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April 2014

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Reading Time: < 1 minute If you’ve hired a truck and plan to do most of the moving yourself, it pays to come prepared. Here are some basic supplies for DIY packing and moving to get you started. What you will need: ·         Cardboard boxes in a range of sizes ·         Wardrobe boxes for protecting clothing such as suits and formal attire ·         Cardboard to separate items in boxes or protect wooden floors ·         Packing tape to close the boxes ·         Bubble wrap to protect glassware and valuables ·         Rubber bands to secure closet or cabinet doors ·         Old newspaper or wrapping paper for covering belongings to prevent damage ·         A permanent marker to label the boxes ·         A trolley or hand truck to move heavy items up and down stairs ·         Blankets to protect items from damage once in the truck ·         A box cutter or razor blade for opening the boxes are your…

Reading Time: < 1 minute Looking for inspiration to redecorate your home? Curvy couches, quartz kitchens and shades of purple in the bedroom – these are just three trends that are hot in interior design right now. Take a tour through each room of the house to discover what’s on trend for 2014. Bedroom Purple is officially in. The color experts at American company Pantone have named Radiant Orchid the color of the year for 2014. The color blends fuchsia, purple and pink undertones to make a light, bright purple. For interiors, try incorporating the shade in the paint, accent pieces, and accessories. Pantone suggests using it to complement olive and deeper greens, or to liven up neutral tones like beige and grey. Living room Straight-edged sofas are out, modern curved couches are in. Retro curvy designs, in particular, are tipped to be in living rooms everywhere this year. Also ideal for living spaces, corduroy…

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Empire State Building is by far New York City’s most famous building, yet it is also one of the most expensive properties you can invest your money in. So just how much cheaper would it be if the iconic skyscraper were located somewhere else? We’ve done the math and calculated how much it would cost to rent the landmark if it were located in one of the world’s emerging property markets – including in Bangladesh. Exactly how much cheaper is it to rent in an emerging market? We used the Empire State Building as a guide. Spread over 102 stories, the Empire State Building has a total area of 208,879 square meters. To rent the building where it stands for one month would cost much more than $US10 million. But assuming the iconic skyscraper was built in an emerging country, the picture starts to look very different. You could…

Reading Time: 2 minutes There is nothing worse than feeling unsafe in your own home. Of course, there are some basic measures everyone can take to secure their property – move to a safe area, keep lights on around your perimeter, even buy a dog. But technology has put advanced home security within easy reach for the average homeowner. Today we go beyond the basic alarm systems and look at some clever inventions for boosting home security. Consider installing one of these to make sure you and your family stay safe at home. Add-ons for your security system Boost the value of your alarm system by adding glass break sensors to your windows and doors, as well as motion sensor lighting to your exterior. Often these can be included as an inexpensive add-on alongside your home security package. Motion sensors, in particular, are one of the best ways to ensure outdoor entry points –…

Reading Time: 2 minutes Emerging markets are continuing their upward march in global economic terms, proving the growth story in the developing world is far from over. That is according to TIME magazine, which has named four new emerging economies – including Indonesia and the Philippines – as the ones to watch. The Philippines, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Ethiopia are now the four most desirable emerging markets, according to the magazine. Nicknamed the PINEs, these four countries are giving the world’s economic powerhouses a run for their money. The magazine notes that these economies represent a big step forward for both the global economy and the quest to eradicate poverty. “The PINEs are all performing very well right now, and that shows that the advance of emerging economies is far from over. In fact, the fantastic growth story in the developing world is widening and deepening, drawing in countries and regions that had previously been…

Reading Time: < 1 minute Ladies, would you forgo a diamond engagement ring to put a deposit on your first home? One recent study from the US has found plenty of women would do just that. According to a survey from ERA Real Estate, close to 50 percent of women said they would swap a big engagement ring to use the money on a down payment for a house. And in even more surprising results: more than 17 percent said they had already made the swap. A further 60 percent of survey respondents said they would miss out on a honeymoon in order to put the cash towards a home deposit, with 16 percent having already done so. ERA, a US-based real estate franchising network, surveyed 1000 people in committed relationships to find out how buying property had affected them. Nearly 90 percent said buying a home together had strengthened their relationship. Some other interesting…

Reading Time: 2 minutes Clutter, bad lighting, furniture in the wrong place – these things affect more than just how comfortable you feel at home. According to the ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui, the layout of your living space can also affect how happy you are in a relationship or how successful you are in a career. From your health to wealth, the principles of Feng Shui can help create harmony and positive energy in all aspects of your life. Feng Shui: the rules To find out whether the layout of your home is inviting positive energy into your life, place the Feng Shui Octagon (pictured above) over the floor plan of your house or apartment. This tool is a guide to figuring out which areas of your home correspond to which life areas. The thinking is that by making small changes to your living space, you will see improvements in these areas.…

Reading Time: < 1 minute Just when you thought Paris Hilton had done just about everything, she takes on yet another project: opening a string of luxury condominiums in the Philippines. As if being an heiress, a DJ and one of the world’s most famous party girls wasn’t enough; Hilton has expressed that she is now ready to follow in the steps of her great grandfather and grandfather, who created none other than the Hilton Hotel empire. Paris teamed up with Philippines-based Century Properties to open the luxury Azure Urban Resorts Residencies. Paris arrived in the Philippines last week for the official inauguration of her first real estate project. With the property market in the Philippine’s being one of the strongest emerging markets at the moment, the Azure resort brings not only more to choose from, but such lavish amenities such as a private beach club, a movie theater, restaurants, and a spa.

Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s not like anyone actually needs a reason to avoid doing housework. But we’ve found a particularly good excuse: it turns out today, April 7, is No Housework Day. So ditch that broom and leave the washing up for tomorrow. Here’s a guide to planning your whole day around pure and utter laziness at home. 8 am: Ditch the dirty clothes basket. Start the day with something simple. It might not seem like a big deal, but clothes strewn around your bedroom is actually a bold statement against household chores. It says, ‘I can’t be bothered with this easy task. Why would I stretch myself to cleaning the bathroom?’ 10 am: Take a stand against cleanliness. Don’t clean the mess, add to it. Wipe the bread crumbs and dirt from the kitchen counter onto the floor. Empty the contents of your wardrobe all over your bedroom. Feeling brave? Dump the…

Reading Time: 2 minutes Japanese architect Shigeru Ban is known just as much for his humanitarian efforts as for his innovative, contemporary designs. Ban, who was awarded the prestigious Pritzker Prize for modernist architecture last week, has pioneered the use of recyclable materials such as cardboard and paper in disaster relief projects. In earthquake-ravaged towns as far-flung as Christchurch and Chengdu, Ban’s work has helped local communities get back on their feet. The Pritzker Organization chairman and CEO Tom Pritzker said of Ban’s prize: “Innovation is not limited by building type and compassion is not limited by budget. Shigeru has made our world a better place.” Here are just a handful of inspiring examples of his selfless work. Cardboard Cathedral: Christchurch, New Zealand For one of his recent projects, Ban helped rebuild the symbol of Christchurch: the city’s 132-year-old Gothic cathedral that was badly damaged in the 6.3 magnitude earthquake in February 2011. Built…