What Will You Exchange Time For

Success Tip Numero Uno

Exchanging time for money = Work

Exchanging time for knowledge = Study

Exchanging time for Fitness = Exercise

Exchanging time for Leisure = Not Work, Study or Exercise. #successORfailure

Malaysia Broadband Access Services – When and Where to Complain

Foreword

I'm blogging about this subject as I came across several people (and that's bad) who were either having difficulties in approaching their ISP or had failed to get their ISP to act responsibly -- leaving them to unreasonably make do with the poor quality of their Internet connection.

A slow/poor Internet connection can be frustrating and in some instances mean loss of opportunity and also make you spend more time than you intended. 

Broadband combines connection capacity (bandwidth) and speed. Recommendation I.113 of the ITU Standardization Sector defines broadband as a “transmission capacity that is faster than primary rate Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) at 1.5 or 2.0 Megabits per second (Mbits)”. https://www.itu.int/osg/spu/publications/birthofbroadband/faq.html

Let's Get Started

There is an authority in each country that acts as the regulator for Broadband Access Services, as like the MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) does in Malaysia.

Whether you a residential or business customer subscribing to broadband access services from an ISP (Internet Service Provider), your rights are the same – that is, you are entitled to complain to your ISP when the quality of the service falls below your expectations.

Quality of Service is rated on connection availability, bandwidth availability, latency, jitter and packet loss.

The MCMC does not regulate jitter (the variation in latency as measured in the variability over time of the packet latency across a network). A network with constant latency has no variation or jitter.

It does however set the minimum requirements for the rest as follows,

Network Availability 99.9% of the time, excluding scheduled ISP maintenance works
Bandwidth Availability > 70% of your subscribed speed, 95% during busy hours
Latency < 85ms
Packet Loss < 1%

Note: Bandwidth is a measurement of how much data can be transferred at a time while speed is a measurement of how fast things are done.

According to “protocol”, you are expected to lodge a complaint with your ISP prior to any contact with the regulatory agencies. Why agencies as in plural?

Yup, there is another party to contact –

Communications & Multimedia Consumer Forum of Malaysia (CFM),
Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Commission (MCMC),
Off Persiaran Multimedia,
63000, Cyberjaya,
Selangor Darul Ehsan.

Hotline : 1800 18 2222
Fax : 03 8320 9083
Email : aduan@cfm.org.my

Working Days : Mon - Fri, 9:00am to 6:00pm


The former acts to mediate between you and the ISP to resolve your complaint, while the latter is supposed to protect your rights as a consumer.


CONSUMER PROTECTION & COMPLAINTS BUREAU
Malaysia Communications & Multimedia Commission (MCMC)
MCMC Tower 1, Jalan Impact, Cyber 6, 63000 Cyberjaya Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Hotline : 1800 – 188 – 030
Fax : 03 8688 1880
Email: aduanskmm@cmc.gov.my
Website: http://www.skmm.gov.my

Working Days: Mon – Fri, 8:30am to 5:30pm


WHY go through all the trouble to complain when most of the time all I need to do is to restart my connection?

Simple,

• To make sure you're getting what you pay for. A speed test is useful if you feel a slow connection or want to see how your Internet is performing.
• Avoid the inconvenience from too frequent and too many restarts.
• Avoid allocating time for attending to the ISP’s service technician, who will come and find nothing wrong with your line signal quality and speed at the time of his visit.

Do the right thing today. When you don’t, nothing will improve.

Curbing Inflation in Malaysia

In times of inflation, the key investment principle to remember is to protect your wealth from being depleted due to inflation. But just how do we do that when investment returns on i.e. savings & deposits are even lower than the perceived rate of inflation?

While the wealth of the government is not the wealth of the people, we shouldn't be shocked when they decide to reduce and/or remove subsidies - in other words telling the people to spend more of their (the people's) wealth on things that the government feels is right.

