15. Low-class vets

"Only low-class vets do vaccinations," the experienced dog breeder interrupted a lady who asked me whether I was still doing extension work by going to the breeding farms to vaccinate puppies for breeders. I used to do that for some 2 years and knew all the dog breeders in Singapore. I was so surprised to hear a breeder's point of view.

I was in Pasir Ris to buy a big bag of K/D prescription diet for an 8-year-old Golden Retriever with a gigantic armpit tumour. The dog had been treated by a vet for some 2 months with antibiotics and prednisolone 5mg twice per day. "Vet 1 is near my house," the old classmate said to me. "So, I consulted him. But he did not want to operate. Now I find that my dog stumbles and drags his right fore paw. What should I do? Should I just do nothing and put him to sleep later when he can't walk?"

The owner had rented a van to bring his dog to see me 2 days ago. His car was smashed when he sped up and turned a road junction to give way to an ambulance behind his car. The ambulance was flashing the headlights at him. "As I turn the junction, a speeding car rammed into my left side," the man said. "My whole car was a wreck. The other car's bonnet was crushed inwards. Fortunately, my wife was not in the car."

"What happened after the accident? Did you suffer injuries?" I was so shocked to hear this retiree's news. He pulled down his peak cap and said, "The ambulance stopped and the driver asked me whether I needed help!"

I remained serious looking. An ambulance over-turned or hitting another car would be possible. I just can't imagine an ambulance causing an accident indirectly. Now, this retiree had no car and hired a van at $40.00 per day to transport his old dog to consult the vet.

"Do a blood test first to see if the dog is fit for surgery," I advised. The blood urea was high indicating a kidney disorder. The dog drank a lot of water and peed a lot. So what should I advise now?

The owner brought his dry dog food for the dog being warded. The Crude Protein % of this attractively packaged food was over 40%. So, I had to get the prescription diet for the dog first as I was out of stock and the sole distributor based in Pasir Ris, only delivered every Thursday.





Since I was at Pasir Ris, I visited some dog breeders and learn what changes have occurred during the recent recession. There are more new dog breeders and around 3 vets servicing them.

The owner accepted the risk of surgery. Will the blood urea drop after cessation of Vet 1's drugs? Were they the cause of high blood urea? Only time will tell and the Golden Retriever does not have the luxury of time as his tumour grows explosively every day.




I am still surprised that a dog breeder and probably more don't seem to rate vets who service them at the lowest and cheapest rates positively and gratefully. Well, if vets solicit for business from others, it will be one of those reactions. Soliciting puts bread on the table. What is one disparaging remark? Personally, I don't wish to solicit business from breeders but the reality of private practice may brush off such idealism. It is easy to be idealistic when one has bread on the table daily.

Flowers and a Blade for the wife

February 22, 2010 (First Appointment in the Resale of an HDB apartment)

"Tonight, I will present my wife with a bouquet of flowers and a blade," the husband's first appointment at the Housing & Development Board's first appointment was aborted. The Housing & Development Board (HDB) officer had shown him a 2-page letter hand-written in big letters from his file across the table and said: "Your wife had written to object to the sale of the HDB flat. You have to engage a private lawyer or bring your wife to see me to withdraw her objection. I am sorry I can't proceed with the processing of the sale now."

This was a man in dire straits. Down and out. A bankrupt. "How do you expect him to engage the services of a private lawyer when he is a bankrupt and unemployed?" I asked the HDB official. I was helping Realtor Khin Khin in her first case and after a caveat lodged by a bank of this man's first buyer, I thought this first appointment was a formality. The racehorse had galloped past the turn and was in the straight heading towards the finishing post.

The Buyer's Agent, a slim serious looking housing agent who had just given the HDB officer the original letter from the Official Assignee (OA) approving the sale of this HDB flat said, "The private lawyer could be paid from the proceeds of the sale."

The HDB officer flashed the OA's letter at her: "I am sorry to say that there will no proceeds from the sale for the Seller." He meant that the OA would grab all the monies on completion of the sale. So, no money to pay a private lawyer's fees which would be at least $1,200 in cash. More if the case is complicated. This man in dire straits was hanging around a shopping mall according to Khin Khin who frequented the same place. Therefore he could not be gainfully employed.

"If the private lawyer is paid, is there a guarantee that the sale can proceed if the wife still objects?" I asked the HDB officer, a pale-faced trim man with reddish brown hair was sympathetic but he would not give any legal advices. Why should he take the risk?

However, he was a kind man as he gave this man in dire straits a second chance, during his lunch-time next week. He could just postpone the next appointment several weeks later if he exercised his powers. The HDB officials are very helpful in some of my experiences of dealing with them.

If this man in dire straits, at the pits could not sell his HDB apartment, the HDB would force sell at 90% of valuation. That meant he would lose at least 10% of the sales proceeds. Although he would not get any cash at the completion of sales, he still would get money returned to his Central Provident Fund (CPF). The OA would return all his CPF monies from the sales proceeds to the CPF before paying the other creditors. I calculated that the balance would be around $5,000 for the creditors.

