Working freelance

One of the best things in town is to work freelance at your own pace and time, just as how Blogging for Money and MLM. However, of late, I have seen the stream of fraudsters targeting EBAY work. This is really a staggering cause for concern since many have been conned. I got conned back in 2005 and I did time at HMP Belmarsh for that. A customer paid me with dodgy checks which are guaranteed with a guarantee card and verified. It’s a nightmare.

 

How can you prevent yourself from being conned?

 

One of the key concern is KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER which is commonly said to identify them using normal KYC standards and as such you commit to a due diligence. If they ask you to post for them advertising, ask yourself, will you get stuck with the fees etc if the deal goes sour?  EBAY FEES are about US$5 onwards, as a rule of thumb, 2% of the gross sale.

 

ASK FOR SECURITY DEPOSIT. If they are LEGIT, they will pay you by PAYPAL, and make sure the email address matches the one they are using to communicate with you. The name must match, otherwise you can lose money. I typically ask from $100 to $2000 depending on the size of the deal and with your best bet is MONEYBOOKERS since they can’t claw back.

 

ASK FOR PROOF OF IDENTITY. ASK FOR COLOR COPY OF PASSPORT + LOCAL IDENTITY such as Driver’s License. CHECK THE PASSPORT. Make sure it is not PHOTO SHOPPED! Compare the details to your own passport. The CHEVRONS MUST MATCH, no blanks in between. The photo must face you directly, not at 45* angle as it’s only used for Green Card.

Comparable Identification are:

UK DRIVERS LICENSE (ask for counterpart..will show he got speeding tickets or not) , NOT IDP (GREY BOOK)

MALAYSIAN MYKAD (ask for License or bank passbook/Maybank Savings statement to confirm)

SINGAPORE NRIC *PINK COLOR (FRONT AND BACK, ask for a CLEAR THUMB PRINT or SINGPASS verification such as CPF statement or Voters roll)

UK VAT  Registration Certificate, Singapore or Malaysia Company Registration Certificate. Verify from SSM or ACRA (fee apply)

 

ASK FOR PHONE NUMBER, NOT JUST A MOBILE # so you can call him. Use SKYPE to make a quick call. Talk to the person. Google the phone number if you feel it’s not real.

 

I’m just poofed now..so I will add more after I move my systems to port my blogs in.

 

 

 

 

WHOOPS!

I really mess it up this time when I modified the data path files to my SQL SERVER, and yikes, I am in deep trouble.

WHAT DID I DO? Well, as a start, I had issues with some applications writing data to the MySQL Server and I have 2 instances , one MYSQL and MS SQL 2008 installed on the same frigging machine. It’s bad enough with no MOD REWRITE_RULES installed on my Windows Server 2008 R2 (LornHorn??) which is a pain in the backside. I am trying to understand where in the entire devil is the APACHE MSI files for MSWINx64.

 

Oh Well, my Outlook 2007 is also giving me pain..what the hell. Bear with it

Chinese New Year

It's been quite a quiet Chinese New Year for me in Kuala Pilah and it's been a tiresome few weeks since the non stop rain in the South Malaysia caused many inconvenience to many.

For some unfortunate families, it's been a very drenching experience as non stop heavy downpour for the past week caused the local rivers to overflow despite the deep rivers which are spanning 10 meters across.

Here at downtown Kuala Pilah, many homes were swept off the banks with chest high flood waters to be waded out causing landslides and damage to crops, farms and alike. Not to mention the lack of telecommunication services where Maxis was totally knocked off the grid for many days. Celcom and Telekom Malaysia had many poles tumbled down along with communication ducts and risers submerged in muddy water.

If it's not bad enough, the support from the emergency services, Social Services (Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat) was not quick enough and not to mention that the fire department don't have equipment to tackle flood situations.

The Water Company (SAINS WATER) was ill managed, knowing heavy downpour, did not do anything until it was too late, causing severe outages at the water treatment plants in the whole state. Many homes were without water for almost 3 days and those living in the outskirts and high up in the hills had no supply for days at end.

In all, what do we learn from the Kota Tinggi , Segamat and Labis floods previously? Nothing. The money was ill spent again and this time, the people see what is going on. Political bickering must be set aside for the sake of the people. It's for the People, With the people, By the People.

Like it or not, this is the offside of living in Malaysia and I always say, insure your home!

To all, Happy Chinese New Year! may this be a more prosperous one for everyone!

