2014 - Year In Review

One year about to pass in days time. Reviewing the past year in photos, hoping for a better one in 2015



First trip to the Taiwan & judging from the enjoyable moments we had, it's definitely won't be the last time there



Daytrip to Melaka - One of many countless moments I had with The Love. I can't stop thanking God for having you in my life, SL.



Last minute planned trip to Bangkok but definitely worth the effort/time

Welcoming baby Carlson to the Eng family & it's such a joy to see his smile & antics daily in da house

I left this seat of mine after serving 11 years 4 months with Nippon Express, seeking greener pastures with DHL Global Forwarding.

One of the gatherings with the usual Akurian gang. We should get the trip started again for next year...

Understanding GST: The Analysis I

Most of us have known by now that on 25th October, Prime Minister has announced Goods & Services Tax (GST) shall be fully implemented on April 1, 2015. This is not surprising actually, although many people are still in the dark about what's this all about. Besides sharing on my last post, I've linked a site which provide great, brief knowledge about what's GST all about.

Can't talk about all but I will focus more on the certain exempted supplies & zero-rated supplies by analyzing the framework against the current Malaysian environment. I'm no John Maynard Keynes nor Paul Krugman, not an economic graduate either, but just sharing on my thoughts on what could affect the daily lives of ordinary people like you and me. Do feel free to comment, if I was wrong or sharing your thoughts. A brief overview of the confirmed GST model given below. Sorry but the only source which is truly reliable, which clearly indicated what's being tabled on October 25th has only the Bahasa Malaysia version which indicate what it's tax u, what didn't & what is exempted

1) Tax rate: 6% rate, effective from April 1, 2015.
2) Exempted from GST:
- Basic food items such as rice, sugar, salt, flour, cooking oil, lentils, herbs and spices, salted fish, cincalok, budu & belacan
- Piped water supply
- First 200 units of electricity per month for domestic consumers
- Services provided by Government such as issuance of passports, licenses, health services and school education
- Sales, purchase & rental of residential properties
- Selected financial services such as all matters leading to issuance of letter of credits (LC), all financial matters (including purchase of marine insurance) related to goods to be exported, purchase of travel insurance, all personal banking-related matters, all personal insurance-related matters
- Transportation services such as bus, train, LRT, taxi, ferry, boat & highway toll
- All medical related services (government & private) including supplies & consultancies
- All service related to human remains, including funeral, cremation & consultancies

My initial prediction of tax rate to be imposed is minimum 4% to maximum 5%. Can't deny GST is a good way of tackling the government budget deficit but my honest opinion is that this could have been done way before this in the 90s. Even though there's regional economic crisis in 1997, Inflation is still at the low level & our GDP per capita was steadily increasing. Indonesia started implementing GST ( termed VAT in some countries) in 1984, Thailand in 1992, Singapore did it in 1994, Philippines in 1998. The fact that this GST bill has only be proposed to the Parliament in 2008 clearly made us pondered on how do we managed our macro-economy & micro-economy all this while. It's the question about implementing at the right time. True, 6% rate is still among the lowest in the region but this comes back-to-back with the reduction & abolishment of the subsidies for fuels, sugar & other items, which will cause chain reaction of price increase of all goods & services provided domestically. A basic economic model states inflation comes together with rising GDP & standard of living but if it's increasing above the manageable level, u know something is wrong about the implementation of the micro-economic policies.

One look of a model transaction with GST rate of 6%, it seems that the consumers only need to pay extra 6% on top of the current selling price. That is assuming there wont be any increase of the current selling price at the top level of the supply chain. Some claimed market price could also go down too. Based on explanation in my last post & this guide on process of getting GST refund by industries, there's bound to have many hidden costs incurred, starting at manufacturer's level. Getting consultancy services to implement GST, upgrading of the current accounting software or possibly purchase of new software, additional paperwork, hiring & training of staffs to handle all accounting matters & other additional responsibilities, depending which industries u are referring to. About the issue whether there will be price increase or not, throwing back the question, if u are the GST registered supplier/manufacturer/wholesaler & all above are additional costs incurred after the GST implementation, what will u do?

