Info: Property Caveat

A purchaser of real estate, will acquire what is known as an "interest" in the property purchased. However, a purchaser will not be the legal owner of the property until their interest is registered with the Land Titles Office of Victoria. This means that there is a risk that someone else could register their own interest in the property before the purchaser registers theirs. By lodging a caveat a purchaser can prevent others from registering interests ahead of theirs.

What is a caveat?

The word caveat means beware, and the lodging of a caveat over a property is a way telling anyone who wants to deal with the property to be aware of the fact that someone else's interest already has priority. In other words, a caveat is a written warning to anyone who checks the Certificate of Title of the property that the person who lodged the caveat (known as the "caveator") has an interest in it. The Registrar of Titles cannot deal with the property without first notifying the caveator.

Who can lodge a caveat?
When a purchaser signs a contract to purchase real estate, the purchaser acquires what is known as a "caveatable interest". This means that the purchaser is entitled to register a caveat to protect that interest. Other people can also acquire a "caveatable interest", for example:

• Someone who has signed a contract to buy the same property. This often happens by mistake, where two estate agents sell the same property to different purchasers. The first to lodge a caveat will have priority as purchaser, while the other may only have a right to compensation for the inconvenience.
• A creditor who wants to prevent the vendor from disposing of the property. A creditor may have a written agreement with the vendor by which the creditor is permitted to lodge a caveat to secure a loan. Alternatively, the creditor may have a court order allowing for the lodging of a caveat.
• Other rights. There are numerous other rights that may give rise to a "caveatable interest".

Only a person who has a caveatable interest is entitled to lodge a caveat or to instruct their lawyer to lodge a caveat on their behalf.

It is best to have the caveat lodged by a lawyer so that advice can be obtained as to whether a caveatable interest actually exists, whether there are any contractual prohibitions on the lodging of a caveat, and whether further registrations to be made on the caveator's behalf may be affected (a carelessly lodged caveat could prevent a purchaser's own Transfer of Land from being registered or cause a lender to refuse to provide funds on settlement day).

When should a caveat be lodged?
A caveat should be lodged as soon as a caveatable interest is acquired (usually as soon as the purchaser's offer has been accepted by the vendor of the property).If a caveat has not been lodged immediately after the purchase, it should be lodged as soon as there is a danger that another party may attempt to register an interest in a property.

Sometimes a real estate contract will prohibit the lodging of a caveat, and so legal advice should be sought before the caveat is lodged.

What are the risks if a caveat is not lodged?

The risk in any particular case depends on the individual circumstances. Here are some examples of problems that could be dealt with by lodging a caveat:

• Two offers are received for the one property, and the vendor mistakenly accepts both. The purchaser who lodges a caveat first is likely to become the owner of the property, while the other may have to be satisfied with compensation for any loss suffered as a consequence of the mistake.
• A creditor of the vendor discovers that the property as been sold and lodges a caveat to prevent the purchaser from registering a Transfer of Land. This could have been prevented if the purchaser had lodged a caveat immediately after the sale.
• A creditor, unaware that any sale has taken place, lodges a caveat after settlement but before the purchaser's Transfer of Land has been lodged. This could have been prevented if the purchaser had lodged a caveat.
• Any situation where a purchaser obtains a home loan. Most lenders want to ensure that their mortgage is registered on title, and so the lender will collect the Certificate of Title and the Transfer of Land at settlement with the intention of lodging all of the documents at the Land Titles Office at the same time. However, some lenders can delay registration for months, leaving a window of opportunity for a person with a caveatable interest in the property to lodge a caveat first.
• Even where a purchaser is not relying on a home loan, and is having their lawyer attend to the lodging of the Transfer of Land, there is still a small window of time during which someone else could lodge a caveat in order to gain priority over the purchaser.

If a person with a competing caveatable interest lodges a caveat and gains priority ahead of a purchaser, the purchaser may incur considerable time and expense in ensuring that the caveator's interest in the property is dealt with and eventually disposed of.

The lodging of a caveat by a person with a competing caveatable interest could force a purchaser to delay settlement. This could have a flow-on affect if the purchaser's loan expires and the purchaser cannot obtain the finance to complete the purchase.

Time is running out for 2008

It's the last day of 2008...tonight will be the massive countdown for 2009. Have you completed all that you wanted to do for 2008? Or have you achieved what you have set out when the year begins? How was 2008 generally to you - good, moderate or bad year?

Whatever 2008 is to you, it's coming to an end tonight. For those who have not so good 2008 and wish it will be a year to forget, let's be strong and work hard with renew hopes for a good 2009. Those with a memorable and good 2008 must also set a higher target and strive for a continue good and even much improve 2009. As for those with a so-so year this year, you can always set some goals for the new coming year and generally welcomes everything that comes our way with a open heart. Make a wish for your new year resolution tonight :)

The power of coffee :)

Many people said that coffee has no more effect on them whenever they drink it. I didn't bother to find out why, thinking that perhaps it was because their body is already used to the caffeine in the coffee which is supposed to freshen them up. I was lucky that coffee does help me whenever I'm sleepy and needs to stay awake !!!

