GOOGLE Inc melancarkan pelayar webnya sendiri, langkah yang disasarkan untuk memecah penguasaan Internet Explorer yang dibangunkan Microsoft Corp serta memastikan akses lebih mudah kepada enjin cariannya.

Syarikat berpangkalan di California itu mengambil langkah luar biasa dengan mengumumkan produk barunya itu pada cuti Hari Buruh selepas ia melancarkan buku komik bagi menandakan kedatangan pelayar baru itu.

Pelayar percuma itu, yang dipanggil ‘Chrome’ sepatutnya boleh dimuat turun semalam di kira-kira 100 negara untuk komputer yang menggunakan sistem operasi Microsoft Windows.

Google berkata, ia masih mengusahakan versi yang sesuai dengan komputer Mac keluaran Apple Inc dan sistem operasi Linux.

Pelayar Google itu dijangka menjengah pasaran seminggu selepas Microsoft memperkenalkan versi ujian kemas kini pelayar terkininya, Internet Explorer 8.

Walaupun Google menggunakan pendekatan karikatur untuk mempromosikan Chrome, pelayar baru itu menunjukkan persaingan Google dengan Microsoft dengan Internet Explorer digunakan kira-kira 75 peratus pelayar Web.

Google menerajui pasaran carian internet dengan enjin cariannya memproses hampir dua pertiga daripada permintaan dalam Web.

Sejak beberapa tahun lalu, Google mencuba mengambil kesempatan daripada populariti enjin cariannya untuk melonggarkan kekuatan Microsoft dalam cara pengguna berinteraksi dengan komputer peribadi mereka.

Google sudah mencuba menjadikan alternatifnya lebih menarik dan diterima dengan menjadikannya percuma berbanding cara Microsoft yang memerlukan penggunanya membayar yuran pelesenan untuk memasang perisian itu ke dalam komputer mereka.

Bagaimanapun, Microsoft cuba menghalang Google dengan melabur berbilion dolar untuk membangunkan enjin cariannya sendiri dan membuat cubaan yang tidak berjaya untuk membeli Yahoo Inc bernilai AS$47.5 bilion.

Ketegangan antara Microsoft dan Google kelihatan berpanjangan dengan kemasukan Google ke dalam perniagaan pelayaran Web.

Buat masa ini, ia sedang cuba untuk menjejaskan Internet Explorer dengan menyokong Firefox, pelayar Web yang dibangunkan oleh Mozilla Foundation.

Disokong kerjasama pengiklanan dengan enjin carian Google, Firefox kini menjadi pelayar web kedua paling popular dengan penguasaan pasaran kira-kira 10 peratus.

Baru-baru ini, Google melanjutkan pakatan pengiklanannya dengan Firefox sehingga 2011. –

sumber : berita harian

download chrome for windows XP/vista : http://www.google.com/chrome

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type : HONDA ACCORD SM4

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artikel yang menarik untuk dikongsi bersama..

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Instrumen pelaburan tradisional, hartanah sentiasa menjanjikan pulangan menarik.

DALAM keadaan pasaran saham yang kurang memberangsangkan serta kadar faedah bank yang rendah ketika ini, mungkin ramai yang mahu memindahkan dana mereka ke pelaburan yang menjanjikan pulangan lebih baik.

Dalam keadaan sebegini, pelaburan dalam sektor hartanah mungkin menjadi antara pilihan.

Sebagai satu instrumen pelaburan tradisional, hartanah sentiasa menjanjikan pulangan menarik, terutama dalam jangka panjang kerana ia membabitkan sumber paling penting, iaitu tanah yang mana jumlahnya adalah terhad, manakala permintaannya pula akan terus meningkat sejajar pertumbuhan bilangan penduduk.

Namun bagi mendapatkan pulangan lumayan dalam tempoh yang disasarkan, ada beberapa faktor yang perlu dipertimbangkan sebelum memutuskan membeli sesuatu hartanah.

Eksekutif Kanan Jualan Projek SK Brothers Realty (M) Sdn Bhd, Zainal Ashraf Zainal Abidin, berkata lokasi sesuatu hartanah menjadi faktor penting kepada pembeli yang mahu membeli rumah sebagai pelaburan.
Katanya, lokasi yang baik menjanjikan nilai hartanah boleh meningkat dengan cepat.

“Sebagai contohnya, pilih hartanah di lokasi yang hampir dengan kemudahan pengangkutan seperti LRT dan laluan bas.

“Hartanah di lokasi seperti ini mudah untuk disewa berbanding di kawasan yang jauh daripada kemudahan pengangkutan, malah kadar sewa juga jauh lebih tinggi,” katanya.

Pengurus Pemasaran Metro Kajang Holdings Bhd, Johnny WC Lam, berkata kedudukan kewangan yang kukuh mendorong pembeli membeli apa saja jenis hartanah yang mereka mahukan sama ada untuk kediaman ataupun komersial.

Hartanah yang dibangunkan di lokasi strategik dan mempunyai kepadatan penduduk yang tinggi selalunya menjadi pilihan pelabur.

Di samping itu, katanya bagi yang yang mahu menikmati pulangan pelaburan dalam jangka panjang, hartanah komersial seperti kedai pejabat dan industri ringan menjadi antara pilihan.

