An Anonymous Journal

Is It An End To Vehicle End Life Policy‎?

2009-11-09T13:14:00.001+08:00

A couple of days ago, MITI (or more accurately, the Government), decided to pull back plans on the implementation of one of the new conditions under the National Automotive Policy (NAP) after much noise from the public, including yours truly.

So now, cars above 15 years are not required to get tested by Puspakom. However, insurance companies are still enforcing this because it's a business after all, and before offering insurance coverage, they surely would need to ensure beforehand that a vehicle is road-worthy.

Now, I certainly do not begrudge them this but don't you think that 15 years is certainly too new a car to enforce this? It's fine if it was a commercial vehicle for for private cars, me thinks 25 to 30 year old cars would be more appropriate.

Also, it is much hassle to get a car tested YEARLY. If you have been to Puspakom lately, you would know what I mean. Alternate years or even three years once would be fair, after all, all vehicles are tested when there is a change of ownership or when one takes a car loan.

But then one question on my head right now is how long will this decision not to enforce Vehicle End Life Policy last? Until after the next General Election? We all know that this is an old issue which recently arose again. I know that this certainly isn't the last that we will hear of it. Do we, owners of older cars, need to keep creating uproar every time this is brought up? It's pretty ridiculous the implementation of this condition would force us to install a car loan ALL OUR LIVES. I don't think the standard of living of most Malaysians has reached this level yet.

Bad Influence Of SMS Lingo

2009-11-06T00:17:00.001+08:00

I read a letter in The Star today about the unwanted influence of SMS language in written work. I have to say that even though I myself text on the phone and chat online a lot, I also hate reading such lingo because I cannot make out what the writer means sometimes. I always feel that we write to convey a message and we have to do it as precisely as possible to avoid miscommunication.

I remember years ago when I was chatting online with a guy who asked me for my photo. I don't really remember how our conversation went anymore but until today, I still remember him writing, "waiting 4 yrs" which I mistook as "Waiting FOUR years" when he actually meant "waiting for yours" after he sent me his photo and I had yet to reciprocate.

For a while there, I was shocked that he waited for my photo for four years already and I wondered how it could be when we didn't even know each other for that long yet! LOL Until today, I never get the hang of reading short forms like that. It's a whole lot worse for text messages in Malay which I could hardly make out. And yes, those Malay short forms have been transferred to written text as well, unfortunately.

Accept or Decline?

2009-11-05T22:19:00.001+08:00

Christmas is upon us once again and many of my friends will be home for the holidays. I normally love this opportunity to catch up with my friends, people whom I grew up with, and we always have fun like we never separated before even though we may only see each other once or twice a year because of our jobs and family.

This Christmas, I actually dread receiving Christmas invitations from them because I have to stick around caring for Snoopy, and not many people would understand why I am doing something like this.

Obviously, I am unable to meet up with anyone but even if I could spare the time to do so, whom shall I meet and whom shall I push off? It is not easy to decide since some may take it personally. Frankly, due to my circumstances right now, I really don't feel like socializing at all. Well, maybe I'll just turn everyone down.

Looping Korean Drama Witch Yoo Hee Soundtrack

2009-11-05T22:10:00.000+08:00

Since I began watching Korean drama Witch Yoo Hee, aka Witch Amusement, I have listened to the official soundtrack and have continued listening to it even though I have already finished watching the drama last night.

Like I mentioned in an earlier post on Witch Yoo Hee, I didn't find the storyline too impressive though the actors and actresses did put on a good performance, but strangely, I really like the soundtrack and despite listening to the whole album multiple times already, still have yet to get bored with the tracks. My favourite being track #11 Just Like Destiny (Instrument) - 오준성.

I normally only like two or three tracks from an album but this time, I didn't even remove any of the tracks from this album from my player. When will I be bored with the album or when will I change to another album to loop? Probably when I start watching Beyond The Realm of Conscience or Born Rich or perhaps another Korean drama.

I'll be watching something new tonight but have yet to decide which drama to start. Or perhaps just a movie will do.

