Official photo of the new King and Queen of Malaysia

Renewing Malaysian Passport is now a very short and sweet experience

I renewed my passport today and I was very surprised by the speed of the service. From the time I took my number to collecting the completed passport, it took only 34 minutes!!!



Website: http://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/en/

This morning, I headed towards Pusat Bandar Damansara early, hopping to be in the queue early. However, after spending time parking my car, I found out that the Passport centre had moved to a new location on Jalan Duta.

I only arrived at the new place at around 8:20 am. Luckily, the parking space is much better compared to the old place and free too. At 8:28 I was in the queue to get the the number and within a minute I got my number. Immediately, my number was called and I submitted the forms to the first counter. A few minutes later, my number was called again to make payment and the cashier informed me that their KPI is 1-hour after payment, the passport will be ready. By 9:02 am, my number was called again and I got my passport.

This is bloody efficient. I was informed by the officer that Malaysia now holds the world record for passport issuance.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK TO IMPROVE THE MALAYSIA CIVIL SERVICE.

MyEG continues to perform admirably, time after time

This is my third year of using MyEG services to buy the road tax of my cars. It has not appointed me yet. As usual, delivery was made within 24 hours of committing the purchase on-line. Despite a small administrative fee of couple of Ringgit, I saved a lot of time travelling and queuing up.

Below was the last entry on the service which I blogged on last year.

Paying for car road tax by MyEG - more of these kinds of time saving processes should be introduced into our society

 

 

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Form_IM.42 - Application Form for Malaysian Passport

In case anyone wants to apply for a passport, here is the PDF copy which you can download and use.

Form_IM.42 - Application for Malaysian Passport

Did I get screwed by my car mechanic?

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This was the bill for the service rendered to my car. Is it exorbitant to you? Have you ever heard of a "windshield washer solver" that is more than RM13? When I serviced my Proton car, they priced it at RM2 (even at that price I was grumbling).

What about wheel balancing and realignment? RM127 sounds right to you?

Mind you this this the first service! 

Double click on image to enlarge.

What to expect when you service your car at Hup Seng Star in Kinrara? Disappointment!

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I added a posting on the subject early yesterday. Today, I have some pictures with some comments on the experience.

Below is the scene of the reception lounge where all the people that drove their car for servicing wait. Immediate impression - nothing spectacular at all. You would expect, PS3 stations, banks of PCs and the works for owners of Mercedes as they wait. However, what you get is just two PCs (one with Microsoft OS, the other is an Apple machine) with internet connection; two flat screen TV, one showing the Discovery channel while the other runs Mercedes adverts continuously.

Honestly, I was stumped to the bareness of the place. It was only after 10 minutes before I realised why. The bulk of the people waiting are drivers and not the owners themselves. I believe I was the only one there that owns a machine that is being serviced. If this is the reason of the lack of a first class setup,  Hup Seng Star does not understand franchise value.

If you provide a viewing gallery of the workshop floor with floor to roof glass walls, the same kind of effort should not just stop there. Whoever that comes into the establishment must be made to feel special. He or she may well be just a driver but by maintaining the brand grandeur through a rich experience carries along way in making a lasting impression.

A classic example is Proton. I used to own one before. Sending one for services was a nightmare as there was utter disrespect to owners when it comes to servicing. I am glad to note that their main service stations have started to provide things such as food and drinks.

Honestly, I am disappointed with the experience. I thought that owning such a premium marque carries certain privileges. I was wrong....

Servicing my car for the first time at the Hap Seng Star Centre in Kinrara

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Sent my car for the first time at the Hap Seng Star Centre in Kinrara. Expected something more but for a dealer that deals with a premium brand such as Mercedes, the waiting area and the facilities provided looks simple. There is food, drinks and reading materials provided; Astro and internet service, but then all other service centres such as Naza, Nissan and Ford also provides the same.

I may have just convinced someone to take up the MY MALAYSIA SECOND HOME programme

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I know an American currently working with an international IT company. He has been working in Malaysia for 2 years and is about to end his tenure here and go back to the US. This weekend, I invited him and his family to come over to visit Putrajaya.

He was so impressed with what we have (even with all the perceived shortcomings) that he is seriously thinking of making Malaysia his second home. However, what is interesting were the reasons he wanted to continue to stay here.

