Online registered my kid to Standard 1 in primary school

If your family has a child at the age of 5 or 6, now it is the time to register your kid to Standard 1 in local primary school for year of entry 2012-2013. The registration is open from March until April 2011.

If you are staying in Selangor, you can register your kid online with the web registration service of JPN Selangor: Pengurusan Murid Tahun 1 Online JPN Selangor - Permohonan Penempatan Murid Tahun 1

You will need to key-in the parents detail as well as the kid's detail. Then, you can pick the primary school of your choice for application. At the end of the process, you'll be given a PIN number.

The website could be quite slow. If the page jammed for more than 10 minutes, you can try to click the Back button to go back to previous step, and resubmit again.

The online registration is only half of the whole process. After that, you will need to bring the following documents to the school you wish to register your kid for verification. Acceptance of the registration will depend on JPN Selangor.

• Birth certificate (original & photocopy)
• MyKid (original & photocopy)
• Parents' MyKad (original & photocopy)
• Marriage certificate of parents (original & photocopy)
• Utility bill with your address (TNB/water/telephone)
• Health record card of the child with vaccination records
• Self-addressed envelop of 4"x9" with 60 sen postage stamp

You can check for the processing and acceptance status at the same website above (with the 4th link in the menu).

Develop cross-platform iPhone and Android games with Corona Mobile Development Platform

Corona SDK is a mobile development framework by Ansca Mobile (established by a team of former Adobe mobile engineers) for creating high-performance, multimedia rich mobile applications and games for the iPhone, iPad, and Android.

Corona SDK uses Lua programming language. Although this is a new language to most application developers, I can assure you that this scripting language is pretty easy to learn and master, much easier than Objective-C, C++ and even Java.

One of the success stories of mobile application developed with Corona SDK is that: a 14 years old kid from Utah, Robert Nay, has developed a popular games with Corona SDK called Bubble Ball, and uploaded it to iTunes App Store. Within a very short period of time, this game has attracted millions of download, outshining the famous Angry Birds games.

The Corona SDK contains an integrated simulator for iPhone, iPad and Android. It also comes with a debugger, and a rapidly growing library of APIs and sample codes. It is integrated with Box2D physics engine, make it easy for games development. It can also take care of different screen size and resolution of mobile devices, and scale the application display accordingly.

Corona SDK is available for Mac OS X and Windows (still beta). It is free for trial during development stage. However, you'll need to pay for the annual Corona SDK Subscription in order to distribute and/or sell your mobile apps developed with it.

You might probably also be interested to read about:

• Coding cross-platform iPhone, iPad and Android mobile applications in Javascript

Coding cross-platform iPhone, iPad and Android mobile applications in Javascript

Talking about mobile application development, most of us will think about Objective-C for iPhone/iPad and Java for Android devices.

Well, there are at least 2 ways we can produce cross-platform iPhone, iPad and Android mobile applications in Javascript.

One is by using the open source PhoneGap mobile framework by Nitobi Software, which is basically a wrapper that runs your mobile application via the webview browser object and provides some access to native APIs of the mobile platform. The trade-off of using PhoneGap including: slower application runtime, limited access to OS and hardware APIs, web-like user interface (compared with native user interface), etc.

Another way is by using the open source Appcelerator Titanium Mobile development platform, which will compile your Javascript codes into native iPhone, iPad and/or Android mobile application. As a result, the mobile apps developed with Titanium Mobile will have almost the same runtime speed with native apps developed in Objective-C (for iPhone/iPad) and Java (Android SDK).

You will need an Apple Macintosh computer (with Apple iPhone SDK installed) to build iPhone applications with Titanium. You can build Android applications in Apple Mac, Windows or Linux computer, with the Android SDK and emulators installed. This also means that if you are using Titanium in a Mac, it is possible for you to develop cross-platform mobile applications for both iPhone and Android using the same code base.

One of the beauty of Titanium is that it has a rich library of APIs of 30+ modules, 80+ objects, 800+ methods and 2800+ properties  (and still expanding) which enables developers to get the most out of the mobile resources, including resources from Internet such as the Facebook APIs, Yahoo APIs, etc. It even made available a Kitchen Sink demo program, which showcases majority of its available APIs.

Mobile apps developed with Titanium including Sugar Mobile by SugarCRM, eBay Corporate by eBay, GetGlue by AdaptiveBlue, etc.

You might probably also be interested to read about:

• Now it is possible to develop Desktop applications (Windows, Linux, Mac OS X) with web programming language (Javascript, HTML, CSS, PHP, Python, Ruby)
• Develop cross-platform iPhone and Android games with Corona Mobile Development Platform

Now it is possible to develop Desktop applications (Windows, Linux, Mac OS X) with web programming language (Javascript, HTML, CSS, PHP, Python, Ruby)

For decades, programming for Desktop applications running in Windows, Linux or Mac OS X is a different world from programming for Web applications (LAMP, Django, ASP.Net, etc.).

Developers from the Java world, and the Adobe Flash world, might argue that their development platform can go across Desktop as well as Web application development, and even Mobile application development too. That's true, but the application developed with Java or Flash will have trade-off in performance compared with native applications. There is also limited support to OS level controls, interfaces and functionalities as well.

If you are a Web developer familiar with languages such as Javascript, HTML, CSS, PHP, Python and/or Ruby, have you ever though of using your favourite web programming languages to develop desktop applications that run on Windows, Linux and/or Mac OS X?

