So, MCO got extended till 28 April....

As everyone is anticipated for today's announcement, I hav mixed feeling on the extended MCO...

Happy - of the wise decision made to further prevent COVID-19 from spreading

Sad - coz unable to go back office/out dining/cut hair (my hair is so untrimmed now)

While i have adapted to the WFH routine, the 'freedom' of goin out is still missing.

 

In such recession, my company CEO has decided to contribute RM1000 to each staff for us to do charity. I mean the money goes to the charity on behalf of our name, and we are free to choose which option to donate them:

Option 1: Donate or contribute to a tax-deductible organization. The list is available in LHDN (Inland Revenue Board) website. We can also donate to the Ministry of Health or hospitals.

Option 2: Use the budget to organise our own contribution to communities in need. This would require the staff to locate the community that they would like to provide assistance to, then purchase necessities according to their needs and show proof for reimbursement later.

I think there is a third option too...as some would like to donate to the zoo...

Which do you prefer?



Legal Issue on Contract Law in Malaysia

Notice that most of the time, the receipt/invoice you received from the merchant carries this exclusion clause or similarly worded statement: 'Goods sold are not returnable' or 'No refund once sold'.

'As long as your good is purchased for home use and not for business ( i.e. to be resold), the above exclusion clause is VOID.

That means, as long as the good is defective, regardless of what is worded, you CAN get back all your money spent. You do not have to accept a repair on the good or an exchange.

You CAN ask for a refund. AND you are LEGALLY right and entitled to!

And most of the time the merchant will refuse to return you your money.

You may refer this to Small Claims Tribunal Court.

All you have to pay is RM10 admin fee and the loser (the merchant) will have to refund you the money PLUS the admin fee!

Pls try not to let the merchant fleece you the next time you have a defective good.

You may file your case on the 16th floor of Putra Place (The Mall opposite Putra World Trade Centre) . The form cost RM5.00.

The Tribunal will settle within 2 months period.

Tribunal Tuntutan Pengguna Malaysia ,

Tingkat 16, Putra Place ,

100, Jalan Putra ,

50622 KUALA LUMPUR

Tel: 03 - 40492300 / 40424181 Fax: 03 - 40424259

Safety Method to Lock your Car

As circulated in emails,

here is one true story...

I locked my car. As I walked away I heard my car door unlock. I went back and locked my car again three times. Each time, as soon as I started to walk away, I would hear it unlock again!! Naturally alarmed, I looked around and there were two guys sitting in a car in the fire lane next to the store.
They were obviously watching me intently, and there was no doubt they were somehow involved in this very weird situation. I quickly chucked the errand I was on, jumped in my car and sped away. I went straight to the police station, told them what had happened, and found out I was part of a new, and very successful, scheme being used to gain entry into cars. Two weeks later, my friend's son had a similar happening...

While travelling, my friend's son stopped at a roadside rest to use the bathroom. When he came out to his car less than 4-5 minutes later, someone had gotten into his car and stolen his cell phone, laptop computer, GPS navigator, briefcase...you name it. He called the police and since there were no signs of his car being broken into, the police told him he had been a victim of the latest robbery tactic -- there is a device that robbers are using now to clone your security code when you lock your doors on yourcar using your key-chain locking device.

They sit a distance away and watch for their next victim. They know you are going inside of the store, restaurant, or bathroom and that they now have a few minutes to steal and run. The police officer said to manually lock your car door-by hitting the lock button inside the car -- that way if there is someone sitting in a parking lot watching for their next victim, it will not be you..
When you hit the lock button on your ca r upon exiting, it does not send the security code, but if you walk away and use the door lock on your key chain, it sends the code through the air waves where it can be instantly stolen.This is very real.

Be wisely aware of what you just read and please pass this note on. Look how many times we all lock our doors with our remote just to be sure we remembered to lock them -- and bingo, someone has our code and whatever was in our car.

Some facts on EPF Nominee

Info Sharing...