With his wife's objection lodged without his knowledge 2 months ago, he was fixed. If the HDB forced sale his apartment, he would lose out a lot of money.

As we left the HDB, I knew that this man was pushed to his mental limits. Would he be committing murder? I asked him "Why do you want to present your wife the flowers and the blade together?"

"Well, she has to choose one or the other," the man in dire straits said. "It will be best if you can arrange a meeting with your wife and I together to talk over," I knew that this man had suppressed his emotions and his frustrations for many months. I was surprised that he was not involved with the loan sharks as his HDB apartment was spared the spraying of paint and vandalism. He and his wife were residing there in peace. If he could complete the sale of his HDB apartment, he could have some freedom to travel overseas to work. Now, the OA would not permit him to travel overseas as he did not "contribute" to return monies to the debtors.

It is not easy to contact this man by phone as his top-up card and phones keep being "lost". Now, there are 7 days to wait and see.

13. A New Year's Phenomenon

I was invited to the 2009 New Year's Eve celebration by a Myanmar artist. I did not want to go as I would prefer to spend time with my family. Besides, there was also a language barrier as I anticipated that most guests would speak their own language and I would not enjoy myself. I dislike attending parties but some of the most fascinating people I write about in my web site are those outside my veterinary profession and I met them at parties.

When the artist's daughter text-messaged me to invite me, I did not reply. That's the beauty of text-messaging. Impersonal. No loss of face for either party should the outcome turns out unfavourable.

However, on the afternoon of New Year's Eve, the lady phoned me personally: "My father invites you to celebrate the end of 2009. He invites a small group of close friends. Please come."

When the artist made a personal call, I obliged as I had met her father who is as old as I am. The father is a good artist, but we cannot make long conversations as his command of English is limited and I cannot speak one word of the Myanmar language. When an interpreter like my friend, Khin Khin was present, the father and I could carry on a longer conversation about the business of art. Though Khin Khin was invited, she did not go as she had another New Year's Party to attend.

I had to make an extra effort to engage in conversation with a culture so much different from mine. A Singapore artist sat next to me as I sipped my small glass of Irish liqueur with cream. I had brought along a Jack Daniel bottle and my host opened it to share this sweet potent coffee liqueur with everybody.

I tried to make small talk with this Singapore artist on a common topic. With artists, I would talk about his art and the business of art. He was not in the mood for an engaging conversation unfortunately for me and left for another table.

Then 3 Myanmar men in their 30s arrived and sat on my deserted table. Were they artists? They did not look like one although how do male artists look? Is there a stereotype. Maybe, a man with pony-tailed long hair. One who wears a flowery shirt and flashy ear stud on the left ear?

The 3 men were wearing T-shirts and in their 30s. Their leader was Charlie, a tall slim man of fair complexion. He elaborated on his job and said, "I drive Prime Movers." I did not know exactly what a Prime Mover was. I figured it was a gigantic vehicle that has a long back to hold containers. It would haul a container and truck it within a port terminal. Containers are big metallic boxes than store a lot of goods for transport from one country to another. That much I knew.

Another man was thin and looked sun-burnt. He was called Moe. The third man was slightly plumpish. All worked as prime mover drivers in the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and could converse in English. This was a rare opportunity for me to meet the foot soldiers of the MPA as I have had never met this profession in my 60 years of living.

Now, how to engage them in conversation till the clock struck 12 midnight? How much there is to talk about the job of being a Prime Mover Driver? These men could talk on various topics.

Moe smoked furiously. Charlie said, "Moe loves cooking. He is an excellent cooker." I did not correct his use of the word "cooker" as that would spoil the mood of the meeting and would be impolite. After all, I am not the spokesman and enforcer of the "Speak Good English" Movement of Singapore.

Charlie meant "cook." He continued, "Moe cooks well. He sold Thai curry to the workers in the block of flats we live but he was ordered to stop doing it."

"Why?" I asked, thinking that Moe was entrepreneurial. He would just sell a few packets at $1.00 each to make some money. After all, the employer had not increased his salary over the last few years especially in 2009 which is a year of severe recession.

"Moe sold over 100 packets and the canteen operator complained to his employers," Charlie laughed at Moe's expense. "He is not supposed to make money in his employment contract."

"The canteen operator had to stifle competition as he had to pay rent while Moe has had under-priced him," I said. "Why don't you sell the Thai Curry to the betel nut operator in Peninsula Plaza when you are not working?" I asked Moe. "You work 3 days for 12 hours per day and then you have the next 2 days off work."

"He may get complaints and lose his job," Charlie said.

"How about selling betel leaves to Peninsula Plaza?" I asked. "It seems to me that the operator was doing a good business during weekends when Myanmar workers come to buy the betel leaves smeared with a white cream and then wrapped around some nuts."

