Sunday, October 26, 2008

Can Anyone Really Stop Software Piracy In Malaysia ?

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It is reported in the local media that the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs has launched Sikap Tulen IT Mall campaign to curb software piracy in IT retail outlets in the Malaysia's shopping malls.The campaign is in collaboration with antipiracy watchdog, the Business Software Alliance (BSA), Low Yat Plaza, famous as an IT and consumer electronic and ­software giant in Kuala Lumpur, and Microsoft Malaysia.

The campaign is looking at Lot Yat Plaza as being the benchmark for other shopping malls to emulate.

I doubt it would be easy to curb software piracy in Malaysia as this issue is complicated due to cultural, economics and logistical reasons.

Firstly, from a cultural point of view, Malaysians do not think its wrong to purchase and use pirated software. For any law and its enforcement to succeed, the public must feel its wrong to do such an act - in this case, purchasing and using pirated software. When people don't think its wrong; there is no social coercion - there is no shame involved, thus, who cares ?. A good case in point would be the Prohibition era in the United States - the period from 1920 to 1933, during which the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol for consumption were banned in the US by law to discourage Americans from consuming alcoholic beverages. The US government found it very difficult to enforce this law as Americans in general didn't feel its wrong to drink alcohol -they didn't feel ashamed buying and drinking alcohol just because the law says its prohibited. American suppliers and consumers thus ignored the law. As demand for alcoholic drinks remained, a black market emerged to feed this demand. Even the enforcement agencies eg. the police, didn't think alcohol trading and consumption was wrong, so they "closed an eye" and took bribes from the black market alcohol manufacturers and traders, instead enforcing the law. Finally the US government gave up, amended the law and lifted the ban.

Secondly, from an economic point of view, there is a high demand for pirated software in Malaysia as the originals are considered expensive to the average Malaysian. When there is a demand, supply will always find its way to the market - this is basic economics.

Thirdly, from the logistics point of view, pirated software are easily available. Even if shopping malls were to prohibit its retailers from selling pirated software, the pirates will find alternatives - they will just move on to commercial shoplots near housing estates, just like what the movie DVD pirates do. Even now, some pirated movie DVD retailers in shoplots or at the pasar malam are already offering pirated software in addition to pirated movies and music. Further, consumers are also downloading pirated software from the internet - with a little initiative, anyone can find 'free' software online, ready for download.

Recently (on August 27), when Microsoft Malaysia decided to cause a "black out" on computers running the pirated version of Windows XP pro, a kid (apparently only 12 years old) posted a script in one of the Malaysian online forums "teaching" people how to overcome this predicament.

Thus far, the government, BSA, Microsoft etc have only been addressing this issue by attacking the logistical aspects of the trade - controlling the traders and retailers. This is not generally an effective and long lasting strategy. Even BSA Malaysia was reported saying that the Sikap Tulen campaign has only assisted in reducing the software ­piracy rate in the country by 1%, from 60% to 59% last year, but software piracy losses still amounted to US$311mil (RM1.02bil).

In light of this, a better and more effective strategy in combating software piracy in Malaysia would be to address the cultural and economic aspects as well - first, make Malaysians feel that software piracy is wrong and using pirated software is something to be embarrassed about, and second, make original software more affordable. While this will not completely eradicate the demand for pirated software, a significant decrease can be practically expected - definitely more than 1%.

What do you think, guys ? Please post your comments.

World Class University Courses For Free

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Today, with the internet, you can have access to world class education for free. There are many top universities that offer free courses online, these are, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Carnegie Mellon University, Tufts University, Stanford University and University of California at Berkley, amongst others.

The wide range of courses available include Accounting & Finance, Economics, Communication, Management, Marketing & Advertising, Technology, and Law.

100 Free Ivy League Business & Entrepreneurship Courses

Universities With the Best Free Online Courses


Please post your comments.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Lim Kok Wing University Students Scandal Pics

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It has been reported in the press recently that two Malaysian women from Lim Kok Wing University in Cyberjaya had their intimate pics with their boyfriend posted on a blog. The pictures and videos were taken between 2004 and 2005.


Apart from posting the photos of the threesome in various sexual positions, the blog also provided links to download two videos featuring these women having sex with their boyfriend.

