Kenaikan Harga Minyak dan Tarif Elektrik

Rabu lalu kerajaan telah mengumumkan penstrukturan semula subsidi petrol, diesel dan gas adalah membabitkan kenaikan harga petrol sebanyak 78 sen seliter menjadi RM2.70 seliter dan diesel pula naik RM1 seliter kepada RM2.58 seliter.Apakah reaksi orang ramai termasuk saya?Ayuh bersama-sama mengupas isu ini lebih dekat lagi.

Demonstrasi kini merata-rata.Kerajaan juga sedar bahawa keputusan tidak popular ini boleh dieksplotasi oleh pembangkang.Malah,sebarang kemungkinan boleh berlaku pada Pilihan Raya Umum 13 akan datang.Sudah tentu,kenaikan harga minyak dan tarif elektrik akan mengundang lagi kekecewaan rakyat.Apakah natijahnya ini semua?Adakah kita masih boleh berbangga mendakwa harga minyak kita lebih murah dari negara jiran?

Berbincang mengenai harga minyak negara kita dan Singapura,memanglah kita lebih murah dan kini sedikit murah.Sebelum ini,kerajaan melarang mana-mana pelawat yang masuk ke Malaysia mengambil kesempatan mengisi minyak.Rakyat Malaysia majoritinya menyokong langkah ini kerana melihatkan subsidi adalah hak rakyat manakala pengusaha miyak menemplak idea tersebut kerana khuatir perniagaan mereka akan bungkus.

Apa yang saya hendak lontarkan ialah,impaknya pada rakyat berpendapatan rendah.Sebelum ini,dalam laman blog Tun Mahathir menyatakan kuasa membeli kita jauh lebih murah.Jika dibandingkan dengan UK dan US yang masing-masing harga minyaknya RM7 dan RM5,tetapi kesan ini tidak mengapa bagi mereka.Ini kerana pendapatan minima mereka perkapita adalah tiga kali daripada kita.Kini sektor awam di Malaysia misalnya,berapa sangatlah gaji dan sektor swasta juga lebih kurang sama.Jangan terperanjat jika gaji minumum pun hanya RM500 sebulan.Macam mana nak survive kan?

Seharusnya,pemerintah lebih peka terhadap isu gaji rakyat.Ramai dikalangan kita mengeluh:

Minyak naik,api naik,beras naik,tapi gaji masih sama...

Kelakar juga apabila mendengar keluhan rakan saya yang berbangsa cina;

Nampaknya,wa kena simpan wa punya kereta dalam rumah.Baik wa beli scooter,lagi jimat maa...

Kereta Mitsubishi Lancer 2.0 terpaksa disimpan dirumah.Jika full tank beliau sebelum ini RM140,kini beliau terpaksa membayar Rm180 3 hari sekali.Jika dikalikan RM180 x 10 kali = Parah...

Saya ingin menyarakan agar berbilion ringgit yang dapat dijimatkan itu digunakan untuk menaik taraf kemudah awam dengan membina sistem pengangkutan ringan seperti di Kuala Lumpur di banadar-bandar besar seperti Pulau Pinang,Johor Bahru,Ipoh dan Kuching.Di Singapura,rakyatnya tidak risau akan kenaikan minyak kerana sistem pengangkutannya jauh lebih bagus dari kita.Saya tidak tahu mengapa menteri-menteri tidak dapat melihat isu ini sebagai alternatif untuk mengelakkan diri mereka tewas teruk pada PRU13 akan datang..

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Ringgit?What do you know about it?

The new riles designed to take away the need for a one sen coin has put currency on our minds.Here are some interesting things you may not know about ringgit in your pocket.

The word ringgit means "jagged" in Malay and was originally used to refer to the serrated edge of silver Spanish dollars which circulated widely in the country.The Singaporean dollar and the Brunei dollar are also ringgit in Malay(although currencies such as th US and Australia dollars are dolar),hence its official abbreviation RM for Ringgit Malaysia.

The Malay names ringgit and sen were officially adopted as the sole official names in August 1975.Previously they had been known officially as dollars and cents in English and ringgit and sen in Malay.In some parts of the country alternative words are still used.For example,in the northern states of Peninsular Malaysia,denominations of 10 sen are called kupang - so 50 sen is five kupang.

Until June 23,1973,the Malaysian dollar was exchangeable at par with the Singapore dollar and Brunei dollar.The Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Brunei Currency and Monetary Board still maintain the ex changeability of their two currencies.

April 2008,Bank Negara Malaysia announced that all transactions should be rounded to the nearest five sen.This mechanism applies to the total bill only.The reason is that the cost of producing one sen coins has exceeded their value.However,existing one sen coins in circulations remain legal tender for payments of up to two ringgit.