Facing reality, ready or not, inflation is a growing problem in Malaysia and continued subsidy rationalization will only make it worse. But wait, isn't it the government's top priority to curb inflation? I guess not!

I for one am already experiencing the aggravated effects of the recent increase of 10% in the price of petrol.  High petrol prices sets off inflationary pressures that have a dramatic effect on us (The Rakyat) making us suffer from a rise in prices for the Essentials (Food & Water, Housing and Electricity). When prices are rising and up, they stay up! Need I say more?

Elsewhere in the world, petrol prices are closely watched as they have the ability to trigger a spiral of rising prices. When that happens, what happens? INFLATION INCREASES!

While this article may not be picked anytime soon by the brains behind the latest price hike, I hope that whoever does will at least make sense of why inflation should be curbed.

What is 33388 SMS, Read the Fine Print or Be Charged

How to cancel 33388 free services?

If you have ever been charged for mobile messages, especially from 33388?

Give up?

Next time, read the fine print before accepting any so-called "free" offers. A friend of mine painfully learned his lesson by having all the prepaid credit in his Hotlink and Digi numbers drained out. Funny thing is, calling the mobile operator to cancel/block the "services" from 33388 does not work as no action is taken...

 Sample courtesy of 1Malaysia Voucher link:

This is a Djugo service. Djugo is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any of the listed products or retailers. Trademarks, service marks, logos, (including, without limitation, the individual names of products and retailers) are the property of their respective owners. |You will be charged for all questions received by you (save for marketing SMS) including the first question is chargeable at RM4.00. | By answering a question, you will trigger the next question also chargeable at RM4.00 per question received by you.| Answer as many questions as possible to accumulate highest score at campaign closing date to win the prize.| No additional chargeable question will be sent if you do not answer the previous question. | There is no maximum amount of questions to be answered |Additional data and SMS charges may apply | Age: 18+ only - ask bill payer's permission | Helpdesk: 03 – 2175 4700 (9.30am – 5.30pm (Mon – Fri) | By sending an SMS to 33388, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the ‘General Terms & Conditions’ and agreed to be bound by these 'General Terms & Conditions'. | Closing date of the campaign: Friday, 1 June, 2012, 11:59 pm +8GMT. | Service Provider: Ericsson (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.

TO STOP, send a message in reply to 33388 with the text OUT. In return you should get a reply that says they acknowledge and will stop sending any messages.

Good Luck,  you'll need it.

Footnote: Gimmicks WILL come in all shapes and sizes SO if it's FREE (most probably and often not) -- consider all before you accept anything.

A tribute to a living legend, now gone - Steve Jobs

Wednesday, October 5 2011 marks the saddest day in the lives of many people. Steve Jobs the man who brought Apple to it's shiniest and brightest moments left the world at the age of 56. Details of his long battle with pancreatic cancer - a disease that ultimately claimed him remains unknown.

He was more than just the man behind the Mac and iPhone. Even in Malaysia now, one cannot help but hear the tributes on radio and coffee shop chit chats. Even Twitter at the time of this posting remains inaccessible, possible due to overwhelming tweet traffic.

He believed in himself. Despite having the odds against him, he believed in himself. He believed in his vision. He believed that he could change the way we communicate. He believed he could make a difference. And he did.

 This past week we said goodbye to Steve Jobs - the co-founder of Apple who revolutionized the way we communicate, work and play. But life was never easy for him and the only reason Jobs succeeded is because he believed in himself.

 He didn't let the naysayers stop him. He didn't let the doubters hold him back.

 He dropped out of school because he couldn't afford the tuition. He collected used soda cans and returned them to collect the deposit money. He walked 7 miles just so he could get a hot meal from a shelter. But all along he believed in himself and his vision. He never gave up. When he slept on a cold hard floor with only a blanket he didn't give up.

 Through all those years of struggle, Steve Jobs directed his mind, his subconscious mind and his powers to follow his vision. That vision and belief was planted on his subconscious mind, success was sure to follow. And did it ever.