My Round The Country Dream

2009-11-05T22:00:00.001+08:00

Taking care of Snoopy for these past 5.5 months, I have spent a lot of time thinking and planning what I want to do once this is over. I'd love to travel, something that I used to do before Dino and Snoopy came into my life, but had to stop because Dino was always sickly and I had to be on stand by.

I thought that if I were to travel alone, although a little unsafe, I could easily use public transport because it is convenient since I prefer to travel to places away from major cities. However, if I could find a cheap used rv for sale, I could travel with my friends or family. It would be more fun traveling with a group of people that I know.

Anyway, I really cannot decide now. Even if I could get hold of a cheap RV, I may not have companions who have the time to travel with me. Not everyone would have time flexibility with their work like I do.

No Luck In Mafia Wars Loot Events

2009-11-05T21:40:00.000+08:00

I've been playing Mafia Wars on Facebook for quite a few months now. Well, looking after Snoopy, not able to go anywhere, one could only get so much entertainment at home. Anyway, since I started playing Mafia Wars, Zynga ran quite a number of Mafia Wars special loot events, and off hand, I could remember the 4th of July event, Moscow loot event, Tiger loot event, Labor Day loot event which they called Hard Labor, and most recently, Halloween loot event.

Even though this is just a game, it stresses me out that I always do not have the luck to collect all eight loot items. I play all the time and still would only get multiples of items except for the elusive eighth piece. I tried spending Godfather reward points on my Stamina so that I do not have to wait for it to replenish by itself, taking precious time but in the end, I wasted them all without looting the last item even though the duration of loot dropping was extended by one day.

For the recent Halloween Loot Event, I read that one would be rewarded with a bonus loot item if all eight were collected but I can't verify this as I am missing Kraken, a special loot item inspired by Pirates, another Zynga game. Sigh, I need better luck!

My Aunt Lost Her Job Again

2009-11-05T21:30:00.001+08:00

My aunt, who is a former secondary school teacher, has been working as a teacher at a preschool near her home. It's a perfect arrangement as she could walk to work since her son has taken her car to college. However, my aunt said that she couldn't even hold on to the job, a job that she enjoys even though the pay isn't great but it nicely supplements her pension, because her employers were a little too much.

All along, my aunt was telling me that she doesn't know whose directive to listen to since this school is managed by a couple. Last week, the male employer told to buy preschool furniture and even though it's out of her job scope, my aunt obliged but when she returned, the lady employer screamed at her asking her where did she go during work hours. That was the last straw.

So now my aunt is looking for a job again. It isn’t easy because of her age!

Maxis IPO Closed Today

2009-11-05T21:12:00.001+08:00

So application for Maxis IPO closed today at 5pm. My friend, who lives in Kuala Lumpur, was able to submit his application at the last minute. Well, it was not by design but he had to open a CDS account first before submitting his application. Imagine the hassle those living in East Malaysia have to face. Submitting their applications by mail would take a whole lot longer than a couple of days. My friend reported that there was a snaking queue at the submission point and after all the stipulations, only one guy was standing by collecting all these application forms. LOL

I only managed to apply for 1000 shares via the blue form and 100 shares online via Maybank2u. I actually wanted to apply for another 100 shares but was denied by the system for "duplicate application" even though I used another CDS account and another Maybank account, though both are linked online. I think I must have forgotten that I previously applied for some IPOs via ATM.

Anyway, all things that involve money very much depend on luck. It's like money has a spirit of its own, don't you think so? I have no idea when balloting is but listing is on 19th Nov, if I remember correctly. But then I was told that this is not a short term stock so one has to hold a little to see profit or to reap dividend.

Refurbishing My Room

2009-11-05T15:42:00.001+08:00

Once in a while, I have this urge to refurbish my room. I don't know why; perhaps I get bored easily since I am in my room almost all the time. I don't just want a new coat of paint or new linen. I want new door and windows and new furniture, modern furniture.

I spend a lot of time going through interior decorating magazines and websites and know that if I have the budget, I could do a lot of things to my bedroom. It's spacious and bright and very proportionate too.

On the other hand, I don't think I want to spend too much money since I plan to move out soon, as soon as Snoopy allows me to, and wouldn't it make more sense to use my money on my own property? What a dilemma I am in!

