Deepavali falls in month of purattasi, an event that occurs once very 100 years
By Kristin Geetha, Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE: Deepavali celebrations kicked off Saturday morning with special prayers at the Sri Srinivasa Perumal temple located at Serangoon Road.
Many visited the temple dressed in colourful traditional clothes after they had their traditional oil bath in the morning.
The festival of lights is usually celebrated in the month of Ippasi, according to the Hindu calendar.
But this year, Deepavali falls on the last day of the month of purattasi. Such an event only occurs once in every hundred years.
"That's the reason why we are here (at the temple)," said a visitor. "To get the blessings of god and hoping the year ahead will be good and prosperous for us."
Free food was also distributed to the devotees at the temple, which is a common sight during the month of purattasi.
After morning prayers, people rushed off to visit relatives and friends and feast on more food.
On the eve of the festival on Friday, more than 10,000 people gathered at a concert at Race Course Road to welcome Deepavali.
The concert was organised by LISHA and the Hindu Endowments Board.
Singapore's Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam joined in the countdown celebrations.
There were performances by Vasantham artists, and event was also streamed live on the internet.
At the stroke of midnight, a stunning display of fireworks welcomed the festival of lights.
- CNA/yb
- wong chee tat :)
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Incentives abound for home buyers looking for property loans
Incentives abound for home buyers looking for property loans
By Maggie Chong & Evelyn Choo, Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE: Some banks are rolling out new services and attractive mortgage packages to increase their market share in the private housing loan sector.
Banks such as Standard Chartered has set up a service counter to offer loan evaluations at show flats.
Said Dennis Khoo, general manager of Wealth Management Consumer Banking at Standard Chartered Bank: "I think it's even better prudence because before (a buyer) puts down the money, he can quickly - within 15 minutes - check, and then go and put the money down knowing that he's making a good decision."
The mortgage war among the banks has seen interest rates being revised downwards.
However, the lowering of rates is not the only weapon. Some banks are also trying to gain a greater market share by providing incentives such as air tickets and dining vouchers.
Said Ang Tang Chor, senior executive vice president of Consumer Business at Hong Leong Finance: "We do not only compete in interest rates, we also have what Singaporeans like... (such as) travel, as well as eating at various outlets in Singapore."
But despite the incentives, home buyers say low interest rates remain the most important factor.
- CNA/yb
- wong chee tat :)
By Maggie Chong & Evelyn Choo, Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE: Some banks are rolling out new services and attractive mortgage packages to increase their market share in the private housing loan sector.
Banks such as Standard Chartered has set up a service counter to offer loan evaluations at show flats.
Said Dennis Khoo, general manager of Wealth Management Consumer Banking at Standard Chartered Bank: "I think it's even better prudence because before (a buyer) puts down the money, he can quickly - within 15 minutes - check, and then go and put the money down knowing that he's making a good decision."
The mortgage war among the banks has seen interest rates being revised downwards.
However, the lowering of rates is not the only weapon. Some banks are also trying to gain a greater market share by providing incentives such as air tickets and dining vouchers.
Said Ang Tang Chor, senior executive vice president of Consumer Business at Hong Leong Finance: "We do not only compete in interest rates, we also have what Singaporeans like... (such as) travel, as well as eating at various outlets in Singapore."
But despite the incentives, home buyers say low interest rates remain the most important factor.
- CNA/yb
- wong chee tat :)
HDB launches two new BTO projects in Sengkang and Jurong West
HDB launches two new BTO projects in Sengkang and Jurong West
Channel NewsAsia - Saturday, October 17
[HDB launches two new BTO projects in Sengkang and Jurong West] HDB launches two new BTO projects in Sengkang and Jurong West
SINGAPORE: The Housing and Development Board (HDB) launched two new Build—To—Order (BTO) projects on Friday.
Fernvale Palms in Sengkang and Boon Lay Meadow in Jurong West offer a total of 1,200 standard flats.
They comprise 240 units of 2—room, 396 units of 3—room, 512 units of 4—room and 52 units of 5—room flats.
These 1,200 new BTO flats form part of the 5,000 new flat supply which National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan announced on October 1.
495 units will be available at Fernvale Palms, which is located near two Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations.
Selling prices for the Sengkang flats range from S$129,000 to S$163,000 for a 3—room flat, and S$214,000 to S$262,000 for a 4—room unit. A 5—room flat will cost between S$282,000 and S$340,000.
Home buyers can also choose from another 705 units at Boon Lay Meadow which is situated within the established Jurong West estate.
Conveniently located along Jurong West Avenue 2, Boon Lay Meadow is served by two MRT stations — Boon Lay and Lakeside.
