I've just submitted my tax returns for 2010 via e-filing a couple of minutes ago. How easy it is now to submit your tax returns kan?
To be honest, I thought I've forgotten my password but after a quick search in my tax file I managed to get in to the site after one try. See, how important it is to have a sticky note in your personal file. Hehehehe
Anyways, for the past 2 years, I waited till the 30th day of April before I decided to submit the returns and at both times, I would 'struggle' to submit the returns via e-filing as most of us would submit at the last possible time. Hence, it will create a bottleneck effect where there's so much information coming in at a time.
So this time, I've decided to submit a wee bit earlier than 30th April and within minutes I managed to fill in the necessary boxes. I need to get wifey to file her returns tonight lah.
Glad I've done my part and hopefully I'm gonna hear some good news from the taxmen.
Have a good day
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
.......another dive trip.......
Yup........Went to Tioman again over the weekend for a diving trip (what else lah kan?)
Had a fun outing with good companies and friends.....The most important thing is....I enjoyed myself and all of us had a great laugh about the entire trip.
Did 5 dives to places all of us have never been before such as Gua Layang and Letak Hitam. The vis was great at both dive sites and we experienced thermocline twice in a day. That was fun considering I only had my rash-guard and my shorts instead of wearing wetsuits. The current was strong as well at times.
We also went to Labas and Sepoi. I enjoyed Labas. Spotted my first ever nudibranch on my own without the help of the others. Hehehehe. Can't remember the name of the nudibranch but I was glad that I found it. It was small to be honest. The length was about 2cm.
Sepoi is another interesting dive site as the current was a wee bit strong down there. Spotted a titan trigger fish during my descent. What a way to start the dive eh?. It was big to be honest!! Luckily it didn't attack us. Hehehe. Sighted a nurse shark as well as some blue-spotted sting-rays and moray eels.
I managed to do only 1 night dive and was glad that I did it. Spent about 64 minutes underwater. Managed to spot a lion fish, loads of puffer-fish, cuttlefish, a small octupus and lots of other strange creatures that cannot be seen during the day. Heheheh.
All in all, I enjoyed the trip and had fun. This was my 2nd dive trip in a month. Hehehehe. To be honest, I'm thinking of having another trip next month. Hahahaha..
Some of the pics were taken for my friends and some were taken by myself using my ever reliable BB. Enjoy the pics
On my way
On the ferry at 1am
The jetty in the morning
The view from the cafe
All set
It took us about an hour to reach Gua Layang
Myself......
Batfish
Blue spotted
The party has begun
Bubbles
Me....enjoying the sunset...
Have a good week ahead
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Not the primrose path
Earlier this morning, while I was sending my other half to work, wifey told me about a blog titled Not the Primrose Path. She was mentioning about how the writer who was suffering from cancer lived his life. He passed away last December (Al-Fatiha). He was a medical doctor (as stated in his blog).
So, before I started working today, I went over to the net and search his blog. Found it and for the first time after 2 years, for reasons unknown to me, my tears can't stop flowing especially after looking at his picture performing his prayers on the bed with the mask on his face. That's a powerful picture I have to be honest. I'm humbled and it made me realized how lucky some of us are having reasonable & good health.
I will read the rest of his blog when I'm free later.
Thanks sayang for introducing me the wonderful blog.....
I pray that Allah bless his wonderful soul.
So, before I started working today, I went over to the net and search his blog. Found it and for the first time after 2 years, for reasons unknown to me, my tears can't stop flowing especially after looking at his picture performing his prayers on the bed with the mask on his face. That's a powerful picture I have to be honest. I'm humbled and it made me realized how lucky some of us are having reasonable & good health.
I will read the rest of his blog when I'm free later.
Thanks sayang for introducing me the wonderful blog.....
I pray that Allah bless his wonderful soul.
Filling System
As I was wondering on what to write about earlier today, suddenly I gazed at my filling cabinet and saw some of my personal files. And then, it struck me that how important it is to have a reasonable filling system for your future reference.
It's an odd topic to talk about but to a certain degree I think it's a very important one as it helps you greatly in minimizing the hassles of finding documents, especially the important ones when you need it.
Right, let's get straight to the point. Why does a systematic filling system helps you in the long run?
1) It saves you time
2) Minimizing the hassles of looking for documents
3) Helps you being a wee bit more efficient
4) You know where and what you are looking for when it matters
There are a lot more reasons on why you should have a proper filling system but those stated above are the obvious ones for me.
