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Monday 30 June, 2008
25 Jumada al-Thanni 1429AH

A weblog by Albert. From my home in Yan Kedah. I reside here since 1992. See here to know where Yan is.

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Blog category: all categories. - May 2003
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 And we get poorer again..... - by @lbert
  Posted:29/05/2003 - 17:41 - in category: politics Malaysia
Saw the currencies lately??
Well the Thai baht is now at 10.9 to the Ringgit and the Rupiah at 2180 to the Ringgit.
1 year ago this was 12.30 and 2400 respectively. Euro up from 0.27 to the Ringgit to 0.238 !

The Ringgit is sinking deeper and deeper, this is more than 10% down. Is this all needed to finance the gouverments biggest/highest/widest and you name it inspirations, and keep exports going with raising salaries?? NO this means on the long run 10%+ inflation, because all imports will go up with that amount ( those from Europe with 20%++) and Malaysia cannot survive without imports, and thus problems on the long run (after dr M's demise of course). But the Ringgit will stay pegged to the US $. The US will love that, since 80%+ of all $$$ are outside the US they can export their deficit easily (1 trillion +). The rest of the world is paying. Long live Bush and rakan2.
They are only interested in themselves and give a damn literaly about the rest of the world. The average American even does not know anything about the outside world, they are not interested. Be prepared your wallet will be plundered on the long run, inspite of all the beautifull stories in all the (crony) newspapers.
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 Visiting wat's. - by @lbert
  Posted:25/05/2003 - 21:34 - in category: travel Malaysia
I decided to spent this weekend with visiting some interesting spots in my neighbourhood. There are 2 Thai Wat's in my area which i never was able to find.
So this time i spent the time in finding them.
Both are near Jeniang, about 50 km from Sungai Petani.
This area have several Thai kampungs were people hardly speak any Malay.
The first is Wat Kalai in Kg.Kalai, which has a huge buda but the compound is a bit detoriated.
It seems to be out of grace, because i noticed hardly a visitor.
The other one was Wat 'Botol' as it is commonly known.
The structure is totally decorated with empty botols, and the wat is famous for it.
It seems to draw a lot of visitors since someone hit the jackpot in the 4 digits with a number that was 'forecasted' by a snake.
Below you see a photo of Wat Kalai and the 'bottle' temple.
.
Besides these visits my weekend was cheered up by the knowledge that i dont have to watch Ling Yong Sik's finger on TV anymore!
What a relieve.
Lets hope that the changing of the guard also means a change of attitude, but i have my doubts.
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 Dont you dare to go abroad - by @lbert
  Posted:21/05/2003 - 23:29 - in category: politics Malaysia
The boss said so, Malaysians have to spent their holidays in Malaysia!
Thats why the goverment servants got their 1/2 month bonus.
Go to Langkawi and rent a chicken coop also called sauna (they call it chalet) for RM 45+ or and average room for 100-200 a night. Go to taman Negara at RM 60- a night. Or KL... nothing under RM 60- unless you prefer a chinese rent per hour hotel.
I think only Cameron an Kenyir are still affordable and below RM 40-.
Dont you dare to go abroad!
In Brastagi you can have a room for RM 10-15 a night. Danau Toba (Tuk-tuk) for RM 15- with hot water. Yogya (Java) RM 15-20.
Dont you dare to go abroad!
Hadya RM 30-, Songkla RM 20-25, near Satun or Krabi small chalet on the beach RM 25-.
Dont you dare to go abroad!
You don't ? Well I do !
I cannot afford the 'cheap' places in Malaysia anymore.
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 The end of Gunung Jerai - by @lbert
  Posted:19/05/2003 - 14:16 - in category: Yan Kedah
The latest i heard.... they want to build a 5-6 million hotel on the top of gunung Jerai.
