*Official* MasterLeong Thread - Part 2
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MasterLeong
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MCT now my 2nd top position and it looks it will will become top soon
huat ah $$$$$$$
MasterLeong
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This vending machine dispenses cooked chilli crab
If your plans for reunion dinner on Chinese New Year's Eve fall through, there is a fuss-free way to rustle up a meal of chilli, black pepper or even salted egg yolk crabs.
Restaurant chain House of Seafood launched its Ready-to-Eat Crab vending machine at one of its outlets in The Punggol Settlement on Tuesday.
The machine dishes out three flavours of crabs - chilli, black pepper and salted egg yolk - that come piping hot in vacuum-sealed plastic boxes within 5 ½ minutes.
Customers can also purchase frozen pre-cooked crabs and heat them up in a microwave oven or stir-fry them at home. Each Sri Lankan crab comes chopped up in eight pieces and the shell has been slightly cracked, making it easier to get to the meat.
A box of Ready-to-Eat Crab weighs about 1kg and costs $60 - similar to dine-in prices.
Besides crabs, the vending machine also sells three other dishes - bak kut teh, chicken rice and nasi lemak - at $5 a box. These dishes are served hot within three minutes or come in frozen packs. Customers can pay with cash, credit card or e-wallet services such as Apple Pay. The machine operates around the clock.
Users select a dish from a touch-screen menu and choose cooked or frozen versions before making payment. An on-screen countdown timer begins once payment has been made as the food parcels are thawed and heated up to about 60 deg C in a built-in microwave oven. Lastly, the box is dispensed with a cutlery set that includes a bib and plastic gloves. Only one dish can be ordered at a time.
Mr Francis Ng, 44, the owner of House of Seafood, is turning to vending machines as a way of expanding his business as he faces manpower woes.
"With a lack of staff and their unwillingness to work long hours, I need to transform my business to make it recession-proof with new technology," he says. "I cannot survive by just operating restaurants."
With vending machines, he says he can operate "multiple 24-hour shops" and switch their locations according to market demand, without incurring high set-up costs.
He plans to operate Ready-to-Eat Crab vending machines in two other outlets in Upper Serangoon Road and Joo Chiat Place next month. By March, there will be about 100 Ready-to-Eat Crab vending machines at Sentosa, industrial estates, chalets and tertiary institutions.
He spent about $3.8 million on the vending machines, which were imported from Italy. Part of the cost was defrayed by Spring Singapore's Capability Development Grant for small and medium-sized enterprises to build business capabilities.
The idea of a crab-dispensing vending machine hit after he developed microwave-ready pre-cooked crabs in 2015 as a convenient way for tourists to take the iconic dish home without fretting over how to cook them.
Demand for these crabs is healthy, with 1,000 sets sold each month at two House of Seafood outlets.
Mr Ng spent about $1 million over three years developing the product and travelled to places such as Germany and Taiwan to consult with food packaging companies.
He says: "Everyone, from my chefs to family members, thought that it was a crazy idea to sell re-heated crabs."
The biggest obstacle was ensuring that the meat remains soft after it has been re-heated.
He explains that "the secret" lies in its patented cooking, blast freezing and vacuum-packaging process. The customised blast freezer brings down the temperature of the cooked crabs, which have been cooked in a central kitchen, to minus 50 deg C within two minutes to preserve the meat's freshness. A German-made vacuum-packing machine removes air from the boxes while ensuring that the packaging holds its shape.
Mr Ng plans to roll out more crab dishes in the vending machine such as butter crab and crab bee hoon.
Customers who have tried the ready-to-eat crabs said the flavours were largely similar to freshly cooked versions, but pointed out that the meat was drier.
Customer relations manager Christine Ee, 34, says: "The salted egg yolk sauce is more watery, but the portion of crab is quite big. I hope that the machine can be near my office so that my colleagues and I can enjoy crabs during lunchtime."
Digital marketing manager Annette Lim, 38, says: "Re-heated food usually doesn't taste as nice, but this crab tastes 80 per cent similar to freshly cooked versions. It would be easier to satisfy my craving for crabs if the machine is in my neighbourhood."
If your plans for reunion dinner on Chinese New Year's Eve fall through, there is a fuss-free way to rustle up a meal of chilli, black pepper or even salted egg yolk crabs.
