Some Memories

We all ought to be on high alert! The number of H1N1 deaths has increased to 4 people. If I were down with flu symptom, I would immediately go to hospital for check up instead of private clinic. I do not trust most clinic except my own Dr.  and I believe will get faster respond from the government hospital. Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said all the four who died had come in late and did not get anti-viral treatment early. Via T he Star

The likely markets that AirAsia X will fly to with the three new aircraft it will be taking delivery of this year are speculated to be the Middle East , particularly Abu Dhabi , and China. It is likely to increase frequency on its flights to Melbourne, Perth, Gold Coast, Taipei and Hangzhou. Via The Star

Sept 4 to 6 2009 Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC)

This is cheap! Is MAS just drop the price to match AirAsia? KL - Taipei RM 300 Taipei - KL RM 280 All inclusive Booking: 27–31 Jul 2009. Travel: 03 Jul–15 Dec 2009. Advance purchase: 3 days.

The notification letters have been sent out to the subscriber. The interest at 5% flat  will be banked into your nominating bank account. One may want to reinvest into other scheme like the upcoming AS1M.

Impressive bio. Hope to meet Dr. Karl one day. Eur Ing. Ir. Dr. Karl Ng, DBA, PMP®, PEng, CEng Head of Capability Development Department Dr Karl is the Head of Capability Development at Multimedia Development Corporation. His responsibilities include directing the development and implementation of national level Capability Development programmes which aims to enhance competitiveness of MSC Malaysia and companies operating within it. His professional qualifications extend from being a Chartered, Professional and European Engineer to Project Management Professional (PMP). He is also trained in best practices such as PCMM, CMMI, Six Sigma (Green Belt), ISO, ITIL and ISMS and has presented papers in international conferences. He has accumulated 10 years of experience from manufacturing and ICT industry ranging from R&D, engineering, business strategy, programme management and process improvement. He holds a Bachelor honours degree in Eng...

Yasmin Ahmad is one of the very talented person in Malaysia's entertainment industry. Some of her famous production including Gubra and Sepet. May she rest in peace. KUALA LUMPUR: Award-winning film director Yasmin Ahmad (pic) has died from massive bleeding in the brain at the Damansara Specialist Hospital. She died at 11.25pm yesterday. She had undergone surgery following her collapse at the TV3 headquarters Seri Pentas on Thursday. The 51-year-old movie maker was famed for her advertisements and films capturing the essence of racial harmony in Malaysia. Relatives, loved ones and a large group of luminaries from the local movie and television scene gathered at the hospital the moment they heard about her death. Among the first to arrive were veteran actress Fatimah Abu Bakar – a close friend of Yasmin – and Media Prima International CEO Datuk Seri Farid Ridzuan. Although distraught, those present paid tribute to the award-winning director. "We would come cross a few great ...

Putrajaya r ecorded a rating of 67 yesterday, caused by the burnings at Sumatra :( Air quality is considered good if the API reading is between zero and 50. Moderate air quality will have an API of between 51 and 100 while a reading between 101 and 200 indicates unhealthy air quality.

Via The Star

Congrats to her winning the World Games and being rank World No. 1 for the last 3 years. I really salute her for her determination and display of her skills.

PUTRAJAYA: A 30-year-old Indonesian student became the first Influenza A(H1N1) related fatality here, although the cause of death was not the disease itself. Initial investigations show that the cause of death was the result of a cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation (irregular heart rhythm), Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said. The first-year student at the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance, Kuala Lumpur, had other underlying medical conditions. "Influenza A(H1N1) was not a direct cause of his death," he told a press conference on Thursday. The patient went back to Indonesia for a holiday and returned to Malaysia on July 5 and was reported to have been suffering a mild fever and cough, Liow said. On July 21, the patient fainted while waiting for his medication after seeing a doctor at a private medical centre in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur. He was given emergency treatment but his life could not be saved, he said. The patient passed aw...

After reading this, only I realized that eating vegetarian has side benefit for the environment too! Kudos to myself (being trying to eat more vege)!  A Plant-Based Diet Improves Planetary As Well As Personal Health Keeping your diet focused on plant-based foods is not only a way to improve your health, it's also a way to improve the health of our planet. Choosing organic foods that have been produced in a sustainable manner is a way to protect yourself from unwanted pesticide residues and other food contaminants that can degrade your body systems. It is also a way to protect the environment from practices that can degrade the quality of our soil, water, and air. And by protecting our environment, we can help pave the way for future production of healthy foods.

