Life In Me

Property.. Buy Buy Buy... Is it a Sure Sound Investment??

2011-04-05T22:35:00.009+08:00

I love property investment.. And I can spend the whole teh tarik session just to talk about property investment rather than a cocky topic about sex scandal, politic and a mere talk cock.. Been residing in KL for almost 2 years and I did a simple study on how nifty the profits been made with selective strategic properties. In mid 2009, 3 properties came into my frame of mine after a thorough analysis namely Midfields by YTL at Sg Besi, The Endah Promenade by PJ Development at Sri Petaling and The Zest by Trinity Group at Kinrara. All are high end condo/ service apartment. The Midfields started with RM280k for a 1000+ sqft and now selling at RM400k plus. Endah Promenade with 3 rooms and size around 1000sqft started at RM246k and now selling at RM400k plus as well.. The Zest was a clear winner, at BK9 of Kinrara, selling at RM240k (at RM220 psqft) for 1200+sqft built up area unit, and now shoot at around RM440k+ for the same unit.. A nifty 100%++ appreciation. I must say, I am scratching my head now in dissapointment. Hahaha... The lesson.., if we intend to be a serious investor, belief is a key words, have a strong and handsome holding power, and once you think you wanna go after an analysis, have a courage to take a sound risk after considering affordability and pray for a nifty outcome.. Wish for a good luck 2011 year at my side... Amiiin...

Easy..????

2011-04-05T22:21:00.002+08:00

Been a while not updating my blog.. :) too busy with all sort of 2011 planning.. Being in the ocean of corporate world, it needs a courage to keep going.. Anyway, gonna say something about one person which was instrumental in the success of my unit these few years. Not a day light all the time indeed, a sudden change in organization's objective made him move to the new challenge. As a result.. a change management event happened. The aftermath..., speculations, notorious -ve perceptions and strucked the morale to its lowest.. As a superior, I put my points very straight forward but yet, subtle.. Positive, keep move ahead, run out from the deepest side of change management haywire, push away all sort of negative input and blast, discharge all circle of concerns and build up an inner belief.., flexibility will pays and pave for betterment... Good luck dude...

Leveraging in Properties. Should We Go or Not..?

2010-05-31T20:21:00.002+08:00

I have received many comments on my believe in properties acquisition leveraging by refinancing property.. The arguments are;
1. This was what western preach and belief, which lead them to recession in recent years;
2. The idea of mortgage paid by the tenant. How we know that there will be a demand in tenancy for any particular property we acquired?
3. Cash flow affected if no 2 not materialized as plan?

First and foremost, in any investment, no one could predict what will happened after it was made. Even Warren Buffet does not always hit the strike and jackpot. And the modest answer to the above arguments is, always look at your affordability, means debt and income ratio. Personally, I will make sure my debt to nett income ratio does not hit more than 40%, even though most of financial planner adviced to limit to 30% ratio. And not simply leveraging without looking at nett cashflow capabilities.

All in all, in current sophisticated market and with all resources, one may be able to predict and make a proper plan before acquiring any properties be it new properties or not. Location, historical tenancy demand, market price movement year on year, proximity to amenities and easy accessible etc are common key enablers before any decision made. Classic example, I always made a dummy advertisement in one of the popular selling/ renting website which is free. And from there I gauge the responds of potential tenant. Off course you have to be there physically to see and experience all the key enablers for making it a preferred choice for residents be in tenant or living for good. And you know what, the best way to look for acquiring properties are always auction properties.

Horrible Experience

2009-10-03T11:35:00.003+08:00

So many times I've been travelling for business trip or leisure, but last week was my first time arriving KLIA from overseas. Kalau LCCT KLIA adalah 2, 3 kali. Selalu via Changi sebab aku dok kat JB previously. First time jetted off from KLIA when I was accompanying my wife to London en route to Manchester in 2006, but flying back was landed at Changi. So, complaint.. Once landed, cam biasa lah, dek kerana panas buntut dok long haul in cramped economy class, cepat2 nak blah out of aircraft fuselage. Within less than 15 minutes I was cleared from immigration, thanks to fast immigration kiosk.. good innovation from immigration department.. Waiting at luggage arrival belt.. After 15 minutes, then first luggage came.. waiting.. owh.. then the misery came.. the speed of the conveyor was damnn slow, more than 10 times it was suddenly stop for what ever reason. Then have to be interfered with ground staff. All the foreigners besides me dah merungut sighh sighh, shit, damn.. and all sort of kurang enak didengar words.. As Malaysian yang patriotic, bengang jugak kan.. As it means to Malaysian jugak.. All in all, aku tunggu lebih kurang 1 hour 33 minutes just to get my little luggage out.. Plus 15 minutes, Almost 2 hours just to cleared myself out of airport building after landed.. This is totally different from my experience in Changi, Taiwan, Narita, Pudong etc etc... In changi, it was cleared by less than 30 minutes including immigration clearance. Even tho fully loaded long haul flight.. So, I guess, MAB have to do something... Satellite terminal for arrival jauh giler dari main terminal.. and thts causing a havoc for luggage handling I guess especially for fully loaded flight.. anyway, pada aku tak kisah pun, but for most foreigners, this is something embarassing and mae them fed up.. particularly for those in hurry.. That's why they preferred via Changi rather than KLIA...

New Chapter of Life at Liverpool

2009-05-15T17:45:00.005+08:00

Relief..... at last, kid's nanny got her entry clearance to the UK. Thanks God. The timing just right with daddy secured his new job in KL after his MNC company shifted operation to China amid recession. Indeed, mummy was delighted as she will be reunite with kids again after a long haul 2 years separation. Haziq started his reception school while Yasmine begin her joyful nursery session at St Margareth of Antioch School, Smithdown Road, Liverpool Merseyside. With their considerably good basic english exposure at Smart Reader, it just took a days to settle down.. :-) Spring at Liverpool just a perfect start for them.. and daddy and mummy is happy to see the plan is on track even though it meant an extra miles into the pocket... hehehe.. :-P

Recession - Part 2

2009-02-21T11:22:00.005+08:00

Last Thursday morning, my mailbox abuzz with a shocked message, but predictable. It became a hot topic among my office colleagues and counterparts across the region. Amidst slowing grow across the continents, my company showed a fairly good result. Though the year on year revenue dropped significantly across business unit, it was still profitable. I fully understand the sheer pressure of BOD to embrace the recession ahead, anyway, it is a business. And business should be profitable. Interesting point from our CEO which base in the US quoted for the next course of action;

The justification:

The math is pretty straight forward. From a productivity standpoint, you’re supposed to reduce headcount on par with declining revenue. If you believe the environment isn’t going to improve, you should take a bigger cut to get in front of the problems. You can do the calculation, as easy as I can. We have about 100,000 people in our product businesses, with revenue down roughly 20%, and an environment that may not get any better in 2009.
I’ll be asked by investors, “Where’s the job action, where are you taking out this roughly, 20,000 positions?” Well, I don’t want to do that. When I look at XXX, I don’t see a structural problem of that magnitude. There are pockets where restructuring needs to happen, and areas where actions will be taken as part of our ongoing workforce optimization process. But at a company-wide level, I don’t believe a major workforce reduction is the best thing for XXX at this time.
I think we are fundamentally sound, and when the economy picks up, I want XXX to be strong, and to take share and to outgrow the market. I said it last quarter, my goal is to keep the muscle of this organization intact. But we do have to do something…because the numbers just don’t add up and we need to have the flexibility to make the right long-term investments for XXX.

