It’s back to work for me…after one thing to the other, with me finding out my bike been vandalised with some joker trying to break my brake handle and my silencer been kicked in till it’s almost broken….durgh!

Painfully, the bus that I took back to KL had issues too…so call it a run of bad luck…and yes..I got back a replacement cheque from Lee Meng @ Nuffnang..where it was sent back to my place in KULIM KEDAH! Durgh! Dude, you guys should check where you send the cheques to lah bro…

Anyway, RM50.73 …the final figure…and after 6 months waiting……

Yeah. I had my run of bad luck, but this is kind of way over the top for me. OK, plainly said, this is the result:

Dear Dr Azrin,
Your Cheque Deposit from HSBC Penang Branch for the amount of RM51.23 was returned to the bank for the following reason:
CHEQUE STOPPED, PAYMENT COUNTERMANDED BY DRAWER. ALTERATIONS NOT ALLOWED.

The Bankers Order was countermanded with a special order of NOT VALID AFTER 3 MONTHS which requires banks to present the cheque outside the SPICK Automated System. Such Special Presentation Instruments always incur charges which we have debited from your Current Account.

With deepest regret, we have to impose the following charges to your account:

SPECIAL PRESENTATION FEE : RM30.00
COURIER CHARGES: RM20
RETURN CHEQUE ADVISE: RM 25
STAMP DUTY : RM10 (min)
Outstation Cheque Clearing : RM1.00

We have waived the Return Cheque Return Image Advise and Outstation Commission fee as our valued customer. However, the other fees mandated are not allowed to be waived.

We have debited RM70.00 from your account 10***-7000-1080-2xxxxx today. As the document is a negotiable document by Bank Negara law, please come to the branch to collect the document,otherwise, a further fee is chargable.

Yours sincerely

Mr xxxxxxxxx
Branch Manager
xxxxxxx Bank, xxxxxxx Branch

Alamak hai… it’s not worth my effort to go and bank in the cheque unless next time it’s over RM3000 like my friend, xBrain or something like that. Surely man, cheque return fees are really teruk, but why lah HSBC charge like that.

Wei Timmy, you sure owe me more than lunch bro… you might as well IBG-RENTAS to all our bank account, like when we receive our pay. Darn it, even my cikai company gets charged RM10 per advise / Per set of transfer, irregardless of the number of jokers on the payroll.

Even in Singapore, IBG cost NOTHING. Mati lah macam nih.

I know you got over RM1.85Million in your account (someone told me) from the latest deals, and I really like you as a friend. So, take it I give you Duit Raya lah….take it as a Zakat from me.

It’s kinda funny thing, but some banks are …frigging stupid, especially those BANKERS ORDER where they chop NOT VALID AFTER 180 DAYS or something as it’s considered now a mutilation or a stamp here or there with their name and id on it.

Guess you guys have to make sure of things before cashing a cheque in, especially mine, because recently I had a stack of 18 cheques return to me because I ‘kalot’ or in a hurry and sign it in a messy way. Smudge also cannot. So teruk. Lucky the bank manager know it’s messy,so it’s my original signature, otherwise, RM100 per cheque returned, technical or not.

So people, no rubber stamps on the name, whole cheque must be written by ONE SINGLE PERSON, different handwriting cannot, no rubber stamp / chops also behind the cheque, must fill in the external account box thingy behind the check…dan macam macam lagi. Another hidden way bank wanna hantam us?

What you want me to say, That I’m sorry if some of my bull crap words that is actual of the fact hurts some one special? Nah..won’t do it..nor will I pay my debts and dues…

Likewise, dues to Uncle Lee Army will also not be paid by me. I will not don anymore green No3 or No4 fatigues and hit myself on the head trying to scam my way out of deployment to war torn zones, despite me getting tons of money for a week or two stink. That’s it.. STINK! not stint.

Waste of Time, Waste of Money, Send jokers like me to ARIZONA, SHOAL WATER AUSTRALIA, South Island NZ, TAIWAN, Chiangmai Thailand or even places that you don’t know they have deployment like Gaza strip.

DURGH!

Selamat Hari Raya guys.
Those who are on duty for raya..good luck,sorry me won’t buy anymore of your duties.

Chao!

I did write up a warning last weekend over the financial looms and gloom over the Western European and American financial and airline industry problems which sadly, I have to send another note to everyone.

This morning, I received a broadcast from a reliable news feed that even the British Airways chief is giving warnings that over 200 airlines in Europe will go bankrupt over the next 3 months due to instability of the fuel prices plus the financial crisis in the East Coast which means more chaos.

What does it mean? If you are traveling to Europe, make sure your card company have good insurance. read your card supplementary notes about what happen if your travel is cut short because of the company went bankrupt. NORMALLY THIS IS NOT COVERED BY ANY INSURANCE. However, you can always claw the money back from your Visa or Mastercard CREDIT CARDS (not debit , prepaid etc) and AMEX and DINERS CLUB have great insurances which they will take care of you if that happen.

If traveling to the UK, make sure they are ATOL Bonded, somewhat like NATAS in Singapore or MATTA in Malaysia. They supposed to be insured for these mishaps. Keep your phone on at all time. Prepaid phones are great way to communicate with your next of kin and the embassy (keep the DUTY OFFICER NAME AND NUMBER BEFORE YOU LEAVE!!) just in case shit like this happens. Airlines which are backed by government are always great.

Among which, I may suggest this following ‘STABLE’ airlines:
Singapore Airlines
Malaysian Airlines
Virgin Airways (includes Virgin Atlantic and such)
Qantas (but not it’s subsidiaries)
Japan Airlines
ANA (All Nippon Airways)
British Airways (Subject to Riots and Chaos by the Unions!!)
Qatar Airways (Also a UAE Carrier, based in Qatar!)
Emirates (UAE National Airliner, Based in Dubai)
Etihad (Another UAE Airliner, based in Abu Dhabi)
Royal Brunei (they are too rich!And CHEAP!)

