MESHIO.COM

Thanks to Microscopic Earthling (his real name is Sourjya), you can now convert any currency in the world just by using a little widget that is available here at the Meshio.com’s sidebar- it’s located under the header “Currency Converter”.

The plugin is called curreX.

Besides doing a good job with the currency translation part, this plugin is very well supported by the developer himself. He has been very persistent and patient in helping me to fix a few minor bugs. And with such a handy tool, I decided to ask the creator himself about his plugin.

The following is an exclusive email interview with the man behind the codes.

Yow Chuan (YC) : Where are you based, and what do you do professionally?

Sourjya (SJ) : I’m originally from India but have been settled in Thailand for almost 7 years now. My primary work involves mainstream software development (Windows based) on the .NET platform as well as PHP-based web-applications.

YC : Why did you chose to create this currency converter plugin? I mean, there are so many plugins that you could have coded, why a currency converter?

SJ : curreX was the by-product of one of my first CMS coding projects. I was designing a site for a property investment site in Thailand. The site-owner wanted a mechanism by which the listed property price could be converted to any given world currency.

I was teaching myself Ajax at that point of time - so I thought, why not try to make it the same way and come up with something snazzy.

The first version was extremely crude and consisted of just a single dropdown box for the destination currency - though that’s what the requirement was, since the amount and source currency were both pre-listed.

I had started blogging around the same time and had fallen in love with WordPress right away. What caught my fancy was it’s plug-in architecture and immense extensibility. Seeing so many cool plug-ins out there made me want to create one of my own.

But I really lacked in the “idea” department. It seemed like the other plug-in authors had almost every angle covered!! Then suddenly it struck me that I had something ready at hand that can be easily converted to a cool plug-in. And curreX was born.

YC : Anyone helped you to develop curreX? Did you have a team to help you out, you know, like a beta-tester, a designer etc?

SJ : Nope! None at all - except for hundreds of Ajax tutorials on the net from where I borrowed ideas and stitched them together. I had passive help from one quarter though. There was a plug-in similar to curreX for Mambo / Joomla - developed by Norbert Feria. Thanks to him for setting me off in the right direction. However, it was a much simpler plug-in and didn’t employ Ajax. I used the currency conversion back-end from that plug-in and modified it to suit my needs.

YC : Why did you choose to use the Yahoo! API? Have you compared it with other currency exchange APIs?

SJ : The choice came naturally with Norbert Feria’s plug-in. It was already using the Yahoo! API - so I just played along. I wouldn’t really call it an API though. The exchange rates are available as freely downloadable plain-text CSV files from the Yahoo! Finance site. curreX connects to this page, provides the correct parameters (srouce and destination currencies), downloads the CSV file and extracts the exchange rate from it.

In a way this was much simpler than signing-up for other APIs and learning their syntax all over again. So I decided to stick to this.

YC : Who do you think should use this plugin? What is the target industry that you hope this plugin will be able to cater to?

SJ : Anyone running a financial blog should benefit from this plug-in. Other than that any site that is selling products or services online to a worldwide client base can take help of this - albeit with minor modifications and customizations.

YC : Do you know how many people is using curreX at this moment? Are you using any type of tracking mechanism to check your fanbase?

SJ : This is something I’ve always been very keen on knowing - but it’s hard to figure out with the present system. I can only make a rough estimate from the comments and my server logs.

I plan to include some sort of tracking mechanism in future, which will inform me when the plug-in is activated and/or deactivated. I can get a pretty accurate figure for that. I don’t want to implement any real-time tracking system as this will only help to slow down the plug-in.

YC : Since this plugin is so handy, will you consider charging for it?

SJ : Nope. Never. This was released free and open source and that’s how it will always be.

YC : Last but not least, what are you future plans for curreX?

SJ : At the moment I’m totally out of ideas of my own. There were a couple of suggestions left in comments by various people using curreX. I plan to follow-up on them and implement whichever is possible. If you get any bright sparks, do let me know :)

Apart from that, I’ve released a flash-version too for those who’re facing consistent problems with the HTML/Ajax version. I intend to refine it further (skinnable interface maybe).

CurreX is now available in plain HTML or Flash-based flavors. Initially, it was only meant for widget-based Wordpress themes, but after constant bugging from non-widget Wordpress users like me, Sourjya has managed to customised his plugin to work with non-widget-based themes.

