My in laws went for their Umrah recently, after my MIL got a free ticket from his good buddy who is also an owner of a travel agency.
My DIL hesitantly tagged along as his funds were quite low, and also because he has had to leave the running of his business, which in actual fact did not run at all throughout his trip there as none of his children are interested in helping him out.
We have relatives there it seems, in the form of my dad's brother, who conveniently is marrying off my cousin later next month.
All the circumstances combined, I was really asking for it when I sent him an SMS asking whether everything was OK and if he needed extra cash to cover up any holes while he was there. At this point though, I assumed that everything was OK, as I haven't discovered about the wedding yet.
I don't know whether it is customary there, but my DIL told me that my uncle asked him to chip in a bit and dad dearest thought that since he won't be around for the wedding, it should be OK to throw in a couple of gold bangles for the bride.
Which was OK until he said he was flat and needed me to send some money..
Being the kind and obedient son that I am, I just said yes and asked him how does he want it sent. DIL said that the fastest way was by Western Union, as he could get the money in a couple of hours.
Marvelous!
After a short trip to CIMB and filling up the form given at the counter with his and my details, I was given a 10 digit MTCN which was the code that I needed to give my dad when he goes to the respective WU agent over in Saudi to withdraw the dough.
I thought everything was OK as I parted ways with USD222 (USD200 + 11% in 'service' charge) in good, clean clear Ringgit Malaysia notes.
A day after, and I got a call from my DIL who said that the teller refused to handover the money as "the code was incorrect"!
As for any service in Malaysia (which sucked badly), I thought that the problem was a phone call away. I launched my IE and tried looking for the WU's website.
Horrified at their sheer effort in avoiding human contact for customers in Malaysia, I quickly ran through the form that I signed for the transfer of funds and was relieved seeing a 1300 number at the back of it.
My joy was short lived however as that number was for CIMB's "too-bad-you-don't-have-a-million-dollar-account-with-us" call centre which frankly had the option to speak to an actual person buried in tons and tons of key tone entries, as with other shitty IVR driven call queuing system.
Pissed and totally felt screwed upside down, I sent the Customer Service a note at the provided address:
"Hi.
I sent my dad some money to Mecca but when he tried to claim it, the teller person keep telling him that the code was incorrect when it's not.
There is no one to call when things go wrong on your side, and the number at the back of the form I filled was connecting to your agent's call centre.
Your service sucks big time and I want my money back.
If I don't get it, I will make sure that the Consumers Tribunal will know about it and I hope you will drag your manager's sorry posterior to court.
PLEASE DON"T GIVE ME THE BS ABOUT THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF YOUR SERVICE BECAUSE NONE WAS RENDERED!
I will also post this incident on my well visited blog site so people know who the devil are taking their hard earned money. Please take my mail seriously and reply with a real person's answer within 24 hours or you will feel sorry for yourself.
You can call me at Malaysian International Code (Six) ZERO ONE SEVEN- (phone number)"
I actually wasn't expecting anything as the email was really a way to vent my frustration while gathering my wits to then figure out what to do next.
When I came to work early this morning, I was surprised find a reply in my inbox:
"Hello (Me).
Thank you for contacting Western Union. We are writing regarding your inquiry.
We apologize for any inconvenience. Please provide us with the following information so we can further assist you:
Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN)
sender's name
sender's phone number
sender's city and state
receiver's name... or biller's name
receiver's country... or code city & state
amount of transfer
date of transfer
If you have any additional comments or questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at customerservice@westernunion.com.
Sincerely,
Fernando M.
Customer Service Representative
www.westernunion.com"
I have already sent them the information that they've requested, so let's see which worm hole are they going to hide into. To my worm friends, sorry to drag your asses into this but scums like this deserves to be buried in the dirt.
Not only they charge you exorbitant amounts, they don't even give you a proper person to talk to when things go wrong, EVEN WHEN IT'S NOT YOUR OWN FAULT!
Sorry WU, this fish ain't gonna swallow your bait, but I'll definitely be looking forward to swallow your boat.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Tongue Trouble..
I have had a sore tongue for about a week now and it is driving me crazy.
Started with something like a burnt tongue, then became as painful as an ulcer, but now half of my taste buds are numb. Yesterday, I could not even taste salt properly anymore, but luckily that's ok now.
One of my tiny tongue feelers bleed every night so I have resorted to rinsing with Listerine. That seems to alleviate some problems, but since I have only started yesterday, let's see if tomorrow it gets any better.