Take today for example. I woke up 515am after my 3 hours badminton yesterday night. My gf came to get me at around 540am, and we head to the Greenlane McDonald to meet up with her friends to carpool to KL for wedding dinner. We were early, hence we ordered the McDonald Breakfast meal which comes with free refill coffee or tea. I took 2 cups of coffee there before parting ways with my gf and heading back home.

Walao !!! I was really fresh for the whole day. Even when I tried to sleep in the afternoon for my usual nap, it was really hard to sleep. If not because of the 2 cups of coffee, Sunday will always be a restless and tired day for me to stay lazy at home...haha...so now I'm thinking of catching some football later tonight :)

Good News : Unesco listing a boost for Penang tourism

THE number of foreign visitors to Penang has increased since July following the listing of George Town as a World Heritage Site.

State Tourism, Development, Culture, Arts and Heritage Com-mittee chairman Danny Law Heng Kiang said there were now more tourists from China thronging the heritage zone.

“We also find there are more Finns visiting the island as tickets from Finland to Penang are fully booked.”
But he said the increase of local tourists was not significant.
“We will continue to promote the heritage sites and their cultures to woo tourists,” he said.
Law said this after flagging off the SKAL International Penang World Heritage Treasure Hunt 2008 recently.

About 70 participants in 34 tri-shaws took part in the two-hour hunt.
SKAL International Penang president Eddy Low said the hunt was organised to create more awareness of Penang’s heritage sites.
“It is important for people to learn how to appreciate and maintain heritage buildings. We do not want to risk being delisted as a Unesco World Heritage Site after three years,” he said.
The Mayflower Car Rental team won the hunt, walking away with RM388, trophy and hotel dinner voucher.
Island Plaza Management came in second while Chocolate Boutique was third.

Wear your seatbelts!!!

The Road Transport Department (JPJ) and police will start issuing summons from Jan 1 to all passengers not wearing their seatbelts.

JPJ director-general Datuk Solah Mat Hassan said vehicle owners and passengers would be given a six-month grace period where they would only be issued a fine of RM300 for not wearing their belts.

From July 1, drivers and passengers caught not using their seatbelts would be issued a summons where they have to pay a fine of up to RM2,000, serve up to one year’s jail or both under the Road Transport Act 1987, Solah said.

Solah added that vehicles without rear seatbelts registered after Jan 1 1995 had three years to get their vehicle retrofitted with the safety feature.

He said it was not mandatory for cars registered before Jan 1 1995 to retrofit rear seatbelts as they do not have the rear anchorage points that allowed the feature to be installed.

Merry Christmas from Endless Horizon...

Wishing everyone out there....Merry Christmas and have a nice holidays...many factories shutting down in Penang island, so there will be many people on holiday as well as travelling on the road...so safe travelling and happy holidays to spend time with family and to relax...

New IRB move to avoid over-deduction

A new schedular tax deduction (STD) system will take effect from Jan 1 to overcome the problem of over-deduction.
This means employers and employees will have to do more - they now have to file tax exemptions on a monthly basis rather than annually.

Details of the new system, such as the calculation of STD, would be posted on the IRB website when it is gazetted.
The new STD system will require employees to provide to their employers the monthly exemptions, personal relief and rebates they wish to claim as a taxpayer.

Some of the exemptions include life insurance payments, medical expenses for parents, equipment for the disabled, higher education fees, full medical examination, purchase of books, magazines, journals and computer and alimony payments.
The rebates can include zakat payments and levies for visit pass, education pass and worker permit pass.

However, the first monthly payment for the January salary would have to be made by Feb 10.
The appropriate forms for employees to submit to their employer will be released as soon as the STD is gazetted.
The completed forms will have to be forwarded to the employer to collate and consolidate before forwarding the information electronically to IRB using Form CP39 declaring all the STD deductions.

Pressure on BNM to cut rates

Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) will come under renewed pressure to lower interest rates again next year, as there are increasing signs of a decline in domestic demand, economists said.

Malaysia Rating Corporation Bhd (MARC) chief economist Nor Zahidi Alias said there was an increasing possibility that BNM would lower the overnight policy rate (OPR) again in the immediate term, given that the global economy had decelerated sharply in recent months.

"The reduction in the OPR will, to some extent, cushion our economy against any sharp decline in the business and consumer sectors. This is critical as there are now signs that businesses and consumers are being affected by the slowdown of the domestic economy," he told The Edge Financial Daily via email.

Nor Zahidi expected the OPR to be trimmed by another 50 basis points before end-2009, and said a more aggressive monetary policy response would be helpful for the economy, considering that the government’s fiscal position is constrained by a relatively high level of budget deficit.

RAM Holdings Bhd chief economist Dr Yeah Kim Leng said he expected BNM to cut interest rates by another 25 basis points in its next policy meeting on Jan 21, 2009, adding that BNM’s move to lower interest rates would be gradual, depending on how sharp the decline in domestic demand turned out.