Took days to look thru all attached docs & in come many more questions. Law documents being law documents, it did not clearly indicate what u want to know about the exempted & zero rated supplies but it's the "unseen binding words" in the bill that caught u. To take some examples of our day-to-day transactions at retailing level for exempted items,:-

1) Medical related supplies
The whole tax flow for the whole supply chain is not clearly defined. Supplies of all medical-related goods is zero-rated. In reality, we buy medicines & pharmaceutical goods from Guardian, Watsons etc rather than clinics/hospitals. Are these companies classified as pharmacies which sells only pharmaceutical goods (which can be GST exempted) or rather, retailers (which is GST-taxable)? When we buy other items too, does this means we are to segregate the taxable supplied goods (toiletries, cosmetics etc) & exempted supplied goods (medicines, pharmaceutical goods) at cashier counters? What guideline is given to these companies which provide taxable supplies, zero-rated supplies & exempted supplies, all at the same time to the consumers? What will be practical operational procedure for these companies to tax the consumers?

2) Basic food items
Basic foods items listed above are also exempted but the whole tax flow for the whole supply chain is not clearly defined. Tell me which consumers buy these basic food items direct from manufacturers? Are we, the consumers getting sugar supplies from Prai Sugar or Central Sugar? Are we getting flour supplies from Baba's or Kuantan Flour Mill? We got all of these from retailers of big time hypermarkets & sundry shops. Sundry shops will be GST free but what can u say about Tesco, Giant etc, which clearly have more than the annual sales turnover threshold of MYR 500,000?  What guideline is given to these companies which provide taxable supplies, zero-rated supplies & exempted supplies, all at the same time to the consumers?

2) Government-supplied services
All government-supplied services is exempted. However, it is well known that government has privatized many of its supplies & the status of government linked companies (GLCs) supplied goods/services is not been clearly indicated. Importation of goods supplied to all full government bodies are duties & tax free as indicated under Provision 3, Customs Act 1967. Based on my experiences of dealings with Customs/Ministry of Finance (MOF), GLCs are not classified as government bodies & not eligible for exemption. Thus, it is safe to say GLCs' supplied goods & services such as Telekom M'sia telephone bills, Tenaga Nasional electricity bills are GST taxable. Getting same services from different source can be confusing for some too. For example, renewing your road tax from Road Transport Department is GST free but renewing the road tax from MYEG online web portal is GST taxable.

Please tell me if I was wrong in picturing the whole flow & I seriously hope, I was wrong too. And we can brainstorm/share together. That's all for now & not wanting to prolong this post, my next post shall focus on the affected industries related to our day-to-day tasks, explaining if its taxable supplies to us or not.

Understanding GST: The Theory & Malaysian Framework

GST, or goods & service tax is one of the hotly debated topics among local politicians & economists for the past 5 years. It was made one of the mostly discussed topics during the last election. Being in a freight forwarding industry, which need me to be at the front line at the first level of the import flow (which I will explain later), I'm pretty interested in getting to know on how does it works & studying how much of impact it will have to our local economy. Will try to explain it as simple as possible, compiling information from multiple sources.

GST is a form of value added tax, or commonly known as VAT. The main purpose of VAT is to generate tax revenues to the government, similar to the corporate income tax or personal income tax. More than 160 nations in the world today practice this form of taxation. With China & other top 10 most populous nations in the world in the list as well, it's not surprising an estimated of 90% of world population live in countries with VAT or GST.

Quoting source from Wikipedia, VAT is a consumption tax, which levied on the supply of goods and services at each stage of supply chain from the supplier up to the retail stage of the distribution. In simple term, VAT is collected on the value of goods or services that have been provided each time there is a transaction (sales/purchase).