“Pemilihan unit komersial sebagai pelaburan jangka panjang mampu memberi pulangan yang baik kepada pembeli.

“Ini adalah masa yang baik untuk membeli hartanah untuk pelaburan kerana harganya akan terus meningkat,” katanya.

Pengarah Urusan Faber Group Bhd, Adnan Mohammad pula berkata, hartanah di Lembah Klang akan terus menjadi pilihan pembeli, meskipun harganya adalah agak tinggi.

Beliau berkata, walaupun harga hartanah terus meningkat berikutan kenaikan kos bahan binaan, lokasi memainkan peranan utama khususnya yang beralamat di Kuala Lumpur memandangkan ia mempunyai kelebihan dalam melonjakkan harga hartanah terbabit.

“Ada pembeli yang lebih bertumpu kepada projek di Kuala Lumpur kerana harga hartanah di lokasi berkenaan mampu melonjak dengan cepat.

“Mereka sanggup membuat pelaburan tinggi untuk mendapatkan hartanah yang mampu memberi pulangan tinggi,” katanya sambil menambah jaringan hubungan yang baik juga memberi kesan kepada nilai sesuatu projek.

Oleh Nor Liza Ahmad
norli@bharian.com.my
—————————————-

beberapa pandangan tentang debat tersebut:

1.aku rasa betul tentang apa yang diperkatakan oleh DS Anwar dalam debat tersebut.. kita bukannya membincangkan nak ambil keseluruhan hasil petronas.. apa yang dipentingkan sekarang adalah bagaimana duit yang diperolehi daripada petronas itu digunakan dan diuruskan sebaik-baiknya agak tiada kebocoran dan ketirisan dan wang itu digunakan sepenuhnya untuk rakyat..

2.kalau nak dikatakan duit tersebut digunakan untuk pembangunan.. kita ambil contoh para petani dan nelayan.. mana yang mereka lebih suka.. dapat subsidi diesel ataupun dapat sensor tercanggih abad ini yang boleh mengesan kerosakan enjin boat.. aku rasa dah tentu subsidi diesel kan.. so sama juga kalau nak dibandingkan.. harga minyak murah atau koridor sana sini??..

3.debat ini menunjukkan yang menteri penerangan kita sebenarnya taklah diterangi sangat sebab banyak information yang dia tak tahu.. lebih kepada attacking DS Anwar’s personal.. kan lebih baik kalau Shabery bagi fakta instead of melalut pasal apa yang DS Anwar dah buat zaman2 dahulu kala.. Semasa DS Anwar respond dengan memberikan fakta dan menceritakan cara-cara nak turunkan harga minyak, Shabery pula sibuk menceritakan tentang DS Anwar buat itu dan ini zaman dahulu yang takde kena mengena langsung dengan cerita minyak.. come on lah mentori oi.. nak debat ke nak attack personal..

4.panel Shabery sepatutnya buat homework dahulu sebelum datang jadi geng Shabery.. dia kata pada DS Anwar “Datuk Seri telah menyentuh perkara yang bukan berkaitan dengan minyak contohnya IPP..”
DS Anwar jawab “IPP tue berkaitan dengan minyak dan gas..”
alamak bro.. you memang sepatutnya kena buat homework dulu sebelum datang.. malu beb..

5.apa yang aku paham berdasarkan debat ini adalah sebelah pihak (DS Anwar) mengatakan kalau kita tak cukup kain kita koyakkan cadar sikit, langsir sikit, kain2 lama sikit supaya kita boleh buat baju.. sementara lagi satu pihak (Shabery) kata kita tak boleh buat apa2 sebab semua orang menghadapi masalah yang sama.. so kat sini kita boleh nampak yang satu pihak cuba nak menyelesaikan masalah sedaya mungkin dan satu lagi pihak cuma tahu surrender sebab seluruh dunia mengalami nasib yang sama..

6.walaupun takde keputusan.. rakyat semua dah boleh menilai dan tahu siapa yang menang dan siapa yang kalah malam tadi..

lain-lain artikel berkaitan:
- polis pantau lokasi debat Anwar-Shabery
- pemenang debat isu minyak ialah…
- TV9 Debat - Anwar Ibrahim dan Shabery Cheek part 1
- TV9 Debat - Anwar Ibrahim dan Shabery Cheek part 2 
- TV9 Debat - Anwar Ibrahim dan Shabery Cheek part 3

so biasalah bila kita naik kenderaan awam nie macam-macam perilaku manusia boleh kita tengok.. jadi ada beberapa perilaku orang-orang yang naik lrt dengan aku tadi yang aku rasa tak berkenan di hati.. aku rasa manusia-manusia lain yang ada kesedaran sivik pun akan rasa tak selesa dengan aktiviti-aktiviti yang kurang bermoral nie..

pertama sekali aku tengok kebanyakan orang berebut nak masuk cepat2.. maklumlah kalau lambat tak dapek tempat duduk.. sampaikan tak sempat2 nak tunggu orang keluar.. dah lah tak nak beratur, sepatutnya kita bagi orang dari dalam keluar dulu lepas tue barulah kita masuk.. ini tidak, memang tak bagi can pada orang lain nak keluar.. terus menonong je masuk..

