1,001 Nights of Petrol Stories & Malaysian Economy!

I was forwarded with this notice from a friend in Petronas:

NOTIS
Kami telah dimaklumkan bahawa satu perhimpunan akan diadakan di Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) tengahari ini. Sebagai langkah keselamatan, perimeter KLCC akan diawasi oleh pihak Polis dari jam 1.30 petang hingga 3 petang.

Kakitangan PETRONAS dinasihatkan supaya berwaspada dan meneruskan tugas harian di pejabat seperti biasa. Kakitangan PETRONAS dilarang dari menyertai perhimpunan ini dalam apa bentuk sekali pun.

Bahagian Keselamatan Korporat
PETRONAS
3 Mac 2006

(In English:
Notice:

We were informed that a gathering will be held in KLCC, in the afternoon. For safety reasons, KLCC would be surrounded by the Police from 1.30PM to 3PM.

Petronas employees are advised to be careful and to proceed with your duties as usual. PETRONAS employees are strictly prohibited from joining the parties in any kind of form and action.

Corporate Security Dept.
PETRONAS
3 March 2006)


As I said, the issue would be a never ending story. The latest effort of the government to overcome the problem is to ask the folks to lessen their spending. That is so terrible. For those who can still remember the steps taken by Tun Dr. Nahathir bin Mohamad in 1997-1998 recession, this time, it's a total backward and contrary steps is being taken.

What the government was trying to do was to make the people to regard this economical problem as nothing. For some people, especially the government servants and those who had been employed, the economical problem is something that has got nothing to do with their business. They can still spend their money, because their income would never be reduced at all.

What about those who were doing business which would involve transportations? Of course they cannot raise the price as easy as that due to the raise of the petrol price. Some more, the government is now persuading the people to reduce their spending in order to cope up with the petrol price.

As someone who has been watching the economical scenario since 1997's recession, there are a few contradicting actions were done or let be done by the government:

1. The increasing interest rate for car loans. (Waja from 2.55% to now 4.1%)
2. Reporting the economy situation/condition as good, as it shouldn't be done like that
3. Cancelling most of the mega projects.
4. Letting so much of political conflict of interest to be happening amongs the politicians.
5. Too much of a policy change, which involve the change of the responsible people, instead of continuing the current policy. (This is due to the changing of the prime minister as well)
6. I would see the change of the prime minister a few years back is not suitable as we have a lot of economical issues to be taken cared of.
7. The recent petrol price increase.

Ok, coming is why I say these changes are not good for the country.

Do you know that Proton/Perodua cars is being taxed at 50%?

For the first problem, I cannot see why they would increase the interest rate. As we all can see, that our country is a car manufacturing country. Yes, I would agree that they put high taxes and duties to the imported cars but why do the same thing to the local cars? The government is already taxing Proton and Perodua on their profit but why should they taxed and dutied the buyer on the sales? The government is also taxing the bank profit that is made out of the loan interest that we pay.

Furthermore, the interest rate of the loans of the imported cars are much lower than local cars. Proton cars 4% and above while BMW/Mercedesz/Volvo 2% and above. Honda is making it's own initiative to loan out money for people to buy their car at the interest rate of 1-2% but thei car is still considered as expensive.

Maybe there are some economical reason to it, as actually the lower amount of loans would contribute to lower profit so that's why they increase the interest rate so it would become even. But I don't see it that way.

With lower interest rate, people can afford to pay their loans, at the same time producing a lot of performing loans that will contribute to the performance of the bank. As easy as that.

Furthermore, those rich people applied for loan just for the purpose of avoiding the tax if they buy the car by cash. Normally after 6 months, they'll settle the balance of the loan. Don't u think that by providing loan with lower interest rate to them is actually helping them? And why should u squeeze the poor who is already poor to pay the ridiculous amount of money? Pity them.

To persuade people to buy local cars, not only tax should be reduced or eliminated, the interest rate should be as well lower as possible.