This is really cheap! RM 129 + 240 all inclusive is what I manged to scout :) Depart  Kuala Lumpur LCCT(KUL) to Taipei(TPE)  Mon 19 Oct 2009  D7 2672  Depart 1000  Arrive 1440  Return  Taipei(TPE) to Kuala Lumpur LCCT(KUL)  Sun 01 Nov 2009  D7 2673  Depart 1540  Arrive 2050  Depart Total 129.00 MYR  Depart Total 129.00 MYR  1 Guest @ 104.00 104.00 MYR   Airport Tax 25.00 MYR  Return Total 240.00 MYR  Return Total 240.00 MYR   1 Guest @ 200.00 200.00 MYR  Airport Tax 40.00 MYR Total 369.00 MYR

Is this a signal that economy is getting more better soon? Bank Negara, two others plan to exit full deposit guarantee PETALING JAYA: The Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Bank Negara and the Monetary Authority of Singapore have established a tripartite working group to exit the full deposit guarantee by end-2010. In a coordinated effort to contain the effects of the global financial crisis, Malaysia and Singapore provided a blanket guarantee on all bank deposits in their respective banking systems in October last year. All ringgit and foreign currency deposits placed with financial institutions regulated by Bank Negara were fully guaranteed by the Government. The move has helped to reassure depositors and preserve confidence in the financial systems, as some of the biggest and respected international financial institutions were wracked by huge losses globally. Source: The Star

I'm wondering if AirAsiaX is doing well or not ... AirAsia X CEO backs merger with AirAsia Bhd By B.K. SIDHU Azran: Merger will let AirAsia tap into long-haul markets SEPANG: A merger between AirAsia X and AirAsia Bhd makes business sense and the combined balance sheet would make sourcing for future funding much easier, said AirAsia X chief executive officer Azran Osman-Rani. "It would be difficult for AirAsia in the future if it did not have trunk routes as (this) is where the traffic volumes come from, so AirAsia needs growth from AirAsia X and the merger allows it to tap growth opportunities in the long-haul markets," Azran told StarBiz in an interview. "AirAsia cannot continue to just criss-cross and enter new markets, it needs a bigger base,'' he added. Given the nature of the business, which is counter-cyclical, a large base was necessary to balance the routes in peak and non-peak months, he said. That is why AirAsia X has to sell beyond Kuala Lumpur ...

KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 — All 3.33 billion quota-based Amanah Saham Malaysia (ASM) units offered for sale by Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) have been sold out, said PNB, Malaysia's largest fund manager. PNB offered the balance of 1.6 billion unsubscribed ASM units including the Bumiputera quota to all Malaysians yesterday. The units were part of the 3.33 billion additional ASM units announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak when launching the Malaysia Unit Trust Week in Johor Baru on April 20. This is the first time a race-based quota system was introduced for the ASM unit trust scheme. — Bernama

COULD YOU THINK OF A SOLUTION?  Many years ago in a small Indian village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a female village moneylender. The female Moneylender, who was old, fat and ugly, fancied the farmer's handsome son,Cliff.  So she proposed a bargain.  She said she would forego the farmer's debt if she could marry his son. Both the farmer and his son were horrified by the Proposal. So the cunning female moneylender suggested that they let Providence decide the matter. She told them that she would put a black Pebble and a white pebble into an empty moneybag. Then the son would  have  to pick one pebble from the bag.  If he picked the black pebble, he would become her husband  and her father's debt would be forgiven.  If he picked the white pebble he need not marry her and his father's debt would still be forgiven.  But if he refused to pick a pebble, his father would be thrown into Jail  They were standing on a pebble-strewn path in the f...

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person... When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, To aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on. Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an exper...

Keng! Public Bank's Q2 profit rises to RM610mil Group declares an interim dividend of 30 sen a share KUALA LUMPUR: Public Bank Bhd posted a modest rise in net profit to RM610.7mil, or 17.7 sen a share, in its second quarter ended June 30 as a still vibrant business in Malaysia was dragged down by a weaker performance from its overseas operations. It recorded a net profit of RM593.5mil, or 17.69 sen a share, in the previous corresponding period. The group, however, sees its loans growth and non-performing loans (NPLs) to be at industry leading levels as it forecast yet another year of record profit on a recurring basis. "The Public Bank group will continue to pursue its strategy of strong organic business growth, as well as maintain a high quality loan portfolio and improved productivity," chairman Tan Sri Teh Hong Piow said in a statement. The group declared an interim dividend of 30 sen a share less tax, which amounts to around RM777mil. The payout remained constant from...

