Thursday 5 June 2008

Romancing the oil

The sad modern slaves’ lives…
Everything is going to increase in price so it is time to show all your cards to your boss and demand a pay rise. If you work in an industry where you unscrupulous boss is going to take advantage of the hike by increasing the price of your company’s products, all the more you should get a pay rise right?

So stand up, bang the table, show your true feelings and do whatever you need… provided you have the guts. Hey, it’s not that bad. I have done it before so I know. If it doesn’t work, finish working on time as you probably need to take public transport. It will take a while before you reach home.

If you don’t dare to do anything and still want to work hard and get a peanut pay because you think you have no choice, then stop sulking and admit that you are not as rich as you think you are. Stop spending lavishly, sell your freaking car and start getting your ass on a bus or LRT.

The life and times of a driver…
Were you stuck in a traffic jam this morning? I did. Looks like business as usual for me. Petrol expensive?... “wan kok lei ge jeh”… It’s an illusion… putting your car key into your car’s keyhole is like slowly pushing your co*k into a virgin’s love-nest. Turning it to start your engine is like getting an orgasm. Once you turn on the air-cond and hit the road, it feels like heaven doesn’t it?

Hit a traffic jam? Just turn on your expensive audio system and all will be solved. Each time to step on your accelerator, it’s like multiple orgasm. As you look outside your window, you see people taking bus and you feel damn superior isn’t it?

Now, RM2.70 isn’t a problem at all, isn’t it?

The big-car hopefuls…
There is a group of individuals who are debating that with the increase in petrol price, the price of cars should come down. Deep down inside them, they harbour the hope to get themselves a nice big imported car. At the end of the day, it’s all about keeping their ass behind the wheel. So when you get yourself a brand new car, RM2.70 suddenly don’t look so expensive, is it?

A potential investment in town…
An anonymous comment in my previous entry gave me an idea. I have checked the newspaper classified... a 10 year old Proton Tiara can be bought at an average price of RM3,000 per unit. Just buy one and chuck it aside. No need to buy insurance. Road tax will be minimal.
From now on, just sit back and enjoy your RM625 rebate per annum. You will be making free money after 3 years. The cheaper the car, the faster the payback period. Happy investing.

The govt talk…
Correct me if I am wrong but this is what I recall:
Monday… say the ban on foreign cars buying petrol will take effect.

Tuesday… say a new scheme will be announced and cabinet has decided to implement immediately and will be announced tomorrow (i.e. Wednesday).
[this was why I pumped full tank on that day and thus, no need to join the rush yesterday.. hehe]

Wednesday morning… say the new scheme will only be implemented in August.

Wednesday late evening… implementation of new scheme and the one in August is another new scheme.

Thursday… ban on foreign cars buying petrol is off.

I don’t know about you but this certainly beats the parliament-will-not-be-dissolved… aiks…err… parliament-is-dissolved antic. Maybe tomorrow they will say… gee, I seriously can't predict such volatile behaviour. By the way, didn’t they announced that there will be no petrol price increase earlier this year?

Ohh… If you are not a registered voter or chose not to vote even if you’re one, you have no right to be angry or frustrated. Basically, you should shut the f**k up.

The opposition reaction…
Planning a big demonstration and show the might of the people they say. Some gatherings are already in plan according to some blogs? Go ahead… create a big march or something. Stir the anger of the people. Then the govt will proclaim that there is public unrest and have a reason to declare emergency.

If that happen, military will come in and you who think you are smart and care for the people will lose control of your 3 months plus old power and everything might just go back to square one. Do you want that?

61 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Proton Tiara idea only works if you don't already own a car. Cuz I don't think can claim for two cars. (of cuz who knows, since the government hasn't said anything).
If can claim also have to think of where you gonna store your car.

As for the government talk, knowing the government, it would have been safe to go pump petrol just in case. I '9 dim' in the afternoon when there wasn't a queue, and I saved RM30. :)

MikeM said...

This is what happened when u allow an economic "drop-out" to be the PM. But his antic beats Stephen Chow Sing Chi in Tricky Master movie, anyway this PM = Pusing Man!

ardy said...

I drive a 10-year old Tiara. Been driving the car for 10 years now. So where do I go to get my RM625?

Anonymous said...

I didn't bother to even go out and try and pump the last bit of "cheap petrol" after the million of SMSes I got. Doesn't take a genius to figure out if there's so many people forwarding me the same message, there'd be a heck lot of people at the petrol stations, right?

I just stayed home and watched DVDs. :P

As for the announcements-then-turnaround-180-degrees, eh... I've gotten to the point I've lost track di...