On December 7,2005,the RM1 coin was demonetised and withdrawn for circulation.This was partly due to problem with stardardisation (two different versions of the coin were minted) and forgery.

On the RM10(above) note the theme is Transportation.A close look will reveal a Putra LRT train,Malaysia Airlines aircraft and MISC ship (MISC is Malaysia's leading international shipping line).

All Malaysian banknotes carry the image of Tunku Abdul Rahman,the first Yang Di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.As the first king Tuanku Abdul Rahman believed strongly in parliamentary democracy - one of his most most memorable quotes was to foreign dignitary who complained about Prime Minister's "high handed" manner and wanted the King to sack him.To this,His Late Majesty replied"

Alas I can't sack him;he is elected by the people,and as Prime Minister of the country he can sack me!

Unusually,the five ringgit note is made of polymer.It depicts the Multimedia Super Corridor with images of Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the Petronas Twin Tower.

Mining is the theme for the RM50 note,hence the oil platform on its rear,while the biggest note of all,the RM100,is dedicated to heavy industry.An image of Proton's car production line works perfectly to show this.

The current bank notes are the third set of designs to be released.They were created designs in the spirit of Wawasan 2020,a vision introduced by the former Prime minister of Malaysia,Mahathir Bin Mohamad.The vision calls for a self-sufficient industrial,Malay-centric developed nation,complete with an economy by 2020.


The one ringgit note is devoted to tourism and includes images of Malaysia's highest mountain, Mount Kinabalu in Sabah which is 4,095m high,Mount Mulu,which is the second highest mountain in the state of Sarawak and a "Wau Bulan" kite.

The two ringgit note,which has been officially withdrawn but is still occasionally seen in circulation is devoted to telecommunications and boast pictures of the Menara Kuala Lumpur communications tower and the MEASAT satellite.

Three denominations of gold bullion coins have been released.Called the "Kijang Emas"(the kijang is a species of deer as well as the official logo of Bank Negara Malaysia) they have face values of RM50,RM100 and RM200,however,the purchase and reselling price of Kijang Emas is determined by the prevailing international gold market price.

In early 2008,the Bank released newly-designed RM50 banknote.The new note retains the predominant color of green-blue,but is designed in anew theme,dubbed the "National Mission", expressing the notion of Malaysia"[moving]" the economy up the value chain".

For more details:
Bank Negara Malaysia

Note:Those images not uploaded by me.

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Pulau Batu Puteh sah milik Singapura.

May 23 membawa satu membawa kepada satu penyelesaian buat Malaysia dan Singapura.Setelah hampir 28 tahun bertelagah siapa yang berhak ke atasnya.Walaubagaimana pun,Malaysia tidak pulang dengan tangan kosong apabila ICJ ataupun The International Court of Justice dengan majoriti 15-1 memutuskan Middle Rock dan South Ledge milik Malaysia.Singapura dengan majoriti 12-4,membawa pulang Pulau Batu Puteh atau Pedra Branca. Info lanjut mengenai Batu Puteh di Wikipedia.

Menteri Luar Malaysia,Dato Sri Rais Yatim ketika disoal oleh wartawan menyatakan "win-win" situation.Tapi adakah benar?Apakah yang kita menang sedangkan pulau itu sah milik Singapura?

Kawasan perairan di sekitar Pulau Batu Puteh khususnya melibatkan jumlah perdagangan dunia hampir 40%.Saya tidak dapat merumuskan apakah faedah disebalik kemenangan ini.Namun,yang pasti batu-batu disekitar Pulau Batu Puteh telah banyak menyebabkan kemalangan kapal-kapal.Middle Rock dan South Ledge dimenangi Malaysia kerana kedudukannya yang sememangnya terletak dikawasan perairan Malaysia.

Di Singapura,menteri-menterinya menyambut gembira dengan berita ini.Dengan kemenangan ke atas Pendra Branca,sekali lagi tamparan buat Malaysia.Namun,di atas semangat kejiranan dan Asean,Rais menjelaskan ianya "win-win" situation.Sudah tentu rakyat Malaysia kecewa.Persoalannya kini,siapa adik,siapa abang?

Cakap Tak Serupa Bikin mem-blog dengan interaktif mengenai Pulau Batu Puteh,South Ledge dan Middle Rock.Anda mungkin ingin melihat 2 batu yang dimenangi kita.

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Balancing Business And Family

As an entrepreneur,you life can be hectic at best.Your business is the realization of a dream.Your hard work and persistence have come to life in the form of your business.Working for yourself is many people's fantasy and it should bring you great satisfaction to know that you now only answer to you.This is all you've ever wanted,so you must be happy.