Next, the action;

We have decided to further variablize our cost structure by reducing base pay and some benefits across XXX. My base pay will be reduced by 20 percent. The base pay of Executive Council members will be reduced by 15 percent. The base pay of other executives will be reduced by 10 percent. The base pay of all other exempt employees will be reduced by 5 percent. For non-exempt employees, base pay will be reduced by two-and-a-half percent. Additional efficiencies, including changes to the US 401(k) plan and the share ownership plan, will also be implemented. Of course, the implementation of all of these actions is subject to compliance with local laws and regulations. Follow-up communications will detail the timing and the plans in your location

Yes.., this is the first impact of recession. Pay cut.. It still ok, to be honest for most employees. Adjusting life means for 5% or 10% was not so difficult, but loosing job for most people is the hardest faith to bite. We may have a contigency plan ahead should the worst came, but for most people who did not have any options in their hand, things won't be easy... No job cut yet, but I am pretty sure, if the situation does not show any sign of improvement in near future, it surely will come... God bless us...

Recession

2009-02-20T10:22:00.003+08:00

The gloomy economy... Every inches of soil around the globe at hardest hit, but, most analyst says, the worst not at bottom yet. Manufacturing industry, where I have been in for a decade was and will always at lowest end along this recession. How it affect us..? Easy.. Recession will weakened consumer spending, triggered retailer and distribution channel to slashed orders from manufacturer. No orders means no sales and no revenue. How to operate? How to pay workers..? Cut cost is the easiest way. Which cost? Obviously labour.. Long shut down, pay cut, voluntary separation scheme (VSS), retrenchment or worst scenario, closing plant operation. Closing plant operation will have a big big impact to the whole. Supply chain will be affected and thousands of job dissapeared.. What a cruel reality of recession......

Shoe String Traveller - Part 1

2009-02-17T10:48:00.001+08:00

Everyone loves to travel... You know your next desirable destination, but the questions now is, budget, budget, budget.. I will tell you one by one some useful practical tips for savvy traveler or some people say, backpackers.. Ermm, backpackers in style.. :-) In part 1, I will tell you when you should travel and the secret of saving in flight ticket and on land transportation. And off course these are applicable to non-tour package, as to me, tour package is worth if you are travelling to the places like Cambodia, Vietnam, Philipine, Indonesia, some part of China or Indonesia as the public transport and accomodation qualities are less reliable.

First, basic point, travel at out of peak season. When..? Typically, out of major global festivities. Christmas, summer season, bank holidays, easter holidays - Avoid it. Anyway, majority hates to travel during Christmas which is within cold winter and during searing hot summer (Considering Europe and Western destination..) Spring is the best time. Nice weather and nice view.. Good for pictures as well..

Plan it ahead, way ahead, 6 months and above, let your boss know, let the whole world notice, block the date, apply on leave in advance and rest assured, you are in peace... :) Many benefits if you plan it ahead... way way ahead.. Obviously, you have more time to do research, make bookings and off course all at cheaper price..

Second, transportation.. Flight ticket, airport transfer and moving around to the planned places of interest will required almost half of the budget.. Let us look at how to get a cheap flight ticket.

The cheapest definitely by budget carrier. Hey, now you can travel to almost major Asian cities, ocenia (Australia) and London by Air Asia. I love Tony Fernandes very very much...!! Well, with only RM499 (about RM500++ nett including taxes) one way, you can travel to the UK. And what's more exciting??? Indeed...!! You have an opportunity to tour Europe at much much cheaper price with multiples cheap connections to Europe's budget carriers. To name a few likes UK household cheap airline - Ryan Air, Easy Jet, BMI and many more. Try and play in Ryan Air website from Stansted to any major Europe cities in any off peak season and your jaw might be dropped.. I did traveled from Liverpool John Lennon airport to Milan Bergamo airport (return flight) for just GBP19.99 nett only.. Don't believe it..??? Believe it...!!! In fact, flying to Dublin is free.. Folks.. it's FREE!! It is just a matter of traveling at the right time.. :)

Owh.. If you still want to travel in style.. via premium airline, you can, definitely can.., but still can save - browse to global airline ticketing website. Do not go by individual airline website.. Website like travelocity.com, airnet.co.uk, airgorillas ticketing are very useful. Try and error any desirable travel period to get return air ticket list, sort by cheapest to the most expensive. It will list down hundreds if not thousand of return flight with total nett cost.. I did my best deal when I traveled to the UK last year which cost me about RM2800 nett for return ticket to Manchester via Amsterdam. And it was a premium full service airline. To my liking, I love travelocity as it is more efficient and reliable. In fact there is a 24 hours cooling of period which we can change the itinerary. You cant do this via most individual airline website especially if you bought a super savvy deal or non flexi ticket which does not permit you to change the itinerary easily unless it is a full flex ticket.

Now you smile all the way as you get the cheapest flight ticket on planet. Yet.. you still have to think about airport transfer.. Definitely, with prudent planning will not cost you a bomb. Book ahead.. If you are traveling to advanced cities likes Hong Kong, European cities, Australian cities or any part of Japan, book online ahead.. Example, if you tour the Europe, get a bus/ train transfer.. Make sure your hotel will be close proximit to the central station where you will be disembarked. It's cheaper.. For instance, National Bus across UK offered a fare as low as GBP1 from Stansted airport to major UK cities likes Manchester and Birmingham if you book couples of month ahead. Avoid taking taxi as it is very expensive.

And lastly, getting around at the destination. Normally as backpackers, they are many ways. Just figure out which one is cheaper. I always consider 3 option ; first option, getting a daily or weekly unlimited pass for city bus services. But you have to know and plan properly places of interest you wish to visit. Loads of job prior to the trip, but hey, the traveling date will be 6 months ahead, and you have a luxury to browse around through internet first. At the flip side, this is the cheapest option. Second, by booking a hop on, hop off tour package. Not that expensive. A full daily tour around Milan city will cost you about 28 euro only, and you cover almost every interesting places. I will let you know in detail in part 2. Third option, by renting a car. This could be an interesting option. You have freedom, but advisable, you should rent a GPS and do some research of dos and don'ts while driving in the destination cities. Renting a small size car in the UK or Europe will only cost you about GBP/Euro15 per day excluding petrol expenses. Additional GBP/Euro 10 for GPS per day, and you are good to go. Owh, get the list of address and postcode of places of interest with you as well.. :) Normally I choose second or third option.

Nahh.., let's do some calculation for this... Example, tour destination (Liverpool, Manchester, Wales and Milan);

1. Return flight ticket (Singapore-Manchester-Singapore) Transit at Paris = RM2800 nett (by Air France

2. Train (Manchester Airport-Liverpool-Manchester Airport) - GBP13, RM71.50

3. Hop on/ off Tour at Liverpool (1 day) - GBP7, RM40

Driving to South Wales (1 day) and Manchester-Stoke on Trent(1 day)

4. Rental of Chevrolet Matiz (1000 cc), 2 days including GPS - GBP50, RM275

5. Petrol - GBP40, RM220

Milan Italy Tour (3 days, 2 night)

6. Return flight (Liverpool-Milan-Liverpool) by Ryan Air - GBP19.99, RM110

7. Return transfer by bus (Liverpool city-Liverpool airport-Liverpool city) - GBP5, RM27.5

8. Return transfer by bus (Airport-Milan-Airport) - Euro10, RM48

9. Tour at Milan hop on/off (1 day) - Euro28, RM134.40

10. Bergamo Italy hop on/ off (half day) - Euro14, RM67.20

Total Transportation cost - RM3793.60

(For 1 week travelling, places - Liverpool, Manchester, Stoke on Trent (England), South Wales (Wales), Milan, Bergamo (Italy)

Off course, if you are travelling via Air Asia to Stansted, the cost will be way cheaper, perhaps as low as typical RM1400 nett for return ticket inclusive of return transfer. Next, in part 2, I will share more on how to save in accomodations... :)

Renting a Property - First Step

2009-02-16T15:19:00.000+08:00

Renting a house is not as easy as ABC. Couples of things to consider.