If ONE (1) of our Nominee in the EPF Nominees list deceased, automatically the whole arrangement (EPF Nominees list) is VOID. Meaning if, you only put in One (1) name & unfortunately he/she dies before you - automatically EPF will channel your EPF money to trustee of AMANAH RAYA upon your death.
Thou if, you DO have few names in the EPF Nominees list still - the whole arrangement is VOID & none of the individual balance name in the EPF Nominees list will get their portion & automatically EPF will channel your EPF money to trustee of AMANAH RAYA upon your death.
Piece of advice - if any of the your Nominee in the EPF Nominees list decease, please do immediately approach the nearest EPF counter & present the Death Certificate of the individual & re-instate you NEW/LATEST Nominee in the EPF Nominees list + NEW/LATEST percentage.
If, you & the other party (maybe spouse) involved in the same misfortune (accident/illness) that caused death to both yourself/spouse please alert your siblings/relatives/parents to immediately approach the nearest EPF counter & share the information within 3 days to AVOID all EPF money to be surrender to trustee of AMANAH RAYA.

Upon surrender to trustee of AMANAH RAYA, your children will have to battle the money thru 3 channels;

Majlis Agama
Pejabat Tanah
Mahkamah

The normal period via above 3 channels usually takes 2-3 years (except if you have inside/tip top connection) at Amanah Raya.

Another crime in town

If you see a guy (especially Indian) who rides a motorbike with a bloody hand knocking on your window demanding you to stop and asking for tissue paper to clean the blood when you are driving a car, remember DO NOT stop the car at all. Even if he damages your car or holds the side mirrors tightly, DO NOT stop the car but drive directly to the nearest police station. This kind of criminal tactics have been reported in about 40 cases in Seremban, K. Lumpur, Shah Alam, P.Jaya and Klang Town police stations (actually around the whole country). These guys are mainly Indian gangsters, They work in a group and dare to commit this crime even in crowded areas where nobody will dare to stop the car to help you. The main purpose of this dirty tactic is to rob you and/ or even commit rape if you are female driver driving alone. Please forward this message to the people you care about.

Dr Jeyashree Srinivasan

Swine Flu

Over the weekend, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported an outbreak of the H1N1 Swine Flu virus in Mexico and the United States. This outbreak has now increased to include a small number of confirmed cases in North America and suspected cases in other countries globally.

Swine Flu is spread to humans mainly through contact with infected pigs, but limited human-to-human transmission can also occur in the same way seasonal flu occurs in people. The symptoms are similar to regular human seasonal influenza - high fever in the early stages followed by cough, sore throat, runny nose and sometimes breathlessness a few days later. Further information is available on the World Health Organisation (WHO) Swine Flu webpage - http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2009/h1n1_20090425/en/index.html

Please spread this...

Another circulated email...Please be alert when u r driving...

On Thur 5 Feb, I was driving home after work in the afternoon. quite a number of cars on the road. I was driving near the UE3, Taman Miharja, Cheras when 2 Indian guys on a motorbike honked me and pointed to the passenger-side wheel. I slowed down, not stopping but they kept honking and pointing to the wheel. Finally, I stopped at the side of the road in front of the UE3 complex. The 2 guys stopped and came down from their bike. One has the "BMW" name and logo on his blue shirt. While the other guy squatted in fron of the passenger-side wheel (I cant see him), the "BMW" guy came to the passenger side. My car is always locked when I drive and I lowered the passenger side window about 2 inch to talk with him. Speaking in Malay, he told me my wheel has smoke and oil. I hesitated evaluating the situation, and he then bend down at the wheel and came up showing me his finger with some oil on it. He said my brake oil is leaking and cannot drive and ask me to go down out to see the wheel. Pointing to Taman Pertama which is just nearby, I told him I stay there and will go to my mechanic there for check-up. He kept insisting I dont drive as my brakes are not working and can get an accident. He kept asking me to go down and look at the wheel. I said no and I drove off. Giving this "Good Samaritan" the benefit of the doubt, I drove home very slowly in case I really cannot brake the car. 10 min later I arrived at my mechanic shop which is quite near to my house. I ask the mechanic if there is any oil in the wheel, he touched it and said yes and possible brake oil is leaking. He took it into the workshop and took out the wheel. Lo and behold, there was no leak, all dry. There was some oil at the brake pd and at the back of the tyre. He took out the driver-side tyre and it was dry too. He told me the only possible answer was that someone must have poured oil into my wheel. He washed the tyres and cleaned up the oil and then I went off.
I didnt tell the mechanic what had happened earlier but putting 2 and 2 together, I think I know what happened.
The 2 Indian guys stopped me. While one was talking with me, the other guy squatting at the wheel must have poured some oil into my wheel, making me think my car's brake oil was leaking and in panic, I might go down and check (that's why he kept asking me to go down and see).. If I go out of the car to see, the following things can happen:-

1. one guy will drive off with my car (hoping in panic I'll leave the car keys in the car) while the other will ride off in his motorbike.

