Gladys Goh, GM of Nippon Paint

In line with this trend, Nippon Paint has been organising the Nippon Paint Young Designers Award (NPYDA) for the past 5 years, to promote green and eco-friendly design elements into the property world through the eyes of interior design and architecture students. We speak to Gladys Goh, General Manager of Nippon Paint, about the birth of NPYDA, its aspirations, and why green living is the way to go. Read on!

Q: What inspired the birth of Nippon Paint Young Designer Award (NPYDA)?
A: When we first started the NYPDA, our aim was to inspire interior design and architecture students to be innovative and to motivate them to achieve a higher degree of professionalism. At the same time, it was also our objective to recognise the abundance of talent in Malaysia and the Asian region and to provide an avenue for them to share their design ideas. NPYDA took form to nurture these creative minds and at the same time to give them the exposure.

Q: What is the main objective behind these awards?
A: A major factor in the award these past couple of years is how the participants incorporate green design elements in terms of materials, maintenance, energy usage, water and waste management – complete with a  creative design and the suitable use of colours to truly make the design outstanding and memorable.

The other objective of the theme is to support the government’s call to shift toward green technology and products that will promote “high-income but low-carbon economy”. This goes hand in hand with our commitment to environmental wellness, which we have proven through our Green Choice series. It was only natural for us to continue down this path with the NPYDA to promote green technology, design and innovation amongst the future generation of designers and architects.

It is our fervent hope that the NPYDA is instrumental in inspiring the best to come forward so that their work would eventually receive recognition at the local and international level.

Q: Now that NPYDA has gone international, how many countries are involved in this year’s project?
A: We have a total of seven participating countries – Malaysia, Singapore, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam. It is in our vision to spread the Awards to the other countries Nippon Paint has set up in, like India, Taiwan, Korea and Philippines.

Q: Is there a theme or a particular objective for this year’s competition? If so, what is it?

The theme for NPYDA 2012

A: Previously, we left the choice of space or building open to the participants and we have viewed wonderful work. This year, we want to raise the bar and challenge the participants by having them redesign an existing abandoned or empty space or an old building to see how they can truly transform that space into something special that connects with the community and offers renewed energy and positive effects. Hence, the theme “Redefine, Recreate, Revive – redesigning spaces for a greener future.”

Q: Why is the NPYDA focused on green buildings and green design?
A: Nippon Paint is one of the pioneer paint companies to come up with a series made for green and sustainable buildings. A building’s nature is not only dependent on the materials used for its physical structure, like paint, but also the design element that conserves energy and reduces carbon footprint at the same time. We believe it is our responsibility to inculcate such design practices and beliefs in our young, for them to eventually implement it in their workplace later.

Q: What are the criteria the judges look at when judging the entries from the contestants? Is there a particular entry that stands out from the past years?
A: For both the ID and Architecture categories, the participants must fulfil the following: -
a) Green Design Elements – 30%
b) Colour Elements – 20 %
c) Planning & Design – 40% (this must follow our theme of Redefine, Recreate, Revive)
d) Design Statement – 10%. For the architecture, participants are required to do a site analysis

Last year was the beginning of our regional award programme hence it was interesting to see the concepts from across four countries. For example the Platinum Winner for Interior Design Category came up with an out-of-the-box idea to design a Seed Garden targeted at children to encourage tree-planting and understanding nature. As for the architecture category, Lim Min Syn from Malaysia incorporated Mother Nature into her design of a library with minimal use of high-tech eco gadgets. In a nutshell, we are always pleasantly surprised with the concepts that are submitted.

Q: Are there similar initiatives or projects in the pipeline for Nippon Paint?
A: Yes, we have “Create your moment with Momento” targeting to working IDs. This contest is where IDs get to showcase their talent by creating their own masterpiece. This is a very new award and you may visit http://www.momento.com.my/ to find out more about it. NPYDA will however remain a more long term award objective as compared to Momento as that’s part of the launch plan.

In a report by New Straits Times recently, it was stated that barely 24 hours after real estate agent Chen Choi Mooi was found murdered in Batu Dam, Gombak, another real estate agent was stripped naked and tied up by her “prospective clients”. She was however successfully rescued by police, who was alerted by auxiliary policemen, who had been tipped off that the victim was held captive at a condominium in Mont Kiara.

We are deeply saddened by the news and would like to express our sincere condolences to the family of Chen Choi Mooi and to the other victim, it is our hope and prayer that you will be able to overcome the trauma and recover from the ordeal.

As such, we would like to urge all agents, regardless whether you are a male or female, to take all the necessary precautions to ensure your safety. We have outlined some safety tips here – Being Safe Matters – Tips and steps to be safe on the job.

Please remember that the smallest bit of prevention goes a long way in ensuring your own personal safety. Be safe!

On a different note, I am extremely happy to highlight that our year-to-date results in all the four countries in which we operate in have reported astounding growth.  

iProperty.com.my continues to be the clear leader in Malaysia and was also recently ranked the world’s 3^rd most dominant portal when compared to other competitor portals by Property Portal Watch. The Malaysia business has and continues to achieve many milestones over the course of 2012.