lepas tue aku tengok ada yang duduk kat seat tue kaki letak atas tempat duduk.. apa ingat bangku tue daddy korang yang punya.. cuba la duduk bersopan sket.. heheh.. aku kat bangku bapak aku sendiri pun aku tak duduk letak kaki kat atas..

pastue tambah pulak dengan bunyi handphone.. pergh.. memang bunyi ringtone tue paling maksima diletaknya.. kalau ada pakcik sakit jantung silap2 boleh KO dibuatnya.. apalah salahnya di’vibrate’ kan handphone tue.. ini tidak, seboleh-bolehnya nak menunjuk yang nada dering yang di download tue nada dering tercanggih untuk abad nie.. lepas tue bercakap dalam phone macam bercakap kat dalam disko.. kuat nak mampos.. sampaikan pakcik drebar lrt pun boleh dengar.. eh lrt ade drebar ke??..

pastue ada pulak yang duduk atas lantai.. tak ke kotor tue.. kalau stay sampai destinasi duduk atas lantai takpe la jugak.. ni kang bila ada seat kosong berebut la pulak nak duduk dengan bontot seluar yang kotor tadik tue.. orang yang duduk lepas tue la pulak jadi mangsa.. berabuk.. ntah2 ada taik anjing ke melekat kat seluar tue.. wallahualam..

budak-budak muda yang tough n macho nie pun satu hal.. nampak makcik yang dah tua berdiri pun bukannya nak di offer tempat duduk.. buat-buat tak nampak yo.. ikutkan hati nak je aku cakap “bagilah tempat duduk kat makcik tue” .. tapi kang diorang ingat aku dengki dan jeles tak dapat duduk la pulak..

dalam masa 5 minit je aku perhatikan macam2 dah berlaku.. kalau aku menetap dalam lrt sure macam2 karenah lagi boleh aku jumpa.. tak tahulah bila orang-orang kita nie nak ubah sikap..:)

ini antara cakap-cakap yang aku dengar semalam sebab hari nie polis nak blok semua jalan-jalan yang menghala ke pusat bandar sebab nak elakkan perhimpunan haram..

click disini untuk detail news..

alamak brader polis.. dah takde kerja lain ke nak buat.. contohnya tangkap orang jahat.. ataupun cari kanak-kanak hilang.. takpun meronda di kawasan-kawasan perumahan sambil jaga keselamatan penduduk..

opss!!.. baru aku teringat.. ini arahan yang tak boleh nak di kompromi.. rakyat marhaen bayar income tax sikit aje so tak perlu dilayan elok-elok..

zaman barang naik nie sepatutnya kita ajar budak2 universiti nie berjimat bukannya semakin membazir duit.. kalau nak minum kopi bancuhlah sendiri.. kalau nak makan donut mintalah emak di kampung buatkan.. aku rasa kos hantar kopi dari kampung ke universiti pun confirm lagi murah daripada beli secawan kat kedai kopi mahal nie!!..

subsidi akan diberi untuk mengurangkan harga kopi mahal nie.. tapi kalau dipikirkan secara logik berapa sen sangat boleh syarikat kopi mahal nie kurangkan harga.. mesti nak jaga kualiti dan imej produk masing-masing.. kalau murah nanti takdelah orang2 kaya yang nak datang minum lagi!!..

kalau diteruskan kita akan nampak dikalangan budak2 IPTA nie akan terbahagi kepada: 1. Budak-budak yang memang mampu beli kopi mahal nie dan lepak berjam-jam; 2. Budak-budak yang tak mampu dan boleh telan air liur je lah tengok dari luar sambil mengumpat budak-budak yang ada kat dalam; 3. Budak-budak yang takde duit tapi nak belagak punya pasal pergi minum jugak kat kopi mahal nie.. semua kategori budak-budak yang dihasilkan seperti di atas takkan mendatangkan apa-apa faedah pun kepada agama, bangsa dan negara..

satu lagi cadangan yang lebih munasabah kalau kita buka peluang kepada franchise bumiputera berniaga kat IPTA nie.. bukannya tak ada bumiputera buat kopi dan donut.. so apa kat bagi peluang pada mereka nie.. sekurang-kurangnya kita memperkenalkan jenama sendiri di IPTA.. harga pun tak lah semahal harga kopi mahal nie..

ataupun banyak cadangan yang didengar adalah dengan menyuruh pelajar sendiri berniaga di universiti masing-masing.. so semangat berniaga nie dah boleh dipupuk dari zaman universiti lagi.. kan ke bagus begitu!!..

kebelakangan nie.. semakin hari semakin banyak keputusan dan cadangan yang bodoh dibuat.. tak paham aku!!..

harga petrol naik 78 sen - dari RM1.92 sekarang kepada RM2.70 diumumkan oleh PM yang juga mengumumkan harga minyak diesel pula naik kepada RM2.58 - naik RM1.

kenaikan sebanyak 41% bagi petrol dan 63% bagi diesel akan berkuatkuasa mulai tengah malam 4 June 2008.

dikatakan rebate akan diberi untuk kereta 2000cc ke bawah sebanyak RM625 semasa renew roadtax nanti.. mari kita kira!!..

aku pakai minyak sebulan lebih kurang RM 350
RM 350/RM 1.92 = 182 liter
182 liter x 12 bulan = 2184 liter

rebate
RM 625 / RM 0.78 = 801 liter
801 liter / 182 liter = 4.4 bulan

so untuk aku subsidi hanya diberi selama 4 bulan lebih sket.. lagi balance 8 bulan pergi mampus sama ngkau!! minyak tue kau tanggung lah sendiri!!

