02 November 2009
Personal tax reliefs
The individual resident tax rate in Malaysia ranges from 0-27% (for year of assessment 2009). The tax rate will be reduced to 0%-26% from the year of assessment 2010 but it is still pretty high if we compare it to Singapore (20%) and Hong Kong (15%).
Some of the personal tax reliefs available in Malaysia are:-
1) Self - RM8,000
2) Medical expenses for parents - RM5,000
3) Wife / Husband relief - RM3,000
4) Child relief - RM1,000/child (below 18 years old)
5) Child relief - RM4,000 / child (above 18 years old and pursuing full time education in universities, colleges or similar)
6) Life insurance premium & EPF - RM6,000
7) Insurance premium for education or medical benefits - RM3,000
8) Further education in selected post graduate courses- RM5,000
9) Reading materials, both printed and electronic version (except newspaper or banned materials) - RM1,000
10) Purchase of computer - up to RM3,000 (given once in every 3 years)
11) Amount deposited into Skim Simpanan Pendidikan Nasional - RM3,000
12) Purchase of sports equipment - RM300 (but this does not includes purchase of sport attires or shoes!)
13) Complete medical examination for self/spouse/child - RM500
* Please note that the above list is not exhaustive. I've only listed out the most common tax reliefs claimed by individual tax payer!
There will also be a tax relief on broadband subscription from next year until year 2012....so remember to keep all your broadband bills next year.
Hope the above list would helps you to maximise some tax savings!
18 August 2009
A Nissan Cra2y weekend
We participated in the I'M Nissan Cra2y motor treasure hunt over the weekend. The hunt was flagged off from Tan Chong Motors service centre at PJ and ended at Swiss Garden Resort Kuantan.
The team members consisted of 4 of us - DH, Sis #2, BIL and yours truly. DH was the driver and me, the navigator. We woke up at 5am on Saturday to get ready and also to send the girls to my mom's house. We couldn't bring the girls along as the treasure hunt journey was 8 hours in total.
The Nissan treasure hunt is a yearly event organised by Tan Chong Motors to value their customer since 1998. This is our 2nd time participating in the Nissan treasure hunt. It was really a fun event and all 50 cars walked off with prizes!!!! We got the 7th placing this year, a slight improvement from last year at 9th placing.
The questions were much tougher than last year and they even included a Sudoku puzzle that we needed to solve as part of the treasure hunt questions. Both hubby and myself are clueless about Sudoku and Sis #2 and BIL volunteered to complete the Sudoku! However, both got car sick and couldn't complete the twin Sudoku in a moving car!
The event ended with a prize presentation dinner with the theme I'M Nissan Cra2y. Our team was also awarded the Best Dressed Team....being the Nissan craziest team!!! See the pictures and you can judge it yourself! Besides that we also won an early bird prize and a lucky draw prize. There were really lots of prizes given out by the Tan Chong Motors people.
In fact, one of the family got involved in an accident during the hunt and the car was quite badly damaged (almost total lost) but everyone in the car walked away okay. The MD of Tan Chong Motors promised the owner that Tan Chong Motors will replace the car. Wow...that was really the most generous car distributor around.
The resort we stayed, Swiss Garden Kuantan is a beautiful resort with nice sandy beach. If you are thinking about bringing your kids for a beach holiday, I would recommend Swiss Garden Kuantan. The beach is at least 10 times nicer than Batu Ferrighi Penang!
It was a tiring and cra2y weekend but we had so much fun! Hope to be able to participate in the hunt again next year.
30 June 2009
Babysitter for a day
So DH, Werney and me play "babysitter" for a day (or should I said a few hours). Anney also quite "kepoh chi" and whenever the VH cries, she would run over and try to stroke VH or pat him. We were more worried that Anney may accidentally pat him too hard or sit on VH, so we try to make sure Anney stays far from VH.
Well, it is definitely not so easy to care for 3 kids!
Yes, I still need to make sure Werney have her dinner or sometimes, still have to feed her as she has the tendency to tell me half way through the meal, that she doesn't want to eat anymore or she is full. Werney still needs me to bath her.
As for Anney, she will acts a little manja and wanted to be carry too when I carry VH. When I feed VH milk, Anney also wanted to drink her milk too although she just had her porridge like 10 minutes ago. I think babies also can feel the competition!