When I started working way back in 1999, I used to file everything in one 'ABBA' file. It includes the bank statements, P45, P60, Salary Slips, Credit Card EPF, tax, insurance, ASB, etc..
As time went on, I had to create a file specifically for the Credit Card bills, since I owned about 5 credit cards at one time.
When I first started buying a property, I told myself that I need to create a folder/file specifically for 'Property'. At that time, I have no interest in purchasing more properties as my income was pretty limited. When I took home the S&P agreements and stuff, it was clear that I need to file it properly.
Again, as time went on and as I progressed, I began to purchase more properties via auction as well as sub-sale. Hence, there was a need for me to have separate files for each properties that I bought. Now that I have a few properties, I told myself that I need a small cabinet to put all those files. Everything about a particular property such as the agreements, the maintenance fees, amount due, amount received, etc is clearly filed according to their dates. In fact, I have a summary of payments made for every month for each property so that it'll be easier for me to track my monthly expenses.
Up till today, I have a cabinet that is full with my personal files. Each of them are clearly marked such as properties, Unit Trust/ASB/AHB, Insurance, Credit Cards, ASTRO, Motor Vehicles, Loans & Bank Statements, Alya's School and of course, EPF. I'll make sure that everything is being arranged according to the latest dates so that it's easier for me to look for a particular document in the future.
I dread to think what would happen if I don't have a proper documentation system of my own. I know of some people that couldn't be bothered to file their own bank statements let alone their Salary slips. It certainly have helped me in so many ways. For example, although I seldom do it, with proper filling, I can reconcile my bank statements whenever I have the time.
In this particular period of time where everything must be in documented in black and white, a proper filling system helps a lot especially when there's a dispute. You might think that it won't happen but when it does happen, at least, you're prepared for it.
I do not know whether everyone's doing it or not, but what I do know is, it has helped me to be a little bit more systematic and in control. To be honest, it's not a rocket science kinda stuff. It's about putting things at the right places so that when the time comes, you can easily search it.
Have a nice day
It's an odd topic to talk about but to a certain degree I think it's a very important one as it helps you greatly in minimizing the hassles of finding documents, especially the important ones when you need it.
Right, let's get straight to the point. Why does a systematic filling system helps you in the long run?
1) It saves you time
2) Minimizing the hassles of looking for documents
3) Helps you being a wee bit more efficient
4) You know where and what you are looking for when it matters
There are a lot more reasons on why you should have a proper filling system but those stated above are the obvious ones for me.
When I started working way back in 1999, I used to file everything in one 'ABBA' file. It includes the bank statements, P45, P60, Salary Slips, Credit Card EPF, tax, insurance, ASB, etc..
As time went on, I had to create a file specifically for the Credit Card bills, since I owned about 5 credit cards at one time.
When I first started buying a property, I told myself that I need to create a folder/file specifically for 'Property'. At that time, I have no interest in purchasing more properties as my income was pretty limited. When I took home the S&P agreements and stuff, it was clear that I need to file it properly.
Again, as time went on and as I progressed, I began to purchase more properties via auction as well as sub-sale. Hence, there was a need for me to have separate files for each properties that I bought. Now that I have a few properties, I told myself that I need a small cabinet to put all those files. Everything about a particular property such as the agreements, the maintenance fees, amount due, amount received, etc is clearly filed according to their dates. In fact, I have a summary of payments made for every month for each property so that it'll be easier for me to track my monthly expenses.
Up till today, I have a cabinet that is full with my personal files. Each of them are clearly marked such as properties, Unit Trust/ASB/AHB, Insurance, Credit Cards, ASTRO, Motor Vehicles, Loans & Bank Statements, Alya's School and of course, EPF. I'll make sure that everything is being arranged according to the latest dates so that it's easier for me to look for a particular document in the future.
I dread to think what would happen if I don't have a proper documentation system of my own. I know of some people that couldn't be bothered to file their own bank statements let alone their Salary slips. It certainly have helped me in so many ways. For example, although I seldom do it, with proper filling, I can reconcile my bank statements whenever I have the time.
In this particular period of time where everything must be in documented in black and white, a proper filling system helps a lot especially when there's a dispute. You might think that it won't happen but when it does happen, at least, you're prepared for it.
