Singaporean Inflows Down Sharply, Says Boi

[Prakanong]

The one thing that Harry Lee and his cronies worked out,was that the way forward was to educate the people.It the Thai Government decided to do this one thing,imagine how much better this country would be.

ding , ding ,ding .........

we have a winner

They would be much better off but they need a few more policies to go with it like rule of law and transparency.

Its been talked about for years....... lets see when it starts to happen.

I think it is to early to see in Singaporean investment to Thailand is on a real downturn or its just a blip owing to the deal last year - either its size or short term political impact.

The article bove in Asiaweek also say's Britains and Taiwans investment is down in the same period but overall investment is up.

I think the overall picture of FDI needs to be looked at both as an absolute and as relative to its neighbours and competitors over a longer period too.

Edited February 27, 2007 by Prakanong

[steveromagnino]

methinks this is one of the best threads on Thaivisa, mostly because you lot keep saying nice things to me. ;_)

Re. Singapore zoo; it is symptomatic of the reality that the Lee clan can persue whatever loss making exercises they see fit, and the general population have minimal say - this is what many don't like about Temasek's futile pointless questionable foreign investments such as Global Crossing. And as it isn't a democracy there is no way to dislodge them.

However, on the flip side, you would have to say it is a small price to pay; better to give up 20% of an ever increasing pie, than to give up 15% of a static non-growing pie. [note to self, explore baking as a metaphor for business paradigms, and include them somehow in a bizdev matrix of some sort then get stupid foreigners] anyone someone with more money than sense large government finance company operating in a small Island nation to purchase it.]

As for Thailand, we have massive issues already in controlling frigging clan style fifedom building with tax payer money. The only reason Singapore is coming up is in assessing whether Shin was a good or bad buy for them. I say bad, though not not the worst they have ever done; Global Crossing set that record (for Shin to match that, the share price needs to slide to about 5b). Mind you the ITV component of the deal would be close. And the reason is that at the end of the day, they are just another govt department and the heirachy goes:

looking after my own money - super careful

looking after someone else's money, potential upside for me - fairly careful

looking after someone else's money, no difference to me whether it works or not - who cares?

Still like the place though :-)

As for Vanessa Mae, well one key element in my mum's theory was, 'why don't you go to Singapore, meet Vanessa Mae, date her, marry her, and then live there?'

A great plan with a few minor issues.

- When I went to SIngapore, she wasn't there anyway

- I have only met her once and not long enough to explore 'activities options' with her

- I haven't dated her ever as a result of failing in step 2

- As a result I didn't marry her

- I like ice kachang but not enough to live there :-)

ok...now back to the bakery analogy. Adopt Singaporean accent.

Firs of all la, you got the bread loaf. Dis commodity business man, you cannot make money in the bread loaf business, you gonna go stale for sure la.

Second quadrant is the strawberry muffin. Is nice la for sure, but small demand, you can be good niche player with a quality muffin, but not many barrier to entry and you got supply chain management problem with the strawberry.

So we move up our matrix to added value with a strawberry danish and chocolate icing. Dis is higher margin and the complexity make you operator and this will be my one for the business idea.

So...in closing, be a strawberry Danish. Don't be a loaf of bread la.

ok...well it still needs some work though.

[Prakanong]

I do not think the bakery analogy works - its worse than my VP's cycling analogies ;-)

Plus he is planning a late one for me tonight and this does involve cycling (not me) but more of that anon.

And as I have not applied for PR yet and do not know if I ever will emasek have none of my funds as yet - I still get them as cash in my age packet - they would be better off with Temasek no matter how low the returns ;-0

Edited February 27, 2007 by Prakanong

[steveromagnino]

I do not think the bakery analogy works - its worse than my VP's cycling analogies ;-)

Plus he is planning a late one for me tonight and this does involve cycling (not me) but more of that anon.

And as I have not applied for PR yet and do not know if I ever will emasek have none of my funds as yet - I still get them as cash in my age packet - they would be better off with Temasek no matter how low the returns ;-0

:-)

I liked the place; I prefer here as life is easier for me here than there. To each their own :-) GOod points there Prakanong, always good to have to think a bit.

I'll keep working on the bakery analogy; actually a Singaporean I knew of had some obscure bird analogy that made almost no sense with dodos and emus and eagles and various other birds flapping around; that's actually what made me recall the Bird park story. He was able to sell it to the world's biggest management consultancy; so that gives me some hope for the 'bread and grains matrix'.

Phase 2, put it into phase 2.

[chuchok]

As for Vanessa Mae, well one key element in my mum's theory was, 'why don't you go to Singapore, meet Vanessa Mae, date her, marry her, and then live there?'

A great plan with a few minor issues.

- When I went to SIngapore, she wasn't there anyway

- I have only met her once and not long enough to explore 'activities options' with her

- I haven't dated her ever as a result of failing in step 2

- As a result I didn't marry her

- I like ice kachang but not enough to live there :-)

Poor excuse.should have shagged her la!

Edited February 27, 2007 by chuchok

[Prakanong]

I do not think the bakery analogy works - its worse than my VP's cycling analogies ;-)

Plus he is planning a late one for me tonight and this does involve cycling (not me) but more of that anon.

