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　在江南潮濕、颱風、蟲蛀等不利木造建築的地方，存倉寧波保國寺北宋大殿過1000年仍可以屹立不倒，凝固的木造古建築記載千年歷史，是保存最完整、江南僅存的幾座唐宋古建築之一。「百毒不侵」的保國寺亦被譽為「鳥不入，蟲不蛀」的古建築奇觀。 　■本報記者茅建興 寧波報道保國寺建於宋真宗大中祥符六年(1013年)的保國寺大殿，屹立於寧波西北郊靈山山坳，到2013年剛好滿1000年。在江南多雨潮濕、颱風肆虐、蟲蛀蟻食的環境下，保國寺1000年後仍屹立不倒。黃檜木防侵害　保國寺可謂是一部「凝固的木頭寫的史書」，有「鳥不入，蟲不蛀，蜘儲存不結網，灰塵不上樑」的奇觀，成為保存最完整、江南僅存的幾座唐宋古建築之一。這據說與大殿用料有關，在保國寺大殿在維修時，從換下來的木料發現是黃檜，這種木料特性堅實和耐腐。由於黃檜木中含有一種刺激性的芳香油，使保國寺免卻蟲蛀侵害。大殿建造成海內孤例　保國寺大殿反映了宋《營造法式》在中國古代建築史上的基礎，擁有著鮮明江南特色的廳堂架構，影響此後中國古建築。自唐以來中日之間有著密切的文化交流，不少江南建築工人也越洋來到日本，主持建造日本眾多寺廟，使日本不少古建築也帶有江南風味。有專家指保國寺許多結構、斗拱做法已成海外孤例。迷你倉

好天氣全家總動員！路竹番茄文化節連2年陰雨又碰上寒流搗亂，self storage昨日豔陽高照，上千遊客湧入，交通一度打結；民眾大清早連忙鮮採番茄，名額秒殺，來晚的遊客扼腕；區公所加碼延長番茄園認養至13日，盼屆時收成遊客回籠觀光。今年番茄節有別於歷屆，創新推出1日農村遊、鮮採番茄及認養茄園等活動，反應超乎預期。區長王耀弘說，6點多就有人排隊搶搭鮮採番茄列車，6班、120名額，不到8點即秒殺；文化列車也幾乎班班客滿，帶領迷你倉眾深度探訪路竹古厝等。有遊客下午才到，殊不知鮮採番茄一大早就額滿，氣得破口大罵。王耀弘說，將與農民情商延長認養番茄園活動，認養每單位30株，金額1000元，待番茄收成，再來採果趣；若因不可抗拒因素有損失，則保證至少有20斤番茄收成。今年活動意外熱烈，上千遊客擠進會場，周邊交通因此癱瘓，停車位一位難求，還有接駁車大延宕，民眾抱怨連連。王耀德坦言，遊客數確實出乎預料，當下緊急開會調度接駁車，盼民眾見諒。迷你倉樂器

互聯網搜尋巨擘Google繼研發自動駕駛汽車等高科技產品後，文件倉近日計劃研發機械人，過去半年悄悄收購七間來自美國及日本的機械人生產公司。負責主管未透露計劃詳情，分析指Google可能結合自動駕駛汽車與機械人計劃，打造一條龍自動送貨系統。據美國《紐約時報》指，Google的機械化大計，正由Google旗下系統Android前主管魯賓（Andy Rubin）操刀。魯賓受訪時將機械人計劃與Google研發的自動駕駛汽車相提並論，他形容機械人計劃如登月任務，需要時間及遠存倉，又指會收購更多機械人公司。硬件問題已解決魯賓稱機械人硬件部分的問題已解決，惟軟件及感應器仍有待突破。整個機械人團隊以加州帕洛阿爾托為基地。他又提到製造業及物流業市場，仍未充分利用機械人技術，希望Google有日可包辦軟件、硬件及整個系統。報道引述知情人士指出，從Google的投資規模，預料機械人大計非科研計劃，而是打造電子組裝及運貨的機械人，與零售商競爭。另有預測指Google研發的自動駕駛汽車結合機械人計劃，可發展成在市區使用的機械人坐的士或自動送貨系統。儲存

Chief exec says his son is equally prudent and that chocolate is his only impulse buySaving was child's play for insurance executive Lance Tay, who was so keen to build his wealth that he started putting the pennies away in primary school.儲存倉Mr Tay, 53, chief executive of Tokio Marine Life Insurance Singapore, said he was born with a saver's instincts, so much so that he thinks twice before splurging - except when it comes to chocolate."You'll never catch me buying anything on impulse. The only time I'll buy on impulse is if I go to 7-Eleven and see a Kit Kat, because I love Kit Kats," he said with a laugh, adding that he also likes Smarties and plain Van Houten chocolates.But his career in the insurance industry has taught him about chancing his arm despite his cautious nature."Taking risks can be a learned behaviour... and being in the financial service, you have to learn these things," he said.His prudent nature seems to have been inherited by his 17-year-old son Sean, who is studying in the United States."Saving started out of the blue, and I'm seeing that in my son too so it must be in the genes. He's so kiam siap (Hokkien for stingy), always trying to save everything," Mr Tay said with a laugh.Q: Are you a spender or a saver?I have been a very strong saver since primary school; I was already saving big-time then.Whenever I had an allowance, I would save part of it, more than 50per cent of what I got. I saved all my Chinese New Year hongbao, everything, 