Prices for the flats at Boon Lay Meadow range from S$86,000 to S$103,000 for a 2—room flat and S$138,000 to S$173,000 for a 3—room unit. A 4—room flat is priced between S$223,000 and S$266,000.
According to HDB, based on the income of flat applicants in the first half of this year, most households will not need to use cash to meet their monthly mortgage payments.
The housing board expects that first—time buyers will need to use between 18 and 24 per cent of their monthly household income to meet their monthly loan commitments for these two projects.
Applications for the flats can be submitted online from Friday to October 29.
Flat buyers can look forward to more BTO launches over the next two months.
In November and December, HDB will launch six more BTO projects with 4,000 flats. These projects will be located in towns such as Punggol, Bukit Panjang, Sembawang and Dawson.
— CNA/ir
- wong chee tat :)
Channel NewsAsia - Saturday, October 17
[HDB launches two new BTO projects in Sengkang and Jurong West] HDB launches two new BTO projects in Sengkang and Jurong West
SINGAPORE: The Housing and Development Board (HDB) launched two new Build—To—Order (BTO) projects on Friday.
Fernvale Palms in Sengkang and Boon Lay Meadow in Jurong West offer a total of 1,200 standard flats.
They comprise 240 units of 2—room, 396 units of 3—room, 512 units of 4—room and 52 units of 5—room flats.
These 1,200 new BTO flats form part of the 5,000 new flat supply which National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan announced on October 1.
495 units will be available at Fernvale Palms, which is located near two Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations.
Selling prices for the Sengkang flats range from S$129,000 to S$163,000 for a 3—room flat, and S$214,000 to S$262,000 for a 4—room unit. A 5—room flat will cost between S$282,000 and S$340,000.
Home buyers can also choose from another 705 units at Boon Lay Meadow which is situated within the established Jurong West estate.
Conveniently located along Jurong West Avenue 2, Boon Lay Meadow is served by two MRT stations — Boon Lay and Lakeside.
Prices for the flats at Boon Lay Meadow range from S$86,000 to S$103,000 for a 2—room flat and S$138,000 to S$173,000 for a 3—room unit. A 4—room flat is priced between S$223,000 and S$266,000.
According to HDB, based on the income of flat applicants in the first half of this year, most households will not need to use cash to meet their monthly mortgage payments.
The housing board expects that first—time buyers will need to use between 18 and 24 per cent of their monthly household income to meet their monthly loan commitments for these two projects.
Applications for the flats can be submitted online from Friday to October 29.
Flat buyers can look forward to more BTO launches over the next two months.
In November and December, HDB will launch six more BTO projects with 4,000 flats. These projects will be located in towns such as Punggol, Bukit Panjang, Sembawang and Dawson.
— CNA/ir
- wong chee tat :)
New network for singles to meet
New network for singles to meet
Channel NewsAsia - Saturday, October 17
SINGAPORE: The Social Development Unit—Social Development Service (SDU—SDS), the government matchmaker, has a new name. It is now called the "Social Development Network" or "SDN" in short.
Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Mrs Yu—Foo Yee Shoon, unveiled the new name at the opening of the annual Partner Connection Trade Seminar on Friday.
She also announced plans to extend SDN’s reach to all singles, linking them to a wider network of partners for dating services, events and information.
In collaboration with private dating agencies, SDN will also be providing a sampler dating package for singles.
SDU—SDS is the interim name for the merged Social Development Unit and Social Development Services. The SDU was formed in 1984 to promote marriages among graduate singles, while the SDS was set up a year later to promote marriages among non—graduates.
The two organisations merged in January this year to reap economies of scale, enlarge their database for singles and provide more opportunities for singles to meet.
Over the last 25 years, 186,000 members of both organisations have tied the knot.
— CNA/ir
- wong chee tat :)
Channel NewsAsia - Saturday, October 17
SINGAPORE: The Social Development Unit—Social Development Service (SDU—SDS), the government matchmaker, has a new name. It is now called the "Social Development Network" or "SDN" in short.
Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Mrs Yu—Foo Yee Shoon, unveiled the new name at the opening of the annual Partner Connection Trade Seminar on Friday.
She also announced plans to extend SDN’s reach to all singles, linking them to a wider network of partners for dating services, events and information.
In collaboration with private dating agencies, SDN will also be providing a sampler dating package for singles.
SDU—SDS is the interim name for the merged Social Development Unit and Social Development Services. The SDU was formed in 1984 to promote marriages among graduate singles, while the SDS was set up a year later to promote marriages among non—graduates.
The two organisations merged in January this year to reap economies of scale, enlarge their database for singles and provide more opportunities for singles to meet.
Over the last 25 years, 186,000 members of both organisations have tied the knot.
— CNA/ir
- wong chee tat :)
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