2. they will threaten and rob me (with or without injury)

3. they will say they can repair my car very fast with no hassle and charge me a bomb.

Looking at the crime situation in KL these days, I think either one of the first 2 possibilities will happen. Thank God, I was alert and didnt panic.

So for you drivers in KL, please be careful and be alert at all times while driving. Dont be so gullible and take all "Good Samaritan" word as true. If it happens drive to the nearest police station or mechanic workshop. The worst thing that can happen is to buy 2 brand new tyres (if tyres are kaput) or pay to repair for the damage done to the car. Cheaper than your life or your car.
So drive carefully. Cheers.

Credit Card Alert

From a circulated email...

SCENE 1.

This is a new one. People sure stay busy trying to cheat us, don't they? A friend went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the locker. After the workout and a shower, he came out, saw the locker open, and thought to himself, 'Funny, I thought I locked the locker.

Hmm, 'He dressed and just flipped the wallet to make sure all was in order. Everything looked okay - all cards were in place. A few weeks later his credit card bill came - a whooping bill of $14,000!

He called the credit card company and started yelling at them, saying that he did not make the transactions. Customer care personnel verified that there was no mistake in the system and asked if his card had been stolen. 'No,' he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled out the credit card, and yep - you guessed it - a switch had been made.

An expired similar credit card from the same bank was in the wallet. The thief broke into his locker at the gym and switched cards.

Verdict: The credit card issuer said since he did not report the card missing earlier, he would have to pay the amount owed to them. How much did he have to pay for items he did not buy? $9,000! Why were there no calls made to verify the amount swiped? Small amounts rarely trigger a 'warning bell' with some credit card companies. It just so happens that all the small amounts added up to big one!

SCENE 2.

A man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card. The bill for the meal came, he signed it, and the waitress folded the receipt and passed the credit card along. Usually, he would just take it and place it in his wallet or pocket. Funny enough, though, he actually took a look at the card and behold, it was the expired card of another person. He called the waitress and she looked perplexed. She took it back, apologized, and hurried back to the counter under the watchful eye of the man. All the waitress did while walking to the counter was wave the wrong expired card to the counter cashier, and the counter cashier immediately looked down and took out the real card. No exchange of words --- nothing! She took it and came back to the man with an apology.

Verdict: Make sure the credit cards in your wallet are yours. Check the name on the card every time you sign for something and/or the card is taken away for even a short period of time. Many people just take back the credit card without even looking at it, 'assuming' that it has to be theirs. FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, DEVELOP THE HABIT OF CHECKING YOUR CREDIT CARD EACH TIME IT IS RETURNED TO YOU AFTER A TRANSACTION!

SCENE 3:

Yesterday I went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order that I had called in. I paid by using my Visa Check Card. The young man behind the counter took my card, swiped it, then laid it on the counter as he waited for the approval, which is pretty standard procedure. While he waited, he picked up his cell phone and started dialing. I noticed the phone because it is the same model I have, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then I heard a click that sounded like my phone sounds when I take a picture. He then gave me back my card but kept the phone in his hand as if he was still pressing buttons. Meanwhile, I'm thinking: I wonder what he is taking a picture of, oblivious to what was really going on. It then dawned on me: the only thing there was my credit card, so now I'm paying close attention to what he is doing. He set his phone on the counter, leaving it open. About five seconds later, I heard the chime that tells you that the picture has been saved. Now I'm standing there struggling with the fact that this boy just took a picture of my credit card. Yes, he played it off well, because had we not had the same kind of phone, I probably would never have known what happened. Needless to say, I immediately canceled that card as I was walking out of the pizza parlor. All I am saying is, be aware of your surroundings at all times. Whenever you are using your credit card take caution and don't be careless. Notice who is standing near you and what they are doing when you use your card. Be aware of phones, because many have a camera phone these days. When you are in a restaurant and the waiter/waitress brings your card and receipt for you to sign, make sure you scratch the number off. Some restaurants are using only the last four digits, but a lot of them are still putting the whole thing on there. I have already been a victim of credit card fraud and, believe me, it is not fun. The truth is that they can get you even when you are careful, but don't make it easy for them.

