Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2016

I have posted the list of auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2016 quite some times ago, and here is the reverse, namely the inauspicious dates to avoid for wedding/marriage in 2016. The list below is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu. (Click the image to enlarge)

 
If you are concerned, then you should probably avoid getting married on the listed days above.

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Related articles:

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in 2016

Many couples plan for their wedding more than 1 year ahead in order to have sufficient preparation time.

Here is the list of auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in year 2016 (year of Monkey), which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu. (Click the image to enlarge)


Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Related articles:

Friday, October 24, 2014

The Edge forum on 2015 Economy and Investment Outlook

The Edge Malaysia is organizing a forum on 2015 Economy and Investment Outlook - Make Better Decisions.

Date: Saturday, 1 November 2014
Time: 10.00am - 12.30am
Venue: Security Commission Malaysia, Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.
Admission: Free

The speakers are:

  • Jason Chong from Manulife Asset Management Services Bhd
  • Chen Fan Fai from Eastspring Investment Bhd
  • Datuk Tong Kooi Ong from The Edge Media Group
Are you shocked with the recent market turbulence and want to listen to the view of these renowned fund managers and/or investors?

Click here for more information and online registration to The Edge forum on 2015 Economy and Investment Outlook.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Fixed Windows 8 boot into black screen with mouse cursor problem

This morning, I found my laptop unable to boot up to Windows 8.

During boot up, it stuck at a black screen with mouse cursor. The mouse cursor is movable. There were harddisk activities which eventually stopped, and nothing happen next. No Windows logo shown, and no login screen.

I've tried the following but nothing worked:

  • Press ctrl-alt-del, nothing happened.
  • Press the Power key to turn off the laptop, then press the Power key again to start up. It went to the same situation.
  • Press F8, F12, shift-F12, etc. during boot up, nothing happened. There was no boot menu shown up.
I searched the Internet and found that this is a problem faced by many. I fixed it by having an abnormal power off in the black screen with mouse cursor, and let Windows heal itself during the next boot up progress.

To do so, unplug the power cable, and remove the laptop battery while it is still in the black screen with mouse cursor, after the harddisk activities stopped. Wait for 30 seconds, then put back the laptop battery and plug back the power cable. Press the Power key to turn on the laptop. Viola! Finally Windows is back to normal.

The key to this fix is that, you need to abnormally power off the system. The problem won't fix if you press the Power key to shutdown properly and restart.

I checked the Event Viewer, can't find anything logged about this problem. Microsoft, why your Windows always caught us by surprise, and yet left us clueless to troubleshoot the problem???

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Download and read the Handbook for Goods and Services Tax (GST) for Businesses

Malaysia government is going to implement the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on 1 April 2015.

The Royal Malaysian Customs Department has published a Handbook for Goods and Services Tax (GST) for Businesses, which is a very good reference book for everyone in Malaysia to have better understanding about this upcoming GST. You can download its e-Book for free from their website.

Click here to download the Handbook for Goods and Services Tax (GST) for Businesses.

The content of this 183-pages handbook consists of:

1. Salient features of GST

  • What is GST?
  • Proposed GST model
  • Basic elements of GST
  • Registration for GST

2. Accounting for tax
  • Charging output tax
  • Entitlement of input tax
  • Apportionment rules
  • Credit note & adjustment
  • Debit note & adjustment
  • Bad debt & adjustment
  • Filing of GST return & payment
  • Record keeping 

3. Implementation of GST and business preparation
  • Preparation for implementation of GST
  • GST implications
  • Tax code
  • Business preparation for GST
  • Supplies spanning GST
  • Non reviewable contract
  • Special refund
Beside this handbook, you can also find many information about GST implementation in Malaysia from this official website: http://gst.customs.gov.my/en/Pages/default.aspx

Top 30 property developers in The Edge Malaysia Property Excellence Awards 2014

The Edge Malaysia has just announced the Top 10 winners in their Property Excellence Awards 2014, which are:

