Warning: Open Windows First When You Enter Your Car

Do not turn on A/C immediately as soon as you enter the car.

Please open the windows after you enter your car and do not turn on the air-conditioning immediately. According to a research done, the car dashboard, sofa, air freshener emits Benzene, a Cancer causing toxin (carcinogen- take note of the heated plastic smell in your car). In addition to causing cancer, it poisons your bones, causes anemia, and reduces white blood cells. Prolonged exposure will cause Leukemia, increasing the risk of cancer may also cause miscarriage.

Acceptable Benzene level indoors is 50 mg per sq. ft. A car parked indoors with the windows closed will contain 400-800 mg of Benzene. If parked outdoors under the sun at a temperature above 60 degrees F, the Benzene level goes up to 2000-4000 mg, 40 times the acceptable level; the people inside the car will inevitably inhale an excess amount of the toxins.

It is recommended that you open the windows and door to give time for the interior to air out before you enter. Benzene is a toxin that affects your kidney and liver, and is very difficult for your body to expel this toxic stuff.

Please post your comments.

Beware ! Its A Lady Driver !

Watch this video.

Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation analyst Kamal Affandi Hashim recently revealed, reported the Star, that women drivers are getting more aggressive compared to males. This, he said, is based on the high number of traffic summonses issued and court cases against women.

I think women are generally bad drivers. On many occasions I've seen women drivers reverse out from parking lots without looking behind at oncoming cars. I have also seen women drivers stopping their cars abruptly in the middle of the road causing a collision to happen to the cars trailing behind.

Please post your comments.

The Proton Emas Designed By Italdesign Giugiarois

The Proton Emas, Malaysia’s first global car, was launched at the Geneva International Motor Show on 2nd March 2010 by Proton adviser Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The Proton Emas, which stands for Eco Mobility Advance Solution, was designed in collaboration with acclaimed Italian design house Italdesign Giugiarois and is set for production by 2012.

Please post your comments.

Air Asia's Big Sale - RM9 Flights

Air Asia’s “Big Sale” 2010 starts this week, flights start from RM9 one way.

You can book your flights from the Airasia website.

Booking starts from 3rd March to 7th March 2010 for travel between 25th September 2010 and 13th February 2011. Prices for one-way flights:

West Malaysia

Penang, Langkawi, Terengganu, Johor Baru and Kota Baru priced from RM9.

East Malaysia

Kuching for RM29.

Kota Kinabalu for RM49.

International

Gold Coast, Melbourne and Perth start at RM149

London is RM699

Please post your comments.

2 Men Fighting By The Highway In Puchong

The man in red's car langgar (hit) the man in pink's car. The man in pink approaches the man in red with a stick. A fight starts...



Who do you think is in the wrong ?



Please post your comments.

An Unusual Bridal Car Of Muar

This is a bridal car !. This car was designed by the bride and her friends, supposedly to resemble the bride. Only in Muar, Johor.

SinChew

Please post your comments.

15Malaysia - Meter

This clip called "Meter" is part of the 15Malaysia mini- mocumentaries. This one shows a dysfunctional taxi driver who talks about everything typically Malaysian. It is directed by Lim Benji with special appearance by UMNO Youth Leader, Khairy Jamaluddin.

Excellent.

Please post your comments.

Airasia X - Cheap Fares From KL To London

AirAsia Bhd’s long-haul airline, AirAsia X, finally flew from the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Sepang, Kuala Lumpur to London's Stansted Airport, yesterday. This AirAsia's maiden flight to London was on Airbus A340-300 with 289 passengers.

Stansted Airport is in Essex, approximately 48 km from central London, about the same distance from Kuala Lumpur Internatinal Airport (KLIA) to Kuala Lumpur city centre. Stansted is a popular hub for some major European low-cost carriers.

Despite news reports that passengers will spend the 13 hour flight in comparatively smaller seats, which do not recline and have less legroom than other planes, passengers appear not to mind due to the ridiculously low fares. This is a budget airline after all. Similarly, if you pay for a room at a backpackers' hostel, you can't expect 5 star hotel comfort.

Passengers who require additional comfort and service have the option of paying a little extra for XL seats, watch in-flight movies, blankets, pillows, eye covers and, of course, meals and drinks.

AirAsia X, is AirAsia's long haul budget airline operated by AirAsia X Sdn. Bhd. AirAsia X commenced its first flight on 2 November 2007 to Gold Coast, Australia from its base in Kuala Lumpur.

If you require additional information, you can either visit airasia.com or Tony Fernandes blog.

How The Government Determines The Price Of Petrol

Source: NST

Ever wondered why the price of petrol or so high (or so low) in Malaysia ? The domestic trade division senior director at the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry explains how the government determines the price of petrol:

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While not exactly rocket science, it is nevertheless a complicated computation, taking into account a range of factors and considerations, which is used to decide how much it costs to fill up your tank.