100 per cent.I'm definitely a saver but much more so when I was young. The older I get, the less of a saver I become. You reach a certain stage in life where you are reasonably comfortable and established, so you can start to enjoy life a little bit more, smell the roses.Q: How much do you charge to your credit cards every month?I travel quite a bit for work - it depends on where I'm travelling.In a month, it could be $5,000 to $6,000 or $15,000, $20,000.I have four credit cards and I've good reasons for keeping all four. If I don't use it, I won't keep it.One card is for sentimental reasons because it was my first-ever credit card. It is an Amex (American Express) card, since 1985.I've called them to say, if you want me to pay the annual dues, I'm going to cancel it. They said, whoa, you've been a member for almost 40 years.Another gives me benefits for facilities like Tower Club, The China Club - I use it for lunches. If you spend enough, the yearly subscription is waived.Even if I have to pay, it's worth it because I get a lot of air miles when I pay for renewals.Q: What financial planning have you done for yourself? What do you invest in?Being in the financial services industry, you're naturally inclined to make your money work harder.I've been in the life insurance business for 28 years. I've worked for different companies, so you wou迷你倉最平d imagine that I would have quite a number of insurance policies, more than the average person.My protection plans are mainly from whole-life policies and I pay a lot of attention to health insurance. I get the best private Shield plans with the best riders, best benefits for myself and my family.You definitely need good health insurance plans because of medical inflation and longevity.For the savings and investments part, I was the first employee of my company to buy a retirement plan we launched last year, TM Retirement Life.I'm a believer in unit trusts as a long-term investment. I allocate at least a third of my financial assets, excluding property, to unit trusts.My all-time favourite is Aberdeen Pacific Equity. It's one of the most consistent, low-volatility Asia (excluding Japan) equity funds. I've invested in it since the late 1990s.I also have blue chips, trading accounts - that's where I learn how to take some risks.Q: Moneywise, what were your growing-up years like?I was disciplined as a kid. My parents sent me in 1982 to the United States, where I studied computer information science at the University of Florida.Money wasn't really an issue; we were comfortable. But I was so disciplined, I wrote down all my expenses - I was able to let my parents know how I spent.I recorded everything - how much I spent for lunch and dinner, how much on groceries - so I could account for the amount of money I was drawing out of the bank.When I graduated in 1985, I had leftover money, of course.Q: How did you get interested in investing?I started getting interested in unit