I do not know whether everyone's doing it or not, but what I do know is, it has helped me to be a little bit more systematic and in control. To be honest, it's not a rocket science kinda stuff. It's about putting things at the right places so that when the time comes, you can easily search it.
Have a nice day
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Unit trust investment
I made an additional unit trust investment again this morning through my Account I in EPF.
So far, I've made my unit trust investments in 4 different funds and at this current moment, the performances for the funds looks encouraging. To be honest, all my investments are being invested in Islamic-based funds.
Obviously, unit trust is a long-term investments and usually we can see the returns in 5 years time. So, now the waiting game begins and hopefully, it'll bring some returns.
I still remember when I made my first investment in 2008. I started with RM5.5k and over the next year and a half my total investment was about RM15k. In Aug 2010 I decided to 'close' the funds and received a return of about RM4k. Not bad lah kan?
So, for the time being, I'll invest in unit trust using my Account I with the aim to 'boost' my EPF savings in the long run.
Some of my friends has asks me whether is it safe to invest in unit trust? I would say, it's another form of investment and you are diversifying your investments by investing in unit trust. After all, you're investing with your EPF money. Rather than keeping in EPF and get about 5%-6% dividend, might as well, invest a little bit in UT to get better returns and boost your EPF savings in the long run. Hehehehe
Anyways, just remember to 'Never put all your eggs into one basket'.
Have a good week ahead....
So far, I've made my unit trust investments in 4 different funds and at this current moment, the performances for the funds looks encouraging. To be honest, all my investments are being invested in Islamic-based funds.
Obviously, unit trust is a long-term investments and usually we can see the returns in 5 years time. So, now the waiting game begins and hopefully, it'll bring some returns.
I still remember when I made my first investment in 2008. I started with RM5.5k and over the next year and a half my total investment was about RM15k. In Aug 2010 I decided to 'close' the funds and received a return of about RM4k. Not bad lah kan?
So, for the time being, I'll invest in unit trust using my Account I with the aim to 'boost' my EPF savings in the long run.
Some of my friends has asks me whether is it safe to invest in unit trust? I would say, it's another form of investment and you are diversifying your investments by investing in unit trust. After all, you're investing with your EPF money. Rather than keeping in EPF and get about 5%-6% dividend, might as well, invest a little bit in UT to get better returns and boost your EPF savings in the long run. Hehehehe
Anyways, just remember to 'Never put all your eggs into one basket'.
Have a good week ahead....
MMO.......
I spent two days last week at the wonderful KLGCC to watch the Malaysian Open.
I was lucky enough on the first day to be able to follow Charl Schwartzel, Noh (Defending Champ) and Louis Oosthuizen (2010 British Open Champion). Seeing these pros playing their magnificent golf is something that I will remember for a long-long time. Well, it's not everyday that the Master's Champion is in town kan? Anyway, I followed them for about 11 holes before I decided to head out and fetch Kecik from school. On the way out, I managed to hang out for a couple of minutes at the range to see Rory McIlroy hitting few balls. Man, I love the way he swings the club.....
Johan Edfors
Jeev Milkha Singh (Nice swing!!). Matteo Mannasero (this year's champion) was in the same flight as well.
Charl Schwartzel
Louis Oosthuizen
Rory McIlroy
On the 2nd day, I managed to follow Rory's flight that consist of rory, Martin Kaymer (World No 1) and Thongchai Jaidee. Seeing Thongchai really close at times showed me how fit he is and he is 40 years old. Nice man and always acknowledge whenever the spectator call his name!! Malaysian golfers should look up to players like Thongchai and some other Thai players for some inspirations and how determined and disciplined they are in playing the game...We should take a hard look at ourselves and it will be a long way to go before we can even produce an Asian Class golfer.
Anyway, one thing that I learn from watching these wonderful people was their approach before their shots. Their focus and tempo is always the same, every-time. They will take their time talking to their caddies, take a few practice swings and then......booom....the ball is on the fairway or on the green. Really magical.....
Big crowd following Rory, Martin and Thongchai
World No 1
Thongchai........
Magnificent Par 3 Hole. Only Rory managed to get into the green while Martin and Thongchai fell short and went into the bunker
Rory's girlfriend
Big Crowd again
The scoreboard before I left for Friday prayers.
