The Ching Ming Festival

The Ching Ming Festival (清明节) in year 2009 falls on 4th April.

Ching Ming Festival is the 106th day after the Winter Solstice Day (冬至), and falls around 5th of April of the Gregorian calendar (solar calendar), which is also the 15th days from the Spring Equinox (春分).

Ching Ming is an important traditional Chinese festival celebrated by the Han Clan (汉族) for over 2,500 years. Today, this festival is also celebrated by other Chinese clans as well.

Ching (清) in Chinese translated to "Clear" or "Pure", and Ming (明) translated to "Bright". Therefore, Ching Ming Festival is also known as Clear Brightness Festival or Pure Brightness Festival.

The ancient Chinese is an agricultural society. Ching Ming Festival indicates the time to start farming for the year. When Ching Ming arrives, the cold weather from previous winter begins to turn warm, there will be more rains, plants and animals show their active sign of life again. Therefore, Ching Ming is the day of transition from Ying (阴) back to Yang (阳), which brings more "clear" and "brightness" to earth.

During the ancient time, the Chinese will take bath in the river to wash away unfortune and evil from the body (祓除畔浴). It was also a tradition for married women who wish to get pregnant to pray at the riverside for fertility.

Today, the Chinese has 2 major traditional activities for this festival. One is spring hiking (踏青) which can be family outings, young couples start courting, swinging, flying kites, kicking ball, planting trees, etc. Another major activity is tomb sweeping (扫墓), which is to visit the grave of departed family members or ancestors, sweep and clean the tombs, pray and offer the ancestors.

The activities might not be carried out on the actual day of Ching Ming, and can be any days within a month (normally within 2 weeks) from the actual day.

2009 new income tax PCB deduction rate

If you are an employee with taxable income, have you notice from your monthly payslip that the Potongan Cukai Bulanan (PCB, a.k.a. Scheduled Monthly Tax Deduction) rate starting from year 2009 is different than before?

Yes, with the reason "to estimate the tax deduction more accurately", the schedule of PCB deduction has been revised.

Here are some of the changes that I observed by comparing the old schedule (PCB 2004) with the new one (PCB 2009):

• Now, a single person with monthly remuneration of RM2,401 and above is estimated to be taxable and eligible for the PCB deduction scheme, whereas previously was RM2,551 and above.
• Now a married person with 2 kids and spouse not working, will enter the PCB scheme when the monthly remuneration reaches RM3,251 and above, whereas previously was RM3,401 and above.
• Now a married person with 2 kids and spouse also working, will enter the PCB scheme when the monthly remuneration reaches RM2,551 and above, whereas previously was RM2,701 and above.
• Generally, those with monthly remuneration below RM10,000 will have their PCB deducted above 20% more than the old scheme, while those with monthly remuneration above RM10,000 will have their PCB deducted slightly less than the old scheme.

For example, if you are an unmarried person who earns RM4,010 per month, your salary should be deducted RM145 for the PCB, but under the new 2009 scheme, you will be deducted RM180 instead.
However, this new PCB deduction rate should not affect your overall income tax for the year. If you are over deducted from the PCB, you can claim back the extra income tax paid; and if you are under deducted, you will have to pay for the difference before the deadline of 30 April next year.

Click here to download the new PCB 2009 schedule table.

Click here to download the previous PCB 2004 schedule table.

The 4.50% EPF dividend for 2008 credited today

Just for your information, if you visit to the EPF (a.k.a. KWSP) online service by today, you will be able to see the 4.50% dividend for 2008 (which was announced earlier on 16 March 2009) has already been credited into your account and reflected in the Year 2008 Statement.

At the same time, the long awaited Current Statement for 2009 is also available now. If you plan for a withdrawal, you can click on the Withdrawal Eligibility link to check your allowed amount to be withdrawn for the 9 types of withdrawal available.

As I mentioned in my article on 7 November 2008, we should not expect the EPF dividend for year 2008 to be exciting. Therefore, 4.50% is indeed within expectation. In fact, by looking at current worldwide economic situation, we shall not expect the EPF dividend for 2009 to be higher than 4.50% either.

What to do? Frankly speaking, my share investment portfolio in year 2008 also didn't perform very well. It is a really tough road ahead.

International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber-Threats launched HQ in Cyberjaya

The International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats (IMPACT), backed by the United Nations (UN) International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), which is known as the world’s first global public-private partnership against cyber-threats has launched its global headquarters in Cyberjaya on 20 March 2009.

Key partners of IMPACT from the private sector includes Cisco, F-Secure, Kaspersky Lab, Microsoft, Symantec Corp, Trend Micro, etc.

The IMPACT nerve-center in Cyberjaya has a built-up of 58,000 square feet on a 7.8-acre land. Malaysia government has provided a grant of $13 million (about RM43 million) as initial funding to build the facilities. This IMPACT HQ will host the ITU's Global Cybersecurity Agenda (GCA), which promotes international cooperation to make cyberspace more secure in an increasingly networked information society.

IMPACT has 4 key divisions:

• Global response centre
• Training and skills development centre
• Centre for security assurance and research
• Centre for policy and international cooperation

It will act as a centralized anti-cyber-terrorism intelligence centre which allows its 191 member countries to be alerted on cyber-terrorism threats such as attacks against the global financial system, power grids, nuclear plants, air traffic control systems, etc.

The establishment of IMPACT HQ in the heart of MSC Malaysia is expected to attract the attentions of worldwide cyber-security people, both from the bright side as well as the dark side. How well will this IMPACT facility in Malaysia operationalize, perform and contribute to the global cyber-security? Time will tell.

Meanwhile, if you are an expert in the related field, you might probably be interested to work for this interesting global non-profit organization.

1st Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2009

Ever think of taking a balloon flight? Now you can by buying a RM10 ticket during the 1st Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2009 event.






This interesting event is co-organized by the Malaysian Sport Aviation Federation (MSAF) and AKA Balloon Sdn Bhd. 25 hot air balloons with pilots from 19 countries are participating in this fiesta.

Date: 19-22 March 2009
Venue: Precinct 2, Putrajaya, Malaysia


Balloon fun fly times:
19 Mar: 7.45am-9.00am (Media), 5.30pm-7.00pm
20 Mar: 7.45am-9.00am, 5.30pm-7.00pm
21 Mar: 8.00am-9.00am (VIP), 5.30pm-7.00pm
22 Mar: 7.45am-9.00am, 5.30pm-7.00pm

Photographers' sessions:
19-22 Mar: 7.45am-8.15am, 5.45pm-6.15pm

Other activities:

• Para motor showcase
• Remote control flying aircraft display
• Paper airplane contest
• Kite flying exhibition
• Children colouring contest
• Night glow
• Bazaar
• and more...

Click here to visit the official website of the 1st Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2009.

The Edge Investment Forum on Real Estate 2009

As I mentioned in my earlier article, the mortgage interest rate is pretty low now, and if you have some cash on hand, it is actually a good time for you to buy properties.

For your information, The Edge and UOB Bank are organizing a real estate investment forum in Kuala Lumpur, with the theme "Residential property values: How low can we go?". You can register now for free.