trusts in the 1990s. Investments also depend on where you are in life. In your 30s, you have a stable job and career and then you may start thinking of allocating some of your assets.Q: What property do you own?My parents' home, a bungalow in Clementi Park. I grew up there. We were the first residents of Clementi Park in the first row of bungalows built there in the late 1960s.Q: What's the most extravagant thing you have bought?Cars. I love cars and golf... I've my own car, my wife Tina has a car and the office gives me a car as well so I think we have enough.Q: What's your retirement plan?I hope to be able to work for as long as I can meaningfully contribute to the organisation.While my mandate is to grow the company in a sustainable manner and to groom the next generation of leaders for Tokio Marine Life Singapore, I do look forward to more hours on golf courses and taking more vacations with my family and friends.Q: Home is now...A bungalow near Holland Village, which is under my wife's name.Q: I drive...My personal car is a Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG. I look at my car all the time, I even talk to my car. You know, everything I have, I have a reason for it. I won't buy it and not drive it and let it depreciate.rachaelb@sph.com.sg迷你倉

（柔佛 新加坡6日訊）涉嫌侵入總理公署網站的一名男子，mini storage今天在濫用電腦和網絡安全法令下被控。被告莫哈末阿扎（27歲）的弟弟莫哈末阿斯意（21歲）也因涉嫌入侵Youtube戶頭，上載一個錄像“Anonymous Retaliating and gives Warning”，同時被控上法庭。阿扎被指竄改總理公署官方網站的內容，讓網站顯示一個面具，而面具上寫著“IT\\'S GREAT 迷你倉O BE SINGAPOREAN TODAY\”。此外，圖像上面寫著\“ANONYMOUS SG HERE BIATCH”。此外，他也涉嫌篡改社交網站面書和推特戶頭的密碼等。阿斯意同樣被指入侵面書和Gmail的戶頭。阿扎和阿斯意各面對10項和6項控狀。控方要求法官展期4個星期過堂，以便警方完成調查工作。法官批准所請，案展明年1月6日過堂，准他們各以1萬元（2万5千716令吉）保釋。;文件倉

Musician Jeremy Monteiro loves the Italian city for its varied artworksWho: Jeremy Monteiro, 53, home-grown jazz pianist.迷你倉尖沙咀 The Cultural Medallion recipient has an upcoming concert, A Jazzy Christmas, at the Esplanade Concert Hall on Dec 21. He has a son Varian, 29, who works as his tour manager.Favourite city: RomeWhy: I've been to Europe many times and seen great art, but the sheer quantity of great art in Rome just overwhelmed me. I was there last month for a performance and pre-production work on an album with Italian jazz organist Alberto Marsico, so I did not expect the trip to have such an artistic and spiritual impact on me.It reminded me of the silent space artists must go to to create great art. In order to be a good artist, one must fall in love with boredom and repetition, and it's easy to get distracted in our modern, buzzing world.Best place to stayThere are many four- and five-star hotels in Rome, but I like looking for old, boutique hotels in the heart of town that are not too expensive. Hotel Sant'Angelo (Via Marianna Dionigi, 16, Rome, tel: +39-06-324-2000) is one such hotel. Rooms cost around €44 (S$75) a night. It's a very old building, but well-maintained. There's a main building with around 20 rooms and an annexe, where we