Idiot Maybank.

After all these years, with the improvement of technology, Maybank still has a way to remind us of its inefficiency and incompetency.



Remember those years when Maybank has no cash or cheque deposit machines and the only way to deposit is to bear with the queue? Remember when you wamt to place a fixed deposit?

It's like you watch your live passes you by, when you wait for your turn in Maybank. Pick a number. Any number. And you can be waiting for more than an hour no matter how near or distance your number is. You know what? To be efficient and not to waste them, it feels so good if you can bring in your laundry when you are in a Maybank branch. As you wait for your turn, you can fold your clothes. Bring an iron, if you need to. While waiting, you could just iron your clothes.

And then, thanks to technology, we have more cash and cheque deposits. And thanks to technology, we have Maybank online. This really speeds things up, knowing that we don't have to deal with Maybank workers. I love the idea of e-fixed deposit.

Before, I did not mind not having an account in Maybank. I didn't care if it was supposed to be the BIGGEST bank in Malaysia then. It was digging its own grave and I prayed to see its collapse.

Unfortunately, my boss pays me through this bank, so I am kinda stuck with the account. With the online and machines, I am a contented customer now.

Except just now. I tried to call Maybank to inquire about the service charge on the cards. I waited. And waited. And waited. This is like an old dead boring storyline recycled to haunt me. And at the end, after minutes of standing by the phone and endless staring at myself through the nearest mirror, I gave up.

Maybank is Maybank.

One cannot expect an incompetent fool to be competent.

Touch

When you are about to flush the toilet, have you ever thought of the person who touched the flush handle before you? I mean, think of the thing he held before he reached out for the flush handle to flush. Now think of you touching the same flush handle.

It's like technically you have touched another man's penis.

Now, repeat the paragraphs above, to suit the diagram below, and you are still in the same situation.

And yes, unfortunately.. I flush always, unless there is no water.

An Affair with a Book Fair

I am a bad shopper. For clothes. I don't know the art of comparing and trying and testing and feeling the materials or even checking out details of the clothings to decide if I should fall in love with it or not.

I don't know how to shop for food or to buy vegetables and meat. I don't have the patience to do so.

But I have patience when it comes to buying DVDs. Or novels.

Piazza, beside Penang Sunshine Square, held a book fair for Times Bookshop recently. There were books sold 3 for RM10, 3 for RM20 and new books were sold at 30% discount.

When I looked at the rows of books, poorly stashed up on the tables for book-discount worshippers to oogle over, I decided to go for gold. I spent 2 hours plus, and almost broke my neck, reading the book titles one by one, to find familiar titles and authors.

Mind you, this happened on the day when I swore in the morning I would not be buying any more books soon.

Why?

Because I have been a tramp when it came to buying books lately.

I took advantage of HSBC's 35% discount on books bought in ACMAMALL dot com. This, in fact, happened several weeks after I bought my first sum of novels from ACMAMALL. Since that delivery is only free after a purchase of RM200, I did buy that much.

And then, there was this factor that my Godbrother went to USA, and he was able to get me books I am not able to get in Malaysia. So, I bought again, through him, books I ordered through Amazon dot com.

And although I swore that morning, a discount like that was too tempting to resist. So, I bought myself three more books.

I really need a long vacation to finish all these books. ;p

Malaysia Credit Card Service Charges

Malaysia government is starting to charge 'service charge' on credit cards. I don't have any supplementary cards under me, but boy, do I have principal cards!! I blame all those credit card salespersons who stalk all around shopping malls.

Take this credit card. Take that credit card.

And when I apply for one, the banks give me two. I apply for Visa Free-for-Life, and I get Mastercard too.

So, since that the government wants to charge RM50 per card, I bet most cardholders would be going to the banks in these two months to get rid of their cards. My friends have already pledged their devotion to one or two banks. I am stuck. I like 4 banks - Citibank, HSBC, Maybank and CIMB. So, I have to pay RM200?? Damn.

Dato' Seri Najib said something funny today. He said that he offered more tax reliefs but people are upset about the RM50 service charge on the credit cards. He said among all, he reduced the income tax rate from 27% to 26%.

Like duh..

I am not affected by that reduction, but I am surely affected by the service charge. Who is to be thankful for that reduction? Dato' Tony Fernandez? Astro owner, Ananda? What? These people need credit cards??

I told my friend who works for CIMB that I am canceling most credit cards, but not CIMB. He jokingly thanked me. I told him, not because of loyalty. I am stuck with installments. I cannot escape. ;p

Water Supply in Penang

A few years ago, when Penang state was under the perceived forever in-control Gerakan control ruling, there was a hush-hush argument about the installation of water filter outside of the flat. Residents who had done so were demanded to remove the filters. Actually, it had to be the unclean pipes.

