Fuel And Electricity Increase...What's Next?

Just I was trying to sink in the reality that the price hike of rice will affect my eating out at restaurants and lunch during working days, I am now having to cope with news on Wednesday of fuel hike. That was not enough, I found out of the electricity increase of 18% on Thursday.

On Wednesday evening, my friend told me that the fuel is up 0.78 cent per lit, and outside my office I can see stratches of long queue along the street leading to the petrol station. The queue started around 5pm but it became worse after 7pm. There was jammed everywhere in the city specially areas with petrol stations. Stations that normally has poor business experienced a jackpot that day.

My friend and I went home around 7.30pm that day and we were caught in the massive jamm. Temper rised as the queue became longer and the HONK...HONK...is constantly heard while we are in the car. We had to passed by a petrol station just a block away from the office and it took us half and hour to u-turn away from the petrol station. It normally takes only 5 minutes for us to make the u-turn. We had to wait for the 4th green traffic light because during the first 3 green light, the queue was until the yellow box and there were no space for us to make u-turn. After that, we tried to avoid all streets that have petrol stations. I reached home 2 hours later than my usual time and my friend only reached home around 11pm, with empty stomach.

The next day, my friend told him that we, Malaysian are nice people. If it's our neighbouring country, there might be riot of people burning petrol stations. We, Malaysian, despite the fuel rise tsunami, we still civilise people. We whin and worry but we still behave like human. I hope our government would appreciate that we are still peace loving people. Therefore, government shouldn't take advantage of our peace loving nature as it may change.

On that same day, I found out that residential electricity will be up by 18% and commercial by 26%. However, our GOVERNMENT said household who;s monthly bill below 200kwh or RM43 won't be affected. According to GOVERNMENT again, 59% of Penansular Malaysia household use below 200kwh per month in their monthly bill. 200KWH is RM43. Now, I've done my small survey because I work in a GLC company where we have the grade system such as semi-skill, non-skill, multi-skill level non executive levels. From my survey to 30+ people as they are under my department, non of them have electric bill less than RM70 per month! This are people who earns less than RM1800 per month after working for over 10 years! My question is where does our GOVERNEMENT comes up with the figure of 59% of Penansular Malaysia household spend less then RM43 or 200kwh in electric bill?? I spend about RM120 per month on electricity bills. I have an aircon, 2 fans, fridge and washing machine. I use energy save bulb for the whole house. I don't waste electricity as I'm already having poor purchasing power since the last 3 years.

In order to have only RM43 on electricity bill, they don't has a fridge, washing machine, electric cattle and aircon at home. At the lighting, they don't on more than 1 light at any time. How do I know, because an empty house without tenant will have monthly electric bill of RM7+. So, I don't believe our GOVERNMENT! PERIOD!!. STOP TREATING YOUR RAKYAT STUPIDLY. I'M NOT STUPID.

Besides that, Bank Negara said our inflation is only 3%. Please make is transparent the result of the 3%. Most companies in Malaysia, be it local or multi-national, make their yearly employee salary adjustment or increment based on the Bank Negara announcement. Most published CPI mentioned that our inflation is around 20%! Without reflecting actual CPI by the GOVENMENT, the rising of fuel, rice, electricity will worsen RAKYAT purchasing power and affordablity. Currently, our yearly increment can't even cover the yearly rising cost of living. We are 17% short than what we should get to achieve an optimum cost of living.

I hope GOVERNMENT realise that rakyat are getting angry. Those who never bother about politic like myself are now speaking up. There are millions like me. I know understand why Thai and Indonesian are so brave to match on a street protest. Anger is the answer.

Unpacking And Furniture Hunt

It has been 2 months now since I moved out from my old place. Since that time, I haven't finish unpack my boxes. This is mainly because I haven't enough finance to purchase furniture yet. I guess I'm like the rest of the newbies who just moved into a house. This is the first time having to save for furniture. Previously, all my rented place are fully furnished so there was no need for me to purchase any furniture.

Selecting and planning for furniture to buy is a headache too. I want the best for my house and ended up confuse what I want to buy. It's also style verses budget. Headache...I'm planning to put the responsibilities of decoration in the hand of Ikea's consultant. Maybe I should go check out this weekend. So far, all product I bought from Ikea over the years stay true to their quality and promises. Unlike one local furniture store with the tagline: Let our price speak for itself...I think.

Cavenzi product is relatively cheap but not the quality. Some of the wood product such as their bedroom set can be moldy after a few months. My sister bought a bedroom set early last year and after 6 months, molds starts to appear is the clothes closet were closed. It was a sliding door closet so now she has to keep the door partially opened. I'm not talking about a bit of mold but all the walls of the closet are full of molds. Even now, my sister doesn't fill comfortable to put her clothes in the closet due to the molds. This is money wasted and she felt cheated. Now, this get me thinking whether I should buy my cabinets at Cavenzi. My advice is ask for 6 months refund for your furniture. If anything should happen to your furniture, it will appear within 6 months.