CK said...

no surprise on the flip-flopping.
and i was really intrigued by ur last chapter on the opposition rally and the subsequent military intervention. hm.....

Jennifer said...

My baby is a 10-year old Kancil and I love my baby so much. Although fuel consumption is higher now coz old car, but still save me a lot. I feel I have made the best decision not to change car. The cash rebate doesn't help much coz I run a lot of kilometres per month to work but at least it's something better than nothing.

I'm proud that I was a voter in the last election and I'm very angry and will complain endlessly.

Unknown said...

Is the RM625 rebate per annum a confirmed thing? What if after august they change it again? wahhaha..

zewt said...

Klaw - when the law silent, it should favour us. dont highlight the point to them ler. as for the car.. just chuck it by thr roadside and let it rot ler.

Michael Song - hahaha... how u know he is a drop out?

ardy - wait for it... wait for it... postal order.

Kenny Mah - hahaha... well, i think if you have a big tank and can save 50 bucks, it's worth it to a certain extent.

CK - shhhh... it's a secret.

Jennifer - you have the right to complain then. if u travel to do sales... ask your boss to increase the mileage claim.

Jason - good point... good point hehehe....

Anonymous said...

I am amused by the comments u get. Certainly reflects the mentality of certain individuals! It's not just in this country but a worldwide problem...and with prices rising, we just have to change our lifestyles - less social activities, no going somewhere for holidays, eat less and no eating out, no clubbing...spend only on bare necessities etc.... If you're in the govt service and ask for a pay increase, before Parliament passes the bill and you get the money, the prices of things would have gone up already...by a lot more than ur increment! And what will this lead to? Gross inflation!!! And then everybody blames the government (and I'm not saying there that they're not to be blamed! They're accountable...but in other aspects!!!).....This vicious cycle never seems to end!

gRaCe said...

I pumped my car the morning of the announcement itself. No, i did not know there will be a hike in price, just tht i lazy wanna pump after work.. so pump in the morning. was not caught in the rush tht day.. hehe... ;o)

Anonymous said...

RM625 is one time pacifier only. How to get hold of the money is still a mystery bigger than the bigfoot mystery.

Huei said...

Hey hey hey! u just gave my plan away!
A potential investment in town…

i wana get an old tiara for 1k..sell it off as waste metal at 800..n..wahahahahha

i sure hope u can claim for if u have more than 1 car! my boo already has 2..1 his bro using la.

The govt talk…
AHAHAHHAHA geez..u still believe them ar? they're worst than PMS! at least mood swings takes time..their words can change in the matter of seconds!
i registered i registered!!! i will vote i will vote! hahahha

The opposition reaction…
seriously la..what can they do..the rakyat didn't give them enough "power"..n now the rakyats r demanding miracles from them! i don't demand reducing price of anything..i demand stop all the daylight robbery of rakyats!!!!!

gosh i really do enjoy writing posts on ur comment box! =P

Huei said...

as for klaw's comment..i'm reading thesun now..n here's something some guy said

"Q: Is the subsidy plan a permanent one?"

Shahrir: We will have to keep updating and upgrading it. Some people will say they will buy two cars because they get more benefits (from the cash handout of RM625) so in that way, there will always be people trying to cheat the system. I think it is impossible to solve all the problems at one go but we will have to take a view of upgrading and updating it all the time. There will be small improvements as we go along and obtain better efficiency. We will iron this out bit by bit"

A Black Cat said...

Nice one. I like the last part.

Seaqueen said...

How sure are you that they'll give you the rebate?? They'll probably say, pay up your road tax, and we'll send you the money post. When, unconfirmed date. All scammers and cheaters only!

Mcmercedez said...

Actually i also heard that a lot of people are trying to buy a smaller car just to get the subsidy.. But here's the thing:

Petrol increase in due to lower the subsidy level of the country right? Then how come they got money to give back to people to subsidise back the cost?? This is something I dun understand.. I felt that this is something like "slap first then sayang again" theory.. Doesn't make sense at all..

If that blardy gomen and donky 8lah think that by doing this people will feel better, then ask him to go to h**l.. There's a better place waiting for you..

By putting u protest will not work in M'sia ler.. you might just end up in ISA just for petitioning.. We just have to admit that this is their piggy bank country.. We have no say at all.. Too bad.. But accept it..

Anonymous said...

ha ha those who thinks of buying old cars. too late. bet the second car dealers thinking about the same money making solution. plus they already have parking space and such.

Anonymous said...