First, you have to think who do you want to rent to. Who is your targeted tenant? Are you looking for a families, college students, single, expatriate or company.. The best tenant target would be company or expatriate as rest assured, the payment timing is sharp as normally company or expatriate via hiring company will do a standing instruction to your bank account at the pre determined date every month. So, less hassle for you to chase your tenant should there be any delay. Renting to a company and expatriate will normally expose to potential higher rental rate. Some of my friend who owned condominiums in Hartamas fetched a reasonable above market value for fully furnish units.

Related with targeted tenant, you may want to consider to rent it as basic (without any furnitures), partly furnished (with some nessecities furnitures, normally, kitchen cabinet with hud and hob as well as 1 unit airconditioner at master bedroom) or fully furnished (with completed furnitures in all bedrooms, living hall, dining hall and kitchen). Anyway, the rental may be differ base on the criteria. If you invested RM10000 for fully furnished, advisable to add another RM400 to RM500 into rental considering 2 years rental contract.

Second, how to advertise your unit. Nowadays, with speedy technological and informative environment, we could have an access to couples of free website like rumahsewa.com or the best is mudah.com.my. I experienced a very good moment using mudah.com.my when I advertised my condo unit in JB. The unit has been rented out within less than 2 weeks from the advert date. And to my liking it was free.. :)

Third, how you choose your tenant. This is a real head ache. You do not know anyone so to speak when you first met them while viewing your property. Anyway, we could base on few tips. By appearances... When you talk to people, try to judge the way they speak, their professionalism and their appearances, whether neat and tidy. Ask their profession, ask their company contact number and business card. And how long they want to rent the property..? Who will they bring to stay with..? If you deal with an agent, let the agent bring the potential tenant together. Interview your potential tenant. Ask where they rent before and ask for previous landlord contact number. If possible, call the company they work to confirm their job designation. So you don't have to worry their capability to pay the rent. Call their previous landlord to make sure their rental payment pattern before. This is just a basic process to make sure you choose the right tenant... :). And don't forget to politely negotiate with them the rental rate. Do not fall in the trap of loose negotiation. Remember, we, as a landlord are doing business. Our property is our business and business must be profitable. Do not rush to close the deal. Don't worry, give them a fair statement by saying, you want to finalize all potential tenant first. Give a time line to finalize who you choose. At the end of selection, notify the rest of interested tenant with nice comfort word, so that you are not burning the bridge with them. Who knows they will be your tenant in your next property..

Forth, after you choosed your tenant, now it is time to get the deposit. Normally, the deposit consisted of 2 months rental deposit + first month rental. Then, request for utilities deposit as well, normally a month rental. The deposit will make you sleep in sound, in case there will be any delay in future monthly payment along the way and when the contract ends, should be any outstanding utilities amount, could be settle using the deposit.. And hey, the deposit will be good enough for you to start thinking to find another quality property.. :)

Fifth, legal side.. You may want to make it as formal agreement with adviced from appointed lawyer, and make an agreement to be stamped as well. This is good as if there is any breach of contract, you are protected by law. Get a lawyer won't cost you a bomb. It could be as low as couple of hundreds ringgit only depending on your property type and rental. Some more, make it look like a professional dealing.. :) Remember, renting a property is a serious business.. ;-)

A Vintage

2009-02-08T13:29:00.001+08:00

I wish this could be real of mine... sleek, king of d machine ~~ the real big boy toys which are simply not for tom, dick and harry.... a real statement of over achievement, wondering if it will remain as my figment of imaginations............ zZzZzZ ;-)

Pizza ViENneSe

2009-02-08T13:13:00.000+08:00

I am not that fancy to this Italian staple except my wife. Spare for this tho, simple.. soft dough topped with generous flow of home made bufala campana mozarella slapped with vegies and dashes of salsa makes it simply... savoury... owhh, those tomatoes when it burst, yummy

4~6~32

2009-02-06T14:35:00.000+08:00

Life's a journey.... What a quick turn around. From 4, 6 and now turned 32. A legatee to some one... and few decades later another legacies will be created.....
Their happiness, is my happiness......

The Accident

2009-02-05T10:43:00.001+08:00

The black 28 Jan 2009
I was on my way back to JB from KL via ELITE highway nearby NSE intersection. It was heavy rain, and I drove fairly slow.. 90km/h. Bad luck and Al Mighty's faith. At km 44, suddenly my car was skidded and bumped to right divider, turned 540 degree, banged 3 angle of my car. The front left side was the worst hitted. But thank God, my life was spared, my kids not with me.. And God giving me a lifeline to keep breathing... I was lucky there was no lorry or bus as it might hit me. The same spot, post 10 minutes after mine was wrecked, another brand new Benz was skidded and crashed. Pondering me to re-think...........

Fully Utilize Banking Facilities (Serie 1 - Car Loan Reschedule)

2008-09-09T17:14:00.000+08:00

Nowadays, with life expenses soared and skyrocketting days after days, many of us think of how to reduce the debts and increase our cash flow.., surely. There are many ways to work on it.. The principle is, managing the debts commitment and in the same time able to maximise saving. Rescheduling car repayment period is one of the option. But this is applicable to those who doesn't have an intention to sell and upgrade their car to new one. Example.., one guy had a 3 yrs old hire purchase loan with a full settlement value of 58k. He signed up that HP loan which needed him to repay RM1400 per month with an interest of 3% per annum for a period of 7 years. He planned to reschedule it to increase his cash flow. The bank offered him to prolong another 3 yrs with the same interest rate. He pays RM840 per month and save RM560 a month by doing so.
Now, lets do some calculation. If he maintain current HP agreement and pays RM1400 per month for another 4 yrs (48 months), it will cost him RM66672 to finish the repayment at the end of the tenure. If he rescheduled and pays RM840 per month for another 7 yrs (84 months), he needs to repay RM70560 to finish the repayment at the end of the tenure, which means will cost him about RM3888. And if he save the balance of RM560 in unit trust (ASB for instance) which he made from rescheduling and considering 48 months to finish the payment if he maintained current HP agreement, he will save a whopping RM26880. In reality, the reschedule option will cost him RM3888 but instead he will manage to save RM26880. Good option isn't..?

Milan and Bergamo, Italy, 1-3 August 2008

2008-09-07T22:30:00.000+08:00

A great tour at Milan and Bergamo in conjunction of our seventh wedding anniversary. Milan is the city of fashion designers, on par with Paris, Madrid, NY and London. You can find almost everything with regards to fashion, from Chanel, DKNY, CK, Guess etc etc.. Just prepare a money and you are in heaven... :)
For us, the only thing that we can afford is sight seeing.. Low budget.. Hey.. who cares, anyway, we applied smart traveler during this trip. We are able to book a flight for below 100 pound for a return of 2 departing from Liverpool. And we are able to book a 4 star Best Western hotel chain for below 150 euros consisted of 2 night stay.. Smile... Once in a life time experience.. ;-)
For just 28 euro, you are able to explore all important 'must visit' attraction sight at Milan.. named Museo di Stora Naturale, Piazza Fontana, Torre Velasca, Piazza D' Uomo ---> This is the highlight mates... Teatro Alla Scala, Castello Sforzesco ---> Another piece of highlight, S Ambrogio and Piazza Vetra.. and many more...

Trip to Bergamo is another breath taking experience.. Bergamo filled with so many fine architectures which can be seen at their buildings surrounding its town. Bergamo is just a 10 minutes bus ride from Oreo Del Serio International Airport, one of 3 international airport at Milan proximity..

Pizza, the famous Italian delicacies around the world.

The best way to explore Milan is to fly in via Ryan Air from any point of its hub.. Find a good deal online..

