2008 Budget Highlights

I don't know about you..BUT..I really don't see anything beneficial to me here *sulking again*

Source NST Online

• Some 100,000 tax payers to be out of the tax net as rebate for taxable income of RM35,000 and below will be increased to RM400 from RM350 - BIG DEAL..

• Tax exemption for all interest income for individuals - DON'T SEE THE SIGNIFICANCE
  
• Reduction of import duties for consumer durables (examples: blender, rice cooker, microwave oven and electric kettle- HUH!!!!) to between 5 percent and 30 percent from 10 percent and 60 percent
  
• Import duty exemption on several food items including vermicelli, biscuits, fruit juices and canned sweet corn - DOUBLE HUH!!!!
  
• Road tax for passenger vehicles with diesel engines to be similar with petrol engines effective Sept 1, 2008 - DIESEL ONLY??
  
• Tax exemption for employees on staff benefits such as subsidised interest on housing, motor vehicles and education loans - MUST CHECK ON THIS
  
• Bills of mobile and fixed line phones as well as internet paid by employers to be tax-exempted - HOW TO MAKE SURE MY BOSS ADHERES??
  
• Government to provide RM3 billion soft loan facility under public transportation to finance acquisition of buses and rail assets to be administered by bank pembangunan malaysia bhd - WAIT N SEE LAR

• 50 percent reduction in toll charges for all buses, except at border entry points, for two years effective Sept 15, 2008 - NOTHING TO DO WITH ME
  
• Efficiency of public transportation to be improved via rm35 billion expenditure from 2009 to 2014 - DITTO
  
• Farmers to benefit from proposal to abolish import duty on fertilizers and pesticides - CHEAPER FRUITS/ VEGE??
  
• Home ownership among civil servants to be boosted by extension of housing loans tenure to 30 years from 25 years - NOTHNG TO DO WITH ME
  
• Government housing loan insurance panel to be expanded to all eligible insurance companies from only five insurance companies now - DITTO
  
• Excise duties on cigarattes up three sen to 18 sen per stick. Duty for 20-stick pack now up 60 sen - 3 CENTS??? HE MUST BE JOKING..
  
• Highest marginal tax rate for individuals to be cut to 27 percent from 28 percent effective year of assessment 2009 - DON'T UNDERSTAND FULLY..BUT 1 % POINT?? GOT DIFF MEH?
  
• Middle income group to benefit from cut in marginal tax rate to 12 percent from 13 percent - AGAIN..1%??
  
• Accelerated capital allowance for purchase of ICT equipment can be claimed over one year instead of two years (86) - APPLICABLE TO ME ?
  
• Import prohibition on cranes used at ports to be removed. Import duty for the cranes cut to 5 percent from 20 percent (88) - NOT RELEVANT TO ME
  
• New investments by operators of four-star & five-star hotels in sabah and Sarawak to enjoy pioneer status with 100 percent income tax exemption or investment tax allowance of 100 percent for five years. - DITTO
  
• Venture capital companies to enjoy five-year tax exemption for investing at least 30 percent of their funds in start-up, early stage financing or seed capital - DITTO
  
• Local shipping industry to be promoted via a new rm2 billion fund to finance the purchase of ships and upgrading of shipyards. - DITTO
  
• Plants and machinery acquired by SMEs in the years of assessment 2009 and 2010 to be accorded accelarated capital allowance to be claimed within one year. - DITTO

Big Deal..

I know..I know..I kept saying that I have nothing against him..but..this kind of news really irk me..

NST reports..As ironic as this may sound, Chong Wei has dethroned Lin Dan, who denied him Olympic gold, as the World No 1. It was a position the China star had held since Sept 28, 2006 but he drops to second in the latest ranking, released on Aug 21, due to his limited appearances on the international circuit this year...

It also says...The progress of Chong Wei will also be rewarded handsomely by the BA of Malaysia (BAM) as players ranked in the top two receive a quarterly incentive of RM45,000. Chong Wei, going by his current form, is likely to maintain his position in the top two bracket until the end of the year and earn RM180,000 on ranking bonuses alone this year.

*Sulking*..so rich liao..no need to play la.

Is this ME?

TAURUS - The Tramp

Aggressive - NOPE! I VERY GENTLE WAN
Loves being in long relationships - TAK ADA PUN!
Likes to give a good fight - AS TIMID AS A RAT!
Fight for what they want - NAH...
Independent but needs love and attention - I GUESS SO..
Extremely outgoing - TO A CERTAIN EXTENT..NOT EXTREME THOUGH
Loves to help people in times of need - I'D LIKE TO THINK SO
Good kisser - HAVE TO ASK MY FUTURE PARTNER
Good personality - I GUESS SO..
Stubborn - DEFINITELY!
A caring person - I BELIEVE SO..