From buying a car, these are the items that the govt. is profiting from:-

1. Sales tax (50%) (for example GTI price is RM77k, Actual price is 51.3k, so the tax is RM25.6k
2. Proton profit of the sale, out of 51.3k, the profit was 5k, so the profit of 25% is RM1.25k.
3. Road Tax of (estimated) RM187.
4. Insurance Tax 15% estimated at 15% x RM2048 = 307.20.
5. Consider 9 years of loan with the interest rate of 4.1%, with the 90% loan of the value RM69.3k, the profit from the interest rate of 4.1% per year is 36.9% out of RM69.3k, which a total of RM25.5717k. (Buyer pays a total of RM94.8717k to the bank actually!) Govt. gain (estimated at 18% of RM25.5717k) which is RM4602.91, divide by 9 years is RM511.44

Govt gain a total of RM27668.64 for each Satria GTi you buy! Not to mention if u buy a Mercedesz or BMW!

So every year, estimated more than 140,000 new cars being sold. Not to mention the 2nd hand cars! Consider each car govt would gain at least 20k, multiply by 140,000 is RM2,800,000,000 that is RM2.8 billion a year at least! What if people bought cars worth more than RM100k? What about RM 1mil cars?

We haven't considered the 2nd hand cars transactions as well!

See the govt. gained a lot in every single thing we do. Increasing the interest rate of the local car will actually kill the local industry. Actually, in reality, the govt has lost a lot from the people who failed to pay their car loans, migh as well as the banks which cannot get any profit from the money they loaned out. They intend to gain more, but in the end, they lose more!

In other aspect, it makes the rich richer, and the poor poorer. In order for our country's economy to move on, we should support the local car industry!

Suggestion ::

1. Lower the interest rate for cheaper cars/lower cars.
2. Reduce/eliminate tax for local cars.
3. Give more incentive to local car owners.

(cont'd)

Things That You Probably Don't Know About Moi

When i was bloghopping around, i've passed thru an entry, "choses que vous ne connaissez pas probablement au sujet de moi", which was written in french. It means, Things That You Probably Don't know about Me. How do i read that? Babelfish Translate!!!!!

Well, i was excited when i was checking out the visitor's list of my blog just now when i see visitor from google.....

What? GOOGLE?????????

What the heck were they doing in here. Hahaha.. Fishy.. it looks very fishy.. Why eh?

Can u see it?
Well in here, i've got visitor from Motorola Singapore and err.. MyKris Asia? It's quite amazing that a private limited company can have it's own block of ip address with it's own DNS, and also connecting to the internet using the DNS name. Maybe they were using only one gateway to get out to the internet.

Well, let's get into business. Things about me that you probably don't know are:

1. My Birthday is on the 23rd January 1997 (Yes, i'm already 29 this year).
   
2. I've a natural tattoo on my right hand. It looks like a cooked burger.
   
3. Nick Names: Atuk, Kid, Slash, Tenno, Bai and Along.
   
4. I've a few best friends that will be my best buddies forever; Omen, Hemsem, Romdzi, Taiko, Lego, Wira, Farok, Bisu and Pakcik. Only me, omen and hemsem were still single.
   
5. I love eating ice-cream with HL Vanilla milk. It tastes like a shake! What about a custom made ice cream shake. You can have as many ice cream as u like. And Different flavour of your taste!
   
6. I'm slightly overweight. My ideal weight is just 63kg but now i'm weighed at 74kg.
   
7. I think i'm quite a fast driver. With my stolen-GTI, I used to clock 0-100km/h within less than 6 seconds. The advertised time was 7.8 seconds.
   
8. I used to fall asleep while driving at the speed of 180-200 km/h on the highway. That explains why nowadays i'd prefer to travel by bus rather than driving my car.
   