My wife has also developed the same problem, and she said that some of her officemates have been telling her that they too have had the same symptoms.
Back to Malaysia's most popular antiseptic mouthwash.. A question that has haunted me for many years is whether do we need to rinse after gargling with it? Yes? No? Don't know?
Well, again thanks to the greatest invention of human kind - the internet, I have concluded that you can/should rinse off with water afterwards. Well, some forums say only after 30 mins, and some say you can right away.
It DOESN'T specify on any official Listerine pages (correct me if I'm wrong) the correct answer, though.. Trust me, I'll get it out from them sooner or later..
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J. Dubner mentioned this interesting fact:
Listerine was invented in the 19th century as a powerful surgical antiseptic. It was later sold, in a very distilled form, as a floor cleaner and a cure for gonorrhea. But it wasn't a runaway success until the 1920s, when it was pitched as a solution for "chronic halitosis", the faux medical term that the Listerine advertising group created in 1921 to describe bad breath. By naming and thus creating a medical condition for which consumers now felt they needed a cure, Listerine created a market for their mouthwash. Until that time, bad breath was not conventionally considered a catastrophe, but Listerine's ad campaign changed that. As the advertising scholar James B. Twitchell writes, "Listerine did not make mouthwash as much as it made halitosis." Listerine's new ads featured forlorn young women and men, eager for marriage but turned off by their mate's rotten breath. "Can I be happy with him in spite of that?" one maiden asked herself. In just seven years, the company's revenues rose from $115,000 to more than $8 million.
Go figure..
Started with something like a burnt tongue, then became as painful as an ulcer, but now half of my taste buds are numb. Yesterday, I could not even taste salt properly anymore, but luckily that's ok now.
One of my tiny tongue feelers bleed every night so I have resorted to rinsing with Listerine. That seems to alleviate some problems, but since I have only started yesterday, let's see if tomorrow it gets any better.
My wife has also developed the same problem, and she said that some of her officemates have been telling her that they too have had the same symptoms.
Back to Malaysia's most popular antiseptic mouthwash.. A question that has haunted me for many years is whether do we need to rinse after gargling with it? Yes? No? Don't know?
Well, again thanks to the greatest invention of human kind - the internet, I have concluded that you can/should rinse off with water afterwards. Well, some forums say only after 30 mins, and some say you can right away.
It DOESN'T specify on any official Listerine pages (correct me if I'm wrong) the correct answer, though.. Trust me, I'll get it out from them sooner or later..
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J. Dubner mentioned this interesting fact:
Listerine was invented in the 19th century as a powerful surgical antiseptic. It was later sold, in a very distilled form, as a floor cleaner and a cure for gonorrhea. But it wasn't a runaway success until the 1920s, when it was pitched as a solution for "chronic halitosis", the faux medical term that the Listerine advertising group created in 1921 to describe bad breath. By naming and thus creating a medical condition for which consumers now felt they needed a cure, Listerine created a market for their mouthwash. Until that time, bad breath was not conventionally considered a catastrophe, but Listerine's ad campaign changed that. As the advertising scholar James B. Twitchell writes, "Listerine did not make mouthwash as much as it made halitosis." Listerine's new ads featured forlorn young women and men, eager for marriage but turned off by their mate's rotten breath. "Can I be happy with him in spite of that?" one maiden asked herself. In just seven years, the company's revenues rose from $115,000 to more than $8 million.
Go figure..
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
News from the Kampung..
No updates for a week just because I was left without an internet connection after an emergency excursion northwest to the sleepy town of Bagan Datoh, Perak for the funeral of my dearest aunt we fondly called Mak Wa ('Wa' as in 'tua' - meaning the eldest sibling).
All the supernatural stories aside, everything went smoothly as there were many relatives who came back to lend a helping hand. Being the eldest in my dad's family, naturally she married the earliest and thus I had the oldest cousin in the form of Yeop Mat ('Yeop' is the nickname for the eldest son) who is already 60 years old! And from Mak Wa's lineage, I discovered that I have first cousins, twice removed which in the Malay Kampung makes me a 'Tok Sedara', loosely translated to grand uncle.
Looking at the Western view of the family tree I noticed that in the Malay states (well, at least in Perak..) there is a concept called 'Waris Emas' where the cousins who share paternal grandfathers are held in much regard, so much so that they are as good as your own brothers.
This is important I suppose because in Islam, you would need paternal family to hand off your daughters in matrimony in certain cases, plus there may be an importance as far as inheritance is concerned. I'm not a pro here, so please do up your own reading on this subject.