tue baru harga minyak.. dah sah bila harga minyak naik harga barang pun akan naik secara automatiknya.. macamana dgn orang yang tak ada kenderaan??.. takde roadtax yang nak dibayar, maka tak akan dapatlah rebate yang dijanjikan.. tapi akan terpaksa juga beli barang dengan harga yang berkadar terus dengan harga minyak yang baru nie.. dah dipertimbangkan ke semua nie sebelum dilaksanakan??..adil ke macam tue??!!

mari kita tengok satu lagi fakta :
harga petrol 1 May 2004 = RM 1.37
harga petrol 5 June 2008 = RM 2.70

RM 2.70 - RM 1.37 = RM 1.33
RM 1.33 / RM1.37 = 0.971

bermakna harga petrol dah naik 97.1% sejak 2004.. aku ambil comparison dari tahun 2004 nie sebabnya paham-paham sendiri lah.. nak mencipta rekod ke??

mari tengok lagi satu:

harga minyak negara-negara pengeluar minyak:

UAE – RM1.19/liter
Eygpt – RM1.03/liter
Bahrain – RM0.87/liter
Qatar – RM0.68/liter
Kuwait – RM0.67/liter
Saudi Arabia – RM0.38/liter
Iran – RM0.35/liter
Nigeria – RM0.32/liter
Turkmenistan – RM0.25/liter
Venezuela – RM0.16/liter
MALAYSIA - RM2.70/liter <-- apa ke jadahnya pengeluar minyak tapi harga tinggi sama dengan negara yang tak keluarkan minyak!!

adakah ini salah satu hadiah kerajaan kepada rakyat kerana bagi mandat pada mereka baru2 nie??!! ..bakal menyusulkah lagi hadiah-hadiah lain??!!..

dan apa yang mereka mereka tau kata cuma “ubah gaya hidup”.. tapi sampai bila??..

Last year, Bank Negara Malaysia announced a tiered pricing structure (TPS), which will be implemented this July 1, under which those who settle their minimum payments promptly will be charged a reduced interest of 15% to 17% per annum, instead of the usual 18%. However,
credit cardholders are now crying foul over a recent development - THE REMOVAL OF THE INTEREST-FREE PERIOD FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT PAY UP THEIR BILLS IN FULL.

Under current arrangements, credit cardholders enjoy a 20-day interest-free period on their new retail transactions. However, AFTER JULY, only those who make FULL PAYMENTS BEFORE THE DUE DATE will be entitled to the INTEREST-FREE DAYS. Those who make ONLY PARTIAL OR MINIMUM PAYMENTS will be CHARGED INTEREST ON THE DAY THE NEW PURCHASES ARE POSTED TO THE CARD’S ACCOUNTS.

In addition, the LATE PAYMENT CHARGE is NOW A MINIMUM of RM10.00 or 1% on TOTAL OUTSTANDING BALANCES; previously it was 1% of the minimum payment amount…’

————————————————————
-An excerpt from ‘News: Credit Cardholders, It Pays To Pay Up In Full’ by Tan Su-Yin, Personal Money - The Edge Magazine On Managing Your Finances, Issue #82, June 2008; pg. 10

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Dalam keadaan sekarang ini berjimat cermat adalah sangat penting dan daripada membeli buku2 dengan harga yang mahal yang cuma akan dibaca hanya sekali sahaja adalah lebih baik untuk menyelamatkan duit poket anda dengan cara menyewa bahan2 bacaan tersebut..

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Untuk maklumat lanjut boleh layari website www.qreazant.com

NEW YORK: Stung by rising petrol and food prices, Americans are finding creative ways to cut costs on routine items like groceries and clothing, forcing retailers, restaurants and manufacturers to decode the tastes of a suddenly thrifty public.

Spending data and interviews around the country show that middle- and working-class consumers are starting to switch from name brands to cheaper alternatives, to eat in instead of dining out and to fly at unusual hours to shave dollars off airfares.

Though seemingly small, the daily trade-offs they are making - more pasta and less red meat, more video rentals and fewer movie tickets - amount to an important shift in consumer behavior.

In Ohio, Holly Levitsky is replacing the Lucky Charms cereal in her kitchen with Millville Marshmallows and Stars, a less expensive store brand. In New Hampshire, George Goulet is no longer booking hotel rooms at the Hilton, favouring the lower-cost Hampton Inn. And in Michigan, Jennifer Olden is buying Gain laundry detergent instead of the full-price Tide.

Behind the belt-tightening - and brand-swapping - is the collision of several economic forces that are pinching people’s budgets or, at least, leaving them in little mood to splurge.

The price of household necessities has surged, with milk topping US$4 (US$1 = RM3.15) a gallon in many stores and regular petrol closing in on US$3.60 a gallon nationwide.

Home prices are sliding, wages are stagnant, job losses are growing and the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index, a broad measure of stock performance, is down six per cent in the last year. So consumers are going on a recession diet.

Burt Flickinger, a longtime retail consultant, said the last time he saw such significant changes in consumer buying patterns was the late 1970s, when runaway inflation prompted Americans to “switch from red meat to pork to poultry to pasta - then to peanut butter and jelly.” “It hasn’t got to human food mixed with pet food yet,” he said, “but it is certainly headed in that direction.”

