October 30, 2013

A Blue Chinese Daughter-in-law

  
Looking for an Online Date
According to a Malaysian Chinese daily, a 57-year-old grandfather invited his female online friend to have sex in a hotel but was shocked when his daughter-in-law showed up.

The man, known only as Wang, was even more horrified when he noticed his son tailing the daughter-in-law at the hotel in Heilong­jiang, China recently, it reported.

With the username “A Caring One”, Wang had been actively chatting with netizens since he retired two years ago.


Chinese Girl on Internet Date

Wang came across a netizen with the username “Lonely Flower” on Oct 21 and they decided to meet in a hotel room after exchanging fake photographs.

Wang’s son found out about the chat-room conversation and decided to secretly follow his wife to the hotel.

The woman was shocked when her father-in-law answered the door and tried to run away.
However, Wang’s son showed up at the hotel room and attacked the both of them.

Wang suffered injuries while the woman lost three teeth.

This can only happen in the modern internet era.

October 25, 2013

GST-Hurting the Poor

How the Cake Crumbles
At long last, GST was introduced in the 2014 Malaysian Budget.

While they are pros and cons of such a wide-ranging tax, the weight of the tax will in all likelihood be placed on the already burdened lower income group.

This article, likely abridged from the Malaysian Insider article of Trinna Leong tells us more about the effects of GST.

GST targets a bigger group but poor hit most, say economists
October 26, 2013

Putrajaya’s decision to finally introduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a regressive move that would largely hurt poor and debt-ridden Malaysians, say economists.

While they lauded the government's move to abolish the Sales and Services Tax (SST) for the GST, the economists argued that the consumption tax of 6% effective April 1, 2015 would in fact do more harm than good in the long run.

“This is a regressive tax where the poor would be taxed more than the rich,” said Lim Mah Hui, from the Socio-economic and Environment Research Institute (SERI).

The lower income group would have to fork out a bigger chunk of their wages in terms of percentage compared with the rich, forcing the poor to pay a bigger percentage margin to the government in the form of the GST, he told The Malaysian Insider.

"The effect to the lower income group is neutral," The Prime Minister told a press conference in Parliament.
Economists said that a low income household earning roughly RM1,800 a month would have to spend more of their pay for necessities, a fact which Bank Negara noted in its Outlook and Policy 2013 report on the BR1M.

The report mentioned that based on analysis, “lower income households are more sensitive to income shocks” and that the poor “tend to have lower savings as most of their expenditures are for necessities”.
By pushing forward with the GST, the government would reinforce investor confidence but burden the people in the long run.

“With a definite GST rate, the market would receive it positively,” said Edward Lee, regional chief economist at Standard Chartered.

Institut Rakyat economist Azrul Azwar Ahmad Tajudin said Putrajaya deserved credit for abolishing the SST instead of running the taxes in parallel but added that the government needed to ensure that it can enforce the GST effectively.

“I'm not certain if the committee tasked to oversee the implementation of GST would have the teeth to enforce the GST on traders, manufacturers so as to curb inflation,” Azrul said.

“In the past, the trend with enforcement has been lacking in Malaysia. It makes you think if enforcement would be better now than it is in the past.”

The GST would require an input and output of tax to be enforced at every level of the supply chain, a tedious and complex task which pundits have said may not work in Malaysia.

But more importantly, the brunt of the tax will be spread out to the consumers, a harsh reality that many Malaysians would not appreciate, they added.

“While this is an efficient tax, we must remember that 80% of Malaysian households are in debt,” Lim from SERI cautioned.

According to financial analyst Jesse Colombo, a columnist at Forbes magazine, Malaysia’s ratio of household debt to GDP hit a record of 83% – the highest household debt load in Southeast Asia.

With the GST, Lim believed that Malaysians would continue to spend more than they earn – a prediction that does not bode well for a country that has 41% of its population between the ages of 25 to 54.

The economists’ warning brushes off the government’s insistence that the GST would reduce the tax burden on the people, especially the low income group, through tax exemptions.