Microwaving Water - True but rarely happen

This thing has been circulated around the net so often, and it is not the first time i m getting the news. Here's the original copy. FYI, this is a true case, but rarely happen. Sometimes i do see some of my colleagues microwaving water and instant noodles, and i kept a distance whenever they took it out from the microwave.

Microwaving Water!

A 26-year old man decided to have a cup of coffee. He took a cup of water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something that he had done numerous times before). I am not sure how long he set the timer for, but he wanted to bring the water to a boil. When the timer shut the oven off, he removed the cup from the oven. As he looked into the cup, he noted that the water was not boiling, but suddenly the water in the cup "blew up" into his face. The cup remained intact until he threw it out of his hand, but all the water had flown out into his face due to the build up of energy. His whole face is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd degree burns to his face which may leave scarring.

He also may have lost partial sight in his left eye. While at the hospital, the doctor who was attending to him stated that this is a fairly common occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, something should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy such as a wooden stir stick, tea bag, etc., (nothing metal).

It is however a much safer choice to boil the water in a tea kettle.

General Electric's Response:

Thanks for contacting us, I will be happy to assist you. The e-mail that you received is correct. Microwaved water and other liquids do not always bubble when they reach the boiling point. They can actually get superheated and not bubble at all. The superheated liquid will bubble up out of the cup when it is moved or when something like a spoon or tea bag is put into it.

To prevent this from happening and causing injury, do not heat any liquid for more than two minutes per cup. After heating, let the cup stand in the microwave for thirty seconds! before moving it or adding anything into it.

Here is what our local science teacher had to say on the matter: "Thanks for the microwave warning. I have seen this happen before. It is caused by a phenomenon known as super heating. It can occur anytime water is heated and will particularly occur if the vessel that the water is heated in is new, or when heating a small amount of water (less than half a cup).

What happens is that the water heats faster than the vapor bubbles can form. If the cup is very new then it is unlikely to have small surface scratches inside it that provide a place for the bubbles to form. As the bubbles cannot form and release some of the heat has built up, the liquid does not boil, and the liquid continues to heat up well past its boiling point.

What then usually happens is that the liquid is bumped or jarred, which is just enough of a shock to cause the bubbles to rapidly form and expel the hot liquid. The rapid formation of bubbles is also why a carbonated beverage spews when opened after having been shaken."

Maybank ATM

As circulated over the net:

"I would like to share a real life story with all my friends and especially all my colleagues and all Maybank account holders. This incident happened on today evening (1 April 2008). I went to the PJState (Also known as PJ New Town) Maybank to withdraw RM500. Unfortunately for me, only 9 RM50 notes came out instead of 10.

What happened was, one of the RM50 notes was folded exactly in half and placed at a corner of the stack (Please refer to the attached pictures showing how two RM50 notes can be counted as three).

I was so upset because I have no proof that the ATM did not give me the correct amount. After much hesitation, I finally decided to call Maybank to complain about the incident knowing that I may not get back my money. But at least I can caution them of such incident. When I told of my situation to the Maybank Customer Service Representative, to my surprise, I was informed that I'm not the first victim. It seems that similar cases have occurred before. The lady explained that it is the malfunction of the ATM and the money may accidentally get folded in half. However when questioned, she was unable to explain to me why the money can be folded exactly in half and placed nicely in the corner of the stack.

I believe this is the new technique of cheating money, done by the people who are responsible of placing the money into the ATMs. In the stack of money which is to be placed into the ATM, one RM50 note is folded nicely in half, for every one note taken out of the stack of money. The folded RM50 notes are then placed at the edge of the stack and positioned in the ATM where the money would be counted. With that done, every one folded note would be counted by the machine as two notes. I may be wrong about how and why it happened, but I would like to warn everyone about this incident.

Please be careful when withdrawing money from the ATM (it may happen to other banks as well) and do count your money to be sure. If such an incident really happened to you (*touch wood*), please do call up the bank to complain about this. If everyone keeps quiet about this, the bank may be unaware of such incidents and the people responsible may just continue doing what they do without getting caught!
Even if it is actually because of the ATM malfunctioning, the bank should know about this and there is also a chance of you getting your money back."