Oil increase, thus service and transportation charges increase, how can salary be increased when business might not necessary improve as the new price quotations are used to counter the expenditure?

Will the Malaysia economy be drastically effected by this drastic hike or is it as stable as what some thinks?

"Anindra Mitra, senior analyst with Moody's Investors Service in Singapore, though, said Malaysia is 'well-positioned' to deal with inflationary pressures and that the price hikes won't adversely affect the country's credit profile." - http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/05/business/AS-FIN-Malaysia-Economy.php

Can somebody explain how the economy going to stabilise?

Anonymous said...

Do some people honestly think that if the opposition had been voted into power, all these problems...and ALL the other problems e.g. global warming, would just fizzle into thin air???

Anonymous said...

suituapui is korek.
This is a global thing, and higher prices are hard to avoid, even for the opposition if they were in power. However, the opposition has time and again pledged to reduce wastage in governance, and good ol BN only tells us to change our lifestyle. Something to think about the next time you hear of another bunch of politicians flying first class to their next 'study trip' in Europe.

And thanks Huei for bringing up what Shahrir said. I think he read zewt's blog and found out about this 'scam' :P

Little Jennifer said...

yea yea, if not mistaken..i remember that our gov said --> FUEL PRICE WILL NOT INCREASE AFTER THE GENERAL ELECTION until next year or whatever..forgot the time..hehe..but..they renegued what they said..>_<" august another scheme, hopefully when the time has come, there will not hv big any chaos...@@"and heopefully or citizens could cope it anyway..

Kel said...

how the heck you went from rising costs to love nest????
(-_-")
sei hamsap zewt....

NYPT said...

zewt,

it might be a strategic political move by UMNO. They know this incrase will affect malays the most. It will then be a reason for them to call for the revival of the NEP come next GE, ostensibly to improve the economic position of the bumiputra. this is going to hurt PKR and its multiracial stand. when pockets are burning, people are easily drawn to racial politics.

gerrymandering has made malay support the most important factor in winning seats. if anwar doesnt take over now, its going to be thougher the next time round.

Anonymous said...

Pardon me for being ignorant, I sometimes think I subconsciously wanna be ignorant.. Anyway, with four old cars at home, the reimbursement scheme should do some help. Thank God we didn't sell the antique Daihatsu..

Anonymous said...

man, you don't wanna get a Tiara... you will cry if mishap happens.... and the RM625 is not enough to cover it.

Huei said...

klaw..i think so too!! zewt!! u!!!! gave us all away! hahaha

endroog..just get a dying tiara..sell it off as waste metal for at least half the price..n just get the money yearly! don't need to use it

zewt said...

suituapui - yup, i was just talking to someone just now about how we have been living beyond our means. we have to brought back to earth. a very nice blog topic ahead perhaps. and very good point about opposition not going to solve everything.

gRaCe - hahaha... very fotunate eh?

hasilox - perhaps the postal order will never come... who knows.

Huei - if u sell it off as waste metal... how to claim the 625 per year? haha... good, finally registered, proud of u! the subsidy plan will change, with it being fully lifted in due course. i like it :P

Jun-E - it's something we should be careful of...

seaqueen - like i said, it will never sampai. like our tax refund.

mcmercedez - wooaah... where have you been la? so at the end of the day, we just have to swallow it all right? well, we should have done better on the 8 of march earlier. and also, have to make demand with bosses haha.

zewt said...

anon @ 6/6 10.21am - aiyah... parking place is never a problem. just chuck it into the sea also can.

ngy - put it this way, the economy of the entire world is facing a turmoil, though no one dares to admit. do u think malaysia will be spared? with or without this increase, tough times ahead is guaranteed.

klaw - global warming is not only a problem for malaysians, but citizens of the whole earth. we shouldnkt link it with the increase in petrol price. in fact, insnt it good to increase petrol to save the environment? :) sharir reads my blog? i die lor... haha...

sugarbaby - that is the beauty of our current govt.

Kel - wah... dont la everything also say i ham sap.

Nicholas-Y - my friend, you have just hit the nail at the right place. a lot of ppl are saying this is a political move. we are just pawns in this big game of chess.

Lynnx01 - but are you driving it? if you do... what's the difference?

engroo G - hey, welcome to AZAIG. well, that tiara is purely for investment, not for travelling.

§pinzer said...

heard about the big story while i was holidaying, and it didn't really register with me (apart from being in shock) until i came back and took a deep breath in my country that is called Malaysia... along with its indecisive and abrupt antiques.

Sigh.

Arena Green said...

