Sometimes, life is ironic. My friend who works in Citibank told me that he has taken a home loan not from Citibank but from another competitor. The reason ? Well it seems that a Citibank Home Loan is only competitive if its for re-mortgage or for a second home. Most of the time, you can only get a 85% loan from the Citibank Home Loan. Its tough if you don’t have enough money for that downpayment.

A good alternative to a Citibank Home Loan would be the OCBC Bank Graduate Home Loan scheme, which is targeted at young graduates between 21 and 35 years old who hold at least a diploma and minimum two years’ working experience.

Thoo said fresh graduates might settle for cheaper properties at the “wrong locations”, resulting in them not being able to enjoy a positive appreciation later.

“With our low entry rates, they would be able to choose a better located home and not get into a bad investment from the beginning,” she said, adding that the banks would review the debt-servicing ratios of applicants.

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According to this forum, the Bandar Puteri Puchong master property plan has changed since 2001. The IOI Intellicity area has shrunked and all you can see right now is still dirt on that area. I wonder when they will build all those office blocks.

I just bought Gardenia Bread for a Discount in Puchong. More precisely, you can get a discount from KK Super Mart (Buka 20 Jam) which is in Pusat Bandar Puchong, Jalan Wawasan 2/22. Its next to Beyond Salun Rambut and right in front is a bus stop for the 508 bus.

The RM1.90 Gardenia Bread is just RM1.60. The RM2.50 Gardenia Bread is just RM2.20

Nice to see you can still save a few cents in Malaysia.

I called up some banks in Bandar Puteri, Puchong today to get some Fixed Deposit Rates. 2 of branch did not pick up the phone. That shows that they are still on Raya leave. Some more rates info here

OCBC Bandar Puteri, Puchong (Tel: 1300885000)
3 months = 3.2%
6 months = 3.4%

Ambank Bandar Puteri, Puchong (Tel: 80605944, 21788888)
3 months = 3.4%
6 months = 3.5%

Citibank Bandar Puteri, Puchong (Tel: 58851111)
3 months = 3.3%
6 months = 3.45%

Standard Chartered Bank Bandar Puteri, Puchong (Tel: 80646801)
3 months = 3.2%
6 months = 3.45%

OCBC , Bandar Puteri, Puchong , Standard Chartered Bank , Citibank , Ambank

I just had the lunch set at Restoran Steak Out Puchong (near Giant). Nice food. I had a set of orange juice, soup of the day and seafood spaghetti. The spaghetti was superb. Tasted like the one I had in Rome in April …I will definitely visit them again.

Total cost : RM20.90

I was stuck in a crazy traffic jam in KL yesterday. It rained and KL roads got in a gridlock. I went there at 3pm plus and got home to Puchong around 815pm. Crazy. In fact I was stuck in front of Hotel Maya in Jalan Ampang (near British Council) from 642pm to 740pm. Craziness in KL. I did believe it. I wasted a lot of petrol. I made a big mistake and should have taken the Jalan Tun Razak. At least that’s a straight road back to Puchong. Going through traffic lights was not a good idea as there was no policemen around to direct traffic as it was buka puasa time. Darn.

Just some ramblings for SEO.

I have a friend who has a friend investing in Forex. Its a high risk game and he could lose USD$50,000 a day…That’s what happened recently. I’ve been thinking of playing too but the risks could be too high and I could end up a bankrupt. Well, this article is a good eye opener.

For those unfamiliar with the term, FOREX (FOReign EXchange market), refers to an international exchange market where currencies are bought and sold. The Foreign Exchange Market that we see today began in the 1970’s, when free exchange rates and floating currencies were introduced. In such an environment only participants in the market determine the price of one currency against another, based upon supply and demand for that currency.

FOREX is a somewhat unique market for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is one of the few markets in which it can be said with very few qualifications that it is free of external controls and that it cannot be manipulated. It is also the largest liquid financial market, with trade reaching between 1 and 1.5 trillion US dollars a day. With this much money moving this fast, it is clear why a single investor would find it near impossible to significantly affect the price of a major currency. Furthermore, the liquidity of the market means that unlike some rarely traded stock, traders are able to open and close positions within a few seconds as there are always willing buyers and sellers.

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The Distance from Puchong to KL is 29KM. I did some research today and made a drive from Puchong to KL and vice versa.

Here are the routes I took

1. 610am - Puchong > Federal Highway, Jalan Kuching, Citibank (Jln Ampang)
Took me about 40 mins.

2. 710am - Citibank (Jln Ampang) > Jln Tun Razak > Sg Besi > Kesas Highway to Puchong near Giant. Its also 29KM and I took about 45 mins.

Cool

KINRARA assemblyman Datuk Kow Cheong Wei said one of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) stops in Puchong would be located near the IOI Mall. He said an early report by Syarikat Prasarana Sendirian Berhad (SPNB) had identified five alternative routes from Seri Petaling to Puchong and the IOI Mall stop had been proposed for each route. “SPNB received the go-ahead from the Prime Minister’s Department to carry out a survey at the end of June. The five routes were then proposed based on its early findings,” Kow said after officiating at the IOI Home Carnival at IOI Mall on Sunday. more

A marketing manager of a tobacco company was hauled to the magistrate’s court today to face a charge of kidnapping a 14-year-old boy.

Wong Shen Choong, 33, from Puchong, was charged with abduction and wrongful restraint of Tan Sze Shaun for a ransom of RM1 million.

He was alleged to have committed the offence along Jalan USJ 3, Subang Jaya at 1pm on Sept 23.

No plea was recorded.

Magistrate Maimoonah Aid granted Deputy Public Prosecutor Alfred Egin’s application to transfer the case to the Shah Alam High Court. She fixed Oct 27 for mention.

source