Current Malaysian Tax Framework
(source: GST)

a) Sales Tax
- Introduced as a single stage consumption tax, levied, charged and paid on goods manufactured locally and imported
- Reduced rate at 5% for non-essential foodstuff and building materials
- General rate of 10%
- Levied on locally manufactured goods at the time of goods are sold or disposed of
- Levied on imported goods at the time of goods declarations
- Government collects tax at manufacturer's level only
- Element of sales tax embedded in the price paid by consumer (in simple term, hidden cost)

b) Service Tax
- Introduced as a single stage consumption tax, levied, charged and paid on specific service provided by a taxable person in Malaysia
- Flat rate of 6% (effective January 2011)
- Government collects tax when service provided to consumer
- Imposed by businesses in hospitality industry (hotels, restaurants, pubs & spas), licensed under service tax act
- Not to be confused with service charge (levied to consumers at 10% rate), which is a sort of replacement for tipping charge for the hospitality provider though not necessarily so

c) Import Duties
- Levied on goods brought into Malaysia
- Varies from 5% to 40%, depending on nature of products
- Duties determined by government using classifications of HS codes for each goods
- Element of duties paid embedded in the price paid by consumer

d) Export Duties
- Levied on goods produced for sale outside Malaysia
- Varies from 0.2% to 10%, depending on nature of products
- Duties determined by government using classifications of HS codes for each goods

e) Excise Duties
- Levied on critical / sin goods such as automobiles, liquor, beer & tobacco products
- Varies from 15% - 105%, depending on nature of products
- Duties determined by government using classifications of HS codes for each goods
- Element of duties paid embedded in the price paid by consumer

The proposed GST will replace sales tax & service tax

Proposed GST Framework

Business making taxable supplies, with annual sales turnover which has exceeded the prescribed threshold of MYR 500,000.00 are liable to be registered under Goods & Service Tax Act 2009. This includes individual, sole proprietor, company, partnership, estate & even trust, union, club, society, association or any other organization including government department of local authority which is involved in the business making taxable supplies in Malaysia. Business who are not registered under GST Act does not need to pay for GST or charge GST to the customer, but they can voluntarily register into it. Check the flow below, using the 4% rate as the model



In simple understanding of the GST regime, although tax is collected throughout the supply chain, it is only the final consumer who pays for it. As explained above, the businesses may recover the tax at every stage of the value chain of a taxable product or service until it reaches the final consumer. As of today (1/10/2013) indicated in Royal Malaysian Customs website, below are industries exempted from collecting GST although Ernst & Young website showed otherwise.

1) Medical services (government & private)
2) Supplies by government, eg. education services, issuance of passport by Immigration, issuance of road tax by Ministry of Transport etc.

However, specific supplies such as water supply & rubbish collections by state government are subjected to GST due to the commercial nature of the services. Supplies made by government statutory bodies & local authorities will also be subject to GST. Example list of statutory bodies are attached. This also means taxable supplies provided by semi-government institutions such as Tenaga Nasional, Telekom are also subject to GST.

For the accounting aspect of handling GST, registered person/company is required to submit all tax returns within stipulated period given by government between 3-6 months, depending on threshold set. All payments are to be made to Royal Malaysian Customs, acting on behalf of government. Claiming GST refunds, however is to be made within 14 working days to Royal Malaysian Customs if claim is submitted online or 28 working days if the claim is submitted manually. Refund of tax maybe offset against other unpaid GST, customs & excise duties. All business & accounting records relating to GST transactions are to be kept in Bahasa Malaysia or English for a period of 7 years.

I've attached some relevant guides for more clarifications of the above. A basic overflow of the proposed Malaysian framework of GST. Attached also is a link for getting guides for companies in different industries. As of today, the general understanding is that GST will be implemented in year 2015. We were made to understand that when it is announced, everyone will be given 18-24 months to be GST ready.

For those who don't know, Malaysia has been experiencing budget deficits since 1999. In simple terms, budget deficit means that the government spends more money than it receives. With the economy downturn happening across the region & observing the local political/economic environment, my prediction is the GST could be pushed forward to year 2014 & will be announced in Budget 2014, scheduled this October 18th. Do bear in mind, at time of this blog post, before the announcement of this bill, all information here may not be treated as 100% accurate. I'm purely sharing information with all, with the current reliable sources which I've linked all over this post and giving you all a picture of current framework (at the time of posting) & what might happens. My next post shall be on the analysis & impact to the individual, company & economy as a whole. This of course, will be depending on the announcement of Budget 2014 and shall be posted after it.