GONG XI FA CAI

Adverts cost money

Going back to what TokDet was saying about adverts damaging the image of the country and yes, I do agree on that advertising is being littered all over, with many unsightly billboards across the city, motorways and unfortunately many are unkept, derelict as I would depict of them.

I had this proposal before to the media agencies and governmental organisations of doing what Singapore did, using active LCD screens where the ads can be targetted and shown according to the needs, not just a static one, and if needed, emergency broadcast systems in place in the case of accidents or even public dangers.

We have 100 ft x 40ft monopoles and wasting energy when switched on after 11pm and with this technology, energy can be saved, and even utilised by the coppers to show snapshots of offending drivers speeding away, so they tend to slow down..with message saying "Driver of PROTON 1 , please slow down, you are driving 130km/h" with a clear foto of the offender for the next 2 km..so they slow down, drive better..and less points on the license.

Yes, adverts cost loads of money, and a billboard space such as at KLIA will cost about RM1 million a month ...so this is just a plain example of how one should pool resources, and if there is low traffic , switch it off...

And good for political campaign too..since now it's cheaper to put Made-In-China electronic billboards....the agencies should pool their sources together....

For me, I just got my first paycheck from CHURP CHURP..and I just hope they can just avoid sending me cheques and just interbank transfer to my account, cost only RM1 to do MEPS transfer too...and faster...and save the paper and trees.

Thanks for your support all.

Astro Really SUCKS!

Why Do I Have To BEAR WITH THE INCOMPETENCE OF ASTRO should be a trending topic of today since their rates are expensive and that they take ages to get things done.

Hell, how long does it take to reactivate a service since it's not be owing them money, but they owed me over 2 months of service, just over RM84! And for your info, the reason I terminated my last service is because they over charged me, debited my credit card over 6 months of service@!!

Hell to you ANANDA KRISNAN for taking over our Malaysian Companies. Hell to the corrupt officials who let ASTRO be dominating our homes, not allowing other parties to the monopoly.

It's really bad, as I waited over TWO MONTHS to get my service and now they say because of their upgrading project, they can't do anything anymore and for at least 10 days since I'm their old customer and the new system does not have the old customer database!

What utter nonsense! I pray for the PKR to go march to the people and demand the cancellation of any monopoly by any company in Malaysia. They want to be saviors to the People? Now save our freedom!

Seriously, I'm really not eager to do any blogging for ASTRO and their bad antics. Can't answer a question? Ooh, put the fone down cowards run the backdrop of the call centers.

How is that for my XMAS PRESENT?? Pray they all die in a horrendous death for eating out of the blood money.I CURSE YOU ALL WHO WORK FOR ASTRO!!

I'm bad ain't I?

Sometimes being nice do not play especially when you are what already stamped on your head. But times like this makes you a real jewel in the heap of dust and honestly I don't see what is so great with the iPad since it's killing the MacBook Air since the memory and ram is bigger and is a bigger piece of technology.

Anyhow, what I want out of an iPad app? Everything all in one, where I can piggy back automatically across ANY FREE WIFI (secured or not, with a standard password crackerjack), teethering and boost my speed for immediate browsing. An ALL-IN-ONE for BLOGGER-Google Apps-Picasa with external storage at the cloud. An ALL IN ONE for the SME, such as cash register, POS, ERP, ERM, CRM accounting, Voice, Fax using the device...so no lugging a heavy Cash Register to the roadshow, just a portable USB or WIFI or Bluetooth printer for receipts.
I like technology to make the SME life simpler so that is what I want. An ALL IN ONE, ERP-CRM-POS (whichever platform) with printing and stuff so their life is simpler. And if people come by and ask for their catalog, it's all there.

And I think MAXIS is far better than CELCOM since I am really getting my nerves wrecked with CILAKOM and their network issues.
So, this is my IDEA!And SPONSORED by MAXIS (nope) ... but do visit their iPad page http://www.maxis.com.my/personal/broadband/ipad_postpaid.asp

Down does not mean out

Been pondering about what have been asked to me from a fellow comrade in arms and a few government officials of the Negeri Sembilan Investment arm and the Office of the Prime Minister made me change my game plan since last year when I was still involved in the R&D and Chocolatier Business.

Being in R&D, we take many risks and are tiresome with the rewards that prove futile or enormous returns. Research takes money, loads of it and with a technology company whose key stake holders are in Biotechnology and Herbal Medicine, we tend to pour as much as we can with the resources we have and that means not taking profits at all.