Restaurant chain House of Seafood launched its Ready-to-Eat Crab vending machine at one of its outlets in The Punggol Settlement on Tuesday.
The machine dishes out three flavours of crabs - chilli, black pepper and salted egg yolk - that come piping hot in vacuum-sealed plastic boxes within 5 ½ minutes.
Customers can also purchase frozen pre-cooked crabs and heat them up in a microwave oven or stir-fry them at home. Each Sri Lankan crab comes chopped up in eight pieces and the shell has been slightly cracked, making it easier to get to the meat.
A box of Ready-to-Eat Crab weighs about 1kg and costs $60 - similar to dine-in prices.
Besides crabs, the vending machine also sells three other dishes - bak kut teh, chicken rice and nasi lemak - at $5 a box. These dishes are served hot within three minutes or come in frozen packs. Customers can pay with cash, credit card or e-wallet services such as Apple Pay. The machine operates around the clock.
Users select a dish from a touch-screen menu and choose cooked or frozen versions before making payment. An on-screen countdown timer begins once payment has been made as the food parcels are thawed and heated up to about 60 deg C in a built-in microwave oven. Lastly, the box is dispensed with a cutlery set that includes a bib and plastic gloves. Only one dish can be ordered at a time.
Mr Francis Ng, 44, the owner of House of Seafood, is turning to vending machines as a way of expanding his business as he faces manpower woes.
"With a lack of staff and their unwillingness to work long hours, I need to transform my business to make it recession-proof with new technology," he says. "I cannot survive by just operating restaurants."
With vending machines, he says he can operate "multiple 24-hour shops" and switch their locations according to market demand, without incurring high set-up costs.
He plans to operate Ready-to-Eat Crab vending machines in two other outlets in Upper Serangoon Road and Joo Chiat Place next month. By March, there will be about 100 Ready-to-Eat Crab vending machines at Sentosa, industrial estates, chalets and tertiary institutions.
He spent about $3.8 million on the vending machines, which were imported from Italy. Part of the cost was defrayed by Spring Singapore's Capability Development Grant for small and medium-sized enterprises to build business capabilities.
The idea of a crab-dispensing vending machine hit after he developed microwave-ready pre-cooked crabs in 2015 as a convenient way for tourists to take the iconic dish home without fretting over how to cook them.
Demand for these crabs is healthy, with 1,000 sets sold each month at two House of Seafood outlets.
Mr Ng spent about $1 million over three years developing the product and travelled to places such as Germany and Taiwan to consult with food packaging companies.
He says: "Everyone, from my chefs to family members, thought that it was a crazy idea to sell re-heated crabs."
The biggest obstacle was ensuring that the meat remains soft after it has been re-heated.
He explains that "the secret" lies in its patented cooking, blast freezing and vacuum-packaging process. The customised blast freezer brings down the temperature of the cooked crabs, which have been cooked in a central kitchen, to minus 50 deg C within two minutes to preserve the meat's freshness. A German-made vacuum-packing machine removes air from the boxes while ensuring that the packaging holds its shape.
Mr Ng plans to roll out more crab dishes in the vending machine such as butter crab and crab bee hoon.
Customers who have tried the ready-to-eat crabs said the flavours were largely similar to freshly cooked versions, but pointed out that the meat was drier.
Customer relations manager Christine Ee, 34, says: "The salted egg yolk sauce is more watery, but the portion of crab is quite big. I hope that the machine can be near my office so that my colleagues and I can enjoy crabs during lunchtime."
Digital marketing manager Annette Lim, 38, says: "Re-heated food usually doesn't taste as nice, but this crab tastes 80 per cent similar to freshly cooked versions. It would be easier to satisfy my craving for crabs if the machine is in my neighbourhood."
MasterLeong
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Marina Bay Sands (MBS) is looking to sell 49 per cent of its stake in the plush Shoppes mall at a price that could make it the most expensive retail property in the world.
Las Vegas Sands, the parent company of MBS, wants US$3 billion to US$3.5 billion (S$4.3 billion to S$5 billion) for the stake, but it needs the green light from the Singapore Government before a sale can take place.
The agreement that allowed US gaming giant Las Vegas Sands to build the resort and casino stated that the company cannot sell any part of the 800,000 sq ft mall for at least 10 years, and only then after official approval.