Another of those fantastic Malaysia Boleh projects. Do these people really have brains??
If they build a hotel ( there are already some simple chalets) than the next thing is a golf course...the most environment friendly invention by man kind. In order to build this hotel the whole summit will probably be ruined.
A hotel implicates wider road leading up, so there goes the environment again, landslides, siltation devastated.
They already build an unused surau up there costing a whopping 1 million several years ago.
At present the small resort up there has a very well maintained flower garden, and is a nice and quiet place, allthough the cafetaria lacks any basic service, they let you wait for hours before someone will take your order.
This probably will be flattened too.
Thank you very very much brainless exco members of Kedah.
Oh by the way who is gonne stay in the hotel (probably 300++ a night), right... the exco members for free. Or are we gonna open up a new casino up there ?? (hello PAS).
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 Oil in Euro's - by @lbert
  Posted:14/05/2003 - 19:34 - in category: politics Malaysia
I overheard dr M saying that Petronas should have quoted/sold their gas and other products in Euro's. Than by now Petronas would get 25% more for their products by now.
But ...mmmm.... who pegged the riggit against the US? Already malaysians are really loosing out as the ringgit is heavily undervalued due to this. To my idea by at least 20%, yes 20%!!
Just go to Thailand or Indonesia (yes even Indonesia) and see what you pay for food in a normal foodstall. In Jakarta you get nothing under RM 6-7 in Hadyai / Sonkla RM 9-10 is hardly sufficient. And here we still can eat for RM 3-4. KL RM 5-6. This is just because of the value of the ringgit. So who is being cheated?? Well goverment supporters would probably say -'what you wanne do abroad? spent your holiday in malaysia!'-.
But Indonesia and Thailand are so much cheaper for holidaying .....
Oh yes all export are cheap, but all imports are bloody expensive, and on top of that taxed like hell.
A bottle of table wine that would cost in europe around RM 6-7, goes here for RM 20++.
Thats the 'opening up' to the world.
Australian dollar goes down, but milk powder goes up in price. Sorry...price remains the same, just the contents change, 1 kg is now 800 grams, thats the malaysian way of cheating the customer. Just saw yesterday that they reduced it to 700 g now. (30% cheat)
Pack of cheese went from RM 3.50 before the crises to 5.75-6.00 now!! Thats almost double.
But the ringgit will stay pegged only because it is a matter of prestige for dr M + friends.
Only imported cars did not go up that much, there sales margins got sqeezed. On the sales of an average car the margin for the salesman used to be 20-30%+ can you imagine that, almost unbelievable
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 KL the experience - by @lbert
  Posted:12/05/2003 - 10:18 - in category: travel Malaysia
As told before i spent thursday and friday in KL. Friday was forced upon me because the immigration boss was not available (out) so my visa could not be signed.
Can you imagine that.... a whole department and when the boss is out or sick, nothing moves because noone has a proxy to sign!!
And than they put a giant Q for Quality on the wall. This i think is the most impossible department of malaysian goverment. Always change regulations without warning.
In the 10+ years i go there every year something has been changed and you know nothing about it. Its run like a small kingdom.
After handing in my papers went to see an old friend in KL, he sells the best satay in town.
If you are in KL go there... Jl Tun Razak/Jl Semarak/Jl Raja Aziz Muda junction (the island in the middle).At 50 sen a stick, a few sticks is really a complete meal. Served with a delicious sate sauce and ketupat / onion / cucumber.
After that went to see KL CC, very impressive, but i really wonder...could not this money have been spent more wisely on other projects??