“What's the need to give the BR1M RM300 one-off payment if the government insists that there won't be an inflationary impact?

"If you don't foresee any burden on the low income group then why give the one-off cash assistance?” asked Azwar, referring to the one-off payment the government would pay to the poor when the GST takes effect. – October 26, 2013.

October 23, 2013

Truly Great Gems

Most Governments Operate This Way
Once in a long,long while, you see sparks of brilliance.

Pedal Power Both Ways
There can be in graphics or in both text and graphics.

Reality Check
The thing is they all drive home the point.

Shocking Bills
Enjoy!
True in Malaysia Now!

Never a Debtor Be

So the Bard eloquently puts it.


Yet, our unruly governments have spent us out of house and home.

We have been bombarded to the fact that Greece, Spain and Portugal are the poor and yet the USA is the poorest of them all.

For Malaysia, we are in debt to a tune of RM 17,000 per person or about US$7,000.


Reducing Debt Temptation

Seek financial solace
After only two months of evaluation, I have come to the conclusion that debt is one of the most worrisome problems that can befell me financially particularly in my current status as a pensioner.

This month is something of a watershed for me as I have so far disposed of one of my major personal loan from a foreign bank.

Cut this Out!

Today, I found time to go to another foreign bank to terminate my credit card as well as put the expensive overdraft facility to pasture. Good riddance to bad rubbish!

For me, the next thing to do will be to terminate another two credit cards. Again,both are issued by foreign banks.

I have also made up my mind to review three personal accident policies and perhaps to possibly say good-bye to all of them.

As a major loan repayment schedule looms ahead of me in 2014, the best thing to do is to cut me as much slag  as possible so that I will not become an easy victim of runaway inflation and rising interest rate at the same time.

Innovation and Recycling

These people are truly imaginative and innovative.

Look what have they done creatively to the items which we would all but disposed if they should clutter up the house.

The "Old Lady" Who Lived in a Shoe

Care to Have Tea with Alice?

Puss in Boots?

The Water Pulley?

Sprinkler Extraordinaire!

Amazing!

That 10 million dollar Bra!

Yes, this bejeweled bra is definitely something to hold and behold.

Especially when it is worn by the latest darling of the modelling world, Candice Swanepoel.

So behold!

Lovely is the word!

Charming is the girl



October 15, 2013

My First Pen-pal

Sally is on the left
She was Sally McAnallen from Ireland.

We corresponded for quite sometime during my secondary school days.

She sent me a record by Otis Redding called " Reached Out".

That was my first introduction to black jazz.

My Departed Uncle

My Uncle Teng
I guess their lives must be quite simple.

He was my Uncle.

We called him Uncle Teng.

He was a fishmonger.

He has also passed on.

Good Thoughts

Once in a long while, you received in your email, some great thoughts.

Here are some of them for you to savour.









Donny's Passing

THe Cortege Leaves

My youngest brother, Donny passed away on 20 June 1988.

In Memoriam
Sad day.

He was only 28.

October 14, 2013

The Passing on of My Grandad in 1986

Before the cortege leaves
My grandfather lived to the grand old age of 95 or so.

Party our last respects

A classic modern Lazarus, he was struck with sickness and was bed-ridden for many years.

One fine day, he recovered and lived many more years before he wane to the be with the Lord.

Tom Brown School Days

Jit Cheng with Debbie
With Seng Guan

With Teng Ai

Those were the days,my friend
Some Did Well in Life

Form Six Days

Form 3 at JASES (1967)
I had my share of Tom Brown School days, though not at Rugby.

Two good years (1968-1969)
My school days were spent in Jasin, Bukit Baru and Malacca.

Form 6-Where are they now?
I also had some wonderful memories of outings to Port Dickson and to the Sagil Golf Club.

On the Bus To Port Dickson
Younger days
William Chua Party
Tan Hup Neo-1966
Upper Six Days

Siew Mei and company




















Ministry of Housing Days (1986-93)

One of my better days in the civil service.

With Chen in my Office

With Cheng in my Office

New Year Party in the late Niu Soo Peng's House