The two girls are local Chinese and the guy is a foreign student from Pakistan. It appears that the two girls are sharing the same guy and they are all friends. Each girl took turns to film the other girl having sex with the Pakistani guy.
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A reader sent me the link to the blog with the pics and videos - here and here. Enjoy.

Please post your comments.

P/s: As I think people's privacy should be respected, I have removed the links. Sorry Folks. But you can find them yourself from a blog called thegutterpost


Monday, October 20, 2008

What Were You Doing In Jalan Alor ?

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What's in a name ?

Jalan Alor a street running parallel to Jalan Bukit Bintang in the heart of Kuala Lumpur's Golden Triangle becomes alive at night with sights and smells of Chinese hawker food. The entire street is lined with Chinese coffee shops and restaurants selling anything from local seafood to satay. The stalls are also all arbitrarily queued up along the street together with plastic dining tables and chairs crammed between double parked cars. For first timers visiting Jalan Alor, it can be quite an intimidating experience.

Jalan Alor, formerly a major red light district of Kuala Lumpur, has since undergone a few face lifts over the years, and the street is now a haunt for local gluttons and tourists. The Jalan Alor experience brings to life the Malaysian phrase "jalan jalan, cari makan", although today the phase takes on a more literal meaning.

Today, the Star has reported that Jalan Alor is soon to be called Jalan Kejora, to give it a "new image". Read this:

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By YIP YOKE TENG

KUALA LUMPUR: Jalan Alor on Yahoo! returns more than 900,000 results. It is that famous.

[I think this reporter has made a conceptual error about the search results on Yahoo. While there is some co relation between search engine results and popularity of a particular term or phrase, this however, cannot be relied upon to determine its popularity. Search results for a particular term or phrase from search engines (in this case, Yahoo) does not indicate its popularity ie. it does not indicate the number of people searching for the term or phrase eg. "Jalan Alor". It just indicates how many references (ie. websites, articles etc) are found on Yahoo for the term "Jalan Alor". To determine how many people are actually searching for a particular term or phrase, you will have to use certain tools like Yahoo Search Marketing (formerly called Overture). From my independent research, there are only about 1,600 searches for the term "Jalan Alor" per month. As there is normally a huge disparity between search engine results and the actual number of people searching for a term or phrase, making an assertion based on such search engine results alone, can be highly misleading]

Yet, Kuala Lumpur City Hall is adamant that changing the name to Jalan Kejora - a move that has sparked a public outcry - is the right thing to do.

Datuk Bandar Datuk Ab Hakim Borhan said the move, which was planned three years ago, would give the tourist destination of Bukit Bintang a new image.

[How does renaming a street Jalan Kejora improve its image ? - As far as I know "Bintang Kejora" simply means "Morning Star", but so what ? How does this change anything ?]


Popular spot: Azmi (left) serving customers at his ‘Nasi Lemak Alor Corner’ stall along Jalan Alor recently.

“Other roads in the area will soon have new names, and they will all be named after the stars to create the new image,” he said yesterday during a visit to a landslide site in Cheras.

The name change came to light when city hall replaced the road sign about a week ago. The Jalan Alor name has been in existence for 35 years.

[A street with its own "brand name" which took 35 years to nurture is about to be "re-branded" to something else, which represents, basically nothing !. Would Coca-Cola Corporation change the famous name of "Coke" to "Choke" or something else, just because they don't like the taste of the original Coke ? - change its name rather than its taste ? So, if you don't like your Proton car, just change its logo to that of a Mercedes ! or whatever that suits your fancy - why not a fighter jet (eg. a F-16 Fighting Falcon) ? I've seen modified (disfigured) Protons which propose to look like fighter jets. Malaysian creativity knows no limit, and shame - take a look at this, this and this]

City Hall explained that the name was changed at the request of the National Economic Action Council to meet requirements under the road naming guidelines and to go with other roads in the vicinity.

The MP for Bukit Bintang, Fong Kui Lun, who has brought the matter up with the Federal Territories Minister, said: “How can you change the name just like that?”

Name confusion?: Tourists (from left) O’Connor, Jack Coppock and Caitlin Coppock feel that the popular street should retain its name for the convenience of tourists looking for the place the next time they return here.


He said a search of Jalan Alor on the Yahoo! search engine returned more than 900,000 results.

[Even the Bukit Bintang MP, makes the same conceptual mistake about Yahoo search results as the reporter]

“You can imagine how famous this food haven is internationally,” he said.