Date: 4 April 2009 (Saturday)
Time: 9am - 1pm
Venue: Sime Darby Convention Centre, Bukit Kiara, KL

Interesting topics of discussion:

• Malaysian residential property market outlook - any safe haven?
• Property hot spots in a recession
• Nightmares of a landlord - The legal recourse
• Panel discussion on "Property investment strategy in a recession with hyper inflation - Where should you put your money?"

Click here for more information on The Edge Investment Forum on Real Estate 2009.

Workers in Taiwan, Singapore etc., prepare for no pay rise in 2009

A recent press release by Grant Thornton International Ltd reviewed that about 21% of privately held businesses around the world plan to freeze their employees' pay rise over the next 12 months, while 3% even expected to reduce pay.

According to their survey, the regions with most respondents indicated no pay rise or even pay cut in 2009, which higher than the global average of 24% are:

• Taiwan - 77%
• Singapore - 49%
• Hong Kong - 44%
• Italy - 42%
• Malaysia - 42%
• Ireland - 39%
• Thailand - 39%
• Russia - 38%
• Mainland China - 35%
• Chile - 30%
• Poland - 28%
• Japan - 28%
• Germany - 24%
• New Zealand - 24%

From the list above, we can observe that developing countries which export economy is very much dependent to the US market are most affected. Even though the global economic crisis is mainly originated from the US this time, 20% of the US respondents has indicated no pay rise or pay cut in 2009, which is still below the global average.

By contrast, countries in the Nordic region appear prepared to be the least affected, with 82% of respondents indicating that they intend to increase salaries by inflation or above compared with the global average of 64%. Denmark topped the league with 91% while businesses in Finland (89%) and Sweden (74%) had similar high expectations.

Therefore, we should prepare for the worst and adjust our personal finance to a more defensive position.

Click here to read the article titled [No pay rises at a quarter of privately held businesses in 2009 - globally] published by Grant Thornton, which also include a longer listing of respondents league.

A money-making and recession-proof good profession

The results of SPM and STPM have just been released recently. The famous question of "what would be a good profession with good prospect to pursue for?" again become a hot topic of discussion now.

A recent chit-chat session with my friends indeed made us found one good profession. Before I tell you the answer, here are some of the characteristics of a "good profession" that you can reference to filter from the others:

• All people need you - your service is required by almost everybody, at least a few times in their lifetime.
• Recession-proof - no matter how good or bad is the economy situation, when the time come, people still need your service.
• Money-making - you should be able to easily earn 5-figure income every month, unless you are voluntarily providing your service for charity.
• No overtime, no on call - you have fixed working hour. No overtime and no need to work during weekend. Even when urgently needed, your client still need to wait for your next working day no matter how emergency the situation will be.
  
• Open your own business - you can work with an organization, or open your own business with your profession and become self-employed.
• Good social status - your profession gives you a very good social status.
• Low risk working environment - your working environment is very low risk, in an air-conditioned room.
• Less stress - normally, you are not required to work under stress.

Well, are you able find a profession that matches with all the conditions above? There are probably not many, but they actually exist, and very common too.

OK. Here is the answer: dentist.

And I'm sure there are some other good professions other than this. If you find any more, please do not hesitate to share out here.

HP and Intel Biggest Warehouse Sale (3 days only)

If you are planning to buy some IT products, here is a good news for you: there will be a 3 days HP and Intel Biggest Warehouse Sale in Klang Valley.

Venue: 3 Two Square (生意坊), Section 14, Petaling Jaya. (Near Sin Chew Daily office)
Date: 20-22 March 2009
Time: 10am - 8pm
Products: HP branded workstations, desktop PCs, laptops, PC accessories, printer supplies, merchandise, etc.

Note that the 1st day (20 March 2009) is exclusively for HP employees, Citibank or Maybank cardholders, media and students only.

Click here for more information about this event in HP website (including location map).

Guiding principles for Web 2.0 application development

In their article published in the recent Baseline Magazine, Frank Faeth and Joe Busateri who are both working for MasterCard have shared the 4 guiding principles established in MasterCard for application development that involves web services.

These guiding principles make different from the traditional way of application development, in order to take advantage of Web 2.0 technologies for speed, simplicity and reduced cost of software development.

Here are the 4 guiding principles:

1. Application developers have to be more than just good coders

Beside technical skills, developers have to be more business oriented now. They need to move forward from the back office to be more customer-facing than before. "Programmers" should transform into "business technologists" to cope with this trend.

They are expected to drive the organization forward by anticipating future business needs, and leverage technology to create practical solutions that will serve those needs.

They have to be awared that the half-life of today's business software is relatively short, so they must build applications that are stable and usable for a short period, and well prepared to be repurposed, rebuilt and enhanced. As such, rapid development is crucial, and components of the applications should be very modular, flexible, reusable and scalable.


2. Managers must realign their organizations to foster web services

Traditional attitudes and methodologies of software development no longer apply in Web 2.0. Web services require vigilance, constant management attention and repeated reinforcement.

Successful web services implementation requires all members of an organization to share technology and best practices across silos. This may require changes in corporate governance, less reliance on top-down directives and greater emphasis on mid-level management cooperations.


3. Companies should adopt Google's mentality: Fast is better than perfect

In their article, Frank Faeth and Joe Busateri argued that since the half-life of business software isn't very long, it's better to push a product into the marketplace quickly, rather than wait until it is thoroughly tested.

Both developers and business owners must agree on which compromises they are willing to accept in the application's functionality, features and stability, as weighed against achieving greater simplicity and speed to market.

The organization must be open to "failing fast and failing cheap" concept of perpetual development.

For example, Google's Gmail is released for public use while still in beta stage, and the beta has been ongoing for years, with continuous development, improvement and enhancement to the product.


4. Be sure to acknowledge that adopting web services requires time and effort

Adopting web services represents a radical change from the way corporations have traditionally developed software systems. As such, the change management and challenges involved should not be underestimated.

Latest BLR rate of banks in Malaysia as of Mar-2009

Within a short period of time since the last revision in early February 2009, BNM has cut the OPR again by another 50 basis points to 2.00% and SRR to 1.0%, effective 1 March 2009.

Here are their latest BLR rate as of today (6 March 2009):

• Majority of the banks: 5.55%
• Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (M) Berhad: 5.25%
• J.P. Morgan Chase Bank Berhad: 5.25%
• The Royal Bank of Scotland Berhad: 5.25%
• Affin Bank: 5.50%
• Citibank Berhad: 5.60%

It seems that Citibank is having the highest BLR rate, which is at 0.05% above the majority.

The interest rate is really cheap now. Let's say you have a house loan with rate of BLR-2% and the BLR of your bank is 5.55%, this mean your house loan interest serving will be 3.55% only.

With the interest of 3.55%, assuming you are borrowing RM100k, here are some simple calculations (until the next BLR revision which will affect the interest rate):

• 10 years term, monthly repayment = RM991.20, total interest = RM18,994.31
• 20 years term, monthly repayment = RM582.53, total interest = RM39,807.75
• 30 years term, monthly repayment = RM451.84, total interest = RM62,662.54
  

Notice that with this low interest rate, the monthly repayment amount is likely to be lower than renting a house/apartment, especially in urban areas where the rental is higher.

