1. Price of Proton in Malaysia is about the price of a Hyundai Sonata in the US
The price of a proton Gen-2 is about RM 53 000 (USD 14000) while the price of a Honda Sonata in Malaysia is RM 113 000 (USD 30 000). The price of a Hyundai Sonata in the US is just about USD 14 000, less than half of that of the price in Malaysia. I remember the reason (or excuse) given by the government was that our automobile industry was an infant industry and needed goverment protection. It has been 20 years (since 1985) since we assembled our own car (Proton Saga). I believe that by now, we should have become more efficient and manage to lower the costs of production. This will definitely allow Malaysians to enjoy lower-priced cars.
2. Shortening of passport live period during renewal (NO EXCEPTIONS... I think)
Just yesterday, I tried to renew my passport which had the expiry date of 27 July 2006. I was doing this because I might decide not to comeback to Malaysia next year. If this was the case, I would have an expired passport the next time I try to come back. This was precisely the reason I gave to the Immigration Department when I tried to renew my passport. They had refused to issue a new passport for me starting from my expiry date but only agreed to add six months to the date I renew my passport, which was yesterday, 25 July 2005. So my new expiry date is 25 January 2011 when it could have been 27 July 2011 (a six month difference which is worth RM 50). What is the reason for this?
These are the two things that just passed through my mind. If you have any "Malaysian" experiences you'd like to share, feel free to post comments or email me.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Life is a game... Chess is serious
The annual Penang Chess League has recently been completed with my team, the Old Frees ++ (Plus Plus, not double check) winning by a margin of three points. This is by no means an amazing feat. But during the third week of the tournament, we had a scared as we only managed a "meagre" 3.5 point haul in round five and six. This was a horrendous result, watching our 2.5 point lead being cut to only 0.5 by the Mind Chess Enterprise Tutors who blew away OFA Balls2U and PACL A. Both Heng Meng and Cheng Teik could have performed better and we would have a secure final day of the tournament but it was not meant to be. Heng Meng drew both his games against Eoh Thean Keat (OFA Balls2U) and Tan Eng Seong (PACL B) while Cheng Teik drew with Chan Kim Chai (OFA Balls2U) and squandered a completely winning game to the eventual reserve board prize winner, Lim Chin Teng (PACL B).
Despite being only half a point ahead going into the final day, we still pushed on with full confidence, knowing that the Tutors now had to face two tough rivals while we will have a relatively easier time. We swept the last two games 3-0 against OFA D and Renesas A. I managed to score a perfect 8/8 as a bonus and hopefully a morale booster to continue playing chess. I have said time and again that I have quit playing chess for fun and will only play for money. Greedy as it may seem, I still believe that there are more productive things I can do with my time: like playing Warcraft III and talking to Baby.
So anyway, the 1st prize of this tournament was RM 1500 but we have to split it among four people and the way in which we decided to split the money is of course not pulicly disclosed. But I can assure you guys that I can now afford an MP3 player and perhaps buy something nice for my baby. As you can clearly see, chess has been my only source of income this summer. Four Sundays of leisure led to a net revenue of 300 bucks or so. Not too bad for a lazy bum like me.
Despite being only half a point ahead going into the final day, we still pushed on with full confidence, knowing that the Tutors now had to face two tough rivals while we will have a relatively easier time. We swept the last two games 3-0 against OFA D and Renesas A. I managed to score a perfect 8/8 as a bonus and hopefully a morale booster to continue playing chess. I have said time and again that I have quit playing chess for fun and will only play for money. Greedy as it may seem, I still believe that there are more productive things I can do with my time: like playing Warcraft III and talking to Baby.
So anyway, the 1st prize of this tournament was RM 1500 but we have to split it among four people and the way in which we decided to split the money is of course not pulicly disclosed. But I can assure you guys that I can now afford an MP3 player and perhaps buy something nice for my baby. As you can clearly see, chess has been my only source of income this summer. Four Sundays of leisure led to a net revenue of 300 bucks or so. Not too bad for a lazy bum like me.