Cheated? Not another time!

Is it unethical when you try to put a bad name on someone's business?

Well, i'm not sure if the thing i m posting here is legal or whether it comes from a trusted material, but anyway, instead of having malicious intention to ruin someone's biz, i m here to convey the message

"Please check the food price before ordering"

As circulated over the net:

Be careful n check prices especially when ordering fish dishes. This is not the first time we hear of this type of complaint and it won't be the last as we are all trusting people who don't normally ask about food prices before we order, some say 'pai seh' to ask price and "if you need to ask the price means you can't afford to eat the dish" ......" if no money don't order expensive food". I still think it is best to ask for the price if not sure to avoid such expensive bill.

Last week, I brought my guests to Genting Highlands. After a day 'above the clouds', we decided to have dinner at the Gohtong Jaya area on the way down. We ordered some dishes and decided to have a steamed fish as well. So the captain recommended 'sultan fish'. The steamed fish came. HALF, and plain steamed. Good & fine. But when the bill came, it came to over $500 !! We were shocked !! We were told the fish was 1.4kg (& please bear in mind, its ONLY HALF A FISH ) at RM 320 per kg! RM 420!! This was daylight robbery. We were not informed by the Captain that a kg of the Sultan fish would cost us RM 320 and there was also no signs of such pricings anywhere in the restaurant. When we checked with the cashier, she told us, its correct !!

Of cos, it was our mistake for not asking the price first. Anyway, on the way back to KL, we stopped at Unique Seafood, PJ, where one can choose a live fish. The most expensive Soon Hock swimming in the tank is RM135 per kilo. Asked them about the Sultan fish, it is going for RM100 a kilo. Will be sending this letter to the newspapers, Tourism board, etc etc; and friends, pls pass on to all on yr email list.

Nux's Comment: I'm shocked to see the bill (though is not mine!). I felt sorry for the victims above. Hopefully, by doing smart (asking price), we could prevent such "felt cheated" situation.

Something to Ponder upon

While walking down the street one day a Malaysian Boleh Minister is tragically hit by a truck and dies.
His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.
'Welcome to heaven,' says St. Peter. 'Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you.'
'No problem, just let me in,' says the man.
'Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity.'
'Really, I have made up my mind. I want to be in heaven,' says the Yang Berhormat.
'I'm sorry, but we have our rules,' says St. Peter.
And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.
Everyone is very happy and dressed in the finest batik there is. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people. They play a friendly game of golf and then indulge themselves on lobsters, caviar and the most expensive food there is.
Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go.
Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises.
The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St.Peter is waiting for him.
'Now it' s time to visit heaven.'
So, 24 hours pass with the Yang Berhormat joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St.Peter returns.
'Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity.'
The Yang Berhormat reflects for a minute, then he answers: 'Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I am better off in hell.'
So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage.
He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting
it in black bags as more trash falls from above.
The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder.
'I don't understand,' stammers the Yang Berhormat. 'Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?'
The devil looks at him, smiles and says, 'Yesterday we were campaigning just like you during an election.....Today you voted.'

PLEASE VOTE WISELY IN THE COMING ELECTION!

Strawberry Meth

There is a very scary thing going on in the schools right now that we all need to be aware of. There is a type of crystal meth going around that looks like strawberry pop rocks (the candy that sizzles and 'pops' in your mouth). It also smells like strawberry and it is being handed out to kids in school yards. They are calling it strawberry meth or strawberry quick. Kids are ingesting this thinking that it is candy and being rushed off to emergency in dire condition. It also comes in chocolate, peanut butter, cola, cherry, grape and orange. Please instruct your children to not accept candy from strangers and even not to accept candy that looks like this from a friend (who may have been given it and believe it is candy) and to take any that they may have to a teacher, principal, etc. immediately. Pass this on to as many people as you can (even if they don't have kids) so that we can raise awareness and hopefully prevent any tragedies from occurring.

Why taking cold drinks after meal is not good...

Just something to share over here...For those who like to drink cold water, read on. It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

Again, please be aware...

Another one from circulated email:

Please pass this on to friends - Alert them of this NEW METHOD adopted by snatch thieves.