9. I hate malaysian roads! It caused me a lot to repair my car!
   
10. I'm very good at cooking Prawn Masak Lemak Cili Api.
    
11. I'm quite good at preparing BBQ and salads.
    
12. I can sit in front of the PC with an Internet Connections as long as 2-3 days continuously.
    
13. My longest conversation on the phone was like 17 hours. It was terminated because i fell asleep. Farok was mad at me because his GF cannot call the room.
    
14. My highest phone bill was RM756.44. Not that high eh?
    
15. I used to drive from Serdang at 5.30 and reached my house in Johor Bahru at 8.15. On my way, I dropped by Senawang for 30 mins to pick up my sister and stopped at Tangkak Rest Area to go to the toilet for 20 mins. I was driving my Proton Wira 1.5 GLi. It used up the whole full tank of petrol!
    
16. I love watching TV especially Pasion de Gavilanes with my Mother.
    
17. The lowest fuel consumption i've ever recorded was with my Proton Wira 1.5 Gli. I drove full tank from JB and reached KL, not even a quarter tank. I refilled and it only consumed like 11 liters.
    
18. I learn how to drive with my father's volkswagon! I used to go around Malaysia with both the Beetle and Combi, along with my friends.
    
19. My handphones are cheapos, much-much cheaper than the phones that my siblings are using.
    
20. I can sing, play guitar, bass, drums, a lil bit of piano and keyboard. I love going to Karaoke, very much!
    
21. I was embarassed a few times while performing on stage. The first time was when we were out of beat while playing Whiskey in the Jar. The second time was when the bass was not properly tuned up and i forgotten the lyrics.
    
22. The first time on stage during the management night was awesomely something to remember. I sang 'Sister' by the Nixons and Omen sang Sekaiga Owa Ruma Dewa (Tragedy Night) next. We were practising like mad. Didn't go to the class for 2 weeks for training.
    
23. In 1997, i had 2 terrible accidents. Early of the year and end of the year.
    
24. I'm invulnerable of any emotional attack! You can do anything to me as I won't really care. Hahaha. I used to be a super jealousy person but it's useless. But I'll revenge if somebody messed with someone I love. I'm not a mood-influenced person. I can straight away laugh after i was mad or angry.
    
25. I like to bully/tease people. No bully no life. No bully no friend-making also. No bully no love as well. Bully is a way for me to get close to someone.
    
26. I tried to steal just to feel the fun of doing it. I was nearly caught. It wasn't fun ok!
    
27. I may cry watching a sad/touching scene on TV or cinema. Last time i did was when i watched Buli Balik by Afdlin Shauki. The last part reminds me of the fellowship between me and my friends. It was really touching. I didn't realize that my tears were dropping fast!
    
28. I love babies. I love small kids too. I really love it when these small kids loves me.
    
29. In my GTi, i was once chased by a patrol car. I lose them when I actually went off the highway at the Port Dickson exit. I was worried if they were still looking for me.
    
30. I'm sleepy right now. It's been too late.

Nite!

* Anyway, check for Chris of the American Idol 5. I love him very much. He ROCKS! American Idol reviews and summary next!

** Eh eh, have u heard that, with the petrol's price increment, the government wants us to change our lifestyle! They want us to reduce spending. If this happens, how could we move the economy. More on this in the next episode of 1,001 Nights of Petrol Stories!

*** Maybe Eejay's hubby was right. Make more babies and feed them with stone. In my case, I can only cause the blockage with my semen lah!

What does the Wah-Wah pedal gotta do with the flood in Shah Alam?

Yesterday, I went out with my brother and his friends (the new futsal buddies in JB) as i promised to one of his friends to help him on getting a good guitar for himself. This time, he's really keen to learn about playing guitar and asked me to become his sifu.

Okay, i've chosen an RM230 guitar for him. It was quite nice, i myself liked the guitar design, and how does it sounds. It was an acoustic guitar, looks expensive with the latest sleek design of the acoustic/electrical deisgn, accept that it comes without the pickup.

