I really really really wanna..

I so want to be positive about this new change. I really do. I want to believe that everything will be alright and that I'll manage it just as I have times before that I won't be affected much if I start living a plan and this is only a temporary pinch.

But who am I kidding? This is me, a pro-sulker and depress-o-matic and the 78sen fuel price hike is no good news, not for me nor for anyone in this country, less of course those idiots who will now have more money to swindle.

May you rot in hell and be restless in your grave. And may that be soon.

Ever since I heard the news, I cannot but be so frustrated that it had to happen this way. Although it's true that the international price of crude oil has risen to over 130USD per barrel, we are, for goodness sakes, a net exporter of petroleum. Which other net exporter of petroleum charges an arm, a leg and a nose hole for petrol? I just saw that Nigerians pay close to RM0.31/L and Qatar somewhere around RM0.68/L. OK la, lets look at the favourite spot, Dubai. UAE's petrol price is RM1.19, the 'highest' of all net exporters of oil.

But we Malaysians, we pay RM2.70. It's true that petrol is higher in Thailand and Singapore but how much oil do they have?

I've also come across at least 4 postings today from a webgroup making calculations on what it costs now to travel the same distance, even with that supposed RM625 rebate the government promised. The lowest I saw was 16% increase which prompted me to make my own calculations:

Say I fill a tank full (from just a bit above empty) at RM 65. That's the normal amount I had to pay with petrol price RM1.92. That gives me 33.8542L. My car has a 40L tank I think, and so I wud probably have another 7L as a safety buffer. With 33.8542L, I can drive to work for a week, with one night playing futsal in Segambut and without any other travels to any other place except home-work-home. In a month, I would need to refuel 4.3 times or equivalent to 145.5729L or RM279.5.

With the new price, my monthly expenditure comes to RM393.05, an increase of RM113.55. Tolak dengan (supposedly) rebate of RM625/12 = 52.08, ada la kenaikan RM64.17. Kalau ambik percentage, jadila 22.19%.

लम्बत लगी ला कोट अकू कविं कलौ गिनी.. समाना अकू नाक सुप्पोर्ट फमिली कलौ नाक सुप्पोर्ट दिरी सेंदिरी पुन तक मम्पू लगी? इन अ वे, इ वौल्ड रठेर रेमें सिंगल अस लॉन्ग अस इ दोन'टी कुस अन्योने एल्स टू सुफ्फेर अलोंग विथ मी. इफ शे'स नोट माय रेस्पोंसिबिलिटी, इ'म नोट अच्कोउन्ताब्ले टू हेर वेल्ल्बेंग. फोरगेट अबाउट हविंग निघत ऑउट्स, तकिंग लॉन्ग द्रिवेस और एवें फॉर अ माल इन अ फार आवे प्लेस.

I thought of driving to Melaka while on my way to work today. Why Melaka? Because it's far away enough but not too far. I can kind of make my way around that city but not around Teluk Intan or Ipoh. But yeah, harga minyak mahal sangat, takkan nak buat kerja tak masuk akal macam tu. So here I am, at the office, blogging my pain away..

Doesn't seem to work much.

On the brighter side, I've completed two tasks that were pending and that is reason enough to relax a bit.

Anyone have a run-to escape spot to share with me?

Coping better

I attribute my depression to being out of things to do. I'm feeling better now, now that I have things on my table.

Spoke to my brother a week ago and today. Last week's conversation was about an offer he received and the painted picture of the new office. Told him that in his position, no matter how bad reality is from the painted picture, he has the upper hand of implementing and making those changes that he was told of. In my position, if it's indah khabar daripada rupa, I can only sit and munch and live it through.

Finally got my pay cheque yesterday. The setback was I had to pay income tax for the 'signing in bonus' which actually was a delayed first month salary. This PCB thing is a blessing in disguise. If the IRD expects me to fork out x amount at the end of every year for my income tax, it won't happen. With PCB, I don't have to worry about anything. Come April of every year, I'll just go to the main office in Wangsa Maju, get my password and do my filing at home. All done within 15 minutes, unless if I have funny funny claims to make.

Oh, if you haven't invested in insurance already, you should. You can also deduct the amount you put in as insurance from your income tax. And also deduct EPF and a lot more. But the way I look at it, however much you pay for your income tax, it's for the benefit of the entire nation so why be so stingy? Don't have to claim rebate for every year, suffice to do the simple filings.

Betul la, some of those monies you put in income tax has been misappropriated and rather than allow some dungu to spend your money, might as well spend it yourself. If you do have a social obligation to some charity causes and contribute steadily towards them, that's even better. But if you don't, it's a worthy gamble to let your money be managed by the people in IRD.

Kalau diorang guna ke arah kebaikan, kita dapat pahala. Kalau diorang guna ke arah keburukan, dosa tu diorang punya. Dan kita pun dapat pahala sebab masa kita bayar cukai tu, dah niatkan untuk sedekah. Either way, we still benefit.

Panjang pulak cerita hari ni. Nak kata happy, tak. Nak kata sedih, tak. Apa ya?

A New Blue T-Shirt!

Yeay! Someone bought me a blue Nike T-Shirt.

Yes, you ask, Nike? But you don't subscribe to Nike??

I don't. I used to buy Nike but stopped right after I did a project for my management class on SWOT analysis. I found out that Nike employed sweatshops to do their bidding and those guys then were earning less than USD30 per month. So disgusted I was that I chose to never buy Nike or Reebok (for the same reason) ever again. That was in the late 90s, hopefully there have been changes since then.

Oh, but I do have one Nike t-shirt, one Reebok t-shirt and a Reebok cap. The Nike was from Dawud, where I conveniently borrowed and never returned (it was a 90s story as well) and the Reebok was from Shamin (with an embroidered bath towel to go with) as a farewell gift when I left for Dubai. All of them blue :)

But this new Nike t-shirt, I've not seen and have not received yet. Missy D will ask Aunty J to bring it back for me. Spoke to Missy D and despite the cold single digit temperature over there, she sounded sunny :) Warm as usual.

Looking forward to that blue t :)

If you believe in emotional turmoil..

If you believe in emotional turmoil, I think I've just been in one. Not today but a few days ago. It was a mix of unbelieving, realising, frustration, excitement, relief, disappointment, ecstasy.

How's that for a teaser? :)

It's almost a complete month..

.. since I last blogged. Just got myself occupied doing nothing. I'm slowly coming to accept the terms of my employment here and with that, slowly understanding my functions. Nothing much to do but some filing, some phone calls and some lazing around in the office absorbing all the cold the aircond has to offer.

So much so that I don't switch the aircondition on in the car on my drive back. And sometimes I wind the windows down too! I would've wound the windows down every time had it not been for the thick dark cloud coming out of some heavy diesel drinking vehicles' tailpipes.

Dramatic? You've not seen anything yet :P

Bookings are beginning to pour in. Rather late I must say considering that it's halfway past May. For a season that begins in June, I would've expected bookings to arrive circa late last month. But I guess it's all good seeing how all other travel agencies are also experiencing slow movements.

For fun, visit: http://www.lawandtourism.com

Ta!