Where To Buy Cheap Third Party Insurance For Cars Above 15 Years

2009-11-05T15:21:00.000+08:00

As you may have read from earlier posts, our family car is turning 30 next year and is one of the millions of cars on the road that are affected by one of the new conditions imposed under the National Automative Policy (NAP) that is supposed to take effect beginning January, 2010 but already affected by insurance companies right now.

These past few days have been a very busy time for since our road tax expires on 15th November, 2009 and we were told that our regular auto insurance agent no longer can get coverage for our car. However, the lady did tell us that we have an option to subscribe to pool insurance that would set us back by RM350 for a year of coverage.

I talked to a friend who is an agent with MAA and he told me that I could still purchase auto insurance from any MAA office right now because inspection for cars above 15 years by Puspakom is only mandatory beginning next year. I called up MAA office in Ipoh and was told that they no longer accept insurance coverage for older care because their quota is already up. However, I was told that I could buy insurance from the post office.

We called up the post office and were told that they do accept older cars, but we would need to get the certificate of fitness from Puspakom first. We did that, paying RM50 for it, and got the certificate, and then with that, went to the post office to buy third party car insurance for our car, which only set us back by RM133 for a year of coverage. Pos Malaysia is also an agent for JPJ and we could renew our road tax with them as well, paying RM2 service fee.

Buying our insurance through Pos Malaysia saved us more than RM200 because if we had purchased our car insurance from an insurance company, we would be forced to either comprehensive insurance or buy insurance coverage for four passengers if we were to buy third party insurance.

However, our road tax increased by RM200 for one year. We were told that fuel subsidy has been removed so everybody's road tax will be more expensive. Ironically, we never benefited from the fuel subsidy because our car is above 2000c.c. But anyway, we can still use our car for yet another year. It may be old, but it's in a better condition than a lot of other cars.

Bumping Into A Hollywood Star

2009-11-05T14:26:00.001+08:00

My brother bumped into a Hollywood star not too long ago but didn't manage to ask her for a photo or autograph, unfortunately. I am not going to mention her name here but if you know where I am from, you would know which celebrity I am referring to since there is only one Hollywood actress where I come from.

My brother told me that she looked very slim and not very tall, totally different from what we see on TV, in movies and print ads. Maybe she takes diet pills to maintain her figure, we don't know but I read that movie stars have to be very watchful of their figure because when they are projected on the silver screen, their figure is blown up, making them look fat, when they are actually not. It really is not easy being a celebrity, I guess!

New NAP Policies A Burden To Rakyat

2009-11-05T12:50:00.000+08:00

Of course, I am referring to the low to middle income group of people. How would cabinet ministers, who are chauffeured everywhere, know the kind of hardships that people who own cars that are older than 15 years go through?

The fact that most of us drive older (not old) cars is that we cannot afford to own a new car. Taking a car loan involves a lot of documentation that the self-employed are not able to furnish. Buyers of older cars are mostly self-employed who buy with cash but that doesn't mean that these cars are no longer road worthy. The cut off year, at this point, is 1994, and I believe we can still see many cars this age on the road, perfectly fine.

A car is no longer a luxury unlike in in the 1940s & 1950s and even in the 1960s but with these new conditions under National Automotive Policy (NAP) which many of us believe are implemented to help revive sales for national cars, it will soon be only the very rich in the country can afford to own cars.

Come on, Malaysia is not an island and we don't need to restrict car ownership. It's fairer if these conditions only apply to commercial vehicles, or even cars above 25 or 30 years old, and I say this even though my family car is turning 30 next year, but 15? That's pretty ridiculous, if you ask me.

Even though these new conditions are supposed to come into effect only beginning 2010, insurance companies have already imposed them on car owners and it is troublesome just to get the car insured in order to renew the road tax. By the way, why do Malaysian drivers have to pay both road tax and toll?

Weight Loss Challenge

2009-11-05T11:46:00.000+08:00

My sister told me a funny story whereby she and her colleagues are participating in a weight loss challenge, but only among themselves. The end of the year is a time for feasting and it will be exceptionally difficult not to put on weight but then it's all in one's willpower, me thinks.