For VH (currently @ about 6 weeks old) .....according to SIL, he doesn't like to sleep and true enough, he doesn't sleep well. Aren't all babies are supposed to sleep most of the time? Well, I'm totally wrong! VH loves to be carry around and would nap like 10-15 minutes before he cries again. I even try to put him in the baby sling but I am not very used to carry a small baby in the sling and definitely not confident enough to walk about with VH. I'm still very used to carry baby in hip position and not the cradle position.
Anyway, we managed to steal a few shots at our backyard........
19 June 2009
Vicks VapoRub - don't use on a child below 2!

Just thought of sharing this information with any parents who regularly slather Vicks VapoRub on their children and even babies. After all, this is what our older generation did to us, right?
Early this year, there was a report in CHEST Journal, January 2009 issue that indicates Vicks VapoRub may stimulate mucus production and airway inflammation, causing serious negative effects on infants and young children. The study was conducted after a few cases of children being brought to ER after their parents / grandparents applied Vicks VapoRub on their nose.
The ingredients in Vicks can be irritants which cause the body to produce more mucus in order to protect the airway. In children, whose airways are much more narrower than adults, any increase in mucus or swelling can narrow them severely and could lead to severe respiratory distress.
If you read the label on Vicks VapoRub, it clearly indicated not to be used for child below 2! For older children or even adults, you should never apply the Vicks VapoRub directly in the nose or under the nose because of the potential danger above.
If your little one is really suffering from cold and blocked nose, maybe you could try humidifier or saline nasal spray or even sitting in the bathroom with running hot shower! The mist from the hot shower would help to clear the congestion.
Pass this message around to your hubby, wife, grandparent, nanny or any caretakers. I think better to take precaution before anything untoward happen to our loved one.
17 June 2009
White pearly
So yesterday, I bought the same one like Cheh Cheh but in different colour. See, how cute is this Colgate SpongeBob SquarePants's battery operated toothbrush?
Although the recommended age for the battery-operated toothbrush is for 3 and above, Anney seems to be able to use it well with our supervision, of course. She can even press the on/off button with her little finger. The toothbrush is not cheap....it is RM23.90 for one and the bristle head is not changeable. Nevertheless, it can last more than 6 months.
I think it is important to start brushing your child's teeth as soon as the first tooth appears as tooth decay occurs faster in children than in adults. By introducing teeth brushing to our child, it also help our child to develop a crucial habit which will last a lifetime.
The key to getting your child to brush is to make it fun!
12 June 2009
Book Buffet

I just got back from a book buffet. You might be asking book also got buffet, meh? Yes, Scholastic is currently having a book buffet promotion at MegaKidz Midvalley, from 12 to 14 June 2009. You pay RM49.90 to buy a bag and you can stuff all you can (as long as can fit into the bag). They have about 20,000 titles on promotion. Isn't that great? The catch is that the bag is only approximately 25cm x 25cm x 1 cm in size. It looks really tiny.
The bag look like this.....
Guess how many books I managed to fit into this tiny wonder?
I managed to stuff a total of 16 books. On average, the price per book is about RM3.10 only. This is even cheaper than 2nd hand book shop. While I was walking out, the organiser told me I could actually stuff in more books but since I couldn't find any other suitable books for my girls, I declined the offer.
The place was not too crowded but the selection of books for younger children (like below 5 years) are quite limited. What was more disappointing was there were a group of kiasu mommies who just took all the books and then slowly sorting what they want and what they do not want on the floor, while trying to stuff the books into the tiny bag! The rest of the parents basically have to stand there and wait! The organiser told me that they will replenish the stock tomorrow and I hope they will have more selections for younger children.
Anyway, these are what I managed to grab.
Swine flu...it is a world pandemic now
It is really worrying as we hear more and more new cases being reported each days and worldwide, there are about 30,000 confirmed cases. Hong Kong has ordered the closure of all schools for 2 weeks. In Malaysia, over the last few days, the number of confirmed cases has also increased and the country's total is now 11 cases. The last I heard was the New Zealander tourist staying at Holiday Inn Penang (well, my family was also staying at the same hotel over last weekend and luckily, we didn't have any close contact with any Ang Moh there!).
School will resumes next week. I am quite worry as the according to WHO, the virus normally attacks younger people below 25 years. Furthermore, you know how children like to share foods or share everything and touches everything, because they are simply curious. If our kids are not by our sides 24/7, it is just not possible for us to monitor them all the times. I hope the kindy would do all the necessary to monitor the situation.
