Happy new year!!!

Happy new year to all my friends on this first day of 2012.many are still hung over from yesterday's party and to those who were at the Marina Bay Float to usher in the New year, I just hope it was well worth it.

Well from what I know Siti Nurhaliza was there performing live till 3am in the morning. But I just stop to ponder as to why Siti,a multi millionaire and married to a super rich DATOK K had to stoop so low to a concert which she labeled 'with improper moral values' and with tickets at $25 a pop which she usually performs for nothing less than $100 and costing organisers at least $4million in performance fees alone. And why as a married woman stay out so late than rather spend time with her husband?? Are these signs of financial constraints or marital issues or are the rumors of her husband took on another wife which was said to be a Singaporean stewardess?? These are here say but her actions are portraying such.

As for the Samoans, they are enjoying the benefits of having to celebrate the new year twice since they swapped time zones last night, loosing the eve and head out to the eastern time zone instead.

Just that is my ramblings and wish u good health and great fortunes ahead

Salam always
Azrin

Post Xmas blues

I have been quite out of touch with my blogs recently mainly that I am generally facing the bloggers block,nothing worth to write about other than just to see,look and observe. The Brits have had a white Xmas and the normal tube strikes on boxing day which I pause to ponder, is it worth living in London again?

Though I miss it too much with my fond memories of me and my family and that I missed my little daughter Athira very much, Singapore faced the almost same fate with retailers fretting as much as the commuters when SMRT was hit with a triple whammy!!

Thing is, there was supposed to have backup protocols in place. Are we getting too complacent with things and taking it too much for granted?? Or are we going to wait for nature's wrath to be ready for floods, uninsured losses and loss of livelihood? Or must a train full of commuters must suffocate or gassed out to death, only then will changes be made.

Nationalise the whole bus and train service. We Singaporeans own it not corporate entities. If Malaysia no leh, we are more than that, just as long as Jangan asal boleh ( Chin chai anyhow)

Happy holidays yo

Of stupid SMRT woes

I am quite proud of the robust transport system in Singapore but of late I am quite disgusted with it, mainly due to the severe disruptions that almost could have had lives lost. I am talking about the North South line issues that led to the suffocation within the coach if it was not for the quick thinking and wittiness of a Samaritan who broke the window for ventilation.

Heck days earlier,the new circle line was disrupted and led to more woes for those who work and relied on the services. I was one of the pissed off people who just got refunded $0.80 for the journey refund which when I took the alternative bus ride,it cost me another $1.70 resulting me more than $2 out of pocket which the normal fare just costed me $1.78 rather than the $4.80 in all. Plus that I losses 3hrs of income. Just what dumb luck to have 3 strikes in a row.

Mobile Travel Tips

Many have been asking me how to save money when UR overseas.... deferring the hefty costs of calls and calling back home to check on things. I agree roaming charges are hefty, especially data packages, even by our 4 operators, namely MAXIS, DIGI, CELCOM, U-Mobile*TuneTalk*SalamFone*XOX*Merchant-Trade grouping. There is no roaming for P1,YES! or even TM TDMA for what I know (unless on Wifi VOIP Access)

Let me assure you that THIS IS NOT A PAID OR SPONSORED POST, but generally a good travel tip. If you are using Bill (postpay), make sure you have your ROAMING switched on. Take out your simcard from your Smart Device (iPhone, BB, Android etc) and use a LOUSY 2G fone such as the old ancient NOKIA 3320 or without a camera one, as it's really put to use later on.

Subscribe to a 3rd party roaming service such as FlexiRoam who charges RM10 or so a day on UNLIMITED ROAMING CALLS. Do note that you are basically diverting your call from your fone # to the 015x service and rerouted to you local roaming number.

What is LOCAL ROAMING NUMBER?? Well, some operator may give you a static local number, such as XL for Indonesia for CELCOM users so people in Medan can just ring you up just as if it's local/inter state.AXIATA has their agreements in many countries but no LNR given in Singapore. Otherwise, get another sim card for your smart fone. Depending on your device, you may need a micro simcard or just carry a cutter for that purpose!

Here's some tips!

