Thursday, June 18, 2009

Architect vs "Feng Shui Master"

“I won’t believe in feng shui any more after what had happened”, says an architect afflicted with particularly negative elements! This story is yesterday's The Star:

Luck runs out for architect
By YAZREEN HARON


KUALA LUMPUR: He was looking at feng shui to change his luck but the reversal of fortune not only left him RM29,260 poorer but without a girlfriend as well.

When the 36-year-old architect, known only as Ong, bought a house at Lakefield, Sungai Besi, his girlfriend recommended that he consult her feng shui master.

Ong went along with her wishes and soon met the feng shui master who told him that he had a spell of bad luck. The “master” promised to turn his luck around for a fee.

Ong promptly issued a cheque for RM29,260 to cover the feng shui expenses of the “master” who claimed that his services were sought worldwide.

After conducting some rituals at Ong’s new house at 10pm, the “master” told him not to speak of the session to anyone and not to sell the house for the next three years.

The “master” later demanded RM15,000 for an amulet to “protect” Ong and his girlfriend.

But before even receiving the amulet, Ong’s girlfriend told him that it was broken and RM30,000 was needed to replace it.

Feeling suspicious and believing that he had been cheated by the “master” and his girlfriend, Ong refused to pay and soon separated from his girlfriend of five years.

“I won’t believe in feng shui any more after what had happened,” Ong told a press conference organised by MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong.

“The police will be looking into Ong’s case,” said Chong.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Tata's Nano Homes

We all know about the world's cheapest car from Tata Motors, which sells for less than USD2 500. Well Tata also dabbles in cheap, affordable homes!

These images are from their Shubh Griha project near Boisar in Maharahtra State, just over 100km north of Mumbai.


View in Google Map

The homes start from about USD8 200 for a very small 283sf studio unit, go up to USD10 600 for a 345sf studio, and USD14 300 for a 465 single bedroom unit. Tata is building 1,300 basic units at Boisar, and they are already oversubscribed.


283sf Studio


360sf Studio


465sf One Bedroom Flat

This is according to an article in the current edition of The Economist. Quoting from this article:

"India’s cities need at least 25m more homes, according to report from McKinsey, a consultancy, and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce. In Mumbai, the commercial capital, more than 8m people now live in shantytowns, often paying substantial rent for the privilege. But buying a home of their own is way out of reach for most of them: a 70-square-metre flat in the centre of the city costs $500,000 or so.

The cost is being kept low chiefly because the flats are being built outside big cities, where land is much cheaper. Owners are expected to commute. The units are also very small and spartan. The simplest consist of a single room with a sink in the corner and a toilet behind a partition. They are in buildings of no more than three storeys, so there is no need for expensive structural works. Instead of bricks, lightweight moulded concrete blocks are used for the walls. The concrete is often made with foam, fly-ash or other waste materials to make it lighter as well as cheaper. There are no lifts and just one staircase per block. All this means that the homes can be built very quickly and with unskilled labour.

The developers say the potential for very cheap housing in India is huge. Many of those living in slums today are employed as drivers, factory workers or tailors, with incomes of around 90,000 rupees a year—easily enough to afford a flat which costs 200,000-400,000 rupees. According to Ashish Karamchandani of Monitor Group, another consulting firm, India has 23m urban families with incomes of 60,000-130,000 rupees a year. Including rural areas, Tata Housing sees an even larger market of 180m households earning between 90,000 and 200,000 rupees.

Until very recently one of the biggest hurdles was finance. Banks were unwilling to lend money to people without credit histories or proof of permanent residence. But two government-owned banks — the National Housing Bank and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development — have agreed to provide funds to finance companies so that they can offer mortgages to such buyers. To reduce risk, buyers must put down at least a quarter of the purchase price and employers must confirm their income. Borrowers are then charged little more interest than those with an established credit history."












All images are from Tata's project website.