Being able to still contribute back to the society when died one day is a good deed. And currently the National Transplant Resource Centre is still lacking number of donors. So let's do our part while we could. How to be an organ donor? http://www.agiftoflife.gov.my National Transplant Resource Centre, Ministry of Health Malaysia

I totally agree! Why are we just not synergize? KL-S'pore high-speed rail will generate economic benefits Hock's Viewpoint - By Choong Khuat Hock A KL-Singapore high-speed rail would generate more economic benefits than the double-tracking railway from Ipoh to Thailand WITH negative export growth and private consumption, fiscal stimulus is playing a more important role. In Japan, building bridges to nowhere has not generated long-term economic benefits but has instead burdened future generations. In Malaysia, building a double-tracking railway from Ipoh to the Thai border for RM12bil can never generate as much economic benefits as a high-speed rail (HSR) from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore for around the same price tag. (Please vote or express your views on the blog http://klsingaporehsr.blogspot.com/ ) Malaysia appears to be far behind in HSR development. China has completed six high-speed rail projects with design speeds of up to 250km/h and in July 2008, it completed the 108km ...

What a tragic death. May him rest in peace. And justice to be prevailed once what had caused him to for the fall is identified. More than 1,000 expected at Teoh's funeral on Monday ALOR GAJAH : Soh Cher Wei, the 28-year-old fiance of Teoh Beng Hock, will go ahead and legalise him as the father of her unborn child. She is two months pregnant. The child's status was among the main concerns raised by his family as Teoh and Soh have yet to register and solemnise their marriage. He died on the day they were to register their marriage. The matter was brought up by Teoh's youngest sister Teoh Lee Lan, 29, and Soh to several leaders who came to pay their last respects to the family in Taman Sri Kelemak, Alor Gajah Sunday. Among those who offered help to legalise Teoh as the father of the unborn child were Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's political secretary Dr Oh Ei Sun and MCA secretary-general Datuk Wong Foon Meng. Oh was there to convey Najib's condolences...

From consumer end point, for cost saving and environmental reason, we too should try to limit our baggage limit. I wow to do my part. IATA says every 1% improvement in fuel efficiency across industry can cut fuel costs by US$700mil annually . PETALING JAYA: Most airlines, in trying to mitigate the impact of fuel price volatility, have resorted to stringent baggage restrictions as part of measures to achieve better fuel efficiency .

www.malsingmaps.com (MSM) www.malfreemaps.com (MFM) Just read an article on free GPS maps. I'm thinking to give it a try since received many recommendation from friend to have one. But the question for myself - do I need GPS?  

Beyonce - Halo Remember those walls I built Well baby they're tumbling down And they didn't even put up a fight They didn't even make a sound I found a way to let you in But I never really had a doubt Standing in the light of your halo I got my angel now It's like I've been awakened Every rule I had you breakin' It's the risk that I'm takin' I ain't never gonna shut you out Everywhere I'm looking now I'm surrounded by your embrace Baby I can see your halo You know you're my saving grace You're everything I need and more It's written all over your face Baby I can feel your halo Pray it won't fade away I can feel your halo (halo) halo I can see your halo (halo) halo I can feel your halo (halo) halo I can see your halo (halo) halo Woah... Hit me like a ray of sun Burning through my darkest night You're the only one that I want Think I'm addicted to your light I swore I'd never fall again But this don't even fe...

Yeah, I agree with the move. Those PTPTN loan holder, please be responsible and settle your loan. It's not that much to pay monthly since I heard the repayment period is something like 10 years and the monthly payment is about RM 200 only (depending on how much you loaned). If nobody wanted to repay the loan, this gonna affect the future PTPTN fund? Gotta think of the next generation also what! POPULAR singer and composer Faizal Tahir has been barred from travelling abroad for failing to settle a study loan, Kosmo reported. The National Higher Education Fund Corporation has a travel blacklist of 78,000 borrowers who have not settled their debts. The daily quoted Immigration director-general Abdul Rahman Othman as saying that Faizal was stopped from leaving the country because he had committed an offence by not settling his loan. "Anyone who has committed an offence under the law will be barred from boarding a flight," he said. Source : The Star  

I seriously considering if I were to visit Indonesia again in the future ... Jakarta bombing - A pair of bombs explode at the neighboring Ritz-Carlton and Marriott hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia, killing 9 people. A car bomb also blew up along a toll road in North Jakarta, police said without giving further details. Indonesia's Metro TV said two people had been killed. An unexploded bomb was also later found at the Marriott, police said.