This mean that if you are currently renting a house/apartment, you should consider buying one for yourself; and if you are a property investor, now is a good time to buy more properties to rent out, as the collected rental can probably cover your monthly repayment, and might even let you earn some surplus pocket money.

You can always click here for the latest BLR info of the banks.

eLawyer Law Conference 2009 about Blogging & Law

Malaysian online legal community eLawyer is organizing a Law Conference 2009 themed "Blogging & Law" to bring legal awareness to fellow bloggers.

Theme: Blogging and Law
Date: 14 March 2009 (Saturday)
Time: 9.30am – 12.30pm
Admission: free of charge
Venue: Auditorium Tun Mohd Suffian, Universiti Malaya Law Faculty
R.S.V.P: send your name, phone, email, occupation and organisation details to forum@elawyer.com.my

During the conference, Mr. Foong Cheng Leong (KL Lawyer & Blogger) will talk about Blogging & Intellectual Property Law in Malaysia, while En. Nizam Bashir (Malacca Lawyer & Blogger) will talk on Blogging & Defamation Law in Malaysia.

Click here for more information about the eLawyer Law Conference 2009.

Click here to visit to Foong Cheng Leong's blog

Click here to visit to Nizam Bashir's blog

e-Filing system for 2008 income tax assessment is ready to be used

Begining 1 March 2009, the e-Filing system for income tax forms BE, B, M, P and E has been made available in the website of Inland Revenue Board (a.k.a. Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri, LHDN).

In Malaysia, the various income tax related forms are:

• BE - For residents who are employed with no business ownership, or who run business with no income source
• B - For residents who run business with source of income
• M - Return form for non-resident
• P - Partnership business statement form
• E - Return form for employer
• C - Return form for company
• R - Statement of company's revised 108 balance

Online module for tax agent firms to file the income tax report for their clients is also made available at the same time.

The deadline to file in the BE Form is on 30 April 2009, and the deadline for B Form is on 30 June 2009. You can either use the e-Filing system to submit the form, or fill up the related paper form and send to Inland Revenue Board before the deadline.

The online e-Filing system has been introduced to tax payers in Malaysia since 2006, and had been found buggy and problemistic in the recent years. Nevertheless, improvement has been seen, especially on last year. Hopefully, the system will be better this year.

Here are some related links:

• Homepage of e-Filing system (English)
• Homepage of e-Filing system (Malay)
• User guides for e-Filing (English)
• User guides for e-Filing (Malay)
• Website of Inland Revenue Board (English)
• Website of Inland Revenue Board (Malay)

Related article:
Downloadable documents, references and forms for 2008 income tax assessment

EPF stringent housing withdrawal condition for joint purchase

You might have noticed that starting from 5 November 2008, EPF (a.k.a. KWSP) has stringent the condition for housing withdrawal involving joint purchase.

Under the new terms and conditions, withdrawal will only be approved if the member purchased the house on his/her own, or jointly purchased it with his/her spouse. Joint purchase with parents or siblings might also be considered, but subjected to EPF's consideration for approval.

This new policy affects the withdrawal of EPF money for:

• Purchase of 1st house
• Purchase of 2nd house
• Reduction/Settlement of housing loan balance for 1st house
• Reduction/Settlement of housing loan balance for 2nd house
• Monthly loan instalment

Anyhow, existing withdrawals which have been approved before 5 November 2008 are not affected.

Filtering spam mails with Mozilla Thunderbird

Mozilla Thunderbird has similar spam filtering features with its brother SeaMonkey Mail. If you are using it as your email client, you can configure it to automatically move all detected spam mails to a Junk folder and mark them as read. You can also have the spam mails in the Junk folder to be automatically deleted after some times.

By activating this spam filtering feature, majority of the spam mails will be seamlessly removed from your Inbox. Sometimes, a few spam mails are still remain undetected, and you just need to manually mark them as "junk" to get the system to move them to the Junk folder, marks them as read, and lets the Bayesian engine to learn that marked mail as spam.

The Junk folder is very useful in retaining the detected and quarantined spam mails for a certain period, so that in case there is any false detection (which so far never happen to me), you can still retrieve the mail back by moving it from the Junk folder back to your Inbox.

If your mail account folder in Mozilla Thunderbird does not have the Junk folder yet, you can manually create it by right clicking on the mail account, select New Folder... and name the new folder to be created as Junk. The Junk folder is essential for the settings described below to work properly.

Here is the configuration to setup and activate the spam mail filtering function in Mozilla Thunderbird. Note that you need to configure for both the global and account specific settings.

Global junk mail settings:

1. Pull down the Edit menu and select Preferences.
2. Click on the Privacy option and go to the Junk tab.
3. Set it so that when you mark a mail as junk, the system will move it to the Junk folder and mark it as read.



Account specific junk mail settings:

1. Right click on the mail account folder and select Properties...
2. Select Junk Settings
3. Enable the adaptive junk mail controls, move the junk mails to your Junk folder and automatically delete them after some times.
4. If you have more than one email account in your Mozilla Thunderbird, you might need to repeat the same settings for all your email accounts.



Once it is setup, you will soon notice how amazing this spam filtering feature is in helping you to filter out the spam emails from now onwards.

Filtering spam mails with SeaMonkey Mail

If you are using SeaMonkey as your email client, you can configure it to automatically move all detected spam mails to a Junk folder and mark them as read. You can also have the spam mails in the Junk folder to be automatically deleted after some times.

SeaMonkey has a very effective Bayesian spam mail detection feature which can detect most of the spam mails, and has been working very well for me. By activating this spam filtering feature, majority of the spam mails will be seamlessly removed from my Inbox. Sometimes, a few spam mails are still remain undetected, and I just need to manually mark them as "junk" to get the system to move them to the Junk folder, marks them as read, and lets the Bayesian engine to learn that marked mail as spam.

The Junk folder is very useful in retaining the detected and quarantined spam mails for a certain period, so that in case there is any false detection (which so far never happen to me), you can still retrieve the mail back by moving it from the Junk folder back to your Inbox.

If your mail account folder in SeaMonkey does not have the Junk folder yet, you can manually create it by right clicking on the mail account, select New Folder... and name the new folder to be created as Junk. The Junk folder is essential for the settings described below to work properly.

Here is the configuration to setup and activate the spam mail filtering function in SeaMonkey's Mail. Note that you need to configure for both the global and account specific settings.

Global junk mail settings:

1. Pull down the Edit menu and select Preferences...
2. Expand the Mail & Newgroups option and select Junk Mail.
3. Set it so that when you mark a mail as junk, the system will move it to the Junk folder and mark it as read.



Account specific junk mail settings:

1. Right click on the mail account folder and select Properties...
2. Select Junk Settings
3. Enable the adaptive junk mail controls, move the junk mails to your Junk folder and automatically delete them after some times.
4. If you have more than one email account in your SeaMonkey's Mail, you might need to repeat the same settings for all your email accounts.

Once it is setup, you will soon notice how amazing this spam filtering feature is in helping you to filter out the spam emails from now onwards.