I was driving along SS2/22, Petaling Jaya going towards Damansara Jaya.
This street is totally residential one street off the main road.
About 10 houses in front of me was this young lady walking by a car parked along the grass patch outside one of the terrace houses. As she was reaching the rear end of this clean decent looking Silver Proton Waja, I noticed the engine started and the left rear passenger doors window was being wound down.

Suddenly a man emerged out of the rear passenger doors window his entire torso and making a grab of this lady's handbag!
As this man emerged from the cars window, the Silver Proton Waja was pulling out of its parking position slowly not in a hurry with the man from within just dragging the lady and her handbag along until she gave it up!! Then they drove off slowly no hurry!!! All the above happened in front of my eyes in less than 30 seconds!!!!! Her screams and cries did not help!
No one came to her rescue in fact a middle age woman ran into her house upon seeing this happening right in front of her house only to come back out to lock her gates after the car has driven away!

Do you blame her? The thieves were so bold!!!!
By the time my car reached her, the Silver Proton Waja had turned the corner. She was very shaken but thankfully only slightly hurt, her pants were torn as were her slippers bloody knees, shins, palms and elbows.

On the way to the police station, she told me that she had noticed that there were 3 men she identified them as Malay men in the car.

I could not believe my eyes when I saw what was happening thus did not have the instinct to take note of the cars registration number.

I've always thought that would be the first thing I would look out in an incident like this but NO. I was too shocked simply watching this scene being played out right in front of me!!!

So please beware when you are walking by parked cars with men inside.
Pass this on to as many friends as you can to alert them.

Nux V personal note: Well, a similar incident happened before at my area. I witnessed the entire thing just right in front of me while driving at a neighborhood street. 2 ladies had a minor accident and both of them were discussing to settle their matter. When one of them were on the phone, suddenly out of nowhere, a motocyclist came out of a corner and the pillion rider snatched her handbag away. It happened too fast and I couldn't even thought of jotting down their plate number...i was too shock during then. I felt so sorry for the lady, she must hav a terrible day for having an accident and being robbed at the same time!

Robbery Tactic

From a circulated email, please help to spread the news.

“Hey, brake awak sudah pecah, minyak keluar (your brake is broken and oil is coming out)!”

Normally, a warning like that from another motorist would alarm you and you would immediately stop and jump out to look. But these days, that’s not such a wise idea, even if you are worried about the brakes leaking. This is because one of the tactics of robbers now is to use that warning to make you stop and get down – as this writer discovered this afternoon. Fortunately, however, I am not an average motorist who doesn’t know a lot about cars and whose first two thoughts were: “brake leaking… why didn’t the warning light come on?” and “two guys on a motorbike… be careful!”.

Fortunately, the second thought made me hesitate about getting down and in fact, even when they (two Indians on a motorbike) drew alongside me in the jam along Jalan Syed Putra, Kuala Lumpur, I only wound down the window a bit to ask them what they were saying. As I stopped the car, I was still thinking about the absence of a warning light which would normally come on because a leak will drop the brake fluid level and the sensor (which most cars have) will pick it up.

As I pulled over, the two guys stopped their motorcycle in front of me and the tall pillion rider got down (which also struck me as suspicious because most people usually shout a warning and then go off). It could be that because they were both wearing dark blue shirts with a Shell logo, they expected that unsuspecting motorists would let their guard down thinking they were mechanics. Anyway as the tall guy was getting down, I noticed that in his hand was a small container (like an Eye-mo bottle) and that immediately stopped me from getting out. I immediately drove off and kept an eye in the mirror but didn’t see them following me.

I drove on looking for a spot with plenty of people so that I could check on the front wheel and turned into the carpark at Muzium Negara. I was still alert for the possibility that they followed me so I quickly ran to the front to check – no oil, nothing visibly wrong – and as I rushed back to the door, around the corner they came! I jumped in and they did a u-turn and went off.

So be alert for this tactic which may be a new one. They may not want to hijack the car and probably just want to steal things and that container may have soapy water or something that can burn your eyes and as you are blinded, they open the doors and steal whatever they can find. So whatever you do, don’t get down and don’t stop further along thinking it is safe. If it is a brake problem, just drive carefully till you get to somewhere that has security guards nearby. And it is best not to head straight for home because you never know if they may still be following you, determined to rob you (hopefully, you were an unlucky random choice). While on the subject of modus operandi, as the police have warned, be alert when you are rammed from behind and don’t get down.