were, with around 50 rooms.The location of the hotel is excellent. It's less than a 15-minute walk to St Peter's Square, where the Pope makes his addresses, and a 10-minute walk to the Castel Sant'Angelo. It's also less than five minutes to Tiber River.Best way to get aroundYou can walk almost everywhere in Rome, except to the Colosseum, which is further out and would require a half-day bus journey. I love walking cities, such as Chicago and San Francisco, and it's especially easy to wander around in Rome.You could easily spend the whole day on foot, exploring the city and its side streets, but I would recommend staying off the side streets after 9pm for safety reasons. I've never felt unsafe there but it's probably wise not to walk alone or along small roads once it's that late.Favourite restaurantsMy drummer and I went to Italy determined to find the best pizza in the country. One of the best we had in Rome was at Ristorante dei Musei Vaticani (Via Sebastiano Veniero, 78, Vatican City, tel: +39-06-6821-0776).You would think that a restaurant right by the Vatican Museum would be really touristy and not serve good food, but it turned out to be a really authentic Italian experience. It brought out all sorts of things not on the menu and the Neapolitan pizza was delicious.After the meal, it also brought out digestifs of limoncello (Italian lemon liqueur) and grappa (grape liqueur). All in all, for two pizzas, big salads, a few pastas, a bottle of wine and the digestifs, we paid ?90 for six of us. It was a very good value feast.Anothermini storagemust-visit restaurant is Cacio e Pepe (Via Giuseppe Avezzana 11, Rome, tel:+39-06-321-7268). It serves home- cooked-style pasta and only three or four specific dishes a day. There is a semi-rude waiter who will yell at you if you try to order anything else.You know the place is going to be good when it's really crowded and 90 per cent of the crowd is Italian. The pasta is more cooked than I'm used to, but it has a distinct home-cooked taste.It's kind of in the middle of nowhere - about 10 minutes out of the city by taxi - but you have to make a reservation before you go. Even with a reservation, we had to wait 15 minutes for a table.We tried the carbonara and the cacio e pepe, the dish the restaurant is named for (pasta with cheese and pepper). Both were fantastic. We paid ?60 for three people, which is not that cheap, but it's worth it to eat the real stuff.Must-do cultural activityThe Vatican Museum (Viale Vaticano, Rome, tel: +39-06-6988-3332) is one of the most amazing museums in the world. You walk for two hours through all the halls and chambers before you get to the Sistine Chapel, and the art you see during that walk is just mind-boggling.There is a lot of art from two of the greatest Italian painters of the High Renaissance, Raphael and Michelangelo who, of course, painted the famous ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.The chapel was recently