Being Ng Teng Fong

Singapore's wealthiest private unlisted developer Ng Teng Fong passed away on 2 Feb 2010. One wonders how such an egnimatic and low profile persona can be where he is today. Some stories about him which diffrentiates him from the rest of us I suppose:

Despite his fortune, he had a reputation for leading a frugal and unostentatious lifestyle. Though he controlled at least a quarter of Singapore's housing market, Ng lived in the same house he'd had for 30 years, and used to take his own lunch on the airplanes.

He could see ahead where others could not: First to go into Orchard Road Singapore, First to go into the old Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong

His first foray was in a estate in Serangoon Gardens.???

In fact, Mr Ng was so passionate about his business that he not only worked 18 hours a day, but also reportedly would take a penlight along when he went to the occasional movie with his wife so that he could do his planning and calculations in the dark.

‘If you want to be in the property business, it is not possible to invest in every region.
‘You open the map. If you can’t see the place (because it’s too small) but only the name, that’s the place to invest in…Singapore and Hong Kong are the best examples.’