"There are many betel-leaf plants in Singapore," Charlie said. "Moe told me that there is one in Holland Road area." I asked, "Can he pluck the leaves and sell them to the operator at Peninsula Plaza?"

The hobbyist cook shook his head. "The Singapore policeman will catch me plucking. I will be jailed and lose my job."

In Singapore, the increasing costs of living and the reduction in working hours during this period of recession affected people like Charlie and Moe most. Charlie switched to another topic which I believe is a common problem in employment agencies.

Charlie asked me, "Is there a way to help Myanmar workers who pay a fee $3,000 to employment agents to get back their money when they lose their job soon after employment? They borrow money to come to Singapore to find work and when they are sacked soon after employment, they lose a lot of money."

"I don't think that the Singapore Government would be able to help," I said. This is a free market and the government is not involved in a private employment agency business. If the employment agent and the employer collude to make money out of the prospective worker by employing and then sacking the worker, it is hard to prove and it is very costly." There is no organised voluntary organisation to help such Myanmar workers from predatory employment agencies.

"It may be best for your friends to go to a big and reputable employment agency in Yangon," I mentioned the name of a famous agency in Yangon. "How did you get your job?" I asked. Charlie said, " I was recruited on a G to G (Government to Government). I paid 4 months my salary as agent's commission". Charlie earned around $550 per month.

Predatory businessmen are common in this world. The bigger the corporation, the more ferocious their appetite in pressing down service providers' fees. The Main Contractor would get the job. He would delay payment for several months to subcontractors. If they complain, they don't get any more jobs. I know of one main contractor who under-priced his garbage collection tender to get the contract. An art gallery owner with money would buy good artwork at distress sale prices knowing that the unknown artist needs money to survive as passion without sales cannot feed the family and the artist.

In this New Year party, I had a glimpse into the world of the port workers who seem to have no future unless they get a driving licence for Category 4. Charlie said, "I failed the driving test 3 times. The tester was not kind to me. In my first test, I did not look at the mirror before driving off. In another test, I sped up when the traffic light was still green but stopped immediately when the light was red. The tester failed me. Every test cost me more than $300." His English was good and if he had a Myanmar degree, he would be earning twice as much.

In any case, if he passes the Class 4 Driving Test, he could drive another type of prime mover and earn more with less fatigue. "The Class 4 Prime Mover has a simple job. From Point A to Point B to unload containers," he said to me banging his two fists against the sides of his head. "The job pays twice as much without the headache." I presume his present job was very tiring and cause physical exertion.

I had never entered the PSA but I could not imagine the hard labour and physical exertion involved.

Soon, it was time for the artist's daughter to open the bottle of champagne to wish everybody a "Happy New Year". We were dining on the roof top terrace. Charlie pointed to the full moon in the sky. "There is a rainbow to the left of the moon," he told us. The moon was very bright in this black sky with few stars, as if a big torch had been shone onto it. Yes, there was a ring bow to the left. There were two rainbows. Was there any significance in astronomy? I don't know and did not think much about it. Science would explain the formation of rainbows after a shower. But rainbows on a moon-light night? I am sure there will be scientific explanations unlike the encounter my friend, Khin Khin told me about in her New Year party.

Khin Khin affirmed, "As the hostess cut the cake to end the year of 2009, blood droplets appeared from her forehead and on top of both her hands. She continued cutting the cake and gave a piece to all present."

"You really witness this?" I asked her again when I met her at Ridgewood Condo on January 3, 2010. Khin Khin managed this condo rental and sometimes I accompanied her to this place and sometimes I do meet some of her interesting tenants. These tenants live in a world so much different from my little veterinary world of dogs and cats.

"Yes," Khin Khin was positive. "I saw the blood streaking down from the hostess' forehead and appearing like the dot you see on the forehead of Indians."

"Like a big red dot of paint in the middle of the forehead?" I don't remember what name it is but the Indian culture does have ladies practising this method.

"Where did the blood come from?" I asked another person who had attended this party. "Was it from the large cake? Was it real blood?" The other person confirmed the phenomenon and did not know what to make of it. What was the significance of this phenomenon.

"The blood comes from the thin air," I speculated.

"No," Khin Khin said. "My husband said it comes from the vein."

Khin Khin's husband is a Myanmar veterinarian and his version had a scientific backing unlike my statement. Blood oozes out from the capillaries via the veins and appear on the forehead and hands. Yes, this is scientific. How could blood appear from thin air?

This was Khin Khin's incredible but true story. It sounded like an episode in a science fantasy like the Avatar movie. A person can be in two places at the same time. An avatar. A fantasy rather than a phenomenon.

Double rainbows to the left of a brightly lit moon. Blood appearing on a person. That sounds like a cock and bull story. However, I do not dispute the credibility of Khin Khin's story as she is a no-nonsense plain-speaking lady and her husband and two other guests had witnessed the event.

Will there be more phenomena to surprise Khin Khin and I in the brand new year? I don't know.