I'm kind of interested with Macy's product and I hope someone can tell me their quality though. I don't want to spend so much for a poor quality product.

Caring For A Child

Today I read from a local mainstream newspaper about a 10-year-old boy who was left alone to fend for himself for almost two years. He lived in an apartment at Batu Ferringhi in Penang while his mother went to work in KL. This means Yeap Jia Hui has to take care of himself and feed himself as an 'adult'.

I can't imagine Jia Hui life having to go though all this hardship alone. A boy like him should be showered with love and care. Instead, he has to grow up at the age of 10. With only RM30 a month from his mother bank into an account, he has to learn how to withdraw the money and use it wisely. What can we use with RM30 a month? It's not even enough to buy a decent meal daily. Let alone having month for transportation to school or buy books or pencils. This is a form a abuse from the mother. Jia Hui basically only has RM1 a day. That's like pocket money to buy lunch at the canteen during breaktime. My heart sank each time I read or see a child treated poorly or abuse. For Jia Hui, he has to use the money wisely for his daily needs just like us adult. We can't barely survive with RM1000 a month and this child has to bear with RM30 only. This should strip the mother all legal rights towards Jia Hui. Not even his father or maternal grandmother would help. What happen to our society?

Luckily, a kind soul is willing to take him in and care Jia Hui as their own child. His grandaunt Yeap Choon Lean will bring him to live with them in Kuantan. GOD bless the kind souls. Jia Hui is such an mature child. Despite the ordeal, he still a good kid who wants to study hard to make his new parents pround. I wish Yeap Jia Hui all ths best in his life.

Publishing Training Again

Since Monday, I have to attend a new publishing system solutions training which my company just bought. It's tiring but at the same time knowledgeable to improve my understanding and knowledge in publishing system and industry. This week was about pagination system and the parameters set-up. Besides that, I also learnt about the back-end programming. This is very useful because in the future, when I want to enhance the pagination system, I will know the capability of the system. Isn't that nice?

Next week will be formatting HS and in-column ads. There will be a bit scripting involve but nothing I can't handle. My concern is my staff who is not familiar with scripting nor IT savvy. Furthermore, their background is only until high-school level. I'm not looking down on them and I believe there are a lot of millionairs strived their furtune with hardwork and brains. However, if ones is too lazy to use the brain and 'the-least-job-is-best' attitude, there's no hope. I hope they will realised someday that time has change and they will be at the loosing end if they don't want to move forward.

This 1.5 months will be filled with publishing systems training before the UAT. There will be a mock-close of our last year's book. I look forward to that.

Blogger Charged

Yesterday I was sadden when I read in the paper that a prominient blogger and a webmaster for Malaysia Today webmaster Raja Petra Kamaruddin was charged with sedition. He was arrested and put at police lock-up. If according to the Bar Council that Act was incompatible with Malaysian society, then why is this happening?

Why is it that always when the freedom of speech started to show its true meaning that the government will do something drastic to 'scare' us in order for us to keep quiet? I believe some of us use our blog to express our inner feelings and our personal views. It's a online journal for netizen. No?

A Rare Helping Hand

After moving into my new place over a week now, I'm getting used to the environment. My room is rather small but cosy enough. Since I now spend my weekend at my sis place, so I don't need so much stuff at my place. There, I'll cook and relax after a week's work.

As usual, I came back from my sis place in the evening, I wanted to buy bottle water at the convenient store downstairs. At the same time I wanted to check if there's mail for me from my previous place. I took the keys and locked the bedroom. When I wanted to lock the main door, Alas! I realised I took the wrong keys. Luckily that the main door require keys to lock it so I cans till get into the house. I tried to open the door using the next room's key but to no avail. I decided to go to the convenient store for help.

I asked the young guy if he has contact of locksmith. Yes, was his reply. Unfortunately after he called the guard, I was told that I had to wait 15 minutes for the guard to arrive work on his shift and only he has the contact. However, the young guy said sometimes the door can be open with a cardboard or a card. I asked him if he could help me and was happy that he agreed. It's not easy to find someone willing to help nowadays. He followed me to my place and tried to open the door. After a few try, it will doesn't open. It seems that my bedroom door use a secure lock. At that momment, my heart was heavy because that means I had to fork out $80 - $100 for locksmith. Of course I know 50% of it goes to the guard.

The young guy was kind enough to try to find other solution. He asked if there's a window in my room and window in the next room. Yes, but I was worried. My concern was true. He wanted to climb out of one window to my room's window. Altough my apartment is located on the second floor but it's still dangerous. I told him I will wait for the locksmith but he wanted to help. In a matter of seconds, he step out of the 3rd room's window and onto the aircon and then he was in my room. My room door was opened. Finally. I don't have to spend a hefty for locksmith. I wanted to give him some tips as my token of appreciation but he declined. He said he did it to help and don't want to accept any tips. I was amazed that there are still such kind person in the metropolitan. GOD bless him.

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