It has cost a fortune, and the country needs so many things.
Well not my decission, it seems to be a necessity to have the highest/tallest/widest/largest whatever.
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 Back in the heat - by @lbert
  Posted:11/05/2003 - 22:49 - in category: travel Malaysia
Back in the heat again, after 2 days KL and 2 cooling days in Cameron Higlands.
About KL i hope to tell something tomorrow.
This is really still a nice and affordable place to spend a weekend. Not to often but just once in a while. For RM 12.= you still can enjoy a great steamboat which i absolutely could not finish.
So nice to sit outside at night and enjoy this food.
In the daytime visited gunung Brinjang (2000+ m) and Boh tea plantation. See photo:

Very nice sights from the narrow roads.
Boh teaplantation is a funny commercial disaster. These people have absolutely no feeling for commerce at all. At the plantation they sell their tea for exactly the same price as in the supermarket. They serve tea for a whopping 1.90 to 2.50 a small cup!! And that at the source of the tea.....
If they wanne win over people to buy Boh tea give them a packet free instead of charging rediculous prices. People take the trouble to go all the way there. Everything for profit!!
That is actually the whole vegetable sales in Cameron too, prices are the same as in the supermarket, so they pocket up giant profits (dont have to bring it down, no transportation at all!).
Well Malaysians are like that just buy and buy and buy and even don't know how much they pay as i said in an earlier blog, they seem to earn their money to easy.
And i think vegy prices in Cameron are totally spoiled by Singapore, prices are more than double Thai vegy prices.
But hotels in Cameron are in comparison to places like Langkawi / Penang / KL really cheap. Thats why i said everybody can afford.
Strawberries were cheap this year, about 2.50 a pack, 2 years ago they charged RM 6.-.
But Cameron strawberries still cannot compare to European or Australian, to sauer.
But with some added sugar ok.... had them 2 days for breakfast ( with bread).
Environmental awareness in Cameron is hopeless, waterfalls with rubish, water brown by siltation. Go to Ringlet which has a lake that they can use as a Milo advertisement, what a shame! About KL my view on it tomorrow.
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 Reporters sans Frontiere - by @lbert
  Posted:06/05/2003 - 19:19 - in category: politics Malaysia
The Economist uproar is dying .... a new one emerges. Malaysia has been put on the list of pressfreedom on spot 110 out of 139. (Reporters sans frontiere anual list)
Compare this with Indonesia at 57 !!.
A typical Malaysia boleh! Well done.
And yes they are all falling over each other again to condemn this as "trying to discredit the nation" and "there is a political motif".
Of course... we all know the whole world is trying to recolonialise Malaysia, and if not that than they try to ruin the succes of this nation. Always crying out loud instead of finding out why this was written or said.
The NST chief editor Abdul Ahmad had the guts to say "only an idiot wants complete press freedom". Well this kind of castrants is clearly what you need to get a free press.
This kind of people runs local newspapers, can you imagine the contents??
Malaysian press is fully that means 100% controlled, all chief editors are gouverment or party puppets. Anything negative about the ruling regime is simply twisted or not published.
If the boss says something it must be on the front page with foto.
Surprised that people go to the internet for different / freeer information?
Take a site like malaysiakini it is refreshing to hear a different opinion even if you don't always agree. The local press or TV none of them i believe, even the weather report i mistrust!
Well i will be off to KL and Cameron for a few days. More when i a back...
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 Wow a day no net. - by @lbert
  Posted:05/05/2003 - 15:01 - in category: internet / computers
Last Saturday the net or the server in the nearby node was down.
Took them a whole day to reboot a stupid password server that did not work.
It is amazing how used you get to email.
I even would not know how much to stick on an envelope for abroad anymore....
Than the ease of reading a variety of news, especially since i refuse to read/buy malaysian newspapers any more since the Anwar trial. I was and still am fed up with the biased local news and editorials, so simply dont read them.
Better for your health to.
Anyway Sunday morning there was 'Net' again.
Backlog on newsreading, and emptying my mailbox. Spam like crazy, by now everyday my Webwasher program deletes 20-30 spam mails outof my mailbox. This is really becoming a pest. You really get fed up if you have 10+ penis enlargement advertisements in your mail every day.
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 Lots of ents, and a nice breakfast - by @lbert
  Posted:01/05/2003 - 22:49 - in category: Yan Kedah
Today May 1st. So everybody is off, as expected roads overloaded with holy cows. But about that later...
Sungai Petani not to far from my place is still good for a lovely early tea or yam cha aka Dim Sum. For around 7-8 ringgit a person you can have a delicious meal. Try this is Penang or KL/Ipoh....at least double!

Now about the trafic, was horrible, the supermarkets with their so called may 1st sales looked really like a war zone of an ents nest. People really buy like a frenzy (i wonder whether they really know any prices). Carts full and just charge it on their plastic cards....
If i compare this to europe, it really looks as if people in Malaysia are earning their money damned easy. Forget that supermarkets in Malaysia are cheap...compared to Europe they get fantastic margins. Most of the people buy anyway, very few are price contious.
How long can this sustain is my question here...
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