When he passed away on Wednesday - Steve Jobs was a billionaire, surrounded by his family. He built one of the most valuable companies in the world and he made a big difference.

 Steve Jobs was born in San Francisco on February 24, 1955. He was adopted shortly after his birth and reared near Mountain View, California by a couple named Clara and Paul Jobs. His adoptive father was a machinist for a laser company and his mother worked as an accountant.

 He leaves behind three children from his marriage to Laurene Jobs (Reed, Erin, and Eve), as well as his first daughter, Lisa Brennan-Jobs.

 Rest in eternal peace Steve Jobs... there will be no other like you...

Google+ by Google, Inc.

Google+ is in limited Field Trial still since it's launch on June 28th, 2011... (I should know, I'm waiting patiently as you are)...

Seen now (no longer a rumor) as a great replacement to Facebook, Google+, a social network operated by Google, Inc., allows great integration across a number of Google products that include Buzz and Profiles.

One key element of Google+ is it's focus on targeted sharing within subsets of your social group, which Google calls Circles. Circles are simply smaller groups of people that you can share to, each with names like friends, family, classmates and co-workers.

In Google+, there's a section specifically for viewing, managing and editing multimedia. The photo tab takes a user to all of the photos he or she has shared, as well as the ones he or she is tagged in. It’s not just about photo tagging. An image editor (complete with Instagram-like photo effects), privacy options and sharing features is incorporated too.

And here's how I think Google+ beats Facebook -- the super cool “Hangouts,” Google’s new group chat feature. Un"like" Facebook (pardon the pun) where you normally would directly ask a friend to join a group chat, Google-plusers click “start a hangout” and they’re instantly in a video chatroom alone. At the same time, a message goes out to their social circles, letting them know that their friend is “hanging out.” Friends can then join the hangout as long as they have been placed in a circle that was invited by the person who created the Hangout.

At the moment, Google+ is testing with a small number of people, but it won't be long before the Google+ project is ready for everyone.

Interested? Leave your email address at the link above (title) so that you'll be the first to know when Google+ is ready for you.

Malaysia Government Petrol Subsidy

Shown here in a picture taken over the weekend is Malaysia's subsidy which includes tax exemption for Petrol RON 95 and Diesel. Can we ask for more and by the way -- does this "notice" makeup for the way in which everything else is more pricey?

Rupert Murdoch's Text Apology

Under a large headline "We are sorry," the piece will contain the following message, according to the text obtained by Reuters. It is signed at the bottom by Murdoch himself.

"The News of the World was in the business of holding others to account. It failed when it came to itself.

"We are sorry for the serious wrongdoing that occurred. We are deeply sorry for the hurt suffered by the individuals affected.

"We regret not acting faster to sort things out. I realize that simply apologizing is not enough.

"Our business was founded on the idea that a free and open press should be a positive force in society. We need to live up to this.

"In the coming days, as we take further concrete steps to resolve these issues and make amends for the damage they have caused, you will hear more from us.

"Sincerely, Rupert Murdoch"

My e-mail from News of the World

Dear .....

It is with great regret that we write to inform you that after 168 years we will publish the final edition of the News of the World this Sunday.

You will know that the paper has a proud history of fighting crime, exposing wrong-doing and regularly setting the news agenda for the nation.

However, in recent times the good things that the News of the World have done have been sullied by behaviour that was wrong and inexcusable.

As a result, the very difficult decision to close down the paper and notw.co.uk has been made.

Advertising space in this last edition of the paper will be donated to good causes and charities and all revenues will go to organisations that improve life in Britain and are devoted to treating others with dignity.

As a result of this decision, notw.co.uk will be open to the public for free for our final edition on Sunday 10th July. If you have already paid for access to the sites for this weekend and have outstanding credit on your account, we will contact you shortly and arrange a refund within the next 28 days.