completely restored by Japanese artists and people either completely hate it or love it. Those who hate it feel the colours are too bright and vibrant, which I feel is not fair. The colours have faded over time because of soot from the candles burnt in the chapel, which gave the ceiling a blurred veneer.The Japanese company brought in to restore it brought it back to what it believes it looked like when Michelangelo had just finished it and I love it.I've never given that amount of time - three hours in total - to any other museum and would have stayed another hour if we didn't have to go somewhere else.Best hidden findThis is something probably only interesting to those who like jazz organs. While in Rome, I discovered the Hammond Italia, a hobbyist group of jazz organists who love the Hammond organ. This is an old electro-mechanical instrument that is no longer produced, but the hobbyist group in Italy has more than 1,400 members.I was invited to a jam session with them and got to play on a very old Hammond organ. I would never have found the group if not for an Italian friend and it was a great musical find.The group also has Hammond Appreciation Days once or twice a year, where people can go and watch its concerts. Go to the blog, .hammonditalia.blogspot.com, or e-mail hammondite@gmail.com for more details.I have not seen a critical mass of people who love Hammond organ-playing like this anywhere else in the world.jennanid@sph.com.sg迷你倉

一驛過一驛，mini storage驛騎如流星；平明發咸陽，暮及隴山頭……這是唐代詩人岑參的《初過隴山途中呈宇文判官》。這首詩形象地記述了唐代絲綢古道上驛站的繁忙景象。如今，絲綢之路上明珠般的遺址，同樣記載著那段繁華的往事。2006年，絲綢之路跨國聯合申報世界遺產工作�動，“絲路申遺”至此成為一個熱點詞匯。我省絲綢之路申遺工作大體分兩個階段，從2006年到2011年底為第一階段，2012年國家調整申遺工作策略和思路以來為第二階段。我省的絲路申遺備選點從最初的13處到11處，再到國家文物局最後確定的5處。近期，聯合國教科文組織世界遺產委員會文化遺產咨詢機構國際古跡遺址理事會委派專家，對絲綢之路世界文化遺產項目進行了考察。絲路申遺，從未與我們離得這麼近過。本報首席記者 張子藝絲路整體申遺進入倒計時世界文化遺產是由聯合國教科文組織確認的具有科學、審美、文化價值的自然景觀與人類歷史遺存，是文化保護與傳承的最高等級。申報世界文化遺產有一套嚴格的審批標準和審批程序。截至2012年7月1日，我國有世界文化遺產30處。在甘肅，可以說有“一處半”世界文化遺產：敦煌莫高窟以及作為長城組成部分的嘉峪關。而這“一處半”的獲批，尚是1987年的事。如此稀有，如此難得，所以絲路申遺工作就被專家稱為“天大的事”。2012年，中國、哈薩克斯坦和吉爾吉斯斯坦三國聯合以“絲綢之路：起始段和天山廊道”名義，作為2014年申遺項目，申報世界文化遺產。我省麥積山石窟、炳靈寺石窟、鎖陽城遺址、懸泉置遺址、玉門關遺址皆在名單之內。上個月，聯合國教科文組織世界遺產委員會文化遺產咨詢機構國際古跡遺址理事會委派專家，悄然進行考察。聯合國教科文組織的考察報告稱：“‘絲綢之路’跨越了四分之一個地球，但它不僅僅是將絲綢香料之類的貨物輸送到西方世界，再將金器、玻璃和其他精美的羅馬器具帶到東方上流社會。作為連接東西方世界的第一條道路，‘絲綢之路’還被賦予了精神認同性。通過‘絲綢之路’，技術得到了傳播，思想得到了交融，東西方第一次如此大範圍進行交流，增進了彼此的友誼和理解。”五處申遺點 串起如詩如畫絲路魂許多文化線路連接著各個偉大的文明，也創造著世界歷史。“絲綢之路”無疑是其中最重要的一條。絲綢之路申遺甘肅段的5處申遺點，各個在歷史的長河中熠熠生輝。遙遠的絲綢之路上，走來一位旅人，一路的風霜掩蓋不住他的疲憊，他是張騫；“色不異空，空不異色，色即是空，空即是色”，印度的貴族鳩摩羅什也來了，他帶著佛教典籍來到中國；玄奘大師沿著鎖陽城遺址在看什麼？鎖陽城遺址內被風吹過，風鈴草發出“瑟瑟”的聲音，如泣如訴……“任何一地的繁華，歸根結底就是經濟繁華人口增多後的必然發展方向，這在炳靈寺石窟的發展歷史過程中表現得尤為明顯。炳靈寺石窟始鑿于十六國時期的西秦，那時炳靈寺是絲綢之路必經之地，來往的客商們也帶動了炳靈寺石窟這一帶的發展，隨著經濟的發展，西秦曾動用大量人力、物力、財力在黃河附近開路建橋，保持絲綢之路的暢通。著名的天下黃河第一橋就建在炳靈寺附近。”甘肅省申遺辦公室工作人員鄭國穆介紹了關於申遺點之一炳靈寺興衰的歷史。盡管絲綢之路在出了陽關和玉門關以後的線路不止一條，但絲綢之路經過今天的甘肅和新疆，翻越帕米爾高原前往西方各國這已經達成了共識。這條交通幹線中，甘肅省的河西走廊成為絲綢之路的必經之地。所以，河西走廊上的絲綢之路遺址，也分外多一些。鎖陽城、懸泉置、玉門關，在此次申遺中，僅河西走廊上的申遺點就有3處之多。巨大歷史價值 回望那段顯赫的歲月從長安出發，進入我省後的第一個申遺點就是麥積山。