Fong said that the area had taken years to establish its reputation and changing its name overnight was unfair to the locals.

“We want the name maintained,” he said, adding that he would bring up the matter up to the Tourism Minister.

Traders in the area could not fathom the rationale behind the move.

“Why must they change the name when it is already popularly known among the locals and tourists?” said Loke Yew, who has been selling fruits there for the past 35 years.

Trader Azmi Aznal said: “Even my stall is called Nasi Lemak Alor Corner and now City Hall has changed the road name for no apparent reason.

“Does that also mean I should change my stall’s name too?”

[Ahhh...now we see the real reason for the name change]


Several tourists have frowned at the move.

“The new name will definitely confuse some of us when trying to find the place in the future,” Australian tourists Jenny O’Connor and Caitlin Coppock said.

It is learnt that traders and residents have embarked on a signature campaign to stop the change in name.

Datuk Dr Lee Chong Meng, the Bukit Bintang MCA division chief and a former MP there, said the change was not justified, and that City Hall should focus on more meaningful issues.

Latest news (25/10/2008): Jalan Alor will keep its name

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Please post your comments.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Top Food Courts In The Klang Valley

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If you live in Kuala Lumpur or Petaling Jaya you'll be familiar with the many food courts around. But some Malaysians and foreigners would disagree to this limited classification, as they see Malaysia being a food paradise and thus feel that the whole Malaysia is like one big food court - you can find food of multifarious varieties at any corner of the country. Anyway, here are the top ten food courts in the Klang Valley (all in KL and PJ), decided by a local newspaper.

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By Renita Che Wan

Klang Valley houses several top food courts in the country and we have selected some outlets for you to check out and savour the taste.

1. KLCC Signature

If you're ever in KLCC, you definitely must check out Cafe Milano at the Signature's food court . It serves taste pasta at an affordable price [prices about RM8 per portion]. A must try would be the Meatball Alfredo and Meatball Bologna. The food court opens from 9am to 10pm.

[Level 2, Suria KLCC]


2.
1 Utama

Owned by Jusco, this food court has a wide selection of dishes. From local picks to Japanese cuisines, it has everything that you crave for. The hot plate dishes seem to be all the rage now at the food court.

[lower ground floor - Promenade]

3. Mid Valley Oasis

Mid Valley Megamall has two food courts. Oasis is located on the 2nd floor and the Food Junction on the 3rd floor. Oasis is famed for its pan mee while Food Junction is a favourite among the youngsters for its wide selection of Western-Italian-Chinese-Japanese-Malay food.


[2nd floor of Mid Valley]


4.
SS2 Selera Malam

In SS2, there are several food courts for you to choose from. There's the al-fresco Medan Selera [Malay / Mamak / Chinese roadside food stalls] and Selera Malam [Chinese food court] but are on opposite sides. At the Medan Selera, they serve delicious mee goreng and there are a number of Thai stalls that serve fried seafood like lala and O Chien (oyster omelette).

5. Lot 10

Lot 10 Shopping Centre is one of the oldest shopping malls in the city. Because of its strategic location (right smack in the heart of Bintang Walk), it is a favourite amongst the city folk as it offers a well-balanced shopping and dining experience. Try either the Thai stall or the chicken rice stall.

[lower ground floor]


6.
Sungei Wang

On the top floor of Sungei Wang Plaza is a popular food court known for its reasonably priced food and variety of mixed rice. There are also several good Indian food outlets there if you crave for something spicy.

7. Hartamas Square

Hartamas Square established in March 2003 has since become one of the most popular hangout places amongst the younger crowd and expatriates. It has a good selection of eating outlets. Hartamas Square operates everyday of the week from 4pm to 3am on weekdays and on weekends they stretch it to 5am.

8. Uptown

It may take you some wait to get a parking lot here, but it is worth the wait. The hawker centre is over loaded with so many different stalls serving local as well as western dishes. You are spoilt for choice even when it comes to different types of drinks. The centre opens during lunch and stretches to 3am.