My sister said that the person who managed to lose the most weight before Chinese New Year will win. I does not matter what method one loses weight by. It could be naturally by exercising or with the help of appetite suppressant pills but no surgical procedures are allowed.

The funny thing is that none of these ladies are exceptionally overweight. A little out of shape, maybe. A little flab here and there, maybe. Still, they are taking this seriously and are trying to outdo each other.

Witch Yoo Hee [2007 Korean Drama]

2009-11-05T11:25:00.001+08:00

Witch Yoo Hee, also known as Witch Amusement, a 2007 Korean drama, marks my return to watching Korean productions. It really has been a long time since I watched anything Korean. I watched Welcome To Dongmakgol, a 2005 Korean movie, back in April but then Snoopy fell ill and I didn't have the time or the mood for any entertainment. And then when I began watching dramas again, I discovered Kevin Cheng and watched a few of his dramas and movie consecutively. LOL

Well, last night, I finally completed Witch Yoo Hee, which has a total of 16 episodes at approximately 65 minutes each. I have to say that Witch Yoo Hee caught my attention only because of Dennis O but it has a weak storyline which made the drama seemed exceptionally long and boring. However, it is sometimes funny which made me chuckle along, thanks to the antics of Yoo Hee's Manager.

I wouldn't say that Witch Yoo Hee is exceptional. I guess by next month, I wouldn't even remember how the story went but I trust that i would still remember the good looks of Dennis O. And nope, he doesn't look too Asian.

How To Get Rid Of Spare Tire?

2009-11-05T10:57:00.001+08:00

The past 5.5 months have placed tremendous stress on me and if you know me, you will know that I don't handle stress very well. At the same time, I don't think anyone would understand the pain that I am going through; taking care of Snoopy since the say he was unable to walk until today. He is alive but this is not living.

I have lost a lot of weight, which is a good thing except for my haggard looks, because I am not getting enough sleep. But despite my drastic weight loss, I am still carrying a spare tire around my waist. Not too big but noticeable and I do not like it at all. Do I have to take weight loss supplement to get rid of it totally?

A friend told me to do sit ups but because I don't get about sleep, I dare not do exercises that put a strain on my heart. I am afraid that I would collapse. Maybe getting rid of my spare tire should be put on hold till I am in a better physical condition.

Born Rich [2009 TVB Drama]

2009-11-04T20:07:00.000+08:00

Although Born Rich has aired for more than two weeks already, I haven't started watching it yet. This is yet another mega production of the year by TVB. The other one is Beyond The Realm of Conscience starring Kevin Cheng.

Born Rich is yet another drama that I am looking forward to watch. I am stuck at episode 14 of Korean drama, Witch Yoo Hee right now and will either start watching Born Rich or Beyond The Realm of Conscience right after. I already have all 12 episodes of both dramas and can't decide which one to start yet.

I am looking forward to watch Born Rich only because it stars Gallen Lo, one of the Hong Kong actors that I liked years ago, when I was still schooling. I remember Gallen in The Seasons back in the 1980s and strangely, that was the only drama of his that I remembered the title to but I am sure I watched him in other dramas as well.

I caught Gallen Lo last year in When A Dog Loves A Cat, a TVB drama, the first since his venture to Mainland China. He looked tired there, probably because he was supposed to be sick. I am looking for a good performance from him in Born Rich. I read that this and Beyond The Realm of Conscience are fighting for viewership and Born Rich is losing but it's still early days.

Missing The Year-End Sale

2009-11-04T12:07:00.001+08:00

I will have to give the year end sale a miss. I don't remember when was the last time I failed to take advantage of this once a year mega sale but this year will be an exception since I am stuck at home 24/7 as a caregiver to Snoopy.

Come to think of it, I don't shop too much even though I try to buy everything I need during sales. And the year end is a good time to buy the stuff I need, like clothes, shoes and bags, for Chinese New Year. You know how superstitious the Chinese are!

I also buy some small gifts for friends for their birthdays and other occasions around this time. It saves me a lot of hassle if I have gifts on hand when the occasion comes or else I would forget and then do not have enough time to pick up an appropriate gift.