In the meantime, I just hope WHO could come up with some vaccines to curb the spread of this pandemic fast.
Side track a little bit, the haze is back in Malaysia again. While driving to work this morning, the visibility in KL is quite poor, it is like being masked with some thick fog, only these are "bad air"! Hope the haze situation would not be as bad as in year 2005.
So people, please stop the open burning, you are just killing yourself!
26 May 2009
My new babies
Please welcome the new additions to our family......my new LeRun Bonus mountain bike and Cat Bike for Werney.
I've also got a child carrier installed on my mountain bike for Anney so that she will not be left out from the fun. Got this child carrier from WeeRide, For The Family On The Go! It is so cool, right?
One of my resolution for 2009 is to live healthier....hope it is not too late (I know it is almost the end of May now!). I'm one of those who hardly exercise and hopefully with my new mountain bike, I could at least try to exercise twice a week and live healthier.
There are many benefits of cycling and among those are:-
- Promotes a healthy heart
- Improves blood chemistry, including good cholesterol
- Lowers blood pressure
- Decrease the risk of cancer
- Build stronger bones
- Reduce stress
- Promote greater muscle strength and many more
Bad Ass Coffee, anyone?
I googgled the name and found that it was origin from Hawaii and they serve 100% Kona coffee.
Would you name your gourmet coffee shop Bad Ass Coffee? The owner or the advertising company must have ran out of idea for a name.....

Want a bad ass (I means coffee) today? Sound yucky!
22 May 2009
Review: Umai-ya Japanese Restaurant
I've read some rave reviews of Umai-Ya and thought of giving it a try since both DH and yours truly here love Japanese foods. So, was it really good? The answer is definitely a YES. For the price of RM48++/adult and RM24++/child above 3 years old, it is one of the best and cheapest Japanese buffet in town.Umai-Ya is different from most Japanese buffet restaurant in town as the food is freshly cooked based on your order. Each table is given a buffet menu and you can pick and choose anything from the menu. From sashimi to tempura to ocha ice-cream, the choices are excellent. Drink is also included in the buffet price and you can select from either ocha, soft drinks and even Tiger beer (yes, free flow!).
The deco of the restaurant is quite modern and clean. The service was great and I love that the foods were served so quickly. The restaurant manager even pre-order some foods for us when we placed our reservation so that there were minimal waiting time when we arrived.
However, this place is not so baby friendly as they don't have any baby high chair (since the seat are tatami style). What I did was bring along my own bumbo seat for Anney. Brilliant idea, right?
There were lots more foods that we ordered but we were too busy eating and couldn't snap more pictures. We had so much foods during the buffet lunch that I even have to skip my dinner for that night.
You can find Umai-ya at:
49A, Jalan SS21/37
Damansara Utama
47400 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Tel: 7726 4410
G-3A, The Place
Jalan PJU 8/5D
Bandar Damansara Perdana
47820 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Tel: 03-7729 0015
A new outlet will be opened at Puchong soon.
Reservation is a must as the place is packed most of the time.
21 May 2009
New CROCS
In Shenzen, these CROCS are being sold for only a fraction of the price we paid in Malaysia. I think I will never get any more CROCS from our local store. Just imagine, my sis bought these for less than RM15/pair and they sure looks authentic and not our Carrefour / Giant quality. I really can't tell whether these are authentic or not. After all, CROCS are made in China.
However, just be careful if you are letting your kids wear these to the malls where they will have to take the escalator (yes, I know all the horror stories!). Do teach them to place their feet in the yellow box!
18 May 2009
G6PD deficiency
So what is this G6PD deficiency? It is generally a hereditary abnormality in the activity of the red blood cell enzyme. The deficiency in G6PD enzyme may provoke sudden destruction of red blood cells and lead to hemolytic anemia with jaundice, following the intake of certain foodstuffs and drugs.
G6PD is normally transmitted from mother (usually a healthy carrier) to son (or daughter, who would be a healthy carrier too). See the chart below that I extracted from internet.
The deficit in G6PD is quite prevalent in Southeast Asia and in Malaysia, it is a routine screening for newborn. In fact, the deficiency is quite common in Malaysia and Singapore and estimated to affect 5% of the population.