At its last meeting on Nov 24, BNM slashed its OPR for the first time since April 2006 by 25 basis points to 3.25%, as the deterioration in the global economy had begun to affect domestic demand. Last Wednesday, Hong Kong lowered interest rates by 100 basis points to a record low of 0.5%, following the US Federal Reserve’s move to cut rates to near-zero. The Bank of Japan also cut its key rate to 0.1% and pumped capital into its distressed economy.

"However, cutting interest rates is not the only tool to encourage spending among consumers and businesses. The government will also need to encourage spending via other means, including increasing expenditure," Yeah said.

Nor Zahidi said ideally, it would be helpful to have a bigger stimulus package to support consumer spending and implement projects with higher multiplier effects.

He said although the introduction of the RM7 billion stimulus package was a step in the right direction, the package only represented 1% of the country's nominal gross domestic product (GDP), and hence, was unlikely to have any significant impact on the overall economy.

Nevertheless, Nor Zahidi said the country would have to bear in mind that its budget deficit was expected to remain close to 5% of GDP for the second year in 2009, and the government's fiscal condition would likely deteriorate going forward, given that crude oil prices had collapsed 75% form its peak in July.

Hence, he said it was critical to ensure that the implementation of the current stimulus package was not delayed and there was some stability in the labour market, which was being affected by the global economic slowdown.

However, Yeah said he was not so concerned with the country's budget deficit exceeding 5%, as there was a need for government to spend more to prop up domestic demand.

"The government is already planning to introduce a strategic package, which will be announced next year. We think it should be a broad-based stimulus package, comprising both fiscal stimulus and non-fiscal strategies such as more market liberalisation steps to support domestic demand," he said.

Yeah said given the current state of the global economy, the country's GDP is expected to hover at about 3% to 3.5% for 2009, but said that with the higher government spending and quick implementation of the stimulus package, the country would have a softer landing compared with other countries that were already slipping into recession.

The US has been in recession since December 2007, while Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany and Italy are now in recession after registering two consecutive quarters of economic contraction.

Nor Zahidi said he expected Malaysia's GDP growth forecast for 2009 to remain at 3.5%. "However, with recent developments in the global economy, we do admit that there is an increasing downward risk to our forecast."

The Edge 22 Dec 08

Bad News: Over 4,700 workers to be retrenched

At least 4,749 workers, mostly from the electronics sector, will be retrenched by 137 employers in the next three months, Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said.

He said the figures, including some 1,500 Western Digital workers in Kuching, were updated as of yesterday.

“My ministry will ensure that the workers get the compensation due to them.” he said after a dialogue with Malaysian Training Providers Berhad.

He said under the Employment (Termination And Lay-off Benefits) Regulations, workers would be compensated a part of their salary for each year of service.

For workers who have been with a company for two years or less, compensation would be 10 days of salary per year of work.

For those who clocked in between two and five years, it would be 15 days of salary per year and for those above five years, 20 days.

Dr Subramaniam said the Govern- ment would look into getting alternative employment for the workers or retrain them.

“So far, we have not held dialogues with these workers but we will be contacting them soon and setting up counselling sessions,” he said.

Dr Subramaniam said he was not sure whether the number of retrenched workers would increase but added that some things were beyond the Government’s control.

“However, we will ensure the retrenchment is done fairly,” he said.

He said any employer intending to retrench, lay off, offer voluntary separation schemes or reduce salaries would have to inform the ministry 30 days before such action is taken.

The Star 22 Dec 08

Happy Dong Zi... :)

It's time of the year again for Dong Zi festival or in english Winter Solstice. Today is the day. It's when we will eat the 'tang yuen'. I still remembers that last time until now, eating tang yuen will represents that we are older by a year. Of course tang yuen is one of my favourite, so that's why I do not mind eating lots of it...haha.

But at this moment my stomach is quite full of it because I just had 2 big bowl of tang yuen, so now have to wait for the food to digest a bit first before I can go to sleep...no wonder I can never go on diet, can only put on weight :(

A perfect day for Malaysia at the Super Series Master Finals

It was indeed one of the best day for Malaysia badminton today. At the Super Series Master Finals held at Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia representative nailed 3 of out 5 contested title. What a history for our badminton book. Certainly a day to remember and even though there were no Chinese contingent as China withdrew all their players for the last big event for the year, credits have to be given to our players for playing their hearts out and performing well under home pressures :)

The first title was won by Lee Chong Wei in the men single. He beat Peter Hoeg GADE from Denmark 21-8 and 21-16. The first game was out of contest very quickly before Chong Wei wraps it up giving Peter Gade no chance. In the 2nd game, it was close match till 15-15 but towards the end, the fitness superiority of Chong Wei shows it all. I would have thought the game might need to go until the decider game but it was not meant to be :)

Our 2nd title was won by our 'sleeping' pair in Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong. With no Super Series title to show for this whole year, this pair seems to have lost it all after their heroic introduction to the world stage back in 2006. However, after beating compatriot Modh Zakry and Mohd Fairuzizuan in the semis, they showed that they are not to be taken lightly by the Koreans Jae Sung JUNG and Yong Dae LEE in the final. Today they were simply a good match for the Koreans. I must said the home crowd did play the part as well as the fire in both Koo and Tan to at least nail a big prize money title before the year is out helps. They only needed 2 games to beat the Koreans 21-18 and 21-14.

