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Showing posts from May, 2009

Say no to Ah Longs!

I commended the action taken by Police though I believe it's not easy to crack down on them. Those Ah Longs are only making the society ill, not to mention how bad they are by kidnapping and even resort to killing. 24-hour deadline for most-wanted Ah Longs PETALING JAYA: Surrender or be exposed and hunted down — this is the warning police are giving Ah Longs high on their wanted list. The Ah Longs have 24 hours to surrender or their identities will be exposed to the public. Growing violence Ah Longs are getting bolder and using more violence in recovering their debts. May 11, 2009 A three-year-old boy was kidnapped in Perak after his relative failed to repay his debt of RM300,000 to loan sharks. His body was found fl oating in a river a few days after he went missing. May 7, 2009 An 86-year-old-woman was killed after two men slammed her head against the wall of her house. The two men were believed to be looking for her son who owed them RM2,000. May 2008 Police found body parts str

Possible 3rd stimulus package and a revised GDP of -4%

There is p ossibility of third stimulus package . The first stimulus package of RM7bil was announced last Nov 4 and the second, the RM60bil Mini Budget, was tabled in Parliament on March 10. Najib, who is also Finance Minister, announced a revised Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for Malaysia this year, where the figures are now between -4% and -5%, compared with -1% to +1% previously.

Report on Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ)

This is really a case of bad governance! The report on the Port Klang Free Zone highlighted 20 issues concerning the project’s management and governance by the Port Klang Authority. Among the issues which were revealed by the points were weak project management, cost overruns and conflicts of interests. Among the issues were: > PKA’s failure to alert the Cabinet in a timely manner of its inability to finance the project from its internal funds following an audit report by the Auditor-General in 2004 that noted that PKA did not have sufficient funds to finance the project; > PKA’s failure to seek the advice of the Attorney-General while not complying with certain Finance Ministry regulations; > Potential conflicts of interests arising from the involvement of parties who had prior association with either the land used to develop PKFZ or the turnkey developer, Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB); > Awarding of the PKFZ development contract to KDSB before a project masterplan was fina

Finance news

Malaysia's richest is Robert Kuok at USD 9 billion. Ananda Krishnan is at the 2nd spot, at USD 7 billion. Dell Q1 profit falls 63% AirAsia Q1 operating profit jumps 591% to RM 166mil AirAsia SWOT analaysis

An Eye Opener on Ovarian Cancer

Bottom line: Do the CA 125 ovary cancer marker test during your medical check up - I did. I hope you all take the time to read this and pass it on to all you can. Send this to the women in your life that you care about. Years ago, Gilda Radner died of ovarian cancer. Her symptoms were inconclusive, and she was treated for everything under the sun until it was too late. This blood test finally identified her illness but alas, too late. She wrote a book to heighten awareness. Gene Wilder is her widower. KATHY'S STORY: This is the story of Kathy West As all of you know, I have Primary Peritoneal Cancer. This cancer has only recently been identified as its OWN type of cancer, but it is essentially Ovarian Cancer. Both types of cancer are diagnosed in the same way, with the "tumor marker" CA-125 BLOOD TEST, and they are treated in the same way - surgery to remove the primary tumor and then chemotherapy with Taxol and Carboplatin. Having gone through this ordeal, I want to sav

Malaysia's economy contracts 6.2% for Q1

Slightly worsen than the earlier prediction. However, turnaround seen in second half of year. KUALA LUMPUR: The economy’s contraction of 6.2% in the first quarter is worse than expected, with the central bank warning of more of the same in the second quarter, although a turnaround in the economy is seen in the second half of the year. A poll conducted by StarBiz in late April saw economists expecting at least a 3.5% contraction in the first quarter. The worse-than-expected numbers were in line with countries in the region where Taiwan had reported a contraction of 10.24% and Singapore a contraction of 11.5%. “Q2 will be similar to Q1,” Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz said, adding that the external outlook was still uncertain and exports remained weak. Source: The Star

Rebates for regular LDP users

LDP users can get 20% savings from the toll expenses paid. Need to check out how it works. PETALING JAYA: Those who frequently ply the Damansara-Puchong Highway (LDP) can look forward to special rebates under the newly-launched Frequent Travellers Programme. Cash users will be given a free Touch 'n Go card worth RM15, including a RM10 load value, if they provide RM50 worth of LDP receipts collected within a month. Existing Touch 'n Go or SmartTAG users who spend at least RM200 a month will be eligible for a free 20% reload bonus when they top up. For more information, visit http://www.litrak.com.my/ . Source: The Star