Chocolates are a specialty. Not any Tom, Dick or Harry can be a Chocolatier and claim they are better than Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsey overnight as it takes dedication, effort and love for the trade. After seeing more than a 300% increase in the Small Medium Industries concentrating on Chocolate Confectionery in the past 2 years, I decided it is not worth my time to compete in something that drag the brand and life out into the mud. Chocolates are a premium, not just to be sold at flea markets or Pasar Malam for that fact as Cocoa is expensive in itself. The Cocoa Board are not doing themselves any favor by spoiling the market with low quality entrepreneurs who does not have the technical background and education to understand the essence of a Good Chocolate Bar.

I told the officials that we are shutting the operations down. We will only provide top quality grade at low prices as everything are hand made and specialty products that we have been researching and in the process of patent protection as these are under the FDA regulatory acts. Chocolates have been researched and found to be great for the health, especially kids as the anti oxidants and stress relaxants in the therobroma ( Dark Cocoa Liqueur ) are great for health, even published in many papers such as the Telegraph and Medical Journals.

It was disheartening and demoralizing when we had our research grant for commercialization of the products with a herbal extract that actually was found to accelerate the healing process taken away from us due to lack of government funding in the Ministry. The amount was quite substantial, close to US$5 Million over a period of 3 years, with a return profit potential of at least US$ 20 Million.

Of course, being the Director of Business Development, I had to take it somewhere else for funding and come to show that despite the Malaysian Government wanting and promoting Biotechnology as a core business in Malaysia, they are only willing to evaluate small scale biotech projects which in my opinion carries no weight nor provide added value to the country or community. The fact that Pfizer discovered Viagra from a Malaysian wild root extract 13 years ago which the locals know of the aphrodisiac capabilities don't give Malaysia credit for the USD 17 Billion revenue , which the Kentish research team in England are laughing their way to the bank.

I had to find other means now to get ahead, and thus one of the many reasons the brain drain in Malaysia, heck even Singapore for that matter. Not being able to go beyond the box is the issue and taking risks. If only the officials understood that the country is still lacking of the brains and Vitamin M (money) into the field, will not only they procure and attain fame and dignity but high income from the products of these brainiacs.

Even many of the ideas came from children and now many of these neglected children have grown up, educated themselves with their own hard earned money like an illegal working abroad, came back with a vengeance against these tyrants. If they only learned what Dr Mahathir was trying to say.. the country will now be far better off than in EU or US in terms of Research and Development.

Come fly with me

Come fly and fly away...
and if you can see , how pretty it should be...
It's how I like to be....
Ohh this is just as me..and I miss my whole family!

Cat Fish!

If you think that catfish (IKAN KELI) can't grow that big.. this is the reason why one should not rear them commercially as occasionally in heavy downpours, a few get away and grew to be big. In this case, my nephew caught one in the local river (longkang for some) which literally looked like a huge snake.

See those smaller ones which are the 'normal size' in the bucket? That is the wild catfish whereas this 3.5kg giant even dwafs my feet. That is the African Cat Fish and boy this was a big one, and the meat was chewy...took me a while to grill it.

Yes, I eat CATFISH!

MEOW! And even the cats are so scared of it ..that they ran away!

Getting infested!

Yes, my computer got spunked by a Facebook worm which I don't know which mother idiot spammed my email servers and profiles with 'Is this you?' and sort and such that this is a much a nuisance and hinderance that even after using SpyBotSD, AVG, Norton Antivirus, it does not do any damage control to my beloved Google Chrome browser.

To those who received my emails and messages,my sincere apologies as I could not do anything to get rid of it. Hopefully my files on Google Docs are intact and I'm right now contemplating of synching my data up,especially the videos and photos with picasa. Heck it with the other data since most of them are already backed up.

Like it or not, I am not that much of a fan of Helium anymore since their idiotic stewards think so highly of themselves, that they are not even at par with the commercial writers and they dare to reject articles and technical write ups and for that, they dare to say it's grammatically incorrect especially when one is talking in terms of technical aspects. Who writes in proper Grammar when you are explaining in Technical Terms to people? It's like talking to a kid about Astro Physics who only know that the sky above is just about stars and planets.

Somehow, I am getting bored at this, and like it or not, I will not stand up for this kind of injustice!