Drive to a police station to make your report – you are not committing an offence if no one has been injured and you can tell the police you were suspicious of the car that rammed you. Also, do not think that if there is just one person in the car that rammed you, it is safe because there have been reported cases where another car comes up and stops ahead and two guys get out with parangs and do their nasty things. You also need to be alert for the possibility that if you are talking to one of them one one side from inside the car, it is not safe because the others can smash the glass on the other side and grab you.

Sadly, it’s a dangerous world we live in these days and being alert and staying calm enough to be able to recognise danger signs is critical.

Fake 50 cent coins?

I got the below information from a circulated email. Please read the below and judge if this is true...

The story goes here:

I would like to share with your readers about an incident today when I pay for my parking fee in Klang. After I have parked my car, I walked to the self-service car park machine to pay for an hour's parking fee (50 sen in Klang, 60 sen in Petaling Jaya and 40 sen in Shah Alam for an hour). Everything seemed to be fine.

The machine printed out a parking coupon and after displaying the coupon at the vehicle's dashboard, I went to perform my errands nearby. When I was walking back towards my car, I saw a uniformed officer from the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) looking around at my car. He then acted as if he is going to issue a summon to my car. I ran towards him and asked him if everything is OK. I told him that I have paid for my parking and he can see the coupon clearly on the dashboard.

To my shock, the MPK officer said that he planned to issue a summon to me because the 50 sen coin that I had used to pay for the parking fee was a fake coin. The officer mentioned that if a person used a fake coin to pay for the parking fee, it means that no parking fee has been paid. The MPK officer also showed to me how to read the parking coupon and spot if the coins used are fake or not (see the attached graphics -"TOKEN" means that the coins used are fake). Luckily, the officer understood my situation and decided not to issue any summon to me. Having said that, I would like to share this experience and knowledge with your readers so that the unsuspected citizens can give special attention when paying for their parking fee at the self-service machines to avoid being innocently penalised.

Readers, as I m unsure if this piece of info is true...u hav to jugde it for yourself, perhaps clarify with MPK.

Klang Valley folks...Please Take Note!

Another horrible case happened in Klang Valley....Please take note and spread this news to your loved ones.

Dear Readers,

I had heard some really bad news happening to my cousin who came to Kepong on 3 August 2007 in the morning. Due to she do not know the ways around this area, and she is driving, so she drive really careful and slow on the road heading to the destination she wanted to head.

On the way ( Jalan Kepong ) in front of the Carrefour, she told me that a cab was in front of her car the whole way from Jinjang. The cab was like trying to make her bang his car because the driver was like purposely speed up then slow down by stepping on the brake. When she trying to over take the cab, the cab purposely turn to her car and hit her car.

Then my cousin was so afraid and she go down and checked her car (sorry to tell that I could not tell her plat no.) . She just got her new driving licence and she never had an accident before. After that, I been told by my cousin that the driver offering her to bring her to the nearby police station and she did not even refuse to follow him. ( I duno why)

I really do not know why my cousin can follow that idiot by riding on his cab. She do not know the direction at all in Kepong, and she just following him. Myself is from Kepong, and I know that from Jalan Kepong to the nearby police station was not far. Inside the cab, she smell some essence, and she started to felt weird and dizzy. But she said before she unconscious, she can felt that the car was stopped at a high building under construction and the driver started to start 'his action' on her.

What happen next, no one know…….SON OF THE BITCH THE DRIVER.

Once she woke up, she realize that she was lying on the bus station that still not been operated and what happen she did not know. And she dare not report to the police and come and tell my family regarding this because her family life style is kinda weird and we understand that she will been scolded and slapped by her parents for this.

Guys, EVERYONE … pls help me to tell all others ( your family, your beloved one) to get away from this cab….. I do not want anything happen to others anymore…. Nowadays, cab really making and giving a lot troubles to the society.

Pls forward to as many people as possible …

My cousin been acting weird and hiding herself from others because she crying and said that she no longer 'clean' and started to starve herself.... EVERYONE PLS...

AVOID FROM THIS Taxi with plat no: HWC 2726

From,
Disappointed guy from Kepong