P.S
Phenomenon: An appearance: anything visible; whatever, in spirit or matter, is apparent to, or is apprehended by, observation; as, the phenomena of heat, light or electricity; phenomena of imagination or memory. That which strikes one as strange, unusual or unaccountable. An extraordinary or very remarkable person, thing or occurrence.

12. Singing for his supper

"It costs S$400,000 (US$280,000) to study veterinary medicine in Australia," one young lady veterinarian informed members during a discussion at the Singapore Veterinary Association's Annual General Meeting in Nov 1, 2009. This is a large amount and veterinary scholarships are few. Therefore the majority of the new graduates in private practice is privately funded,usually by parents.

In 2009, the Australian dollar once again shot up by 30% within a year. That greatly increases cost for the parents. What happens if parents cannot support halfway through the course? I often wonder whether such Singapore veterinary undergraduates would succeed in the face of adversity? Every year, he would need $80,000 to pay the fees and the accommodation. And a car to travel to farms and university. A 10-year-old old car costs around $4,000 in Perth, Australia unlike $40,000 in Singapore, but still when you are in dire straits, $4,000 is a lot of money.

I visited Murdoch University in October 2009 and was surprised that there was a student volunteer group that provided free bread and butter for students. I doubt you will see such a group in Singapore's University. There must be a need for free breakfast by poorer students, presumably from Asia. These volunteers are very kind to help out those in need. What volunteer group this is, I don't know.

Back to my question: "Are there any young Singapore veterinarian who worked his way through college?" Are all graduates from well-to-do families as $400,000 is not a small sum to support a young adult to study veterinary medicine in Australia.

I met one at the President's Reception. I knew he loved veterinary medicine from the way he talked about the unusual bird and star tortoise veterinary cases. During his 4th year at Murdoch University, the Australian Dollar shot up by at least 20%. His savings ran out. He found difficulty in paying the room rental.

"Didn't your parents support you?" I asked him when I meet him at the President's Reception. From the way he nodded his head and gave no comments, I don't think that support was sufficient. $80,000/year is a killer amount for the majority of Singapore's middle-class parents as that meant one parent had to earn at least $7,000 per month before taxes to support a child. Money meant for retirement.

"What did you do?" I was curious.

"I played the baroque,." he said or some words sounding like "baroque". I did not ask him so as not to show my ignorance of music or musical instruments.

"One evening, on the eve of examinations, I was performing. I saw my two lecturers in the audience. Immediately I forgot my words!"

"That is why your lecturer who was at the Association's Annual Dinner remember you and waved to you at the dinner," I said. "Very few Asians sing in public. They must have talked amongst themselves about you needing to sing for your supper.

He was asked whether he could play the organ at the Church. So, music gave him some money to fund his education.

Would revenue generated from music be sufficient? He was in the 4th year and that was the most demanding year of lectures. The 5th year was relatively relaxed as the student does more clinical cases. The Veterinary Hospital accepts 82 undergraduates and a small number will be rejected. He needed to spend time to study. If he fails the 4th year, he would have to repeat another year.

"How much do you pay for room accommodation?" I asked. Rentals can be as much as $300 per week.

"I met an old classmate from Singapore. Her family had a house near where I rented a room. Her parents offered me her spare bedroom."

A guardian angel must have helped relieve him of the heavy financial burden.

"Do you have to marry the daughter?" I presumed the old classmate was single. Their paths had crossed. The girl's parents were wealthy. He got along well with the visiting parents and sang with them after dinner. The girl's mum liked him very much. All mums would want a good spouse for their child and being a parent myself, I would say, he was good husband material but I have no daughters. The boy-next-door type of young adult. Well brought up to respect elders and hard working despite financial setbacks to become a veterinarian.

He was offered a position to run a big piggery operation in China after graduation as his veterinary training and other characteristics would add immense value to this new business venture. Pork are in great in China as the country becomes richer. So there was a great business opportunity to be rich.

He was not into pigs.

How about his own veterinary hospital in Singapore since Singapore has only one veterinary hospital?

So, this was an opportunity to move up the social ladder and be well respected for being the owner of a veterinary hospital in Singapore. The financial backing was solid. Such opportunities don't come to anyone. What would you do if you were in his shoes?

"Didn't the girl object to such a proposal?" I asked.
"No," he said.
"So, what's the problem? Don't you love her?"

The young man quoted me two Chinese idioms in the course of our conversation. I don't know how to translate as my grasp of Chinese language is no good. I knew what he meant.

This is the second time I hear of a similar occurrence where the stars bring together a daughter from a very rich family with a young male undergraduate from a poor family. The daughter in both cases has no objections to the marriage and have offered to help the poor man financially.

The upbringing of a daughter in a very rich family is so much different from that of a girl from a poor family. She has everything and gets pampered to her every wish and fancy. Shopping for branded goods and clothes most of the time. What do you expect her to do since she has the money? She has no respect for the elders usually as they cater to her every whim and fancy. But this may be stereotypical thing as there are rich girls who are frugal and make good wives.

But can the poor man give her the high standard of living? Will she respect him for being an opportunist?