If you have any other questions please email help@notw.co.uk

Thank you for reading the News of the World.

Yours sincerely,

The News of the World

Dearer Air Ticket Prices for Europe

Air travelers to Europe may soon pay more -- ticket prices for flights to and from Europe are likely to go up January 2012 when Europe's move to "cut" airline emissions is enforced. The EU has set a cap on carbon dioxide emissions, with airlines having to pay for emissions that exceed those limits (and the ultimate payee will of course be the passengers of these flights...). Other regions/countries are expected to follow suit in retaliation.

Just goes to prove how affordable travel is nowadays so much so that the EU decides to limit the number of flights in the name of Going Green, but then again when flight prices are driven higher with people still traveling -- are they trying to say that it's ok and alright to CONTRIBUTE to these emissions when payment is made?

Malaysia Snap Elections 2011

13th general election in 2011? Prime Minister Najib does not have to call an election until 2013, but there’s speculation that he may call for one as early as this year. Najib has not confirmed these rumors, saying only that the election will take place “soon”.

When asked whether the meeting was a prelude to the 13th General Election, Najib said: “Everything is geared towards the General Election. We want to be re-elected. We want to serve the people. First of all, we have to serve the people and let the people decide.”

With prices of commodities on the rise there may be delay on election date.

Whatever that day and date will be -- all Malaysians should firstly feel privileged with their right to vote and know that while the past can never be revisited it is the present (and future) that can be changed. Don't vote with your feet by walking away...

Loyal Customers are King

Loyal customers are your company's most valuable asset.

While many organizations have struggled in these challenging economic times, companies that have tapped into the long-term loyalty of their customers have thrived. Logically, this makes sense.

Not only is it less expensive to retain a customer than to acquire a new one, loyal customers spend more, try other brand offerings, purchase more profitable products and services, and are more likely to refer customers to your business. The longer a customer is loyal, the more profit the company gains.

Simple but true...

Selling Travel the Right Way - Call yourself a Travel Company

Everyone deserves to travel!

Travel awakens the soul and he who has yet to travel has only lived a page of life...LOH Ivan (2010)

While everyone deserves to travel, not everyone will. Modern day life although made convenient with the advances in technology and transportation has still a long way to go. Of course, we are not talking about Buck Rogers, Star Wars or even Battlestar Galacticca - although such a day may come.

People will travel provided that they have the means to travel. So what means are we talking about? There's knowledge, budget and desire which basically translate into knowledge of the destination that forms the initial thought of travel, budget that defines the level of comfort and whether it is affordable to travel, and last but not least the birth of desire which makes it a goal to travel.

Any respectable travel agent today would best avoid the word agent or agency, if they know what is good for them (no offense intended...).

It is better to be termed as a travel company with proud ownership of the products and services that are provided to public. Agents are purely representatives...

About Malaysia's Business Transformation Plan

The global financial crisis had hit hard on almost every country in the world in year 2009. Europe, as per the day of today, is still struggling. Several countries in especially southern Europe have tremendous financial debts and liabilities, the euro - as a consequence - has weakened with about 20% in less than 3 months, since March/April 2010. Initially, so it seemed, the emerging economies were a long way from the center of the storm - and that proved to be relatively true. Various emerging economies though are in different states of dealing with the fall out of the global financial crises. Malaysia was not spared from the global economic crises, which affected its overall performance. Malaysia's economy contracted by 1.7 in 2009. Though it is fair to say, that overall, Malaysia has quite well coped with the global financial crises of 2009.

At present, Malaysia is at the crossroads of change and transformation. The Government Transformation Program outlines the road map of how to turn Malaysia into a high income economy and a fully developed nation by 2020.

Shell Contest Scam

MALAYSIA (Wednesday)

Received from +60178346914 today @ 7.32am

[SHELL BHD. Promotion...Tahniah! anda t'lah m"nangi contest shell, Rm11.000.- (No siri;887889) MAKLUMAT HUB: 012 8186614 Terima kasih]

It's a scam, obviously.