Genting Singapore's Resorts World Sentosa complex operates under similar conditions.
The agreements also gave the two companies a 10-year period where they would be the exclusive operators here, giving them a head start in recouping the billions of dollars in construction costs. The 10-year period expires in March.
Las Vegas Sands chairman and chief executive Sheldon Adelson told a results briefing in the United States on Wednesday: "We expect to receive a very significant price for the 49 per cent we are willing to sell. We are looking at potentially US$3 billion to US$3.5 billion."
RARE OPPORTUNITY
Sovereign wealth funds or a consortium of large private equity firms may be interested. There is a lack of available good-quality retail mall stock here. The Shoppes is one such property.
MR ALAN CHEONG, Savills Singapore research head, on The Shoppes.
Mr Adelson said the price would make The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands "the most expensive mall ever sold in the world".
The sale proceeds could be used in the company's next investment in Japan or South Korea, he added.
Japan recently approved casino gaming within integrated resorts.
Mr Adelson told analysts: "There are more noises coming out of Korea, now that Japan is legalising casino gaming. We will want to see what the development opportunities are. We can always get money to develop properties."
Mr Chew Tiong Heng, executive director for infrastructure planning and management at the Singapore Tourism Board, said MBS has indicated its interest, but the Government has not yet received a formal request for approval.
He added that the Government's approval must be sought if the integrated resort (IR) is to consider any sale or subdivision of the IR after the expiry of the 10-year exclusivity period. This would include the sale and subdivision of MBS' retail areas.
Savills Singapore research head Alan Cheong said Las Vegas Sands is likely selling a 49 per cent stake as the Government could want the company to still have majority control of the mall.
"My guess is the Government doesn't want it to cut and run, or become asset-light and just focus on gambling," Mr Cheong told The Straits Times.
"It wants Las Vegas Sands to still have commitment to its investment in Singapore. On the other hand, Las Vegas Sands may also want to retain majority control because it wants to maintain the mall's position in the retail market."
Mr Cheong said the price is "on the very high side", but it is not an impossible deal.
"Sovereign wealth funds or a consortium of large private equity firms may be interested. There is a lack of available good-quality retail mall stock here. The Shoppes is one such property," he said.
Marina Bay Sands posted a net profit of US$366 million for the fourth quarter, up 8 per cent on the US$339 million recorded a year earlier. Revenue rose 2.8 per cent to US$723 million, helped by a 5.6 per cent increase in gaming turnover to US$563 million.
VIP gaming revenue, which accounted for about 42 per cent of total gaming turnover, fell 18.4 per cent to US$8.26 billion in the three months to Dec 31.
Revenue from some non-gaming segments grew. Hotel room turnover rose 8 per cent to US$95 million, while food and beverage sales were flat at US$55 million. Mall turnover climbed 4.8 per cent to US$44 million.
Parent company Las Vegas Sands reported a net income of US$607 million, up 5.6 per cent, while revenue rose 7.4 per cent to US$3.08 billion.
Las Vegas Sands, the parent company of MBS, wants US$3 billion to US$3.5 billion (S$4.3 billion to S$5 billion) for the stake, but it needs the green light from the Singapore Government before a sale can take place.
The agreement that allowed US gaming giant Las Vegas Sands to build the resort and casino stated that the company cannot sell any part of the 800,000 sq ft mall for at least 10 years, and only then after official approval.
Genting Singapore's Resorts World Sentosa complex operates under similar conditions.
The agreements also gave the two companies a 10-year period where they would be the exclusive operators here, giving them a head start in recouping the billions of dollars in construction costs. The 10-year period expires in March.
Las Vegas Sands chairman and chief executive Sheldon Adelson told a results briefing in the United States on Wednesday: "We expect to receive a very significant price for the 49 per cent we are willing to sell. We are looking at potentially US$3 billion to US$3.5 billion."
RARE OPPORTUNITY
Sovereign wealth funds or a consortium of large private equity firms may be interested. There is a lack of available good-quality retail mall stock here. The Shoppes is one such property.
MR ALAN CHEONG, Savills Singapore research head, on The Shoppes.
Mr Adelson said the price would make The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands "the most expensive mall ever sold in the world".
The sale proceeds could be used in the company's next investment in Japan or South Korea, he added.