麥積山石窟與敦煌莫高窟、大同雲岡石窟、洛陽龍門石窟合稱為中國四大石窟。如果就藝術特色來分，敦煌側重于絢麗的壁畫，雲self storage、龍門著稱于壯麗的石刻，而麥積山則以精美的塑像聞名於世。正如我國雕塑家劉開渠所讚美的：麥積山是“我國歷代的一個大雕塑館”。古人曾稱讚：“峭壁之間，鐫石成佛，萬龕千窟。碎自人力，疑是神功。”當地則流傳著“砍完南山柴，修起麥積崖”“先有萬丈柴，後有麥積崖”的諺語。可見當時開鑿洞窟，修建棧道工程之艱巨宏大。炳靈寺的洞窟，則是一個緩慢的文化輸入輸出的記憶：“當時炳靈寺僧侶�多，晉代著名高僧，大旅行家法顯西去印度就經過這裡，炳靈寺169窟壁畫上至今保留著他的畫像。炳靈寺石窟的佛像造型，是東西文明交匯最為明顯的佐證。最早期的佛像面容具有明顯的異族長相，深眼窩、高鼻樑，面部線條比較剛硬。這是最早佛教從西域傳向中原時的佛像造型。隨著佛教在中原紮根融合，佛教在向西傳輸的過程中，被加入了許多中原的特點，比如圓潤的面部線條，明顯就是中國人的長相特徵。”鄭國穆說。而鎖陽城遺址是集古城址、古河道、古寺院、古墓葬、古墾區等為一體的古文化遺存地，這裡的古代軍事防禦系統和烽燧信息傳遞系統是我國保存最為完好的典型範本。這裡還來過一位高人——玄奘大師。“玄奘當初離開長安取經，沒有拿到官方的‘護照’，是偷渡出去的。因此一出長安就被官府盯上了，這段經歷在他的書中都有記載。在黑河邊，他手中拿著裝水的皮囊就是當時河西一帶遊牧民族最常見的盛水工具。”曾主持發掘過鎖陽城遺址的甘肅省文物考古研究所趙建龍這樣介紹。相對於絲綢之路上那些聲名顯赫的遺址，懸泉置遺址這個聞其名而不得其義的遺址被列入此次絲綢之路整體申遺甘肅段的站點之一，其原因只有一個——巨大的學術價值，被掩埋的懸泉置是一個郵政驛站。玉門關，折射著中國古代的玉文化。對玉的尊崇，使得來自和田的美玉源源不斷地通過此關運向中原。因此，漢武帝在西域所設置的第一道關卡，便叫玉門關。這裡出土了許多有價值的文物。國內第4塊西漢紙就是在這裡出土發現的，它早于蔡倫造紙100多年。還出土有漢代糧食、漢簡等。漢簡內容豐富，有詔書、奏記、檄文、律令、藥方等。這些文物為研究漢代的軍事、經濟、文化、生活提供了珍貴的史料。絲路文明一條文化和友誼之路經過近兩年的基礎設施建設和周邊環境改造，與三年前相比，這5處申遺點面貌都煥然一新。在環境整治中，文物部門拆除了一些文物點周邊影響文物原貌的建築，甘肅省文物局文物保護與考古處副處長王旭介紹：“炳靈寺環境整治中，我們拆除了一個古色古香的遊客中心門頭，換了一個跟當代的地貌比較接近、能夠融于一體的土黃色建築，力求在文物點中，不凸顯人工造型。同時，還將麥積山周邊村落、麥積山保護研究所的辦公現代樓進行了拆除，使文物周邊與周邊景觀更加契合。”在國際專家組到達之前，這些準備工作都已完全就緒。申遺成功，對於全省旅遊、文化等產業來說，都是振奮人心的大事。在王旭看來：“我省的5處申遺點成功申遺後，將作為全人類、全世界的財產被大家所關注，作為文物保護工作者，肩上的責任更大、更重了。”甘肅位於絲綢之路的黃金路段，自古就是中原連接西域的戰略要道和古絲綢之路的重要通道，擁有豐厚的文化寶藏。我國著名作家、學者余秋雨在甘肅的一次關於絲綢之路的論壇上如是說：“中華文明有一種振奮人心的亮點，這就是被我稱之為‘人類文明第一通道——絲綢之路’，我認為絲綢之路對人類文明來說是第一，對中華文化來說也是第一，所以我們要通過討論達成共識，就是我們過去的偉大在哪裡，我們在絲綢之路上可以吸取多大的精神能量，在我看來，絲綢之路是古代的生命線，也是今天的課堂。”“絲綢之路”沿線各國聯合“申遺”，很自然地讓人聯想祖先的經濟、文化交流。國家文物局副局長童明康說：“這是一條不同文明、不同民族交流與融合的文化之路，也是溝通了中國與歐亞大陸的友誼之路。”迷你倉

After spending much time and money to set up trading account in Malaysia, I've not made a centMost Singaporeans know Malaysia only as a place for good shopping but for a long time I've felt that I should shop for shares there too.mini storageThe growth story is there: 4 to 6 per cent economic expansion each year is nothing to be sniffed at, and Malaysia has vast natural resources which usually translate into wealth.The country's growth rate will probably outpace Singapore's as it lifts millions of people into the middle class.The companies are there too. Top names such as food company Nestle Malaysia, cigarette maker British American Tobacco Malaysia and lenders Maybank and CIMB Group all call Kuala Lumpur their home.Another plus point: Buying opportunities have been plentiful as Malaysian shares have been volatile for a long time this year, especially before the general election in May.Compare this with Singapore stock prices which have been artificially inflated by the massive money- printing programme in the United States.I'm also comfortable with the foreign exchange risk in buying ringgit-denominated stock.Deterred by custodian feeThe only thing holding me back has been the custodian fee that local brokers charge us for holding our overseas stock.I don't mind paying the trading fees as they are a one-off but these holding charges will apply