Love had not blossomed yet in this case. The boarder was the catch. He offered to wash the dishes when the mum cooked. The daughter, I presumed, would just let the mum do all the washing and cooking.

The mum was from the baby-boomer generation that knew hardship. She cooked and washed dishes as maids are not easily available in Australia.

She wanted what all mums want. A good husband for her daughter. In her eagerness, she made the proposal to set up a veterinary hospital for him in Singapore. This proposal is one that can sabotage any budding young adult relationship.

Did the poor young undergraduate men in both cases I encounter marry the girl for her money? No. So, there was no living together happily ever after.

Spaying a hamster

"Vet 1 is a hamster expert," my associate vet, Dr Jason Teo introduced his friend to his left as we were having dinner on the 2nd day of the Singapore Veterinary Association Conference on Saturday, Oct 31, 2009. After that, there would be 3 more veterinary talks that would end at 11 pm.

"Have you ever spayed a hamster?" I hoped to acquire some knowledge during my networking at this Conference.

Another vet with over 20 years of practice and looking for locums asked, "You mean taking out the testicles?"

"No," I said. "I mean, sterilisation of a female hamster."

"Yes," Vet 1 said. "One owner insisted on her female hamster to be spayed instead of the male. So, I did it."

"How did you do it?" I asked. I can safely say that 99% of the vets all over the world do not spay a dwarf hamster. I mean, it was not an easy operation to do. High risk.

Well, this vet was successful. The hamster ate 5 minutes after the spay and went home. He used some "plastic" catheter, inserted it via the vestibule into the "uterine body" I presume, elevated the uterus...picked them up under magnifying glass and remove them. The problem is the stitching up of the very thin and sticky abdominal muscles according to him. More details at vin.com, he said.

Incredible story but true.

10. The Sceptre of Blood

"Please save Max," the lady phoned me. "He had not been eating for 3 days and is just lying down." This lady had clairvoyant powers or divine backing but I cannot substantiate the powers scientifically for readers. She was once my client and I had experienced seeing blood appearing from the air in her office. I had recorded this in one of my earlier articles.

I gave Max his first puppy vaccination and he was 6 years old now. Over the past 2 years, his owner had used another veterinarian. Vet 1 had X-rayed him, taken blood test and given Max furosemide medication. Vet 1's blood test indicated liver malfunction. Max had no fever during my first house-call but he just would not eat and laid down. He just would not stand up and walk.

Max was a big breed and overweight at 80 kg but he had never been sick for the past 5 years when I was the family vet. A family vet becomes a friend and seldom charges fees. For some reason, the lady decided to use the services of another vet from Max's 5th year onwards and I lost touch with him.

"Max had a sore throat," the lady said during my house-call. I discovered all the submandibular, axillary and popliteal lymph nodes were enlarged 20x. I told the owner that Max had lymphosarcoma but she did not want any treatment.

The next 21 days were extremely stressful to everyone - the family, the caregivers, my vet assistants and myself. I visited Max practically every day and some evenings knowing that there was not much hope as Max's fever became uncontrollable and he would not want to stand up, except to go to the nearby bathroom instead of going to the garden. His abdomen swelled and I had his bladder catheterised for the next 15 days to permit urine to flow out in a urine bag.

Vet 1 and one acupuncturist did house calls and prescribed medication. I was not informed but my vet assistant discovered this and was very upset as medications could conflict and kill Max. This was not the first time that an owner would seek second opinion and since she was under great stress, I did not want to bring forth this matter.

I presumed that the owner was worried that I might recall my veterinary assistant and my services and abandon Max. We were giving drips practically 24 hours a day for the 21 days Max was alive. She never wanted Max to be hospitalised in other places but to be treated at home.

It is OK to seek other opinions but conflicting drugs just would not help Max. Vet 1 was aware of my treatment as I recorded the drugs in a book in the house for the owner and I knew she would get other vets to help her. It would be in the interest of Max to be given written records so that other vets would know what was happening. Of course, my vet assistant did not connect my purpose of recording my treatment as I did not explain to him the rationale. He was an extra-ordinary Vet Technician who really loved veterinary medicine and surgery passionately. He was very unhappy with the behaviour of the owner and wanted me to abort the case. Such are the realities of life of Singapore owners seeking various outside opinions and internet information. I did not lose sleep over this behaviour as no person can know everything. However, in the final 3 days before Max died, the lady asked me to go to Max's room and informed me of the treatments given by Vet 1.

I gave I/V drips, antibiotics, anti-fever and ensure that urine catheterisations were properly done. Max would pulling off the drip set. He just would not get up to eat and his fever would return again and again when the anti-fever medication dose was ineffective.

On the 7th day, the owner rushed home from work as Max had collapsed. I was called and rushed to see him after my MRI scan for my left hand tissue growth at the Singapore General Hospital. That was why I remembered this date. The owner took out her sceptre and paraphernalia to administer the last rites. I left the bedroom where Max looked like he was in his last breath dying to give the lady privacy to administer her rites.