[Damansara Utama Commercial Centre]

9. Asia Cafe

This food court is a favourite among the college students as it is located opposite Taylor's and Inti Colleges in Subang Jaya. A must try is the wide range of sushi at Sushi Heng, on the left side of the food court from the entrance. Overall, the stalls there are worth checking out. [You can watch football and order beer here - its a college students' hangout]

10. Bangsar

Bangsar food court is famed for its Nasi Lemak Ayam although the price could be on the high side. There are two food courts in Bangsar Telawi - open air and indoor. Best time to visit is at night, either for dinner or supper as there are more stalls by then.

Source: The Star

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I think Ming Tien Food Court at Taman Megah deserves an honorable mention. In fact, it should be included in the top 10 in place of ss2 Selera Malam.

Okey. If you guys know of any other interesting food courts, please post your recommendations. Cheers.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Mat Rempits, Secret Societies And Their Benefit To Society

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Last year, AsiaOne reported that Mat Rempits have gone high tech and are using online networking sites such as MySpace to recruit new members into their gangs.

Mat Rempit gangs, the article said, are rapidly becoming a secret societies or triads, with strong influence with many anti-social pursuits.

One such gang is Apache Sereng. The police said that this group is persistent and active in recruiting students and getting them involved in anti-social activities such as motorcycle theft, illegal racing and alcohol consumption.

Apparently Apache Sereng has a wide network as it is active in many states including Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Penang, Malacca, Perak, Pahang and Negeri Sembilan.

This is an organised group, with membership fees and membership cards. Fees range from RM10 to RM30 depending on the chapter you join. So this is not mickey mouse gang, folks ! it is a real criminal organisation.

Once a person joins the gang, he is given a membership card and a sticker to be attached to his kapcai or whatever motorbike he is riding to display his affiliation to the gang.

According to the article, people join the gang because it is well-respected among the Mat Rempit community which also promised to protect its members.

According to a report in the Malay Mail a few months ago, the police had detained some Mat Rempits who were suspected of being part of the Red Bull Gang. This gang was apparently robbing people, mainly women, at petrol stations late at night or in the early hours of the morning by using the Red Bull energy drink to temporarily blind their victims before robbing them.

I was told by an acquaintance, who is apparently an ex Mat Rempit, that different Mat Rempit gangs impose different conditions for membership. For some gangs, a person can only join if he owns the same brand of motorbike as the other members of the gang. Other gangs, however, require newbies to pass an initiation test - this typically involves an illegal motorcycle race against other members of the same gang or other gangs to see if the newbies can be an asset to the gang.

My acquaintance joked that if you have a space shuttle you can join the Malaysian angkasawan (astronaut) gang - so far, there are only 2 members and only one actually went to space.

Roti Canai Kaya Gang

I'm setting up the Roti Canai Kaya Gang. The object of the gang is to rob people who go to Mamak stalls late at night or in the early morning. We will blind our victims with kaya and rob them of their money, handphones and other valuables (including their slippers and shoes). The fruits of our activities will help cushion us against the current high cost of living.

Those who are interested in joining this gang must first post a slogan in the comments section, starting with "I want to join this gang because...". If you fulfill this prerequisite, I will tell you the other conditions.

Just post your slogans now ! I am waiting...

Thursday, October 9, 2008

The World University Rankings 2008

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The THES - QS World University Rankings is an annual publication of university rankings around the world, published by The Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) and Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

This year, no Malaysian universities managed to get into the Top 200 Universities.

Is getting a degree from one of the world's top 200 universities advantages when finding a job in Malaysia ? Do the employers recognise and pay more if you get a degree from one of the world's top 200 universities ?

In my opinion, most employers in Malaysia don't care and most don't even know if your university is within the world's top 200 universities.

Even most top executives in Malaysian public listed companies do not have degrees from the world's top 200 universities, and some don't even have degrees.

Sadly, Malaysian employers only care about 5 things:

1. Can you speak and write English (and sometimes also Mandarin).

2. A basic degree (from anywhere also can lah !).

3. What is the lowest salary are you willing to accept.

4. Do you have valuable business / political contacts - who is your father / relatives.

5. Can you bring business to the company.

(and if you're a girl, being pretty and attractive helps a lot)

Thats all folks. Because we have very few world class companies and world class bosses, therefore world class qualifications are not appreciated in Malaysia.

So, if you want to get a job in Malaysia, don't waste your money on acquiring a world class degree, just buy a degree from the internet (nobody knows, and nobody cares - believe me).

This is the real reason for attending University - read this.