Anyway, the one with the pickup wasn't that expensive. The Musical instruments prices had gone down a lot! A Gibson Les Paul Epiphone can be bought at the price of RM1700. That's YUMMY! Hahaha..

I was thinking that might as well i buy something for myself. I've been looking for a baby cry or a wah-wah pedal or i think almost 10 years. I was playing guitar actively since 1992, that was when i was in form 3. At that time, i've totally zero ideas on playing an electrical guitar. I've only got a chance to play the electrical guitar when i was in form 4, when me and a bunch of guitar mates at school went out for jamming. Hell! I was really sucks on the electrical guitar. There's a lot of things to be changed.

After the SPM, i started to go jamming with my brother, actually after once i found out how to play the drums. I played a lof of Metallica and Guns. The only thing was, songs like Sweet Child 'o' Mine and Enter Sandman's guitar solo were using the wah-wah pedal. Since then, i keep telling myself i want to buy myself one!



So yesterday, i did! It was pretty cheap, just RM220, not including the expensive boss adapter that cost me RM60, 1st to 3rd string of Ernie Ball's strings that cost me RM7.50 and a 10 feet auido cable that cost me RM15.

When i get back home, i tried it. Hmm. It doesn't really sound like how i want it but i already know how to make use of it. Sweet child 'o' Mine and Enter Sandman! Both of you are just a piece of cake! Hehehe..

It sounds like a pro. Professional ok, not Progoal! Hehehe..

Resting after trying the new Wah-Wah pedal, i went out for a while to watch th prime news at TV3. Again, they were highlighting the sudden flood in the Shah Alam area.

I think y'all can still remember that last year, there was a case on the opening of the forest around the Taman Pertanian Cahaya or previously known as Taman Bukit Cerakah? It has banished the whole forest around it, as they are developing more and more houses in that area. Just to cause more and more traffic jams.

Not to mention the logging activities in the Ulu Langat area, no matter legal or illegal. The government has never admitted their fault even though it's clear that all the logging activities, either legal or illegal, is still under their responbibilities.

Who's not doing their work now? Bukit Cerakah is in the middle of Shah Alam, does that too far for the people to take care of the damage done? The government didn't want to be blamed for what had happened, and as usual, the Forestry Department was the scapegoat, even though the authority to approve the logging areas to be logged is within the power of Dewan Undangan Negeri. It has got nothing to do with the Forestry Department. Even though they said, the Forest Department has done the homework and prepared everything, including the damage study, would they care if the Forest Department say no?

They will simply override and proceed.

And now, the flood. I used to stay there for quite sometimes, yeah I admit, that area is always been flooding everytime the rain was heavy but, it has never been flooding in such a way that it caused a lot of damages to the folks. Silly. They made a reason of the rain was outrageously a lot more than usual. Is it?

Opps, they did it again!

They denied that the government has to be responsible for all that. They offered a discount of half year Door-Tax to all that area's resident to help them to overcome the damage cost. They even said, the budget of around RM10mil has been approved to upgrade the river and to raise the bane wall to avoid the flood, just a few days before the flood happens.

Sounds fishy. Well, i'm going to see how true is this. The flood episode would never end unless they really do something about it. In my mind, the only thing that caused the flood was the logging activities that is beyond control that happened all around Selangor.

But I am really disappointed that the government said they shouldn't be blamed for what had happened. Then, what was the cause of the flood?

Is it because of the people throw rubbish into drains and rivers? I think that has been done years before but why the big flood comes only at this time?

Or is it because there's a lot of unmarried young mothers throwing their infants away to the drains and rivers as well? They must have been really productive this year then!

Or, is the Selangor people masturbated so much, that their semen has clogged all the drains and rivers? That's a new record! The testosterone level of Selangorian Male must have increased by at least 500%!

Or maybe for some stupid reason, they've thrown away all the wah-wah pedal stocks that were unable to be sold. Hahaha..