In the first quarter of 2012, GoHome.com.hk has also successfully extended its lead in Hong Kong. The website continues to outperform other local real estate portals with the highest traffic, user and listing figures, making the most effective online advertising platform for local real estate and living sectors

Moving on the Indonesian market, we have also seen tremendous growth in both our portals, rumah123.com and rumahdanproperti.com, which we acquired in August last year. iProperty.com.sg continues to be the equal market leader and has established a clear position as a trusted source for information, property intelligence and buyer insights, in Singapore.

Another piece of exciting news that I wanted to share with you, was that we have expanded our family! The iProperty Group will soon be in Macau via the acquisition of vproperty.com, the country’s leading property portal. The acquisition extends the reach of the Group in the region with the Macau based portal being managed by the iProperty Group’s GoHome.com.hk business.

The portal currently generates revenue from local real estate agencies and property developers. It receives 50,000 consumer visits per month, generating 500,000 page impressions and has 60 registered agents as paying subscribers.

The success we achieved here, and continue to achieve, could not have been possible without your continuous support and believe in us as your trusted voice in all things property related. Thank you!

Have a great weekend!

One of them, a 34-year-old from Kepong, was called up last Thursday by “prospective clients” who expressed interest in viewing a Mont Kiara condominium unit. There, she was stripped naked, tied up, and raped, while the “couple” who called her up ran away with her mobile phone, laptop, RM200 – with the victim’s Toyota Vios in tow. The woman was rescued by auxiliary policemen.

The other victim, Chen Choi Mooi, a 42-year-old mother from Jinjang, was not so lucky. Her husband reported her missing on last Tuesday, and the next day her car was found with blood stains in the boot at Jalan Ipoh. Her body was found with strangulation marks at Batu Dam in Ulu Yam that night.

According to newspaper reports, the police have not ruled out the possibility of the two attacks being committed by the same perpetrators.

Selling property, as is proven so clearly by these two cases, is definitely not a walk in the park, especially for the women in this business. We are all so busy running the rat race, we forget to take note of the small but essential things we need to survive in a Klang Valley’s dark and often ugly underbelly. Here are some tips and practical steps to take if you are a female property agent always on the go:

The picture says it all

1. Take care of food and nutrition and get some exercise.
- People who are weak are often targeted by perverts and serial murderers, only because they do not have the strength to fight back or escape. Fight or flight is a natural animal instinct, but we can neither fight nor fly away if we are too weak to fend off our perpetrators. A balanced diet and exercise will help keep you healthy, alert and on your toes, and of course the stronger you are, the better you can fight back.

2. Use your “sixth sense” or gut instinct
- Women are famous for their almost psychic gut instinct, which is like a subconscious perspective about a person or a situation. If you are caught in a situation where doubt takes over, or you talk to someone where the person does not look or sound too genuine, the best thing to do is to NOT pursue the deal further. Not even if it is a million-dollar deal. After all, the million dollars will not guarantee your safety – or your life.

3. Be alert
- Sounds easy, doesn’t it? You would be surprised to know that most women are easy targets because they are MULTITASKERS – looking for car keys while talking on the phone, checking for texts and listening to songs on the earphones while crossing the road – you get the idea. Keep your eyes and ears open at all times, and keep your hands free when alone. A handbag is often the first place a rapist or robber would pull, and women have the habit of carrying multiple handbags and practically rendering their hands useless. Use a bag pack to put in all your things if you know you are going out alone – that way your bag can’t be reached, and your hands are free to fight back.

4. Verify customer information
- At the risk of sounding like a stalker, one way of knowing if your customer is genuine is for asking for their work and home numbers, besides the number they provide you, and a physical address. If they cannot do that, then Google will be your best friend. Just type in your client’s name, city and state, something is bound to come up. Try not to meet clients at a property, but ask them to come over to your office, so that you can make a copy of their IC and driving license – “for verification purposes.” Give someone in office your itinerary for the day, and ask them to call you every hour or so.

5. Be lazy
- Sometimes it pays to be lazy, like parking closer to the shopping mall entrance, or even taking the elevator instead of the staircase. We have all seen the B-grade Hollywood horror movies, where the predator waits for his victims in a dark empty stairwell, or behind the thick walls of a shopping mall car park. Unfortunately, these tactics used are quite common, so when you are alone, forget about walking 10,000 steps a day, or getting a quick cardio on the staircase. Being lazy can save your life.

6. Carry your weapon of choice
- Your weapon of choice need not be a gun or a knife. Most women choose pepper spray as their ammo against rapists and serial killers. Get one that hangs on your bag, instead of one that you would have to fish out among the many many things in your bag itself. According to self-defense experts, perpetrators are less likely to attack women who carry umbrellas with them. Carry an umbrella, rain or shine, just in case – you never know when it might come in handy.