In Singapore, STARHUB offers cheap call packages. You can get FREE CALLS to Malaysia, UK landlines and US too by using the 018 prefix. So to call Malaysia, instead of using +6012-3456789 you use 018-60-12-3456789 and all you pay is the local minutes (18c/min). Happy 128 also works the same. The initial card cost about $12 to $18 depending on your type and that also works for DATA!!! Of course you can get a dedicated Micro SIM card for your iPad and iPhone but it's costlier for $32 with the same amount of money loaded ($15) and the charges are more. But you get to use the FULL SPEED of 7.2Mbps compared to the full fledged 2.0Mbps on standard SIM. BTW, the standard is $7 (RM 20) for 7 days with 1GB quota which is a good value.If you are floating in and out, it will be $20 for 30 days (1GB)!

Of course, incoming calls are payable. Just pay 50c a day to activate the free incoming calls plan or use the Happy Card. Compared to our Malaysian Prepaid plans... that is a good value. The MAXMOBILE DATA ONLY offers unlimited too... with 5GB daily quota! Speed? 7.2Mbps!

Why I said U need a chao kia fone? When someone rings you, see the caller ID. if it's your friend, call them back at your local number, or if it's urgent, let the fone be diverted into the Roaming Service Number...so you can get it where you are.

Is it worth it? If you are a heavy user, yes... otherwise, SKYPE with Credit and Local SIM CARD is cheaper, so U can reply on your device via Skype. You can send SMS on SKYPE too...with your Malaysia # as a caller ID.

So where is the good deals??

Singapore: STARHUB with 018
United Kingdom : Use any operator you like, call the JUST DIAL IDD service (ask me) for the free call to Malaysia. Just use your local minutes to call back.
Indonesia:Use WIFI to call back
Australia: OPTUS is a good deal too!

Others, let me know... and those who have experience.... share with me.... so we all can save.

Prepaid users... I've better ways for U too....

Good luck

...........

Alibaba - any good deals on board?

I have been dragging my feet about writing this article about the products on offer at ALIBABA. The fact is that there are many sellers and buyers on the platform, and that we have to be fair to everyone. I have been trying to be as honest and as positive as possible but sometimes, there are many jokers and clowns on board ALIBABA. Too bad, with the upcoming IPO, I feel the buyers will be more cautious given the current economic state.

 

Buying mobile phones from China is a drag. They usually ship with DHL and if you think you will get it within 3 days, you are absolutely wrong. I tried with many sellers and the fact that it is almost impossible to export directly from China is a drag, so usually they give you a Land Consignment Note number where the local carrier will carry it across from Shenzhen to Hong Kong awaiting repackaging with the Battery Export License, and then another wait, while the number is changed.  In actual fact, it takes 72 hours from Shenzhen to Hong Kong and another 24-48 hours for the loading of the cargo on board the aircraft and from there, standard shipping times go about.

 

I had something purchased from a few sellers in China. They all claimed to be the manufacturers. And I was quite annoyed. Very annoyed that after payment, things take 12 days to arrive. Heck even an AIRMAIL parcel get to me within 3 days, and that because DHL has lousy shipping network in Malaysia, serving only Capital and Major Cities. I had to drive 75 miles to go collect it from their depot and if I did not collect, they will pass to another carrier where it will take another 3-5 days to arrive.

 

What UTTER RUBBISH. The declaration forms are also totally messed up. They also demand you pay using WESTERN UNION which I will not allow, since they don’t protect me at all. After insisting on PAYPAL, they ship it out late.

 

I honestly am quite disappointed with the quality of things. As the Chinese saying, “ YOU GET WHAT YOU PAID FOR”. I asked for an ANDROID IP4 Look-a-like with DUAL SIM. It came with an older version , no in-built memory (4mb??!) and no memory slot, and only single SIM SLOT…and of course, the item did not pass my standards for testing. I had to counter demand the payment for the dodgy products sent, but then you have the issue of returning the item back, as China prohibits import of their products. You can return these mobiles etc without the battery, but the cost is too much. When Paypal dragged their feet on this, all you have …is to lose out.  We lost a few hundred bucks on these junk (bricks!)… and we learnt our lesson.

 

If you wish to deal with the Americans.. think again too..since they are also fly by night. They have many stolen goods for sale..and this is the reason I will not deal with them. For a real deal, of huge quantities, ask to meet them to check first…and then you confirm the payment by Cashiers Order or L/C.