The Arrogance of Authority & The Impertinence of Stupidity

Got this great story to share with all

A DEA officer stopped at a ranch in Texas , and talked with an old rancher. He told the rancher, "I need to inspect your ranch for illegally grown drugs." The rancher said, "Okay, but don't go in that field over there.....", as he pointed out a distant location.

The DEA officer verbally exploded, saying, " Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me!" Reaching into his rear pants pocket, he removed his badge and proudly displayed it to the rancher. "See this badge?! This badge means I am allowed to go wherever I wish.... on ANY land!! No questions asked or answers given!! Have I made myself clear...... do you understand???"
The rancher nodded politely, apologized, and went about his chores. A short time later, the old rancher heard loud screams, looked up and saw the DEA officer running for his life, being chased by the rancher's enormous Santa Gertrudis bull...…

With every step the bull was gaining ground on the officer, and it seemed likely that the officer would be gruesomely gored before he reached safety. The man was clearly terrified. The rancher threw down his tools, ran to the fence and yelled at the top of his lungs.....
                         (you will love this part….)

                        "Your badge........ show him your BADGE!!"

Language - The Power Tool

Language, they say is the most powerful tool to succeed in getting your message across to the audience. The utmost important must-do way is by using normal conversational language as a tool. When I say, conversational language, it doesn't need to be perfectly constructed sentences. The infamous Manglish (English spoken in localized Malaysian slang with localized words) is one conversational language. Same can be applied for other local languages as well. Knowing the language is one thing. Being proficient in it is another thing. Being able to use it to appeal to the right audience is another whole new level.

I usually train my Customer Service personnels to adapt to customer's language level to be able to create a rapport with them. Giving dummies example, if a German is working in Japan, he can't speak German to the colleagues. Of course, they can speak a common language, such as English. However, if he's to learn Japanese & speak to the colleagues, it brings the rapport & relationship to a higher level. Even, in any tasks in our working environment, we can use this method too. This can be demonstrated in below some real-life scenarios below:-

MESSAGE: To check driver status & to inform him on the urgency to deliver the goods to customer

Speaking to Malay driver (Malay language)
Me: Bang, ko kat mana ni? (Bro, where are u now?)
Driver: Aku kat Shah Alam ni, dekat roundabout JVC. (I'm in Shah Alam now, nearby JVC roundabout)
Me: Barang Canon tu, ko hantar cepat pi sana ya. Aku dah kena marah teruk dengan customer ni (U  know the Canon goods, please deliver it urgently, okay?? I've already got scolded by customer)
Driver: Ya ker? OK, lagi 10 minit sampai. (Is it?? OK, be right there in 10 minutes)
Me: OK, timo kaseh ya (OK, thank you)

Speaking to Indian driver (Malay language)
Me: A-ne, lu sekarang kat mana? (Bro, where are you now??)
Driver: Saya kah? Saya dekat.....tol USJ. Kejap lagi sampai. (Me?? Me now nearby.....USJ toll. Will arrive there shortly)
Me: Itu macam kah? Itu barang Canon ahh...lu bawa kan? Itu manyak urgent lahh. Lu cepat-cepat hantar sana ahh. Itu customer sudah manyak marah lahh (Is it??U know that Canon goods? Ur carrying it right?? It's an urgent goods, could u please deliver it urgently. The customer is very angry now)
Driver: Ya kah? OK, OK, nanti sekejap sampai (Is it?? OK, OK, will arrive there shortly)
Me: OK, thank you ahhh. (OK, thank you)

Speaking to Chinese driver (Cantonese language)
Me: Tailo, yi kar lei hai pin to??  (Bro, where are you now??)
Driver: Yi kar ahh?? Yi kar ngo hai USJ toll kor to (Now?? Now. I'm nearby USJ toll)
Me: Tiew lo !!!  Ko ti Canon for ha mai, ho chung yu ka. Ngo pei hap chai tiew to ho sai lik...Fai tit sung hoi kor to, ma fan lei. (Fu**!!! U know the Canon goods, it's very urgent u know. I got fu** nicely by customer. Could u please deliver it urgently?? Thanks)
Driver: K&%%& !!! Ho lah ho lah. Ngo chun leong ahhh (K&%*!! OK, OK, will do my best)
Me: Mmmm koi lei ahh, ha si cheng lei yamcha (Thank you very much, will buy u drinks next time)

I'm truly grateful to be able to grasp the local conversational language, be it in Malay, English or dialects like Cantonese, Hokkien etc thru exposures in my education years in national schools & current working environment. My only regret is not learning Mandarin properly during my schooling years, which I promised myself not to let it happen to my children. Not undermining some people putting priority for their children on learning internationally recognized language such as English & Mandarin, but many of us may have forgotten about the having language skills required to work in a Malaysian environment.