The first thing that was a strong pull for him and his family is, believe it or not, Malaysia's medical facilities. For such a rich country such as the US, the cost of medical service is so high that it is ridiculous even for them. He just did a simple procedure recently and he was charged US$4,000 (at Subang Jaya Medical, which we already know is quite expensive, even for Malaysians). He told me that his neighbour in US who works as an anesthetist, usually charges US$7,000, and this does not include the cost of the operation, surgeon etc.

His premium is US$20,000 per year and like all insurance, the first US$7,000 must be self-covered before the coverage kicks in. With 3 in the family, it works out to approximately US$60,000 per year!

The second fact that attracted him to Malaysia is, wait for it, the education system! He and his wife finds it very affordable with a lot of choices. His wife is from Hong Kong and they wanted their daughter to learn Mandarin. The find the choices here to be very good.

So, what is the moral of the story? Sometime is good to reflect what we have. The grass may look greener on the other side but to other people on the other side of the fence, our grass looks more appetizing!

Ramadan buffet at the Boulevard Hotel, Midvalley is NOT value for money

For RM70 net, you would expect something more. Unfortunately, The Boulevard Hotel totally lost it. Here are some immediate problems that were identified which are indefensible.

1. The choice of food is the same as a normal buffet except perhaps the grill station - a lamb;
2. Food was not replenished quickly. I had to wait for 15 minutes before the kitchen brought out the new batch;
3. No enough staff. Plates were left piling on the table. If it was the start of Ramadan where the attendance is at its maximum, it could be acceptable but it is already at the tail-end and the hall was two quarter full anyway;
4. Hot drinks comes from Nescafe dispensers.

I will definitely recommend anyone not to attend this hotel's Ramadan buffet as I don't want anyone else to feel cheated the way I felt.




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Paying for car road tax by MyEG - more of these kinds of time saving processes should be introduced into our society

I have to highlight to all of you the experience of renewing the road tax for both my wife’s and my car through MyEG.

After getting the insurance sorted out, I was at first hesitant to use MyEG as I thought that only owners can do so. However, after a quick phone call, I was informed by one of their staff that it is still possible to do for other people as well.

I got my insurance by 2 pm in the afternoon. By 3 pm, I was on line with MyEG to make the transaction. The best thing about this is that I don’t need to have the car registration papers with me to complete the transaction. I just chose home delivery and they charge an additional RM6 for the courier and RM2.75 for the internet transaction. Payment is by online banking.  As I did the paperwork after 2 pm, delivery of the road tax disc can only be done next day.

The next day, at 10.30 am, the discs arrived for both my wife’s and mine.

Honestly, I am damn impressed. This is what I call efficient. I hope more of this time saving processes can be introduced into our society.

NANG THIS POST, NANG THIS POST, NANG THIS POST

Boat people invading Pulau Redang!

This is one of the funniest scenes that I have ever witnessed.

I was on Redang Island a couple of weeks ago. This was my first trip to the Island. I know that snorkeling is the main activity for the holiday makers on the island but I didn't realise how these people were managed.

I believe the authorities should look into the safety aspects of the operators of the resorts there. As you can see from the photos below, no consideration of safety in terms of the number of passengers on a boat was adhered too. It looks like a bloody invasion!

The invasion fleet of "boat people".

Like all sea invasion, the invading forces quickly established a beachhead (in this case, straight to the bars!).

Another scene of the invading forces heading to their respective objectives (hotels).

The second wave of infantry.

Infantry "going over the side".

Damn funny!

But seriously, bloody dangerous!

NANG THIS POST, NANG THIS POST, NANG THIS POST

Conducting training for newbies - The pleasures of a teacher

For the last 2 days, I was away from office conducting training on the bond market for newbies. I realised that there are a lot of people out there does not have any clue about the bond market. I think I can make a living doing training. It is not that hard.

Aside from the possible fees from the training, I now know why teachers are teachers. The satisfaction of knowing someone have benefited from you in terms of knowledge is very uplifting.

Teachers, past, present and future - I salute you!

Bus lanes are road resources gone to waste

The concept of bus lanes is good in theory. However, in practical terms, allocating a special road lane just for buses increase the total cost to the society. Let me explain.

In the original concept, the buss lane is dedicated to public transport so that a bigger volume of people can be transported for a given space and time. Those that decide not to use public transport should have to suffer the additional cost in time for their commuting needs.