Please post your comments.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

How To Send Anonymous Prank Emails & SMS

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With this tool you can apparently send anonymous emails or anonymous SMS text messages to your friend and make him think its from anyone eg. the tax dept, the police, the bank, his future employer etc. You specify the "From :" field. Where he thinks the message is from, is up to you.

Try this tool - Shapmail and fool your friends or enemies. :)

Please note: This tool must not be used for fraud or in pursuit of any other criminal activities.

Please post your comments.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Business Through The Internet

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Interested in doing business through the internet ? The NST has an interesting story about this:

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This festive season opens up a myriad of business opportunities for individuals and companies alike – more so now with the boundless reach of the Internet.

insidepix1


Rozita’s big dream is to have her cookies in all stores and made accessible to all Malaysians.
Rozita’s big dream is to have her cookies in all stores and made accessible to all Malaysians.

insidepix3


Rosman says the company’s strength is that its gifts are thematic for each season or festival and never repeated.
Rosman says the company’s strength is that its gifts are thematic for each season or festival and never repeated.

Raya delights on the web
Stories by Rozana Sani

HARI Raya cookies have always been in Rozita Abdul Kader’s blood. Her late mother was known for making the home-made delights, and the skill has since been passed on to her.

With encouragement from close friends, Rozita has for some

12 years produced cookies and conducted baking classes from her base in Klang, Selangor.

Initially, she sold her products to friends, colleagues and those who attended her baking classes, which were either held at her house or the students’ premises. Then, earlier this year, she decided to take the bold step of becoming a full-time entrepreneur, with Net presence as a key strategy.

“I got the inspiration to create www.ita-delight.com from the company that I was previously employed with. The company had set up a Web site to introduce its presence to the world. When the company became successful, I was forced to make a decision whether to remain as an employee or to become self-employed,” she says.

Rozita decided to do it alone. But first, she prepared herself by doing some research on online businesses by surfing the Internet.

“Much to my surprise, my Ita-Delight products have already been listed on several Web sites under the Biskut Raya category. I looked around online and found a company which manages Web sites for those who did not have knowledge in IT like me,” she shares.

Soon after, Rozita had Ita-Delight.com up and running, and is now successfully hitting sales in places as far as Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei.

“Once I started making sales through online means, I let go of my position in the company and became truly self-employed. I also felt ready with my skills to expand my baking classes to a few States outside Selangor,” she says.

Elaborating on Ita-Delight.com, Rozita says the local company she hired to develop the site also has experience in worldwide Internet marketing.

“I have been using their services for Web site management and Internet marketing solution. The cost of conducting business over the Web is not only affordable, but also easy.”

She highlights with pride that she can now update the baking class schedules in the site’s Calendar feature herself, apart from adding and editing the site’s content, uploading pictures in the gallery and sending newsletters to registered members.

She can also relay short messages and respond to queries through the chatbox.

“The most important feature of my Web presence is the e-commerce system. It is capable of receiving orders of every type of cookies that I have, and can automatically calculate the postage rates according to our local shipping provider based on the order quantity, weight and the customer’s address. The way the system works has really helped me to organise my customers’ orders,” she says.

Ita-Delight.com is now six months old.

“For the first three months, the site had some 120 hits per day. There were more visitors each time we made an advertisement through the e-mail group or local newspaper,” Rozita says.

She continued to retain the services of her Web consultant after the three-month period.

“Now, my Web visits can reach up to 400 in one day. I can say about 80 per cent of my Biskut Raya sales are made through my Web site, either by online order or e-mail. Therefore, the Internet is the main channel of my business now,” she says.

Rozita’s big dream is to have her cookies in all stores and made accessible to all Malaysians.

“My Web consultant is planning to market the Ita-Delight cookies worldwide. This means people from outside Malaysia can also use our Web presence to order Ita-Delight cookies in the near future.”

A GIFT FROM THE HEART

THE act of sending a gift is a sure-fire way to strengthen a relationship, what more in the months of Ramadan and Syawal. And the gift should be chosen with care so the recipient knows it is given from the heart.

This is where Pods & Petals’ Giftlab

(M) Sdn Bhd (PPG) comes in. In its sixth year of operations, the company prides itself as a trend-setting gift and delivery company specialising in hampers, food baskets, gifts and flowers – all of which can be either ordered through the Internet, fax, phone or personally.