True, learning English & Mandarin is important & in fact, should be made a priority for all children. Unless, we're training ourselves to work in oversea country for all our life, we mustn't ignore the other languages as well such as Malay & local dialects such as Cantonese, Hokkien, which sadly I think is slowly dying. As what I mentioned earlier, grasping the conversational language (not necessarily need to master) to survive in a Malaysian environment. We took for granted on having a home country with cultures so diverse that we forgotten that it's actually a free training ground for our children to learn multiple languages, all at the same time. Something to ponder on for the parent wannabes or for those planning education for their child....

Meeting Etiquettes

Sharing something I learned from a signboard in Western Digital. Great culture there !!

BEFORE MEETING
- Define objectives & desired outcomes
- Develop agenda & preparation required
- Determine participation, empower representatives
- Define date, time & venue
- Define meeting deliverables

DURING MEETING
- Keep to time limits- start & end of time
- Review & stick to agenda
- Agree on responsibilities & establish ECDs
- Arbitrate conflicts & take control of meeting
- Challenge ideas, not individuals
- Do what you say you'll do

AFTER MEETING
- Distribute minutes / meeting notes / action items
- Follow up proactively with action owners
- Brief team / subodinates on actions taken, suggested solutions & overall outcomes

Hong Kong

This has been pending since last November. It was a hasty arrangement by bosses for myself, Will & Hiraoka to make a 3D2N trip to Hong Kong to study their newly integrated operational system in airfreight forwarding & look if can be adapted to our local environment. Arrived on Sunday evening to check into our rooms in Park Hotel, Tsim Sha Tsui. A standard HK-sized but cosy & comfortable.

Cosy room

Walked to the tis Japanese restaurant Tonikaku nearby, highly recommended by tis Jap colleague of us. He ordered the food as if there's no tomorrow but I must admit they were good, especially the fresh sushi. And the bill came up to four figure sum of HK dollars (although I dont see exactly how much). Surprisingly, no one seems to know what to do next, especially the Jap who make countless trips to HK already. Being a self appointed tour guide, I took initiative to take them to Avenue of Stars, approx 20 minutes by walking. Too bad, we missed the Syphony of Lights show but at least got to enjoy the beautiful HK skylights at night. The weather & the setting around was just perfect that u just wanna sit down on the bench & watch people passing by. Went back for early nap, knowing the next day will be packed with activities.

This plate of sushi costs RM 240.00 !!!!

Beautiful HK skylights along the Avenue of Stars

You just wanna sit down & admire the scenery like this

The next morning, we walked to our HK branch HQ located nearby the hotel for initial discussion with the people concerned (with only me & Will being the only non-Japanese!!!) Had a dim sum lunch in tis reataurant. I must say the "ha kao" was one of the best tasted so far, 2 BIG prawns wrapped in a thin layered smooth rice flour. Later, we made a visit to our airport warehouse & operation office located in this Hutchison Logistic Centre nearby Kowloon border. Still a distance from the Chek Lap Kok actually but it was strategically situated between airport & sea port. Gasped, looking at the total volume of their cargo handling. Besides servicing the local HK area, others nearby such as Macau, Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Dongguan & even Guangzhou were included in area of servicing. Naturally, their volume was probably 5-6 times bigger than our KLIA branch.

