People these days

Last night, as I was opening the gate to enter my house, I heard someone shouting. I turned back to check out what was happening. As it was quite dark, I had to search around to locate where the shouting came from. I saw an old man holding his bicycle. He was frantically screaming at someone who was reversing the car to his direction. I thought that the car was really going to bang into the old man for a second.

No, there was no accident. Thank God! However, it amazed me that, the person who was driving the car, didn't even have the courtesy to get down of his car to apologise to the old man. He just drove away like nothing had happened. What is wrong with people these days? Is it that difficult to just get off the car to check if the old man was ok? That would take less than a minute. Furthermore, they are neighbours.

I guess people these days just don't care for others. Did you say hi to your neighbour this morning? Or, have you ever stopped to talk a little to your neighbours? People in the city these days are just too engaged with themselves. I bet you don't even know your neighbour's surname, let alone knowing if your right door neighbour is a drug dealer and your left door neighbour is an armed robber!

More money to spend

When the government increased petrol price to RM 2.70 in June, it caused an uproar. Everyone hated the government so much. I was one of them, as I travel back and forth Penang - Taiping weekly, of course I felt the pinch. Then gradually and slowly, the government decided to ease our burden, dropping the petrol price 10 - 15 cents every now and then. Petrol price right now is RM 2.00 a litre. So, a full tank would cost from RM 115 previously to RM 85 now. With that, I have RM 30 more to spend on other things. Awesome # 1.

Not too long ago, the government decided that we pay less for our EPF contribution. From 11% to 8%. So, I'll have a couple of hundred ringgit more cash to spend every month. Awesome # 2.

And awesome # 3 is there's going to be toll discount up to 10% and an additional 5% for the loyalty programme starting 1st January 2009. As I'm a frequent user of the North-South Expressway, surely I applaud this move.

With all the savings, I'll be able to buy more stuff. Isn't it awesome? I even came up with the plan of buying some expansive electrical goods using installment plan with those little savings I'm going to have. Like almost every credit card is offering interest free installments.

But the problem with awesome # 2 is that I'm gonna have less money for when I am old and haggard and don't have the ability to work to earn somemore. What is going to happen to me then? Will the government spare the aged some money?

And you know the catch with awesome # 3? You got to travel between midnight to 7am to enjoy the 10% discount. I'm not sure if this plan was a good move and certainly I don't want to know who approved it. If it's a short distance, eg. Penang - Taiping, then if I start my journey sharp at midnight, I'll reach Taiping by 1am. That is ok to me. But for someone who is going to start their journey at midnight from Penang heading to KL, that's going to be a 4 hour drive. That person is going to reach at 4am? Isn't it insane? Is it worth your consciousness for an RM 4 savings? I think that's gonna cause more accidents as the driver is going to feel so sleepy and lose the concentration to drive carefully. Come to think of it, are they serious about this? Seriously?

I think I will apply to continue paying 11% contribution to my EPF, so that I could live a few months longer when I'm old. And maybe what PLUS can do to make this 10% rebate worthy is to provide free coffee at rest areas or petrol kiosks along the highways during those times. Maybe this time caffeine will save some lives.

Less than a year ago...

I posted about the mixed feelings I had when I heard about my friend's father was diagnosed with cancer. At that time, I really hoped that he'd fully recover with all our new age medicine and technology. Then, off and on, I'll hear a little about him. And when I met him in Gleneagles where I had my endoscopy done around three months back, he's aged tremendously. Still, I wished him well.

Never did I imagine that he will succumb to the illness. So, I heard last week that he has passed on. I still pray him well in heaven. I paid my last respects. Though we are not as closed as we used to be, I still hope God will give them the strenght to carry on.