Mortgage Refinancing ~ Buying Additional Property

2008-06-08T00:15:00.000+08:00

Buying a house is not to be a sole shelter anymore. It could be one of wise investment opportunities.. How about this.. Say 5 years ago someone bought a property at RM152k and now its value jumped to RM210k.. 5 years back, interest rate at 7% (6.75%+0.25%). 30 years 90% loan had cost him an installment of ~RM1k per month. Now many banks offered very good rate, for instance BLR minus up to 1.85%.. If he refinance the property with flexible home loan with an option of free moving cost (FMC), and he gets 90% loan of RM210k house value, his installment will be at ~RM900 a month. And he will get roughly RM60-70k nett considering his full settlement with previous bank at RM130k-140k. That is a handsome sum.. Forget about he will prolong his house repayment period at the flip side.. That is why he should look for flexible loan which will enable him to make pre-payment at any time.. Definitely his income will be increase in future. If he maintained his lifestyle or increase it by a lil bit only, he could channel all his salary increment into the home equity and lessen its repayment period.. Brilliant strategy rite..? Now, what he can do next..???? Precisely...., buying the next property... Say, buying a condo or service apartment in good location, he will need at most RM15-20k as a down payment.. And he still have a balance of RM40-50k which he could spare it as an additional fund to repay the new housing loan at least for 3-4 years... Again, his income will increase in conjunction of first 5 years... So, he should not worry of being unable to pay the installment... And that second property will increase in value in the next 5 years off course for another refinancing exercise.. :) Indeed, he can rent it out as well.. If fully furnished condo/ service apartment at prime location, someone will be able to rent it out up to 2k a month.. See, he is making money out of it...

Pump Price Goes Up

2008-06-07T23:58:00.000+08:00

Another bomb shell dropped by Abdullah administration.. A whopping 78 cent increase in fuel prices.. My goodness!! I am one of millions Malaysian who shocked, angry, piss off, cursing government for a steep incremental of pump price.. I am not defending myself as an excuse to suck government subsidy or as an excuse to deny what always been touted by corridor of power, Malaysian can't be always in circle of comfort zone.. Damning statement..
OK, simple as this.. Malaysian not stupid or brainless to think... Just make it gradually increase..!!! Simple... The reason is, off course, not only fuel price, but people are more concern of spiral effects as a result of steep pump price increase.. Consumer goods, transportation cost, vehicle maintenance, services are all expected to go up. Only stupid creatures will say and guarantee, there is no price hike. Obviously all this will lead to highest ever inflation.. That’s direct impact.. As far as indirect impact is concerned..., investors might think that Malaysia is not a good country to invest or expand their businesses anymore, especially manufacturing sectors. With high cost in fuels and electricity, raw materials cost will increase too, and no more competitiveness..
We cant compare with Thailand or Indonesia because they are not an oil exporter countries. We are... And please please... do not compare with Spore... or even UK..
This is because, their income is higher than us. Per capita income of course.. Or in laymen term, what they earned, can buy hundreds times more than what we are in Malaysia.. Or example like this.. Fresh grad in Malaysia earned RM2.5k, in Spore SGD2.5k, in UK, GBP2.5k. Some of the price comparison to open everybody’s eye;
1. In Malaysia
>> Petrol - RM2.72 per liter
>> A loaf of bread - RM2.10
>> 1 liter fresh milk - RM4.50

2. In Spore
>> Petrol - SGD2.2 per liter
>> A loaf of bread - SG0.90
>> 1 liter fresh milk - SGD1.8

3. In UK????
>> Petrol - GBP0.97
>> A loaf of bread - GBP0.40
>> 1 liter of fresh milk - GBP0.60

That was a simple comparison... See how powerful their purchasing power compared to Malaysian..
OK, now I talk a bit about the compensation or refund or channel back the subsidy to rakyat..???
RM625 a year for car owners of 2 liter and below.. Is that enough...?? Far cry from enough... Malaysian spent 25kkm in average a year. That translated into 2500 liters a year. 78 cent increment means RM1950 additional cost per annum.. Far far far cry from 625 per annum.. + 200 rebate of road tax, still 825.. and it’s not enough.. How about domino effect likes consumer good price increase and other services which definitely will increase too.. Government warned business people folks not to increase the price..? How dare..? Again, only stupid creatures will say that.. Are they in business for the sake of doing national services..? Selling things without profit.. Come on... Use brain when talk and provide facts...
All in all, it was not a wise move...

The Power of Compounded Interest

2008-05-14T18:55:00.000+08:00

The power of compounding interest… always regarded as the best option to grow the retirement nest or children education funds but yet always neglected by younger folks.. Why many said so.. While I am in a unit trust industry, I always met older professional folks from every background which having a stash of money either in EPF or their own saving portfolios. They always quoted and saying I am lucky enough been surrounded with sound investment knowledge at younger age… :) Not like them which felt isolated with investment knowledge and options until reached middle age. Yes, how lucky but it’s not as easy as ABC.. Knowledge without application always lead to disruption.. and spoilt.. OK.. back to the topic.. The power of compounded interest can be like this – You keep investing a pre determined amount of money into investment vehicles (unit trust funds, ASB and fixed deposit) every month, reinvest the return at the end of financial year for a specific long term period.. The principle amount invested plus return every year will grow your money excessively in longer period.. So, the younger you start, will be better and more opportunity and visibility for your money to grow bigger.. Example, a young executive, at 25 yrs old who set aside RM100 every month at the beginning of every month at dividend growth of 10% per annum until age 65, his investment would have grown to RM638,000!, That is a huge money compare with only RM100 sacrifice every month. The key element to compounding is time. The longer the period of time, the greater the growth.. :)

Land Below the Wind - Sabah

2008-05-13T20:45:00.000+08:00

Sabah, land with tranqulity.. rich of natural beauties.. Must go - Kota Kinabalu Park and off course, KK with pasar Filipina and its seafood.. :) The park HQ is 88 kilometers away from the city of KK. Highways and sealed roads made the Park easily accessible. It is situated on the southern boundary of Kinabalu Park, at an elevation of 1,563m (5,128 feet).

Benefits Investing in Unit Trust

2008-05-12T17:04:00.000+08:00

Professional Investment Management
A unit trust combines the capital of many investors to employ experienced management in purchasing securities of many companies. The management of a unit trust provides diversification of investments and supervision which few investors could individually afford. Investment management is a full time job requiring specialised knowledge and training. It involves the study of a variety of factors.
Some of the factors which have to be examined are,
Comparisons of all industries in the economy
Relative studies of companies within a promising industry
Personal contact with management of promising corporations
Evaluating the effect of international events, both monetary and political
Determining the results of government policies on each industry
Professional management is also interested in studying less obvious factors such as wage rates, which might affect the economy or the profitability of certain companies or corporations. It requires careful study of individual companies within the industry to determine which of the many companies offer the best prospects for the investors. It requires comparing this company with the best companies in other promising industries. Since all this factors are constantly changing, re-evaluation and study have to be continuous.

Diversification
Diversification means spreading one's investments among many securities. It is an important method of reducing risk. It decreases the danger of damaging losses, which can occur through having all of one's eggs in one basket.
Diversification is difficult and expensive for a small investor because the cost of purchasing numbers of shares in many companies at the same time is disproportionately high.
Unit trusts with their resources are able to make widely diversified investments available to even the smallest investor. Diversification involves the ownership of many different securities. All the securities owned by an individual investor or unit trust fund are referred to as an investment portfolio.

Liquidity
An investor can sell his units, wholly or partially, at the following trading day's unit buying price. Units have a high liquidity, that is, they can be readily converted into cash.
It has to be remembered, however, that unit trust’s units will be redeemed at the prevailing buying price on the following day after receipt of the repurchase form. The unit price may be higher or lower than the price at which the investor started the plan. Unit trusts should be regarded as a long term, rather than short term investment.

Advantages of Compounding
Many unit trust funds provide facilities for investors to reinvest their distributions. For those who opted for distribution reinvestment, the fund will automatically credit the distributions into the account, rather than sending distribution warrants.
This process of reinvesting the income from the original investment and also of reinvesting the return on the total accumulating investments is called compounding.
As an illustration, if at 25, you invested RM100 at the beginning of every month at an interest growth of 10% per annum until age 65, your investment would have grown to RM638,000 ! The key element to compounding is time. The longer the period of time, the greater the growth.