Anyway, back to the trip.
The journey was terrible as my brother Ali with 'expert' advice from my dad got lost a few times (which is actually a common thing. More on that in future posts!) in Sg. Besar as well as Sabak Bernam. Leaving at 5 pm, when my aunt was in still in a coma, we got a call from my cousin (from another uncle - Pak Uda) that she has left us.
Before we reached my dad's kampung, we stopped for supper at Rungkup. It seems that the round-the clock eating culture has spread to the town with many youths with their bikes came and sat in groups chatting happily, I suppose discussing the current UMNO turmoil.
There were also families, maybe in the same situation as us, having to travel due to family commitments and stopping for a cuppa'.
We arrived at Kg. Sg. Pergam at 11 pm, and was greeted my my cousins. As the common practice is to recite the Quran until the next morning, we got some much needed sleep while the others take turns.
The next day, after the funeral formalities have concluded, my family decided to take a spin around my dad's old turf..
Bagan Datoh is as I have always remembered it to be, sleepy, peaceful and mysterious. There are many stories to be told if you ask the right people, and most right people are elders as many young 'uns have left because there are no industries there.
The main produce used to be coconut and cocoa, but cocoa has since been replaced by oil palm due to problems with insects and uncontrollable diseases.
Fish in the market are much fresher as there is a nearby jetty, with Sungai Perak the main fishing area. I was fortunate to be able to buy fresh ikan kerisi (Sharptooth Jobfish) which had just been landed 20 minutes before. As our hosts, my Mak Su ('Su' from 'Bongsu' - the youngest ) is a great cook, I just bought some fat shrimps, mackerel as well as several types of vegetables and 'ulams' to go with it.
The most notable item during lunch however was not the fish, but her kerabu pucuk paku (fiddlehead fern shoots salad). Blanched and seasoned with pounded shallots and fried anchovies, it was the bomb!
Never had that salad that good, and believe me, being my favourite type of salad, I have came across really good ones..
I was surprised, but not astounded though as this came from a lady who defied logic my cooking the famous 40-minute lemang (glutinous rice in bamboo) . If anything, lunch that day only exemplified her status in my eyes as the one of the greatest living traditional Malay cooks in my life.
Another one from the list has just left us with her legacy, and hopefully her soul is blessed and placed together with those of the faithful. Al-Fatihah.
All the supernatural stories aside, everything went smoothly as there were many relatives who came back to lend a helping hand. Being the eldest in my dad's family, naturally she married the earliest and thus I had the oldest cousin in the form of Yeop Mat ('Yeop' is the nickname for the eldest son) who is already 60 years old! And from Mak Wa's lineage, I discovered that I have first cousins, twice removed which in the Malay Kampung makes me a 'Tok Sedara', loosely translated to grand uncle.
Looking at the Western view of the family tree I noticed that in the Malay states (well, at least in Perak..) there is a concept called 'Waris Emas' where the cousins who share paternal grandfathers are held in much regard, so much so that they are as good as your own brothers.
This is important I suppose because in Islam, you would need paternal family to hand off your daughters in matrimony in certain cases, plus there may be an importance as far as inheritance is concerned. I'm not a pro here, so please do up your own reading on this subject.
Anyway, back to the trip.
The journey was terrible as my brother Ali with 'expert' advice from my dad got lost a few times (which is actually a common thing. More on that in future posts!) in Sg. Besar as well as Sabak Bernam. Leaving at 5 pm, when my aunt was in still in a coma, we got a call from my cousin (from another uncle - Pak Uda) that she has left us.
Before we reached my dad's kampung, we stopped for supper at Rungkup. It seems that the round-the clock eating culture has spread to the town with many youths with their bikes came and sat in groups chatting happily, I suppose discussing the current UMNO turmoil.
There were also families, maybe in the same situation as us, having to travel due to family commitments and stopping for a cuppa'.
We arrived at Kg. Sg. Pergam at 11 pm, and was greeted my my cousins. As the common practice is to recite the Quran until the next morning, we got some much needed sleep while the others take turns.
The next day, after the funeral formalities have concluded, my family decided to take a spin around my dad's old turf..
Bagan Datoh is as I have always remembered it to be, sleepy, peaceful and mysterious. There are many stories to be told if you ask the right people, and most right people are elders as many young 'uns have left because there are no industries there.
The main produce used to be coconut and cocoa, but cocoa has since been replaced by oil palm due to problems with insects and uncontrollable diseases.