After trip & discussion in airport, we went back to HQ for another round of discussion before having dinner in a Szechuan restaurant. The night was way too young to call it a day after dinner. The Jap went for his own plan while Will & I made a trip to the Mongkok/Yau Ma Tei area for night shopping. Cant remember how many streets we prowled..Ladies Market, Sai Yeung Choi Street, this street, that street...even walking along the same street twice or thrice !!! Ended the shopping trip with a supper meal of smooth "flavoured tau fu fa" with fresh polo buns in one of many desert stalls nearby. On the last day, Had one more endless round of discussion in HQ to wrap up the whole program before taking train to the airport

KL team & HK colleague on the left

Ladies Market

With image like this in billboard along the busiest street in Hong Kong, it's no wonder traffic jam is sooo bad

Mango tau foo fa

HK...I'm on the way

Packing luggages for biz trip to HK tomorrow. Will spend 3 days over in our office in airport. The Japs said it's to study the HK system & operational procedures and checking if it's can be implemented into Malaysian environment..The stuffs looked good on presentation. We'll see how it goes then. Could have spent extra nite in HK but everyone seems impatient wanting to know the report of findings that I need to give the next day. **sigh**..blog bout tis soon

Overdue Updates

One blink of any eye & it's end of February now. There's the second annual Akurians trip held in Langkawi last December, Chinese New Year celebrations & the current political circus goin on nationwide (Perak & Selangor to be exact)

Sorry to the Akurians for not posting anything bout the trip. Next post okay?? Let me begin here with HAPPY NEW YEAR, HAPPY PONGGAL, HAPPY THAIPUSAM, HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR to everyone there...that wishes alone explain how much time passed since my last post...

Just that too frustrated with current local issues to write a post. As we knew here, economic situation in tis part of the world is not doing well. Being in the freight forwarding line, servicing mostly semiconductor firms, my company was in the frontline of affected parties. Factories are closing down & retrenching workers, causing thousands (but I believe it could run into hundred thousands) of people left jobless. For those barely surviving, drastic cost-cutting measures are being implemented. Paycut, longer shutdown period etc, anythin else under the sun that can be done to minimise the costs. Some companies are just only operating 4 days a week as some existing staffs forced to take unpaid leaves. Don't even mention about OT here. Worst part is nothing much really been done to help the worst-affected industries, at least to help them to sustain. Japan, the strongest economy in Asia has announced it's being in a recession & even Singapore has done it. And this is the funny part, here our beloved PM in-waiting insists the country is unaffected with the current state of world economy & we're not showing any decline and that we have the strong fundamentals to sustain. Wondering what fundamentals he meant & if he actually knew what he's talking about.

Don't even wanna mention the current political circus going on in the federal & state governments where all the players are acting as if the world is their oyster. The in-word now seems to be "stimulus package"...Statements after statement given, first stimulus, second stimulus etc...The question is where is the so-called packages? What is the projected domestic growth after the stimulus given? Which industries will be given priorities? Where is the roadmap of all those packages?? As one citizen Anas Zubedy correctly said it in an open advertorial in Star newspaper on 26th February, it's the people who suffer the most now. Check it out at thestar.com.my. Problem with those politicians is that thought of admitting about a problem equals to admitting their weaknesses. Listen here, everybody knew this recession thingy is like a lifecycle & bound to happen to every country. It's about being realistic & going through the tough times together to ensure there's food on the table for everyone. People will understand & not to the extent of ignoring the pleas of those who voted you into power.

I pray for wisdom to be given to those not able to be rationalise things. I pray for forgiveness for those who preach to others but don't admit of their own shortcomings/mistakes. I pray for strength to be given to those who lost their jobs and still need to feed their families. I pray for perseverance to be given to those having huge debts & problems piling up. I pray for courage to be given to those are still unsure how to remedy the setbacks they're facing now. And most of all, I pray for those on the verge of breaking down to continue to believe in themselves & Him in these trying times.

December Round-Up

Been a busy month here & tat's why the non-updates of blog posts. Now it's reaching the end of the year. There's the Bangkok airport closure at beginning of the month, creating much needed business for our KLIA airfreight business, Mahikari Tai Jamboree held last weekend, Thiru's beautiful wedding in Cyberview Lodge Cyverjaya and upcoming Langkawi trip with the Akurians tomorrow...Can't sleep well now....

More posts will be coming soon after I'm back and...

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!