The story of vanilla ice cream and General Motors

This is a real story that happened between the customer of General Motors and its Customer-Care Executive. Pls read on..... A complaint was received by the Pontiac Division of General Motors: 'This is the second time I have written to you, and I don't blame you for not answering me, because I sounded crazy, but it is a fact that we have a tradition in our family of Ice-Cream for dessert after dinner each night, but the kind of ice cream varies so, every night, after we've eaten, the whole family votes on which kind of ice cream we should have and I drive down to the store to get it. It's also a fact that I recently purchased a new Pontiac and since then my trips to the store have created a problem..... You see, every time I buy a vanilla ice-cream, when I start back from the store my car won't start. If I get any other kind of ice cream, the car starts just fine. I want you to know I'm serious about this question, no matter how silly it sounds "What is ther

Bandar Tasik Selatan to replace Puduraya

Good news for us. No need to travel to the city then! But don't know when it will realize ... For a long-term solution, the Bandar Tasik Selatan bus terminal, initially planned as the terminal for south-bound buses, may be expanded to replace the Puduraya, Hentian Putra (East Cost) and Pekeliling bus stations, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, under whose jurisdiction the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CLVB) comes. Puduraya would remain as the city bus terminal once outstation buses shifted their base to Bandar Tasik Selatan. Source: The Star

Prawn Mee at SS14/2

Gonna go try this Prawn Mee :) Subang Jaya’s SS14/2. located at a coffee shop called "Unlimited". opposite the Wong Soon Kee coffee shop, famous for wantan noodles. can add pai kuat, cheong, far yuk. charged RM6.50 for the bowl of noodles, with the above adds. on weekdays, the stall closes by 11.30am. coordinates for this makan place are 03 04 368 N, 101 35 371 E. another place for nice prawn mee is New Apollos coffee shop in USJ 4.

You’re going to have to figure it out

Douglas Merrill, former chief information officer and vice-president of Engineering of Google, was quoted as saying: “I’ll ask candidates who aren’t engineers how to build a Web crawler. The right answer doesn’t matter. I want to hear you think the problem through, because the odds are good that since we’re an innovative company, you’re not going to know how to do what you’re going to be asked to do. You’re going to have to figure it out.”

Watched 4 French movies!

I gave myself 2 days break and watched 4 French movies in a row during the French Film Festival 2009 at GSC 1 Utama and Mid Valley. And the experience was truly rewarding. Le crime est notre affaire (2008) (Crime Is Our Business) 4/5 - Love the hilarious part of this movie. Les 400 coups (1959) (400 Blows) 3.5/5 - I reckon it's a well recognized production ever but I just don't get it. Séraphine (2008) 4.5/5 - It was a mixed feeling. Initially I felt inspired and looking forward. Then I cried terribly to my disbelieve (I yet to know why). I pretty much feeling sad to see her life ending as such. Ensemble, c'est tout (2007) (Hunting and Gathering) 4/5 - The feeling is just so warm and romantic - the Parisian way.

MAS: Promo as of 13 May 2009

Booking period: 4 - 17 May 2009 From Kuala Lumpur to all international destinations below: Destination Travel Dates Fares All-inclusive Fares Amsterdam 28 MAY 2009 - 31 OCT 2009 MYR 766 MYR 1,220 Bangalore 28 MAY 2009 - 31 OCT 2009 MYR 282 MYR 699 Beijing 28 MAY 2009 - 31 OCT 2009 MYR 310 MYR 709 Chennai 28 MAY 2009 - 31 OCT 2009 MYR 232 MYR 649 Colombo 28 MAY 2009 - 31 OCT 2009 MYR 312 MYR 729 Delhi 28 MAY 2009 - 31 OCT 2009 MYR 282 MYR 699 Dhaka 28 MAY 2009 - 31 OCT 2009 MYR 182 MYR 599 Frankfurt 28 MAY 2009 - 31 OCT 2009 MYR 876 MYR 1,330 Guangzhou 28 MAY 2009 - 31 OCT 2009 MYR 240 MYR 639 Hong Kong 28 MAY 2009 - 31 OCT 2009 MYR 260 MYR 399 Hyderabad 28 MAY 2009 - 31 OCT 2009 MYR 282 MYR 699 Kaohsiung 28 MAY 2009 - 31 OCT 2009 MYR 78 MYR 320 Karachi 28 MAY 2009 - 31 OCT 2009 MYR 312 MYR 729 London 28 MAY 2009 - 31 OCT 2009 MYR 796 MYR 1,250 Los Angeles 28 MAY 2009 - 31 OCT 2009 MYR 1,134 MYR 1,985 Mumbai 28 MAY 2009 - 31 OCT 2009 MYR 282 MYR 699 New York 28 MAY 2009 - 31 OCT 2009 MY

Cheaper international calling rate via Maxis IDD 132

It's now very affordable to make IDD calls from your Maxis mobile line via Maxis IDD 132 service. Calling to Australia, US, UK and Singapore land lines only cost 20 cents/ minute! One just need to dial using the following method: 132 + 00 + country code + area code + phone number (e.g. 132 00 61 3 XXXXXXX) No subscription or activation needed.