The symptoms of G6PD are:-
- Sudden rise of body temperature and yellow coloring of skin and mucous membrane
- Dark yellow-orange urine
- Pallor, fatigue
- Heavy and fast breathing
- Weak, rapid pulse or irregular heart beat
Even with G6PD deficiency, one could still lead a perfectly normal life, provided certain drugs and foodstuffs are avoided. In the top of the list is fava bean or broad bean (or in Chinese, it is known as Tzan Doo). It is also important to avoid certain legumes and Chinese herbs. Anyone with G6PD should also avoid in contact with mothball. There is also a list of drugs to be avoided and can be found here.
For parents with G6PD child, extra care should be taken in the child's diets and ensure that all caretaker, pediatrician and school teacher are well informed of the condition. You may also wish to have a To Avoid List of foodstuffs and drugs with you at all times.
With the right precautions, a child with G6PD deficiency can lead a healthy and active life.
I wish BIL/SIL's baby will have a healthy life ahead!
Announcing the arrival of my new nephew
It's a boy!
Baby was delivered via C-section.
DOB: 16 May 2009
Time: 10.25am
Weight: 3.23kg
Length: 48 cm

See how adorable is the little boy.
Congrats BIL & SIL!
16 May 2009
Baby wearing workshop
The turnout at the workshop was quite good with some new moms and some moms-to-be. Chin Nee is really a master in baby wearing and she shared with us how she discovered baby wearing after she had her twin boys last year. According to her, it has helped her to calm her very fussy babies, which need to be carried at all the times.
I've discovered baby wearing when Werney was much younger but have never master the skill. Now it is the right time for me to re-learn baby wearing again coz' Anney is currently at the stage of "koala bear". Whenever she see me now, she wants me to carry her and no one else....not even her favourite Poh Poh! Being able to wear Anney would leave me handfree to do some chores at home.
If you would like to learn more on baby wearing, do check out Chin Nee's blog. Oh by the way, both her boys are really cute!
14 May 2009
Good news or not?
I applied their scholarship last month after reading it somewhere. Then it was followed by online application, submission of documents and interviewed by their professor. The scholarship award sounds like good news, right? Yes it is! However, after reading the fine print, I realised that I will have to attend the classes full time, 5 days a week and from 9am to 5pm daily. Aiyoh, this means I will have to quit my job to become full time student again and part time siew lai lai (housewife).
The offer is quite attractive and includes the full tuition fees of RM20,000 plus a monthly allowance of RM2,200 for a year. Study and get paid for it. How leh? DH, can I quit my job now? I will have to revert to them by tomorrow and the classes will start by mid-June.
Really big headache now!
12 May 2009
AirAsia...free seats to international destinations!
Just got a sms from these folks that they are also giving out free seats for international destinations. Yes, you read it here first!!! AirAsia have not even put this up in their Twitter. AirAsia Citibank credit card holder get priority booking from 13 May 2009.....that is another 2 hours from now! Traffic period from 5 January 2010 to 30 April 2010.
If you have been dreaming of flying free to Melbourne, Hong Kong, Bali or Taipei (mmm...I'm still hoping to win the Taipei ticket from AirAsia Blog contest), go beg or bribe your friend with the AA credit card to book for you loh.
Updates:-
Just logged on to AirAsia website, look like anyone also can book now....no need to be AA Citibank card holder wor. Hurry, hurry, booking from 13 to 15 May 2009 only!
10 May 2009
Happy Mother's Day
Happy Mother's Day All!
Werney made me a card from school and it was really a great piece of art from a 5 years old. I'm so touched and this is the first handmade card by Werney.
I also found this beautiful poem to share with all of you
Before I was a Mom
"Before I was a mom, I made and ate hot meals, wore unstained clothes and had quiet conversations on the phone.
Before I was a mom, I never worried about how late I went to bed because I could sleep in as long as I wanted.
Before I was a mom, I washed my face and brushed my teeth everyday.
Before I was a mom, I enjoyed a leisurely cup of coffee while reading the
morning newspaper on a Saturday morning.
Before I was a mom, I slept the whole night through.
Before I was a mom, my house was clean everyday and I didn't worry about whether or not my plants were poisonous.
Before I was a mom, I had never been puked on, pooped on, peed on, chewed on or pinched by little fingers.
Before I was a mom, I had complete control of my mind, thoughts and body.
Before I was a mom, I never held down a screaming child while doctors and nurses did tests or gave shots. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces because I couldn't stop the hurt.
Before I was a mom, I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
Before I was a mom, I never got gloriously happy over a toothless grin.