Appcelerator Inc. has put their endeavours to make this dream come to reality with their open source rapid application development (RAD) platform called Appcelerator Titanium Desktop. In fact, you can also build cross-platform applications that run on these 3 different OS platforms, compiled from a single code-base.

Titanium platform is a similar product in a number of ways with Adobe AIR. For web developers, its main advantage is that you don't need to learn a new language like Flash or ActionScript, as you can leverage on your existing knowledge in Javascript, HTML, CSS, PHP, Python and/or Ruby. In addition, Titanium provides access to native OS controls, as well as numerous APIs for you to work with.

The Titanium Developer tool itself has separate build for installation on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. This means regardless you are using Windows, Linux or Mac OS X, you can develop applications with Titanium in your favourite OS platform, and even develop for another OS, such as developing Linux applications in your Windows computer.

This is what they claimed: "Flaunt your geek cred with Linux applications, go mainstream with Windows, get hip with OS X, or do all three from one code base. Titanium apps take up to 1/10th the memory of Adobe AIR apps and have complete access to the local system. "

Sounds promissing? Well, Titanium is still a relatively new product, and you might hit some bugs or flaws when using it. It has been improving from version to version, and its community base is growing.

In fact, Appcelerator Titanium is more popular being a cross-platform RAD for mobile application development (iPhone, iPAD, Android, etc.)

Take a look at my next article about Titanium Mobile.

Converted my CIMB credit card transaction to Smart i.Pay instalment

During Chinese New Year time, I have made a relatively large purchase in a retail shop with my CIMB credit card, amounting to RM3k+.

After considering the additional cost incurred (the interest), I've decided to convert that transaction to 10 months instalments with a one-time upfront interest of 2%. This means that by paying CIMB RM60+ for the interest, I can repay the RM3k+ credit card transaction in 10 months period, equilvalent to 0.2% interest per month.

The process is pretty simple. Just make a call to 03-62047877 (CIMB credit card customer service) and inform them you want to convert the transaction to CIMB Smart i.Pay instalments. After some verification and confirmation, the transaction will be converted into the instalment plan accordingly.

CIMB Smart i.Pay scheme is as below:

Maximum amount for Smart i.Pay conversion is RM30k per transaction.

In fact, if the transaction made is for education, insurance or hospital expenses, you can convert it to CIMB Smart Flexi-Pay for 10 months, 0% interest repayment scheme. The minimum spending for that transaction is RM1k to be eligible for CIMB Smart Flexi-Pay.

• Click here for more information about CIMB Smart i.Pay
• Click here for more information about CIMB Smart Flexi-Pay
• Click here for more information about CIMB Balance Transfer (6 months 0%, 12 months 1%)

Changed my ceiling fans from Panasonic FM14C5 to Alpha VS-5

About 5 years ago, I installed 3 Panasonic FM14C5 ceiling fans in my house. It was an OEM of a similar KDK fan. It has pretty good looks and feels, and functioned well until recently, 2 of the 3 units gave problem and disappointed me.

The problem ceiling fans gave out noise when operating. They also no longer controllable with the remote control. And their warranty period was over.

I called my electrician friend to come and take a look. He said many household already encountered the same problem with this model of Panasonic ceiling fan. The motor control circuit is damaged and only serviceable by Panasonic.

As a result, I decided to change the 2 problem Panasonic FM14C5 ceiling fans to Alpha VS-5.

Alpha VS-5 is slightly more expensive than FM14C5, but yet within the range of RM2xx. It looks bulkier, but actually is better than FM14C5 because:

• VS-5 has 5 blades, while FM14C5 only have 4 blades
• The blade of VS-5 is ABS type, while FM14C5's is metal type

As a result, VS-5 is able to deliver stronger wind, and its operation is very quiet because ABS is used for its blades.

Hope that these Alpha VS-5 ceiling fans in my house can last longer.

Proposed stations of Klang Valley MRT (Sg Buloh - Kajang line)

Apart from the Light Rail Transit (LRT) extension to Subang Jaya and Puchong area, another hot topic in KL public transport nowadays being the new Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system from Sungai Buloh to Kajang.

Currently, the Land Public Transport Commission (Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat, SPAD) is organizing the Klang Valley MRT Open Day at Exhibition Hall 3, Mid Valley Convention Centre for 3 months from 14 Feb 2011 - 14 May 2011, open daily from 10am to 9pm.

There, we can see a 40 feet satellite image featuring the proposed alignment of the 51km line consisting of 35 stations running from Sungai Buloh to Kajang, namely The Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT Railway Scheme .

Beside Mid Valley, the railway scheme is also displayed at the following place for public review during the Klang Valley MRT Open Day period:

• SPAD office
• Bangsar LRT station
• Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL)
• Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA)
• Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ)
• Majlis Perbandaran Kajang (MPKj)
• Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS)

The proposed MRT line and its stations is as shown in the map below.

You can click here to download this map in PDF.

From the map, we can see that the proposed 35 stations are:

• Sungai Buloh
• Kg. Baru Sungai Buloh
• RRI
• Kota Damansara
• Taman Industri Sg Buloh
• PJU 5
• Dataran Sunway
• The Curve
• One Utama
• TTDI
• Seksyen 17
• Seksyen 16
• Pusat Bandaraya Damansara
• Semantan
• KL Sentral
• Pasar Seni
• Merdeka
• Bukit Bintang Barat
• Bukit Bintang Timur
• Pasar Rakyat
• Cochrane
• Maluri
• Taman Bukit Ria
• Taman Bukit Mewah
• Leisure Mall
• Plaza Phoenix
• Taman Suntex
• Taman Cuepacs
• Bandar Tun Hussien Onn
• Balakong
• Taman Koperasi
• Taman Mesra
• Saujana Impian
• Bandar Kajang
• Kajang

Click here to visit the official website of Klang Valley MRT Project.