 

ALIBABA-A THIEVES MARKET….. be careful with the junk sold!

Formula One in Singapore - A NIGHTMARE FOR MANY!

I for one support those who are really affected by the Singapore F1 in town, with all the traffic diversions and all, it is not something I am looking forward to.

However, I do support the F1 being in Singapore, since they create tourist arrivals which means more money for some, hoteliers alike. However, this is my latest suggestion to the F1 committee…

 

BE REAL, GET REAL… RACE ON THE LIVE TRACKS, meaning you do your racing on the actual streets , with real traffic moving in and out of the area.  Just as any illegal racer will do…

The best and suitable location:
TUAS CHECKPOINT , TUAS MARINA with the AYE open for real use (so ok, we cordon off special zones for them)

The time?? 5.30pm – 9pm when the Singapore Malaysia traffic is the most heaviest and you get to race against the real racers of East Asia – The Malaysian Commuter Motorcyclist… NO SPEED LIMIT for everyone! So you get head to head and race on the live 3 lane with cars and bikes and the Causeway Link CW3 & CW6 buses trying to get home….. Little modifications will be made..so you get to race from Ahmad Ibrahim PIE roundabout to Tuas , turn left at Coca Cola, Zip Zap again onto the main highway , hairpin U turn into the road again.

My Suggested Route:

Flag off at JALAN AHMAD IBRAHIM Southward (so ok, close that road, go against the flow )

Tuas Road, Right into Tuas Ave 3, Right into Tuas Ave 3, into AYE Heading Tuas Checkpoint (MAIN FLOW – LIVE TRAFFIC!!!)

U Turn at Second Link (WATCH OUT FOR THE CW3 BUSES) into AYE and HARD LEFT U TURN into PASIR LABA ROAD

U Turn at PIE Upper Jurong Road, Head into AHMAD IBRAHIM (LIVE TRAFFIC!!!)

STRAIGHT ON, Pit stop at COCA COLA!

 

That with no POLICE CORDON or special check etc…

 

That … is what I can call, RACING….

Of course, they have to redo the Pasir Laba Road…but it is worth it…

 

Grandstand at AHMAD IBRAHIM  stretch, Pasir Labar and a few others…

Many can watch on the side with no guard rails….

 

How much it will affect the traffic.. none..but the F1 drivers better be super careful with the crazy riders and bus drivers and more…..That will test their skills and nerves…

Make it 200 laps….DAY TONA racing… on F1….

Only make ONE LANE RED ZONE …so no one can enter just like the Red Bus Lane…. Give them a bit of safety if they want to use ONE lane..they want to test their luck, overtake on live road….

 

What say you, FORMULA ONE? TONY FERNANDEZ? RICHARD BRANSON??? ALONSO?

 

 

Wallet in your phone

Be prepared Malaysia, your wallet will soon be a thing of the past. A current research & development by a Government Linked Company here based in Kuala Lumpur boasts the disappearance of your wallet in the near future. Why? Because of the new payment system which boosts the number of micropayments within the commercial and consumer entities. With transactions less than RM100, all you need to do is to WAVE your phone onto the device, be it an Android or iPhone , it is SIM-DEPENDENT.

WHY MY MOBILE? Because, you never leave home without your mobile phone, as it’s the blood line of the 21^st century. Of course, it will be tagged to your Savings or Current / Bank accounts and also your favorite Visa, Mastercard or Charge Card. Security wise, it will be far more secure than you think, since there will be more than 3 Factor Security Authentication tagged in place.

 

For micro payments, it takes just as how your Touch-N-Go card or VisaWave/Paypass works. You just wave it. It is tagged directly to your e-wallet and if you lose your phone, it won’t work because you have black listed it, so the SIM Registration is the first security factor. It can be tagged to your PREPAID SIM CARD just as how you load your Phone Credit. Usually for less than RM50. It does not hurt much if you loose RM50 right?? Your data on the SIM CARD is also stored offsite. This may be used to PRE AUTHORISE YOUR FUEL PURCHASE. Great for Mamak shop, Petrol Station or  Groceries Shop. Also great to pay for your parking and toll.