without me doing anything, as long as I keep the stock.At an average of $2 per counter per month, that's $24 for a single stock every year - totally not worth it for small investors.They say the fee will be waived for active traders but that cuts no ice with me, as a "buy-and-hold" investor.Adding insult to injury, a fee is also charged by the brokers when they handle foreign dividends, and send you a foreign share dividend cheque.One of the few to do away with this holding charge is Standard Chartered Bank, but unfortunately it does not offer Malaysian shares.So you can imagine how enthused I was when I was introduced to a Malaysian broker, based in Kuala Lumpur. The broker agreed to open a Central Depository System (CDS) account for me - the Malaysian version of Singapore's Central Depository (CDP) - which will keep my stocks for me at no charge.So I asked her to send me the forms, and started to set up my Malaysia trading infrastructure.It sounded easy at the time but unfortunately my experience over the months showed it to be anything but straightforward, possibly as not many Singaporeans have tried what I did.Plus I've not been able to buy any shares. By the time everything was set up, the Malaysia elections were over and the Kuala Lumpur market had shot up.Setting upThe first thing I had to do was to set up a Malaysian bank account to link to my brokerage account.So I took one day of leave to travel to a bank branch in Johor Baru as I had to appear in person to open an account. There, I quickly found out that the bank staff didn't know what to do with me.M儲存st of the Singaporeans opening Malaysian bank accounts have bought property there so they have title deeds to support their applications. Other foreigners were working there so they had work permits.Without these, it is harder for a foreigner to open an account, or so they claimed.In the end they settled on opening two accounts for me - one normal savings account, plus a premier one with a service charge of RM5 per month unless I put a large amount in the bank.Obviously I was interested in only the normal savings account but they told me I had to have both.Then came problem two: I wasn't prepared to open two accounts and had not brought enough cash. So I had to use a cash advance on my credit card to draw ringgit, racking up more fees in the process.In hindsight, I probably should have shopped around. I'm sure other Malaysian banks would not have forced me to open the premier account.But anyway, here I was, stuck with an extra bank account that would charge me the equivalent of the Singapore brokerage's $2 monthly custodian fee - without me having made any investment at all.Plus interest and fees were racked on my credit card as I spoke.Talk about starting on a bad note.A few months later, I trotted back to Johor Baru to close the premium account, after the minimum period I had to keep it open.More long rides on the Causeway-traversing SBS bus service 