Off your lights during Earth Hour 2009

Earth Hour 2009 is setting the platform for an unprecedented global mandate for action on climate change!

You can participate in the worldwide Earth Hour 2009 campaign by switching off all the non-essential lights for 60 minutes by Saturday 28 March 2009, 8.30pm sharp.

Earth Hour is an initiative started by World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) in 2007 in Sydney of Australia, when 2.2 million people switched off their lights to bring awareness on global climate change problem. In 2008, 50 million people across 35 countries took part in this movement. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.

This year, WWF is targeting 1 billion people in 1,000 cities worldwide over 64 countries and territories. There are already 538 cities in 75 countries committed to participate.

Here is the official Earth Hour 2009 video:


Click here to visit the official website of Earth Hour.

The Horstman Laws of Management

I would like to share with you the Horstman's Laws of Management by a famous management consultant called Mark Horstman, who is a co-founder of Manager Tools.

The observations and aphorisms that comprise the Horstman’s Laws below represent 30 years of professional development leavened with a lifetime of leadership experiences.

Law #1: It’s All About People
This is actually a hard-nosed, scientific and financial reality. Any hour you spend on people is a better investment than an hour spent on systems, processes, or policies. Great people can overcome average systems; average people won’t live up to great systems.

Action: Spend time with your folks every week. Learn their strengths and weaknesses. Learn their projects. Learn their children’s names.

Law #2: More Communication is Better
No matter what the situation: work or home, professional or personal, boss or subordinate, it is always more communication that solves the problem or clinches the deal. And think about this: communication is what the listener does.

Action: Pick up the phone. Provide an update. Admit you’re behind. Over communicate, and you’re halfway there.

Law #3: You’re Not that Smart; They’re Not that Dumb
You can’t fool people. Ever. The fact is, people know when you mislead them. Yes, they might go along with you, but they know that it doesn’t feel right. That you don’t feel right. After all, didn’t you used to be “them?”

Action: Tell the whole truth. Don’t leave anything out. When in doubt, tell everyone. Use candor as advantage, rather than seeing it as weakness.

Law #4: Control is an Illusion
There is not a single person whom you think you “control” who would agree with you. If you really think you’re so good as to control another, then who in your organization thinks that way about you? Stop trying to control. You’re wasting your time. Build relationships that allow you to influence.

Action: Build relationships based on trust. Say, “I trust you.” Let your team choose their path at times, even when you disagree.

Law #5: The River is Wide, the Currents are Messy, but all the Water Ends up in the Ocean
Watch water flow down river sometime. It doesn’t march in nice straight lines. It meanders. It’s messy. Scientists say 20% of it is actually going up river. Your organization is organic – it’s made up of people – just like a river. Your projects and timelines are going to be messy and defy control. Stop fighting it.

Action: Don’t worry about or punish every missed deadline – wait for a pattern. Think about a chinese finger puzzle. Sometimes a light touch is the way out. Let go–flow–to get ahead.

Law #6: There are No Secrets
If you think you can keep something quiet in your organization, you’re kidding yourself. What everybody is talking about is what’s not being said. Everybody knows already. The one associate or friend that you felt you could tell has probably told someone else whom they trusted... and so on. If you try to keep secrets, others lose respect for you because you show you don’t trust them.

Action: Tell everybody everything. Forward every e-mail you get to all of your team...automatically. Don’t go off the record.

Law #7: How You Feel is Your Fault
If you find yourself saying, “that guy/situation/boss makes me mad,” you’re wrong. They did something, and then you decided how to respond. Think about the word responsibility. (Response-ability) You’re able to choose your response.

Action: Choose the right response. Choose not to get angry. Choose to understand why they behave the way they do.Your response will be more powerful.

Law #8: The “Other” Way Often Works Just Fine
There’s someone else out there who has succeeded to the same level you have with exactly the opposite intuitions you have. (They wonder how you got where you are too.) Your idea that your way is the right way is routinely controverted. You just think it’s right because it’s yours.

Action: Try the opposite every once in a while. After your first thought, wait for a second–different–one.

What are your laws and lessons? What have you learned? Your successes have no doubt catalyzed your knowledge into wisdom. Are you sharing your wisdom with your associates? Start now! Because it’s all about people...and more communication is better.

Bursa Malaysia - RHBInvest Market Chat 2009

Bursa Malaysia and RHBInvest are going to have a Market Chat 2009 seminar and roadshow in Ipoh. Admission is free.

Date: 21 Feb 2009 (Saturday)
Time: 9:00am - 1:30pm
Venue: Impiana Casuarina Hotel, 18, Jalan Raja Dr. Nazrin, Ipoh.
Registration and enquiry: call +603 92051300

Program highlights:

• Value Investing In Turbulent Times - RHB Branch Broking
• Must Have Trading Tools For Today's Stock Markets - RHBInvest team, RHB Investment Bank
• Market Chat '08 Presentation - Bursa Malaysia
• Top 5 Mistakes in Trading and 5 Powerful Techniques You Should Use Now in Trading - ChartNexus Malaysia
  

Credit card interest rate to reduce by 31 March 2009

The Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM) has just announced today that the interest rates for credit cards will be reduced by between 0.5% and 1.5% for Tier-1, Tier-11 and Tier-111 credit cardholders while late payment fees will be slashed to a minimum of RM5 and a maximum of RM75 effective 31 March 2009.

Interest rates for Tier-I credit cardholders who promptly settle their monthly minimum payments for retail purchases for 12 consecutive months will be reduced to 13.5% per annum from the current 15%.

For Tier-II cardholders who promptly settle their minimum payments for 10 months or more in a 12-month cycle will also benefit as the relevant interest rate will be reduced to 16% per annum from the current 17%.

Cardholders who don't fall within the 2 categories and who are generally termed Tier-III cardholders will see the interest rate for them come down to 17.5% per annum versus the current 18%.

The present late payment fee of a minimum of RM10 or 1% of the total outstanding balance, subject to a maximum of RM100 will be revised to a minimum amount of RM5 and a maximum of RM75.

This will not have any effect to good paymasters who settle their credit card bill in full payment every month, which is a very good financial discipline allowing them to enjoy 0% interest for at least 20 days, as they will still remain free from any interest charge. For Tier-I cardholders who never default their payment, they will enjoy one of the lowest credit card interest rate in Asia at the rate of 13.5%.

I would advise that although the interest rate will be reduced soon, you should never get yourself into Tier-II or Tier-III, as the compounded interest rate is still very high.

Electricity tariffs to reduce slightly from March 2009

Malaysia government has just announced a cut in electricity tariffs effective 1 March 2009.

Under the plan, tariffs will be cut to 31.31 sen per KWh from the current 32.5 sen. Domestic users will enjoy an average 2.54% cut in electricity tariffs, while commercial users will pay 2.7% less in electricity bills. Other major reductions include a 5.0% discount awarded to industrial users' bills.

Major beneficiaries will be industrial users that use a lot of electricity, such as the steel and aluminium millers. Savings to the domestic and commercial users seems to be minimal, although better than nothing.

