Monday, September 16, 2013

1135. Myanmar stories - international investment

tpvets_logo.jpg (2726 bytes)TOA PAYOH VETS
toapayohvets.com

Date:   16 September, 2013  
 
Focus: Small animals - dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, turtles & rabbits
The international property investment agent    
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
Date:   16 September, 2013  
toapayohvets.com 
Be Kind To Pets
Veterinary Education
Project 2010-0129

Sunday, September 15, 2013

1135. Myanmar stories - international investment

 
Friday Sep 14, 2013

"I don't trust you," Khin Khin said to Felix. "So, I ask Dr Sing to be involved."

I was not keen on being involved in international property development between a Singaporean group known only to Freddie and Khin Khin's Myanmar group which provides the land. Felix is a businessman with the quadruple bypass and  does not reveal the name of his group, only saying that it is a big group with interest in Myanmar property development in large projects. This project was around US$40 million. Khin Khin could see the big money in commissions but I don't know the credibility of the people involved. There was Felix as the front man and he had told Shirley not to get me involved.

Khin Khin is an employment agent but she has her Myanmar contacts looking for Singaporean investors and joint ventures.

"This project is a BOT," I said to her. She did not understand.
"BOT means Build, Operate and Transfer," I am a licensed realtor and so she sought my involvement. "In BOT, the Singaporean party will use his money to build and manage the project for 50 years + 10 + 10 as in the agreement. After that the whole business belongs to the Myanmar party. During the management of the operations, the Myanmar party gets a share of the net profits."

This was a second Myanmar development project from Khin Khin to Felix. The first project was a piece of land for building a condominium and Felix's party was involved and had gone to inspect the site. Felix had given Khin Khin the architectural plans to forward to the Myanmar party when she went back to Yangon last month. "I threw the plans into the waste paper market," she told Felix when she came back to Singapore. "The Myanmar party did not bother to see me to take the plans." Her philosophy is not to beg her countryman by going to the office to submit the plans. I would say that this is not the right thing to do, but she did it.

"I don't like begging the rich people for favours as I have to go out with them for their personal matters," she said to me as I sent her to the airport Terminal Two on Sunday Sep 16, 2013 at 5.30am to go back to Yangon. Some Myanmar businessmen will ask her out for dinner repeatedly to talk business but she would not go.

"How is the rich people going to be rich if they don't get free favours of time or tasks from others?" I asked her as she kept saying that I do not understand Myanmar culture and way of doing business.

"Singapore also has cunning businessmen who cannot be trusted too," I said. "If the rich people pay you for services, then they lose a bit of their wealth. This does not sit well with them. It is the ordinary average person who pays you for services done. But in this networking, the rich person will return you favours since you have helped them and they don't charge you! The rich people has their powerful connections whether they are Myanmar or Singaporeans and one word from them may help to resolve your problems. But you don't want to socialise with them by accepting their dinner invitations in Yangon, so don't get involved in international property investments. You may get zero income after spending so much time."

A formal written agreement to share the commissions must be done. "Felix would have told you that you would just get a referral fee," I asked her. "Not a sharing of the commissions. A referral fee of a thousand dollars for a US$40 million project."

"Yes, he said that," Khin Khin confirmed.
"That is why he did not want me involved. He does not want you to get your share of the commissions."

Since Khin Khin asked me to get involved, I asked Felix what this Singaporean group would be paying in commission.

"1% of the land value," he said solemnly. "This is the standard practice. Some developers don't even pay any commission."

"1% of the land value at US$20 million?" I was sure this was not the standard practice.
"Yes," he said.
I was sure that Khin Khin's Myanmar group would not accept this amount and so I phoned the agent after getting Khin Khin's permission.
I told Felix "It should be 5% of the project value which is US$40 million. Negotiable. Certainly if your group wants just to pay 1% of the land value of US$20 million, then don't proceed."

Felix phoned the Myanmar agent directly after Khin Khin told him that 2-5% is the industry's practice. This figure was given to Khin Khin by me and since Felix phoned her after I had spoken about 5% negotiable, Khin Khin revealed the figures. Although she had asked me to deal directly with Freddie, she undermined me by revealing the 2-5% figures. So, how could Freddie respect her?

Felix told her arrogantly that his party would proceed to inspect the site and would decide later. He by-passed her by direct communication with the Myanmar agent.

"That is what happen when you sound desperate and reveal your contact's telephone number and email to Felix, a person you can't trust. He is a businessman and takes your allegations about his lack of integrity with a smile. For him, it is the money from the commissions that matters, not your explanations as to why you want me to be involved. Now you have revealed your source, he just phoned directly and by-passed you."

