Looking good

A big weight has been lifted off my shoulder.

All is well again.

Life can return to normal again.

No more dreaming.

No more acting irrationally next time.

tsk...tsk..tsk....no discipline

Paid a long overdue visit to the ENT Specialist Clinic this morning and got lectured by the doctor. My last visit was back in Nov 2007 in which I was prescribed a nasal spray for my swollen sinus. Since then, I have only returned once to get a refill of the spray. 2 bottles in 7 months timeframe. Not good. Hence, a lecture by the doctor.

I was prescribed a different type of nasal spray this time cos I told the doctor the previous one I used wasn't effective anymore. OF COURSE LA NOT EFFECTIVE, the doctor said...cos I didn't use it continuously. No discipline, doctor said. Gulp! I was firmly told to use this new spray for 3 continuous months (i.e must return to the clinics to get 2 refills) and then return at the end of the 3rd month for the doctor's checkup. Then only will she advise if I still need to use the spray on a montHly basis or otherwise. Gulp!

A quick check by doctor proved that my sinus is still a little swollen, it seems. I have also been advised to take antioxidant supplements. The medicine she has cost RM180 per bottle...a bomb! Sigh...let me check if can claim from company or not.

Petrol Hike

Received this from a forwarded email....made for some interesting reading. Warning: Long article ahead.

Today Tenaga stock rose by about MYR1.00. Volume traded in excess of 35 million units.Yesterday Tenaga stock was suspended.

Put these points together.

1. If you know that an announcement would be made on Wednesday that TNB rates will be revised upwards you would surely buy Tenaga shares on Tuesday.

2. If you own an investment bank or have sufficient credit line with an Investment Bank you would have bought as much as you could knowing thatthe price will surely go up.

3. Since you have to pay within 3 days (T+3 rule), you would have planned to sell on Friday. Â So you could have bought 1Million Tenaga shares on Tuesday and sold it today for a cool MYR1Million profit without paying any money (perhaps some borrowing costs for 2-3 days).

4. Of course none of us are privy to the announcement of the fuel hike, but the family of the PM are privy to it.

5. Of course none of us have a large credit line with an Investment Bank but the family of the PM owns an investment bank.

6. Why the surprise announcement on 05 June when the PM has said that it would be in August ? Well you can only make a big and quick profit if you control the timings and surprise others.

7. For those in the know (the powers that be and their cronies) this has been one hugely profitable week buying and shorting the related shares.The poor rakyat had to queue just to fill up their tanks and perhaps save between MYR20-MYR100

Now read below.....

Need those in know of the basic economics of crude, fuel etc to comment. WHAT IS NEVER MENTIONED IN Mainstream Media like NST/TheStar/ Utusan/BH are these facts....

Malaysian PerCapita Income USD 5000 VS Singaporean PerCapita Income USD 25000

Further The Star made a comparison of prices in Thailand , Singapore and Indonesia. For Thailand it is quoted at RM3.90/liter, however are they aware that in Thailand new cars are cheaper than Malaysia by RM10,000? They pay only one life time for their driving license? No renewal fee after that? Also that goes for road tax as well? And do TheStar also aware that you can drive all the way from Hadtyai to Bangkok on a six lane highway without paying any Tolls ??!!

Whereas here in Malaysia you have to pay yearly renewal for road tax , driving license and TOLLS, TOLLS, TOLLS!!!For Singapore how can you quote RM 5.20 ? Please quote in Singapore Dollars because they are earning in Sing Dollars. You might as well say Europeans are paying RM10/liter. RM5.20/liter = Sing $ 2.20/liter, still cheaper than Malaysia in view of fact that Singapore is not a crude oil exporter. Are you saying that you fill up petrol in Singapore by paying Ringgit?

In economy, dollar to dollar must be compared as apple to apple. Not comparing like durian in M'sia is much cheaper than durian in Japan !! Of course-lah, Japan is not durian producer!!! Comparing Malaysian durian with Thailand durian make more sense!!

For Indonesia we might say is cheaper there at RM2.07/liter but compare that to their level of income!

Now, let us compare the price with OIL PRODUCING countries:

UAE RM1.19/litre

Eygpt RM1.03/litre

Bahrain RM0.87/litre

Qatar RM0.68/litre

Kuwait RM0.67/litre

Saudi Arabia RM0.38/litre

IranRM0.35/litre

Nigeria RM0.32/litre

Turkmenistan RM0.25/litre

Venezuela RM0.16/litre

MALAYSIA RM2.70/litre

RM 2.70!!!