The final match of the day, which is also our last cheers for 3rd titles for Malaysia is for our national top women's double Chin Eei Hui and Wong Pei Tty against Vita MARISSA and Liliyana NATSIR of Indonesia. Their previous record stands at 1-3 in favour of the Indonesian. The first game was simply too many mistakes by the Indo pair and Chin and Wong won it 21-15. It was heading for the deciding 3rd game when our pair was trailing 14-18 in the 2nd match. But the never give up and fighting spirits got into them and eventually they make sure that no 3rd game was needed as they wraps up the game and USD42,000 prize money with a hard fought 22-20 2nd game...

So it was indeed a super happy day today for Malaysia badminton. I'm sure tomorrow's sports headlines will surely be talking about this 3 results. Hopefully they don't let this wins gets into them for 2009 is waiting for them again very very soon ...

Take Note: Internet services disrupted until Dec 31

Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) has reported a disruption in its Internet services due to circuit faults on the submarine cable network linking Malaysia and Europe, and said the services would be completely restored by Dec 31.
TM said in a statement Sunday that customers using its Internet services may experience slow browsing.
Access to websites hosted in Europe and that those using other IP (Internet Protocol) services such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and other critical business applications linked to Europe may also experience some service degradation.It said the affected cables, on the Southeast Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 4 (SMW4) submarine network between Palermo in southern Italy and Alexandria in northern Egypt, were being repaired and that some of the links had meanwhile been rerouted to ease congestion.

During the restoration process, traffic to northern America may experience minor degradation while traffic to other countries is unaffected, it said.

Pesta Pulau Pinang 2008 - 29 Nov to 31 Dec 08

Date: 29th November 2008 ~ 31st December 2008
Time: 6pm ~ 11.30pm
Venue: Pesta Site, Sungai Nibong
Organizer: Penang State Government
Tel: 04-2623505 / 04-6585202
Admission fees: RM3 (Adult), RM1 (Children 7~12 years old)
Special highlights: Nightly concert featuring local artists
A month-long fun fairs of 160 stores with rides, games and a trade exhibition to cater for the whole family.

Pesta Chingay Parade - 21st Dec 08

We invite you to attend our yearly Chingay parade starts at 7.30pm at Padang Brown, Dato Kramat, this Sunday 21st December 2008. This year, in order to have all Christian friends to join us, we have moved forward the Pesta Chingay Parade from the traditional date of 25th December to 21st December 2008.

Our Penang Chingay Parade traces its origins to a float decorating competition held in 1905. The event is a massive multi-cultural and international event with parade of traditional Indian, Malay & Chinese dancers, Dragon Dance, Lion Dance, Ms Pesta top 5 (in trishaws) and 30 team of Chingay from all over Malaysia.Come and experience this unique celebration with us. The parade would begin at Padang Brown in Datuk Keramat at 7.30pm, and end at the Esplanade field at 8.30pm, followed by a three-hour cultural performance there.

Notice - The following roads will be closed for the Chingay parade this Sunday starting from 7.30pm:Jalan Dato Keramat - Jalan Penang - Jalan Burma - Jalan Transfer - Jalan Seri Bahari - Lebuh Chulia - Jalan Masjid Kapitan keling - Lebuh Light.

What a shutdown Christmas...

With the current economy crisis that is affecting the whole world and showing no sign of stopping down, our nation is starting to feel the heat. In Penang alone, there are many factories that will be shutting down or running on low manpower come this Christmas.

Intel manufacturing is having shutdown for Christmas week, Penang Seagate is having shutdown for >2 weels till new year, Vistapoint is having shutdown from Christmas till 4th January and there are many more also having shutdown from Christmas till after New Year. Worse so far to be hit is definitely Agilent Technologies. Apart from shutting down from Christmas till 4th January, all employees are to have their salary cut 10% starting January 2009.

This is really really bad. They will be given extra 2 days leave per month and these leaves shall not be carried forward. No announcement made as of when will the salary cut stop as top management only said that the situation will be review quarterly. So sad....brace for more...after 2009 Chinese New Year, things might get worse...

Toyota sets new record in car sales

UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd has set a new sales record after selling 95,000 units of vehicles last week.
It is the best annual sales performance ever achieved by UMW Toyota Motor since 2005 when 92,000 units were sold, said managing director Kuah Kock Heng here today. “The sale of 95,000 units is above the original target of 94,000 units for this year,” he said, after the Toyota Classics 2008 cheque presentation ceremony.He said the core models such the Vios, Hilux, Camry and Avanza had helped the company achieve the sales record.

So will this news push Toyota towards the survival in Formula unlike rival Honda who announced last month that they are pulling out from the formula One? Hehe...

Fuel prices reduced by another 10sen

Petrol and diesel prices will be reduced by another 10 sen from Tuesday.
The price of RON97 petrol is now RM1.80, while RON92 is selling at RM1.70 a litre. The pump price of diesel now stands at RM1.70 a litre.
In a statement, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the reduction in the fuel prices was in accordance with the drop in the global crude oil price.
The retail price of petrol and diesel had been gradually lowered from its high of RM2.70 and RM2.58 respectively in June.