Regularity of Investing
Many people do not have substantial sums of cash available to invest, but they can develop an investment account, investing smaller sums regularly in a unit trust.
Most unit trust funds have plans available to make it possible for smaller investors to invest relatively small amounts monthly. It is easy and inexpensive for an individual to acquire units through deposits of RM100 or more a month in a unit trust fund.

Fund Administration - The Convenient Factor
Few people have the experience, time or facility to properly set up an investment programme, much less to supervise it constantly. Unit trust managers have emerged as professional organisation devoted to solving the investment problems of people from all walks of life.
Unit trusts relieve their investors of the need to handle their own securities transactions. Investors in unit trust funds are not obliged to concern themselves with matters such as,
Obtaining quotations on securities being bought and sold
Delivery and payment for the securities involved in each transaction
Safekeeping of cash and securities
Accounting and bookkeeping procedures, etc
Investors of unit trust funds will receive semi annual and annual reports which describe
a. The portfolio of the funds
b. Investment changes made in the period
c. Distributions paid, if any
d. Fund manager's opinion on the economic and market outlook

To invest in Public Mutual unit trust fund, pls contact me, Fauzi (Public Mutual Agency Supervisor) at 012-7116707

What Is Unit Trust

2008-05-12T16:35:00.000+08:00

A unit trust is a financial vehicle through which individuals may invest their money. The idea behind unit trust is better investment through collective investing. That is to say pooling the investments of many investors, individuals and institutions.
Investing in a unit trust offers investors numerous advantages, including :
a. Professional management at a low cost
b. Safety through the spreading of risk (diversification)
c. Liquidity
d. Ease of transaction
e. Capital appreciation/income stream
The operation of a unit trust may be best explained by outlining its similarities with the operation of a bank, with which most individuals are familiar.
Many individuals deposit money in the banks, for which they receive interest. These individuals expect complete liquidity where they must be able to withdraw their deposits in cash at any time. The banks employ professional managers to look after the deposits. The deposits are invested. These managers lend the deposits to other individuals requiring funds and a host of other profit generating facilities of the banks.
Similarly, unit trust holders wish to put their money to generate higher returns. The goal of all investments is to make money more productive, either through producing income or growth. Unit trust holders have liquidity because their units can be readily converted into cash at any time. By investing in unit trusts, it allows them to engage professional fund managers at a low cost to the individual investors. These managers diversifies the investible funds in many different securities and other approved channels to spread the risk.
The unit trust is constituted through a document known as a deed which brings together and binds the various parties to the deed :
· The trustee, who holds the assets of the trusts on behalf of the unitholders.
· The manager, who is the promoter of the scheme and provides investment and administrative expertise and markets units to the public
· The unitholders who provide the funds for investment and expect to receive the benefits derived from the investment. The effect of dividing the beneficiaries' interest in the trust into units is that their interest is quantified into discrete portions.
Particular advantages of unit trusts over the pooled investments include :
· The provision of an independent trustee to hold the trust's assets on behalf of unitholders and to watch over their interests on an on-going basis.
· The deed and prospectus are scrutinised by government authorities, prior to an offer of units being made to the general public. The managers and trustee are themselves approved by the regulators.
· A buy back provision or covenant in each deed which requires the manager to redeem an investor's units within specified time limits at a price determined in accordance with the deed.
Provisions in the deed under which the manager and trustee are in a fiduciary position in relation to the trust (i.e. they can only profit in ways laid down under the deed). The investor can determine in advance what costs and charges they will be required to pay to join and stay in the trust.

To invest, call me, Fauzi at 012-7116707. Public Mutual Agency Supervisor

Start Saving..

2008-05-12T11:52:00.000+08:00

There are a thousand ways to live on less. But you don’t want to make your life a misery. Here are some of the most painless ways you can economize, without losing out on quality of life.

Never spend a windfall. Take your income-tax refund, the RM16.35 overpayment cheque from the telephone company, cash rewards from bosses, extra money from part time jobs, profits on petrol claim any other extras and save ‘em all..

Haggle. You’d be amazed at who will drop their prices, fees and interest rates: airlines, hotels, credit card companies. Examples, Air Asia always advertised their extreme low fare in the web.. Imagine instead of holidaying at high cost, you can opt for cheaper holiday at Bali for just a couple of hundred RM.. Credit card is another option. Some of financial institution offered 9% per annum on outstanding balance instead of whopping 18%. The choice is yours.. Go and search them around.

Re-evaluate. Re-evaluate. Re-evaluate. That dinner out cost more than you spend on groceries in a week. That pair of shoes is worth half a commuter pass. Learn what your money is worth, and you won’t be so quick to dispose of it.

Get your mortgage costs down. First, look at whether the rate is too high. If it is, look at refinancing -- if you’ll save money.. Second, pay ahead on your mortgage. If you can swing an extra RM100 per month, you will save thousands in interest costs over the long haul.

Toss the catalogs. The most insidious form of spending temptation known to man or woman. Chuck them straight in the trash.. Sorry, guys.

Don’t pay unnecessary fees. Like the RM1 you pay just because the ATM is right there, right now as opposed to walking two blocks to your bank, where you don’t get charged every time you use your ATM card. Or the late fees for paying the bills late. Discipline discipline discipline…

Bank your raise. You may find that measly 3% to 5% boost in the paycheck irritatingly tiny. So add that to your direct savings basket and live on your previous salary.. 

Pay less for long-distance. Evaluate your phone bill and see how much you're paying per minute. Some dial-around codes or cheap calling cards (one without a surcharge per call) may give you a better rate. Else, go for tech.. msn messenger, yahoo messenger… is another option..

No pet pampering. Does your dog need those pricey snacks? Does your cat need acupuncture? We didn’t think so.

Never pay full price. If you must shop, discover the online world of discount Web sites. Ebay, murah.com, etc etc… you will find everything you want at cheap cheap cheap price..

Tanjung Balau Family Gathering

2008-05-11T20:08:00.000+08:00

This is a long long waited gathering which we have been talking for almost 4 years, with loads of places listed from Sibu Island to Cherating, but at last we settled with humbled Balau Bay Resort Desaru.

Saturday

Everybody assembled at Mc Donalds Bandar Putra with Fauzi Khalid's families was a first family to arrived.. Followed by me, Ali, Mansor and families, Noh and families, Reza, his fiancee and Azila. We convoyed towards Desaru and picked Ayup at Bandar Tenggara junction. We drove for about 1 hr and 15mins and drop by at Sg Mas RnR nearby to Desaru junction for a simple lunch.. Zairi and families as well as Fairul and families joint the crowd shortly after that. After a heavy lunch for Pak Ali (hehe), we continued to the resort to check in. The resort was quite OK, a lil bit secluded from Desaru, but still fine with basic beach resort facilities likes swimming pool, wading pool, simple but tidy room.

We checked in, let the kids settled down, took a quick nap for a few minutes, then start uploading BBQ stuff to the beach front. Fauzi K was amazing leader when it comes to foods.. The drumsticks and wings looked tempted with his special made marinated herbs, just made us can't wait.. The hardest part was to start burnt the charcoal.. With a great team work, we are able to get it done in less than 20 minutes... We begin the BBQ, with great setting - beach in front of us and very nice weather.. While waiting the BBQ, kids was enjoying themselves at beach and wading pool..

First person to enjoy succulent BBQ drumstick --> as usual our kheng!, Pak Ali.. Thumbs up for the great chicken wings and drumstick.. everybody had an enough portion each. Accopanied with black pepper sausages and tangy carbonated drinks.. Great job Fauzi K.. We... automatically, gave a consent for him to be a leader for BBQ preparation next time.. :-)

Ashar and families arrived on time while we are enjoying our BBQ session. Right after a good BBQ, we had a beach soccer match.. Slow tempo, but as per normal, few kaki cannot tahan to kick the ball with full strength.. Dang..!! Pak Ali, as usual, with his wide body range and 'menggrudul' characters, been a good defender.. Ashar injured his toe after hitted by Ayup..