“Our strength is that our gifts are thematic for each season or festival and never repeated. We take the time to handpick each item for all our products. Where we are not able to service customers, we are represented by our associates who adhere to our strict quality control,” says PPG’s sales director Rosman Jasmi.

For Ramadan and Syawal this year, the company has gone Middle Eastern with delicacies, hampers and gifts themed as such. Highlights include a certified ceramic Turkish serving plate and embroidered Syrian tablecloths that could be given pre-Raya or during the open house season in Syawal.

“Our whole portfolio can be viewed at our online boutique at www.gift-lab.com. If customers are at a loss as to what they want to pick, they can click on our Gifting Tips button for ideas.

“Our customer service team will call up our customers who have made their orders online or via fax to make sure the gifts chosen are truly what they want and according to their specifications before proceeding with delivery,” Rosman says.

PPG’s delivery area covers all States within Malaysia and countries such as Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, Thailand, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

“For Hari Raya, we have for the past years received online orders from Malaysians residing overseas who want to send goodies to their friends and relatives in Malaysia. We are also receiving requests to send hampers to more countries abroad,” Rosman says.

He adds that PPG has secure servers that ensure all payment transactions made on its Web site are safe.

“This means you pay nothing if unauthorised charges are made to your card as a result of shopping at PPG. Any information provided to us will be respected as privileged information and will remain absolutely confidential. Other than credit cards, we provide the convenience of online banking payment and mobile payment.”

According to Rosman, the online channel has been factored in from the day PPG launched into business. To date, the company has spent a sum in the six figures to continuously update and maintain its computer system.

“Our online channel contributes approximately 30 per cent to the total business; the remaining 70 per cent comes from corporate sales. Last year, during the Hari Raya-Deepavali twin festivities, we hit around 1.5 million orders in total,” Rosman says.

Not resting on its laurels, PPG is set to launch mylittletail (www.mylittletail.com) after next month. Mylittletail is a new service for expectant and seasoned parents to assist in baby announcements, full moon celebration giftpacks and birthdays.

“It’s not just restricted to the Chinese community, but can be applied to events like Malay’s Cukur Jambul and such events in the Indian community,” Rosman says.

Bargains aplenty

WHEN it comes to celebrating Aidilfitri, shopping malls are not the only places where you can look for a bargain. Great deals are available online as well, if you know where to go. Siti Syameen Md Khalili offers some clues.

GREETING CARDS

•At www.kreatifaktif.com, you can order custom-made Raya cards at attractive prices starting from RM2 per piece. There are templates to choose from, and you can even add your name or the company logo into the design.

The minimum order is 100 pieces, so you might want to omit details such as year or date so you can use the excess supply next year.

The proprietor of the Web site, Kreatif Aktif Media, is a graphics designer company offering digital fast print services for making business cards, flyers, postcards, wedding invitations as well as customisation of souvenir items.

For Raya, the company is offering over 40 Raya card designs in multiple sizes.

CLOTHING

•At Mawar Aksesori (mawaraksesori.blogspot.com), you can order and buy kebaya, baju kurung and baju melayu of the latest styles. The baju kurung offered are the latest imported from Indonesia while textile offerings include silk and Thai silk. You can order and make retail or bulk purchases.

CAKES AND COOKIES

•Ellie Darus, who sells cupcakes online, offers special promotions for the 2008 Aidilfitri. Through her online business, de HearT Cupcakes (kekcawan.blogspot.com), she shares information such as the types of cakes available for booking, booking date, delivery schedule and delivery service details.

Apart from using the blog, she makes use of her list of contacts to send the promotion materials through e-mail. For the upcoming Raya, de HearT Cupcakes’ offerings include Cupcakes Gift Set, Mini Choc Cake Ball and Chocolate Truffle Tart.

HOME ITEMS AND WARDROBE PIECES

•Members of e-Bay Malaysia who are looking forward to beautify their home can log on to www.ebay.com.my to shop for furniture, bedding and even gardening items.

You can spruce up your lawn before that Raya BBQ session with plants, too. Apart from that, kebaya, baju kurung, fabric and textile pieces are available.

If you are not a member yet, this festive season might be a good time to start.

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Please post your comments.