But Max still lived on after another IV drip. Another 4 days later, Max was well enough to walk to the garden to pee as he had not walked much except to the nearby bathroom. The lady was extremely happy. She stood up from the dining table and hugged me with grateful thanks. Was there light at the end of the tunnel? Sadly, no. Max did not stand up after that and his fever raged on like a bush wildfire out of control and flamed by strong winds.

Were there other vets or specialists in Singapore to treat Max in the house? I don't now as the owner did her own arrangements. By the 18th day, Max started to vomit. He vomited more and collapsed. His fever was uncontrollable. He passed away on the 21st day overnight. I had left the house that night and had a premonition that it was Max's last night. Grieving had to be in private and I left the lady alone.

I sent my condolences via text message after 2 days as my assistant told me that Max had passed away. The owner messaged back to thank me and say that Max received a good sign from Heaven on his day of death. I could not figure out what she meant and did not ask further as I was no longer the family vet. That was 4 months ago.

2 days ago, I met one family member and enquired what happened. On performing the last rites prior to cremation, Max was wrapped in a white cloth. "Blood appeared and stained the cloth red. Lots of blood appeared on Max's bedroom floor too. It is a good blessing from Heaven - the sceptre of blood," the family member told me.

I was no wiser as to what he mean. I know what a sceptre is. There are jade sceptres in Chinese religious beliefs but a sceptre of blood? What does it mean. I did not probe further. However I believed in his description as I had seen blood appearing out of thin air previously. As to the significance of this paranormal event, I don't know. It is incredible but true. The lady's business is booming even in the midst of recession. I believe she is prospering. She does not practise clairvoyance commercially. I leave it to the reader to provide their own interpretation of the paranormal phenomenon.

P.S. The flower is for Max. A very gentle Golden Retriever who always dashed to the front gate whenever I came for house-calls or visits. As a pup, he mouthed my shoes and hid them. Thereafter, I put my shoes high up during house-calls.

9. Helping a down-and-out man

Thurs Oct 15, 2009

Sweat drops beaded on his tanned forehead on this warm and humid night of Thursday, Oct 15, 2009. He had messaged to meet me at Central 99 opposite the Fire Station and I was now with him at 9 pm.



An old friend who is a novice realtor called Jenny had stressed him out and he would not want her to handle the HDB (Housing & Development Board) apartment sale anymore. He was Jenny's contact and Jenny should be the one handling his case. Jenny had lent him over $1,000 interest free to handle his case, despite my advice not to accept cases that used the realtor to borrow money. Such credit risky cases are invariably stressful and monies lent are usually not returned.

Town Council Legal Action

"You are fortunate that Jenny had found you a prospective buyer," I reminded him before he cursed my friend. In a rising property market, there were many interested buyers, but he was a bankrupt and prospective buyers and agents pounced on him like sharks attracted to a bloodied patch of sea. His first realtor (Agent 1) took 3 months and there a sale. That agent had a buyer who offered him $40,000 below valuation and he had been desperate enough to accept the offer and signed an option to purchase (OTP). However, the "buyer" at first gave him $100 as option fee instead of the usual $1,000 and that was later increased to $400. When a Seller showed he is in dire straits, the predators are many. I felt very sad for this professional engineer used to earn $10,000 a month was now down and out. Once an engineering project is over, the engineer is retrenched unless he gets another project for the boss.

I had agreed to meet him to see whether I could help. Jenny had written him off and cut losses. I knew in advance that he would want some loans and if I could be of help to a stranger in distress, I would do so. Such loans are considered gifts as there is no need to stress myself about payback. If I can't help him, I will tell him accordingly.

He was behind in his payment of Town Council conservancy fees for the last few months.

"The Town Council fees are $60.00 per month," I said. "How come you owe the Town Council over $3,000 just for non-payment of less than 12 months?" I asked the down-and-out man (DM).

"The Town Council charged me for their lawyer's fees to claim money from me," the man said. Without settling the amount, HDB would not permit the sale of his HDB apartment to proceed. He was supposed to pay the Town Council $100 per month. But he had more need of the $100 Jenny had given to him 3 weeks ago after assuring Jenny that he would pay the instalment himself as Jenny wanted to do it herself. He had abused the trust. Jenny had also paid for him $200 to save him from being jailed for not paying a NEA (National Environmental Agency) fine too. Being jailed for 1-2 weeks would jeopardise the sales process.

"My friends said I was stupid not to run away when the NEA officer caught me smoking in a non-smoking area," he said. He could easily outrun the NEA officer anytime. He had also lost his Identity Card and needed $300 to get a replacement. Without the card, it would be difficult to proceed with the sale. "I have a photocopy of my IC," he said. But that would not be acceptable. So, another $300 was loaned to him.

Jenny and I wondered what other fines or obstacles would surface again.