Since 1983, the retail price of petrol and diesel is set using the Automatic Pricing Mechanism (APM).

Through it, the government sets the retail price for petrol and diesel at a level where fluctuations in the cost of the product will not affect the retail price.

The APM ensures the difference between the retail price and the actual price will be borne by subsidies and sales tax exemptions.
It also standardises the price of fuel at pump stations, fixes the margins of oil companies and dealers, ensures distribution channels are secure and minimises disruptions of petrol and diesel supply.

Components that make up the APM mechanism include:

i Cost of product

Like most countries in the region, Malaysia uses the daily average price of "Mean of Platts Singapore (Mops)" to determine the product cost for petrol (RON97, RON92) and diesel.

(Platts is the daily market prices for petroleum products published by McGraw Hill Companies Ltd in Singapore).

ii. Alpha

The difference between the Platts published price with the actual purchasing price by the oil companies is called Alpha.

It is set by the government at five sen per litre for petrol and four sen per litre for diesel.

If the buying price of oil companies is higher than the Platts price which is more than Alpha, the oil company will bear the extra cost and vice versa.

iii. Operational cost

Operational cost comprises handling charges which include transportation and marketing costs.

The rate is currently 9.54 sen per litre for Peninsular Malaysia, and 8.98 sen and 8.13 sen per litre in Sabah and Sarawak respectively.


iv. Oil companies' margin

Margin or profit of oil companies is fixed at five sen per litre for petrol and 2.25 sen for diesel.

v. Station dealers' margin

Margin or profit of dealers is fixed at 12.19 sen per litre for petrol and seven sen per litre for diesel.


vi. Sales tax

The government may collect maximum sales tax of 58.62 sen per litre for petrol and 19.64 sen for diesel according to the Sales Tax Act 1972.

This component is used fully to adjust the final retail price before the subsidy element is considered.

vii. Subsidies

Subsidies are given when the actual price of petrol and diesel are higher than the fixed retail price, after taking into account full sales tax exemption of 58.62 sen per litre for petrol and 19.64 sen for diesel.


# Issues and challenges

The ongoing financial meltdown has affected oil fundamentals, as well as the pricing of global crude oil which has been drastically reduced from US$147 (RM529) per barrel in July 2008 to US$40.36 on Jan 11, 2009.

The persistent volatility has witnessed price swings on an unprecedented scale.

Even though the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries took steps to increase the price of crude oil by reducing output, it failed to stop the slide in the price of crude oil in the world market.

Consequently, our government reduced the retail price of both petrol and diesel seven times between Aug 23 and Dec 16, 2008 from RM2.70 per litre to RM1.80 per litre for petrol and from RM2.58 per litre to RM1.70 per litre for diesel.

However, the price of crude oil will not remain low and there is a possibility that it will be on an upward trend once the world economy bounces back.

In view of this, the government improved upon the current retail price setting mechanism in order to ensure the setting of optimal retail prices of petrol and diesel to benefit all concerned.

It cannot be denied that petroleum products still need to be subsidised to ease the burden of the people when there is an increase in the world price of crude oil.

Nevertheless, subsidies are a one-off expenditure that do not provide any returns in income for the government.

An unrealistic subsidy bill that exceeds developmental expenditure is unreasonable and will jeopardise the nation's development. In fact, from 2005 to 2008, the government spent RM40.5 billion to subsidise petroleum products.

Starting from June 5, 2008, due to the high subsidy for petroleum products following the continuous increase in the global crude oil price, the government restructured the subsidy system by increasing the petrol retail price from RM1.92 per litre to RM2.70 per litre, and RM2.58 per litre from RM1.58 per litre for diesel.

This led to an outcry from the public although a cash rebate of RM625 per year for owners of vehicles under 2,000cc and RM150 per year for owners of motorcycles under 250cc was included in the subsidy restructuring package.

The situation was made worse with the drastic increase in inflation rates from 3.8 per cent in May 2008 to 7.7 per cent in June 2008. The surge in inflation rates reflected the higher prices of essential goods that affected the disposable income of the people.

# Current automatic pricing mechanism (APM) to adjust the retail price of petrol and diesel in tandem with changes in product costs.

The improved APM used to fix the retail price of both petrol and diesel is done to reflect realistic market cost changes.

This feature is introduced to ensure stability and ease excessive government subsidies for petrol and diesel. The underlying principles in the improved APM are to set petrol and diesel retail prices that:

1. Reflect changes in cost of petrol and diesel

2. Emphasise price stability

3. Progressively ease the government's burden in providing subsidies of RM0.30 sen per litre.


# Paving the way forward


Generally, the government's stabilisation measures are designed to address short term developments in the market.

However, in the current volatile market, the government must focus on a sustainable long-term measure.