To be honest, in my opinion, this year's edition of the Malaysian Open is and perhaps the best Malaysian Open ever. The crowd was good and obviously there were few 'unfortunate' incidents happened when some of these spectators happily clicking their cameras when there was a sign that no cameras are allowed when the players are about to hit their shots. Dungu seems to be the correct word for some of these people. Takde etika langsung. There was one incident at Hole no 17 when Rory himself had to 'plead' to the spectators to put down their cameras. Hahahaha.
Anyways, I enjoyed it although I didn't manage to go and see them on the final rounds over the weekend. A 17 year old kid from Italy won the Malaysian Open by the way.
Congrats Matteo!!
The best result for the Asian player came from a golfer from Bangladesh who occupied the 8th place. Comparing him to our local players, our local players has all the facilities needed to be a top player but unfortunately, something went wrong along the way. Like I mentioned earlier, our local players need to take a hard look at themselves. There's no point getting into a tournament on the basis that local players must have certain slots to be given to 'em. That's just wrong.
Anyways...Like I said, I enjoyed the tournament and hope it'll be better next year.
Oh by the way, I saw an article on Sunday regarding golf. Funny and at the same time....weird....
Hahahahahah
I was lucky enough on the first day to be able to follow Charl Schwartzel, Noh (Defending Champ) and Louis Oosthuizen (2010 British Open Champion). Seeing these pros playing their magnificent golf is something that I will remember for a long-long time. Well, it's not everyday that the Master's Champion is in town kan? Anyway, I followed them for about 11 holes before I decided to head out and fetch Kecik from school. On the way out, I managed to hang out for a couple of minutes at the range to see Rory McIlroy hitting few balls. Man, I love the way he swings the club.....
Johan Edfors
Jeev Milkha Singh (Nice swing!!). Matteo Mannasero (this year's champion) was in the same flight as well.
Charl Schwartzel
Louis Oosthuizen
Rory McIlroy
On the 2nd day, I managed to follow Rory's flight that consist of rory, Martin Kaymer (World No 1) and Thongchai Jaidee. Seeing Thongchai really close at times showed me how fit he is and he is 40 years old. Nice man and always acknowledge whenever the spectator call his name!! Malaysian golfers should look up to players like Thongchai and some other Thai players for some inspirations and how determined and disciplined they are in playing the game...We should take a hard look at ourselves and it will be a long way to go before we can even produce an Asian Class golfer.
Anyway, one thing that I learn from watching these wonderful people was their approach before their shots. Their focus and tempo is always the same, every-time. They will take their time talking to their caddies, take a few practice swings and then......booom....the ball is on the fairway or on the green. Really magical.....
Big crowd following Rory, Martin and Thongchai
World No 1
Thongchai........
Magnificent Par 3 Hole. Only Rory managed to get into the green while Martin and Thongchai fell short and went into the bunker
Rory's girlfriend
Big Crowd again
The scoreboard before I left for Friday prayers.
To be honest, in my opinion, this year's edition of the Malaysian Open is and perhaps the best Malaysian Open ever. The crowd was good and obviously there were few 'unfortunate' incidents happened when some of these spectators happily clicking their cameras when there was a sign that no cameras are allowed when the players are about to hit their shots. Dungu seems to be the correct word for some of these people. Takde etika langsung. There was one incident at Hole no 17 when Rory himself had to 'plead' to the spectators to put down their cameras. Hahahaha.
Anyways, I enjoyed it although I didn't manage to go and see them on the final rounds over the weekend. A 17 year old kid from Italy won the Malaysian Open by the way.
Congrats Matteo!!
The best result for the Asian player came from a golfer from Bangladesh who occupied the 8th place. Comparing him to our local players, our local players has all the facilities needed to be a top player but unfortunately, something went wrong along the way. Like I mentioned earlier, our local players need to take a hard look at themselves. There's no point getting into a tournament on the basis that local players must have certain slots to be given to 'em. That's just wrong.
Anyways...Like I said, I enjoyed the tournament and hope it'll be better next year.
Oh by the way, I saw an article on Sunday regarding golf. Funny and at the same time....weird....
Hahahahahah
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Becoming a millionaire
Cool topic eh?
Or is it catchy?
Well...I hope it is....
So the question is....how do I become a millionaire or how would I be able to achieve that solid RM1mil mark?
There are few ways....
1) Business....
2) Savings..
3) Lottery...
4) Robbery..
5) Corruption...
6) Swindle...
7) Keep on dreaming......
8) Property investments.....
9) MLM.........