Importing contacts from SIM card to Samsung Galaxy Tab

If you are switching phone to Samsung Galaxy Tab, and have stored your contacts used in your previous handphone into the SIM card, you can import those contacts in your SIM card to the Contacts application of Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Here is the way to do it.

Step 1: Open the Contacts application in your Samsung Galaxy Tab by tapping the Contacts icon as shown below.

Alternatively, you can also open the Phone application and select the Contacts tab to reach the same place.

Step 2: Press the Menu key (the 1st of the 4 keys below Samsung Galaxy Tab) and select Import/Export.

Step 3: Select "Import from SIM card", then select Save contact to "Device".

Step 4: The list of contacts in the SIM card will be shown on screen. Press the Menu key again and select  "Copy to device" to duplicate the contacts to the phone, or select "Move to device" to move the contacts from SIM card to the phone (after moving, original contacts will be removed from SIM card).

Note that you also have the option to delete unwanted contacts in SIM card here with the Delete option.

Step 5: You will be given the option to select the contacts you want to copy or move. If you want to select all, then just choose "Select All".

Step 6: Tap on the "Done" button below and the import will be performed.

When the action finished, you can press the Back key (the 3rd key) to return to Contacts.

Perhaps you already figured out how to export contacts from Samsung Galaxy Tab to SIM card. The process is similar, just that you select "Export to SIM card" instead of "Import from SIM card" during Step 3.

Apple iPad is entitled to LHDN personal income tax relief but not Samsung Galaxy Tab

In reference to Paragraph 46(1)(j) of Malaysian Income Tax Act 1967, an amount limited to a maximum of RM3,000 is deductible in respect of the purchase of non-business use personal computer for individual tax payer.

This deduction is allowed once in 3 years, but no deduction will be granted if the computer is used for business purpose.

Now, the question: are tablet computers such as Apple iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Viewsonic ViewPad 7, Toshiba Folio 100, CSL Spice Mi700 DroidPad, Blackberry Playbook, ZTE V9, etc. entitled for this personal income tax relief?
 
I have asked this question to LHDN, and the official answer is: if the tablet computer only have computer features and is for home and family use only, then it will be treated as "computer" and is entitled to the personal income tax relief of up to RM3,000, claimable once in 3 years.
 
This will be the case for Apple iPad, Toshiba Folio 100 and Blackberry Playbook. Let's say you purchased an Apple iPad 64GB with Wifi+3G at the price of RM2,599 in year 2010, and your tax rate is 24%, when you file your 2010 personal income tax now, you can claim back RM2,599 tax relief, which is equilvalent to a saving of RM623.76 in your income tax. (If you have any family member or friend or colleague who purchased Apple iPad recently, please forward this good news to them using the "Share" button below.)
 
However, if the tablet computer also have handphone features in addition to computer features, which mean you can make phone calls and also send SMS/MMS using the telco service with the tablet, then it will be treated as a "phone" and is not entitled to personal income tax relief. This is the case for Samsung Galaxy Tab, Viewsonic ViewPad 7, CSL Spice Mi700 DroidPad, ZTE V9, etc. Bad news.
 
If you need to verify this information, can make a call to LHDN at 1300-88-3010 or email to callcentre@hasil.gov.my.

Best deal to buy original Samsung Galaxy Tab in Malaysia

Samsung Galaxy Tab is a 7" tablet computer, smaller than the 9" Apple iPad and larger than the 5" Dell Streak,  with full phone feature and dual camera.

It was first officially introduced to Malaysia by Maxis with the following data plan commitment packages:

• 12 month: RM1,849
• 24 month: RM1,749

However, right now Maxis has already removed Samsung Galaxy Tab from their range of bundled smart phone packages.

Beside Maxis, Digi is selling it with the following data plan commitment packages:

• 12 month: RM1,849
• 24 month: RM1,599

And before 28 January 2011, Celcom is selling it with the following data plan commitment packages:

• 12 month: RM1,738
• 18 month: RM1,668

After 28 January 2011, now Celcom has reduced its price to:

• 12 month: RM1,568
• 18 month: RM1,498

SenQ is also selling Samsung Galaxy Tab. Although the price is slightly higher, you don't need to tie up with any data plan, and you can use your credit card to pay by installment. There is also extended warranty period up to 3 years. The current price:

• Non-Citibank member: RM2,199 (free RM50 Chinese New Year voucher)
• Citibank credit card: RM2,099

Therefore, right now the best deal to buy original Samsung Galaxy Tab in Malaysia seems to be:

• RM1,498 with Celcom Exec 50 + mBasic 1GB data plan (18 month contract period)
• RM2,099 in SenQ, pay by Citibank credit card (no need data plan commitment, 3 years warranty, 36 months installment period)

Recently, Celcom and Digi has signed a partnership to share their telco infrastructure. Therefore, we can expect that either you are with Celcom or with Digi, the 2G/2.5G/3G data service quality and availability will be the same after this sharing of telco infrastructure.

Asia Trader & Investor Convention (ATIC) @ KL 2011

The annual Asia's largest trader and investor event, Asia Trader & Investor Convention (ATIC) 2011 is coming.