Therefore, the improved price setting mechanism will bring about stability in retail prices in the market and at the same time allow traders, industry players and consumers to manage their expenditure in a more orderly manner.

This method will allow the government to collect taxes when the product cost is low and exempt taxes as well as grant subsidies when the product cost increases.

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Please post your comments.

The Art & Ethics Of Double Parking Your Car

A lot of people would agree that whilst illegal parking (double parking) is perhaps one of the biggest contributing factor to chaotic traffic congestion at popular commercial areas in the Klang Valley, it is nevertheless a necessary evil.

Even Mat Salleh (Caucasian) expats living in Malaysia have resigned to the idea that "when in Rome, do as the Romans do..." - thus in Malaysia, they have also learned to double park their cars just like Malaysians.

As the art of double parking has become a necessary survival skill when living in cities like Kuala Lumpur, the ethics involved should be considered as well. Why ethics ? well, to be considerate to other motorist, you'd have to double park your car in such a way so as not to block the traffic flow on the street. There are lots of inconsiderate "double parkers" (a new Malaysian term) in the Klang Valley - they double park their cars and leave very little space for other vehicles to maneuver, thus clogging the street. Some even double park their cars and just disappear from the vicinity. This cause the drivers wishing to remove their cars from the proper parking lots pressing on their horns (sometimes for 15 minutes or more) in attempt to get the attention from these inconsiderate double parkers, who are no where in sight. This is totally inconsiderate and irresponsible double parking ethics.

Allow me to be politically incorrect: the major culprits unfortunately are women, Ah Bengs and Machas. Women, because they normally can't drive or park very well to begin with - a skill flaw. Ah Bengs and Machas, because they are generally socially inconsiderate - an education problem. I might be wrong, as I do not have statistics to back this up, but this is my personal opinion based on my observation.

According to a recent news report, there are apparently plenty of commercial parking facilities made available, but motorist just refuse to pay the exorbitant parking fees. Of course, no one is willing to pay RM3.00 per hour if they're only wanting to park their cars for less than half an hour. What's worse is that these commercial parking facilities are usually half empty and the car park management would rather leave it that way instead of restructuring the fee system.

So folks, if you have to double park your car - be considerate.

Please post your comments. And be considerate also. ;)

Mat Rempits, Secret Societies And Their Benefit To Society

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...

Tony Fernandes Blog - Sharing His Business Secrets

The latest prominent Malaysian personality to start blogging is Dato' Tony Fernandes, 44, the CEO of budget airlines Air Asia.

Tony Fernandes' blog called "The Entrepreneur" had its first post on 28th August 2008.

In his blog, Tony stated that,

"This is where I plan to share my ideas, thoughts and observations on a variety of topics with anyone who cares to listen"

To post comments on Tony Fernandez' blog, you'll have to register as a member. However, I suspect that becoming a member of this blog, is (still) free. Join in, who knows, maybe he might throw in a few free Air Asia tickets for the best comments.

Personally, I don't like blogs that require registration before you can make comments. Air Asia Blog also requires registration prior to permitting comments.

Anyway, a blog is a good way for entrepreneurs to get feedback from customers, employees, business associates and the public who under normal circumstances will either not be able to communicate with the "big boss" himself, or will be too afraid to be candid about their opinions.

Show Tony Fernandes' blog to your boss, and maybe he will start blogging too, or alternatively, you can blog for him in exchange for extra perks. Who knows ?

In 2007, Forbes Asia valued Fernandes' personal wealth at US$230 million. He ranks at number 24 on the Forbes list of Malaysia's Richest people.

Tony has won many awards in the last few years. Early this year, Tony Fernandes was named among the 10 rising leaders in Asia.

Kuala Lumpur born Tony Fernandes is part Goan and part Malacca Portuguese in parentage, and is a graduate of the London School of Economics (LSE). He is currently also a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). Read his full profile in Wikipedia here.

Not many people know that despite gaining fame with Air Asia, Tony didn't actually "start" Air Asia, per se, he instead turned it around from a loss making heavy in debted company to what it is today. Air Asia was established in 1993 by government link company (GLC), DRB-Hicom, and started its operations in 1996, but was not successful. Air Asia was then bought by Tony in 2001 and he turned it around financially within a year.

What do you think, eh guys ?

How To Save Money On Transport

Pic by Muhammad Muhaimin Mohd Isa

People queuing up for buses at the Central Market LRT station to save money on transport.
Thats a damn long queue.

Source: The Star

Please post your comments.

Who's Towing Who ?

Pic by Fabian Yee

Look at the picture carefully - right at the front is a tow-truck, it is towing a trailer carrying another tow-truck.

Source: The Star.

Please post your comments.

Petrol Prices Up Good For Drinkers ?

This maybe true for those in the US and the UK but definitely not Malaysians. At least not yet.

Please post your comments.