The Myanmar agent had told her that Felix phoned him and emailed him directly. No copy of the email was ever given to Khin Khin. Property deals are big money and there is a lot of trickery involved in depriving the agent of his commission. In this case, Khin Khin is not redundant as she has the trust of the Myanmar agent. For Felix, it is the closing that counts. If Khin Khin can't deliver, he just deal directly. After all, he has the Singaporean group with experience and money. It appears so simple. Or is it?
Updates will be on this webpage:
www.sinpets.com/F6/20130916myanmar_
property_investment.htm

More info at: Dogs or Cats
To make an appointment: e-mail judy@toapayohvets.com
tel: +65 9668-6469, 6254-3326
tpvets_logo.jpg (2726 bytes)Toa Payoh Vets
Clinical Research
Copyright © Asiahomes
All rights reserved. Revised: September 16, 2013

Toa Payoh Vets


 


1134. A Husky has an eyelid tumour irritating her

REPLY TO EMAIL FOR SURGERY APPOINTMENT
Sep 16, 2013
Hi
Thank you for your email. Pl bring the Husky  in at around 11am on Friday Sep 20, 2013.
Surgery and anaesthesia will be done using electro-surgery in the afternoon. She goes home at around 6 pm after recovery from anaesthesia. No food and water after 10 pm the night before.
Please note that old dogs undergoing anaesthesia are at risk of death from anaesthesia. In most cases, there are no deaths if the dog is healthy and the surgery is short duration as in this case. The dog will be examined before surgery as there is inflammation and infection in the eye.  Pl give antibiotic eye drops for at least 3 days before surgery as I don't advise operating on an infected area.


EMAIL REPLY TO OWNER DATED SEP 16, 2013

Thank you for your energetic response. I am sorry that I do not permit all clients to be present at the surgery as I need to focus 100% on the anaesthesia of old dogs and thereby not getting anaesthetic deaths due to distractions or conversations.

In addition, the surgery room is small and you are welcome to inspect it.

The whole process takes around 30 minutes including pre-op preparation. It may take longer if there are complications like cardiac emergencies in which I have to revive the patient. With the owner present, there will be much emotional distress when such emergencies occur and distract me from my resuscitation of the patient. No vet can assume that the old dog will not have any cardiac or respiratory emergencies during anaesthesia and surgery and so it is best that the owner not be present.

In my younger days, I permited one lady to watch her hamster being operated for a small tumour as she requested. She fainted at the sight of blood when I excised the tumour. From that experience, I do not permit any owner to be present at surgery. Pl accept my apologies.

The dog needs to recover fully from anaesthesia and this takes around 2-4 hours for old dogs. That is why you pick the dog at around 6 pm.    

Sunday, September 15, 2013

1133. Audit of my 2009 case. The vet must be able to deliver results?

Proximity is important for the time-pressed Singaporean dog owner. There are around 60 vet practices and so, there will be one down the road.

Recently an owner from Farrer Road phoned me as his other poodle was trembling and was unable to walk normally. His dog had seen two other vets and the second vet referred him to another vet for a CT scan which would cost $1500 - $2000. 

He remembered me and phoned to confirm that I was still in business at Toa Payoh Vets, a 'corner unit in Toa Payoh Industrial Park'. After all, it was 4 years ago and he had only consulted me on this male poodle, 5 years old, with blood in the urine in Oct 1, 2009. The dog had vomited many times brownish black fluid for a few days at 2-3 x per day and had passed blood in the urine for 7 days. The dog was severely dehydrated and had a very painful bladder. Surgery to remove the stones would be done on the same day and so I gave him this poor survival chance on the operating table. After surgery and 8 days of hospitalisation, he took the dog home and I did not hear from him again.

In the years to follow, at least 30 new vet practices were started and so proximity was the draw for most owners and the older practices bleed clientele. I was not spared the reality of life.

"You gave 20% chance of survival for my poodle to survive the bladder stone surgery in 2009," he said. "He is still alive."

Today, Sunday Sep 15, 2013, I audit my case record of this dog's bladder stone surgery and to assess as to why I gave 20% chance of survival on the operating table.

Poodle,
Oct 1, 2009
Haematuria for a few days and severe dehydration.