They can be self centered and if they want something they will do anything to get it-DEFINITELY!

They love to sleep and can be lazy - NOT ANYMORE..
One of a kind - ERMM..WHAT SAY YOU?
Not one to mess with - NO LAR..
Are the most attractive people on earth - GEE...YOU THINK SO?

When the TV stops functioning on Beijing Olympics Closing Day

I started carying a mobile phone 12 years ago back in 1996. In all these years, I think my father had called my mobile phone less than 5 times. Let me recall..

• While I was sleeping in my room, he called once (from the land line in the living room) to make sure I am waking up to go for annual prayers at mom's resting place on Cheng Beng the "Chinese All Souls Day"
• While I was having Sunday brunch with friends, he called from home to tell me that my abandon new house has been broken into
• Some years back, he called to say the astro machine wasn't working properly
• Some time ago...he called to complain that the astro remote wasn't working...Again
• Yesterday, he called (while I was meeting Uthaya, my former class monitor whom I have not met for 18 yrs) to 'inform' that the TV is not working!

Yes..he only calls from home..cos he refuses to carry our numbers with him for emergencies *sigh* And he doesn't carry a mobile phine himself. Neither can he remember our numbers by heart.

And so..the TV broke down on a very important day - the day of the Beijing Olympics closing ceremony. The Sony manual says that when the Standby light indicator blinks it means.."there is a problem with the TV" but it doesn't say what's wrong. It only says to contact your nearest service centre but...there is no contact numbers of any service centre. Hmm..

May be that's their tactic to encourage us to replace the damn TV. Sending it for repair means a few days without a TV and it will probably cost a few hundred bucks and most importantly it means missing the Closing Ceremony.

So..my father decided to buy a new one. He knows..what's out there ..cos he's been eyeing them. And..what's most interesting is..he doesn't need to carry any cash nor credit card with him. That's because both his daughters owe him money!

so..what happened was..the son in law chose the best deal in town - the latest Philips LCD ...and he nods his head....daughter pays...rush for dinner...and rush back home..son in law helps to fix new tv...and everyone gets to watch the Olympics Colsing on a brand new TV.

Money is Never Enough..

Last month SY introduced me to a game in facebook called Be A Tycoon where one starts with a capital of $2,000,000 - that's 2 million bucks. Sounds alot? Not really..cos the game is about Being a Tycoon....and members are ranked in the order of Millionnaires, Centurians, Billionaires & Oligarch. In the game, one buys and sells assets ranging from Consumer goods to Exotic stuff to Industrial products/ sites to IT related stuffs.

With my initial 2 million bucks..I could only afford things like exotic sports car ($1mil) and exotic race horse ($1mil). The price of these double to $2mil in about 10 minutes. SO..with a few rounds of buying and selling..i could then afford other things like caviar farm ($3 mil) etc etc.

Over time..with more buying and selling..I can't remember when I became a centurian member which I just learnt that centurian are members with $99mil to $999mil!

I am now in the billionaires club with a networth of $40,917,000,000....erhmm..how do I read that..40 billion? Anyway, now I can afford to invest in huge assets like a "national park' which I bought for $34,199,000,000 and am still waiting to 'earn' from this huge piece of junk :(

The moral of the story..money will never be enough! I started with 2mil....was very happy raking average profits of 4-5mil per transaction...and went on to become 'billionaire'...and now eyeing bigger investments that will bring greater profits...and so on.

Putting that into real life scenario...we probably started our working life with RM800 to RM2000 a month depending on qualifications. By now..some are earning 4 to 5 thousand...some 7 to 8 thousand..may be some of us are even more succcessful with a five figure income. Will we ever be satisfied? My first car was a Perodua Kembara worth 54k. When it went missing after less than 2 yrs...I went on to buy a even more expensive car at 80k. Gaya ma..upgrade konon-nya. And that time I had little commitments. Few years back..my father encouraged me to commit to a property of my own. This huge piece of liability is the reason why I am still driving my old car :( now.

And my sister still insists that I should change to a better car and not to a practical MyV cos we should "Aim High...have Aspiration...with no aspiration..we will have no desire to improve"

Hmm....I don't know about you..but often I dream about living a simple life in a small little village..no commitments, no competition, just peace of mind. After all..when life ends...we return back to where we were..just I, me and myself. No car no house no money.