Convertible car seat for infant and young toddler

Car seat is necessary for you to carry your child in your car, and the child is not yet tall enough to use the seat belt of the car. It will provide protection to the child in case of collision.

I bought a convertible car seat for my son and has been using it since he was more than 1 month old until now (2 years+). I think it can still be used until he reaches 3 years old. The convertible car seat can be rear-facing as well as front-facing.




Here are some common senses about car seat that I would like to share with you:

• If your car has air-bag for front passenger, the car seat should be installed at the back seat and never be installed next to the driver. This is because the air bag might hurt or suffocate the child. It is even more dangerous if the car seat is in rear-facing position, imagine what will happen when the air bag blown out.
• The child should be rear-facing at least until he/she is 1 year old and also his/her weight has already exceeded 20 pounds (9.1 kg). This is because the neck bone of infant is still very soft and easy to break. With the child lying down securely, the rear-facing car seat will provide support and protection to the head and neck of the child in case of collision.
• Switch to front-facing when the legs are too long for rear-facing position.
• Consider a convertible car seat which can be rear-facing as well as front-facing, so that it can be used for a longer period (until 3-4 years old).
• You should change the car seat to booster seat for older toddler, until he/she can use the car seat belt without the booster seat, which is when the shoulder belt can rest against his/her chest and not the neck or higher position.

AirAsia offers 500k free air tickets (6 days only)

AirAsia is currently offering a total of 500,000 free seats to all their destinations in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam & Australia.

The booking period for this campaign is 10-15 February 2009 only, and the travel period will be 12 Oct 2009 - 31 Jan 2010.

Click here for more information and updated free seats availability status.

Making good use of flexible home loan with online banking

I notice nowadays quite a lot of people are financing their house with flexible home loan. However, from their sharing with me during some chit-chat session, I noticed that not many are making good use of the flexibility provided by their home loan, and they treat it just like a traditional mortgage loan.

In my opinion, if you have a flexible home loan, you should:

• Put in extra money (excess payment) into your account to reduce interest charges
• Make use of your excess payment when needed

If you never put in excess payment into your account, perhaps you don't need a flexible home loan, and should opt for a traditional home loan package in the very beginning. In general, it is easier for you to fight for relatively lower interest rate by not having the flexibility provided in a flexible home loan.

If you very seldom make use of your excess payment in your account, perhaps you just need a semi-flexible home loan.

Here is my sharing on how I use my Citibank FlexiHome loan.

I have 2 types of account with Citibank: the FlexiHome loan, and credit card. I applied for an ATM card for my FlexiHome loan account, which cost me a one time application fee of RM8 only. I haven't used the ATM card in any bank teller machine yet, but that card is very important, because I need it to create a consolidated Citibank Online internet banking account.

Once the online banking is created, I am able to see the account information for both my FlexiHome loan as well as my credit card accounts. I can always check for the balance and transaction details of both the accounts even before I receive their monthly statement from Citibank.

This is particularly useful in monitoring how much interest I've been charged daily for my home loan. Citibank Online shows me 2 key figures of my FlexiHome loan account:

• Amount I owe the bank, which is calculated as the outstanding loan minus excess payment in the account. This figure will slightly increase daily, because the account has a daily rest interest calculation scheme. This is interesting, because from here I can monitor closely how my interested is charged by the bank, and how much is charged for each day.


• Amount available for withdrawal, which is the excess payment. This figure will not change until the next installment due date, where the installment will be paid directly from here.

Of course, if I put in money into the account, it will be added to the amount available for withdrawal, and will also affect the daily interest amount charged thereafter to be lesser.

On the other hand, by using the online banking, I can pay off some of my utility bills, including the accessment of my house, with my credit card from my computer at home. I can even get double Rewards Points by paying the house accessment with this credit card.

Every month when I get my salary, I wrote a cheque to myself and bank in to my Citibank FlexiHome loan account. The cheque amount will have some excess payment for my savings, as I know that my home loan interest is higher than fixed deposit interest, so it is a better idea to put the money in the loan account to reduce more interest, than to put in deposit account to earn the very tiny interest. In addition, fixed deposit does not provide the flexibility to take out the money at anytime without any lost in interest calculation.

When the due date of the credit card payment comes, I just need to login to Citibank Online and make a transfer from my FlexiHome loan account to my credit card account. My credit card will then be paid in the next business day. This transfer between my own accounts with Citibank is free of charge. Isn't this a good idea of making use of the flexibility provided by the FlexiHome loan account to pay the credit card bill without hassle, by using the online facility?


When I make a new share investment which requires me to bank in money into my trading account, I can also make an external transfer from my FlexiHome loan account to my share trading account using the same online facility too.

To summarize, I use my FlexiHome loan as my main savings account, as I can save loan interest with any excess payment I made, and the saving in loan interest is higher than fixed deposit interest. FlexiHome loan allows me to take out any amount of excess payment available at anytime, which makes it an even better place for main savings purpose. I also use my credit card to pay utility bills and earn Rewards Points, and use the savings (excess payment) in my FlexiHome loan account to pay for that credit card bill.

If you also have a flexible home loan with any bank, you're welcomed to share your experience on making good use of the flexibility of your home loan account too.

You might also be interested to read about my other article on "What to look for in a flexible home loan?".

Top 5 trends in Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Customers today have changed. Thanks to the emergence of various internet and web technologies, they have access to more information. Also, the recent global economic situation has made spending to be more cautious.

It is predicted that the following trends will accelerate or begin to emerge.

1. Companies will begin to break free from old habits
The companies are seeking to communicate with customers through channels that facilitate engagement and personalization with new marketing channels. The shift of power from corporations to buyers is intensified. Marketing needs to change the strategy to be more collaborative.

2. Interactive marketing will emerge as the dominant marketing discipline
This will engage the customers and prospects in a cross-channel dialogue that builds on their past and current behaviour.

3. Companies will renew efforts to increase customer awareness
They need to find ways to listen and understand more from the customers.

4. Customer decision making will be centralized to drive the dialogue
A centralized decision-making capability that can facilitate dialogue across outbound and inbound, also online and offline marketing channels, is needed.

5. Companies will restructure in order to aid cross-channel execution
More skill sets are required for interactive marketing. Companies need to be more creative, analytical, technical savvy and process focused.

* The above top 5 trends in CRM is referenced from an article written by Elana Anderson in the Baseline Magazine.

Top 10 IT trends for 2009

What IT technologies are able to bring enterprises with competitive advantage in the predicted tough times of 2009?

1. Software as a Service (SaaS)
According to RBC Capital Markets, SaaS is expected to command a 23% share of the $120 billion software market in US by 2010 with its current annual growth rate of above 40%.

2. Virtualization
It is estimated that about 50-60% of all servers are now virtualized to reduce server sprawl.

3. Enterprise Mobility
This is boasted by the emergence of high speed wireless network, such as the 3G, HSPDA, etc.

4. Energy-Efficient Data Centres
The concept of Green IT is blooming...

5. Security, Risk and Compliance
More automation will be seen in these areas.

6. Social Networking
Companies are tapping into the powerful virtual communities in social networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, etc.

7. Web 2.0
More and more websites and web applications are jumping into this bandwagon, which is able to provide seamless ubiquitous rich content and better interactivity.