6 pm sharp, we headed to swimming pool.. Sad.. the resort management decided to do maintenance at that time.. but who cares, Fauzi K and Ali just can't resist the temptation to terjun dugong neglecting the sign of 'closed pool' followed by the rest until got chased out by the resort worker.. The terjun tiruk session continued at the other part of the pool.. :-)

At night, we are heading to Sg Rengit about 30 minutes drive for a seafood dinner.. Pak Ali was blabbering along the way, complaining the place was too far.. huh..

It was when we arrived at Jade Seafood Restaurant, Pak Ali, Ashar and Noh looked confused.. hehe.. with tanglung and Buddha statue in the restaurant untill someone from the restaurant gave an assurance that the place was halal and showed a numbers of celebrities, famous and famed faces photos who had came and enjoyed the food there..

Well, we divided into 3 groups. First and second table ordered, seabass with nyonya spicy sauce, fried oat prawns, chili crab with scrumptuos montow, braised home made tofu, sotong goreng tepung, spicy kangkung belacan and a jug of tangy lime juice. Third table ordered less than both table.. While waiting the dishes, kids were enjoying live lobster in aquarium.. All dishes came within a space of less than 20 minutes.. And all of us enjoyed everything with full satisfaction...

The seafood was fresh from the catch.. Amazingly, everything cost each table max RM184.. cheap..

We headed back to the resort at 1030pm.. Supposed to have a teh tarik session but everybody just can't stand with heavy dinner and good BBQ. Continued with poker session at Reza/ Ayup's room with Noh as kepala.. Heard few occasion where everybody can't resist to laugh and make fun of adrenaline pack of Pak Ali.. one of them was JQ Kheng.. no need to explain much.. The rest should know.. ;-)

We all slept at 3am..

Sunday

We had bfast at 8am.. Most of us woke up late as Saturday aftnn activities made everybody tired...

Then, followed by individual free and easy session, like lazying at swimming pool's gazebo, until check out.. Good and successfull event, thanks to everybody who made this event happening.. Special thanks to Fauzi K, Zairi and Ayup and the rest of participants..

Car Boot Sale at Glasgow

2008-04-26T11:06:00.000+08:00

My first experience in car boot sale at Glasgow. Very interesting. Something like bundle in Malaysia, but with way way off better quality. From toys, cookware, glass item, crystal, clothes, etc etc.. Good place to find branded stuff at cheapest price.. But it was a second hand. Hey.. who cares, if it means value for money. After all, the quality still as pristine as brand new. If you are lucky, you can get a yr old calvin klein jeans or prada hand bag for less than 10 pound... ;;)
The best item I bought at this place definitely books (50pence per pc) and Celtic jersy for my kid (1 pound)... and my wife off course her crystal.. a set of 6 nice crystal for a 5 pound.. What a bargain...

Circle of Friends - HP Office Mate

2008-04-26T10:44:00.001+08:00

This is another my great circle of friends. From right, Pak Ali, used to be my relative.. Husband to my cousin. Surprisingly, I never know this fellar till his second week after joining HP.. What a bad urbane life nowadays.. Never keep in touch with relatives... :-( The second from right was Ayup, a plain bachelor who very determined.. But wait not determined to improvised but instead to craft a big hole in his pocket, dreaming for ah beng Perdana Turbo and keep nagging to get a personal loan.. Poor guy.. hahahaha (Jgn marah Ayup), followed by me, then Ashar (Left HP for greener pasteur at Seagate - Good Luck to you Ashar), Zairi, another my close 'talk cock' friend.. This guy was a real savvy, Hj Bakhil last time before he hooked at Toyota Wish recently after joining one of financial program. His Wira I can consider as reban ayam, with all sort of rattling noise came out from every angle and aircond which blasted your face with hot succulent air.. hahahahaha... Amran, my neigbourhood. Another guy with entrepeneur spirit. Owned and run a tuition center at night for fun (This is at least what he mentioned to me). Ali Buang, the most serious face on earth.. (Do you have a problem Ali..??? Are you problems still not solved..??? hehehehehehe)... And the last one Fauzi Khalid.. Happy go lucky guy.. His biggest project ever will blow Malaysian economy you know... hehehehehe...

This is my boss. Used to be my closest friend since I joint HP. The only sole survivor from HPM's first batch.. Can't say too much because he was my boss... hehehehehehe.. Anyway, kind of very detailed guy... That's all I can say.. hehehe

Too Much Politicking..

2008-04-26T10:20:00.000+08:00

Politics - I hate this word... But like it or not, we have to live with it.. Honestly, I am not too sure if there are still genuine politicians out there who devoted their life in politics for the sake of people, race and religion. To me, genuine politicians are those borned in post world war 2, politicians who fought hard for Malaya independence, Tun Sambanthan, HS Lee, Tuanku Abd Rahman. And after post independence, the leader like Tun Razak to named a few. People indulged in politics nowadays with hidden agenda, for money and fame.. Anyway, that is the reality of modern politics... Not only in Malaysia, our neighbours and around the globe as well. But..., the sad thing was, unfortunately, we as Malay, playing politics around too much..., opps, I mean Malay politician. Post PRU 12 was a slice of proof. Bickering, finger pointing, backstabbing.. Yes, they are very much concerned about the only asset we had in this beloved country was political power... But.... Looked back what our leaders has done to us Malay..? Mindset changed..? Nope. Wealth equality..? Far from achieved. Produced more professionals among Malays..?? Yes, in certain extent but not at great numbers compared to what it suppose to be. We are still lacking.. Still under par compare to our fellow friends -Malaysian Chinese.. To me the only thing need to change.. really change are mindset of Malay folks and mindset of our politicians. Mindset of Malay folks in the sense of hard work, commitment to jobs no matter what profesion they are.. start accumulating wealth and to politicians, only one, serve with fully hearted..

My Families - Muar

2008-04-25T11:56:00.000+08:00

This is my families.. My dad and my mom.. I should thank them who raised us up till what we are now.. Stand at rear from right, my younger bro, Halimi, a project engineer in oil n gas at KL, my eldest sister, Aliza, school teacher, my youngest sister, Ila who just graduated from UKM, my sister in law, Winnie, a school teacher at KL and my bro in law, Sham, an IT engineer at MMU. Seated from right was me, a cokia HP engr down under with my kids, my mom, my dad, my younger sister, Yuli, an IT exec at Pantai Medivest holding her princess. The rest all my anak buah... Missing in pics - My wife who currently at Liverpool UK, my brother, Angah who currently at Mumbai or Sudan or Dubai..?? (Don't know precisely) and my bro in law who always busy with his business... A great great families.......

So Far, But Yet So Close..

2008-04-25T11:34:00.000+08:00

12000 km separated with mummy.. 300 km separated with daddy. But they are coping.. Thanks to my in laws who took a great care of my little prince and princess... Calling them every day, webcam everyday and watching them grow up through the wire was amazing and unfortunately, we missed a great 3 and half years...

Raya Dishes

2008-04-25T10:50:00.000+08:00

I must admitted that my mom in law was a great cook. Her ayam kampung rendang (Negeri style) was the best I ever sample..

Saving...???

