The art of art investment: Herbert Vogel and Dorothy

Thought of collecting art as an investment?  Seems it's becoming popular here. Well if you are thinking of doing that , perhaps you should find out what veteran art investors do.

Herbert Vogel and his wife Dorothy,  are famous America art collectors. They do not fit the usual profile of your usual art collector, they are not rich! Haha... which is like many of us. Herbert was a high-school dropout & later worked as a postal worker. Dorothy was a librarian in a public library, and they lived in a tiny one-bedroom apartment all their lives. 

Yet, they managed to amass a collection of almost 5,000 sculptures, paintings and prints, worth about US$400 million, which they then donated to 51 museums across the country. Through their extensive collecting history, Low and the Vogels offered some valuable insights to art lovers and value investors everywhere on how to create wealth and beauty: 

Buy for the long term

They followed the classic strategy of "buy and hold". They are not interested in quick profits, thus, they purchased with the intention to keeping them for the long term. 

Buy for love, not profit & Look for investments which are new and original  

The Vogels never buy an artwork simply because they believed it would appreciate in value. Instead, they bought them because they appreciated their beauty and the value they added to their lives.  

Know the market & when to buy  

Given their limited funds, they were extremely savvy with their investments - and they made it a point to understand the market well.

Review: Duromine & Panbesy for weight loss

After almost 3 weeks on Duromine, I've lost  about slightly more than 6 kg!
 I've finally won the battle of the flab. I feel GREAT !!! I look even better!

Don't know will it last? But I'm definitely going to be more careful with my meals from now onward.

My problem is all the snacking that went on when I watch TV- & I watch TV a lot. I know  how the different chips taste like because I've tried them all- scary right? I know a girl who hated chips & never eats them- how I envy her, she's thin like a reed. I wanted to be like her....but..... I just wasn't born that way. I love sweet stuff & chips loaded with cheese or sour-cream !!!

Thinking of it makes my cravings surface again. Guess I need to stop thinking of them! My doctor taught me a trick, associate an awful image with my favorite food. So when ever I think of my cheese cake, I think of my arch enemy (at work) eating it....LOL...... it really works! It's so disgusting.... I literally don't feel like eating cheese cake anymore! All my friends thought it's brilliant...lol.. thanks DR Keith !

 Parsons Medical @Yishun, Yishun Ave 2, Blk 779, #01-1541. Singapore 760779
Tel; 64846010 , 8777-0736, 9746-7720
Open from: 9am to 12pm on Tuesday, Wednesday 
                  : 3pm to 8pm on Thursday
Parsons @Orchard : 360 Orchard, International Building, #04-10 , Singapore 238869

Tel; 8777-0736, 9746-7720
Opening Hrs : 10am-1pm & 3pm-8pm on Monday & Friday  
                        3pm to 8pm on Tuesday, Wed
                        10am-1pm on Saturday

The side effects of Panbesy/Duromine !

Today is my 10th day on panbesy & duromine. 3 days on a low dosage of panbesy 15mg & the rest on 30mg of duromine. Very Happy to report the flabby arms were a thing of the past!
Panbesy & Duromine is effective. I've lost 3 & half kg so far !!!! Happiness.......

As for side effects, is there such a thing as overly energized? Well I am feeling that ...lol..., not that I mind though. It only makes me better at my job, I even picked up a couple of mistakes here & there which impresses my boss!!!! (I think) . Sleeping is a problem for the first night, now is back to my usual- so no more complains there.

Dry mouth syndrome ? Ya I have that, I just drink more water- so no problem, I was thinking that'll help hydrates my skin...lol...

I'm enjoying the fact that I've stop craving for food, even snacks - that's the best side effect! I've been cursed with a sweet tooth, & that has always been a problem...... now solved! Wonder will it last after I get off Panbesy/ Duromine?

Ever think of trying slimming pills like Panbesy or Duromine for weight loss ?

Do you know obesity is on the rise? Like everyone else I grew up on fast food, a couple of my birthdays were celebrated in these joints - when I was a kid! Then there's the oily hawker food, which is an almost daily consumption. I love satay .....what to do?????

How not to get fat with this ? YUM !

No wonder I've developed flabby upper arms, tummy & fat thighs. Do you have any idea how awful that is? Five days ago I caught  my bf  staring- looking at my flab! He denied of course but there & then I knew I've got to do something about it- something drastic!.

Google for help.... lots of help appear in lovely blogs from ladies & their success stories of how they won the battle of the flab! There's hope for me!

Many recommended Parsons Medical. And guess what, my fellow bloggers were right, the doctor, a DR Keith Ong is kinda nice & understanding. I was a bit embarrassed when I got to the clinic & ask for Panbesy- it's like announcing to the world "I"M FAT"  ... so shy right?  But Dr Keith being so popular must have seen tons of girls like me. Within a second he made me feel almost at home, thank God!

Today is my  3rd day on Panbesy. I've been feeling really energized & super alert.
My mind usually "wanders off " during meetings while my boss rambles on,
but today I was like 100% there....haha.... I could concentrate better!
I lost 1kg so far. Even my flabby arms looks better already !

Porsche’s plans to make China the company’s biggest market by 2014

Volkswagen AG (VOW)’s Porsche said it will begin selling Macan compact SUVs and delivering a $2.2 million supercar in China next year as part of its expansion plans in the world’s largest automobile market.  

