Thanks ayie for including me in this

http://www.msls08.com/index.php

"Managing the Malaysian economy in the face of global economic uncertainties"

Something to talk about

Nabila told me that the blog needs some form of acknowledgement coming from me. Sadly its true. There's nothing much to blog about, really. Australs preparation and how tired I felt before that, Australs, Manila itself and the the very much hyped about apartment that rocks big time, ESL and not breaking in main category, catching up with classes in uni (yes, you can miss a lot in 1 week especially when you have 'highly philosophical classes!), adjusting with totally new subjects and feeling the need to read everything yet willpower is so low and hitting a makcik's car infront of CAC (makcik's car punya bumper kemek and myvi selamat with minimal scratches) and I think the cause of the accident was very much mutual, orang-orang UMNO minta DSAI voluntary give out his DNA (macam sangat bodoh when in 1998 he was charged with the same offence, takkan takde evidence time tu),  and of course, SHOPPING!!!! The mega sale is SO on..

A blog post needs to have a point and my point hereis that : I'M GRATEFUL. Really am grateful for my life and how it's turning out to be especially the juggle between others and studies. I'm grateful that I have a good support system and eventhough the BF department is still very much vacant, I think it's better to have one because He's the one rather than you have one because you really want one. No need to rush in things ryte? (I can sense myra is reading this part with a cynical look on her face and nabila is beaming with pride :) )

I ACTUALLY finished a book last week because I had trouble sleeping at night. The Kite Runner is a must have.

Lastly, you only have 1 week left in Malaysia and I really hope that I'm able to meet you at least twice this week. Can't believe how time flies..

First ever for the 'career'

IIU 2

Dear Mr Prime Minister,

While the oil prices have sky-rocketed, the government is against the subsidy policy. Instead, they decide to increase oil prices and according to them, one of the aims is to reduce inflationary pressure. Yes,8% is a pretty hefty figure, after all. In the simplest economic theory, a rise in price (or alternatively, an increase in taxes but this is not the case) would reduce aggregate demand and as a result, would reduce inflation, in general. But what the government fail to realize is the fact that this inflation is not just a general increase in the prices of ONE good (which they seem to be focusing on oil), but it is the overall effect of an increase in the prices of goods/services and I guess we could also relate it to the spillover effect. What that means is simply the effect of the oil prices on other goods/services. For example, an increase in oil prices would mean that most airlines would increase their ticket price as well (evidently) and since their cost of servicing has also increased, thus customers are worse-off. And while some may argue that the public can switch to other alternative transportations, we must first look at the situation from a social standpoint: How effective and accommodating is our public transportations in Malaysia? Will the sudden increase in the demands of public transportation be met in the short-term now that the oil price is high at CURRENT time? They even have the fucking blue bas kilang which I thought was long gone for God's sake! And some of the KTM conditions are clear-cut examples of a third-world infrastructure. So,again, the public are the ones that are worse-off. So yes, the government CAN improve by spending on infrastructure development, which adds up to hundreds of millions (if not billions) more in the budget. I agree that whether or not because of the oil crisis, money is still needed in that sector anyway plus it is for long-term effect. I'm cool with that BUT what I'm not cool about is the fact that the government (ahem) policies do not counter the very core issue - that is, to ease the burden of its citizens. Although macro economic policies like increasing price to reduce inflation may seem like an effective short-term tool,the time taken for it to take effect is most likely to be longer than the rate at which the oil price fluctuates, or in most recent cases, increases. Thus, as Malaysian citizens who are made up of different classes which consist mostly of lower and middle class, subsidies can be a DIRECT form of relief in which the effects are certain in the sense that people actually pay less as opposed to waiting for the market to adjust itself. The danger of the market mechanism is that the equilibrium price may still be considered high even after market adjustments, and so subsidies may counter that problem and secondly, the time taken for the market to adjust is so subjective that people have no guess on how the market price will react after this .Hence, people want certainty - that's just human nature. For example, if you were a customer in a Nasi Lemak restaurant and the price of anchovies, for example, is so high (let's assume due to the water pollution hence less supply) and so many people have lodged complaints of the high price of the nasi lemak. As a customer, would you prefer if the authorities demand the restaurant owner to reduce its price or would you prefer to get money to compensate for the higher price? Personally, I would prefer the latter because getting the money ensures that you WILL have the means to pay for the yummy nasi lemak (though it also depends on how much is given) but waiting for the restaurant owner to adjust its new price would mean that you're not sure when is it going to be effective and how much will the new price be, IF agreed between the owner and authorities. It's kind of like that, I guess. People want some insurance or a guarantee, and subsidies fit the role. It's a matter of mentality, perceptions and considerations.