7. Escape!
- Watch this video and find out how escaping, instead of fighting, can save your life:
Personal Safety Tips for Women

We at iProperty.com hope that none of you will ever encounter a situation to use any of these tips to fend for your life, but we do hope these steps are taken into consideration and kept in mind, not only for your own safety, but for you to pass on to your family and friends.
Stay safe!

Sources:http://www.thewpsn.com/turning-fear-into-fury.html, http://powertochange.com/life/personalsafetytips/, http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/HealthyWoman/story?id=125859&page=1#.T7WuatmIjFI, http://homebuying.about.com/od/realestatecareers/a/safety_tips.htm, http://www.thesundaily.my/node/98937, http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/real-estate-agent-raped-by-client-1.83217

Q: How long have you been with iProperty.com?
A: More than 4 years!

Clare rocks the Mandarin collar!

Q: On a scale of 1 – 5, how would you rate the experience of working in iProperty.com?
A: 5 – I’ve learnt & grown a lot since I first started here, from working in a non-IT line before to now being able to guide agents on their tech issues using the iRealtor. I must thank the AM team headed by Leon Kong for their guidance. I just can’t say enough.

Q: Do you have any advice for newbies in this line?
A: Be a team player & the No.1 rule is to respect everyone no matter their age or ranking – you’ll be able to fit in sooner than you think!

Q: As an AM, are there any customers, or incidents involving customer, that you will never be able to forget?
A: Ah! Yes. We have an agent – a 70-something senior citizen who has been our agent subscriber now for more than 3 yrs – who would ask us to key in all the info listing for him. He would normally come by or fax in his hand-written copy. Recently, though, he expressed his “desire” to learn up the system and the keying methods. How cool is that? I guess you’re never too old to learn anything!

Q: We all remember our first job and our first paycheque. What was the first thing you bought with your first ever salary?
A: I remember buying myself some new trendy clothes (call it the start of my very own “boutique”) and buying my family a nice dinner.

Q: We notice that you are always dressed to the nines. Where is your favourite place to shop for clothes?
A: Wow…well said! Haha! All in AM should know – it’s JUSCO!  I love that it’s in Mid Valley, and I love that they have the loyalty card. I also absolutely love the fact that I’m able to claim rebate in cash for all my shopping, of course I’m a fan all the brands & styles they offer, because they fit me perfectly.

Q: Tell us two things people don’t know about you.
A: First one – I love eating lunch alone most of the time. I get to do my own stuff after that like shopping for my family. Second one – I wear contact lenses. I really hate wearing my glasses because I probably look stricter than your mother in them, haha, maybe more like your principal!

Q: If you could be granted ONE superpower, which would you choose, and why?
A: The power to make everyone happy and healthy. The world is a big rat race today and we tend to forget the basics in our lives, like being healthy and happy, and helping other people inculcate that kind of lifestyle as well.

Q: If you knew the world was ending in 2012, what would you do differently?
A: I would travel around the world more with my family and embrace other lifestyles & environments. You can never beat that experience.

Q: This we have to ask you: do you prefer curly hair or straight hair?
A: Well I used to think I look better in straight hair, but apparently I looked like I was from The Planet of the Apes. Haha, can you imagine that? Well I’d have to say curly hair definitely suits me more, but I have yet to determine which kind of curls suits me best…it’s best not to get me started on this topic!

Well, we certainly got the town talking and visitors flocking through our site to participate in this extremely hard to resist contest. So, if you are an Indonesian citizen, don’t be left out! Submit an entry NOW here! You could just be the lucky winner to move in to a brand new home!

In Malaysia, thousands of people are making their way to the iProperty.com Expo 2012 at the Mid Valley Exhibition Centre. Held from the 4^th – 6^th of May, the Expo features Malaysia’s Hottest Properties under one roof and it’s the only place for property buyers and investors to find irresistible deals on the latest developments in town. So, if you are on the hunt for that next investment or in the search for your dream home, then head down over today. The EXPO is opened from 11am – 8pm.

We look forward to seeing you there! There will even be lucky draw prizes worth over RM700,000 waiting to be won!

On a different note, we’re proud to have launched our newly revamped ThinkProperty.my website! You can now post your property for sale/rent for FREE and participate in our very popular property forums where you can ask and discuss your thoughts and opinions.

We are also the talk of the town in Hong Kong with the formation of strategic cooperation’s with key leading developers. The formation of these strategic partnerships with leading developers solidifies GoHome.com’s position as the clear market leader in Hong Kong.

Moving on to Singapore, the 5th International Property Expo which was held in the Marina Bay Sands from the 20^th – 22^nd of April was hugely successful. Consumers walked away with great deals and developers were extremely happy with the turnout and success of the event.

On a separate note, I was extremely happy to hear that Nayati Moodliar, the little boy who was abducted on the way to school last week, has been safely reunited with his parents. I can only imagine the anguish and trauma that the little child was put through. I was happy to read that he is well and high in spirits. You are brave boy and your courage is certainly to be admired!

Have a great weekend!