Individual perspective:

As of last month a Toyota Vios would 'cause a damage' of about RM 89,000. In the international market, a Toyota Vios is about USD 19,000

USD 19,000 = RM 62,700 (using the indicative rates of USD 1 = RM 3.30) That makes Malaysian Vios owners pay an extra RM 26,300.This RM 26,300 should be cost of operations, profit and tax because the transportation costs have been factored in to the USD 19,000.

RM 26,300/ RM625 petrol rebate per year translates to a Vios being used for 42.08 years.I do understand that the RM 625 is a rebate given by the government, but it also means that one has to use the Vios for 42.08 years just to make back the amount paid in taxes for the usage of a foreign car. Would anyone use any kind of car for that long?

Now with these numbers in front of us, does the subsidy sound like a subsidy or does it sound like a penalty?

This just seems to be a heavy increment in our daily cost of living as we are not only charged with high car taxes but also with a drastic increase in fuel price.With all the numbers listed out, I urge all Malaysians to join me in analyzing the situation further.

Car taxation is government profit, fuel sales is Petronas' (GLC) profit which also translates into government profit. The government may ridicule us Malaysians by saying look at the world market and fuel price world wide. Please, we are Malaysians, we fought of the British, had a international port in the early centuries (Malacca), home to a racially mixed nation and WE ARE NOT STUPID!!!

We know the international rates are above the USD 130/barrel. We understand the fact that the fuel prices are increasing worldwide and we also know that major scientist are still contradicting on why this phenomenon is happening. Some blame Bush and his plunders around the world and some blame climate change and there are others which say petroleum 'wells' are getting scarce.

Again we go back to numbers to be more straight fwd: 1 barrel = 159 liters x RM2.70/liter = RM 429 or USD 134

On 1 hand, we are paying the full cost of 1 barrel of crude oil with RM2.70 per liter but on the other hand the crude oil only produces 46% of fuel.

Msia sells crude oil per barrel at USD130 buys back Fuel per barrel at USD134. And not forgetting, every barrel of fuel is produced with 2 barrels of crude oil.1 barrel crude oil = produce 46% fuel (or half of crude oil), therefore 2 barrel crude oil = approximately 1 barrel fuel.

In other words, each time we sell 2 barrels of crude oil, equivalently we will buy back 1 barrel of fuel.Financially, Malaysiasell 2 barrel crude oil @ USD 130/barrel = USD 260 = RM 858 then, Malaysia will buy back fuel @ USD 134/barrel = RM 442/barrel

Thus, Malaysia earn net extra USD 126 = RM 416 for each 2 barrel of crude sold/exported vs imported 1 barrel of fuel !!! (USD 260-134 = USD 126 = RM416)

So where this extra USD 126/barrel income is channeled to by Malaysian Govt???????? ?

Another analysis:

1 barrel crude oil = 159 liters.46-47% of a barrel of crude oil = fuel that we use in our vehicles.

46% of 159 = 73.14 liters. @ RM 2.70/liter x 73.14 liter = RM197.48 of fuel per barrel of crude oil.

This is only 46% of the barrel, mind you. Using RM 3.30 = USD 1, we get that a barrel of crude oil produces USD 59.84 worth of petrol fuel (46% of 1barrel).USD 59.84 of USD 130/barrel turns out to be 46% of a barrel as well.

Another 54% = bitumen, kerosene, and natural gases and so many more.And this makes a balance of USD 70.16 that has not been accounted for.

So this is where I got curious. Where is the subsidy if we are paying 46% of the price of a barrel of crude oil when the production of petrol/barrel of crude oil is still only 46%?

In actual fact, we still pay for this as they are charged in the forms of fuel surcharge by airlines and road taxes for the building of road (because they use the tar/bitumen) and many more excuse charging us but let us just leave all that out of our calculations.

As far as I know, only the politicians who live in Putrajaya and come for their Parliament meetings in Kuala Lumpur (approximately 60+ km) are the ones to gain as they claim their fuel and toll charges from the money of the RAKYAT's TAX.

It is so disappointing to see this happen time and time again to the Malaysian public, where they are deceived by the propaganda held by the politicians and the controls they have over the press.

Which stupid idiot economist equates rebates for rich or poor with the cc of the vehicles? An average office clerk may own a second hand 1300cc proton Iswara costing $7,000 (rebate = $625) while the Datuk's children can own a fleet of 10 new cars of BMW, Audi and Volvo all less than 2000cc costing $2 millions and get a total rebate of $625 x 10 = $6,250!

Wow what kind of economists we are keeping in Malaysia ....wonder which phD certificate that they bought from...

Misleading concept of Subsidy:

The word "subsidy" has been brandished by the BN government as if it has so generously helped the rakyat and in doing so incurred losses.

