+..RECESSION'S COMING! ON OIL, INVESTMENT, TARIFF, & OOH.. SHOPPING!!..+

Hmm..

Interesting subject, yes?

In fact I longed to write about this some time ago but the mood and modjo just not in parallel with the creative juice secreted. Hoh!

Okay. We know recession will be hitting Malaysian shores soon. So what gives?

Last night at Top Spot where the bosses, Ferdie, Steph and yours truly had a wonderful dinner, we chit chatted about the global economic downturn, crude oil price, gold price, investment, recession, inflation... Heck! I was amazed that suddenly all of us became self PROclaimed economic analyzers. Both SIR and Boss, the powerful and financial experts (by their own achievement and liquidity) shared their ideas on how to gain when the recession's coming. I'm talking LIQUID, baby!

1. If you want to buy property, wait till the price drop come recession. (And they were saying recession was lurking somewhere in the corner)

2. If you want to buy a good (quality) car, wait till their interest goes down instead of up

3. Keep at least RM1,000 aside for savings (SIR mentioned Tabung Haji as it is the safest and cleanest). Mind boggling as me/ Ferdie who only earn around 40% from them can afford RM1,000 for savings! Hmm...bertuah! He himself keeps RM3,000 for savings. Hoh?!

4. If you really got to spend, use the bank's money (they defined bank's money = dividend/ interest accumulated based on the savings. SIR had RM30,000 per year! No Sh**!). I said, that's my BIGGEST SIN. I love splurging like I love myself. Hohohoho~@!

5. My own Boss asked me to buy land in the US but wait 'til their dollar is weaken (Short Term = 5 years investment, RM10,000 at least!)

6. In the car when I send SIR to KIA, he said, "what I regretted most when I was young was NOT buying an apartment/ condo. If you want, that's the best choice to invest since all of us are nomads." (Hahahah~@! Nomad? So true, SIR...working with the co like us can be called so)

7. If you want to do something, LEARN and gain more KNOWLEDGE about particular things such as finance, control your money etc. The same goes if you solaat, you must have knowledge in order to appreciate what solat is. What are the meaning of ruku', sujud and all the meaning of the ayaah. That's how you learn to be kusyuk (concentrate in ibadah).

8. Since the company didn't pay zakat for the company itself, it is our prerogative and responsibility to pay the zakat (tithe). SIR paid RM2,000 lump sum a year. Meanwhile Boss paid Baitulmal RM1,000 a month!! HOH?! SIR paid lumpsum becos he wants the physical akad instead of the monthly "unseen" akad.

9. If you haven't paid the tithe, even though there's no such tithe in earnings per se, but to cleanse what you've earned, do so. Anyho, if one pays the tithe, one didn't have to pay for the more expensive Income Tax. PLUS, you're able to help the poors and the needy with tithe. [when saying this animatedly, SIR and Boss agreed that the government should help the poor and the needy by using the tax incurred on each of us. But again. We never know where the money goes, right? ;)]

10. Don't forget to pay tithe for the unused gold bracelet/gold necklace/ gold ring that you women have. Don't forget to pay all your assets' tithe and learn about all the tithes. For now, I only know 3.

11. If you believe the government needs to impose downward goods price like they did with our fuel, you are far from wishful thinking my dears! There are loads of greedy businessmen outside. Unlike petrol stations which can be controlled, do you think they want to have very small margin even though the fuel prices already being cut down to RM2.20 for Diesel and RM2.30 for Petrol? This is the time for all these greedy/ no social accountability businessmen who gain more profit during the inflation.

12. I was sadden by some women who called IKIM FM this morning that they couldn't do anything as The END USER. They feel that they don't have the power to boycott and that boycotting expensive goods won't work! They don't have the urge to survey different areas to check for cheaper prices. Stupid and Lazy women! Don't they know that Holland economy nearly crippled because of Muslims boycotting their products? Tara baca ka? Hish! Seek and you will find la. Sekarang ni Spending power la beb! Consumer power!

13. Even though government can regulate the ceiling prices for goods, still the regulators to check on how the prices are being implemented is INSUFFICIENT. So? Why do WE have to WAIT for the government to do something which in the end has no point? WE as the CONSUMER has BIGGER IMPACT to bring down the prices. What the government can do and which can get the suplly chain cheaper is

a) Cut down power tariffs

b) Cut down water tariffs

c) Cut down toll rates nationwide. Samy kan dah takde?

14. Fuel downward prices ALONE won't work if all the above are still skyrocketing high. Like hello! PETRONAS already did their bid to help the rakyat with some billions. Rakyat pulak tak sedar sedar diri. Beli minyak = SHELL/ ESSO/ CALTEX. Lagi nak mintak macam macam. Sedar tak? Bila dah mintak macam macam sekarang, anak cucu cicit kita dah deprived of scholarship/ dana untuk sustain dan enjoy apa yg kamu dan aku sendiri dapat sekarang ni. Rezeki Allah beri tu, bukan untuk kita aje, tapi untuk semua yang memerlukan. Janganlah selfish tuan tuan.