AirAsia: 1 million free international seats

Booking Period: 11 May 2009- 15 May 2009 Travel Period: 5 Jan 2010 - 30 Apr 2010 Bali Banda Aceh Bandung Bangkok Bangkok Brunei Chiang Mai Clark [Manila] Gold Coast [Brisbane] Guangzhou Guilin Haikou Hangzhou [Shanghai] Hanoi Ho Chi Minh Hong Kong Jakarta Krabi Macau Makassar Manado Medan Melbourne Padang Palembang Pekanbaru Perth Phnom Penh Phuket Shenzhen Siem Reap [Angkor Wat] Singapore Solo Surabaya Vientiane Yogyakarta As for London, the one way fare is RM 566 before taxes. Book at AirAsia website here .

Petrol RON95 sold at RM1.75 from Sept onwards

Published: Tuesday May 12, 2009 MYT 11:54:00 AM Updated: Tuesday May 12, 2009 MYT 3:09:25 PM Petrol price: RON97 to cost 20sen more By MAZWIN NIK ANIS PUTRAJAYA: The RON97 petrol will be sold at RM2 per liter effective Sept 1, which is 20 sen more than its current selling price once RON95 is available nationwide. The RON97 will be sold as a premium petrol product while RON92, the cheapest petrol currently available, will be removed from the market. The RON95 - to be sold at RM1.75 - would be available to consumers in stages effective Wednesday and all petrol stations nationwide would sell the product by Sept 1, said Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob. “By Sept 1, RON97 will be the alternative petrol and a premium product. Instead, the RON95 petrol will be the choice petrol for consumers and be rest assured, the product is of high quality and is good enough to be filled into even luxury and high-powered cars,” he said. Ismail Sabri said the deci

Another story of adoption

Indeed very inspirational. I have to admit that I'm also a strong supporter of the adoption idea as there are just too many abandoned kids nowadays. Monday May 11, 2009 Samantha loves her ‘rainbow family’ By LOONG MENG YEE KUALA LUMPUR: When actress and former Miss Malaysia Samantha Schubert was “expecting” in 2004, she and hubby could not care less if the baby was black, white, brown or yellow – all they wanted was a girl. “We were thrilled when the Welfare Department called about a week-old baby girl up for adoption. “I fell in love immediately with this beautiful thing in my arms; who cares about her skin colour?” said Samantha of her daughter Jodie, who is of Indian parentage. Two years later, Samantha and husband Oliver Knott again adopted a baby. This time an Indian boy they named Harry. Samantha is herself an adopted child of Datuk Paddy Bowie, a business consultant and writer. Mum’s the word: Samantha playing with Jodie, Harry and Thomas. The Knotts had resided in England a

Story of a mother with adopted children

Frankly speaking, I'm really salute her for adopting the ill children. Sunday May 10, 2009 Rosnah enjoys being with her adopted children and stepson Stories by LEE YUK PENG KUALA LUMPUR: Six years ago, a teenager sought help from a Puteri Umno division chief after giving birth to a child out of wedlock. Her baby, who was born premature, suffered from epilepsy and she could not afford to bring him to the hospital. Happy family: Rosnah posing for a photo with (from left) Siti Aishah, Siti Khatijah and Mahathir. Despite being single, Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin, who was then Kota Marudu Puteri Umno division chief, adopted the baby from the 14-year-old. “I love children and felt that I was ready for such a responsibility,” said Rosnah, who was 30 then. The lawyer-turned-politician from Sabah, who is now Puteri Umno chief and the Deputy Health Minister, said she fell in love with the baby at first sight and named him Mahathir Musa Abdullah. A year later, the Papar MP went on to ad

Hotmail finally enables POP3!

It took me for sometime before I managed to get the right configurations working. The settings: POP3 Server: pop3.live.com (port 995) SMTP Server: smtp.live.com (port 25) If port 25 has been blocked in your network or by your ISP, you can set SMTP port to 587 Check both for the secure connection (SSL) option Remember to uncheck "Log on using Secure Password Authentication (SPA)" and check the "Require authentication for Outgoing SMTP" sort of

Part-time employment

I definitely welcome this good news! Amendment to regulations for part-time workers MALACCA: Regulations for part-time employment will be amended by the middle of this year to better regulate and protect part time workers and their employers. The new regulations would apply to those from the private sector and lower rank civil servants who have obtained approval from their respective heads of departments to earn extra income via part time work after office hours. Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said the proposed changes to the Employment Act are currently being studied by the Attorney-General Chambers and would be implemented once approved. He said many questions had risen over the issue following the implementation of the Government circular allowing civil servants to work part-time. “The employers want to know their rights and what they can do while the part timer workers want to know what are their responsibilities and claims against their employers,” he told