If you ask me how I think about this...I'll tell you frankly...I'm happy but not really that happy...people will say that we human will never gets enough, but truly speaking..in this case, we deserved to be getting much more cheaper fuel...

NO STAR for Starwalk 2008

Here are some of my thoughts for the Starwalk 2008 which was held yesterday at the Penang International Sports Arena or better known as PISA.

My post walk judgement:

1. Competition walkers are not being told properly to move to the starting line when the walk begins. I was waiting for instructions at the reporting area when I saw people starting walking towards the starting line without being told. By the time I reached the starting line, I was surprised to see the VIPs already standing there looking at us walking by. By then I knew the walk had already started and had a fightback to make up for the lost time.

2. Good turnout this year as it was reported that 14k people took part in the walk this year. This is very good sign that people are getting more and more cautious about their health. However the organizer should also ensure that there are enough rubbish bins and facilities for the walkers. I can see more and more rubbish being overflown at the bins, free newspapers were never enough, and the free isotonic drinks at the middle checkpoint station was over-crowded. They should have spread out and have more station serving drinks to the people.

3. The prize presentation and lucky draws were dragged until long overdue. Last year I managed to reached home at around 1pm but this year, by the time I reached home, it was already almost 2pm. The emcee knew that the show is being held up and was running out of time towards the end and as a results, the last 10-20 lucky draws was announced quickly without much delays.

4. The counter that gives out medals and prizes to the winners should be spread out bigger so that walkers waiting to claim their prizes won't be struggling for places and blocking the path of other starwalkers passing by.

I really hope to see a better Starwalk next year. Let's improve the event given that it will be 32nd year of Starwalk as well as being the premier sports event of the region :)

Ecclestone: Honda no great loss for F1

Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has hit out at Honda as the Japanese car manufacturer announced its retirement from Formula 1 last week. Ecclestone believes teams such as Honda can be missed from F1 as the company were a terrible example to other teams in terms of financial investments and results.

"Honda will be no great loss," Ecclestone told British newspaper Telegraph on Thursday. "Just look at where they finished in the championship - ninth. They wasted millions and were a bad example to other teams.

"Now they've gone, we've got a chance to bring in some sense to the teams about how much they should spend. I'm keen for the team to be kept in place. We have whittled it down to three serious potential buyers."

Personally, I felt that Mr Ecclestone's comment was a bit harsh given that Honda has been in the Formula One for so long. It's not Honda's desire to pull out from F1, but in reality, they are also having tough time surviving the worldwide economy crisis. One one wants to end it this way...

Halt Order for Batu Feringghi project

The Penang Municipal Council has issued a stop-work order to DMV Sdn Bhd, instructing it to halt construction works on its bungalow project in Batu Ferringhi.

During a visit to the site this morning, council president Datuk Zainal Rahim Seman said was unhappy with the site that appeared to have no proper drainage system, allowing water from higher ground to flow non-stop into the site before flowing into a temporary retention pond.

“There must be a proper drainage system that diverts the water into the pond. The developer must also find out where the water is coming from because it could weaken the soil and affect the high-rise condominiums located above the site.

“They are to stop all construction work until they solve the drainage problem,” he said.

The project located at Jalan Batu Feringhi near the Mar Vista apartments involves 37 units of three-storey bungalows.

Before the Bukit Antarabangsa incident, nobody complains. Now after the tragedy happens, here and there starts to point fingers and take actions. Isn't this a little too late? Seriously, Penang is really over crowded and over developed. All the developers wants to come to this island and have a piece of share of land to be develop into housing area. This is simply because they can earn a lots of money due to the high selling price of property in Penang especially to the foreigners and investors. We as Penang people ended up as the losers, to cope with the inflation rate of the property as well as the social and insfrastructure problems....

Condolence to the affected victims of Bukit Antarabangsa Tragedy

My deeply condolence and sympathy for the affected victims at the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide victims especially to those who have lost their beloved one. Hopefully the government will really take strict actions to buck up the local authorities or greedy developers from exploiting our mother nature to earn big money. Stay tough and be strong...

5 DON'TS when you are sleeping

This is a very funny forwarded email that I received this morning. It was saying what we are not supposed to do when we are sleeping...Have a laugh...wuahahhahaha...

1 DON'T SLEEP WITH WATCH

Watches can emit a certain level of radioactivity. Though small, but if youwear your watch to bed for a long time, it might have adverse effects on your health.

2 DON'T SLEEP WITH BRA

Scientists in America have discovered those that wear bras for more than 12 hours have a higher risk of getting breast cancer.

So go to bed without it.

3 DON'T SLEEP WITH PHONE

Putting the phone beside your bed or anywhere near you is not encouraged. Though some of us will use phones as alarm clocks, but please put the phone as far as possible. Scientists have proved that electrical items including mobile phone and television sets emit magnetic waves when used. These waves can cause disruptions to our nervous system. Therefore if youneed to put your mobile phone near you, switch it off first.