8. Document Management and E-Discovery
More and more IT vendors are producing and enhancing solutions in this area.

9. Project Management (PM) and Project Portfolio Management (PPM)
More and more organizations are migrating from simple tools such as spreadsheets and e-mail to formal PM and PPM applications.

10. Web and Video Collaboration
More and more organizations are adopting video conferencing and telepresense systems.

* The top 10 IT trends above are referenced from an article written by Samuel Greengard in the Baseline Magazine.

Latest BLR rate of banks in Malaysia as of Feb-2009

Following Bank Negara's move to reduce the Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) by 75 basis points to 2.50 percent and Statutory Reserve Requirement (SRR) from 3.5 percent to 2 percent effective 1 February 2009, banks in Malaysia have reduced their deposit interest rates as well as their Base Lending Rate (BLR) respectively.

Here are their latest BLR rate as of today (5 Feb 2009):

• Majority of the banks: 5.95%
• Bangkok Bank Berhad: 5.50%
• Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (M) Berhad: 5.75%
  
• Deutsche Bank (M) Berhad: 5.75%
  
• J.P. Morgan Chase Bank Berhad: 5.75%
  
• The Royal Bank of Scotland Berhad: 5.75%
  
• Affin Bank Berhad: 5.90%
• Citibank Berhad: 6.00%
• EON Bank Berhad: 6.50% (not yet revised)
• AmBank (M) Berhad: 6.55% (not yet revised)

You can always click here for the latest BLR info of the banks.

Citibank offers 2x Rewards Points on property assessment payment

Citibank is currently running a Property Assessment (Cukai Pintu) Bill Payment by Citibank Online and Citi Mobile Campaign for their core credit cards (including supplementary cards).

2x Reward Points will be given for property assessment payment made during the campaign period via Citibank Online website or Citi Mobile phone banking.

Campaign period: 20 Jan 2009 - 28 Feb 2009

Eligible credit cards: All Citibank Malaysia Platinum, Gold, Classic, Choice, Clear and CitiBusiness credit cards, excluding Cashback, AirAsia, Giant, Shell and Celcom cards.

Terms & Conditions: Each person is given a maximum of 1000 Reward Points for this campaign.

The assessment payable by Citibank Online includes:

• Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL)
  
• Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya (MPAJ)
  
• Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ)
  
• Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya (MPSJ)
  
• Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA)
  
• Majlis Perbandaran Selayang
  
• Majlis Perbandaran Klang
• Majlis Perbandaran Kajang
• Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh (MBI)
  
• Majlis Perbandaran Seremban
• Majlis Perbandaran Melaka
• Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang
• Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai
• Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru (MBJB)
  
• Majlis Perbandaran Johor Bahru Tengah
• Majlis Perbandaran Muar
• Majlis Perbandaran Kulai

Click here for more information about the Property Assessment (Cukai Pintu) Bill Payment by Citibank Online and Citi Mobile Campaign.

Toyota 0% Easy Payment Plan with CIMB credit cards

If you have any credit card issued by CIMB bank, including the Direct Access credit cards, and also have Toyota vehicle that you schedule for service/repair at authorized Toyota Service Centre, now you can enjoy their 0% interest Easy Payment Plan for payment above RM300.

Under the plan, if you spend above RM300 for your car service and/or repair with CIMB or Direct Access credit card at authorized Toyota Service Centre in Malaysia, you can opt for the credit card to charge you in 3 months installment with 0% interest. If the spending is above RM700, you can opt for 6 months installment with 0% interest.

This is particularly helpful if you want to do a major service (such as routine service + air-cond service), or major repair (which not claim from your car insurance).

OpenOffice.org 3.0.1 released

While waiting for the next version of OpenOffice.org 3.1 (scheduled to release by end of March 2009), OpenOffice.org 3.0.1 is now finalized and on general release.

If you are using Ubuntu Linux 8.10 and installed OpenOffice.org 3 with the method as described in my earlier article in this blog, your OpenOffice.org should already automatically updated to release candidate of version 3.0.1 quite some time ago, and also automatically updated to general release version of 3.0.1 recently.

Version 3.0.1 is a bug fix release before the upcoming version 3.1. It fixes quite a lot of bugs found in version 3.0. Beside that, there is also new feature for Writer to handle grammar checking. This built-in grammar checking feature in Writer has been long awaited and finally made available now.

Pharmaceutical companies continue to invest in Malaysia

While there are some recent restructuring and/or downsizing news from electrical and electronic sector such as Intel Penang, Panasonic Melaka, etc., there are also good news from global pharmaceutical players to expand their investment in Malaysia.

The German-based B Braun which runs its Malaysian operations in Bayan Lepas, Penang has recently invested more than RM300 million to acquire a new plot of land to strengthen its presence with new facilities.

On the other hand, there is also news about US-based St. Jude Medical has confirmed its plan to invest in Malaysia and has already launched a $30 million site in Penang to set up Asia’s first pacemaker manufacturing facility.

Beside that, US-based Trustgen LLP and India-based Malladi Drugs & Pharmaceutical Ltd have also in October 2008 announced their decision to invest a combined $600 million investment in Malaysia to set up manufacturing facilities and their respective regional and global hubs.

All these are showing positive signs that the pharmaceutical industry in Malaysia will continue to grow despite the current worldwide economic downturn.

Financial Times Global MBA Rankings 2009

The London based Financial Times has just released their Global MBA School Ranking for 2009, naming University of Pennsylvania: Wharton (USA) and London Business School (UK) as the joint no. 1 business school for MBA programs.

The ranking is based on factors including the average alumni salary, their salary increment from before getting the MBA to today as a percentage of the pre-MBA salary, value for money of the MBA course, career progress, fulfillment of aims of doing the MBA, placement and employment success after graduation, alumni recommendation, female students, international students, doctoral degree availability, academic research publication, etc.

The top 10 rankings for 2009 are as follow:

• University of Pennsylvania: Wharton (USA)
• London Business School (UK)
• Harvard Business School (USA)
• Columbia Business School (USA)
• Insead (France / Singapore)
• Stanford University GSB (USA)
• IE Business School (Spain)
• CEIBS (China)
• MIT: Sloan (USA)
• New York University: Stern (USA)

Click here to see the top 100 business schools listed in the Financial Times Global MBA Rankings 2009 and their scores in each of the ranking factors.

JobsDB Compensation and Benefit Survey Report 2009

JobsDB has just released a 67 pages Compensation and Benefit Survey Report 2009. Opinion Research Corporation is the research consultant for this survey.

This survey is conducted to collate information on the pay trend of both full-time salaried employees working in different business sectors in Malaysia. Information on different types of benefits was also collected to complement the analysis.

The survey covered 107 companies from 36 business sectors. Only full-time salaried employees working in Malaysia were surveyed. Expatriates, part-time and temporary employees were excluded. Among the 107 companies surveyed, 58% of the companies employ less than 50 staff; 14% employed between 50-100 staff; 15% employed between 101-200 staff; 8% employed 201-500 staff and 5% employed more than 500 staff. The information gathered is recent to December 2008.