Ask yourself this:

what was your ultimate goal in starting your business?

You may respond that you want to acheive independence from bosses,to have unlimited income potential or to set your own hours.These answer all essentially mean one thing;you went to business for yourself with ultimate goal of being happy.But, spending hour upon hour on your business is not going to make for a happy family life.Finding a healthy balance between your business and your family life can be extremely challenging,but it is an essential in order to realize your ultimate goal of happiness.How do you find time for family when your business occupies so much on your day.

The following are some tips to help you to achieve the ever elusive goal of achieving a healthy balance:

1.Create a schedule
Schedule your work time as well as your family time.Keep a calendar or agenda with this schedule and stick to it.If you are feeling overwhelmed and think that just a bit more work time will help,think again.At the end of a long work day,you are in probability feeling tired and frustrated.Taking a long things with fresh eyes the next morning will help you to complet the job properly.Time away from the task will help to rejuvenate you.

2.Prioritize
Your family is you number one one priority,and don't forget it.When making a your schedule,always plan family time first and include some fun ideas in the schedule.Schedule a trip to shopping mall,an evening at the kid's favorite restaurant or just taking the kids at home.Don't forget to schedule some time alone with your couple.A weekly date night will do wonders for you relationship.Even if it's just enjoying a rented movie and popcorn after the kids are in bed.Anything will do as long as it's not already a part of your normal routine.

3.Be sure to have some time left for yourself
This is often most difficult time to schedule.How do you find time for yourself with all you already do in the day>on work days,this could be as simple as 15 minutes bubble bath or curling up a good book before bed.On your days off,take a walk for an hour,or go on a bike ride.Be sure to allow your couple at the same.He or she needs time alone time as well.

4.Make to-do lists
In order to make the most of your workday,make lists and cross things off as you accomplish them.Being a busy entrepreneur,it may sometimes seem though you don't have enough time in a day to allocate to all the jobs you have to do.You will be amazed at how such a simple thing as making a to-do list will keep you on track.Once you have crossed off most the tasks on your list you will feel proud of all that you have accomplished in the day.Remember though,if you are not finished your list at the end of your scheduled workday,those leftover tasks will have to go on tomorrow's list.

5.Learn to delegate
You may find it difficult to let go of even some of the smallest tasks.If you don't want your business to run your life,you will have to learn to let go of some duties.Start with delegating little tasks and build from there.Once you have built up enaough trust in the person you delegating to,you can start delegating a little more.If you have employees,use them,that is what they are there for.

Delegating will go a long way in allowing you to work more efficiently.It can also give you more family time.In fact,deligating chores in your house-hold will accomplish at the same time.

Remember you need to work on your family in order to make it a success just as you do your business.Achiveing a healthy balance is not easy,but once you do,the rewards will oput-weight any of the hard work you put into it.

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The Number One Purpose of A Resume

Hey guys.it's the time!You've now graduated the torturous years of University,and it's time to enter the Rat Race!The first step to the working world is writing your winning resume that will ensure your first great job!It's huge difference between a great resume and a resume that barely passes the passing mark.Show that you're worth every penny they may be offering to pay you,all that to be said(subtlety is the key,so don't be so obvious that you deserve XXXX amount) by the way your resume present itself.

I know you're starting to gather information from your friends,on how long should your resume be,or what rules you should abide to.Don't worry,don't fret.It doesn't have to be one page or follow a specific resume format.Every resume is one of-a-kind marketing communication,and it always differs according to ur job requirement and situation, and depends what you want it to do.

The Good News

• Good new is,making your resume stand out marks you as a superior candidate for the job.
• Stir up interest,and a well written resume will succumb all fierce competition.
• A well writting resume ensures that you'll get more calls for an interview more often than not.

And The Bad is..

• Bad news is that your resume may be out-dated,so laways update uour resume!
• There may be hundreds or maybe thousands of applicants, and you resume may be missed or simply browsed through without reading.

The Number One Purpose of A Resume

1. The main purpose of resume?Not to get the job,but to win an interview!Once they see you,their doubts may disappear.
2. It's an advertisement, to promote yourself!!
3. It doesn't just tell them what you've done,but make you a whole,complete package.
4. Present you in the best light.
5. Convinces the employer that you have what it takes to be successful in this position.
6. Stimulates interest in meeting you and learning more about you.

Other Possible Reasons To Have A Resume

• To pass the employer's screening process,like qualifications and experiences
• Provide contact information
• to establish you as a proffesional with high standarts and excellent writting skills
• to give potential employers your contact for their reference or database
• is another form of a 'business card'
  

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