Utility Company Legal Action
He also owed Singapore Power some money and was now living without water and electricity in his HDB apartment. This could be paid out of the sales proceeds of his apartment by the Official Assignee (OA) if there is any balance left after the HDB and the Central Provident Fund (CPF) took their respective first and second claim of the monies. So, the $600 owed would not need to be paid for the sales to proceed.

Loan Sharks
In such cases where a person needs money desperately, loan sharks may have provided the Seller some loans at 20% per month. In a developed country like Singapore, loan sharks still flourish and thrive. They make their presence felt by spraying paint onto the door and scrawling "Owe $, Pay $". Sometimes, they padlocked the main gate of the door. The Seller said he did not have loans from loan sharks. This is one good reason not to handle such cases. How do I know whether had had loan sharks or not? Can I accept his word? For the last 3 months, Agent 1 had rented out his HDB apartment. If there were loan sharks hovering around, the tenants in his HDB apartment would be pestered. There were no such incidents.

Offical Assignee
A bankrupt is financially controlled by the Official Assignee (OA) in many ways. One of them is that he must have a letter of approval to sell the HDB flat from the OA. Without this letter, the HDB would not commence any sales action. To do that, he needed to show the OA that he had an OTP (Option To Purchase). Jenny got him an OTP and therefore he could do that. But what about the option money of $1,000? Should this money go to the OA? He needed the money to settle his Town Council (TC) fees which totalled to $3,000 to be paid in full. Would the HDB permit him to pay the TC from the sales proceeds? Would the TC agree? The TC definitely had not been part of the bankruptcy claim unlike the Utility Company. Therefore, the TC wants its ounce of flesh before he can proceed with the sale. That means he would have to find case to pay up the TC first. Who would want to help him?

A Caveat Was Lodged
When I thought that the TC was his main problem, I discovered that a caveat had been lodged by Agent 1's buyers and a Singapore Bank. Did he not return the option money of $400 to the buyers to cancel the sale? He said he had but the cancellation letter was with Agent 1. Why would the bank lodge such a caveat? "For opportunity lost," he said. Apparently, Agent 1's buyers had taken out a bank loan and therefore had to pay bank fees even though the loan was not taken up. This was "opportunity lost" and the Bank was the Caveator. The first buyers were the Caveatee.

One of the numerous rules of the HDB sales procedure is that the prospective buyer must have the home loan pre-approved before HDB commences sales action. So all buyers must incur bank charges to secure a loan once they pay an option money of $1,000 to secure the property for 14 days. If they don't exercise the option after 14 days, the Seller keeps the $1,000 payment. If they exercise the option, they pay $4,000. Before they exercise the Option to Purchase, they must show documentary proof to the HDB that they have secured a loan. If the sales process cannot be completed, the Buyer has to pay the bank 1.5% of the approved loan. If the loan is e.g. $300,000, the Buyer has to pay $4,500. Good money for the bank, thanks to this HDB policy. This practice is not mandatory in private property purchase and that should be the way as you can see from this example of what happens in the later part of my story.

Back to what was the Seller doing. He went to the address stated in the caveat. It was a non-existent address. So, what to do now? The lawyers of the Bank had apparently asked him to seek out the first Buyers. But he could not find them!


Agent 1 It would appear to the Seller that the caveat was lodged by Agent 1 to get money from him. I asked him how much Agent 1 wanted to remove the caveat. With a caveat, the sales cannot be completed although HDB can commence sales action. So how much Agent 1 wanted? Cash of 2% of the sales price in order to provide him the letter of cancellation. This was a lot of money even for a man in the street. And for a bankrupt, it was impossible. "I offer him 10% after completion of sales," the Seller told me. "Why should Agent 1 trust you?"

So now, there is this final obstacle. As you can see, it is extremely time consuming and stressful for Jenny to handle him. Many times he would not return the phone calls. Bankrupts and people owing money avoid returning phone calls and this is a common behaviour. One evening, Jenny and her husband had to scooter to Lor 7 in Geylang to locate him after he did not return phone calls regarding offers by prospective buyers. Later he told me he had no charger. Excuses? I don't know. Jenny's husband bought him a new phone and phone card and he was contactable.

Main gate of the door padlocked.
During the first week of marketing, Jenny discovered that a padlock was put onto his main door gate. Therefore she could not show the unit to prospective buyers. She phoned him and he said that his estranged wife had done it. He spoke to his wife who did not commit such actions again. It was really stressful for Jenny.

Forced sale by the HDB
Presently, the caveat problem had to be resolved and he had 9 days left. "Why don't you just let the HDB sell it?" I asked him as he had threatened to let the HDB do it if my agent was incompetent and could not find a buyer. We didn't have nice words from him despite helping him with loans. He even had no IC and $300 was loaned to him to get an IC letter. Without the IC letter, it would be difficult to sell.

Now the deadline to sell or be taken over by the HDB loomed close. He had already squandered 3 months with Agent 1 with no sales. Now the HDB would just sell his apartment at 90% of the valuation if he had no Option to Purchase. HDB does not open it to the market and do the selling. He now has a buyer at valuation. Therefore, he would lose a substantial amount of 10% which could be $40,000 since his valuation was $40,000. This was not a small sum to sniff at.