NGV price remains the same. I wonder if you convert car to run on NGV, can still claim the rebate ah? Another loophole? Like govt expenditure, they'll be running like headless chickens trying to plug all the leaks.

rachel said...

"parliament-will-not-be-dissolved… aiks…err… parliament-is-dissolved antic"

haha~ i tot of the same thing. i seriously dont get it how can leaders of a country do things like this. say one thing now and then the next minute say something else...

Anonymous said...

maybe what it the news was right...petronas will soon import more than export

thats why that scare the shit out of the gov

no oil=chaos

palm oil?==whole hutan will be gondol

or we plant them in building(solve space issue) hahaha

Maverick SM said...

One aspect I accepted this fuel hike is that: There's "equality" irrespective of race or religion. It is something that Umno and all those stupid organizations never believed in. The fuel hike is for everyone; I accepted it.

Bengbeng said...

wat is life and wat are our expectatios and wat r we entitled to... i guess there is a loose circuit some where. everything is relative. i had a reader commenting that all the people in the Star interview were either indifferent or 'thrilled' over the petrol price hike. He seemed genuine enough. Oh my God, I must be living in a different planet

huntressmoon said...

my dear zewt.
do u know if petrol increase will also affect the Public transportation system? Because under the PAN Malaysian Bus Operators etc that entitled them of diesel at rm1.43 per litre is definately insufficient. it will cause a break down in the Public Transport system. There is not enough Monorails and lrt etc systems to accomodate the people. Besides it is not full located at the startegic location like sunway or puchong or other busy places but they only have to rely on buses? Which will definately be increased? As they are entitled of a maximum charge of 15 sen per km. What about those working in bukit jalil, especially the ladies? they is not proper transportation back to their homes? are they going to risk their security? so what is the use of using public transport and get stuffed in buses like sardins in a can? no difference. even with heavy traffic jam, we do pass by seeing a few people dangling dangerously at the door. What about old people? you think we malaysians are that courteous to let them have our seat? not all. What about those who need to frequent the hospitals and take their kids to school? do you mean we have to take the public transportation too? What the goverment also implied on changing our way of living does not make any sense at all.
If they increase the fuel to take the 35% of the profit given to the gov to put it in good use. its ok. but using that amount to create more themeparks to attract tourists and sending another guy to space to eat roti canai or know nuts about astronomy but just because he is cute and is in good shape. does not make any sense either.
I am against on the public transport system and do you know you tend to pay more on public transport itself? believe me you, i have been taking the public transport for years now. Plus. Our stupid crime rate is so high and taking the public transport is not safe for the public too. with pick pockets incidents and also being gropped in a packed area. Furthermore, buses having high in summons and we risk being plunged into the ravine with corpse all pilled on top of us.
They can raise fuel but can they fix the crime first. Our economy sucks

rinnah said...

I look forward to more insightful posts from you on this and related subjects! *wink*

I think I read somewhere that the fuel subsidy stunt is Pak Lah's "show hand" trick in a bid to salvage his political career... be interesting to see how this pans out.

But for now, I gotta go think about how to earn more $$$ to feed my Kelisa! *sigh*

andrew said...

*ahem* abit off the topic... how are you doing ar zewt??? everything ok?? bila ni can play badminton with you ?? =D

TH said...

With me looking to buy a car this summer and your views of using public transport *sigh* you make me feel so guilty.

It seems there is always a tension in the air in Malaysia. When will it ever end?

Yvonne Foong said...

Hey my mom drives a Tiara for the whole family. I didn't know it would be of value NOW. It's exactly 10 years old with good maintenance. praise God for mom.

I noticed the star newspaper said "inflation will go 10year high" YESTERDAY only. That's about three months after the 12 GE, huh? About time.

Anonymous said...

Upon highlighting the buying of junk car to claim RM625 rebate to my friends, one of them pointed out that it doesn't work, quoting my friend: firstly without insurance, you won't be able to renew road tax.
secondly, govt only announced rm625rebate for 1 year, until june 2009. what happens after that is unknown.

zewt said...

§pinzer - well... brace yourself for more surprises :)

anak merdeka - i asked my friend this morning. he said someone in old klang road can do it for 3k. worth the money if you ask me.

rachel - that is the country our parents have been living in. their legacy really..

erm - yes, that is true. but for now, we are still exporting. and for now... no one knows where the profit goes to.

maverick sm - hmmm... never saw that point. but i guess there is no other way.

bengbeng - well... i am one of them :)

zewt said...

huntressmoon - i get what you mean. to a certain extent, we really have no choice but to drive. but having that mentality and having the mentality of i-must-drive... is different. or at least i see it differently. yes, the profit of petronas must be made public, that is what we should be howling at... not why the govt increase price and why we cannot drive.

rinnah - salvage? or perhaps... he show hand for his final bet? hehe...

andrew - soon soon... wah, i am no great player la.

twisted heels - you're so far away, why feel guilty? besides... i am sure u will buy a hybrid car right?

yvonne foong - 10 year high? i wonder if they will ever admit it. it's good cos a lot of companies will be forced to give increment as they based their increment on inflation rate.