Work Work Work

Dunno what am I thinkin about but tis is the first post about my career. Just that, nv wrote about it & so, why not this time? Whenever I said I'm in a freight forwarding industry, people will give that blank stare and the synonymous "Huh?? Freight what?" And my typical answer (simple one as not to confuse them further) will be like "U know DHL or Fedex?? We're somethin like that, just that we're focused more on industrial sector." So, let tis post enlightens u peeps' ehh??

Currently working in this company called Nippon Express Malaysia Sdn Bhd for 5.5 years now, stationed in its KLIA airport branch in the import department. Company quite a big thing in Japan where they're almost equilvalent to Pos Malaysia and there's also offices & agents all over the major countries in 5 continents. Check out the website http://www.nipponexpress.com/ Back in M'sia, our airfreight division is the top forwarder in M'sia for 8 years in the row now. And being a Jap company, naturally majority of our clienteles boast of Japanese biggies & other SMEs. Wonder if there's any commissions of sorts for promoting the company in this blog...hehheeehe

So, the simple process in our department will be like getting the imported goods out from the flights, clear them in customs & deliver to clients asap. Sounds easy, but with almost 250 staffs in KLIA office & almost 70 staffs in import department alone plus volatility of the industry, every passing day is a challenge & of cos, new experiences to gain. Being in a managerial level, nv that I imagine that I could actually practice what I've learnt before. Studied Business Admins majoring in Marketing, it is a wonderful God arrangement for me to practice this on daily basis. Will talk in details in future post. Being a 24/7 company, phones ringing during wee hours in the morning is pretty normal routine. Not to mention also the stress level which can reach up to ur head (to almost explosion level) during peak & critical times, having to attend to multiple demands (sometimes ridiculous) of multinational companies despite of existence of uncontrollable factors in weather, political, economical & other areas.

Of cos there are funny memorable experiences too, besides the forgettable bad ones. Earlier this year, we need to clear a newly arrived dog from Japan & to deliver to its owner in Johor Bahru. Our new Jap manager was monitoring closely due to the dog owner is a MD for one of the major clients. All necessary customs & health documentations were in order with special handling requests were in place as well. All that we were told is its a 4 years old St Bernard and it requires at least air-conditioned surroundings for its logistics. Refrigerated truck is a no-no or the owner's best friend will be freezed to death. Arranged an Avanza though to carry the dog to JB. However when the dog arrived, everybody were shocked & tis Jap panicked. Nv thought a 4 years old St Bernard (let's call it Bernie) can be so huge sized. When Bernie stands, it almost as tall as myself. Naturally the cage was too big to be fitted into the Avanza & arranging a bigger van will take another 2 hours at least. With the humid weather, the logistics will need to be done fast. The best option is to release Bernie & get it to sit in the passenger seat and dissemble the cage. Probably being new to the environment, Bernie was stubborn & not wanting to get into the van. Thank goodness, Bernie finally relented & even agreed to put on seat belt (good dog!!) I could have taken photos of that as it looked cute in it !!! hehehe

There's many more stories later & stay tuned ya....

Aftermath Next??

After March 8th 2008, June 4 must be the second most shocking day for most Malaysians in 2008. Petrol prices was increased 78 cents to ridiculously RM2.70 per litre while diesel prices skyrocketed to RM 2.58 per litre, up RM1 from previous price.

I've been bombarded with forwarded emails for whole day, with emails stating of how we were actually cheated by government, how our petrol price can be controlled etc etc. Honestly, those stuffs just don't strike me anymore. Why the cry over split milk? Not that government will turn back its decision despite of the massive outcry by the rakyat, the actual kingmaker who chose the government of the day. In fact, the increase is unevitable, being in line with the increasing world market price of crude oil. We all knew it's going to happen but the rate of increase apparently caught everyone in a shock.

In one report, Idris Jala, MD of Malaysia Airlines said there's actually more than enough of oil supply in the world at the moment but the rising prices are works of speculators. Being an ex-Shell guy added more credentials to his statement. There's some Soros' out there making hell of a profit & there's no one seems to care about stopping this (increasing prices) It's coming....it has happened & nothing we can do to stop it. We just need to move on. The magic question now is - how are the ordinary citizens (that's you & me) goin to move on from here???