Retail sales figures and consumer surveys confirm that Americans are strategically cutting corners, whether it is at the coffee house or the airport. (In: brewing coffee at home and flying coach. Out: Starbucks and first class.)

In March, Americans spent less on women’s clothing (down 4.9 per cent), furniture (3.1 per cent), luxury goods (1.3 per cent) and airline tickets (1.1 per cent) compared with a year ago, according to MasterCard Spending Pulse, a service of the credit card company that measures spending on 300 million of its cards and estimates purchases with other cards, cash and checks.

Wal-Mart Stores reports stronger-than- usual sales of peanut butter and spaghetti, while restaurants like Domino’s Pizza and Ruby Tuesday have suffered a falloff in orders, suggesting that many Americans are sticking to low-cost home-cooked meals.

Over the last year, purchases of brand name cookies and crackers have fallen, according to Information Resources, which tracks retail sales. Sales of Nabisco graham crackers have dropped 7.5 per cent, and Keebler Fudge Shoppe cookies have slipped by 12.3 per cent. Not even beer is immune. Sales of inexpensive domestic beers, like Keystone Light, are up; sales of higher-price imports, like Corona Extra, are down, the firm said.

Some are skipping drinks altogether. The number of people ordering an alcoholic drink fell to 31 per cent last month from 42 per cent last summer, according to a survey of 2,500 people conducted by Technomic, a restaurant industry consulting firm. “People have started to shift spending as if we were in a recession,” said Michael McNamara, vice president for research and analysis at MasterCard.

Such trade-offs were on vivid display last week in Ohio, where layoffs have been rampant. At Save-A-Lot, a discount grocery store in Cleveland, Teresa Rutherford, 51, chided her sister-in-law, Donna Dunaway, 44, for picking up a package of Sara Lee honey ham (eight ounces for US$2.49). “We can’t afford that!” she said. “Get the cheap stuff.” They settled on a 16-ounce package of Deli Pleasures ham for US$3.29, or 34 per cent less an ounce.

The women said that soaring prices for food and fuel had changed what they buy and where they buy it. “We used to eat out at Bob Evans or Denny’s once a month,” said Rutherford, who works in a car parts factory. “Now we don’t go out at all. We eat in all the time.”

Dunaway, a homemaker, used to splurge on the ingredients for homemade lasagna, her husband’s favorite, before food prices began to surge this year. “Now he’s lucky to get a 99-cent lasagna TV dinner, or maybe some Manwich out of a can,” she said. “I just can’t afford to be buying all that good meat and cheese like I used to.”

By no means has the economic downturn been bad for all product categories. For instance, sales of big-ticket electronics, like US$1,000 flat-panel televisions and US$300 video game systems, are on the rise, according to retailers and research firms.

Falling prices for such devices and a looming government deadline to convert to digital television have helped. So has the view, sensible or not, that the technology is a good investment. At a Best Buy in Southfield, Michigan, James Szekely, 28, a mechanical engineer, was shopping for a big high-definition TV that he expected would cost at least US$2,000, an expense he rationalised because “at least we can watch movies at home.”

(In a survey conducted this month by the NPD Group, a research firm, consumers suggested that they would sooner cut spending on clothing, furniture and eating out than on video games.)
At Home Depot, sinks and faucets are selling briskly. Managers at the chain suspect that consumers, loath to spend money on a splashy kitchen renovation or new roof, are settling for a cheaper bathroom “refresh.”

Another top seller at home improvement stores: programmable thermostats and insulation, which can cut fuel bills.

Many retailers are struggling to adjust to the new needs. Clothing sales have started to sink at department stores like Macy’s, Kohl’s and J. C. Penney. So have furniture sales at companies like Bombay and Domain, both of which have filed for bankruptcy protection.
Consumers are spurning small indulgences. Starbucks is warning of a drop-off in purchases, and sales have dipped at higher-end restaurant chains, including the steakhouses Ruth’s Chris and Morton’s. To drum up business, Domino’s is offering a new deal: three 10-inch pizzas for US$4 each. “We are not recession-proof, ” said the chain’s president, J. Patrick Doyle.
But chains that emphasis low prices, like TJ Maxx and Wal-Mart, are thriving. And cut-rate supermarkets, like Save-A-Lot, are swamped. “People are not spending, but they are changing how they spend,” said Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at the NPD Group. And they are often willing to sacrifice convenience or swallow their pride.

George Goulet, 52, the business traveler switching from the Hilton to the Hampton Inn, now books flights that depart in the afternoon rather than the early morning. “It’s a lot cheaper,” he said. “I can really see the difference.”

Mary Gregory, 55, a telephone company operator in Cleveland, used to eat red meat at least once a week. Now it is hardly ever on her menu. “I usually buy turkey instead,” she said. “Any recipe that calls for meat, like chili or spaghetti, I try to substitute turkey.”

Carl Hall, a retired construction worker in Detroit, wants to buy a fence for his backyard. But he decided not to buy a finished product at Lowe’s, the home improvement chain where he was shopping recently. With money tight, “I am looking to put it together myself,” he said, adding that he hoped to save US$200.