Well....saying and writing it easy (in theory that is)....and I'm gonna touch on being a millionaire through savings and compounding.....I don't think writing about becoming a millionaire through other channels will be right for the current moment and of course, almost everyone knows that investing in properties will certainly help ...heheheh.....So here we go...
Let's assume we have a savings of RM1500 and we want to have RM1,000,000 in 14 years time. So how much do we have to save a month or a year to get that RM1mil. Let's be conservative and assume that the annual interest rate will be constant at 7.5%.
According to the Compound Interest Calculator, you will need to save RM3,333.33 per month or RM40,000 per annum for the next 14 years to achieve that mark.
Let's take another example, Abu is 34 years old. He plans to retire at 55 and planning to have RM1.5mil as his retirement savings. So how much does Abu has to save from now so that he will able to attain his financial objective?
Again, assuming an annual interest rate of 7.5%, he needs to save around RM2,460 per month for the next 21 years or RM29,500 annually.
Play around with the calculator at the link and you'll be amazed with the power of compounding.
Let's take a look at another example. Assuming you open up a new ASB fund for your soon to be born kid. Every month from the day she or he was born, you put RM200 until she or he is 21 years old. If you do that constantly, at the age of 21 and assuming an annual interest rate of 7.5%, your kid will have about RM92k worth of savings. A good way and amount for him or her to start their life. I wished I had such kind of start but there's no point looking at the past kan?
Again, all of this looks rosy in writing and in theory and I admit that sometimes, it can be difficult to do it in reality. Whatever being said though, it all depends entirely on what do we want to achieve in life. For some, they couldn't be bothered at all and for the other some, they have made the necessary preparations to face the future uncertainties.
I will be very happy if I could save RM20,000 per year. If I do that consistently over the period of....let's say 14 years, I may have about RM500k. Will I do it?....I'll try but my main aim is always to ensure to I'll have sufficient funds to use when the time comes.....
So for those who wants to be a millionaire, good luck and start saving (duhhh).....
psssstt...just assume you have Rm5k in hand, where would you put your money to? ASB or Unit Trust?
Or is it catchy?
Well...I hope it is....
So the question is....how do I become a millionaire or how would I be able to achieve that solid RM1mil mark?
There are few ways....
1) Business....
2) Savings..
3) Lottery...
4) Robbery..
5) Corruption...
6) Swindle...
7) Keep on dreaming......
8) Property investments.....
9) MLM.........
Well....saying and writing it easy (in theory that is)....and I'm gonna touch on being a millionaire through savings and compounding.....I don't think writing about becoming a millionaire through other channels will be right for the current moment and of course, almost everyone knows that investing in properties will certainly help ...heheheh.....So here we go...
Let's assume we have a savings of RM1500 and we want to have RM1,000,000 in 14 years time. So how much do we have to save a month or a year to get that RM1mil. Let's be conservative and assume that the annual interest rate will be constant at 7.5%.
According to the Compound Interest Calculator, you will need to save RM3,333.33 per month or RM40,000 per annum for the next 14 years to achieve that mark.
Let's take another example, Abu is 34 years old. He plans to retire at 55 and planning to have RM1.5mil as his retirement savings. So how much does Abu has to save from now so that he will able to attain his financial objective?
Again, assuming an annual interest rate of 7.5%, he needs to save around RM2,460 per month for the next 21 years or RM29,500 annually.
Play around with the calculator at the link and you'll be amazed with the power of compounding.
Let's take a look at another example. Assuming you open up a new ASB fund for your soon to be born kid. Every month from the day she or he was born, you put RM200 until she or he is 21 years old. If you do that constantly, at the age of 21 and assuming an annual interest rate of 7.5%, your kid will have about RM92k worth of savings. A good way and amount for him or her to start their life. I wished I had such kind of start but there's no point looking at the past kan?
Again, all of this looks rosy in writing and in theory and I admit that sometimes, it can be difficult to do it in reality. Whatever being said though, it all depends entirely on what do we want to achieve in life. For some, they couldn't be bothered at all and for the other some, they have made the necessary preparations to face the future uncertainties.
I will be very happy if I could save RM20,000 per year. If I do that consistently over the period of....let's say 14 years, I may have about RM500k. Will I do it?....I'll try but my main aim is always to ensure to I'll have sufficient funds to use when the time comes.....
So for those who wants to be a millionaire, good luck and start saving (duhhh).....
psssstt...just assume you have Rm5k in hand, where would you put your money to? ASB or Unit Trust?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