And as I have not applied for PR yet and do not know if I ever will emasek have none of my funds as yet - I still get them as cash in my age packet - they would be better off with Temasek no matter how low the returns ;-0

:-)

I liked the place; I prefer here as life is easier for me here than there. To each their own :-) GOod points there Prakanong, always good to have to think a bit.

I'll keep working on the bakery analogy; actually a Singaporean I knew of had some obscure bird analogy that made almost no sense with dodos and emus and eagles and various other birds flapping around; that's actually what made me recall the Bird park story. He was able to sell it to the world's biggest management consultancy; so that gives me some hope for the 'bread and grains matrix'.

Phase 2, put it into phase 2.

Yeah - life is easier there for you and easier here for me - do not think I did not think about it and its not so long ago it would have been one of my own conditions to move the position to the Bangkok office but things have moved on

The WP and visa would have been no problem and I would not have been asking for advice in the appropriate category here so that never figured into the decision.

Taxes - they would have been hight than in Thailand for sure but would have balanced out with Accom.

Cost of living - the only thing is booze really - everything else is pretty much comparable and I tend to buy things in the cheapest markets while travelling.

Crime etc just did not come into the equation either.

The small things like language (down to me of course) and jut having things installed, delivered probably meant more than they should have

I really can not put my finger on it - maybe wanting to try somewhere new plus for me in our company this is where its being run from in the most exciting division in the most exciting region.

My best pal down here is probably similar. He is a Consultant Neuro-Radiologist who has condo's in Bangkok and houses elsewhere - he earns here and goes to Thailand each month to play.

Outside of work we do not really meet any Singaporeans (well we did lat week but they were way out of league ;-) )

Edited February 27, 2007 by Prakanong

[steveromagnino]

Poor excuse.should have shagged her la!

Kiwi hansum man, him is speak wid great wisdom.

Ah well. Dawun dat got away.

[Prakanong]

Poor excuse.should have shagged her la!

Kiwi hansum man, him is speak wid great wisdom.

Ah well. Dawun dat got away.

I bet it was better than my encounter with "Paula", ex of MTV-Asia and now footie program and "Boy's and Toys" on ESPN fame, about 3 weeks ago.

There was a village missing and idiot and when in hole I should have stopped digging but I only stopped my mouth to change feet!

Even my pals who is an American and does not know her from Adam said :err I think you might be making a mistake"

To her credit she was awfully nice about the whole thing and stayed at the bar ;-)))

[steveromagnino]

I bet it was better than my encounter with "Paula", ex of MTV-Asia and now footie program and "Boy's and Toys" on ESPN fame, about 3 weeks ago.

There was a village missing and idiot and when in hole I should have stopped digging but I only stopped my mouth to change feet!

Even my pals who is an American and does not know her from Adam said :err I think you might be making a mistake"

To her credit she was awfully nice about the whole thing and stayed at the bar ;-)))

I think I know who you mean; hosts the footie show with the Malaysian/Singaporean guy? cute mmmmmmmmmm.

Ah well, as one of my friends once said, the best thing he ever did for dating was working in sales with cold calls. he had to cold call hundreds of people, and discovered that rejection is no big deal; the philander's rule is if 99 out of 100 women will turn you down, then you just need to ask 100 women out then.

Best of luck with that :-)

[Prakanong]

I bet it was better than my encounter with "Paula", ex of MTV-Asia and now footie program and "Boy's and Toys" on ESPN fame, about 3 weeks ago.

There was a village missing and idiot and when in hole I should have stopped digging but I only stopped my mouth to change feet!

Even my pals who is an American and does not know her from Adam said :err I think you might be making a mistake"

To her credit she was awfully nice about the whole thing and stayed at the bar ;-)))

I think I know who you mean; hosts the footie show with the Malaysian/Singaporean guy? cute mmmmmmmmmm.

Ah well, as one of my friends once said, the best thing he ever did for dating was working in sales with cold calls. he had to cold call hundreds of people, and discovered that rejection is no big deal; the philander's rule is if 99 out of 100 women will turn you down, then you just need to ask 100 women out then.

Best of luck with that :-)

Thats the gal but I never got knocked back and was not even trying to chat her up.

She had been sitting next to me for about three hours when the wine finally got to me and I said, "You look like Paula of TV (should have stoped there), I really hate her"

Her pal said "Why" so I launched into one going on about her accent, her career, an interview she gave and the marriage to a Malay Prince.

She turned around and said, "I am Paula and I am not with the Malay Prince any more".

My pals, her pals, the bar staff were pissing themselves as I just wanted the gropund to open up.

As for the guys who ask any girl knowing they will always get one there were a fwew like that I knew growing up - we called them "Unshakeable ego's"

[rogerinthai]

She had been sitting next to me for about three hours when the wine finally got to me and I said, "You look like Paula of TV (should have stoped there), I really hate her"

Her pal said "Why" so I launched into one going on about her accent, her career, an interview she gave and the marriage to a Malay Prince.

She turned around and said, "I am Paula and I am not with the Malay Prince any more".