As what I had expected earlier ... all of us have to be on high alert and continue to practise good hygiene! Influenza A(H1N1)'s speed "unprecedented": WHO GENEVA : The A(H1N1) influenza pandemic has been spreading at an unprecedented speed, much faster than other pandemics in history, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. "In past pandemics, influenza viruses have needed more than six months to spread as widely as the new H1N1 virus has spread in less than six weeks," China's Xinhua news agency quoted the UN agency as saying in a briefing posted on its website. The new flu virus has caused more than 94,500 laboratory confirmed infections in more than 130 countries and regions, with more than 400 deaths, according to figures released by the WHO on July 6. Since that date no updated figures have been released. The agency will no longer issue the global tables showing the numbers of confirmed cases for all countries, because the number of infe...

Well ... think I'm going to buy some. I expect the interest rate gonna be around 5% +/- depending on the economy outlook. Anytime better than Fixed Deposit 2.5% (12 month).   Remaining 1.6 Billion ASM Units Offered To All Malaysians From July 21   KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 (Bernama) -- Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) will be offering the remaining 1.6 billion Amanah Saham Malaysia (ASM) units, including those initially set aside for Bumiputeras, for subscription by all Malaysians from July 21.   PNB president and group chief executive Tan Sri Hamad Kama Piah Che Othman said a maximum investment limit of 20,000 units would be imposed on each account holder for seven days until July 27.   "Thereafter, investors can subscribe for the ASM units without any maximum investment limit depending on the amount of units left. Sales for the additional ASM units are based on a first-come, first-served basis," he told reporters here today.   The 1.6 billion units are part of th...

Learned something today ..... I need to buck up my personal finance knowledge. Is your EPF money enough for retirement? Personal Investment - A column by Ooi Kok Hwa A look at whether a retiree can survive after losing monthly income and with only EPF savings to rely on SOME studies conducted in Malaysia have shown that most retirees spend all their EPF money within three years of their retirement. Given that the average lifespan for a Malaysian is 75 years, if we retire at 55 and spend all our EPF money within three years, a lot of us will be wondering how to survive from 58 to 75. The most worrying question that most of us will be asking is how to survive retirement when we lose our steady stream of monthly income to cover our daily expenses. However, if we have been building an investment portfolio apart from EPF money, we would not be able to generate a source of returns from our own investment portfolio. In reality, a lot of us have been spending most of our...

Per way, all inclusive KL - Tokyo RM 697 KL - Melbourne RM 799 KL - Paris RM 1038 http://www.malaysiaairlines.com/campaign/2009/07/LF23/asean.asp?oid=MALAYSIA

MAS Get A Deal Booking: 11 - 20 Jul 09. Travel: 13 Jul 2009 - 31 Mar 2010. Advance purchase: 3 days Managed to get KL - Melbourne for RM 600 on Sept 29th. Cheap.

Let's see how would these go. KUALA LUMPUR: Six key areas have been identified by the Prime Minister for his administration to focus on. The six national key result areas are crime prevention, combating corruption, providing greater access to quality and affordable education, improving the quality of life for the poor, improving rural infrastructure and upgrading public transportation in the medium term. Najib said the six key areas would help his administration and civil servants achieve the objectives of having key performance indices. "The entire agenda (since I took office) comprises – firstly, a harmonious people and a prosperous economy, secondly, human rights and media freedom and thirdly, improving the capability of civil servants and the efficiency of the government's delivery system," he said. Source: The Star

PM announced that Government would launch a 10bil units of Amanah Saham 1Malaysia trust fund

Would it be better or more ma fan to claim the rebate monthly? I prefer to claim the rebate one shot. PORT DICKSON: A new schedular tax deduction system from this month will eliminate the need for employees to pay an additional lump sum at the year-end to make up for the shortfall in monthly deductions. Inland Revenue Board (IRB) chief executive officer Datuk Hasmah Adullah said that under the current system implemented in 2004, the board had on many occasions taken a big cut of the individual's bonus to make up for the shortfall. "We had cases where an employee's entire bonus would go to the IRB (to make up for the shortfall). We do not want to do this any more as it is unfair to the taxpayer. "It is better for us to make higher deductions every month. This is a better arrangement," she said, adding that under new system, the taxpayer would have paid up almost all his dues by the end of the year. She added that the new system would also allow for employees to s...

For better or worse? KUALA LUMPUR: The Cabinet has decided that the medium of instruction for Maths and Science will revert to Bahasa Malaysia in national schools and mother-tongue languages in national-type schools from 2012 onwards. “Only 19.2% of secondary teachers and 9.96% of primary teachers were sufficiently proficient in English,” he said, explaining the Government’s decision to revert to the old system. Source: The Star