Number 1 - the quality of the written word
Number 2 - The amount supposedly "won" does not tally of the actual prizes
Number 3 - look at the "serial number"

Lesson of the day: Don't be fooled, easily...

Chelsea Kate Isaacs and Steve Jobs

(Read from the bottom up)

From: Steve Jobs
To: XXXX@my.liu.edu
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2010 18:27:36 -0700
Subject: Re: Mr. Jobs - Student Journalist Concerned about Apple'sMediaRelations Dept.

Please leave us alone.

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 16, 2010, at 5:32 PM, XXXX@my.liu.edu wrote:

> You're absolutely right, and I do meet your criteria for being a customer who deserves a response:
>
> 1. I AM one of your 300 million users.
> 2. I DO have a problem; I need answers that only Apple Media Relations can answer.
>
> Now, can they kindly respond to my request (my polite and friendly voice can be heard in the first 5 or 10 messages in their inbox). Please, I am on deadline.
>
> I appreciate your help.
>
>
> Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
>
> ——-Original Message——-
> From: Steve Jobs
> Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2010 17:10:12
> To: XXXX@my.liu.edu
> Subject: Re: Mr. Jobs - Student Journalist Concerned about Apple's
> MediaRelations Dept.
>
> Nope. We have over 300 million users and we can't respond to their requests unless they involve a problem of some kind. Sorry.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Sep 16, 2010, at 4:37 PM, XXXX@my.liu.edu wrote:
>
>> Thank you for your reply. I never said that your goal should be to "help me get a good grade." Rather, I politely asked why your media relations team does not respond to emails, which consequently, decreases my chances of getting a good grade. But, forget about my individual situation; what about common courtesy, in general —- if you get a message from a client or customer, as an employee, isn't it your job to return the call? That's what I always thought. But I guess that's not one of your goals. Yes, you do have a creative approach, indeed.
>> Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
>>
>> ——-Original Message——-
>> From: Steve Jobs
>> Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:19:13
>> To: XXXX@my.liu.edu
>> Subject: Re: Mr. Jobs - Student Journalist Concerned about Apple's Media
>> Relations Dept.
>>
>> Our goals do not include helping you get a good grade. Sorry.
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Sep 16, 2010, at 3:22 PM, XXXX@my.liu.edu wrote:
>>
>>> Dear Mr. Jobs,
>>>
>>> As a college student, I can honestly say that Apple has treated me very well; my iPod is basically the lifeline that gets me through the day, and thanks to Apple's Final Cut Pro, I aced last semester's video editing project. I was planning to buy a new Apple computer to add to my list of Apple favorites.
>>>
>>> Because I have had such good experiences as a college student using Apple products, I was incredibly surprised to find Apple's Media Relations Department to be absolutely unresponsive to my questions, which (as I had repeatedly told them in voicemail after voicemail) are vital to my academic grade as a student journalist.
>>>
>>> For my journalism course, I am writing an article about the implementation of an iPad program at my school, the CW Post Campus of Long Island University.
>>>
>>> The completion of this article
>>> is crucial to my grade in the class, and it may potentially get published in our university's newspaper. I had 3 quick questions regarding iPads, and wanted to obtain answers from the most credible source: Apple's Media Relations Department.
>>>
>>> I have called countless times throughout the week, leaving short, but detailed, messages which included my contact information and the date of my deadline. Today, I left my 6th message, which stressed the increasingly more urgent nature of the situation. It is now the end of the business day, and I have not received a call back. My deadline is tomorrow.
>>>
>>> Mr. Jobs, I humbly ask why Apple is so wonderfully attentive to the needs of students, whether it be with the latest, greatest invention or the company's helpful customer service line, and yet, ironically, the Media Relations Department fails to answer any of my questions which are, as I have repeatedly told them, essential to my academic performance.
>>>
>>> For colleges nationwide, Apple is at the forefront of improving the way we function in the academic environment, increasing the efficiency of conducting academic research, as well as sharing and communicating with our college communities.
>>>
>>> With such an emphasis on advancing our education system, why, then, has Apple's Media Relations team ignored my needs as a student journalist who is just trying to get a good grade?
>>>
>>> In addition to the hypocrisy of ignoring student needs when they represent a company that does so much for our schools, the Media Relations reps are apparently, also failing to responsibly handle the inquiries of professional journalists on deadlines. Unfortunately, for a journalist in the professional world, lacking the answers they need on deadline day won't just cost them a grade; it could cost them their job.
>>>
>>> Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
>>>
>>> Sincerely,
>>>
>>> Chelsea Kate Isaacs
>>> Senior
>>> CW Post - Long Island University
>>>
>>> Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Who is Vera Baker?