This simple example will help to explain the fallacy:

Example:Ahmad is a fisherman. He sells a fish to you at $10 which is below the market value of $15. Let's assume that he caught the fish from the abundance of the sea at little or no cost. Ahmad claims that since the market value of the fish is $15 and he sold you the fish for $10, he had subsidised you $5 and therefore made a loss of $5.

Question : Did Ahmad actually make a profit of $10 or loss of $5 which he claimed is the subsidy?

Answer:Ahmad makes a profit of $10 which is the difference of the selling price ($10) minus the cost price ($0 since the fish was caught from the abundance of the sea). There is no subsidy as claimed by Ahmad.

The BN government claims that it is a subsidy because the oil is kept and treated as somebody else's property (you know who). By right, the oil belongs to all citizens of the country and the government is a trustee for the citizens.

So as in the above simple example, the BN government cannot claim that it has subsidised the citizen.

Calmness after the gloo-me-ness

Ok la..emo a bit yesterday. What's life without some drama rite?

All this talk about cutting down on gym classes is still under consideration but for the moment, it's not applicable for Mondays. In fact, am gonna attempt back to back classes on Monday (Combat+Pump) until further notice. Did that yesterday and I must say it has a nice effect overall because I found myself sweating more during Pump than I ever did in so many previous Mondays.

These days I find myself having difficulty to stay awake past midnite. Was trying to catch the NBA Finals (Game 2) between LA Lakers and Boston Celtic on ASTRO last nite but my eyes just wouldn't stay awake. Of course, earlier I had just finished cardio+strength training classes......ahaks....that contributed to my overall tiredness as well.

I have a date with the Panda tomorrow...

The fact that I am willing to sacrifice my die die must go Wed Combat for a movie speaks volume. Perhaps I'm not such a gym freak afterall. Plus.....watching movie on Wednesdays is cheaper.....ahaks.....RM6 only.

Gloomy

I've been avoiding somebody for a week now. Now that I look back, it's silly really. What did I hope to achieve anyway? I'm prolly being perceived as proud and unfriendly (maybe), judging by yesterday's actions by somebody. Anyway, no more fantasy land. Time to get back to reality. Everything seems so insignificant now. Silly me....

I've also learnt over the weekend not to pass judgement on people, especially GX Instructors. As the saying goes, don't judge a book by its cover. I enjoyed myself in this particular gym class more than I wanted to admit, although I was hesitant to attend initially when I found out who the replacement instructor was. He was better than I gave him credit for, all these while. Shame on me for my stereotyping behavior.

I'm also wondering if I am spending way too much time at the gym. 5 out of 7 days in a week. I love all my classes and I can't imagine what it will be like not to attend them or see my favorite instructors. But at some point, I will have to stop. Some classes I attend because I simply love the workout (Body Combat, need I say more). Some classes I attend because I like the instructor's style. Some classes are driven by a certain motivation and over the weekend, I realised that this motivation is no longer there. Now I go for the sake of going. At some point, this will have to stop.

Anyway, it's time to stop being overly conscious of people surrounding me. I've already dug my holes. Things can't get any worse than this.

Body Pump 66 babe!

I have experienced the new Body Pump 66. Woohoo! Thanks to Kylie Gates, the Master Trainer, who was in town and was scheduled to do a class at FF IOI. Other gym members (who didn't join the class last nite, rugi la) only get to do the new release after the June 21st launch at The Curve.

I was a happy camper when Kylie announced that we were gonna do the new release. Woohoo! Damn excited, I tell you. Like a kid getting her first Xmas present. Special class, babe! I looked at Kylie's physique, I also feel very motivated to workout. Damn solid.

Body Pump 66, boleh tahan...quite tough also. Pushups for Chest and Shoulder Track. Tricep dip is back. Stepping lunges is back too. So is side plank roll for Abs Track. Woohoo! The modified Arnold Press was a little diferrent this time, incorporating reverse directions. My coordination were a little off in this one. Must make sure I get it right next time.

This new release has got some nice music, very disco-ing. A lot of familiar songs. Cisko Disko, Get Up (Technotronic), Time After Time, Always On Your Side (Sheryl Crow)....etc etc. So much better and more rememberable compared to Body Pump 65. Woohoo!

I was hoping that Kylie might do Body Jam too, which was after Pump. The board didn't display her name but who knows, maybe the board wasn't updated....ahaks. Had a little chat with her after class...was informed that she no longer teaches Body Jam...sob sob. Nvm la..no Kylie for Jam pun x apa la...back to usual Yoga lor.