Oh well, I guess I will have to do my shopping later when I can finally get away but then I will have to pay more for my purchases. SIGH!!

Burdened By New Policies On Credit/Charge Cards, Older Cars & Tiered Fuel Prices

2009-11-04T11:57:00.000+08:00

As if life isn't though enough in the current economic condition, the government is burdening us, the lower and middle class people with more hardships that range from service fees to credit and charge cards to heftier premiums on car insurance for cars above 15 years and also tiered fuel prices.

I am actually pretty miffed. Our family car is going to be 30 next year but still road-worthy, I guess I could say that it's in a better condition than many of our local cars that are ten years old. And I have to scrap the idea of buying a 20--year-old Japanese car with a budget of RM5,000 and up my budget to RM8,000 which could only get me a 10-year-old Proton. I have shelved my plan for the time being. After all, I don't need a car yet now that I am stuck at home caring for Snoopy.

Why is it that there are no policies that actually HELP us feel less of the financial burden? Who says that a reduction in income tax for top earners in the country would benefit ALL of us? Says who that a service fee imposed on credit and charge cards would help us to control our spending? If we have more opportunities to earn more, we wouldn’t have problems managing our credit/charge cards.

New Filipina Colleague

2009-11-04T11:42:00.001+08:00

My sister, Kelly, just sent me photos of her holiday with her new Filipina colleague, Marissa. Kelly is trying to make her feel at home since she just arrived to the United States and does not have family or friends. Kelly knows the feeling of being alone in a foreign land, just like nine years ago when she landed in America.

Kelly mentioned that Marissa's first goal is to slim down. Working in the beauty industry where their lady boss demands perfection from her staff, Marissa certainly feels the pressure. She said that she hopes to earn and save enough to go for austin weight loss program and at the same time, try to remit as much money home as possible. Her family back home thinks that America is still the land of dreams and she doesn't want to disappoint them. Poor Marissa.

Beyond The Realm Of Conscience [2009 TVB Drama]

2009-11-03T15:26:00.000+08:00

I usually do not like watching costume dramas despite the elaborate setting and colourful dressing, because of the olden language used which I have trouble understanding but I guess, I have to make an exception this time around and watch Beyond The Realm Of Conscience, one of TVB's 2009 mega production. The other TVB mega production for this year is Born Rich, which I am going to watch too because it stars Gallen Lo, my favourite actor at one time.

I am making an exception this time in Beyond The Realm Of Conscience only because it stars Kevin Cheng, my most-est favourite TVB actor for the moment. Although the drama has already aired for two weeks now, I still have not watched even the first episode yet.

I am still watching Witch Yoo Hee, a 16-episode Korean drama which has the oh-so-cute Dennis O. It's taking a longer time that I thought in finishing the drama but not only because its episodes are one hour long but also because the pace of the drama is a tad slow and the storyline is weak. Still there are still another four episodes to go before I will start watching Beyond The Realm Of Conscience. Suddenly, I don't feel like following multiple dramas concurrently.

Looking for photos of Kevin Cheng in Tang Dynasty costume online is not an easy task. It took me the whole morning searching for those that I like just so that I could include them in this post. No matter what he’s wearing, this guy sure looks handsome, huh? Hehehe!

Pilates

2009-11-03T02:17:00.000+08:00

A couple of my friends have invited me to join them in their pilates classes. I haven't done so even though I know that my lifestyle is doing more harm to my health than good and I definitely need some form of exercise soon. I haven't tried pilates before but I am always open to something new if time permits.

Lately, my mother has been feeling aches and numbness in her hands and legs and I think pilates could help her. It would be great if both of us could attend pilates classes together. I have been reading up on pilates from a pilates boston website, the website of the first pilates gym in Boston, and it looks like pilates is also suitable for men. Do you think I could interest my dad to join us as well?

I have browsed through many pilates photos on the web recently, before I plunge in. All those twists of body and limbs don't look easy, especially for someone like me who has been leading an extremely sedentary lifestyle quite a long time now, to my own chagrin. If you are practicing pilates, perhaps you could share with me your experiences with it and let me know how beneficial it has been to you.