She's the sexy former campaign worker of Mr. Barack Obama, the big man who is now the President of the world's most powerful nation. So what's the buzz on this sexy lady with Mr. Commander in Chief of the United States of America, well one thing's for sure it ain't that sweet.

Earlier reports has it going that the two of them have been going at it and was caught at a posh hotel. Mrs. President, Michelle Obama is said to have blown her top off with this alleged scandal between her man with the 35-year-old Vera.

She’s furious, humiliated and embarrassed. This fiasco is bound to put another huge strain on the Obamas’ marriage.

The Obama White House may crumble...

Travel & Tourism

Top Business Success Secret

1st released ezinearticles.com

What is the secret or secrets of a successful business? Are there surefire success formulas that have somehow eluded us? Or are we in the wrong business to start with? Just what exactly do we need to improve? What is that missing component? Later when your business starts to grow from having an expanding base of customers, repeat sales, and money starts flooding in while expenses trickle down, I hope it dawns upon you the simplicity of it all because it surely ain't no rocket science as you will soon understand!

The secret of today's more successful businesses is no secret at all. All businesses have it - so just exactly, what do we all have but is not working in the way it is supposed to do and bring in the business that we so desire?

Starting to sound familiar?

Yes, my dear friend in business. The answer is in marketing. Marketing is used to bring the product and service to the consumer. It involves every aspect of your business and you either knowingly put it to use or not.

The difference between the Marketing you deploy in your business with that of your competitor is the level of EFFECTIVENESS their Marketing is against yours.

(Ivan Loh: Competitors Are So Categorized Because You Consider Them More Successful™)

Therefore, the answer is NOT JUST marketing but EFFECTIVE MARKETING.

Let's presume that you already have a well developed product or service that's a killer, well in demand and a breeze to sell. But sales are simply not forthcoming. No one is aware of your business existence. Few are noticing your ads and even less are responding - and out of those few that do respond, only a small percentage is actually buying.

Effective marketing is not about spending more on advertisements, promotions, and personal selling (components of the Marketing Communication Mix). If not what is? UNDERSTAND THIS WELL - IT IS NOT WHAT WE SPEND BUT THE QUALITY OF THE MESSAGE COMMUNICATED THAT MATTERS. How else are we to communicate what we have to offer to the consumer, if not through the components of the Marketing Communication Mix? You still use it but with better results from having a message that has clarity, is meaningful, and consistent.

Effective marketing is about having a consistent and quality message that shouts out clearly the benefits and choices you offer. Be prepared to lose the customer when they start failing to understand what your benefits and choices are to and for them. THEREFORE, SPEND ALL THE TIME YOU NEED IN CREATING THE RIGHT MARKETING AND SALES MATERIALS FOR YOUR BUSINESS - Rule Of Thumb: Don't pass it on to the customer until you are absolutely sure that the message is what you intend for them to receive. You don't want to confuse them from the beginning!

What leads to success? - 8 simple Ways by Richard St.John