2008-04-24T22:13:00.000+08:00

Savings. When you hear that word, do you feel a clutching sense of guilt and inadequacy? If somebody told you that 75% of 100 respondents interviewed said they knew that their savings, specifically for retirement, were insufficient, do you believe it? That’s shocking, but not as remarkable as their discovery that how much you save has very little to do with how rich you are. But hooooow, you whine? How can you save a cent when you just barely live on what you earn? Well, since this is a question, so.., this is its answer : Saving is a two-step process. First you retrain your brain, and then you find all kinds of clever ways to live on less Step 1: Retrain your brain.. Saving money is a state of mind. Before you can start, you have to renounce the spending...., and stop believing you actually need all the stuff you’ve been spending money on. Just don’t. Spend, that is. Sure you want it, but that’s no excuse for buying it. The next time you want to buy something, take the 50 bugs or 100 bugs out of your wallet, and stash it somewhere. See? That's second step already.. and that’s called saving. You don’t end up with stuff; you end up with MONEY..

Haziq and Yasmine

2008-04-24T21:24:00.000+08:00

My kids... Haziq and Yasmine. Time passed by at its quickest pace, not even realized that my charming prince has turned 5 this year, and my little princess turned 3 yrs old last 2 weeks. The best moment with them ever was seeing them smile.. and keep smiling..

MyStream

2008-04-24T21:01:00.000+08:00

This mid range MPV club members are among my best circle of friends I ever had.. Not only just a plain car club associates. We are not talking about cars, modification, after market accessories, but beyond that, friendship was the one we appreciated most. I am quite closed with some of them, Jag (Cabin Crew leader), Dee (big head in one of manufacturing co in Klang), Hj Irlan (Biz owner), Captain Apandi (HTO futsal owner and VW lover - This guy owned VW GTI and newest VW EOS), Mie (my closest associate in JB), Pak Den (Apek Ganu who owned a laundry), Azlan (The Photoshooter)...

Jakarta? Batavia? Djakarta? Sunda Kelapa

2008-04-24T20:35:00.000+08:00

Well, forget about which name is correct. My first time at Jakarta. Jakarta was a nice metropolis. Considerably on par with other metropolis like Shanghai, Tokyo and London to name a few cities around the globe which I had visited. Owh, much much bigger than KL. But bigger in the sense of people density, not high rise building and gleaming statures.. except many squatters sandwiched by the megastores, bungalows and high rise towers. Disparity among richest and poorest was sooo huge.. I was in a perception that, the disparity of standard of living in ASEAN countries still very much a concern. Not so much in Kiasuland, Bolehland and Thailand, but obviously in Indonesia, IndoChina and Philipines.

Anyway, Jakarta was a nice city. It was known as Sunda Kelapa among old folks, Batavia in imperialism period as well as Djakarta..
Moving around Jakarta for a day with chauffer driven will cost you from 350k rupiah. That was considered reasonable. Started with famous Indonesian Miniature Park.

It has an area of about 250 acres. The park is a synopsis of Indonesian culture, with virtually all aspects of daily life in Indonesia's 26 provinces encapsulated in separate pavilions with the collections of housing architecture, clothing, dances and traditions are all depicted impeccably. Apart from that, there is a lake, cable cars, museums, a theater called the Theatre of My Nation (Theater Tanah Airku)

Another great spot was Ancol Theme Park. It was very very big indeed. Much much bigger than Genting Highlands. Jakarta's own theme park with over forty main rides and attractions. The theme park is divided into eight regions, Indonesia, Jakarta, Asia, Eropa (Europe), Amerika (America), Yunani (Greece), Hikayat (Fantasy) and Balada Kera (Monkey Parody). There were a seaworld, gondola rides etc etc.. Seaworld was just like our own Aquaria. Our trip ends at Monas, Monumen Nasional.

Shopping and entertainment are plenty there.. I managed to hang around at Mangga 2 and Plaza Indonesia.

Amsterdam

2008-04-24T20:21:00.000+08:00

Even though this is my wife's experience, but, some of the pics taken by her are so nice.. Beautiful Amsterdam..

Saving Money Tips For Fresh Graduates

2008-04-20T15:24:00.000+08:00

It can be tough when you're just starting out. Here, some creative survival strategies and tips for eating, going out and living well when money is tight.

Take heart, folks. A lot of people who are prosperous now started out just like you -- broke and looking for ways to save a few bucks. But still, you have a guts to try and save money at least…

It may seem hard to believe, but that banker in the sharp suit once recycled cans for nasi lemak outing money. That engineer who now vacations in New Zealand furnished his first home with yard-sale finds.
So if your bank balance is near zero and your next paycheck seems like a mirage shimmering on the far horizon, here are some tips from folks who have been there and lived to tell the tale:

Cheap eats
You probably already know that a RM9-a-day latte, twice a week habit will cost you more than RM864 in a work year, and bringing lunches from home a couple times a week can save you more than RM500 a year.

You’ll need to find other ways to cut costs, however, or you can easily spend as much on food as you do on rent. Some ideas:
• Co-op your dinners. If you are single and shared renting a house with few others friends, gets together with them who take turns cooking for the gang once a week. It is almost as cheap to cook for four as it is for one.
• Watch the grocery ads. Get notice what grocery stores are touting on the front page of their sale flyers each week. Normally they had a value for money items to buy..
• Freeze some assets. Any time you cook, make twice as much as you’ll eat and store the leftovers in your freezer.
• Have an emergency stash. Stowed instant soup, noodles-in-a-cup in office. So you minimized your trip for tea break and breakfast which could fork you more money.

Cheap dates
Dinner and a movie may be all right for a first date, but the routine gets old -- and expensive -- fairly quickly. Some alternatives:
• Stay on campus. Universities have everything from fine dining places, garden park and most are cheap, if not free.
• Used Student IDto watch movies. Normally, cinemas offered student’s price in any weekday.. This is great to save more. Sometimes they even offered 50% discount.
• Picnic in the park. What could be more romantic than a jug of lemonade, a loaf of bread and thou?
• Get physical. Hiking and camping are great ways to get to know someone. Other ideas: roller skating, Rollerblading, a trip to the beach or renting a rowboat, kayak or canoe for a couple of hours’ float at a nearby lake instead of persistent trip to starbuck coffee..

Cheap style
Entertaining your friends, furnishing your apartment and updating your wardrobe for adult life can cost a mint -- unless you’re smart. Here are some ideas for living cheap with style:
• Haunt yard sales. You don’t need to go into debt to furnish your apartment when your neighbors are practically giving away their barely-used furniture.
• Branded Clothes, watches etc etc. It’s not the brand that matter, It is how much you save money in your bank account. Chances are you’ll find gently used clothing that’s perfect for an office environment, and you’ll probably see some designer labels as well. If the brand still matters, heads on to Reject Shop, FOS or buy during sales… You will get flashy padini trousers and shirt at 70% discount…

The key to getting through lean time, was to focus on what you have: friends, good times and a bright future. Not having lots of money can seem like a pain now, but you wouldn’t be the first to find yourself growing nostalgic about these days when your fortunes improve.

Turn RM1 to RM67,815???