Date: 2-3 April 2011
Time: 9.00am - 6.00pm
Venue: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, KLCC, Malaysia
Fees: RM28 for 2 days entry ticket

ATIC has travelled to 7 Asian Cities, i.e., Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Mumbai, Shenzhen and Tokyo. With participation by over 300 financial services companies, including securities exchanges, retail and consumer banks, securities brokerage firms, asset/fund management firms, listed companies and other financial services providers, the events have attracted over 100,000 active traders and serious investors across Asia.
ATIC Kuala Lumpur 2011 is targetted to feature more than 40 seminars conducted by international and local gurus and experts.

I noticed that the ATIC ticket price keeps on increasing every year. In 2009, it is free. Last year, there was an early bird price of RM18. This year, no news about early bird price yet.

Click here for more information about ATIC at KL 2011.

IPv4 will be used up really soon. Are we ready for IPv6?

The IP address in the format of XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX (i.e. IPv4) which is the basic identification of every device connected to the Internet is predicted to be fully allocated (used up) on the estimated date of 2 February 2011. Take a look at the ticking counter of IPv4 exhaustion here.

The current IPv4 address space is a 32 bit field, possible for 4,294,967,296 (4.29 billion) allocations. It is used by all network devices connected using the TCP/IP protocol, including computers, mobile devices, network devices, certain telecommunication devices, certain electrical appliances, and everything connected to the Internet with TCP/IP.

IPv4 started around 1980. By that time, only a handfull of computers, mostly in military and academic institutions (i.e. universities) are connected to the Internet and linked up with TCP/IP. The allocation of IPv4 accelerated in the 1990's when the whole world are connected to the Internet. Its exhaustion rate spurred further in the 2000's when not only computers and network devices are connected to the Internet, but also many other electrical and electronic devices, especially the mobile phones.

As a result, now we are very close to the end. All the 4.29 billion IP addresses will be fully used, and will not be sufficient for every devices that need to connect to the Internet anymore.

Various measures have been taken to slow down the exhaustion, such as special allocation for private IP address blocks (10.x.x.x, 192.168.x.x, and 172.16.x.x – 172.31.x.x) so that devices not directly connected to the Internet can make use of these private IP addresses, and they can share a same Internet IP address with NAT translation at the gateway/router.

The exhaustion of IPv4 has already taken into account for these kind of measures. It should have come even earlier if without private IP address and NAT in place nowadays.

In fact, the Internet authorities have thought about this issue long time ago, and have planned for the migration to the next generation of IP address system, namely IPv6. In fact, one of my project assignment during university studies in mid-1990's is about IPv6. Therefore, you should know that the research on IPv6 has been around for more than 10 years.

IPv6 uses a 128-bit address, whereas IPv4 uses only 32 bits. The new address space supports unlimited address allocation (3.4 x 10^38). With this much amount of IP addresses available, it also eliminates the need for NAT, and every devices can have their Internet IP address, just like the scenario for IPv4 before the introduction of NAT.

The IPv6 format will look like this: XXXX:XXXX:XXXX:XXXX:YYYY:YYYY:YYYY:YYYY, where the first 4 groups (XXXX part) is a 64-bit network prefix, and the last 4 groups (YYYY part) is a 64-bit host address. All the digits are in hexadecimal.

It is reported that big Internet players including Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Akamai, Limelight Networks, etc. will have a 24-hour test run on IPv6 during the World IPv6 Day on 8 June 2011. Click here to read more about World IPv6 Day.

We have to move on. Are we ready for IPv6? (Especially service providers, device manufacturers, software developers, network engineers, ...)

Auspicious dates for renovation in 2011

Here is the list of auspicious dates for renovation in year 2011, which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu.

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

If you are going to renovate your house, don't forget to visit the "home idea" section of my blog to find out some of my sharing there.

Related articles:

• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2011
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2011
• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in 2011
• Auspicious dates for baby first haircut (Mundan) in 2011
• Auspicious dates for house warming, open house, party, gathering, etc. in 2011
• Auspicious dates for marriage proposal or engagement in 2011 
• Auspicious dates for opening business in 2011
• Auspicious dates for starting new job/post/assignment in 2011
• Auspicious dates for signing contract, register for marriage, etc. in 2011 
• Auspicious dates in 2011 for getting a baby
  

Auspicious dates in 2011 for getting a baby

Here is the list of auspicious dates in 2011 for getting a baby (求嗣), which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu.

The dates have good element(s) to embro/faetus. Traditionally, the dates are referred for conception planning (making love and expecting a baby to the family). Nowadays, people also make reference to them for Caesarian delivery of new born.

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Related articles:

• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2011
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2011
• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in 2011
• Auspicious dates for baby first haircut (Mundan) in 2011
• Auspicious dates for house warming, open house, party, gathering, etc. in 2011
• Auspicious dates for marriage proposal or engagement in 2011 
• Auspicious dates for opening business in 2011
• Auspicious dates for starting new job/post/assignment in 2011
• Auspicious dates for signing contract, register for marriage, etc. in 2011 
• Auspicious dates for renovation in 2011

Using symbolic link for Dropbox to sync files/folders in any location of the computer

As I mentioned before, Dropbox is a fantastic service to sync, backup, share and publish our files over the Internet. It provides free Cloud storage between 2GB-10GB and many prefer Dropbox than Windows Live Mesh 2011 for more flexibility and interoperability.

However, the files/folders must reside in the local Dropbox folder in order for them to be able to sync, backup, share and/or publish with Dropbox service.