Maybe some people undermine the effect of subsidies because they don't think the oil price effects are THAT bad, at least not to them. Well, maybe it's because they don't fill in their own tanks, or maybe they just have too much money that they feel indifferent. Unfortunately, not all Malaysians I know are as privileged as you, Mr. Prime Minister.

Higher petrol prices means bigger bucks for the "country", so you say?

I've finally met my perfect match.

I guess it's true what they say: good things DO come to those who wait.

Yes,people. I finally got the perfect white lace top that I've always wanted and I couldn't be happier : )

More of happy days ahead, I hope : )

My mouth is currently dysfunctional hence the writing

I am a bit pissed. My maid burnt a gorgeous new top I just bought the day before. Urghhh. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise that I'm still recovering from the aftermath of the operation hence the silence response. If only she knew the words that were echoing in my mind at that time...I bet she must be pleased that I'm as helpless as I am right now, LOL.

Anyway, John's flight back to Melbourne is tonight, in fact any moment now. And as much as I don't want to return to Melbourne just yet, I suddenly miss my Daniel a lot =( And the fact that I still can't carry out a decent conversation properly due to my sore throat just makes it worse cause that simply means I can't talk to him over the phone yet plus I'm not a big fan of text messages.

I am currently just lazing around the house and getting as much rest as I could possibly get in hopes of recovering a.s.a.p so that I can enjoy life more the way I've been doing so for these past couple of weeks =) I haven't met up with the people I intend to meet up before I leave for Melbourne again and yes, that includes you pipon! But as always, it's quality over quantity right haha. Then again,it doesn't hurt to have both =) On a separate note, I'd LOVE to see my KDU pals especially Liyana and Xing Yi! God I miss them truck loads =( And I promise to myself that I will make a point to see you, Shima (don't think you're reading this, but anyway). And I'd love to catch up with my childhood friend who's in the States but now back in KL, Aza and some TKC friends especially Anat, Mizah and some others. These are the names of people I must see so hopefully, our paths will cross soon.

Ooooh did I mention that my exam results were out already? I must say I'm pretty happy with it, except for maybe OB =P I've put in a bit more effort this semester in the sense that I've started going for lectures,tutes and all that and I'm surprised with the outcome =) To sum it all up, I think I had a good dose of fun and a healthy dose of nerd-ish time so looks like life's pretty good and I'm liking it so far.

Anyway, I've got to run a few errands this week - appointment with the specialist, give my dad the book list, buy my usual eyeliner, find the friggin blusher (MAC/Bobbi Brown?), alter my pants, start brisk-walking with my mom again, bla bla. But what I'm really looking forward to is to shop and to get that white-lace top I just saw and probably get the same top that my maid just burnt,the shoes I've been eyeing over the weekend and a gorgeous long emerald green Greecian dress (I hope they still have it!) *fingers crossed*

Anyway, I'm thinking of enrolling in French or media journalism this coming semester but apparently, Melbourne Uni offers it only on first semesters. Grrrrrrreat. Just when I had the leverage to choose an elective subject, I'm now stuck with shitty options. By the look of things, I'm probably gonna wind up choosing a finance subject. I long for the days where students are not subjected to admin confinement.

Wow, I've written bits and pieces here and there huh. I guess this sorta thing happens when you can't use your mouth to effectively communicate your thoughts/feelings. I'll try to be more issue-specific the next time =)

Confessions of a bored citizen

I'm so sick and overtly disgusted with all the political filth that's going on here. And I'm not even here half the time all that shit's happening. Yeah sure, conspiracy and some dirt may be exciting for some certain people, but haven't they had enough?

I'm not supporting anyone in this case but you don't have to be a goddamn genius to tell that in the most obvious manner, the cards are not being dealt right. And the funniest thing is that how some of the lies spat out were downright stupid and degrading and what seems to me to be lacking of some intuitive professional judgements- an insult to the public's intellectual capacity! I know there are people like me who just can't be bothered to read or watch the news about the political tales that our so-called democratic country is currently facing . And I know there are people out there who are willing to go that extra mile to find the truth. And I hope they do but until that day, I'm happy to invest my time and brain cells on something other than what's reported in the papers right now.