Thursday, July 7, 2005
Life... Oh Life...
Things have been going on amazingly well for me this summer break. I have a wonderful girlfriend and I am working on a very relaxed schedule. This allows me to spend maximum time with Baby and also gives me a sufficient amount of stipend to survive over the summer. The remainder of the money I earn, I get to bring to the US, which will only mean my money will become quartered by the exchange rate. How horrible!
Anyways, I have been practicing a tiny bit of Warcraft, just to maintain my skills a little. It doesn't really help when I can't play on Battle.net. So all we do is play against pathetic AIs. However, I must say I was surprised when we (Kok and I) beat 3 Insane computers the other day. For those of you who wonder how computers can be insane, do not worry. These is geekspeak.
Another major event of my summer holidays is the Penang Chess League. It's an annual chess league held in KDU Penang and about 40 teams take part every year. The team event consists of 3 playing boards and 1 reserve. My team comprises veteran national player Chuah Heng Meng, former MSSM Champion Lim Cheng Teik, former state player Chan Kean Sheung and myself. We are once again, the top seeds of the tournament.
So far, after 4 rounds of play, we have lived up to our top billing by scoring 11.5 points out of a possible 12. This is an amazing feat as we managed to beat the Mind Chess Enterprise Tutors who had the likes of Khai Boon, Swee Leong and Ing Kiat, by a score of 3-0. Furthermore, in the next round, we also managed to beat PACL A in a convincing fashion by a score of 2.5-0.5. Hong Ghee, the unbeatable player from PACL drew with our first board, Heng Meng, while Cheng Teik and I managed to beat our opponents: Wong Kam Loong and Choong Yit Chuan respectively. Wong Kam Loong was a state player while Choong Yit Chuan was once a National Champion.
With 11.5 points after 4 rounds, the Old Frees ++ are leading by 2.5 points, a huge margin considering we are only halfway through the tournament. This Sunday, we are paired against PACL B, who are probably out to avenge the defeat of their A team. Hopefully, we don't get too cocky and I hope we can at least maintain our lead but ideally, we would like to win 3-0 to show our domination. *I am getting cocky ain't I?*
Oh well, this is pretty much it for now. I will update you people on how the tournament goes and tell you more about my job in the future.
Anyways, I have been practicing a tiny bit of Warcraft, just to maintain my skills a little. It doesn't really help when I can't play on Battle.net. So all we do is play against pathetic AIs. However, I must say I was surprised when we (Kok and I) beat 3 Insane computers the other day. For those of you who wonder how computers can be insane, do not worry. These is geekspeak.
Another major event of my summer holidays is the Penang Chess League. It's an annual chess league held in KDU Penang and about 40 teams take part every year. The team event consists of 3 playing boards and 1 reserve. My team comprises veteran national player Chuah Heng Meng, former MSSM Champion Lim Cheng Teik, former state player Chan Kean Sheung and myself. We are once again, the top seeds of the tournament.
So far, after 4 rounds of play, we have lived up to our top billing by scoring 11.5 points out of a possible 12. This is an amazing feat as we managed to beat the Mind Chess Enterprise Tutors who had the likes of Khai Boon, Swee Leong and Ing Kiat, by a score of 3-0. Furthermore, in the next round, we also managed to beat PACL A in a convincing fashion by a score of 2.5-0.5. Hong Ghee, the unbeatable player from PACL drew with our first board, Heng Meng, while Cheng Teik and I managed to beat our opponents: Wong Kam Loong and Choong Yit Chuan respectively. Wong Kam Loong was a state player while Choong Yit Chuan was once a National Champion.
With 11.5 points after 4 rounds, the Old Frees ++ are leading by 2.5 points, a huge margin considering we are only halfway through the tournament. This Sunday, we are paired against PACL B, who are probably out to avenge the defeat of their A team. Hopefully, we don't get too cocky and I hope we can at least maintain our lead but ideally, we would like to win 3-0 to show our domination. *I am getting cocky ain't I?*
Oh well, this is pretty much it for now. I will update you people on how the tournament goes and tell you more about my job in the future.
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