  • Sunway Bhd
  • Sime Darby Property Bhd
  • SP Setia Bhd
  • UEM Sunrise Bhd
  • Gamuda Bhd (Property Division)
  • Tropicana Corp Bhd
  • IGB Corp Bhd
  • Eastern & Oriental Bhd
  • Mah Sing Group Bhd
  • IOI Properties Bhd
Following the Top 10 winners above, the subsequent Top 11-30 are:
  • UOA Development Bhd
  • I&P Group Sdn Bhd
  • Bandar Utama City Corp Sdn Bhd
  • IJM Land Bhd
  • KLCC Property Holdings Bhd
  • Glomac Bhd
  • YTL Land & Dev. Bhd
  • Eco World Development Group Bhd
  • Naim Holdings Bhd
  • Bandar Raya Developments Bhd
  • WCT Land Sdn Bhd
  • Selangor Dredging Bhd
  • Wing Tai Malaysia Bhd
  • MKH Bhd
  • Paramount Corp Bhd
  • KSL Holdings Bhd
  • PJ Development Holdings Bhd
  • OSK Property Holdings Bhd
  • Plenitude Bhd
  • TA Global Bhd
Congratulation to the Sunway Group for winning this award. Besides, their Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat also won The Edge-PAM Green Excellence Award 2014.

Monday, October 6, 2014

iCapital.biz newsletter RM25 one year subscription special offer

In conjunction with the 25th anniversary of iCapital.biz, this newsletter run by Mr. Tan Teng Boo is now having a special promotion of RM25 for one year subscription (normal price: RM720), a very generous 96.5% discount!


This newsletter, available in English and Chinese language, in printed and online platform, contains detail analysis of local and regional macroeconomics observation, their view on equity markets in Kuala Lumpur, New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong, company news and analysis, several stock portfolios, trading picks, etc.

Considering the amount of effort, intelligence and skill required to produce this weekly newsletter, I believe RM25 is really value for money for all stock investors in Malaysia.

For the printed version, postage charge is free if you choose ordinary POS Malaysia service, and you will need to pay extra for other faster and/or safer delivery service.

Even if you choose the ordinary mail option, you can still access the updated content online while waiting for your printed copy to reach your doorstep.

Click here to find out more detail and online subscription to the iCapital.biz RM25/year special offer

Besides, Capital Dynamics is going to have their 2014 Investor Day on 11-12 October in Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. You can click here for more detail and online registration to the event.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Full report for free download: ICT Job Market Outlook in Malaysia (June 2014)

Are you working in the ICT industry or as an ICT personnel in your organization? Or are you a student studying an ICT related subject now? If yes, you might be interested in this newly released  ICT Job Market Outlook in Malaysia (June 2014) by PIKOM in collaboration with Jobstreet and MDEC.

Given the orientation towards a service focus economy, the ICT Service (ICTS) segment in Malaysia is projected to register significant growth in 2014.

The ICTS segment grew at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.4%, lifting its value-added services from RM11.77 billion in 2000 to RM59.83 billion in 2013. The ICTS segment is poised to reach the mark of RM67.99 billion in 2014 by registering a repeat annual growth rate of 12.4%. In tandem, the share of ICTS in the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased from 3.3% to 6.4%, almost doubling over the period of 2000-2014.

The average monthly salary of an ICT professional in Malaysia in 2013 was RM7,152. This represents an increase of 7.2% from RM6,673 in 2012. The growth continues steadily, and this figure shows that ICT professionals in Malaysia, generally earn a higher salary in average than most other professionals.


The average salary over then past 3 years, by job category ranging from fresh graduates to senior management, is as below.


Interested to find out more detail? Click here to download the full report of ICT Job Market Outlook in Malaysia (June 2014).

Hint: Click on the "Older Posts" link to continue reading, or click here for a listing of all my past 3 months articles.