Anyhow, it is easy to sync the folders outside Dropbox folder, with the use of symbolic link (a.k.a. symlink or softlink).

Note: Symbolic link is not available in Windows 2003, Windows XP or earlier, but you can use Junction to serve the same purpose. You can download the Junction.exe utility made available by SysInternals here.

Example: To let Dropbox to sync the folder C:\Users\Public\Documents in Windows.

Step 1: Run Command Prompt with Administrator rights. The Administrator rights is required to make symbolic link in Windows Vista or Windows 7.

To do this, click on Start logo, expand All programs > Accesories and right click on Command Prompt. Then select "Run as administrator".

Step 2: Move the entire folder into your Dropbox folder.

C:> move C:\Users\Public\Documents C:\Users\Myself\Dropbox

Step 3: Create a directory symbolic link (or junction for Win XP/2000/2003) at the original location to link to the folder which moved into Dropbox folder.

For Win Vista or Win 7 or above:

C:> mklink /d C:\Users\Public\Documents C:\Users\Myself\Dropbox\Documents


Note: The "/d" option is for making directory/folder link. Otherwise, the command will create a file link.

For Win XP or Win 2003 or below:

C:> junction C:\Users\Public\Documents C:\Users\Myself\Dropbox\Documents

You are done. Now, the Documents is synchronized in your Dropbox account, at the same time, you can still access it from its original location as normal.
 
Example: To let Dropbox to sync the folder /home/Myself/Documents in Linux/Unix.
 
Step 1: Open the Terminal window if you are in X-Window. For Ubuntu, it is in Applications > Accesories > Terminal.
 
Step 2: Move the entire folder into your Dropbox folder.


$ mv /home/Myself/Documents /home/Dropbox/Documents
 
If you don't have write permission in /home/Dropbox directory, you might want to use chmod to set the permission correctly, or use sudo to perform the move with root permission.
 
$ sudo mv /home/Myself/Documents /home/Dropbox/Documents


Step 3: Create a directory symbolic link at the original location to link to the folder which moved into Dropbox folder. Note that for Linux/Unix, the position of the source and target in the link command argument is the other way round.
 
$ ln -s /home/Dropbox/Documents /home/Myself/Documents
 
Note: The "-s" option is for softlink creation. Otherwise, the command will create a hardlink.
 
You are done.

Auspicious dates for signing contract, register for marriage, etc. in 2011

Here is the list of auspicious dates in year 2011 for signing contract, signing offer letter, register for marriage, receiving religious baptism, and other similar agreement-related activities. It is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu.

Note that 14 February 2011 which is the Saint Valentine's day, is also one of the auspicious dates in the list. Hence it is auspicious to register for marriage on that day, except for couple which either one of them was born in the year of Horse. 25 December 2011 which is the Christmas day is also in the list.

Other interesting auspicious datea are 11 January 2011, which can be written as 11-1-11, and 1 November 2011, which can be writeen as 1-11-11.

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Related articles:

• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2011
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2011
• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in 2011
• Auspicious dates for baby first haircut (Mundan) in 2011
• Auspicious dates for house warming, open house, party, gathering, etc. in 2011
• Auspicious dates for marriage proposal or engagement in 2011 
• Auspicious dates for opening business in 2011
• Auspicious dates for starting new job/post/assignment in 2011 
• Auspicious dates in 2011 for getting a baby
• Auspicious dates for renovation in 2011

Facebook going to shutdown on 15 March 2011? True or not?

I believe by now you might have gotten the shocking message saying that Mark Zuckerberg announced in a so-called "press conference outside his Palo Alto office" announcing the shutdown of his popular social network website Facebook on 15 March 2011 as "managing the site has become too stressful".

Are you concerned?

Well, I believe the possibility for this to really happen is only 0.5%, and 99.5% chance for it to be a hoax.

Why I say so?

• If it is really announced in a press conference, this news is not likely to be only reported by a single not-so-famous website (originator). Perhaps that website intended to gain publicity by starting this kind of rumours.
• Although Facebook is not public listed, it has quite a number of investors and shareholders, and Mark Zuckerberg only holds about a quarter of the total shares. As such, Mark Zuckerberg cannot simply end the business of Facebook for whatever reason, without nods from the other shareholders and investors.
• There is no such official announcement in Facebook website at all.

Anyhow, think about it, if Facebook is really to be gone, how are you going to be affected then? If you really can't live without it, this is really an alarming sign. Beware...

Online checking your election voting area registered in electoral roll database

This is not something new to Malaysian, but just a reminder for voting citizen who has already registered with the Election Commission (Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya, SPR) that you can check your election voting area registered in the electoral roll database online.

The latest URL for the electoral roll checking website is http://daftarj.spr.gov.my/.

Just key in your IC number, and the system will show your basic information, registered locality, polling district, state assembly,  parliamentary and state info.

This online checking is useful for you to confirm your area, and in case you wish to change your voting area, now might still have the opportunity to get it done before the next election come.

Sadly, there is no privacy measure in that website, and if you know any IC number, you can actually find out the person's name, gender, birth date and electoral roll information as well.

31 Dec 2010 declared as Malaysia public holiday after winning the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup football match

Hot news!

The Malaysian squad has just beaten Indonesian team on 4-2 aggregate in the final of 2010 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup held at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.

As a result, PM has declared 31 December 2010 (Friday) as Malaysia public holiday.