4 DON'T SLEEP WITH MAKE UP

People who sleep with make up might have skin problems in the long run. Sleeping with make up will cause the skin to have difficulty in breathing and problem in perspiring. You will also need a much longer time to go into deep sleep. Lastly.....

5 DON'T SLEEP WITH OTHERS' WIFE / HUSBAND

You may never wake up again.....

Oil tumbles below US$44 a barrel

Oil tumbled below US$44 a barrel Thursday to levels last seen nearly four years ago as the number of American workers continuing to receive government aid reached a 26-year high, factory orders hit an eight-year low and major corporations slashed jobs.

Though the unprecedented decline in energy prices provides some relief to consumers and businesses, it has occurred as the U.S. dips into recession.

Also hitting new lows were average retail gasoline prices, which fell below $1.80 a gallon (below 47 cents a liter) nationally for the first time since January 2005.

Part of the reason gas prices have fallen so low is that many people no longer have jobs to drive to and fewer people have money to spend shopping. Gasoline futures fell below a dollar a gallon.
Veteran energy analysts were stunned as they watched light sweet crude fall $2.91, more than 6 percent, to $43.88 on the New York Mercantile Exchange by early afternoon.

With such a price, our government merely reduce the price at the pump station by rm0.10 per litre...so do u you think it's fair? Seriously, I think it's dirty play by them.....Shame shame shame...

Fifth price cut at the pumps this year - Do u feel like a begger?

Petrol and diesel prices at the pump are down 10 sen today, with RON97 petrol at RM1.90 a litre and RON92 petrol and diesel at RM1.80.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced this through a press statement released at about 5pm yesterday.

“As the world fuel price has had a sharp decrease lately, the Govern-ment has decided to once again reduce the retail price for the public’s benefit,” he said.

This is the fifth time petrol and diesel prices have been cut since retail prices hit a high of RM2.70 a litre in June.

Why only 10 cents ?!?!?! When it was rm2 per litre, the government said it's because the world price was averaged at USD64 per barrel. Now it's less than USD55 per barrel and even hitting a low USD48 per barrel, but why are we only getting rm0.10 reduction? This is really stupid...we are paying more and subsidy back to the useless government....

Pesta Floral Fest 2008

Theme: Floral Fantasy
Date: 29th November ~ 7th December
Location: Penang Botanical Gardens
Contact: 04-2270428

Penang Pesta Open Dragon Boat Race

Come come experience our Penang Pesta Dragon Boat Race this 7th of December 2008. This colourful competition has been held in Penang since 1979. Dragon Boat participants from Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Indonesia, The Netherlands, The Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Singapore, Iraq, USA and many more have successfully battled their ways thru numerous race hosted by Penang.Bring along your family and friends to witness this once a year Pesta Dragon Boat Race:

Date: 7th December 2008 (Sunday)

Venue: Teluk Bahang Dam, Penang

Time: 9am ~ 5pm

web site: www.penangdragonboat.gov.my

Details:

DATE : 7th December 2008
VENUE : Queensbay Mall Seafront, Penang
RACES : There will be 9 events as follows :-
Open Race (12 & 20 crew)
Mixed Race (12 & 20 crew)
Under 18 Junior Race (12 crew)
Ladies Race (12 crew)
Senior Race (12 crew)
National Government Inter-Department Race (12 & 20 crew)
DISTANCE : 500 metres
RACING : All teams will follow the races from the
FORMAT heats, repecharge, semi-finals and finals
RACING STYLE : Seated
RULES & REGULATIONS: International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) & Organiser
ENTRY FEES : RM100.00 per event
TEAMS :
20 crew boat ~ 28 members comprising of 2 officials and 26 crews
12 crew boat ~ 16 members comprising of 2 officials and 14 crews
CLOSING DATE : 25th November 2008
PRIZES : Winner of each event
1st Placing – Cash Prize of RM 1000 + Medals
2nd Placing – Cash Prize of RM 500 + Medals
3rd Placing – Cash Prize of RM 300 + Medals
ENQUIRIES : Ms. Corinna Wong

Mobile : +60124830448

Fax : +6042280449

E-mail :corinna@penangdragonboat.gov.my

RACES : There must be a minimum of 5 entries for each race to run
BOAT :
20 crew boat shall consist of a maximum 18 paddlers, 1 steersman, 1 drummer
12 crew boat shall consist of a maximum 10 paddlers, 1 steersman, 1 drummer
RACING & COMPETITION CLASSES :
Mixed Race for 20 crew : Crews must consists of a minimum eight (8) women paddlers
Mixed Race for 12 crew : Crews must consists of a minimum four (4) women paddlers
Under-18 Junior Race : Crews must be under the age of eighteen (18) on the 1st January 2008
Senior Race : Crews must be over the age of fifty (50) on the 1st January 2008
National Government Inter-Department Race : Crews must be employees from the Government sector

Arsenal proved doubters wrong...but there's still long way to go...

Talk for Arsenal being back in the Premier League title race may be premature for now, but boss Arsene Wenger was delighted that his side showed the character to come from behind and win 2-1 at Chelsea on Sunday.