Silver is enough?

Yesterday was a special day for Malaysians. Almost everyone from all walks of life made special arrangements to stay home or at least make sure they are in front of the TV to watch the Olympics Badminton Men Singles Finals between our very own Lee Chong Wei vs. China's fame player Lin Dan. My sister and husband decided to buy in dinner just to watch the game. I am sure many others also made special adjustments either by taking early dinner or eating at home instead.

Personally I am not a fan of LCW. Ok..it's a personal thing. As I confessed to WK...LD is so much more better looking and played so much better..I could not help but cheered for LD instead. And personally, I don't think winning the RM1mil incentive will do LCW or the sport any good. (FYI..he stil gets RM300K for the silver)

While waiting for the match, I watched the mixed doubles bronze & gold medals play offs. Even the bronze medal match was so exciting. The players really fought HARD. China already had accumulated over 30 gold medals, what is another bronze !! But..I must give credit to the players..they really fought hard...to the very end. The commentator spoke that.."if you think this is exciting..wait till you see the Men Singles match later on"

Unfortunately, he was wrong. The match turn out lopsided with LD playing like a tiger and left our LCW lost in the battle field. This is a very common phenomenon in Malaysian sports...beating the national record is good enough! Reaching the quarter/ semi-finals was our target and we have achieved it!

No doubt, LCW had work tremendously hard. We can see for ourselves how well toned his body is now. Compared to the doubles players..I think he is the most disciplined player in the team. The pressure must have been huge on him..so he crumbled. Malaysians are a forgiving lot...based on feedback from radio listeners and newspapers ..Malaysians seem happy with a Silver unlike most people I know..who were damn pissed that he didn't even put up a fight and lose with some pride.

Nevertheless, LCW is still a national Hero...for getting the Silver according to today's papers.

hmmm...so what is Michael Phelps? Look at the young korean boy (barely 20 yr old) and he fought to the very end to grab the Korea's first ever Badminton Gold. What about people like Lin Dan and Liu Xiang ..the whole nation expects them to deliver..not silver..but GOLD! The coach of Liu Xiang went to the extend of saying.."if he doesn't win in Beijing, all his past glory will be meaningless"

I admit that I am not fan of Chong Wei but this is not about Chong Wei alone. It's about Malaysia and its people including myself. It's time for us to start striving to be the best...instead of aiming to be second or third best all the time!

I still think I have Dyslexia

I think my 'condition' is getting worse.. if it carries on I will lose my job la. Here is a simple test I obtain from the internet (http://www.dyslexia-test.co.uk/adults.html).

It says this...If you answer 'Yes' to five or more of these questions, then you may be dyslexic..

When writing checks/cheques, do you frequently find yourself making mistakes? YES

When using the telephone, do you tend to get the numbers mixed up when you dial?
Is your spelling poor? YES

Do you mix up dates and times and miss appointments? NOT YET
Do you find forms difficult and confusing? YES

Do you find it difficult to take messages on the telephone and pass them on correctly? YES
Do you mix up bus numbers like 95 and 59? NOT YET

Do you find it difficult to say the months of the year forward in a fluent manner? NOT YET

Did you find it hard to learn your multiplication tables at school? NOT THAT I KNOW OF

Do you take longer than you should to read a page of a book? YES

Do you find difficulty in telling left from right? NOT YET

When you have to say a long word, do you sometimes find it difficult to get all the sounds in the right order? I THINK SO, DO I?

FIVE YESES...I AM DOOMED!

The Virtue of Loving Others (Source: NST Online)

WHAT is love?
Love is knowing deep down that if I help another, I am only helping myself.
Conversely, if I harm another, I am only injuring myself.

When we realise that we can live together in harmony if we love one another and see the positive points of others, then we are laying the foundation for a strong, loving society.

Often, we exaggerate the defects of others and highlight our good points.
We should in fact appreciate the virtues of others and praise them.
No one is perfect.
However many defects a person may have, he would still have at least one virtue and we should learn to see it.

Our attitudes cannot change overnight but with the right awareness and a concerted effort, it is possible.
It is the basis of a peaceful, loving society.
For me, love is a gift that is free from anticipation.

There are no special conditions.
The deepest level is a selfless desire for others’ happiness.
I infuse this warmth into everything I do.
I listen with my heart and to the heart. I let everyone know of the loveliness I see.