This is just the beginning with the impending aftermath of a national level inflation, as predicted by economicians & politicians. Tenaga Nasional has increased its rates of electricity supply. Coupled with the continued rising prices of rice, all basic stuffs in our daily life will bound to cost more with some parties will take full advantage by increasing the prices unnecessarily. The "roti canai" I had for breakfast near my place in SS14 Subang yesterday, now costs me RM1.10 each !!!! Being in an airfreight forwarding industry means I'm in the frontline of the worse hit affected industries. Trucking costs increased two fold in a space of a day. One full tank for a 40-footer trailer now costs RM750.00. Airlines has given hints of increasing fuel surcharges within a month. The most painful truth is being tied to contract agreement with customers, we're unable to divert the increased costs back to them.

Back to the question, it's time to sit down & lists down the things in order to negate the inflation. Let me think about it & share with all next time...

Trip to the Highland of Tea

Went up to Cameron Highlands with several office colleagues recently. My last time up there was way back to 17 years ago. So,that's explain why I said yes immediately when Jeri, a female colleague popped the question (no no, it's not a proposal but invitation to the trip) Being a tea lover, I was already dreaming away about drinking my fave hot teh tarik, overlooking the mountains with rains drizzling away... & I could hear someone singing "Raindrops keep falling on my head..." Ahhh..

The "participants" consists of colleagues from Port Klang-Raj,Hafiz,Bobby,Ummu & hubby & Liza and HQ offices-Stef, Jeri & Chow while I'm the only representative from KLIA airport. A truly muhibbah bunch indeed. Started moving at noon after work & reached Brinchang at about 7.00pm. Along the way, I looked out the window, telling myself how much this place has changed over the years. Strawberry farms were sprouting everywhere, mainly catering for tourists with their "pick your own strawberry" promos. We checked into this Star Regency Apartment Hotel which is located at the central of the Brinchang town. Our apartment unit was a cosy one, complete with 3 rooms, Astro & a big hall area (to the extent we cud have a picnic on the floor,really!!!)

Morning view of Brinchang town from apartment balcony...

Went for a steamboat dinner outside the hotel. As it was raining heavily outside, we're unable to take a walk in the night market, situated just in front of the hotel. It was chilly cold even in the apartment. Naturally, staying indoor is the one & only option for the night. Ended up playing some poker games & talked cock till wee hours while enjoying fine red wines. Managed to gain small profits from the poker games & that makes a perfect sleeping potion for a tired me.

The next morning was perfectly breezy & went for breakfast in nearby restaurant. First stop of the visit is the Sunday market, situated somewhere near the Equatorial hotel. Looking at the fresh veggies/strawberries on sale at too-good-to-be-true prices, the spontaneous response is to call back home & said "Mum, dun go to the market today & I shall buy the veggies which can last us the whole week!!!" Where cud we find the selling price of RM 10.00 for 16 big packs of different veggies. Maybe the seller has overstocks that she happily gave me another 3 veggie packs for free...

Superfresh veggies on sale

Nature's answer to mosquito coil & Ridsect

Next stop is the Cameron Bharat cafe in Tanah Rata on the way down, perfect place to fulfill my dream. Ordered the teh tarik & sat down with rest of the peeps chit-chatting away,breathing the fresh mountain air while waiting for the shopaholic ladies to make their round..:) Minus the rain & the song, it's still a relaxing moment. With the stunning & breathtaking view of the plantation on the mountaneous area, I had a field day clicking away my camera. Last stop was the Lata Iskandar waterfall, which makes a perfect place for a group photo.

Cameron Bharat plantation

A MUST - group photo with scenic view as background

Now back to the drawing board, ppl said the highland has lost its lustre & not attractive enuff to the foreigners / tourists. My saying is the place has not really changed much in term of attractions. The tea plantation/veggie farms etc have been there for generations...trust me, people here really know how to brew tea with perfect blend & "ngam ngam" amount of milk...Solutions shud be searched to keep ppl coming back. The point here is the biscuit quality could still remains the same after many years but it's the matter of re-packaging/improvised marketing strategies for the products that will keep going a steady flow of customers. Got the idea Tourism Ministry staffs, if u happen to be seeing tis?

Now, let me sip my self-made Cameron Valley tea (bought from Bharat plantations) first before talking about other trips soon....