of my boss to overflow into my pockets
• That I will be able to obtain income from unexpected sources i.e. winning contests with cash prizes
• That I will have more than enough cash to renovate and furnish our new house comfortably
• For all my family and friends to have a healthy, robust, heartwarming new year
• That I will miraculously become slimmer, prettier, healthier and fitter
• That I will find it in me to be kinder, more sympathetic, friendlier and less absorbed in myself
• For less nonsensical politicking, more good Samaritans, less people in need of help, more society-conscious leaders, less inflation, better economic growth - world peace!
• That maybe, just maybe, someone may want me after all

... somehow ...

Pretty plant found in Bandar Utama, while on my site inspection rounds.

21 days into the year

2 Jan - Officially began post as Assistant Manager. Nothing to like about the job, but with quite a few things to hate about it. There's something wrong with the equation somewhere, because optimistic me seldom becomes this negative about something. But I will not leave the company, because it is the only one where I can go home at 5.30pm sharp if I feel like it, without the boss staring daggers (but I have to put up with direct statements of "stay back later if your cases are clocking up long completion days").

10 Jan - Housewarming party at my family's new house. My dad has too many friends. The food wasn't enough, although everyone praised the fried chicken. However, definitely not throwing something like this again for a very long time. Too much work.

11 Jan - Took the day off work, just to go CNY shopping with the darling. It is a total delight to shop on weekdays. And I realized that it has been too long since both of us spent such a nice time together. Work stress affects relationships, apparently.

14 Jan - Went shopping in the Golden Triangle! With KF, Dennis and David. It has been too long since I've been there, as I can only remember the last time I did serious shopping there was when Cindy and I were mere kids. I realized that when we crossed the bridge from Sg Wang to Lot 10 and it's not the same bridge I used to use! The old one used to have an escalator bringing shoppers from the noodle house outside Sg Wang to the bridge which connects to Isetan Lot 10. The new one doesn't need you to climb stairs - which is good la. Luckily parking was free thanks to David's season parking pass.

20 Jan - Had dinner with Nat, Lan and San. Excitedly discussing Lan's upcoming wedding, the details, the preparations. Dinner was on me, on the occasion of my promotion. Manhattan Fish Market in Mid Valley is good - excellent Western seafood. And it's been months since I stepped into Mid Valley. Was glad to note that parking is still RM1 per entry, as compared to the exorbitant rates now charged at 1Utama and Sunway Pyramid :P

So today, the 21st day of the year - nothing significant but will spend the morning typing up my thesis (deadline's end of February). Afternoon will be for the darling. And evening for family. The usual weekend.

What is significant is that this year there will be numerous house-warming parties and weddings to attend. I've already received 3 wedding invitations for February and March.

And I have resolved that after my thesis has finished, I will spend more time with my friends and family, begin working and studying seriously to get my valuer's license and of course, put in lots of effort to make my new house pretty and homey :)

My to-do list for 2006:
1. Finish my thesis by 28 February.
2. Complete the 2nd year of my valuer's log book by 30 June (reminds me that I need to speak to my boss for more acquisition cases).
3. Completed Task 1 for my valuer's license by 31 December.
4. Renovated and decorated our new house.
5. Travel to London for my graduation and visit Paris.
6. Make a trip to Redang Island.
7. Organize one family trip.
8. Do something for my own spiritual and emotional development (I realized that is lacking in my yearly things-to-do).
9. Look out for better professional positions.

Looks like it'll be another busy year :)

Work is love made visible.
And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.
For if you bake bread with indifference, you bake a bitter bread that feeds but half man's hunger.
And if you grudge the crushing of the grapes, your grudge distils a poison in the wine.
And if you sing though as angels, and love not the singing, you muffle man's ears to the voices of the day and the voices of the night.

-"The Prophet" by Khalil Gibran

Buying a house (1)

I was asked if there are any all-in-one guides to buying a house in Malaysia. Thought I'd write it all down because I think most of us will be buying something at this stage of our lives within the next few years.

Below are some websites which I thought was rather good reference :

1. http://www.iproperty.com.my/articles/buyprocedures.htm This is a very general idea of the buying-selling procedure

2. http://www.iproperty.com.my/financing/articles.asp This provides you with loan-financing tips

3. http://hba.org.my/HBA/Publication/hbg_info.htm If you're buying a property direct from a developer, this book will probably help you understand what kind of protection you get as a house-buyer. The book costs RM5

4. http://www.realestate.net.my/forum/viewforum.php?f=7&sid=12f70dfcf0a08961c05b1c95a6d6bdbf This is a forum which discusses all kinds of housing projects, mostly in the Klang Valley. It gives the typical man-in-the-street's point of view of new projects - what's good, what's not, price too high, etc. Definite must-read particularly if you're buying a new project.

5. http://www.hba.org.my/faq/sale_and_purchase.htm This is a VERY good reference as it tells you what kind of scale fees you should pay your lawyer, what kind of documents you need from the seller, and what kind of time-frame you're working with in order to ensure you don't get charged abominable interests due to unnecessary delays

And some of the things I learnt so far in the house-buying process (even before I've signed the Sale and Purchase Agreement - SPA) :

• Before you sign the "Letter of Offer to Purchase", make sure you let your lawyer see what you're signing as the terms in it will affect the SPA that you sign later.
• Get your lawyer's advice on EVERYTHING i.e. when you should start applying for a loan, before talking to your agent or the seller, etc. You're paying your lawyer a huge sum to protect your interest, so your lawyer is obliged to be constantly harrassed by you for all matters whether big or small.
• When scouting for home loans, do it early. So you'll have time to weigh your options. A homeloan is usually a 30-year commitment. Interest rates ARE important. Got pros and cons to various interest rates which is too lengthy to discuss here :P But you'll understand once you talk to more and more bankers. Even number-dummies like me can get it.
• Remember to get a verbal indicative value of your property from a valuer before agreeing to buy. You can usually do this by calling up a valuer (which means, me!). The valuer will verbally indicate the market value to you (you need to provide address, land area / built-up area, details of renovations), and this value will be used to determine how much the bank will be able to lend to you. If you do not call a valuer before buying, you may accidentally buy at a high price and banks may not be able to lend you the maximum amount, where you'll have to fork out a lot extra.
• All fees are negotiable. Negotiate fees with your lawyer before agreeing to appoint him. Get second quotations on fees from others. Some bank loan interest rates are also negotiable.
• Inspect your property properly before signing the Letter of Offer to Purchase. Most offer letters include clauses of "as-is-where-is basis" which means WYSIWYG. Try to bring a contractor to inspect the property before buying, get opinions on cracks and damp patches.
• If your property has been extensively renovated, make sure that the seller can show you proof of approval for the extension. Or you'll get into trouble with the local authority in the near future.

And actually, I'm not a pro at this, so I'm still learning things. If you guys need to know anything, I'll be more than happy to help. Because : buying a house is probably the most expensive thing a person will ever buy in his life, and because there is an obvious lack of professional advice offered to property buyers.