2008-04-20T13:38:00.000+08:00

The coins rattling around in your pocket can add up to big savings over time. Don't you believe it..??? PLS BELIEVE IT!!!
Want a foolproof way to turn RM1 a day into RM67,815? It doesn't take a lot of money or time or personal sacrifice. There's no magic, no multilevel marketing salesman, no get rich quickliest on earth scheme salesman will call at your door or your cellphone.
In fact, it's the simplest and most-proven way to get richer, and if you extend this concept to other parts of your life, you could end up with an enviable retirement nest egg.
To start, all you have to do is take your pocket change at the end of the day and drop it in a piggie bank or 'tabung buluh'. If you can do that, and you put away about RM1 a day, that's just a humble RM7 a week. At the end of the month, you'll have about RM30.., still humble isn'it..??
Since this is money in your pocket, you've already paid taxes on it in the form of withholding from your paycheck. (If you're self-employed, that's not true, but we'll ignore that to keep things simple.) Every month, deposit your savings in a legal high divident saving account/ platform, where it can grow and be withdrawn in the future. High divident platform can be an ASB, ASN, private unit trust funds or any co-op share funds, i.e felda (if you are son of felda settlers, lembaga tabung angkatan tentera (LTAT) if you are son/ daughter of patriot or Bank Rakyat..
What's a paltry RM30 a month going to do for you? Growing tax-free (Remember, it was tax free bcs from your own pocket money/ salary) for 30 years, with a 10% annual return, your investment account will be worth RM67,815.
Not bad for pocket change, but that's just the beginning.
Here are some other ideas for saving a few bucks here and there that can add up to big dollars over time. Now, you can do a lil' bit of analysis work. Owh no!! Haha, you might be a lazy folks aite... Let me call you Mr A, you fork out RM500 every month do to these things;
>> RM100 (Dining out with families)
>> RM50 (DVDs/ VCDs/ CDs)
>> RM120 (Car wash or car detailing)
>> RM150 (Branded clothes)
>> RM80 (Indulge yourself with branded coffee at flashy boutique cafe)
I am pretty sure with some guts, Mr A can knock RM123 out of his monthly budget to be like this for the next 6 months,
>> RM55 (Dining out with families)
>> RM35 (DVDs/ VCDs/ CDs)
>> RM102 (Car wash and car detailing)
>> RM40 (Indulge yourself with branded coffee at flashy boutique cafe)
You know what, at 10% it RM123 a month it will grow to RM278,040 in 30 years. Mr A have practically financed your retirement with just a few small sacrifices.. How to cut this budget..???? I will tell you more next... And how bloody 10% can grow RM123 a month to be mounted at 6 figures..???? That is thepower of compounded interest (Which I will tell you more.........)

Life In Phnom Penh

2008-04-20T10:13:00.001+08:00

Chance in a life time... Had an opportunity to visit Phnom Penh, Cambodia after managed to achieved target in UT sales... This is my first trip to IndoChina and haunted by a little sceptical. After all, heard a lot of Khmer Rouge history and its brutality when in power. Anyway, that was in 70's time frame. Cambodia has changed from poor country and now progressing to race with its ASEAN neighbour particularly Vietnam.
We flown in 11 April touched down after about 2 hours flight, its airport remind me to Senai Airport.. good enough to cater a couple of domestic and international flights in and out. China, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore were those country who had a carrier services in and out from Phnom Penh.

We choosed a taxi services to Phnom Penh down town. It took about 20 minutes to city center. My scpeticism about Phnom Penh diminished when I saw how it progressed nowadays. Even a taxi that I opted was a posh brand new Camry. But still, the disparity between poor and rich was still huge.. Along the way from airport to the hotel, we saw plenty of beggars (especially when the taxi stopped due to heavy traffic). Many people moved by motorcycle (motor cub to be precised). People not really obey to the traffic law. No helmets and no limitation of how many passengers should ride on it. I saw 6 people max in a single motor cub.. hahaha.. amazing.. Owh, the transaction in Cambodia was in USDollar. And they used their own money which was called Riel for a samll change. 2000 Riel for about USD0.5 Luckily dollar was at it lowest point when we made a trip there. USD1=RM3.2
Well, first night at the serviced apartment in Norodom Street.. Nothing much, just watched Khmer peoples getting busy with their preparation for Khmer New Year.. Same festival as Songkran in Thailand, where people get attacked by the water cannon.. (I am not the victim, thank God..) Owh, we had an opportunity to attend the new year party at roof top of the hotel with invitation of its owner.. What a nice thing... But the sad thing was none of the food I could sample though. There was a roasted pork, stewed pork internal parts, cockle in chilies (This one was nice) and plenty plenty wines with ice.. (They drink wine with loads of ice.. Weird stuff!!)
First day, we went to Russian market, also known as Phsar Toul Tompong. We opted to went there by tuk tuk.. A honda cub motocycle which pull a 4 seater cabin. Vehicle known elsewhere as an auto rickshaw or cabin cycle, yeah I can say motor cycle rickshaw as well.. Easily can accomodate 4 adults on it. Similar to those tuk tuk in Bangkok but quite comfort compared to bajaj at Jakarta. It cost us USD2 for 20 mins ride.
Back to Russian market, kind of all in one market, one stop center. You can find wet stuff, fish, meats, vegetables, crafts, souvenirs, shirts, silk items even you can find spare parts for vehicles here.. Very messy but very very cheap indeed. I bought couples of t shirts, silk items and postcards. Great deals.
Then we walked around and watched Khmer people doing a last day preparation for New Year. Second spot, Toul Sleng Museum.. This time we opted for moto.. Very cheap option, only 1 dollar.
In english, the word tuol sleng is recognized as the location where khmer rouge regime, set up a prison to detain individuals accused of opposing Angkar. They will tortured and finally murdered.. Thousands of dead faces are at its wall. And photos of tortured prisoners made us thinking how bless we are in Malaysia for not being in the same faith as them, cambodian peoples.
After spend almost hour and half, we went to National Musuem. I am not really fancied by the displayed, because loads of buddha statues, but what made me amazed was how passion khmer people to their culture and religious.
Then we had a chicken pho' dish at the restaurant nearby to Mekong riverbank. I knew it was not halal, but no choice.. Chicken pho' basically likes a soto. With flat rice mee, kueytiaw and chicken soup, nice with couple of chili cut and light soy sauce. Accompanied with kopi beng, ice milk coffee.
In the afternoon, another place to visit was Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. The Royal Palace of Phnom Penh, Cambodia is a complex of buildings which are the royal abode of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Its full name in the Khmer language is Preah Barom Reachea Vaeng Chaktomuk. The Kings of Cambodia have occupied it since it was built in 1866, with a period of absence when the country came into turmoil during and after the reign of the Khmer Rouge.

The palace was started after King Norodom relocated the royal capital from Oudong to Phnom Penh after the mid-1800s. It was gradually built atop an old citadel called Banteay Kev. It faces towards the East and is situated at the Western bank of four divisions at the Mekong River called Chaktomuk (an allusion to Brahma).
Many division of its palace. First, The Throne Hall is where the king's confidants, generals and royal officials once carried out their duties. It is still in use today as a place for religious and royal ceremonies
Second, Silver Pagoda. It is a compound located on the North side of the palace complex. It features a a royal temple officially called Preah Vihear Preah Keo Morakot but is commonly referred to as Wat Preah Keo. Third, The Preah Thineang Chan Chhaya ("Moonlight Pavilion"). It is an open-air pavilion that serves as stage for Khmer classical dance in the past and present. It is one of the most notable buildings of the palace as it easily seen from the outside as it was built alongside a section of the palace walls.
At night we had a luxurious dinner at Topaz, French restaurant at Norodom Street. I had a nice bake snapper with salt sauce and mango milk shake. Second day, we will fly to Siem Reap for a visit to the famous Angkor Watt.
At Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, 40 mins fly from Phnom Penh, 6 hours by bus. Angkor Wat is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia, built for King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation—first Hindu, dedicated to Vishnu, then Buddhist. The temple is the epitome of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.
Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the gods in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 km (2.2 miles) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs and for the numerous devatas (guardian spirits) adorning its walls.

We flown back to Phnom Penh in the afternoon for a Mekong River cruise..
Mekong River, famously known around the globe for its famous agriculture contribution - irrigation. Rate per person for an hour + cruise was just USD5. Very cheap. We started at river front, Sisowath Quay. We cruised along Tonle Sap River until at end of it. Enjoyed Phnom Penh setting under sunset with gleaming Royal palace and high rise building. We cruised at the starting point of Bassac River and turned to Mekong Up and Down River. At Mekong Up, we passed by poor Cambodian settlement. Villagers stayed nonhygienically at river bank. Worst casing, we saw couple of families who stayed on the small boat.. It's kind of made us think how they could survived, cooking, fishing, sleeping under small boats.

I took couple of nice pictures as well. We stayed at Sisowath Quay for a while, had a dinner at FCC then had a drinks and played pool at Love's Pub and Cafe.
Tomorrow, time to relax before pack and fly back.. Amazing experiences in Cambodia..