One Romantic Thought

How true.......a romance of a lifetime.

Visiting Father on 19 August 2012

Father at 88

It may be the first day of Hari Raya Aidil Fitri. 

They may give me a rebate of 30% for using the NSE.

Whatever it was, I took the opportunity from teaching at a neighbourhood tuition centre to visit Father.

He had a fall two weeks back.

The doctors after examining him found a fracture and an apparent 'flattening' of his lower leg bone. However, due to his age of close to 88 years, they do not recommend any surgery.

So, along with my mother and Shaline we journeyed back to Malacca. There was little traffic and we got home in good time.

We bought durians as Father likes them; so did Mother.

Good to see Father and he was also in a good mood to see us.

After observing his movement, I believe his inability to walk could be attributed not only to weak legs but also his weakening leg and thigh muscles as he lacked exercise.

As for his incontinence, I think it is because he has back problems and the nerves impacted by his vertebrae's  dislocation could have lead to his inability to hold urine.

I bought him 5 packets of TEANA adult diapers. It should last a while.

At 2.30pm we left for Kuala Lumpur.

I intend to stop teaching next year to concentrate on writing and consulting.

This should give me ample opportunity to visit Father and Mother.

Agathian Shelter comes Full Circle

Best Speaker

I remembered perhaps it was about maybe 4 years back when I assisted Vickie to run a half-day training session in public speaking.  It was almost Christmas time and the children were just back from Christmas caroling. After giving them pointers on what to do to promote public speaking skills, we then had a contest.

These course participants were mostly from shelter homes and orphanages, I recalled and Navita was given the accolade for best speaker. I guess girls tend to prepare their work better compared to boys who may have little interest in developing such skills.

Today fast forward to 2012, my daughter is involved in community work at Agathian Shelter over in Section 8, PJ as part of her job requirements. She is teaching the boys there how to read.

As they say,what goes around, comes around.

The Cheaper Malaysian Millionaires

Mansion Style Billionaires

The On-line STAR today (18 Aug 2012) featured a very interesting topic today-Cheap Malaysian Millionaires.

Yes, they can be still carry the label millionaires but it is no longer a big deal anymore. Though they can lay claim to that status because of their rapidly appreciating properties, they do not feel any richer, living a mediocre middle income life perhaps on similar levels to a high-salaried person from the working class category.

These cheapo millionaires can include those who had the wherewithal to spend investment money for their children’s education especially in twinning programmes with a possible year or two overseas.

Having numbers but not the lifestyle, they are the constant victim of runaway inflsation in Malaysian A ringgit in Janaury fetches perhaps less than 50% in December in a calendar year. Boo Hoo!

Billionaires, however, remain rare. Malaysia now has 30 billionaires, just three more from the 27 on the list last year.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported last year that Malaysia's millionaires almost doubled over the previous 18 months. 

A report by international financial firm ,Credit Suisse Group, stated that Malaysia have added 19,000 new millionaires since early 2010, bringing the total to 39,000 as of October 2010.

Those who invested their money wisely had benefited the most duing this period.

“In a free market and capitalist economy like Malaysia, people who have capital can generate millions,” says Dr Yeap of RAM, emphasizing that many in the upper-income bracket had accumulated wealth past the million-ringgit mark.

Personal financial consultant Carol Yip said the rising cost of living had lessened the feeling of being rich.

“Today, even a small apartment can cost half a million,” she said.

She said careful spending was not a factor for the increase in the numbers of millionaires.

“If we are spending less, we won't be seeing so many luxury cars on the road,” she said.

She said the rise in millionaires was also due to property prices which have shot up exponentially, adding that the definition should not include the value of the house that one was living in.

So, are you in this category of cheap-going-cheaper inflation millionaire?

Nah, not me!

BNM, Two Speed Growth and Western Digital

Will commodity succumb next?

Analysts are trying to explain the latest data on the economy as ponied up by Zeti from BNM. Above the analysts best call. If I remember correctly-5.4% ?

For a lack of explanation, they have conceded that the growth may have sprung up from government project spending though the other unrelated sectors have faced the onslaught of the global market tremors. So ,the word used is " two staged".

Meanwhile reality is biting. Western Digital has just announced a  RSS to let go of 1,200 workers. Is this the early sign that the export led economy is crumbling, Zeti?

The AMMB Boo-Boo

Please be more pro-active!

Strange that a big bank who has organised many AGM/EGMs could fumbled big time today at this year annual AGM held at Berjaya Time Square.

Something was really amiss when shareholders who had rushed through heavy maddening KL traffic jams to got to the meeting was greeted with such dismay.

So, what  greeted them?

Hampa!  Perassan hampa! Mistreated!

Here you see these unsympathetic Symphony House  intermediaries registering shareholders. Some of these share registrars had gift coupons  to give out while others have ran out of them. So those without coupons to hand out conveniently  got rid of these unfortunate shareholders by waving them away, saying " No more gifts or breakfast but you can attend the AGM."

What a shame, Symphony House! Have more professionalism-lah!

So unfeeling, these people from the service industry.

I was certainly unhappy that the AMMB staff that stood behind these Symphony House people did not bat an eye to help out by getting more gift coupons for these shareholders. They might as well be invisible! Double shame on you!

The strangest thing was there were so many gifts still to be collected. As the shareholders who came late has no coupons to avail themselves to these gifts, the officers manning the gift counters were just standing like trees, unable to dole out those recycle bags of gifts.

So, Mr Squeaky Clean CEO, do something. I think Tan Sri Chairman would have cried seeing all those old shareholders being roundly denied of their door gifts!

Make sure such a boo-boo does not happen again. Make sure AMMB boleh!

Makes sure you have proactive AMMB people at the registration counters who will  have enough gift coupons ready to give out.

After all, you already have the proxy forms in hand of those who are coming for the AGM.

'First come,first serve is one real bad policy, Tan Sri!"

So, AMMB, learn and you may yet be considered a good bank to invest in.

A Day in Johor Bahru and A Writing Job In the Bag

Did not see this side of the city

As usual, I fret about long journeys but M was most understandable.

We stopped for pee-breaks along the way.

I have not seen Johore Bahru for about 16 years now.

However, did not get to see the usual city side of Johore Bahru off Jalan Wong Ah Fook but more of Johor Jaya.

We had a half-day meeting with the client and achieved plenty.

Assuming that they give me the information that we sought by Friday, I should be able to put out the application by end of August.

Had a tuna sandwich with the hosts at Lavender before heading home at 5.45 pm.

Maniam drove well and we reached home at 10 pm.

Great day for me as I secured a writing job at a good rate.

So,its hard work for me on this grant application, the MPC job as well as this new job.

Bunny just contacted me as another job might be opening at UEM.

When God closes one door, he really opened up many until my cup's runneth over!