Ivy - i asked my friend that too. he said 10 year old car... can buy 3rd party insurance. or you can insure your car at a very low price. you're not going to use the car la... to make money only.

huntressmoon said...

klcc certainly have been quite happening lately. saw 3 FRU trucks for the past one week lately since last friday. what is happening lately?

Yvonne Foong said...

zewt: I hope so. The 10-year high has been widely reported. Only now M'sian press admits.

Little Jennifer said...

fuel price hike..tak ada duit..so..wanna sell some blouses for my living....feel free, come to th blog then :)

http://love-love-second-hand.blogspot.com/

all price can negotiate..kekkekeke...

H.C. Tan said...

erm, but our petrol is really heavily subsidised ma. im also dont want the petrol to be so expensive la..but live goes on, just hope our salaries also will increase lo =)

Huei said...

can still claim wann! just er..dun tell them u sold it off as waste metal..keep the cheap insurance n road tax going..then can claim liao! ;P

frostee said...

frak it man! What happened to the so-called 'savings' that the blardy gomen said they would use to 'improve' the public transportation during the last increase?

Now we are to hear the same ol' thing again... yadda yadda this and yadda yadda that. All talk. Action= zilch!

Frak it!

Huei said...

zewt ar..i just saw this

they say the rebate is a one time thing only worrr

Anonymous said...

they are stupid but they think we are stupid too!

show them our power...

let's go go go!

WY said...

zewt..it's just an oneoff payment. lol

Anonymous said...

spent the night before the announcement at a mamak, just watching people lining up to pump gas. there were honks of impatience, some screaming to hurry up close to 11 p.m.

interestingly enough, there were those who were still in the mood to smile and chat.

filled my car the next day at 2.70 to criticism from friends. simply told them at least there wasn't a crowd.

andrew said...

hahahaa... am just waiting!! =D weee... kuan che came back yesterday after 6 months of MIA... now waiting for you ni... get well soon! =D

Anonymous said...

What can I say about our government? Liar and no credibility!

doc said...

you don't need to demonstrate or cause unrest for the govt to declare emergency rule - even if they feel the number of BN MPs crossing over to PR is sufficient to topple the govt, they can invoke emergency rule but the saving grace is that the PM has to get approval from the King 1st, powers that Mahathir tried to do away with during the constitutional crisis of 1988.

Anonymous said...

Darn! I was just about to buy meself one of those cheapo cars, but then found out that the RM625 is a one-time rebate only.... Apala...
and by the way, need to show insurance for the car to pay road tax la :)

Huei said...

hmm..sudden MIA. hope u're doing fine okies! take cares!!!

Purple~MushRooM said...

This increase is something that we can do nothing about. Yeah... we fug the gomen up and down, but why sulk about and talk about it but no action of our own? I think instead of reacting to it this way, isn't better and more positive to find ways to counter the increase, for example, like consider installing NGV tank. In the long run, saves money and the environment.

Purple~MushRooM said...

This increase is something that we can do nothing about. Yeah... we fug the gomen up and down, but why sulk about and talk about it but no action of our own? I think instead of reacting to it this way, isn't better and more positive to find ways to counter the increase, for example, like consider installing NGV tank. In the long run, saves money and the environment.

zewt said...

HuntressMoon - they are just standing by i guess.

yvonne foong - inflation u mean? yeah, it's about time.

sugarbaby - hahahaha... i charge for marketing here! haha!

H.C. Tan - yup.. salaries must increase since bosses will also increase prices of goods.

huei - cannot already... only once in a lifetime... tipu orang punya.

frostee - u know i know la.

Edi神 - next election still very far away leh.

zewt said...

WY Kam - yeah, just found out... damn!

Aput - yeah man, at least we dont burn unnecessary fuel while waiting. i wonder how much was wasted.

andrew - next week!

jam - haha... what else is new?

doc - well, time for the king to act on it... hopefully.

giggy tigress - 10 year olf car no need insurance ler. or insure it for 1k ler... anyway, busted already.

purple mushroom - you my friend... is one the few who speak with some sense... :)