170, more time down the drain.Next came the issue of moving more money into my account, as my initial deposit was not enough to buy many shares.I looked all over for ways to move money into a foreign bank account without incurring high fees or unfavourable exchange rates.Banks were an option, as were the remittance companies at Lucky Plaza and Little India. Eventually I settled on the telegraphic transfer service by Singapore Post. There are definitely better rates out there but by then I was quite tired and there is a SingPost outlet near my office so that was convenient.I won't bore you with the other administrative and logistical details, such as transferring cash from the bank account to the brokerage account as well as trying out all the Internet trading and banking systems.My stockbroker in Malaysia has remained helpful along the way.But this journey has involved countless forms and numerous overseas phone calls, and I quickly stopped counting how much money and time I was spending on this.Some time in, I started wondering if it was all worth the effort, just to save $2 per counter per month. Still, I consider myself to have gained a moral victory.It would have been easier to go through a Singapore broker. But I have remained defiant and taken the road less travelled to avoid paying unnecessary - and perhaps unjustified - fees.Now the Malaysian market just needs to fall so I can buy shares to make this rigmarole of setting up the accounts worthwhile.Hopefully my moral victory will eventually become a financial victory too.jonkwok@sph.com.sg迷你倉

群光電子（2385）及旗下子公司群光電能11月營收同步創新高，迷你倉群光11月營收74.15億元，月增14%，年增15.6%；群光電能11月營收25.4億元，月增6.3%，年增23.4%。群光表示，旗下鍵盤、影像、電源供應器等三大核心產品在年底購物季推動下，11月營收表現均同步大幅成長。累計今年前11月合併營收674.3億元，年成長12.1%，第4季成長動能強勁，預估今年全年營收可望再創新高。群光電能成長動能主要來自消費性電子產品的帶動。累計今年前11月合併營收226億元，年成長6.3%。群光電能表示，今年在消費性電子及雲端產品強力挹注下，年營收可望繼迷你倉樂器成長，再創營運高峰。法人分析，群光本季受惠於平板電腦、兩大遊戲機新機種上市點火，鍵盤、電源供應器、雲端、伺服器等產品為主要動能。法人看好，群光本季營收及獲利可望登歷史高峰，季增兩位數，營收挑戰200億元大關，全年營收上看735億元。對於下季展望，群光表示，由於部分客戶訂單遞延，加上遊戲機新機種9月底開始拉貨，開賣的第二年將是鋪貨的高峰，明年首季業績不看淡，營收可望小於往年季減15%的幅度。目前群光非PC產品的比重已由去年25%，拉升至40%，為加速產品優化轉型，上季積極投入新產品研發，布局非PC產品，明年群光非PC產品比重將超越五成，有助於獲利提升。迷你倉西貢

新京報訊 （記者吳敏）央行最新公佈的數據顯示，迷你倉今年10月份，政府存款餘額達到41163億元，較9月份大幅增長19%，首次突破4萬億元。從央行公佈的曆年數據看，10月份都是政府存款最多的月份，隨後兩個月則往往大幅下降。分析稱，這或是“八項規定”和嚴控“三公消費”等產生的影響。曆年10月多達峰值央行披露的數據顯示，2013年政府存款年初餘額為2.4萬億元，10月底則達到4.12萬億元。而在2012年，政府存款的餘額年初為2.5萬億元，10月底達到當年峰值3.3萬億元；2011年政府存款年初餘額2.65萬億元，10月份達到當年峰值3.88萬億元。10月份成為每年政府存款峰值的現象，與此前市場熱議的財政“突擊花錢”現象有關。2011年和2012年的數據顯示，這兩年10月份到年底，政府存款餘額分別減少1.6萬億元和1.2萬億元，略小于往年年度“突擊花錢”的規模。財政部財政科學研究所所長賈康此前說，現在自存倉突擊花錢是“某些單位”彈性過大，如果不在期限內花完資金，會影響下一個預算期。賈康認為，建立現代預算制度是治本之策。原來預算審查的環節側重于平衡狀態，以後應轉到側重收支結構合理髮展。較年初增長1.7萬億元但從政府存款與財政收支變動的差異看，今年與往年略有不同。今年10月份財政存款餘額較年初增長了1.7萬億元，這一規模的增長要遠高于同期財政收支淨差額的規模。財政部公佈的同期數據則顯示，今年1-10月份全國公共財政支出10.2萬億元，收入11.05萬億元，收入與支出的差值為8485億元。部分學者認為，這可能是2012年底中央提出的精簡會議活動、厲行節約等“八項規定”，以及嚴控“三公經費”所取得的效果。早在今年7月份，學者宋國青曾稱，去年底以來控制公款消費和反鋪張浪費的政策對貨幣流通速度下降產生了一定影響。雖然政府部門花錢的速度已經明顯降低，但財政撥款並沒減少，導致大量資金沉澱在機關團體的活期存款戶頭。迷你倉