So many problems. Only a fool would handle this case. "The race horse is running," he said to me at 99 Central where he sipped a cup of Chinese tea while I drank 7 Up. "Jenny had whipped the horse hard and caused it to race wildly. Don't kill the horse while it is racing."

I was surprised that he used this analogy? I was a racehorse vet at the Singapore Turf Club for 8 years and knew what the effects of whipping would do to a horse. Jenny had given him the carrot and now the stick. He was stumbling. He would fall. Should I just abandon him and cut losses?

For humanitarian reasons, I put $300 into the ATM to clear his TC overdue instalments the next day. I don't expect any return of the money as I deem this case high risk.

"No, I will not give you the $300 to do it," I said to him at 99 Central as he asked me for a loan of $400 to help him out. $100 to survive the next few days and $300 to pay the TC as he would be imprisoned by the judge for default of payment to the TC. If the racehorse is boxed inside the racing stall, nothing could be done. He had only 9 days to go.

Friday, Oct 22, 2009

What is actually the main problem affecting the closing of this case? Jenny was so stressed out about losing her money that she could not focus on the main problem. Therefore I had to help. "The horse is still running," I said to Jenny. "It is not dead. You had punted by lending the Seller money and if the horse loses the race, you have no chance of getting your money back." I did not want to rub salt into the wound by saying "I told you so."

The Letter of Cancellation Of Sale.

The Caveat, not the unavailability of the Letter of Cancellation is the main problem. But the Seller seemed to have veered to the wrong track by looking for Agent 1 or the first Buyers. I could not contact him by handphone for 2 days. As to why he could not answer his handphone or respond to my text message promptly, I have no clue. Could he be incarcerated? I did not invade his privacy when he phoned me 2 days later to say he had sent a letter to the lawyer to remove the caveat. "Which lawyer?" I asked him. He said it was the HDB lawyer or something vague. He still could not locate the first Buyers nor get Agent 1 to give him the "letter of cancellation" of the first sale after returning $400 Option Money to the first Buyer. He said the letter was with Agent 1 and he did not have a copy. I gave him the benefit of the doubt. But there was something amiss. Something I could not lay my finger on.

Proactive

Time was running out for him as he had less than 7 days to get a clean title to his property. I asked him to fax to me what documents he had written to the lawyer in order to help him. Writing a letter and waiting for the lawyer to reply would not give him time. He was running out of time now.

Agent 1's legal department
I phoned Agent 1's firm 3 times. Every time, the person who answered would say that the firm's lawyers would call me back. They never bothered to. So I had to persevere and finally met the Head of the Legal Department. The lawyer who handled complaints was on sick leave today, Oct 23, 2009.

"Your Seller need to get a lawyer to lift the caveat," the Head, a lawyer, pointed out the relevant paragraph in the copy of the Caveat. He was kind enough to show me the "Grounds of Claim" in the Caveat stated that the Singapore bank had given a letter of offer to the first Buyer who had accepted the Letter of Offer. Therefore, the Bank had claim to this property.

"How can a bankrupt afford a lawyer?" I asked him. "Are there services of lawyers who help such bankrupts?" The Head did not know.

The Bank's lawyers
"I am only doing out of goodwill to meet you," the young lawyer repeated a few times while she read the copy of the caveat and referred to her file. "I act for the bank. Are you sure you are not the Seller?" The Seller had 3 names like what all Chinese. "Are you a Myanmar national?"

"No," I said. "I am trying to help this person." Why would anybody want to waste time to help a stranger? A stranger in need of help. The young lawyer probably could not understand. I must be the Seller in disguise. To make matters worst, I did not have any Toa Payoh Vets namecard in my wallet.

"I will try my best," the young lawyer repeated herself a few times and I wished she would not do that. But I was given free consultation and beggars could not be choosers. "I have written to the Bank immediately on receipt of the Seller's letter. Please remember that I act for the Bank." Her reminders that she does not act for me had been repeated ad nauseum politely.

"I will phone the Seller when I have some news," she said as she referred to her file. "Why did he wait so long?" she asked when I said that the Option to Purchase would expire around 3 days.

"Please phone me," I said. "The Seller sometimes don't answer his phone." The lawyer was puzzled as to why. I don't know why too and could not give an explanation. There was something fishy in this case. Did the first Buyer really give a Letter of Cancellation on return of the $400? I did not contact Agent 1, so I do not know. Time was really running out and the claws of the HDB would just grab the HDB and sell it off at 90% of the purchase price. This seems to be inevitable.


Sales can proceed but completion cannot be achieved.

"There are cases where the sales proceed for the time being," she told me. It is true that the HDB may permit sales to proceed if both parties agree.

"Not in this case," I said. "The 2nd Buyer will not exercise the OTP since he would have to pay another $4,000. If things don't work out, he loses $5,000."