1.  BLOOD TEST with significant abnormalities as follows:

ALT/SGOT  102 (<59 -="" 6.3="" 69.6="" br="" nbsp="" urea="">Creatinine 499 (89-177)
Total white cell count  38.9 (6-17)

N 85%   Absolute 33
L 1.4%   Absolute 0.54
M 13.5%   Absolute 5.3
E 0.03%   Absolute 0.01
B 0.31%   Absolute 0.12

Overall there was a severe bacterial infection involving the kidneys although there was no fever.

2. URINE TEST
Brown and turbid. pH 8, SG 1.021, Nitrite +ve, Protein 2+, Ketones trace, Blood 4+, white blood cells 333, red blood cells >2250, Bacteria 3+. Crystals Nil.

3. SURGERY ON Oct 1, 2009.
Spikey stones removed.

The dog was hospitalised for 5 days and went home. No stone analysis or follow up was done owing to fianancial constraints. As the dog has recovered, the owner did not come back during the past 4 years. Now his other poodle has generalised tremors all over the body and head  and he wanted a 3rd opinion as to what was causing this nervous disease.  As the first 2 vets had not done a blood test, one is being done. The dog is under observation. "Not all nervous disease cases can be cured," I said to Intern Daniel. "This is likely to be a case of cerebellar disease."   

Saturday, September 14, 2013

1132. Fur mites in rabbits

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Parasitic/Leporacarus_Inf.htm








http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/Lists_HealthMan/FLOWCHARTDisease_Control/FLOWCHARTDiseaseInvestigation.htm#Surgical




Friday, September 13, 2013

1131. A 14-year-old jack russell has more and more grey circles - ageing?

tpvets_logo.jpg (2726 bytes)TOA PAYOH VETS
toapayohvets.com

Date:   17 September, 2013  
 
Focus: Small animals - dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, turtles & rabbits
An old dog has more grey spots    
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
Date:   17 September, 2013  
toapayohvets.com 
Be Kind To Pets
Veterinary Education
Project 2010-0129

Thursday, September 12, 2013

1131. A 14-year-old Jack Russell has more and more grey spots - ageing?

 
"Vet 1 said the grey circular spots on his belly and body are due to ageing," the lady disputed this finding. She would bring her dog for check up only when she's back home from the U.S where she was an undergraduate.  .

I had said that such grey spots are present in some white-skinned dogs and are natural as they are born with them. As to them caused by ageing, I am not sure. Sometimes the owner did not notice the grey patches when the dog is a puppy. These grey areas are not inflamed when I saw them."But the grey circles keep increasing in number compared to last year," she also pointed to 2 grey circles behind the eyes and below the ears. These were new developments. How and why do they exist?

"Some are due to the application of creams for a long time to treat skin diseases," I said. "The cream causes hyperpigmentation or black pigments to be deposited under the skin. Some are due to continuous scratching by the dog as in the skin below the ears. The two ears are red and some edges have crusts. The redness gives a clue that the dog scratches them to relieve his itchiness.

"Skin diseases like generalised ringworm are expensive and hard to cure," I said. "The increasing number of grey spots could be due to the application of shampoos or creams to cure the skin disease by your family members when you were overseas. After some time, the skin disease get cured and the result is the grey circles. Another spot of ringworm appears as you can see a fresh red bleeding circular one on the right beside the inflamed armpit. So, when you come home once a year in September, you see more and more grey circles in this old dog!"

The explanation seems credible to her.

To show and tell, I switched off the room lights and shone the Wood's lamp onto the right armpit. "Not every ringworm-infested hair will fluoresce in green," I said. "Around 70% will do." Well, she saw the shiny green hairs scattered around this right itchy armpit.

In addition, I put some hairs from the bleeding circle behind the right armpit and showed her the fungus in the hair shaft, under the microscope. So, the evidence was there.

I also scraped the skin and crusts of both ear edges till they bleed. But no skin mites were seen. My explanation was that the dog was on FrontLine spot on and the mites could have died but not eliminated. "Normally 3 skin scrapings or more should be done." As the dog's ears were bleeding, the lady wanted to wash her hand stained by the blood.
 
Self treatment of generalised ringworm in an old dog for over 10 months. Grey spots appear in increasing numbers as ringworm lesions heal. The dog also had anal sacculitis with thick brown fluid expressed from the sacs  
It takes a lot of time to show and tell. "Much of the lack of recovery is due to the owner not following up one month later with the vet and not de-contaminating the environment or checking the dog for new infections," I said. "They go to the groomer monthly as in your case but will not consult the vet. I can understand as there is the financial considerations."

"The groomer provides free transport and so my dog sees the groomer monthly," she was surprised that the dog still had copious volume of grey anal sac secretions which were expressed by my assistant. She presumed the groomer would do it.          