As the compromises mount, people are even coming up with clever schemes to hide their cost-cutting. Holly Levitsky, a 56-year-old supermarket cashier in Cleveland, buys a brand of steak sauce called Briargate for 85 cents and surreptitiously pours it into an A1 steak sauce bottle she keeps at home. “My husband can’t even tell the difference,” she said. - NYT

Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it: -

EMERGENCY

I. The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked.. Try it out!!

II. Subject: Have you locked your keys in the car? Does you car have remote keys?

This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone:
If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone.

Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other “remote” for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).

Editor’s Note: “It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!”

III. Subject: Hidden Battery power

Imagine your cell battery is very low, you are expecting an important call and you don’t have a charger. Nokia instrument comes with a reserve battery.

To activate, press the keys *3370# Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.

AND FINALLY

IV. How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?

To check your Mobile phone’s serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 #

A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. when your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code.

They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won’t get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can’t use/sell it either.

If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones..

salah satu tujuan utama OD ASB nie supaya kita boleh maksimumkan saving kita…. sebagai contoh, kata lah sebelum nie kita cuma saving ke dalam ASB RM300 sebulan tapi kalau guna kaedah OD ASB kita boleh gandakan saving sampai RM600.. tapi sebelum tue masing-masing kenalah tahu masing-masing punya tahap kewangan dan juga cashflow sebab setiap orang mempunyai cara perbelanjaan yang berbeza..

sebagai permulaan katakan kita ada duit simpanan

ASB = RM11000 (jumlah minimum nak memohon OD ASB)

Bank akan bagi 95% dari jumlah ASB
95% x RM11000 = RM10450

sebelum nie katakanlah kita saving RM100 tiap-tiap bulan ke dalam ASB..
dari kaedah OD ASB nie kita cuba simpan dalam ASB kita RM200 tiap-tiap bulan..
jadi dalam 1 tahun kita akan simpan/guna RM2400

dividen ASB 8.5%

jadi pada tahun ke-2..

kita dapat dividen pada jumlah simpanan yang memang ada RM11000 + dividen daripada yang kita simpan tiap-tiap bulan dari akaun OD ke dalam ASB RM2400
jadi jumlah dividen yang diperolehi adalah RM1139..
dividen yang kita dapat nie kita masukkan semula ke dalam akaun OD..

ulang langkah2 tersebut setiap tahun dan kita akan lihat pada permulaannya baki akaun OD kita akan berkurang tapi lama-kelamaan baki tersebut akan bertambah semula sebab semakin banyak dividen yang kita dapat kerana simpanan kita semakin bertambah..

sebagai ringkasan untuk pengiraan tersebut:

ASB = RM11000
OD = 95% x RM11000 = RM10450
dividen 8.5%

tahun pertama
jumlah OD yang digunakan = RM2400
baki OD = RM10450 - RM2400 = RM8050

tahun ke-2
jumlah simpanan ASB = RM11000 + 2400 = RM13400

awal tahun ke-2 kita akan memperolehi dividen ASB
dividen ASB = 8.5% x (RM11000 + RM2400) = RM1139

keluarkan dividen tadi dan masukkan semula ke dalam akaun OD
baki akaun OD = RM8050 + RM1139 = RM9189

seterusnya kita tambahkan lagi saving ASB untuk tahun ke-2 = RM2400 setahun
baki OD sekarang = RM9189 - RM2400 = RM6789

tahun ke-3
jumlah simpanan ASB = RM11000 + 2400 + 2400 = RM15800
dividen ASB = 8.5% x 15800 = RM1343
baki akaun OD = RM6789 + RM1343 = RM8132
seterusnya kita tambahkan lagi saving ASB untuk tahun ke-3 = RM2400 setahun
baki OD = RM8132 – RM2400 = RM5732

tahun ke-4
jumlah simpanan ASB = RM11000 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 = RM18200
dividen ASB = 8.5% x 18200 = RM1547
baki akaun OD = RM5732 + RM1587 = RM7279
seterusnya kita tambahkan lagi saving ASB untuk tahun ke-4 = RM2400 setahun
baki OD = RM7279 – RM2400 = RM4879

tahun ke-5
jumlah simpanan ASB = RM11000 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 = RM20600
dividen ASB = 8.5% x RM20600 = RM1751
baki akaun OD = RM4879 + RM1751 = RM6630
seterusnya kita tambahkan lagi saving ASB untuk tahun ke-5 = RM2400 setahun
baki OD = RM6630 – RM2400 = RM4230

tahun ke-6
jumlah simpanan ASB = RM11000 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 = RM23000
dividen ASB = 8.5% x RM23000 = RM1955
baki akaun OD = RM4230 + RM1955 = RM6185
seterusnya kita tambahkan lagi saving ASB untuk tahun ke-6 = RM2400 setahun
baki OD = RM6185 – RM2400 = RM3785

tahun ke-7
jumlah simpanan ASB = RM11000 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 = RM25400
dividen ASB = 8.5% x RM25400 = RM2159
baki akaun OD = RM3785 + RM2159 = RM5944
seterusnya kita tambahkan lagi saving ASB untuk tahun ke-7 = RM2400 setahun
baki OD = RM5944 – RM2400 = RM3544

so kat sini kita dah boleh nampak baki ASB kita pada tahun ke-7 dah ada RM25400.. bermakna kita dah pun berjaya menggandakan simpanan kita dalam masa 7 tahun tanpa usik perbelanjaan harian kita sebab duit yang digunakan adalah duit daripada akaun OD kita..