This theory can only be made practical if, and only if, public transport is the only mode of transport. All other modes of transport become too expensive. At the moment, the cost of ownership and maintenance of car on a per day basis is only about RM20. Although it is a far cry from RM2 per day on the Kuala Lumpur public transport system, that RM20 gives you flexibilities that no public transportation system can provide i.e. door-to-door and anytime service. To make public transport work in Kuala Lumpur, a drastic measure must be made.

At the moment, more cars are being used in the city and the loss of a lane to general traffic makes the congestion even worst. Hence, increasing the overall cost to society.

Although it pains me to suggest such a thing, but a congestion charge similar to London and Singapore City must be done. Adding a further RM20 per day would surely push the vast majority of car owners to reconsider their daily commuting strategy.

Ford Service Centre - no communication with customers!

This is the second day that that I left my car to the Ford Centre in PJ for servicing. It has always been me that called up to find out the status of my car. This is very bad. This poor customer interaction makes me very disappointed.

I can only collect my car tomorrow morning instead.

Simple message: if service is a key component when deciding on a new car purchase - do not by Ford!

The Price of Public Service

A very interesting article about salaries in Malaysia especially for top-notch managers such as CEOs and the Prime Minister himself!

The Price of Public Service

What is the investment for national safety?

Malaysia just received its first modern submarine. There are already talks out there that say such investment is wasteful and does not provide any pay-off to the country. Some ever goes further to say that the purchase was only done to enrich someone!

On a technological perspective, the science of undersea travel is very complex. Managing a living environment under tremendous pressure, running a sophisticated propulsion system, analyzing sonar and magnetic signatures while navigating undersea at the same time is no small feat. The skills and the intellectual understanding that is required will benefit the nation.

Malaysian public universities can now have dedicated sub-departments to study undersea science with the help of the submarines. It is the foresight of the people that is now required to bring the dream to the next stage. If everyone has a positive attitude, nothing is impossible.

In my humble opinion, we should continue with the investment.

The Blogger.

 

Initiative from workers, or the lack off

A good worker is hard to find.

This is definitely true as I have first hand experience. However, the probability of such occurances is not evenly distributed based on what I have seen in two different organizations. So, the question that needs answering is whether corporate culture plays a major part.

Some say remuneration plays a big part but I disagree. Money can only boost for a short period of time. It has to be something bigger to sustain interest.

My take is that corporate culture plays the biggest role in shaping a worker's level of commitment.

In my current company, the previous CEO encouraged inter-deparmental rivalry and the creation of sub-cultures. Money was everything and staff were told of countless riches if succeed (surprisingly the goals set were not realistic and unachievable but no one question the logic; see how money blinds common sense!).

Unfortunately, targets were not met and the staff's spirit were broken. How do you mend this especially when the problems were caused by external factors such as regulatory matters?

Easiest way is to get new staff. But that creates a new set of problems.

Motivation can only work with a complete revamp of the corporate culture. It is like giving anew meaning to life.

I am trying out this experiment now. Let set how it pans out.

Nandoos Chicken Restaurant Alamanda Putrajaya

Although the food is the same as what you can get in any of the branches,
the service sucks big time! Can you believe it that after I had my meal,
they could turn around to say that their credit card system doesn't work! It
was just luck that I had sufficient cash to make payment.

Verdict: although I would still come for the food, I may have second
thoughts when it comes to the Alamanda branch. The service must improve.

Last day to submit the 2008 Tax Return

Today is the last day for Malaysian tax payers to submit their tax returns. I did mine already by e-filling. I hope you did yours as well. For more information visit www.hasil.gov.my/english/eng_index.asp

The Blogger

Touch & Go Drive-in unit at Faber Towers a let-down

It was supposed to be a drive-in counter but instead, they also serve pedestrians in topping up their Touch & Go cards. While people with cars have to queue patiently, these uncivilized pedestrians can just go up to the counter and get theirs done first.

I was very angry with this and when I confronted the girl at the counter, she could only say that she serves anyone that have their cards ready to be processed at the counter!

Rangkaian Segar, the Touch & Go card operator, please practice some form of discipline at the queue line. You have a counter in the building - just direct walk-in customers to use that counter instead of using the drive-through.

All I can say is that your service experience sucks - big time!