Japan recently approved casino gaming within integrated resorts.
Mr Adelson told analysts: "There are more noises coming out of Korea, now that Japan is legalising casino gaming. We will want to see what the development opportunities are. We can always get money to develop properties."
Mr Chew Tiong Heng, executive director for infrastructure planning and management at the Singapore Tourism Board, said MBS has indicated its interest, but the Government has not yet received a formal request for approval.
He added that the Government's approval must be sought if the integrated resort (IR) is to consider any sale or subdivision of the IR after the expiry of the 10-year exclusivity period. This would include the sale and subdivision of MBS' retail areas.
Savills Singapore research head Alan Cheong said Las Vegas Sands is likely selling a 49 per cent stake as the Government could want the company to still have majority control of the mall.
"My guess is the Government doesn't want it to cut and run, or become asset-light and just focus on gambling," Mr Cheong told The Straits Times.
"It wants Las Vegas Sands to still have commitment to its investment in Singapore. On the other hand, Las Vegas Sands may also want to retain majority control because it wants to maintain the mall's position in the retail market."
Mr Cheong said the price is "on the very high side", but it is not an impossible deal.
"Sovereign wealth funds or a consortium of large private equity firms may be interested. There is a lack of available good-quality retail mall stock here. The Shoppes is one such property," he said.
Marina Bay Sands posted a net profit of US$366 million for the fourth quarter, up 8 per cent on the US$339 million recorded a year earlier. Revenue rose 2.8 per cent to US$723 million, helped by a 5.6 per cent increase in gaming turnover to US$563 million.
VIP gaming revenue, which accounted for about 42 per cent of total gaming turnover, fell 18.4 per cent to US$8.26 billion in the three months to Dec 31.
Revenue from some non-gaming segments grew. Hotel room turnover rose 8 per cent to US$95 million, while food and beverage sales were flat at US$55 million. Mall turnover climbed 4.8 per cent to US$44 million.
Parent company Las Vegas Sands reported a net income of US$607 million, up 5.6 per cent, while revenue rose 7.4 per cent to US$3.08 billion.
onlybuyneversell
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Came home from bai nian liao.
Five tiger general huat ar!!!
Five tiger general huat ar!!!
Retireready
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Me too! HUAT AH!
Layers
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Layers
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Google recalls staff to US after Trump immigration order
"If anyone in these situations has the misfortune to have gone abroad recently, it's a treacherous moment, possibly for green card holders too," Benach said.
Other technology companies are likely in a similar situation, she added.
Facebook Inc Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said Friday he was "concerned" by Trump's recent moves to restrict immigration.
Microsoft Corp inserted language in a securities filing on Thursday on the issue, cautioning investors that immigration restrictions "may inhibit our ability to adequately staff our research and development efforts."
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"If anyone in these situations has the misfortune to have gone abroad recently, it's a treacherous moment, possibly for green card holders too," Benach said.
Other technology companies are likely in a similar situation, she added.
Facebook Inc Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said Friday he was "concerned" by Trump's recent moves to restrict immigration.
Microsoft Corp inserted language in a securities filing on Thursday on the issue, cautioning investors that immigration restrictions "may inhibit our ability to adequately staff our research and development efforts."
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Layers
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MasterLeong
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waiting for trump to lower taxes and US KKJ will rally gaogao
Turn MBS into a REIT?
MasterLeong
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kenpachi82
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Only PE fund can afford US$3B for a 49% stake. Local reits/parent jiak buay lo. Even SGD$1B for JP also cannot digest liao 
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MasterLeong
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Only PE fund can afford US$3B for a 49% stake. Local reits/parent jiak buay lo. Even SGD$1B for JP also cannot digest liao
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maybe PE fund will jiak, then spin it off as a reit
chop retail investors money
MasterLeong
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“We cannot have things both ways. People want cheap assets, and they also want the economy to be good. How can that be? That dynamic doesn’t exist. In the long run, if you want to buy cheap properties or assets, isn’t this the time? When deals are good, it’s cheap, and you are in for the long run; and what was previously unavailable becomes available, you should buy,”
Huat ah ! Feng shui master say buy! Master Leong say buy!0
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Buy what buy what? Bo Jio
MasterLeong
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Cmt cct two piece meal for dividends
Thai bev cdg for growth
See what u wanna makan
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