New Petrol Prices - Malaysians Are Suckers

Pic by the Sun. Motorists queue up for fuel at a petrol station in Kuala Lumpur before the price increase at midnight on June 4.

The recent hike of petrol prices by 78 sen to RM2.70 a litre made Malaysians scream.

Malaysians complain that the price of petrol is ridiculously expensive at RM2.70 per litre, but they are willing to pay for a mug of coffee (approximately 300ml) at Starbucks at RM8 - that means a litre a coffee is approximately RM26.64.

Comparatively, 300ml of petrol is only 0.81 sen (you do the math).

Coffee beans are relatively cheap as it is produced in 3rd world countries.

What special expertise does it take to "produce" a mug of coffee ? Nothing much. A RM4.50 per hour waiter (opps...Barista) ? Absolutely not.

No high technology or expertise required, at all, to make a cup of coffee compared to producing petrol - there are high costs for exploration, extraction, research, scientists, chemists, engineers etc etc just to produce the final product.

Why then are Malaysians still willing to pay so much for a mug of coffee when its is so cheap to produce compared to petrol ?

The worst part is that most Malaysians don't even know what they are drinking.

Please post your comments.

Who Pays For Act Of God ?

Pic: The Sun

This car is among four others that suffered major damages when hit by a boulder at Wangsa Heights, Bukit Antarabangsa, Kuala Lumpur.

I don't know in cases like this, if the motor insurance will compensate the car owner for his loss.

Please post your comments, guys.

Rempit Motor Orang Asli Filipina

Is this the Filipino version our rempit motor or mat rempit ?

The picture shows Igorot tribesman, Robert Duyugan, riding his wooden cap chai motorbike in a race, in the Filipino town of Banaue, as it celebrates the traditional Imbayah festival.

At least the Imbayah festival in the Philippines is an annual event. The Malaysian mat rempit festival is a weekly event held in all major towns in the country.

What do you think, guys ? Should our mat rempit or rempit motor be given wooden motorbikes ?

Don't Fcuk Around With Kua Beng Hock

Kua Beng Hock fought in court and won a RM300 traffic offence case.

In most cases, someone who has been issued with a traffic summons would have just paid the compound fine and forgotten about it. This however was not the attitude of 69 year-old Kua Beng Hock.

Kua, a retired teacher, disputed the matter and represented himself in court (without a lawyer) until he won the case, after 4 years.

This case started in 2004, when Kua was given a traffic summons by the police for allegedly driving through a red light but Kua had disputed it because the traffic lights had not been working that day.

Read the full story of gutsy Kua Beng Hock in the Malay Mail.

Have you been unfairly been given a traffic summons by the police ?
Please post your comments.

Ah Beng Technology

THE BIG PROBLEM

HAZE











THE SMART SOLUTION

AH BENG VEHICLE (or called ABV, in short)

Being an Ah Beng means more than just the clothes and the attitude. It is about being practical as well. This car is prepared for the thick haze that hits KL about twice every year.

Just look at those head lights - 4 additional round ones being installed. How can you not be able to navigate through the thick haze with a car like this ?

Surely this will greatly reduce traffic accidents during the "haze season" - yes its seasonal.

Also, you can be alerted against policemen hiding behind the bushes ahead, waiting to "saman" you (for whatever reason), because you can spot them from afar with these powerful headlights.

The relevant ministry should study the special features of this car and pass legislation to make it compulsory for all cars in Malaysia - All Cars - to have an additional 4 round headlights. Nevermind if it looks ridiculous - IT WILL SAVE LIVES :) and some "saman".


THE INSPIRATION

BATMOBILE


The orginal Batmobile (from the movie Batman Begins 2005)







Malaysia at its innovative best, as usual. Now stop laughing you peasants ! Let me finish my story first...

The government should also support "home made" Malaysian "car manufacturers" by permitting everyone to assemble their own cars at the backyard of their homes. Instead of "Made In Malaysia", it can be "Malaysian Home Made" - Home Made Cars.

With this initiative, Im sure an Ah Beng will soon assemble a flying car (or a car that looks like it can fly) - this can then be included in our aviation or space program. Who cares if the car can really fly or not, right ? It's the perception that matters - as long as the car has wings, Malaysians can be convinced that it can also fly.

Anyway, if the flying car really cannot fly, then this initiative can be put under the purview of the Ministry of Arts and Culture, instead of the Ministry of Science and Technology - because it will be an artistic and cultural effort instead of a scientific and technological one. :)

Note: I've actually already seen a few prototypes of these "flying cars" on the streets (and they had many blinking neon-like lights on them too) - but those had rather small wings attached to them lah. My friend suggested maybe they were not cars, but UFOs, because she saw what looked like aliens driving the vehicles.


What do you think guys ? Malaysia Boleh ? Please post your comments (I know you guys are still laughing...)