— By Bridget Menezes, author of Self-Empowerment.
Her words of wisdom can also be heard on Lite FM (105.7) from Mondays to Thursdays at 7.45pm.

Money Not Enough for Apple :(

Apple vs. Grape

APPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEAPPLEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPEGRAPE

I am going NUTS...so is the world..here's interesting bits of an email "Proof That The World is Nuts" i just received:

In Bahrain , a male doctor may legally examine a woman's genitals, but is prohibited from looking directly at them during the examination. He may only see their reflection in a mirror..(Do they look different reversed?)

In Cali, Colombia, a woman may only have sex with her husband, and the first time this happens, her mother must be in the room to witness the act.
(Makes one shudder at the thought.)

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. (I know some people like that.)

Starfish don't have brains. (I know some people like that, too.)

Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.
(Who volunteers for this stuff?)

AND lastly..this is for REAL :

Tuesday August 12, 2008
TAIPING: Engineering graduate bites mum, bangs head, then dies..read more

Is it wise to have a New Car now?

In the last 2 weeks I spent 500 bucks repairing wear n tear of my six year old Kia spectra! Is that a good enough reason to change? The mechanic says that it is very normal for cars more than 5 yrs (regarless of models), it's either we spent the money paying instalment for another car or pay him the money to patch up the old car. However, after I shared with him my sister's experience with the car robbers..he said.."like that ah..u better dun change car, it will be a pity if u r kidnapped, drive old car, got problem, bring to me, i help you to fix!"

Hmm...IF I were to get a new car...Am considering either a car in the likes of Toyota Vios or Honda City versus MyVi. The salesman says that it is not fair to compare an apple with a grape. Hint..he is saying that the Perodua MyVi is a Grape!

To me..it's simple consumer mind especially under current economic situation - which idiot will consider a eighty thousand car if a forty nine thousand car can offer you the similar functionality. Financially, all three is within my 'capabilities'. MyVi is damn good value for money taking into account its Price and all that it offers in terms of performance, safety, durability, fuel consumption and most importantly - - it's doesn't attract robbers!

Both the mechanic and salesmen suggested MyVi at the top of mind when I asked them to recommend a car. But...I asked them a second questions.."if you are me..can afford Vios ..but considering MyVi because of practicality reasons...Which Will You Take?"

All of them gave me this anwer...VIOS!..but for some reasons..they can't give me a concrete reason to back their choice...why ah?

Ohh no....now I will be an idiot not to go for the MyVi!

P/s: Those of you who know me well enough will bet your wealth that I will definitely not go for MyVi no matter how Right it sounds right?

....

Think I'd better drop a line before people start asking why I have not been updating. There's pretty much nothing to update. Am also getting a bit tired of M'sia's political front...same ol stories..

• When I step down, you take over har? now u support me ok?
• I swore He sodomised me...got scholarship?
• I resign, you all vote for my hubby la..eventhough he may go jail
• ACA open file here and there ...investigate merc purchase la, faulty expensive police gear la, bridge falling apart la, but no file open on money politik reports on PM n DPM ka?

Boring la. Personally..nothing much going on. Am a bit tired at the moment..may be a little run down by a slight flu. Slight flu saja.....not enough to take sick leave..duh! Was still able to survive the gym yesterday..means I am alright la.

Heard that sis will be getting her car back this week...but I won't say M'sia Boleh until I see the car in good condition with my own eyes. Wait la.

Oh ya..I've been also having some fun on facebook catching up with long lost school friends. It's just so nice to have that feeling back..just like when we were back in school. I've been chatting with people that I only have memories from back in Primary days (that's like 27 yers ago)..but in actual fact we were in the same school till we were 17! The only explanation I have is that ..as I grew up..I meet more friends..and along the way I lost touch with some other friends. I am still trying to remember the name of my partner in class for the final 2 years in secondary! Darn! That wasn't very long ago man..

They Found the Merc!

Surprise surprise...!
For the first time we are genuinely impressed by the M'sian Police.
Well done! One of the accomplice apprehended and merc recovered in less than 7 days!
The car is still in good condition although all 'personal' belongings had been removed.

Malaysia Boleh!
(Err..or shall I wait until the car is officially handed over in equally good condition..and this will take at least a month?)

Q: What's the likelihood of a lady living in KL having had an experience with snatch thieves?
A:Extremely likely

Q: What's the likelihood of both sisters living in KL having had an experience with snatch thieves?
A:Proven to be highly possible

Q: What's the likelihood of both sisters living in KL having had an experience losing their cars?
A:Proven to be highly possible