Fish in the market are much fresher as there is a nearby jetty, with Sungai Perak the main fishing area. I was fortunate to be able to buy fresh ikan kerisi (Sharptooth Jobfish) which had just been landed 20 minutes before. As our hosts, my Mak Su ('Su' from 'Bongsu' - the youngest ) is a great cook, I just bought some fat shrimps, mackerel as well as several types of vegetables and 'ulams' to go with it.
The most notable item during lunch however was not the fish, but her kerabu pucuk paku (fiddlehead fern shoots salad). Blanched and seasoned with pounded shallots and fried anchovies, it was the bomb!
Never had that salad that good, and believe me, being my favourite type of salad, I have came across really good ones..
I was surprised, but not astounded though as this came from a lady who defied logic my cooking the famous 40-minute lemang (glutinous rice in bamboo) . If anything, lunch that day only exemplified her status in my eyes as the one of the greatest living traditional Malay cooks in my life.
Another one from the list has just left us with her legacy, and hopefully her soul is blessed and placed together with those of the faithful. Al-Fatihah.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
The Truth About Time.
How many parents actually have time to bring their kids to the playground and actually play with their kids?
My parents certainly didn't have time other than their weekends, and since my mom was always sick (she died of cancer when I was 10), my dad spent most of his time looking for money.
My theory is that parents tend to splurge their kids on things that they themselves had little of growing up. Never had toys? Betcha' kids have tons of toys now. Grew up malnourished? Your kids are a bit on the heavy side with frequent trips to McD and KFC..
Me? Well my kid gets to spend a lot of time with me. But I do fear that when I am no longer around, they'll lose direction and not be independent enough to carry themselves through. As long as they stick together as a unit, and take care of each other's backs, I'm ok with that.
Yeop Din, please take care of your sister and Mom when I kick the bucket. Be a decent man of principles and know your purpose in life. I will always pray for you.
My parents certainly didn't have time other than their weekends, and since my mom was always sick (she died of cancer when I was 10), my dad spent most of his time looking for money.
My theory is that parents tend to splurge their kids on things that they themselves had little of growing up. Never had toys? Betcha' kids have tons of toys now. Grew up malnourished? Your kids are a bit on the heavy side with frequent trips to McD and KFC..
Me? Well my kid gets to spend a lot of time with me. But I do fear that when I am no longer around, they'll lose direction and not be independent enough to carry themselves through. As long as they stick together as a unit, and take care of each other's backs, I'm ok with that.
Yeop Din, please take care of your sister and Mom when I kick the bucket. Be a decent man of principles and know your purpose in life. I will always pray for you.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Coming to America..
Got my visa settled yesterday (at last) even though it took more than 3 hours in waiting in the queue. The interview did not take a long time, but the process to get to that point would sure wilt any kiasu quick-getaway hopefuls.
My day started at at 8.30 am when I reached the office to fetch the necessary documents for the interview. As I work in a US-owned MNC, I needed to bring my passport, letter from my employer stating among others:
1. Why the trip
2. They are paying for it
3. How long I needed to be there
I also had to fill up the DS-156 & 157 forms, together with a US Visa photograph (2" x 2") as well as the interview appointment form and the Alliance Bank payment receipt for RM467.
Once I reached the embassy, parking was a tricky issue. Thankfully I decided to ride my bike there, avoiding the jam whilst enabling me to park at the office tower parking area right beside the US Embassy.
You would need to get your Visitor pass (orange in colour) by showing the guard at the control post your interview appointment letter. After that is when the waiting starts.
They will allow about 2-3 person at any one time into the compound, but first you have to pass through the security check and metal detectors. Once in, you are not allowed to bring in your electronic gadgets, having to leave it with the guards in their numbered pigeonhole. You would have to register in the logbook the items that you have left for safekeeping.
It would be about a 15 metre walk to get into the Embassy's building. Again, another metal detector, and you would be given an 'Axx' number - A for adults and C denoting children. Applicants are required to wait in the 2nd waitng room (the 1st waiting room is where the interview takes place) where it would be a good idea to sort out your documents before you are called for the first time.
1st Call:
You'd need to proceed to Window 1 or 2 to pass your documents for checking. The embassy staff would then tell you if your documents are complete or not. If it is, they would take them and ask you to wait some more..
2nd Call:
To Window 9 for you to get your fingerprints sorted out. You would then be officially in the US biometric database system! Uncle Sam has a hold on your balls from this point onwards..