 

For Payments between RM50-RM250 such as Supermarkets, Departmental Stores, Utility and Government Dues like PTPTN or MARA or LHDN, the user can either call in to a short code / Toll Free Number or SMS the transaction code for the final amount.

1)Merchant Enters Amount

2)User Enters Phone Number

3)User Select type of payment (PREPAID/CHARGE/FAST DEBIT/PAYPAL/OTHERS)

4)Enters Payment PIN CODE

5)Enter TYPE OF ACCOUNT for others (Maybank2U SAV/CHECK etc etc)

6)SWIPE FINGER PRINT for Auth.

Terminal will then run the PREAUTH TAC CODE to be sent to the customer phone

Customer will then enter the 2^nd Level code in and it will complete.

 

For payments between RM250-RM2000, Voice recognition will occur. System will call the customer if it is against the standard fraud detection. In this instance, at the point of registration, BIOMETRIC recognition will begin, full fingerprinting and Voice recording be done. Recording A-Z ,0-9, Customer FULL NAME, Identity Card Number, Mother Maiden Name, etc… A security Word like a Alphanumeric password that only the customer will know. The system will ask for the certain Alphabet/Number of the word, just as banks do.  For example Code word is WHOAM1 and the request code is 1,2,4, the reply will be W,H,A

 

Why this happen? Because sometimes we borrow our fathers, brothers, sisters, wife/husband card/phone/topup card etc… so no one can forge your voice genetic or even your finger print.

 

Just in case you lose your phone in the middle of the night or been robbed or left everything… you can pay your cabby for your ride home and your fingerprint will be the authenticator for the payment. There will be a little buffer like say RM50-100 just in case we ran out of cash, or if the pre-auth have not been lifted. We all know that we are at times, been in a tight fix, waiting for the pay at the end of the day … so this is the human side of things. Something like SOS-TOPUP

 

The system will also have a DEMAND PAYMENT for a PEER-to-Peer payment, just as how you pay your friend. Be it he in Malaysia or overseas, USSD request can be made just as how it is done on Paypal. You will probably know how SHARE-A-TOPUP or ASK-A-TOPUP  on your prepaid mobile. So when the other party receive the request, he can accept or deny by doing a short code auth. (*100#/*118#/*128#), Select the menus, Enter AUTH CODE WORD.

 

This is going to be great to the merchant because the P2P rate is so low (about 5-20c) per transaction, less than 0.5% (About RM1) per Debit transaction just as MEPS or 1.5% for Charge. It reduces the cash on the till at the merchant, and if the merchant allows it, CASH BACK service, like NETS-CASH in Singapore. It charges maybe RM1-RM2 to the customer which the merchant can cash out up to RM500 or so, depending on their comfort level. Supermarkets may like this. There will no longer a clutter of so many machines on the till. Just one. ONE TO PAY, and One to sell PREPAID, ALL SERVICES, ONE to PAY BILLS. ALL BILLS. Merchants get 10-30c for bill payment, so it’s a good service. No excuse NOT to pay your PTPTN MONEY. No need to go to Post Office to cash your Retirement / Pension Warrant. You can also topup your Touch-N-Go/EzLink/NETS-Flashpay/CEPAS and accept SINGAPORE CUSTOMERS.

 

What may happen later on, is you can pay for your toll using your phone….. and even buy tickets.

 

So who is handling this?? Like I said.. government linked agencies.. since they want money back from borrowers. No more excuse too far to go to the bank, post office , BSN etc. It’s just round the corner. Like PAYPOINT in UK. I say it’s call ONE2Pay.

 

This is really Service!!!

Termination of TM Prepaid Homeline

Just to let many of you know, the old RING RING program which relies on the home user to prepay their home line for calling and rental credit is coming to a close. I have been swamped with many customers who are still on the prepaid program, on how and what will happen after this.

 

What it is, actually is the number of inactive number of customers (me included) who use the RING RING CARD (aka iTalk Card) to purchase airtime for their residential landline phones. Though the actual calling rate is 40c for local and mobile phones (Same Zone), and between RM1.20 to RM2.40 for outstation calls (aka long distance), the savings is on the line rental which is actually RM3 per month, and it must be recharged every 30days. If one relapsed the recharge period , they have a grace period of 30 days before the incoming call facility is TOSsed (Temporarily Out-of Service – TOS) and a new Starter pack is needed (RM30) obtainable from TM Point outlets (not dealers).  Recharge coupons are activated by purchasing iTalk cards (RM10/30/50).