Auspicious dates for starting new job/post/assignment in 2011

I have just posted the list of auspicious dates for opening business in 2011. And for employees, especially those in leading/managing position, here is a list of auspicious dates for starting new job/post/assignment in 2011, which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu.

It can be applied to first day reporting to new company/department/office/position, go for the post to lead/manage a new business unit/team/project/programme. It can also be applied to assuming new job position after promotion/restructuring/relocation exercise.

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Related articles:

• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2011
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2011
• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in 2011
• Auspicious dates for baby first haircut (Mundan) in 2011
• Auspicious dates for house warming, open house, party, gathering, etc. in 2011
• Auspicious dates for marriage proposal or engagement in 2011 
• Auspicious dates for opening business in 2011
• Auspicious dates for signing contract, register for marriage, etc. in 2011
• Auspicious dates in 2011 for getting a baby
• Auspicious dates for renovation in 2011

Auspicious dates for opening business in 2011

Here is the list of auspicious dates for opening business in year 2011, which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu. It can be applied to new business opening, or reopening of business after a break/holiday.

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Related articles:

• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2011
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2011
• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in 2011
• Auspicious dates for baby first haircut (Mundan) in 2011
• Auspicious dates for house warming, open house, party, gathering, etc. in 2011
• Auspicious dates for marriage proposal or engagement in 2011 
• Auspicious dates for starting new job/post/assignment in 2011
• Auspicious dates for signing contract, register for marriage, etc. in 2011
• Auspicious dates in 2011 for getting a baby
• Auspicious dates for renovation in 2011

Auspicious dates for marriage proposal or engagement in 2011

Before becoming the life partner, marriage is proposed by lover and engagement is made.

Here is the list of auspicious dates for marriage proposal or engagement in year 2011 (year of Rabbit), which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu. (Click the image to enlarge)

The dates highlighted in pink are considered even more auspicious.

You might aware that the Saint Valentine's day which fall on 14 February 2011 is among the auspicious dates. Other interesting dates include Women's Day on 8 March 2011 and 11 November 2011 (11-11-11).

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Good luck in getting your right life partner.

Related articles:

• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2011
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2011
• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in 2011
• Auspicious dates for baby first haircut (Mundan) in 2011
• Auspicious dates for house warming, open house, party, gathering, etc. in 2011
• Auspicious dates for opening business in 2011
• Auspicious dates for starting new job/post/assignment in 2011
• Auspicious dates for signing contract, register for marriage, etc. in 2011
• Auspicious dates in 2011 for getting a baby
• Auspicious dates for renovation in 2011

Auspicious dates for house warming, open house, party, gathering, etc. in 2011

Here is the list of auspicious dates in 2011 for organizing and hosting meet-up with friends and/or relatives (会友), which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu.

The dates are applicable for house warming, open house, home party, gathering, and any other similar functions to meet up with friends and/or relatives.

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Related articles:

• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2011
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2011
• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in 2011
• Auspicious dates for baby first haircut (Mundan) in 2011
• Auspicious dates for marriage proposal or engagement in 2011
• Auspicious dates for opening business in 2011
• Auspicious dates for starting new job/post/assignment in 2011
• Auspicious dates for signing contract, register for marriage, etc. in 2011
• Auspicious dates in 2011 for getting a baby
• Auspicious dates for renovation in 2011

Auspicious dates for baby first haircut (Mundan) in 2011

In many culture, religion and/or tradition, the first haircut of a baby is considered an important milestone for his/her life. The day is known as Mundan, Chadakarana, Halaqah, Upsherin, etc.

Here is the list of auspicious dates for baby first haircut in year 2011, which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu. (Click the image to enlarge)

Note that there is no particular auspicious date for baby first haircut in January and February of 2011.

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Related articles:

• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2011
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2011
• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in 2011
• Auspicious dates for house warming, open house, party, gathering, etc. in 2011
• Auspicious dates for marriage proposal or engagement in 2011
• Auspicious dates for opening business in 2011
• Auspicious dates for starting new job/post/assignment in 2011
• Auspicious dates for signing contract, register for marriage, etc. in 2011
• Auspicious dates in 2011 for getting a baby
• Auspicious dates for renovation in 2011

Auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in 2011

Here is the list of auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in year 2011, which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu. (Click the image to enlarge)

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

If you are going to move to a new home, don't forget to visit the "home idea" section of my blog to find out my sharing on mortgage, renovation, furnitures, electrical appliances, pest control, etc.

Related articles:

• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2011
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2011
• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Auspicious dates for baby first haircut in 2011
• Auspicious dates for house warming, open house, party, gathering, etc. in 2011
• Auspicious dates for marriage proposal or engagement in 2011
• Auspicious dates for opening business in 2011
• Auspicious dates for starting new job/post/assignment in 2011
• Auspicious dates for signing contract, register for marriage, etc. in 2011
• Auspicious dates in 2011 for getting a baby
• Auspicious dates for renovation in 2011

Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2012

I have posted the list of auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2012 recently, and here is the reverse, namely the inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2012. The list below is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu. (Click the image to enlarge)

If you are concerned, then you should probably avoid getting married on the listed days above.

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Related articles:

• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2013
• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Auspicious dates for renovation in 2012
• Auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in 2012
• Auspicious dates for starting new job/post/assignment in 2012
• Auspicious dates for opening business in 2012
• Auspicious dates for baby first haircut (Mundan) in 2012
• Auspicious dates for house warming, open house, party, gathering, etc. in 2012
• Auspicious dates for marriage proposal or engagement in 2012
• Auspicious dates in 2012 for getting a baby
• Auspicious dates for signing contract, register for marriage, etc. in 2012

Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2012

Many couples plan for their wedding more than 1 year ahead in order to have sufficient preparation time.