The salary range of various job functions in 2008 and 2009, and their increment in 2009, are detailed out in the report.

Here are some of the findings in the report:

• In 2009, 38.9% of the employees’ salaries are expected to be freeze. 54.8% of them will have an increase between 0.6% and 7%, whereas 6.3% will have an increase of more than 7.0%.
• The overall average amount of performance bonus for senior management in 2008 was 1.4 months (of the basic monthly salaries), for middle management was 1.0 months, for executives is 0.8 months, and for non-executive is 0.6 months.
• By 2009, 76% of the employees in the surveyed companies are expected to enjoy a five-day working week. Among the surveyed, 67% have already implemented a five-day working week policy in or before 2008. For those not implementing in 2008, 9% expect to implement next year.

Click here to download the JobsDB Compensation and Benefit Survey Report 2009.

You might probably also be interested to read on:

• Result of Robert Walters Global Salary Survey 2008
• Result of ZDNet Asia IT Salary Benchmark Survey 2008
• Malaysia Salary Guide 2008/09 from Kelly Services
• Malaysia Employment Outlook & Salary Guide 2009/2010 from Kelly Services 

Intel decided to close 2 plants in Penang

Intel has been one of the major foreign investors and employers in Penang for thirty over years, providing job for about 6000 workers in the island. The company is known as one of the good employers with great career prospects that most electronic and/or electrical engineers wanting to work for.

However, the current global recession is now putting a blow to about 2000 affected workers in Intel Penang, after they decided to shut down 2 assembly test facilities (PG6 and PG7) in the island as part of their global restructuring plan.

No doubt their move will affect the Malaysian economy, as generally Intel's employees are having relatively higher income, which have higher purchase power that contributes to the economy especially the property and retail sectors in Penang island itself.

It is hoped that their remaining 6 plants in Penang, as well as their plants in Kedah Kulim Hi-Tech Park will continue to operate and not be affected.

It is also hoped that the Penang state government currently ruled by Pakatan Rakyat and leads by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng can come out with some good measures in retaining foreign investors in Penang.

I feel really sorry to hear about this, and feel more worry about the global economic situation.

Citibank credit card cash back promotion

Good news to Citibank credit card users!

Citibank has allocated RM2,200,000 for a "Guaranteed Cash Back Promotion" running from 15 January 2009 to 15 April 2009. Under this promotion, cash will be given back to their eligible credit card users provided the terms and conditions are met.

Here is the detail.

Eligible credit cards:
All Citibank principal credit cards issued in Malaysia except the Shell and Giant co-branded cards.

Promotion period:
Month (1) : Jan 15 - Feb 14
Month (2) : Feb 15 - Mar 14
Month (3) : Mar 15 - Apr 15

How to get the cash back?
There are 3 promotion periods, each last for 1 month. During each of the promotion periods, if you spend 5-7 times for retail transaction of minimum RM50 with your Citibank credit card, you will get RM10 cash back for that month. If you spend 8 times and above, you will get RM20 cash back.

Register for participation:
Card members are required to register in order to participate in this campaign. There are 3 ways to register:

• Register via SMS: SMS GCB10 [Your 16 digit credit card number] to 36700.
• Register online: Visit to http://www.citibank.com.my/APPS/portal/loadPage.do?tabNo=3&htmlPageName=/prod/det/gcb_promo.htm and click "Enrol" on that webpage.
• Register at their branches in Malaysia.

The tracking of cash back earned by the participant shall commence only upon successful registration.

Click here for detail information about the Citibank credit card cash back promotion.

What management can do to gain staff loyalty

Staff loyalty is always important to the management, as productivity could be highly affected by staff turnover.

Apart from financial rewards, do you know what the staff are looking for in order to work happily and remain loyal to the organization? Here are some of my experience and observation to share with you.

1. Empowerment

Empowerment is a form of trust to the staff. Staff, especially of higher level, will be happy to have more control over their work and time schedule. A good staff will just need the manager to tell them what he/she want them to do, the expected result, and the deadline. The rest should be managed by themselves.

Only if the manager does not have enough trust on the staff, then he/she need to tell the staff how to do, closely check on the work progress, and try to monitor the time with tools such as time clock, timesheet, etc. Well, it is true that not every staff can work with minimal supervision, but for those quality staff that can really work with minimal supervision, you can actually gain their loyalty with empowerment.

Do you agree that employee will not be happy with those time clock, timesheet, etc. unless related to financial rewards, such as for calculation of overtime wages? In fact, most people will work more hours if they can have some control over when they actually have to work. Check this out with those companies that introduced flexi-hour scheme.

Management should work towards the direction to develop the staff such that they can be trusted and empowered. If this can be achieved, the management can even save operational cost by introducing telecommuting, allowing staff to work at home.

2. Relationship

It is not deniable that we have people that we like to work with, and we also have people that we dislike to work with.

When forming a project team, by putting people that are "compatible" to each other, you are actually promoting a good teamwork which can optimize the productivity as well as gaining their loyalty.

Management should work towards the direction to form teams with good relationship, and resolve any relationship issue once detected. You will have strong bonding teams working loyally for you then.

3. Task assignment

Every staff have their talent in something, or interest in something. If you put the right staff in the right place, assigning them with task that they are keen on, you can not only expect to get good result, but also boost up the staff loyalty.

Management should work towards the direction to develop the staff to love their job. If you tend to put the wrong staff in the wrong place, probably you will have a higher turnover rate.

4. Training and event

Staff will be always grateful if you send them for training and event that they are interested of. In addition, you can also earn gratitude from your staff by providing them opportunity to conduct training or to give talk in event, for them to share their talented knowledge to others.

5. Convenience

Let the staff have a peace of mind about their car parking place at work, their work place, tools and resources they need for work, food and refreshment, etc.

For outstation staff or expatriates, the management should also take good care of their accomodation, transport, Internet access, etc.

Some companies even provide nursery service, sport facilities, etc. to their staff.

It is not difficult to observe that convenience plays an important role in retaining staff loyalty and attracting new staff.

Do you agree with me on the above 5 points?

The 4 pillars of managerial competencies

If you are playing a management role in your organization, or plan to be in a managerial position, it is important for you to learn about the 4 Pillars of Managerial Competencies.

Developed by the Information Technology Unit (ITU) at George Mason University, this 4 Pillars of Managerial Competencies can be use as a framework for managers' development program, as well as an appraisal tools to check on the competency of the managers.

The 4 pillars don't stand independent of each other, but form a unified whole. They are:

• Knowing the Organization
• Leading and Managing People
• Managing Resources
• Communicating Effectively

Knowing the Organization involves developing knowledge and understanding of current policies and operating procedures to ensure that unit activities are effective and aligned with the larger goals of the organization. This pillar includes competencies related to policies, procedures, vision, mission, goals, strategic plan, etc.

Leading and Managing People entails developing skill in providing feedback and direction for staff, assuring the satisfaction of customers, and creating a collaborative environment that encourages initiative and problem-solving. Within this pillar are skills related to performance evaluation, staff development, team building, collaboration, customer relations, etc.