"You can get a dog transport man to bring your dog to the vet for the one-month follow up on generalised ringworm," I advised. "When the dog's body is infected widely, it is a very difficult disease to cure but there are successes. It is an expensive disease to cure if it is widespread."

Success in treatment of generalised ringworm elicits referrals but the vet needs to spend a lot of time communicating with the owner and delivering results of cure. A good clinical outcome depends much on the owner's compliance actually, in medicating and shampooing the dog, following up and in decontaminating the environment! The vet has to follow up but most of us don't have the time to keep following up!  So, the owner goes to the groomer who provides "free" transport and shampooing and ear cleaning.

I emailed the lady to get her dog home:
Kong Yuen Sing <99pups gmail.com="">
10:33 AM (22 hours ago)

 
to m
Unable to contact your US phone directly. Sam can go home today Friday. You need to apply amitraz wash and give medication before you go back to the US to study vet medicine. follow up 1 month later is advised. Dog transport man available.
 
skin scraping 2 sites of left and right ears crustiness - no mites but Frontline had been used.
 
microscopic exam  ringworm +ve
UVL armpit (right) fluoresce +ve
G
6:04 PM (15 hours ago)

 

 
to me
Coming, flying over

Sent from my Sony Xperia™ smartphone
 
Updates will be on this webpage:
www.sinpets.com/F6/20130917grey_spots_old_dog.htm



More info at: Dogs or Cats
To make an appointment: e-mail judy@toapayohvets.com
tel: +65 9668-6469, 6254-3326
tpvets_logo.jpg (2726 bytes)Toa Payoh Vets
Clinical Research
Copyright © Asiahomes
All rights reserved. Revised: September 17, 2013

Toa Payoh Vets

Thursday, September 12, 2013

1130. September 11, 2013 - my eventful day - Plot ratio, Renouncing Singapore permanent residency and the other maid agent

September 11, 2013 was an eventful day for me as regards the interesting characters I saw again at Khin Khin's office in the afternoon.

1. Felix. The businessman with multiple coronary bypass. He should be around 70 years old, 7 years older than me. I had written about his survival of 3 coronary heart attacks. I was surprised to see him at Khin Khin's office when I went there.  Khin Khin had a good contact who has a piece of land to build a 12-storey hotel and a 6-storey building to build offices, with 3 floors being given to the Ministry. He has interested Singaporean developers and so he could earn commission from the deal, together with Khin Khin.

I am a licensed Singapore realtor and a real estate agency owner and so Khin Khin asked me to help out. Some details were given in the email but Felix wanted more information.

"Who will own the hotel and? Why is the land valued at US$20 million? Where's the title deeds? Who is the actual owner?"

"The info is already in the email," I said.
"What's the plot ratio? What's the plot ratio? Let me talk directly to the Myanmar agent or type in the request via email."
"The Myanmar agent is not a realtor," I said. "He will not understand what you mean by 'plot ratio'. Even Singaporeans who are well educated will not know what it means. In any case, he had said that it is up to the Singaporean developer to design and plan on what to do, provided 12 storeys are for the hotel and 6-storeys are for the office building, with the land area given. In any case, much depends on the size of the hotel rooms and offices. 

The other party could not understand what "plot ratio" meant and stated the valuation of the land. He was a very keen agent wanting to close the deal.

I spoke to the other agent and asked: "How many hotel rooms and offices are permitted to be built by the Government?"

"It is up to the Singaporean investor," he said.
"How many car parks must be provided?"
"I will check for you."
Felix then left the office to contact his side.

2. Renouncing Singapore's permanent residency. The Myanmar father had kidney cancer some 10 years ago and now has lung cancer.  Both parents are now in their 70s and so would like their son to return back to Singapore to take care of them. The two daughters had married and were overseas.
"It appears that your son renounced his Singapore PR to avoid National Service," I said.
"No, no," the mother said. "He had to go back to Yangon to sort out the family properties."
"He has no University degree but he is fortunate to get an "S" pass."

The son is now in his mid 30s and had a job. He stayed one year managing over 200 shipyard workers. "Very tough job," he said. "The Blangadeshi workers just would not bother to clock in their cards for various jobs."
"How about the Myanmar workers?" I asked him.
"Same problem."
He quitted after one year and got a job delivering supplies to the ships docked in Singapore. He fell on his back one day and so the company sacked him as he was on medical leave. "My boss would not put up a case for me," he had told me the day before when I met him.  A gentleman who had started his own business in Myanmar but had to close them for some reasons. In Myanmar, the authorities keep changing policies, much more than in Singapore and I guess this adversely affected his restaurant and billiard business. The sharp increase in rentals is much higher than in Singapore nowadays due to great demand. His boss did not recommend him although he worked long hours, because the company was acquired and the new company demanded a level of profitability as part of the sale.