Here is the list of auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in year 2012 (year of Dragon), which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu. (Click the image to enlarge)

Note that there are 2 forth month (润四月) in the lunar year during 2012.

You might aware that the mid-autumn day which fall on 30 September 2012 is among the auspicious dates. That day will have the brightest and biggest full moon of the year and is a Sunday.

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Related articles:

• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2013
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Auspicious dates for renovation in 2012
• Auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in 2012
• Auspicious dates for starting new job/post/assignment in 2012
• Auspicious dates for opening business in 2012
• Auspicious dates for baby first haircut (Mundan) in 2012
• Auspicious dates for house warming, open house, party, gathering, etc. in 2012
• Auspicious dates for marriage proposal or engagement in 2012
• Auspicious dates in 2012 for getting a baby
• Auspicious dates for signing contract, register for marriage, etc. in 2012

Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2011

I have posted the list of auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2011 recently, and here is the reverse, namely the inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2011. The list below is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu. (Click the image to enlarge)

If you are concerned, then you should probably avoid getting married on the listed days above.

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Related articles:

• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2011
• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in 2011
• Auspicious dates for baby first haircut in 2011
• Auspicious dates for house warming, open house, party, gathering, etc. in 2011
• Auspicious dates for marriage proposal or engagement in 2011
• Auspicious dates for opening business in 2011
• Auspicious dates for starting new job/post/assignment in 2011
• Auspicious dates for signing contract, register for marriage, etc. in 2011
• Auspicious dates in 2011 for getting a baby
• Auspicious dates for renovation in 2011

Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2011

Here is the list of auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in year 2011 (year of Rabbit), which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu. (Click the image to enlarge)

The dates highlighted in pink are considered even more auspicious.

You might aware that the mid-autumn day which fall on 12 September 2011 is among the auspicious dates. That day will have the brightest and biggest full moon of the year. Another interesting date is Christmas Eve which fall on 24 December 2011 and is a Saturday.

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Related articles:

• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2011
• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2012
• Auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in 2011
• Auspicious dates for baby first haircut in 2011
• Auspicious dates for house warming, open house, party, gathering, etc. in 2011
• Auspicious dates for marriage proposal or engagement in 2011
• Auspicious dates for opening business in 2011
• Auspicious dates for starting new job/post/assignment in 2011
• Auspicious dates for signing contract, register for marriage, etc. in 2011
• Auspicious dates in 2011 for getting a baby
• Auspicious dates for renovation in 2011

SunCity and Sunway to merge into single entity

After SunCity (6289) and Sunway (4308) suspended for 2 trading days awaiting for this announcement, the Sunway Group has proposed to buy over SunCity (Sunway City Berhad / 双威城) and Sunway (Sunway Holdings Berhad / 双威控股) with a private company called Sunway Sdn Bhd, which is controlled by the same boss Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah Fook Ling (谢富年).

After the merger, the new company (newco) will be relisted.

It is proposed that:

• SunCity to be bought over at the price of RM5.10 per share, a premium of RM0.61 (13.59%) to its last closing price of RM4.49.
• SunCity-WA to be bought over at the price of RM1.29 per warrant, a premium of RM0.17 (15.18%) to its last closing price of RM1.12.
• Sunway to be bought over at the price of RM2.60 per share, a premium of RM0.35 (15.56%) to its last closing price of RM2.25.
•  Sunway-WC to be bought over at the price of RM1.50 per warrant, a premium of RM0.36 (31.58%) to its last closing price of RM1.14.

Existing shareholders and warrant-holders will get:

• Newco shares at the new listing price of RM2.80 representing 80% of the offer price.
• Cash representing 20% of the offer price.
• 1 free Newco warrant for every 5 Newco shares. Exercise period for the Newco warrant is 5 years.

With this information, and assuming that you are currently holding 1000 unit of the share or warrant of SunCity and/or Sunway, I have done a quick calculation of what you will get from this exercise.

What you will get are all the things in the last 3 columns. I think the free Newco warrant will have an initial listing price of RM0.005 and it is up to the market to give it a value during its 1st trading day.

The bad thing is, you will probably have some odd lots of NewCo and NewCo-WA after the exercise.

Disclaimer: This article is intended for sharing of point of view only. It is not an advice or recommendation to buy or sell any of the mentioned stock counters. You should do your own homework before trading in Bursa Malaysia.

The end of Novell

Novell, once being extremely famous with their NetWare Operating System, and also being the pioneer in Directory Service architecture, and later shifted focus to SUSE Linux, is now going to be sold to a not so well-known company - Attachmate.

The deal worth US$2.2 billion, or $6.10 per share.


Attachmate said it plan to operate Novell as 2 divisions:

• SUSE Linux
• The rest of Novell, including the ZENworks virtualization software and other networking solutions 

Beside that, Novell is also going to sell some of its intellectual property assets to CPTN Holdings, a Microsoft-organized consortium. The deal worth another US$450 million.

With this acquisition, here come the end of Novell, once a technology giant with excellent products, but failed to compete with rivals such as Microsoft (NetWare vs Windows Server), Red Hat (SuSe vs Redhat Linux), etc.

Garmin releases MalSingMaps Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei NT 2010.40 for free update

Garmin has made available MalSingMaps (MSM) Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei NT 2010.40 (2010-Q4) for free update now.