setiap tahun ulang balik kaedah yang sama..

tahun ke-8
jumlah simpanan ASB = RM11000 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 = RM27800
dividen ASB = 8.5% x RM27800 = RM2363
baki akaun OD = RM3544 + RM2363 = RM5907
seterusnya kita tambahkan lagi saving ASB untuk tahun ke-8 = RM2400 setahun
baki OD = RM5907 – RM2400 = RM3507

tahun ke-9
jumlah simpanan ASB = RM11000 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 = RM30200
dividen ASB = 8.5% x RM30200 = RM2567
baki akaun OD = RM3507 + RM2567 = RM6074
seterusnya kita tambahkan lagi saving ASB untuk tahun ke-9 = RM2400 setahun
baki OD = RM6074 – RM2400 = RM3674

tahun ke-10
jumlah simpanan ASB = RM11000 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 + 2400 = RM32600
dividen ASB = 8.5% x RM32600 = RM2771
baki akaun OD = RM3674 + RM2771 = RM6445
seterusnya kita tambahkan lagi saving ASB untuk tahun ke-10 = RM2400 setahun
baki OD = RM6445 – RM2400 = RM4045

so kat sini kita nampak baki akaun OD dah mula menunjukkan pertambahan semula pada tahun ke-9, 10 dan seterusnya akan semakin bertambah..

untuk tahun-tahun seterusnya bolehlah cuba kira sendiri..

pada masa yang sama disebabkan kita guna OD ASB nie berdasarkan interest 6.75%, maka interest akan dikenakan sebanyak

RM2400 x 6.75% = RM162 setahun
RM2400 x 6.75% / 12 = RM13.50 sebulan
RM2400 x 6.75% / 365 = RM0.44 sehari

ada cara yang boleh digunakan untuk kita kurangkan interest charge yang dikenakan tiap-tiap bulan tersebut.. kita bincangkan untuk next topik pulak nanti..

harap-harap semua boleh paham apa yang aku cuba sampaikan nie.. yang penting cara kita manage duit kita tue nanti.. maklumlah nampak depan mata RM11000.. confirm kelabu mata punya.. so gunakanlah dengan cara yang berhemah..

Satu hari masa minum kat kedai kopi Pak Ngah Jiman, Ajis terdengar rakan2 sekampungnya bercerita tentang satu lubuk baru yg banyak ikan ditemui kat sungai di kampung seberang, kampung tu agak jauh & pedalaman sungai tu lebih kurang 5 km dr kampung tu, dekat tepi pinggir hutan..
 
Tengahari tu, Ajis dah bersiap nak pegi memancing kat lubuk yg diceritakan, siap pakai helmet, Ajis masukkan bekalan minum petang dan pancingnya dlm raga motor. Sepanjang perjalanan Ajis bernyanyi riang, jauh jugak nak kekampung seberang tu, dah hampir masuk waktu Asar baru Ajis sampai, teringat pulak dia tak sempat solat Zohor tadi & dia terpikir, karang kalau terus pi sungai tu, tak sempat plak solat Asar..
 
tak lama kemudian Ajis nampak sebuah surau yg agak uzur kat tepi jalan sunyi kampung tu. bergegas dia berhenti, ditengoknya keliling tak ada orang, sunyi saja surau tu. Ajis segera mengambil wuduk dgn tergesa2 sbb waktu Zohor dah hampir nak habis.
 
Masa Ajis di rakaat yg kedua, Ajis tiba-tiba terdengar bunyi suara orang ketawa. Bulu romanya tiba2 meremang, “Hish, sapa pulak yg gelak2 tu?” bisik hati Ajis, setiap kali Ajis sujud, Ajis terasa kepala & tengkuknya berat dr biasa, Ajis tak sedap hati, ni surau tinggal ker, sbb dah uzur sangat dan alahai, sapa pulak duduk kat tengkuk dia ni. Sedaya-upaya Ajis tenangkan hati, selesaikan solat dgn segera, dia nak tinggalkan cepat surau tu. Bulu romanya semakin meremang-remang sbb suara org ketawa semakin ramai, ada yg sampai terbatuk-batuk.
 
Syukur, Ajis dah berada di tahiyat terakhir, selesai memberi salam ke kanan dan ke kiri, Ajis meraup mukanya dgn tangan dr atas ubun2 kepala sampai ke dagu, then tiba-tiba Ajis tersedar.
 
hehehe…rupa-rupanya dia terlupa nak tanggalkan helmet masa nak sembahyang tadi, sbb terlampau nak cepat, bila dia toleh belakang, patutlah dengar orang ketawa, rupa-rupanya tok imam, bilal dan orang2 kampung yg dtg nak sembahyang Asar duk gelakkan dia sebab Ajis sembahyang pakai helmet, patut ler kepala dia rasa berat semacam.
 
Terus Ajis blah macam tu ajer, tak jadi pi memancing, dia pusing balik, sembahyang Asar kat rumah sendiri sajalah jawabnya..

p/s: thanks to whoever created this story.. lawak gilo siot.. hehehe

Ah Kau is a guy who sells newspaper every morning next to your apartment, and you are one of his daily regular customers. Before dashing off to your office every day, you will go to his small stall and buy The Star newspaper. Wearing a newly pressed shirt, a tie, and a pair of Clarks shoes, you grab a copy of The Star, pay RM1.20 and exchange smiles with Ah Kau and greet him.