These are GUARANTEED SAFE BETS for travellers and in the 50/50 category, I am giving the following carriers a good OK, means anything can happen…just like a football game:
DELTA,AMERICAN AIRWAYS,SOUTHWEST (US Based)
AIR Canada (Stable so far)
Tiger Airways, Air Asia, Fireflyz (Budget and stable airliners)
Aer Lingus (Can’t comment)
China Airways

Following are to AVOID AT ALL COSTS due to safety issues and other misc problems:
ADAM AIR, MERPATI AIR, GARUDA INDONESIA, AEROFLOT
Safety issues are a concern.

Gone into liquidatorship is Alitalia , Italy national carrier all because their unions is too greedy!

Now that is done, next up is the finances.
Now that the US Banks are gong for Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 bankruptcy orders, I am giving these banks a run for their money. My no means I am biased but just to be safe. AVOID SAVING YOUR MONEY WITH THEM if you can:

CITIBANK GROUP due to a massive bail out for the other banks
HSBC Group (Merrill Lynch is part of their group, so go figure of they are bailing their failed business). Includes MIDLAND BANK.

Bradford and Bingley Group
Barclays *Certain subsidiaries only.
Royal Bank of Scotland (short of cash I heard after the ABN AMRO buyout and the lack of liquid reserves in Scotland)
Nationwide Building Society (getting too risky now)

Credit Suisse

By far, these banks raked up a total of $880 Billion of bad debts globally and over $710 Billion within the continental US. This far outweigh the Northern Rock scandal in the UK with the problems of the NHS being in debt of over $5 billion!

Lehman is reported by a press media of over $650 Billion! That is nearly 40% of the world economy in the third world.

So, ARE OUR CASH SAFE HERE? Maybe. Just as a security, PIDM only covers up to RM35,000 per depositor irregardless of the number of accounts in a bank and that too, IF our governments does it at all. In Singapore, banks should have a liquid cash array of S$2 Billion in cash at the treasury aka MAS to be granted a license plus that for every ten Singapore dollars is about, there is 1 gram of gold to it’s name. So, relatively safe because the interest rates is at 0.25% and lending at a low of 4.5%! Singapore itself is known to have over $850 Billion in liquid assets worldwide and 70% of it is in a local depository. So it’s enough to feed the whole Malaysia at the current rates till 2028 and the country for another 35 years!

SAFE BETS.

I call these are my safe bets.
Al-Rajhi Investment Corporation , Biggest Islamic Bank in the World.More cash in the world than anyone else.

RHB Bank Malaysia & Singapore because it’s so stable with your KWSP money invested into Singapore bonds and economy. Clever huh?That’s why we got 4% return this year!~

Maybank is lending too much and going to be another Northern Rock, despite it’s backing with the Government of Malaysia. Till when BN is still about that is. Rumours has it that Maybank did not have enough cash in Singapore that recently recalled it’s cash in hand and asked for physical gold. Banks in mergers and buyouts are never a good bet. Investment wise, yes for long term , 10yrs or so… other than that..nope!

Local banks like Public Bank , CIMB , Alliance and Affin are to avoid as they lend too much. Bank Rakyat is ok,for now, as it’s a mutual company.

Singapore banks , OCBC and UOB is stable there only and it’s your call! Safe bets are always with POSB and Bank Simpanan Nasional BSN in Malaysia despite it’s woes.

UK Banks that are stable includes ABBEY National (Santander), HBOS (Halifax and Bank of Scotland), National Savings (always as even UK Paymaster General notes are payable by them!aka Treasury notes), Clysdale Bank.

US Banks? Not a single clue! Wells Fargo and others MAY BE OK.

Good luck,save up!

Of those things I like to talk about is those of what pleases many of my female readership, not talking about geek stuff but of things that glitter, and in this case, DIAMONDS.

Be it earrings,engagement rings, wedding rings or pendants, diamonds are always , and supposed to be the girls’ best friend. Well, it’s pleasing to the eye, and glory to the beholder of course but diamond jewelery are never cheap, and even as such, rare champagne diamonds are more expensive than the standard GIA ones.

Of course, this is way more expensive than the standard clear cut ones,as the champagne ones cost far more. Well, I bought one for the dear wife many years ago for having me as a sucker on her life, which costed far less than the US$6140 price tag because it’s not GIA certified nor I bother because I’m a frigging cheapskate, but it does look good with the gold band to go with it.

Anyway, Singapore is known to have diamond wholesalers and as such, tend to sell even conflict ones for all the trader’s concern and to the user like me, I just want it cheap, and cheap is what I get.

Which you can know more if you watch the movie, Blood Diamond which have that featured Leonardo D Caprio in it.

Ladies, what else can you bleed the husband other than the diamond. And right now, for your info guys and gals, Blue Nile is having a lucky draw..so try your luck!

This is what I got from streamyx after I had to endure 3 months without proper connection.

Port issues? Maybe because their new ADSL splitter are all HUA WEI type..and maybe, they are too lazy and pop me into a 30MB backbone!

Heh…let the speed begin!

Well people, I did say I will be trying something funny which it normally means disaster. And well this little plugin did not mess me up, as I used the MIPPIN addon to show up only the small version so that you as a user can catch me on your cell phone, while chugging down the Bas Kilang pretending to be the Bas Express for the Raya season.

Whatever, I just see it’s more fun and I strongly say, it’s worth adding to your blog.