The Gunners' troubles have not been against their big four rivals this season - they have also beaten Manchester United - but against the like of Fulham, Hull City, Stoke City and Manchester City who account for four of their five defeats this term.

A double from Robin van Persie turned the game on its head and means the north Londoners are seven points off the top of the table, although Liverpool could extend that against West Ham United on Monday evening.

Me as a Arsenal fan are very much delighted with their display and attitude especially this is a massive result for them. I really hope that they can put all their recent troubles behind them and get their season back on track. It's a big task for them if MU and Liv continue their impressive form, but at least I really hope that they don't really fall even further behind...Pray hard they can really put on a good show now onwards and solved their inconsistency and show that Arsenal youngsters and kids are not easy prey for anyone...

A tired and fattening weekend...

What a weekend. Being rushing from my company's teambuilding on Friday evening, I rush back home at dinner time to get myself ready before leaving for airport at 7+pm to reached at around 8pm just in time to check in to my 9pm flight. But my flight was delayed for 2 hours !!! Imagine a tired me and my gal have to wait at the airport. Upon reaching LCCT, it was already 1230am Sat and by the time my brother fetched me and reached back to his home, it was already 2+am before I finally went to bed.

Woke up after barely sleep for 3 hours at 5am to get myself ready again to be my buddy's heng dai. Was being picked up at around 545am, and then the bang door tradition and the tea ceremony. I'm so happy for them, my best friend coursemate and her sweet heart :) Back at my brother's place at around lunch time, and I took my nap awhile before waking up and following my sister to pick up my gf who went to Kepong to visit her good friend. At 7+pm, we were at Sri Petaling Overseas restaurant for the wedding dinner. I had a lot of red wine during the dinner and was really feeling dizzy for the first time. After the dinner, I was lucky to escape from my varsity friend's clutches to follow my brother back. After I took my bath, I really can't take it anymore and straight to bed. By the time my gf finished her bath, I was already soundly asleep.

The next morning we were late already and upon prepared everything, my brother and sister drove us to the airport. We managed to get ourself each a set of McD breakfast and check in to our 1110 flight, but alas, it was delayed again for another 1.5 hours. By the time my mom picked us up and reached home to settle all the unpacking and bath, it was already 2+pm. Had a nap, online awhile and get ready to John's wedding dinner again. Was being picked up at 645pm, and 'blur-blur' enjoy the dinner. Reached home around 11+pm, took my bath, packed my stuff for today's work and then sleep at around 12am....there goes my weekend....so damn tired...this weekend will be the same again ... so sometimes too many friends is not a good thing. Aha !!!

And today back at office I went to weigh myself...alamak...weight increased 1kg after my wedding dinner eating spree :(:(:(

AirAsia, MAS cancel all flights to and from Bangkok....and my sister is stranded there :(

AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines have cancelled all flights to and from Bangkok on Wednesday.

This comes after anti-government protesters in Bangkok swarmed the airport complex Tuesday forcing the closure of the city's main international airport.

An air traffic control official at the Suvarnabhumi Airport on Wednesday told the media that the airport would remain shut Wednesday.

MAS operations director, Datuk Tajuden Abu Bakar, said that all four flights scheduled between KLIA and Bangkok have been cancelled as the airport has been closed by Thai authorities.

“As this closure is indefinite at this point of time, we are unable to advise when our flight operations will resume.”

Tajuden urged customers in Malaysia to call 1-300-88-3000 for further updates and passengers in Bangkok to call +662-2630572 or +662-1343184.

AirAsia on its website said all customers who were affected would automatically receive a refund through credit - to redeem a seat on the next available flight to/from Bangkok within three days from your original date of travel (subject to the reopening of the Bangkok airport and the availability of seats).

It added that arrangements for the next flight to or from Bangkok would have to be done at the AirAsia Sales Counter at the respective airport of departure after the Bangkok airport has reopened.

The government against the use of force encouraged the protesters more to make the matter worse. As a result, my sister who was supposed to be back yesterday is now stranded at Bangkok with no flights out from there. Luckily she is safe and don't have to sleep at the airport. Hopefully the airport will re-opens today and she can come back safely....

US stocks soar after good news to Citigroup

The US government's latest bailout of a big financial company - this time, Citigroup Inc. - sent Wall Street soaring Monday for the second straight session as investors bet that the worst of the financial industry's problems might finally be over.

The Dow Jones industrials soared nearly 400 points, while all the major indexes jumped more than 4.5 percent.

The surge gave the market its first two-day advance since the end of October and the Dow its biggest two-day percentage gain since October 1987, the month of the Black Monday crash.

The Dow's 891-point rise over the two sessions also wiped out the 872-point plunge it suffered over the course of Wednesday and Thursday, when investors were anguishing over the fate of Citigroup and financial companies in general, and over the future of the nation's automakers.

Although investors sensed late last week that a rescue of Citigroup was forthcoming, investors nonetheless were heartened, even emboldened, by the U.S. government's decision late Sunday to invest $20 billion in Citigroup and guarantee $306 billion in risky assets.

Wall Street's enthusiasm grew not only because the bailout answered questions about Citigroup but also because many observers saw the move as offering as a model for how the government might carry out other bank stabilizations.