Porsche, which counts the Cayenne sport utility vehicle as its best seller in China, will build on that success with the Macan, whose sales will begin in the second half of next year, Helmut Broeker, head of China operations, said in a Jan. 18 interview. The carmaker also plans to double its number of dealerships in the country to 95 in 2014 from 49 now.  

The new products are part of Porsche’s plans to make China the company’s biggest market by 2014. Porsche has benefited from a surge in demand for SUVs -- the fastest-growing segment in China’s auto market -- with the Cayenne accounting for about 65 percent of the company’s deliveries in the country.  

“The fact that they’re bringing a smaller version of the Cayenne SUV model is something that specifically in China will work quite well,” said Klaus Paur, the Shanghai-based global head of automotive coverage at research firm Ipsos. “It is catering to a segment that is fast growing. It is also part of a trend of luxury brands making their cars more accessible to the market.”

918 Spyder  

Porsche is taking orders for the 918 Spyder hybrid supercar, the first of which will be delivered to buyers in the first half of next year, Broeker said, declining to give sales figures for the automaker’s most expensive model. The car will cost 13.4 million yuan ($2.2 million) in China when including import and consumption taxes, according to the company. “The 918 Spyder of course is a great product for China,” he said. “There’s quite a lot of interest in China. But I don’t think you will see many cars on the road.”  

For this year, Porsche will open about 20 dealerships in cities including Beijing, Shenzhen, Foshan . The China head wants sales this year to be “few cars” above levels in 2012, when deliveries rose 28 percent to a record 31,205 units, he said, declining to be more specific.  

The maker of the 911 sports car will also start selling new editions of the four-door Panamera and Cayman this year. The Panamera is Porsche’s second-best selling model in China after the Cayenne with deliveries at about 9,000 units last year. The automaker has no plans to follow other foreign automakers in manufacturing vehicles in China to avoid import duties as customers expect their Porsches to be engineered and made in Germany, he said.

To promote its sports car image in China, the company will open a 135-million yuan handling circuit and training center in Shanghai in 2014, next to the city’s Formula One racetrack, according to the company.

 

Unbelievable isn't it????

Can we become a renminbi hub?

Singapore, the major commodities trading partner with China and regional treasury centre for multinationals, is following Hong Kong to become the second overseas RMB trade hub. However, experts believe that in the foreseeable future, Singapore will unlikely replace Hong Kong’s position as the primary RMB trade centre. 

Although Hong Kong – being part of China – is obviously the most ideal location for the country to experiment in its RMB liberalisation, China is now making attempts to take its local currency trading outside the country and Singapore is one of the best choices.  

The MAS also said that Singapore is well-prepared to facilitate trade-linked business flows with Mainland China. As Asia’s largest foreign exchange trading centre after Japan, Singapore houses many multi-national corporations’ treasury centre as well as offshore trading operations, and has all the necessary financial infrastructure needed to conduct and boost RMB trading. Besides several banks in Singapore have begun offering RMB banking services to their clients and expanded their product offerings to retail investors. 

Analysts believe Singapore possesses huge potential to become another RMB trading hub, not only because the pie of the offshore yuan business has grown so big – around 7 % of China’s international trade was settled in RMB during the first quarter of this year, but also because the Chinese government will not want to leave Singapore out as a centre to facilitate its trading ties with the whole Southeast Asia. However, in the mean time, they pointed out that Hong Kong will remain as the paramount RMB trading centre, due to both political and economic reasons. 

From the political side, the Chinese government still wants to take the yuan liberalisation slowly and keep it under control. A rapid yuan appreciation will likely harm numerous Chinese businesses that have long-term sales contracts denominated in U.S. dollars. 

From the economic side, Hong Kong has taken an early bird advantage, since it is so far the only jurisdiction outside Mainland China with an RMB clearing banking presence. Thanks to that, Hong Kong banks took the major share of RMB deposit flows from Mainland China through trade channels. 

Whatever it is, this is an exciting time for us!!!As Singapore’s RMB ambitions grow and China looks to expand RMB’s international influence, the two governments are taking further steps to promote RMB settlement in Singapore. Hmmm.... time to stock up? ....lol.... 

Amazon Wins Dismissal of Apple’s Claim

U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in Oakland, California, today granted Amazon’s request to throw out one claim in Apple’s lawsuit alleging trademark infringement and unfair competition over the Amazon Appstore for Android, a service begun in March that sells applications for the Kindle Fire and devices running Google Inc. ’s Android software.  

Apple is seeking a court order to block Amazon from using the term. Amazon has argued the words are a generic term that Apple doesn’t have exclusive rights to use. The iPhone maker, which started its APP STORE in 2008, said Amazon’s use of the term was false advertising because it deceives customers into believing that Amazon’s service has the qualities of Apple’s applications store. Apple maintained this could divert its revenue to Amazon. 

Judge’s Finding 

“The court finds no support for the proposition that Amazon has expressly or impliedly communicated that its Appstore for Android possesses the characteristics and qualities that the public has come to expect from the Apple APP Store and/or Apple products,” Hamilton said.  

Apple hasn’t shown that Amazon’s advertising attempt to mimic Apple’s, failed to show that Amazon made any false statement, and presented no evidence that customers were misled by Amazon’s use of the term, Hamilton said.  She ruled only on Amazon’s request to eliminate the false advertising claim.

 

What's next? We need to stop calling an apple, "apple" just incase got sued by APPLE Inc. ??????....lol...