I was expecting my body to be a bit sore this morning, esp. after doing the new release (woohoo!) but surprisingly, am as healthy as a horse. Didn't carry enuff weight meh?

Anyway, I have tried the new release for Body Pump 66, way ahead of everybody else...woohoo! Can't remember the last time I was this excited.

Lose that attitude la, Malaysians!

Are Malaysians kiasu or what? I was caught in a massive jam yesterday, just like every Malaysians in almost every states in Malaysia. All because of news that petrol price would go up by 78 cents. Some very kiasu and kiasi Malaysians rushed to fill their petrol tanks before midnite (when the price increase took effect), causing traffic jam everywhere and causing me to rush from office to gym. Blardy fools!

Took me an hour to reach gym. The jam started immediately after the Cyberjaya Toll. Thought that there was an accident further down but then 2 friends texted me to inform of the new petrol price. That's when I realised the cause of the jam. The last time I encountered this type of massive jam was during the Le Tour de Langkawi, 2 years ago. Passed by a couple of petrol stations and there was a long queue, up to the highway. Apparently these people were willing to queue up. Like as if they didn't have to pump petrol again after last nite. Can last forever meh? Blardy stewpit fools!

Looking at the traffic, I amost decided to give up on Wed Combat. Then I recalled that the clock at the gym is about 5 minutes slower so perhaps if I gamble a bit, I may be able to make it. Damn, should have weaved in and out of traffic when there were opportunities...could have slashed off a few seconds from here and there...ahaks!

Anyway, at 7.20pm, the mall was within my sight (class starts at 7.25pm). Luckily was able to find a parking spot immediately. Rushed Walked quickly inside...then realised that my access card wasn't in my bag...shit! must have left it at the gym. Informed Front of House and asked the guy to help me look while I went for my class. Quickly changed...then realised that I wore my pants terbalik. Celaka! Luckily was still inside the locker room. Couldn't imagine the embarrasment if I were to discover it later.

The studio was quickly filled up as time went by. Guess many members were caught in the jam too. I was already sweating like hell before mid class...partly caused by the stress of rushing to gym. Great workout though despite some blurness at times.

Due to earlier haste in getting to the gym, I almost forgot where I parked my car when I left the gym. Took me a while to figure out. Was surprised that the traffic jam was still pretty bad. Blardy fools! Damn you kiasu Malaysians!

Plan cancelled

I decided not to kill myself with 2 back-to-back classes at the gym today. Reached home at 3am this morning and had 5 hours of sleep before hitting the office again....technically, should be considered enough but since my slumber wasn't a smooth one, I felt a little sluggish today. That recliner next to my office cubicle looks so inviting right now.

So, decided maybe next week la. Don't want to take the risk of being accidentally hit, punched or stepped by someone in Body Combat because my reflex for sure will be slow today. Not to mention my comprehension of instructions. Body Pump is safer, so can go. Only me and my weights.

Weekend is for work too

So...today I'm skipping usual yoga class in favor of work. Working on a Sunday...isn't that fun? Fun? Giler ker?

I didn't mind really because I had a super workout yesterday to compensate for today's yoga absence. BTW, I guess I did a premature celebration of my mastery of the Shoulder Track for Pump. Had to pause during the track on thursday's class although I was fine in yesterday's class. Inconsistency.

Oh...I saw a PT (Personal Trainer) joining the class yesterday with her client. Prolly encouraging her client to join Pump...which was good, although I think her client did better than her, in terms of listening to the instructor's cue-ing and following instructions. The PT was hopelessly lost, imo. Somemore started warm-up with 5kg weight...damn terror...but can see she was struggling midway through warm up and her weights selection during the entire class was all wrong. Busy talking to her client during cool down track, so annoying. If I ever needed a PT, I wouldn't waste my money hiring her (sorry, no offense, but it's true). The poor client glanced at her from time to time for some guidance. My thought is....lady, your PT isn't doing any better than you. You should pay attention to the instructor on the stage instead, not your PT. Don't let the blind lead the blind.

Body Combat was a bomb yesterday. Loved all the tracks selection. The studio was full but not packed. Just nice, imo. I received a number of teasings from FCI but it was all in the name of fun, no?? All I could do in response was to flash smiles...ahaks. Let's hope I'll be flashing more smiles again tomorrow. I have a mission tomorrow...back to back classes with FPI. Woohoo!

Back to work now...

EDIT: It is now 11.41 pm and I'm still in the office. Not sure what time I get to go off. So, now I'm thinking...if I only leave past midnite.....then how to go for back to back Combat and Pump classes tomorrow?? Later sure will feel very boh lat. No fun la if pancit easily. Cis! Spoil my plan saja...