Now he is looking for another job or he would have to go back to Myanmar. Decisions made by parents to renounce Singapore permanent residency while the parents are Singapore citizens may be for the good of the child in the early years. When parents age and are sick, the child can't stay in Singapore.         

3. The other maid agent. As Khin Khin speaks the Myanmar language and works full time in this area of employment agency, she has lots of Myanmar nationals looking for jobs.  Trust is built when both parties are able to communicate. The Singapore maid agent will look to her for prospective applicant. I met one of them today. "Have you reached the top level?" I asked as he had convinced a mentor to coach him to success by payment of commissions on cases closed.

"What do you mean?" he was perplexed. He would drop by to ask for Myanmar maids as he had good employers who want quality maids and his good services. He wanted to be in the niche market of supplying good quality maids and that means higher fees.

"You said the mentor can transform a person to Level 3 from Level 5. It is like the stages in Buddhism. Have you got to the Nirvana level? You said he was pretty rough when you volunteer to be his disciple and he said you were obnoxious." He also stereotyped that all Raffles Institution graduates have that type of "don't waste my time" behaviour as this person has a $20 million turrnover in his recruitment business.
"He is a nice guy when I met him," Verge said to me. "I am grossing $12,000/month after his training. To manage 2-3 agents is not a problem, according to him. More than 8 is a challenge."
"Is the Caucasian guy still asking you for a loan?" I asked as he had told me one agent would introduce him to contacts aa he had the network.
"He paid me back the $1,000 loan after much chasing," he reported.
"He will ask for more loans," I said. "Paying you back is to give you confidence."
There are all sorts of people in this world. 





Wednesday, September 11, 2013

1129. The 4-Digit striking cat has blood in the urine





tpvets_logo.jpg (2726 bytes)TOA PAYOH VETS
toapayohvets.com

Date:   12 September, 2013  
 
Focus: Small animals - dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, turtles & rabbits
The 4-Digit Striking Cat has FLUTD    
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
Date:   12 September, 2013  
toapayohvets.com 
Be Kind To Pets
Veterinary Education
Project 2010-0129

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

1126. The 4-Digit striking cat

"I can't see any digits on his coat," I said.
"Some can see, some can't see," the husband replied. "My wife struck lst, 2nd and 3rd prizes from reading the numerals on his coat. He is a precious cat to us."
"It is like that particular fish with numerals on its back," the wife commented. "Some people can see the numerals and strike rich by buying the 4-digit numbers."

In Singapore, the 4-Digit (4D) lottery is very popular with the public with long queues being seen at the shops. At one time, many Singaporeans betted on 4-Digit numbers seen from the back of a certain species of fish. 

My best advice is that it is best is not to delay treatment as the infection inside the bladder can spread to the kidneys. In this case, the high urine protein levels indicated that the kidneys have been damaged.
 
tpvets_logo.jpg (2726 bytes)6369 - 6370. This male cat had peed bloody urine for many weeks. He does not respond to treatment so fast now.
Owing to financial constraints, the owner did not want a blood test to be done.

The cat had been peeing blood in the urine for the past weeks as compared to April 2013 when he suddenly could not pee and the owners brought him to me for treatment promptly.

This time in September 2013, the cat did was not treated promptly. During the first treatment, had advised canned C/D diet but the cat would not eat it. So, the owner fed the usual commercial dry food and the problem recurred.

Now, the cat is not recovering so promptly as I phoned 3 days after treatment. Still having difficulty peeing. Hospitalised for 2 days with catherisation of urethra. In April, was hospitalised for 6 days and treatment was prompt.

Blood in the urine is one of the most common urinary problem in cats seen at Toa Payoh Vets. This condition is also known as FLUTD (Feline Lower Urinary Tract Infection). The causes are varied.
Updates will be on this webpage:
www.sinpets.com/F6/20130912haematuria_male_cat.htm


More info at: Dogs or Cats
To make an appointment: e-mail judy@toapayohvets.com
tel: +65 9668-6469, 6254-3326
tpvets_logo.jpg (2726 bytes)Toa Payoh Vets
Clinical Research
Copyright © Asiahomes
All rights reserved. Revised: September 12, 2013

Toa Payoh Vets