“Apa macam Ah Kau ini hari? Bisnes ada baik?”

The normal greeting like you do every day. Yes, Ah Kau doesn’t speak English. He speaks Chinese and knows a little bit of Malay. He speaks a little bit of Malay but with a very thick Chinese accent.

“Biasa saja! ini bisnes aa, kadang kadang baik, kadang kadang tada untung.”
“Biasalah hidup. Kadang kadang ok, kadang kadang tak ok.”

You give Ah Kau a pat on the back. You smile and walk away and get into your car. You start the engine and start driving to your office, a multinational semiconductor company located in a premier industrial area. You are a young and promising finance executive and the future looks bright for you.

A year goes by and things look pretty good on the track. You decide to marry your fiance and have your new wife moves in to your place. Both of you feel happy because you can save more money as the two of you will be sharing one apartment and can live as one.

Ah Kau is still selling the newspaper as usual. Sometimes in the morning your wife gets the newspaper from Ah Kau instead of you. A year later a child comes along, and you decide to buy and move into a newly developed condominium just across the street. This place is bigger so it will be perfectly fit for the 3 of you. But since both of you are working, you decide to get a maid to take of the household and your kid.

By this time you’re offered a managerial job from another multinational; the remuneration package offered is much better in terms of the pay, contractual bonus, medical benefits, ESOS scheme and a few others which make it impossible for you to decline. So you join this company happily. You get busier. You realize that you spend less and less time with your family.

When your department is busy preparing for the next audit, your working hours become more and more ridiculous. Any internal issues arising in the office means you’ll be stuck in the office until 8 or 9 pm. Sometimes, during the weekend, you’ll spend your time in your office, buried under paper works and documentation’s, instead of taking your family for a walk in the park.

One morning, on your way to get your copy of The Star, you realized that Ah Kau is no longer in his stall. So is his rundown motorbike. Instead, there’s another young Chinese guy at the stall.

“What happen to Ah Kau?” You ask out of curiosity.
“Oh, he is still around, but he is no longer taking care of this stall as he has opened up a new grocery shop down town. I am running this newspaper stall for him.”
“Ok.” you smile.

You feel happy for Ah Kau. At last he manages to improve his life. Your normal life continues. A year passes by and at the end of your company’s fiscal year, you’re rewarded for your effort with a 5 months bonus pay-out by your employer. Wow. Now that is a very handsome reward. You feel your effort has been equally compensated.

To celebrate, you decide that it’s time to trade your 5-year old Proton Wira to the latest Honda Civic model. It won’t be much a problem to you to get a loan scheme from the bank as your pay slip will provide you an easy gateway to access financial help from any bank.

One day, the hardest reality of life hits you right on the face. The company that you’ve been working for years announces that they’re moving their business to China for cost and competitive reason and has asked you to find a job somewhere else.

“What?”You scream out cold. “I got a lot of liabilities on the card! Who’s gonna pay for my mortgage? My car? My credit card? My gym fees? My bills?”

You yell like there’s no way out. This is the first time you feel let down by your own employer. All your hard work seem to go up on the smoke. You feel sick. You now hate your company.

On the way home, you stopped by at a mamak restaurant for a cup of the tarik while pondering about your future. Alone. Suddenly you saw this new, shiny BMW 3 series being parked nearby. And to your surprise, it was Ah Kau. Yes, Ah Kau who used to sell newspapers nearby your old apartment.

“What happened to old Ah Kau?” You whisper to yourself. Ah Kau still recognizes you, and sit next to you, and shared his story.

To make it short, Ah Kau had accumulated his money from selling newspapers to open more stalls, one after another. Every new stall is run by his workers so that he focused on opening more and more stalls, which in turn give him more and more money.

Over the years, he had accumulated enough cash to open up new grocery store while at the same time buying more assets to grow his wealth. And his current wealth and success is achieved without any loan or financial help from banks and other financial institutions.

There you go. That’s the story. While Ah Kau is set to become financially free, you’re back to where you’re started before. Ground zero. Before leaving, Ah Kau gives you a familiar quote,

” Biasalah hidup. Kadang kadang ok, kadang kadang tak ok.”

He gives you a pat on the back and walks away. In reality, if you’re observant enough, there are a lot of Ah Kaus out there, that you will see every day and everywhere you go. The names are different, but inside them is every character of Ah Kau. They might be Uncle Dorai, Ah Chong, Pak Abu, Makcik Gemuk, Pak Man nasi lemak or others.

They look to be struggling on the surface, but if you look carefully and compare with you life, many of them are living with little or no liabilities. They ride an old kapcai bike. They live in an old rundown house. They don’t have credit card to swipe. They wear a 10-year old shirt and short. No new, shiny Toyota Harrier. In short, their living means are far below than yours. But what you don’t realize is that many of them can save more money than yours, and over the years generate enough money to expand their business, or invest in properties. Their asset columns are much thicker than that of yours.

So the next time you see Ah Kaus, never look down on them, and never under estimate them. Or else you’re up for a harsh reality lesson.