Gunners begin new era under new leader Cesc

New Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has pledged the young Gunners must now "fulfil our potential".

Sacked skipper William Gallas has been reinstated to his defensive role for the Champions League clash against Dynamo Kiev but 21-year-old Fabregas is the new permanent skipper, one of the youngest in the club's history. Giving him the responsibility may also serve to deflect his attention from a raft of continental suitors which may well have been uppermost in Arsene Wenger's choice of on-pitch leader.

"It is a great honour for me to captain one of the biggest clubs in the world. It is a proud moment," Fabregas declared.

"I know it is a big responsibility, but together with my team-mates, I know we have the spirit and commitment to get back to winning ways and fulfil our potential."

Let's hope Arsenal can put all these troubles behind them and turn back their focus to the domestic league as well as their European campaign :)

Source: ESPN Soccernet

Overnight Policy Rate lowered to 3.25%

Bank Negara has cut its benchmark Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) by 25 basis points to 3.25% from 3.50%, and signalled it was ready to cut the rate further.

This was the first rate cut in over five years. The move, which can be considered well-timed as the economy slows, will result in a lower cost of funds for banks. This, in turn, brings down the cost of borrowing for consumers.

To inject more liquidity into the banking system, Bank Negara also cut the statutory reserve requirement (SRR) for banking institutions for the first time in a decade - from 4% to 3.5% - effective Dec 1.

The last time the SRR was cut was in the midst of the Asian financial crisis, on Sept 16, 1998 when it was reduced to 4% from 6%.

EPF moving strong silently???

While the market had been going down steadily since October 2008, Employee Provident Fund have been quietly acquiring many shares from big companies and expanding their fund distribution. Referring to the chart above, look how much have they accumulated? Of course they can do it cause they have the strong fund and capital from their other investment and also from our monthly contribution. Once the market returns to normal routine (one would wonder when will that day come), EPF will be the one laughing non-stop. Make sure you do the right move, EPF! Don't mess with our hard earned money !!!

Song for this Christmas during recession

You better work hard
You better act tough
You better not whine
I’m telling you why
Recession is coming to town

You better cut cost
You better cut lines
You better don’t buy (gears)
I’m telling you why
All our jobs are…….on the line

You'd better watch out

You'd better not cry

You'd better keep cash

I'm telling you why:

Recession is coming to town.

It's hitting you once,

It's hitting you twice

It doesn't care if you've been careful and wise

Recession is coming to town

It's worthless if you've got shares

It's worthless if you've got bonds

It's safe when you've got cash in hand

So keep cash for goodness sake, HEY

You'd better watch out

You'd better not cry

You'd better keep cashI'm telling you why:

Recession is coming to town!

Finance products are confusing

Finance products are so vague

The banks make you bear the cost of risk

So keep out for goodness sake, OH

You'd better watch out

You'd better not cry

You'd better keep cashI'm telling you why:

Recession is coming to town.

Sighting of moon for Aidiladha on Nov 27

The sighting of the moon to determine the date for Aidiladha will be held next Thursday evening, the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal announced today.

The Council of Rulers has agreed that the date for the Aidiladha will be determined by the sighting of the moon and calculation, it said in a statement.

The date for the Aidiladha will be announced over radio and television the same night.

Pikom PC Fair is back in Penang!

5 - 7 December 2008 (11:00 am - 9:00 pm)

Penang International Sports Arena, Penang

Wonder if flash drive's price will continue to go down this time at the pc fair. The other day I saw one advertisment saying 8GB thumbdrive is now selling at around rm50!!! This was the price for 4GB size during the last pc fair held at PISA. Just image the drop. Expect the price to hit RM40+ come Sunday 7th Dec when the retailers starts throwing price :) Good luck for ur bargain if you are planning to grab something from the fair...

Malaysia among top five with Internet access in Asia Pacific

This is a piece of happy news for everyone here in our country. Malaysia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Singapore are the most connected countries in the Asia Pacific region, with 55 per cent to 80 per cent of their populations having access to the Internet by 2007. One question: This was in 2007, are we improving in 2008 and even beyond?

In contrast, the bottom five — Myanmar, Timor-Leste, Tajikistan, Bangladesh and Cambodia — have less than one per cent of their population using the Internet while the average for region is 20 per cent.

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Unescap) said that despite significant progress that Asia and the Pacific had made in utilising information communication technology (ICT), a significant disparity still remained in access to the Internet between high-income and low-income countries. Personally, technology supposed to be made borderless without based from any level or by countries. Which is why I'm very grateful for our Penang state government to go ahead with the proposal and plans to make our state wide full broadband coverage :)

It said the wide gap appeared despite its study which showed that both phone and Internet use had increased over the last five years since the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was first held in 2003.

For us, this is definitely a happy news and proud news as Malaysian citizens. However do bear in mind that as a developing nation, this is nothing extraordinary to be proud of and we must not rest on laurels but instead should focus on improving our insfrastructure and also in many many other area. Else our vision 2020 to reach the status of developed nation will always and forever be far far away. More efforts needed, so our beloved government, are you listening out there ???