Top Beef Noodles In Klang Valley

0 comments



Here is the list of top beef noodles shops in the Klang Valley:

  • Lai Foong Restaurant on Jalan Tun HS Lee near Petaling Street KL is the "godfather of beef noodles" in KL.
  • Soong Kee Restaurant on Jalan Tun Tan Siew Sin KL (its near Lai Foong Restaurant) is also equally as famous for its beef noodles.
  • Ngau Kee beef noodle stall at Jalan Alor, KL. It is located behind Jalan Alor, at Tengkat Tung Shin at the corner opposite Nova Hotel. If Lai Foong Restaurant is the "godfather of beef noodles" in KL, then Ngau Kee is the "godmother of beef noodles" in KL.
  • The best beef noodles in Overseas Union Garden (OUG), KL is opposite the wet market/Public Bank in OUG.
  • Restaurant Gyuniku , 20 Jln 28/70A in Desa Sr Hartamas also serves good beef noodles.
  • A good beef noodle place in KL is at Jalan Peel, KL. It is located next to Queens Restaurant.
  • A good best beef noodle place in Puchong is in Three U Kopitiam No 9, Jalan Kenari 7, Bandar Puchong Jaya, Puchong, Selangor.
Those of you who have any other beef noodle places to recommend, please post your recommendations here.

Monday, October 6, 2008

How To Get Rich

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This post was taken from Mark Cuban's blog. Mark is a young Amrican billionaire. Here's what he says:

How To Get Rich

Thats what so many want. Right ? I’m certainly not going to lie and say it is not a whole lot better having lots of money. I had a whole lot of fun and loved my life when I was eating mustard and ketchup sandwiches and sleeping on the floor of a 3 bedroom apartment that housed me and 5 buddies.

I have a whole lot more fun now. It doesn’t suck to be rich.

The question everyone wants answered, is how to get there. There are ways to get there. But there is not a template that works every time for everyone. It works sometimes. Getting there requires being ready when opportunity presents itself.

IMHO, change and uncertainty create opportunity. Times like we are facing now, with complete financial uncertainty are perfect times to start on the road to getting ahead financially.

First, here is WHAT NOT TO DO:

There are no shortcuts. NONE. With all of this craziness in the stock and financial markets, there will be scams popping up left and right. The less money you have, the more likely someone will come at you with some scheme . The schemes will guarantee returns, use multi level marketing, or be something crazy that is now “backed by the US Government”. Please ignore them. Always remember this. If a deal is a great deal, they aren’t going to share it with you.

I dont broadcast my great deals. I keep them all to myself. The 2nd thing to remember is that if the person selling the deal was so smart, they would be rich beyond rich rather than trolling the streets looking to turn you into a sucker. There are no shortcuts.

So what should you do to get rich ?

Save your money. Save as much money as you possibly can. Every penny you can. Instead of coffee, drink water. Instead of going to McDonalds, eat Mac and Cheese. Cut up your credit cards. If you use a credit card, you dont want to be rich. The first step to getting rich, requires discipline.

If you really want to be rich, you need to find the discipline, can you ?

If you can, you will quickly find that the greatest rate of return you will earn is on your own personal spending. Being a smart shopper is the first step to getting rich. Yeah you have to give things up and that doesn’t work for everyone, particularly if you have a family. That is reality. But whatever you can save, save it. As much as you possibly can. Then put it in 6 month CDs in the bank.

The first step to getting rich is having cash available. You arent saving for retirement. You are saving for the moment you need cash. Buy and hold is a suckers game for you. This market is a perfect example. Right at the very moment when cash creates unbelievable opportunity, those who followed the buy and hold strategy have no cash. they cant or wont sell into markets this low, that kills the entire point of buy and hold. Those who have put their money in CDs sleep well at night and definitely have more money today than they did yesterday. And because they are smart, disciplined shoppers, their personal rate of inflation is within their means. Cash is king for those wanting to get rich

The 2nd rule for getting rich is getting smart. Investing your time in yourself and becoming knowledgeable about the business of something you really love to do. It doesn’t matter what it is. Whatever your hobbies, interests, passions are. Find the one you love the best and GET A JOB in the business that supports it. It could be as a clerk, a salesperson, whatever you can find. You have to start learning the business somewhere. Instead of paying to go to school somewhere, you are getting paid to learn. It may not be the perfect job, but there is no perfect path to getting rich.

Before or after work and on weekends, every single day, read everything there is to read about the business. Go to trade shows, read the trade magazines, spend a lot of time talking to the people you do business with about their business and the people they buy from.