15. Coming back to utility tariffs and toll rates, the GLCs and LITRAK involved need to emulate what Petronas did. I know these guys cannot sedekah RM60 Billion, but what they can do is just a portion of it as part of their social and corporate responsibility plan. LITRAK gain more by collecting some odd 200,000 cars per day with at least RM1.60 toll. Dahlah Kerajaan (Read: Petronas bagi scr tidak langsung) tolong inject some fund. Do the Math! Give some, back to the rakyat not to some of you guys in LITRAK.

16. Yg OKU dahlah kurang upaya, mintak lagi pulak subsidi minyak untuk OKU semata. Macam, nak degrade themselves with more disabilities!! Come on la beb. Thank Allah that our fuel is subsidised (dengan duit Petronas jugak) for 30 sen, nak tambah lagi ke untuk kau orang? Kat negara lain, diorang bangga jadi OKU, diorang lagi suka berdiri, berlari sama dengan golongan BERUPAYA. Kalau tak takkan mamat yang kudung pakai kaki palsu special cam ski tu nak masuk olimpik? And bear in mind dia tak corot, hokey! So, tengok negara lain, ada subsidi extra kaaa?

17. Wait 'til crude oil price reaches USD30/ barrel, then I think all the goods will be cheaper than it is now. Since most of Malaysia's goods were mostly imported. Its supply chain wil GRADUALLY be cheaper. Don't tell me you expect when the fuel price is down, the prices of goods will fall down immediately! Everything is linked and chained. Chain has reactions. Reaction takes some time. Be patient. Be prudent. Buy only what needs buying. Not what one wants (like I really want to buy more shoes and new car).

I remember learning about Food Security. Malaysia has NONE. Imagine if war were to come, we'll die of hunger. So, get yourself a lil teeny bit of land with good fertile soil, a cangkul, seeds, water and determination. Start planting your own food. Bela ayam/ kambing/ lembu kalau boleh.(nak bela ikan contact abg Puyu kat SINI)

18. I want to shop like Mom. She only buy raw food on 3 days basis. So the raw won't go busuk and wasted (like how I kept my veges till benyek and liquidify- gross). She already plans what to cook in three days' time. This is NEED. Unlike some household who buy their kitchen thingies on 1 month basis sampai RM700- RM1000 at least sebulan (aku tak banyak ni, tapi banyak la jugak sampai membazir/over usage/ busuk dan tak boleh digunakan). It's not a question of BUY MORE, SAVE MORE. No. That's Businessmen mantra. We're the consumers. Smart consumers plan on how/ what/ when to buy their goods. Don't be lazy. It's bull saying you dont have so much time. Allah gives you 24/7 for you to do lotsa of ibadah.

To me, shopping is also an ibadah if you know how to use wisely. Especially so if you're buying for your family/ cooking for your friends/ neighbours, it is considered as sedekah. Kan melakukan sesuatu secara melampau itu dibenci Allah? (Yelah shopping melampau lampau). Kan membazir itu amalan Syaitan? (Ini aku cakap depan cermin kat muka aku sendiri, astaghfirullahal a'zim).

19. I always believe, Allah replaces MORE than what you sincerely (in the name of Allah) gives to the needy/ poor/ your own family. If you give RM10 to them, insyaAllah, Allah replaces with RM20 or more. Because Allah is Ever Rich, Most Loving and Kind. If we do something because of Allah, we'll be blessed with His rahmah. Subhanallah...what I've earned and what I've got has little meaning compared to Allah's redha. I just want to seek His love and I really want to meet my Creator and my Imaam Rasullullah (SAW) in the after world, insyaAllah. InsyaAllah...

May Allah forgive me. May Allah show me the straight path always. May Allah grant me with humility, safeguard my imaan, keep me away and from being evil and crude to/from his beings. May Allah give me strength and guidance becos I only have Him here. Lonely. Away from my family. Lonely. Even though there are many acquaintances and so called friends here, but me, I remain L.O.N.E.L.Y.

So I pledged to:

1. Stop spending like I'm an heiress to a multibillion assets (as if la kan)

2. Start saving and stretch my saving target to RM500 a month, ALlah's willing

3. Keep my toes on property mega sale come recession (if possible if I have enough fund, I want to buy both apartment AND landed)

More numbers are not mentioned here simply because I let Allah decide and grant it for me.

Because again I believe in wamakaruu wamakarallah. Wallahukhairul maakiriin.

We plan. Allah plans. But Allah plans the best and work best!

>>Me, myself and I
(I want to forget everything...So I deleted it instead. I don't want to be hurt again and again. So I left...)