Managing Resources concerns understanding the tools and processes for planning to meet specific goals and place efforts in the larger context of strategic initiatives. This pillar includes skills in planning, project & budget management, information management, change management, organizational performance assessment, etc.

Communicating Effectively includes building skills to foster smooth and satisfying interactions among staff and with customers. The competencies include managing meetings, listening, constructive feedback, effective presentation, written communication, etc.

To assist managers in setting priorities for skill development, the skills within each Pillar are divided into 2 levels. Level-1 skills require knowledge and understanding of basic concepts and procedures, while Level-2 skills require more experience, analytical thinking, or evaluation. All told, the Four Pillars include a total of 109 skills important to managers.

Click here to learn more about the 4 Pillars of Managerial Competencies.

Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2009

I have posted the list of auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2009 recently, and here is the reverse, namely the inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2009. The list below is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu.



If you are concerned, then should avoid getting married on the listed days above, especially for those born in the year of snake. Note that the dates iterate every 12 days.

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 2009
• Auspicious dates for signing contract, register for marriage, etc. in 2009
• Auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in 2009

Click here for inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2010.

Auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in 2009

Here is the list of auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in year 2009, 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.

Related articles:

• Auspicious dates for signing contract, register for marriage, etc. in 2009
• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2009

Click here for auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in 2010.

Auspicious dates for signing contract, register for marriage, etc. in 2009

Here is the list of auspicious dates in year 2009 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 2009 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 Monkey.

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 2009
• Auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in 2009

Click here for auspicious dates for signing contract, register for marriage, etc. in 2010.

Fortinet outlined top 9 security trend predictions in 2009

Unified Threat Management provider and security appliance vendor Fortinet has outlined the Top 9 Security Trend Predictions in 2009 with the aim to help companies safeguard their networks by mounting a multi-layered, multi-vectored and comprehensive defense strategy.

They are:

• More bang for the buck (security consolidation and integration)
• Information security lockdown (database security)
• Web 2.0 vulnerabilities multiply (corporate information leakage prevention)
• Bigger pipes, faster speed: Letting in the good, bad and ugly (integrity of high-speed networks)
• The next biggest threat to mobile security: 3G (virus infections and attacks to mobile devices)
• More cash to flow in the digital underground (hacking for living)
• Let the games begin (Trojans residing in online games)
• Premeditated, targeted attacks on the rise (custom malware and scareware)
• Law enforcement unite online

Click here to read the full story in original article.

Auspicious dates and times to start business in new lunar year 2009

Here is the list of auspicious dates and times to reopen business (for businessmen) or start working (for employees) in the new lunar year right after Chinese New Year 2009, 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.

May a good starting brings you and me prosperity throughout the whole year.

Related articles:

• Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2009
• Auspicious dates for signing contract, register for marriage, etc. in 2009
• Auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in 2009

Cast your vote for New 7 Wonders of Nature

Currently, there is a worldwide campaign going on, which is organized by the non-profit New7Wonders Foundation to choose the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

This is different from the previous campaign for the New 7 Wonders of the World held in 2007 by the same organization, as only natural places not developed by human, such as waterfalls, fjords, rainforests, mountain peaks, freshwater lakes, salt flats, etc. can be nominated.

You can vote online for your choice of Seven Wonders of Nature from the list of 261 nominees all around the world from now on until 7 July 2009. After that, the New7Wonders of Nature Panel of Experts, under the leadership of Prof. Federico Mayor, former Director-General of UNESCO, will review the top 77 nominees and choose the 21 finalists, to be announced on 21 July 2009. The 21 finalists will then be put to popular vote again.

All voters will be identified and verified by email address.

Click here to cast your vote for the New 7 Wonders of Nature now!

List of licensed money changers in Malaysia

If you travel overseas, you might need to exchange your Ringgit Malaysia notes to foreign currency, and vice-versa.

Bank Negara (BNM) maintains a complete list of licensed money changers in Malaysia, and the good news is: they have made it online in their website. The list is categorized by state, providing detail information about the name and location (with full address) of the licensed money changers.

Click here to check for the list of licensed money changers in Malaysia in BNM's website.

Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2009

Here is the list of auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in year 2009, which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu.



The dates highlighted in red are considered even more auspicious. Note that for year 2009, there is a lunar 5th month in the Chinese calendar.

You might aware that the mid-autumn festival (3 October 2009) is again in the list for year 2009. Another interesting date is 9 September 2009, which can be written as 09-09-09, and "nine" pronounces the same as "eternity" in Chinese.

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 2009
• Auspicious dates for wedding, marriage, moving home, etc.
• Auspicious dates for signing contract, register for marriage, etc. in 2009
• Auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in 2009

Click here for auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2010.

Using Thunderbird as preferred email client in Ubuntu

If you didn't change the preferred email client in Ubuntu after installation, it will default to Evolution.

Evolution is a great email application, but some people like to use Mozilla Thunderbird instead.

If you prefer to use Mozilla Thunderbird as your email client, just go to System > Preferences > Preferred Applications and select Thunderbird as your Mail Reader.



After that, you can also switch off the Evolution Alarm Notifier in System > Preferences > Sessions > Startup Programs.

If Thunderbird is not yet installed in your Ubuntu, you need to install it with Synaptic Package Manager first.

Configure auto-startup programs in Ubuntu

There are 2 places to configure for auto-startup programs in Ubuntu.

The Services settings under the System > Administration menu is used to configure for daemons to be started every time when the system boot up, even before any user is login. Unless manually stopped by administrative user, the daemons will stay running until the system shutdown. Their startup/shutdown scripts can be found in /etc/init.d.

You need to key in your password to Unlock the panel, before you can change the activation status of the listed services.



The Sessions settings under the System > Preferences menu is used to configure for programs to be started every time after you login the system. This setting is personalized for each user. The program can be closed by you at any time, or they'll exit when you logout the system.



You can add new applications into the list. For example, if you want the Pidgin Instant Messenger to autorun whenever you login the system, click on the +Add button and key in the following information, then Save it:

Name: Pidgin
Command: /usr/bin/pidgin
Comment: Instant messenger

You will now be able to see Pigdin available in the Startup Programs list.

Installing OpenOffice.org 3 in Ubuntu 8.10

OpenOffice.org 2.4.1 is bundled in Ubuntu Linux 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) and will be installed together with the system when the later is installed into the harddisk.

You can upgrade your OpenOffice.org 2.4.1 in Ubuntu 8.10 to OpenOffice.org 3.0 by using the relevant Canonical Personal Package Archives (PPA) repository source in LaunchPad server.

To do so, open the Synaptic Package Manager in Ubuntu 8.10, pull down the Settings menu and select Repositories. Click on the Third-Party Software tab, after that click on the +Add... button. Key in the following APT line:

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/openoffice-pkgs/ubuntu intrepid main

Then, click the +Add Source button. You will need to Reload the package information to update Synaptic Package Manager about the change.

Once this is done, you will be able to upgrade OpenOffice.org to 3.0 with the Update Manager.

If you want to revert back to OpenOffice.org 2.4.1 later, just uninstall OpenOffice.org 3.0 and its components, remove the above line from the Third-Party Software repository source, and reinstall OpenOffice.org 2.4.1 from the main source.