3rd Call:
Your actual interview session. The interviewer are multi-lingual. At least two of them were seen speaking in Mandarin and one of them in Swahili..
The officer would start by asking "Tell me why you're going to the United States..". If you are from local companies, he would most of the time ask how much salary are you paid. But if you are a student, the question would be whether you have family in Malaysia and in the US.
The questions are cleverly interrogative without appearing to be so. Questions are fast and furious, nonchalantly mixed with humor to keep your guard down. Give the wrong answers, and they'll home in for the kill. Freakingly professional, I have to say..
Anyway, if you got through all that, the visa and your passport would be ready for collection at 3 pm, the next business day at the VFS office on the 19th floor of Wisma MCA. If you don't collect your passport after 10 days, it will be returned to the nearest Immigration Dept!
My day started at at 8.30 am when I reached the office to fetch the necessary documents for the interview. As I work in a US-owned MNC, I needed to bring my passport, letter from my employer stating among others:
1. Why the trip
2. They are paying for it
3. How long I needed to be there
I also had to fill up the DS-156 & 157 forms, together with a US Visa photograph (2" x 2") as well as the interview appointment form and the Alliance Bank payment receipt for RM467.
Once I reached the embassy, parking was a tricky issue. Thankfully I decided to ride my bike there, avoiding the jam whilst enabling me to park at the office tower parking area right beside the US Embassy.
You would need to get your Visitor pass (orange in colour) by showing the guard at the control post your interview appointment letter. After that is when the waiting starts.
They will allow about 2-3 person at any one time into the compound, but first you have to pass through the security check and metal detectors. Once in, you are not allowed to bring in your electronic gadgets, having to leave it with the guards in their numbered pigeonhole. You would have to register in the logbook the items that you have left for safekeeping.
It would be about a 15 metre walk to get into the Embassy's building. Again, another metal detector, and you would be given an 'Axx' number - A for adults and C denoting children. Applicants are required to wait in the 2nd waitng room (the 1st waiting room is where the interview takes place) where it would be a good idea to sort out your documents before you are called for the first time.
1st Call:
You'd need to proceed to Window 1 or 2 to pass your documents for checking. The embassy staff would then tell you if your documents are complete or not. If it is, they would take them and ask you to wait some more..
2nd Call:
To Window 9 for you to get your fingerprints sorted out. You would then be officially in the US biometric database system! Uncle Sam has a hold on your balls from this point onwards..
3rd Call:
Your actual interview session. The interviewer are multi-lingual. At least two of them were seen speaking in Mandarin and one of them in Swahili..
The officer would start by asking "Tell me why you're going to the United States..". If you are from local companies, he would most of the time ask how much salary are you paid. But if you are a student, the question would be whether you have family in Malaysia and in the US.
The questions are cleverly interrogative without appearing to be so. Questions are fast and furious, nonchalantly mixed with humor to keep your guard down. Give the wrong answers, and they'll home in for the kill. Freakingly professional, I have to say..
Anyway, if you got through all that, the visa and your passport would be ready for collection at 3 pm, the next business day at the VFS office on the 19th floor of Wisma MCA. If you don't collect your passport after 10 days, it will be returned to the nearest Immigration Dept!
*****
The rare trip to KL enabled me to start my PNB fund EPF scheme. It seems that there were a 2% free unit offer for the Amanah Saham Gemilang as well as Amanah Saham 3 Imbang funds. I actually wanted to open the Amanah Saham Wawasan 2020 account, but changed my mind after knowing about the special offer as well as the fund objective in risk exposure.
The required documents were:
1. Certified copy of your latest EPF statement
2. 1 photostat copy of your IC
You would also need to open the funds account prior to activating your EPF investment scheme. I was sent running around to actually get this done, no thanks to PNB's staff incompetence in giving out basic instructions as well rudimentary Customer Service skills.
BTW, there are specific requirements from EPF to start investing.
The special offer for the free units ends on May 20th, so do hurry up. Prices for ASN3 goes up and down, so do check you risk appetite before going any further!
The required documents were:
1. Certified copy of your latest EPF statement
2. 1 photostat copy of your IC
You would also need to open the funds account prior to activating your EPF investment scheme. I was sent running around to actually get this done, no thanks to PNB's staff incompetence in giving out basic instructions as well rudimentary Customer Service skills.
BTW, there are specific requirements from EPF to start investing.
The special offer for the free units ends on May 20th, so do hurry up. Prices for ASN3 goes up and down, so do check you risk appetite before going any further!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Out and About!