Before I was a mom, I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never was up in the wee hours of the night just watching a baby while it slept. I never knew that something so small couldn't effect my life so tremendously.
Before I was a mom, I never knew I could love someone so unconditionally and completely.
Before I was a mom, I never knew how satisfying it is to feed a hungry
child. I never knew how fulfilling it is to soothe a baby's cries.
Before I was a mom, I loved my mom, but didn't understand her.
Before I was a mom, I never knew the warmth, the joy, the heartache, the
wonderment, or the fulfillment of being a mom.
Before I was a mom, I never knew I would love being a mom."
- Sharon L. Twitchell
08 May 2009
Where is my car?
We shop, eat, laugh and then it was time to leave. After we paid our parking charges in one of those AutoPay machine, I asked her, so where is your car? I told her I parked at Basement B1 and she said, it should be the same. Within minutes, I found my car at the parking space and offer to drive Sis#2 to her car since it was already late.
Sis#2 said she parked somewhere in the middle row and there is a ATM machine near the entry to the shopping mall. We drove round and round at Basement B1 and couldn't locate her car. Sis#2 was getting a little panic. Then she said, maybe it is not this floor. We checked with one of the security guard with Sis#2 parking ticket (most parking ticket will show the entry point) and was told "Atas atas" (means Go Up). So we went up another floor, did the rounding again and still no sign of Sis#2 car. Checked with another security guard and got the same reply "Atas atas".
We tried at least 3 floors up from B1 before we finally located Sis#2 car and it was like 15-20 minutes doing our rounds at the Pavillion car park! Imagine that was me driving around in a car and it would definitely takes more time if you are walking around the car park.
So for those of you who always have this problem of locating your car at shopping complexes or anywhere else, here's my advice:-
- Snap a picture of the nearest pillar of where you have parked your car using your camera phone / camera (if you have one handy). This would help you to remember where you have parked by referring to the picture when it is time to leave.
- Remember the first shop that you saw when you stepped into the mall and try to exit at the same place / floor.
- Don't talk on the handphone when you leave your car so you get less distracted
- If all else failed, please contact the parking management office and asked the security guard to accompany you to the car....never walk alone and don't be a hero! I'm sure many of you still remember the story of Canny Ong at Bangsar Shopping Complex parking lot.
07 May 2009
Pledge a gift for Mothers with sick children

Some of the Blog's authors that I have been following had initiated this project called Mothering Mothers for this coming Mother's Day. The project was first initiated by Lilian of 5XMom back in year 2004. The main idea is to distribute gifts to mothers who were in hospital to take care of their sick children and as such the project titled Mothering Mothers. It may be a small token of gift but it is the thoughts that count.
I know it is never easy to take care of a sick child and what's more, to take care of these terminally ill children. My heart goes all out to these Mothers with a heart of gold.
This is the first time I'm participating in this very meaningful project. I've already pledged my gifts. It is the lil' thing that I hope I could tell these Mothers that they are not ALONE.
Would you like to contribute too? However, please note the tight deadline for the gift is by tomorrow 8 May 2009. The volunteers will distribute these gifts to the mothers at UMMC on 9 May 2009.
If you want more information on this and how you can contribute, please feel free to hop over to Lilian's blog or the many volunteers below:
Christene from Allthingspurple
Ros from http://mama22beas.blogspot.com/
Chanel from http://www.chanelwong.blogspot.com/
Elaine from http://montessorimum.com/
Update @ 11 May 2009
Got an updates from Christene that the Project was a great success this year. They have received more gifts than expected although the Project only started 10 days before the actual event date. The sight at UMMC was quite sad and if you want to read more, do hope over to the above mentioned blogs. I am too chicken to join them as I have a soft spot and definitely can't control my sob if I see a child in pain.
20 April 2009
My Monday is not so BLUE!
But today, my Monday is not so blue!
I just got an email that I won a pair of CROCS Lena Heel worth RM189 from a local magazine. Hurray! Hurray! I don’t recall winning anything big from the many local magazines that I religiously purchased every month, from women magazine to baby to health & beauty!

Look at how gorgeous is this baby? Come in 3 colours - black, brown and bronze (as above)! I personally love the bronze colour one.
Well, I guess it is a great way to start my work week!
Happy working everyone!
Make your Stick Figure Family at FreeFlashToys.com