 

However, due to many relapses and the lack of recharge starter packs (RESTART PACKS) , TM are running out of numbers in many areas , such as Penang , Kulim, Seremban, Melaka, Muar , Bahau and the regions. Thus , the termination of contract or automatic conversion process for all. Any have loads of money prepaid into their account, and this is the issue. As such, from what I was told and saw, by end of September 2011 or Early October, all Prepaid Numbers are converted and Normalised into POST PAY services at standard call plans.

 

What is means, is that the current rental plan will be RM25+RM4 (itemized billing , Paperbilling and duties) per month and that is supposingly the minimum. There is another stealth program, which is RM15 for DOMESTIC CALLS ONLY, meaning within the same exchange. For example, if you are in Seremban 06-677xxxx, you can call the same exchange of Seremban, Senawang and Rasah ( 677/766 ) zones only and no regional or mobile calls. It only allows free incoming calls. It is good for those who don’t use much. But contrary to what many people say, it’s quite dangerous, if you need to call your next of kin etc.

 

Another package is the ITKS plan for STUDENTS. This has no rental but prepaid card is needed to call out and no incoming calls accepted (HOTLINE SERVICE). But honestly, this is not good. Streamyx or UNIFI packages offer free landline call plans for RM110/mth!

 

If you need more details.. please ask!

BLOGGING NOT FOR MONEY!

Salam Aidil Fitri to all…. And hope everyone is enjoying their days!

It’s tiring and I’m quite poofed! Then I was going thru my daily job tasks ..which btw, today is still operational…. And I saw the posting on NUFFNANG about RUMAH AMAN…which needs to raise RM20,000 (about US$8000 or S$10,000) for the rewiring.

So thus … I am pledging FULL HEARTED to the cause… and all my earnings to date (which is nothing, few ringgits)…  is to be donated to the cause.  So do help out.. do click on the NUFFNANG AD and support the cause.. so there is the Singapore Ads and Malaysia Ads… support whichever you feel is great! If you are not from either…. Then tell me..and I help U sign up.

Each click is worth 20c so please every click do count. This MERDEKA… I am supporting the charitable causes…since I cannot do much…. I want to help out….

This raya…there are happiness all over. Not to forget those who are less fortunate…so please help out…

Thank you

Happy Holidays...

Salam Aidil Fitri to all my friends, family and foes alike. Despite what happened for the past year or so… I am still me.. struggling with all the tasks I am given and it’s been a challenging year so far. Tomorrow is the Singapore Presidential Election #SGElect as they put it on twitter ( or #SGPresident / #SGElections hash tags) but mostly… I am not bothered to vote this time round since the 4 candidates are just goons to me.. worthless clowns who aspire to be the Singapore Prime Minister…but failed to get the job. They are too much affiliated to the PAP…so it’s not worth it. I’m anyway excused since my address is in Malaysia (Home Address)…so I can opt not to vote since my passport …. Is with the home ministry for renewal of the Expatriate Pass / Permanent Resident application process.

 

About Eid.. this year.. to me it’s about being able to understand how those unfortunate souls suffer throughout the whole year, with less than what they can live on, be it Muslims or not. It saddens me that the Muslim Zakat can’t be used to feed the non-Muslims… but in following of the Prophet himself.. he fed many Jewish beggars with it… so it’s all about HUMANITY. It’s sad when there is media exposure, only then we see Sharizat and the UMNO people coming to help… and not the MCA or otherwise. I was referring to the article on the Star that 2 school kids got to sell their books just to buy rice.. it’s really sad… where is the CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY of the supermarkets such as TESCO, ECONSAVE, GIANT and alike???

 

Anyway, do drive safe.. where ever you are and where ever you are heading. Plan ahead..and give EXTRA TIME. Be happy.

 

Salam Aidil Fitri is what I wish…

To all my friends, Readers, Family, Foes alike….

Forgiveness, Closure and remorse is all I have to ask….

To you who read this … I bid you and your family well…

Wish you a safe trip… and Salam Shalom Safe and be well...