My daughter has finally been discharged from Putrajaya Hospital after spending 4 nights under the kind attention and care of the doctors and nurses there.
The phlegm from her lungs has been sucked out, so she's breathing a lot clearer now. I also borrowed my DIL's ionizer cum HEPA air filter so that she can breathe fresh air, given the current hot condition of the weather.
I had to rush to the office tonite to prepare documents for my US Visa interview tomorrow. Basically, there are 2 forms to fill - the EVAF DS-156 (Non-Immigrant Visa Application) & the Supplemental Nonimmigrant Visa Application (All males between age 16 and 45 from ANY country must complete Form DS-157 plus if your are from Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Cuba, Sudan, Syria and Libya) .
The EVAF needs to be completed online so that you can get a PDF copy that you need to bring on the day of the interview. BTW, this is all after you've gone to the nearest Alliance Bank branch to pay the US131 (RM467) processing fee.
You would then need to go to their Online page to book your interview slot as early as possible
Make sure you bring all your supporting documents, plus your Alliance Bank receipt to the Embassy.
The phlegm from her lungs has been sucked out, so she's breathing a lot clearer now. I also borrowed my DIL's ionizer cum HEPA air filter so that she can breathe fresh air, given the current hot condition of the weather.
I had to rush to the office tonite to prepare documents for my US Visa interview tomorrow. Basically, there are 2 forms to fill - the EVAF DS-156 (Non-Immigrant Visa Application) & the Supplemental Nonimmigrant Visa Application (All males between age 16 and 45 from ANY country must complete Form DS-157 plus if your are from Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Cuba, Sudan, Syria and Libya) .
The EVAF needs to be completed online so that you can get a PDF copy that you need to bring on the day of the interview. BTW, this is all after you've gone to the nearest Alliance Bank branch to pay the US131 (RM467) processing fee.
You would then need to go to their Online page to book your interview slot as early as possible
Make sure you bring all your supporting documents, plus your Alliance Bank receipt to the Embassy.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
My Poor Little Girl..
I am sad to say that my 2 1/2 month old has been warded for viral infection of her lungs. She is currently in the Paediatric ward in Putrajaya Hospital after being referred to by our private paediatrician here in Puchong.
The whole family had a bout of flu these past few weeks, but my wife and little girl seemed to suffer the worst. I suppose it's a different strain of virus, which admittedly is a bit difficult to knockoff using OTC drugs.
Even my coughing is still around after 3 weeks, and that is not normal.
One thing I realized is that my kids have thicker than normal 'tahi mata' or eye-crusts. Upon referencing the web, it seems that that in itself is rarely harmful, but again given the current state of things, I'd just like to be aware on anything that's going on.
So, my wife had to take a week off to tend to my daughter, which means that my little boy is keeping me company at home. Thank god for the daycare centre, although my boy hates going there, at least I know he's in safe hands while I'm at the office.
Another reason to quickly achieve Financial Freedom!
On that note, I have restarted my Unit Trust consultation business, just to get some extra income for the kids' future. I took my license in 2000, which is good because I don't have to resit the exam to reactivate my membership with FMUTM. All I needed to do was pay RM140 for the membership fee, and off I go..
Don't worry, being as shrewd and picky an investor like myself, you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm gonna make people some extra money..
(Sigh) I hope I make enough for my kids.
The whole family had a bout of flu these past few weeks, but my wife and little girl seemed to suffer the worst. I suppose it's a different strain of virus, which admittedly is a bit difficult to knockoff using OTC drugs.
Even my coughing is still around after 3 weeks, and that is not normal.
One thing I realized is that my kids have thicker than normal 'tahi mata' or eye-crusts. Upon referencing the web, it seems that that in itself is rarely harmful, but again given the current state of things, I'd just like to be aware on anything that's going on.
So, my wife had to take a week off to tend to my daughter, which means that my little boy is keeping me company at home. Thank god for the daycare centre, although my boy hates going there, at least I know he's in safe hands while I'm at the office.
Another reason to quickly achieve Financial Freedom!
On that note, I have restarted my Unit Trust consultation business, just to get some extra income for the kids' future. I took my license in 2000, which is good because I don't have to resit the exam to reactivate my membership with FMUTM. All I needed to do was pay RM140 for the membership fee, and off I go..
Don't worry, being as shrewd and picky an investor like myself, you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm gonna make people some extra money..
(Sigh) I hope I make enough for my kids.
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