This means that even though the water is clean when it is delivered from the dam, the water is washing up and flows with it the rust, dirt and everything and more of whatever that can be found in the pipeline and the container. Of course the authority blames poor management or maintenance of the buildings, which funnily, can be linked back to the authority. The authority is the one responsible for approving the pipes and containers.

So, then, the ex-Chief Minister stepped in to stop the demand of the removal of the water filters.

As usual, for someone who has too much time in my hand, I decided to snap photos of how fast the white water filter will turn ugly.

Day 1

Day 2 - already slightly brownish

Day 4 - already mild Milo color.

Day 7 - Teh Tarik pekat.

Day 9 - we are consuming this water, friends.

Hm. I guess only those who can afford expensive water filters in the house is able to survive. I have my Diamond Water Filter, which I am happy to know would help me, in my drinking water. Which also makes me feel guilty coz my mom and the kids in other home don't have such privilege. I am a horrible son.

I guess now I can blame the water supply in Penang too for my hair loss. Yeah, I know. There are many reasons for hair loss. It is just nice and convenient to blame others.

Anyway, to the poor and average income earners who cannot afford water filters in Penang, my condolence.

Cursing a Watch

I believed that when I curse my old watch hard enough, I killed it. Not that I was totally upset with the death of my souvenir watch. It gave me a new reason to curse it again.

Little did I know that my constant cursing brought it back to life, after more than 4 weeks not moving. (It's not the battery. I had checked with the shop). It just moved one day. I only knew when I accidentally picked it up instead of my substitute watch. So, I have brought a dead watch back to life.

Not that I want to be a big whiner, which I am. A watch has to say what the owner is. Looking at this Tissot watch, this watch says that I am plain. Boring.

I don't want to be plain. I don't want to be boring.

If Carrie Bradshaw in the Sex and the City can complain about her engagement diamond ring is all wrong, because the shape is not her, hey, why not me?

So now I am stuck with two watches.

Jay-Z Can't Rap

I don't care if this guy has already shipped more than 30 million albums. He may be a great producer and produces great music, but he should just stick to being a producer and not as an artist. So, if someone wants to make a record and cannot sing, he should just rap, right? NOT!

It's horrible. He's no Eminem, 50cent or Lil Wayne. Salt 'n Pepa did rap perfectly. Even the shameful Kanye West can. Jay-z is just an embarrassment.

There I said it.

My Drag Queen's Name

I was supposed to post something on Queens, but Google Search Engine popped up a suggestion, which I was tempted to try... Yes, the sporting me laughed. Loud.

So, I typed my name into the suggestion box.

I got this!

Your Drag Queen Name Is: Helena Handbasket

You go girl!

Drag Queen Name Generator

Blogthings: We're Not Shrinks, But We Play Them On the Internet

Tell Laura I Love Her

My mobile phone has three Jessica's, three Benjamin's, two Benson's, three Calvin's, three Chris's, two Jeff's, two Jenny's and two Patrick's.

My Facebook has 5 Adrian's, 3 Amy's, 2 Andrew's, 3 Andy's, 2 Ben's, 4 Benjamin's, 3 David's .. and you get the idea.

There are all from Malaysia.



My student's car player played Tell Laura I Love Her.

I realized I have never known a Malaysian named Laura.

The World of Remote Controls

If I would get myself another speaker, a better speaker system, with remote control, then I would have 6 remote controls lying near my LCD TV. It's either that or I have to manual bend down to tweak the volume button which is lying too low on the floor.

I know. Remote controls are good. If not, we have to get up from our seats to reach for the channel buttons. Future kids would be marveled at how we live in the past without remote controls. It's like a world without remote controls is an uncivilized world. Even ceiling fans now have remote controls, and one does not have to get up from the bed just to lower down the speed.

I look at my media remote controls. Do we really use all the buttons on the remotes? It's like we are speaking to foreigners in different languages.

This is my DVD remote control. What's a marker? Search button in unused. Program? What for? What's a A-b? Random? I don't do Karaoke. Angle?

This is my LCD TV remote control. The biggest space user. TTX/MIX? E.Mode? P.Mode?? Record button??? DMA? Red button? Green button? Yellow button? Blue button? Tools?

Speak English, man!

RMVB player remote control. Made in China!! Simple, and don't speak in English. Musica, which is not about Music. I know what OSD is for, but not N/P.

N/P - No Problem??

WDTV Player remote control. I have to say that this is the simplest, and the smallest, after RMVB player remote control. It makes a hell lot of sense.

The famous remote control in Malaysia - Astro remote control. I have no idea what the FAV is for. I hardly use the color buttons. Mail button?

My point is - the world can surely use smaller and easier to understand remote controls.