This is not a short term project. We aren’t talking days. We aren’t talking months. We are talking years. Lots of years and maybe decades. I didn’t say this was a get rich quick scheme.
This is a get rich path.

Now you wait for times of uncertainty and change in your business. The time will come. It may come quickly, it may take years and years. But it will come. The nature of our country’s business infrastructure is that it is destined to be boom and bust. Booms are when the smart people sell. Busts are when rich people started on their path to wealth.

You will know when that time is here for you because you will know your business inside and out. You will be ready because you will have been saving up for this moment in time.

With all the change and uncertainty in the financial markets, there are people right now making more money than they ever dreamed of. They are the ones who have been living the real estate market and the financing behind it and understanding what actually what was going on. They re the one who understood the complexities of the credit markets. When everyone was following the crowd, they kept on saving their money and avoiding the temptation of groupthink.

Boom and busts happen to every industry. The question is whether you have the discipline to be ready when it happens for you ?

If you do, you will find out what it feels like to get lucky.

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What do you think, guys ? Please post your comments.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Teacher By Day, Prostitute By Night

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An Auckland primary school teacher is moonlighting as a prostitute, throwing her school bosses into a quandary over her future.

The woman, a mother of two children in her 30s, is new to teaching and moonlights as a prostitute to boost her income.

The Herald on Sunday understands her principal was alerted to the situation by a student's parent.

It is understood the principal is now in a dilemma - prostitution is legal, but he is worried about the reaction of other parents and students if they find out about the teacher - and has referred the matter to the school's board of trustees.

The board will meet in committee shortly to debate whether it should ignore the issue, discipline the teacher or refer the matter to the Teachers' Council to judge.

The matter was raised at a recent Law Society seminar.

The teacher has apparently defended her situation to her principal, saying that what she did in her own time was of no concern to him, that it was a private matter, and that prostitution was now lawful and legitimate work. She told him her moonlighting job was not affecting her performance as a teacher. teacher night prostitute an auckland primary school moonlighting throwing school bosses into quandary over future woman mother two children s new teaching moonlights boost income herald sunday understands principal was alerted teacher night prostitute an auckland primary school moonlighting throwing school bosses into quandary over future woman mother two children s new teaching moonlights boost income herald sunday understands principal was alerted situation

She apparently told the principal he had no right to be the "moral police".

A source said the woman was considered to be a "good teacher".

Employment lawyer John Hannan said he had heard about the case and believed it was still unresolved.

He said schools could have policies to prevent teachers taking secondary jobs, or make sure that they first sought approval from their board.

But even if the board in this case did not have such policies, he believed it could still ask the teacher to quit prostitution and if she refused, it could threaten dismissal.

"It's a case of whether the outside employment is regarded as incompatible with the role of a teacher in terms of role-modelling and in terms of any policies that the board of trustees might have in place," he said.

Another employment lawyer, Patrick Walsh, who also knew of the case, said an issue like this had not been before the Teachers' Council so there would be no precedent for boards to follow.

He said the council could end up being involved if the school deemed the teacher's second job was "conduct that brings discredit to the profession".

Teachers' Council director Dr Peter Lind said the key issue was whether the teacher's second job was having an impact on her professional teaching duties "and there would have to be actual evidence".

He said principals and boards generally tried to resolve issues first. If problems escalated and remained unresolved then the Teachers' Council could be notified.

Prostitutes Collective national co-ordinator Catherine Healy said she knew of several teachers who worked in second jobs as prostitutes and they had every right to do so.

"There is no incompatibility between a woman who's a teacher and who works as a sex worker," she said. "I can't imagine what the problem would be."

She said if the school board needed questions answered about the industry, or advice, members were welcome to call her.

According to the primary and intermediate teachers' union, the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI), the pay scale for primary teachers is generally between $42,600 and $66,000. Experienced teachers who took on increased responsibility could earn more on top of their basic salary.

Two years ago, an Auckland policewoman got into trouble with her employers after it was revealed she was moonlighting as a sex-worker at a top massage parlour.

She earned up to $500 a night working in the parlour, on top of taking home at least $43,000 a year as an officer.

Police bosses said at the time the secondary employment would never have been approved because that kind of work was seen to be inappropriate and incompatible with policing.

An investigation was carried out and the woman was able to keep her job in the police.

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