You can click here to download the installation file of MalSingMaps Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei NT 2010.40 from Garmin server. The download file is split into 4, and you just need to download the file relevant to your Garmin GPS navigator:

• nuvi 3790
• nuvi 1460, 1350, 765 or 255w
• nuvi 1250
• nuvi 205 or 205w

Due to this improvement, the installation file is much more smaller than the previous version. For example, the installation file for nuvi 255w is now 237MB only (compared with previous version's 743MB)

The installation program will update gmapprom1.img, gmapprom1.unl, gmap3d.img and SGMYMAL.JCV into your Garmin GPS navigator. As nuvi 255w doesn't support 3D maps, if you are installing to this model, gmap3d.img will automatically be removed during the end of the installation process.

During the installation process, you'll be asked for the unlock key. The key is stored in the existing gmapprom1.unl file in your Garmin GPS navigator, which you can open with Notepad or any text editor. Just copy and paste the key to the installer when asked.

Version highlights:

• Update Traffic Message Channel in Singapore
• DPOI of Singapore
• Add more POIs, postal code data and laneinfo of Singapore
• Extended road shield of Singapore & Malaysia
• Trails are built into the map
• Road Signs value-added
• Synchronize to Malsingmaps v5.00
• Extending more Junction Views for complex intersection around Malaysia

Surprisingly, this version has a smaller SGMYMAL.JCV file of size 217,747kb only (compared with the previous 352,764kb), but it contains more Junction View pictures and more lane assist triggers.

It seems that the Garmin release of MSM has improved a lot over the year. However, I still prefer using MalFreeMaps (MFM) as the later contains much more POIs and also able to provide more precise route to the destination.

Fabulous Food 1Malaysia 2010 in conjunction with Deliciously 1Malaysia

For the 2nd year, the Malaysian restaurant food festival and cooking competition namely Fabulous Food 1Malaysia 2010 (一个大马。食全食美) held in conjunction with Deliciously 1Malaysia carnival is coming again.

Fabulous Food 1Malaysia 2010 is all about food. It brings together F&B businesses, restaurateurs, tourists and consumers in celebration and recognition of Malaysia's sumptuous spread of local and international culinary delights during the festive seasons, reinforcing Malaysia as a gourmet paradise to savor fine cuisines and food delicacies.

Date: 17-19 December 2010
Time: 10:30 am - 8.00 pm
Venue: Tun Razak Hall 1, PWTC, Kuala Lumpur
Admission: Free

This event is presented by Ministry of Tourism, organized by The Malaysia Selangor and Federal Territory Ku Su Shin Choong Hung Restaurant Association (马来西亚雪隆姑苏慎忠行餐饮业公会) and co-organized by The Federation of Hawkers and Petty Traders Association of Malaysia (马来西亚贩商同业总会). It is ambitiously targetted for 120,000 visitors from local and overseas.


150 exhibition booths will be setup, and there will be cooking competitions, restaurant showcases, cooking demonstrations, food acrobats, etc.

According to statistic, 2008 tourist spending on F&B in Malaysia stood at 8.77 billion and increased to 9.29 billion in 2009.

Click here to go to the website of Fabulous Food 1Malaysia 2010.

The Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) - A Roadmap for Malaysia

Resulting from the results and targets of the 1,000-person workshop and 500-person laboratories orchestrated by the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU), Najib has launched the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP): A Roadmap for Malaysia on 25 October 2010.

The ETP contains action plans, hopefully will transform Malaysia into a high-income nation by 2020. This is charted by lifting Malaysia’s gross national income (GNI) per capita from US$6,700 (RM23,700) in 2009 to more than US$15,000 (RM48,000) in 2020. In order to achieve this target, GNI need to continuously grow at the rate of at least 6% per annum.

The ETP is planned to be driven by 12 National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs) announced in the 10th Malaysia Plan, which are:

• Oil, Gas and Energy
• Palm Oil
• Financial Services
• Tourism
• Business Services
• Electronics and Electrical
• Wholesale and Retail
• Education
• Healthcare
• Communications Content and Infrastructure
• Agriculture
• Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley

It seems that areas ruled by MPSJ, including Subang Jaya, USJ, Bandar Sunway, Puchong, Kinrara, Seri Kembangan, etc. will be at the heart of Greater KL, and hopefully will be greatly benefited from the plan.

However, the planned MRT system under Greater KL, where the Red Line linking Damansara to Serdang, and the Green Line linking Kepong to Kajang, seems to have bypassed the heart!

Under the ETP, 131 Entry Point Projects (EPP) and and 60 Business Opportunities (BO) were planned, spanning across the 12 NKEAs. They include:

• Expanding the production of swiftlet bird nests (燕窝)
• Seaweed farming in Sabah
• Mushroom project
• Establishing dairy clusters in Malaysia
• Growing aviation support services
• Building globally-competitive outsourcing services
• Data centre and green technology
• Islamic financial services
• Launching EduCity @ Iskandar
• Solid state lighting (SSL)
• Home appliances and semi-conductors
• Solar energy
• Developing health metropolis
• Connecting to Singapore via a high-speed rail system
• Deploying nuclear energy for power generation
• Building a regional oil storage and trading hub
• e-Healthcare, e-Learning and e-Government
• Positioning Malaysia as a duty free shopping destination for tourist goods
• etc.

Click here to go to the download page of The Economic Transformation Programme: A Roadmap for Malaysia