*** This post brought to you by The Movement Center of Boston

Are you Applying For Maxis IPO?

2009-10-30T17:35:00.000+08:00

Frankly, an IPO at RM5.20 is not normally one that I would apply for but based on the track record of Maxis, not the current general share market sentiment, I think this is not a chance that stock players should pass up on especially if they qualify for restricted balloting, applying with the blue form or better still, green form, which is reserved for members of Maxis One Club.

If you follow my blog, you would know that I subscribe to Celcom but my brother subcribes to Maxis, and also Celcom and DiGi, and like all Maxis subscribers, received a text message about a chance to participate in this restricted balloting so I am coming up with the capital and we are going to share the profits, if any.

Actually, there isn't much time between the launch and the closing dates, only about a week, and it will be a mad rush for interested people who do not yet have a CDS account but those who live in Kuala Lumpur have an advantage because they can hand deliver their applications but for the rest of us, we have to send by ordinary mail. My mother says that Maxis is insincere. LOL

Normally, I apply for IPOs online via Mayban2U and I wouldn't even bother with application forms because it takes up too much time. This is an exception. Let's hope that it is going to worth all the runaround.

Purchasing A New Car

2009-10-27T15:47:00.002+08:00

If you have been following my blog, you would know that I planned to buy my own car. I have a budget of $5000 which is enough to buy a 20-year-old Japanese make car but with the new conditions imposed under the NAP, I have to increase my budget by 50% which would only be good enough to buy a 10-year-old local car.

My friend, Mike, also owns an older car and he says that it is no longer viable to continue using it when the new conditions take effect. He plans to purchase a new car since his car is giving him mechanical problems already anyway. Whilst that would increase his monthly expenses by at least $400, he said that he could cover part of it thanks to the monthly Car Allowance that he receives from his company.

Actually, Mike's job scope qualifies him the use of a company car but since the company is doing away with that, Mike has to use his own car. I told Mike that it's timely that he is replacing his car. After all, when Mike is out meeting clients, he is projecting the image of his company and he can't do that too well driving his older car. With a new car, people would have more confidence in him. This is a materialistic world, whether we like it or not.

Budget For The People?

2009-10-24T10:18:00.003+08:00

Budget 2010 was unveiled yesterday and boy, isn't it the same old tune again that it's for the people? Frankly, going through the list of supposed goodies, I cannot see anything concrete that would benefit ordinary people like myself.

Sure, you can say that the maximum tax cut has been reduced from 27% to 26% but what good does this do? Do we all earn that high an income? Definitely not.

University students get to buy a netbook package via an installment plan of RM200 per month for two years with free broadband but are we all university students? Do university students REALLY need netbooks to study? Isn't a netbook luxury? RM200 per month with free broadband thrown in may seem attractive but what are the specifications of the netbook? Who would really benefit from this proposed budget? A certain netbook manufacturer and a certain internet service provider, of course.

Another ridiculous item on Budget 2010 is the "service fee" of RM50 that will be imposed annually beginning 1st January, 2010, on all credit and charge cards supposedly as a measure to promote more prudent spending. This RM50 "service fee" is on principal cards while RM25 is on supplementary cards, including cards that have been issued free of charge.

What would REALLY promote prudent spending is not by imposing a service fee but to limit the number of credit and charge cards that we could own based on our income levels. Now, I believe this would really help. By imposing a service fee on the millions of credit cards around the country, again, who are the real beneficiaries?

Hefty Insurance Premium

2009-10-24T10:04:00.001+08:00

My friend, T, told me that his insurance agent told him that he now qualifies for an upgrade to his insurance plan but for a limited time period only. T said that although it's a very attractive plan, if he were to get life and medical insurance inclusive of 36 critical illnesses until the maximum age of a hundred years old he would be paying premium to the tune of half a million dollars!

I thought that it's pretty hefty and wondered if one really needs that much insurance. How much is enough, actually? T said that he has to compare life insurance quote online first before committing to the new upgraded plan. It's not a short term financial commitment, you see, and because he is self-employed with no fixed pay at the end of the month, this commitment could be rather scary!

** An Anonymous Journal **