Installation is a breeze, and if you encounter any issues during installation, you can always email Sourjya and notify him on the bug. But be sure to check out the comment section of the plugin page and the curreX support forum before shooting him with your bug report.

By the way, this is not a “paid review”. I truly recommend you to give this neat plugin a try, especially if your industry is finance or travel related.

Again, I would like to thank Sourjya for taking his time for the email interview and also for the great plugin!

The curry puff (from an Old Town cafe) above cost about RM 2.00. The rising price has not only cause inflation, but also deflation on the sizes of local delicacies.

Malaysian doesn’t seem to have much luck with public transport. With rising fuel price, it will give these notorious taxi drivers even more excuse to overcharge, never mind the fact that some of them are running on NGV.

Here’s the report from NST…

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian taxis are among the worst in the world, claims a survey by a local magazine.
Readers of The Expat magazine, which has a monthly circulation of 6,000 copies, gave the Malaysian taxi service a big thumbs down when compared with services in 22 other countries.

In fact, local taxis scored the lowest in almost every category polled. The survey’s 200-odd respondents, comprising expatriates from 30 countries, even went so far as to brand local cabbies “a national disgrace”, “a source of national shame” and “a serious threat to tourists - rude bullies and extortionists”.

The most frequent complaint was of overcharging and taxi drivers refusing to take passengers who did not agree to pay a flat rate much higher than the regular fare.

The survey covered five main aspects, namely taxi quality, courtesy of drivers, availability on the street, availability by phone and driver job knowledge.

On a 10-point scale, local taxis got scores of 3.8, 4.4, 4.4, 4.8 and 5.5 for each respective aspect. This was in sharp contrast to the 8.6, 8.0, 8.1, 8.8 and 8.7 earned by taxi drivers in Singapore.

Expat Group CEO Andy Davison, whose company owns The Expat, said the high response rate combined with the absence of any really positive feedback, makes it clear people are unhappy with the current services on offer.

“In the last 10 years, we have done about 40 surveys among the resident expatriate community on many aspects of life in Malaysia.

“Most have produced very positive results, but our first survey on the taxi service has revealed a very negative picture,” he said yesterday.

On suggestions on how to improve the image of local taxi drivers, Davison said that fares should be high enough that drivers would not feel the need to overcharge in order to make a living.

He also said driver training was an area that could be improved on.

When asked to comment, Taxi Operators Association chairman Datuk Aslah Abdullah said he couldn’t deny the findings of the survey.

“However, you also need to check what the fares are in the other countries being compared, because that’s where the problem here lies.”

On training, he said drivers had undergone tutorials conducted by City Hall and taxi associations since the beginning of this year.

Driver training? I remember my last few trips taking a taxi, I’d to direct the taxi drivers how to get to my destination. I think what the Taxi Association really need is a new chairman.

Nice one from Brian!

If it’s good, it’s worth sharing.

Here you go, FireFox 3.

And while downloading, you’re helping them to create a new World Record!

I had a bad time when visiting one of the KFC branch few days back, and decided to give the KFC people my piece of mind.

My original email was sent to:
customerservice@kfc.com.my (Email bounced…)
customercomplaint@kfc.com.my (Email bounced…)
camaris.kiat@kfcholdings.com.my (From a phone call, I gather he’s the Customer Complaint Head. No response since the email was sent…)

After trying the most common way of reaching to the Chicken Experts, using e-mails and phone calls, I’ve concluded that these people are not very interested in my feedback after all.

I’ve finally found a private corporation that is as “efficient” as the government.

And when I thought all hope was lost, I found the KFC International Consumer Feedback link. And this is what I got repeatedly:

If you are reading this and happen to work or know someone who works in KFC, you might be able to help.

IpohChai.com shares with us how and when accidents chooses victims…

Just a few days ago, a very serious accident happen at my workplace involving a chargeman who are working at a main electrical switch. He was trying to measure the main power line current with a probe meter. You know, the main power line to that switch has a current of 800 Ampere flowing into the factory!

I’m not sure if he has place the probe at the wrong line or the meter was not set correctly but within split seconds, the chargeman was toasted.

He got jolted by the main power line current. Most part of his body was burned severely and his hair too was mostly burned off! It was only less than one second that he transform from a white into a black person!

He didn’t passed out but was stunned seriously and his colleagues who are working nearby helped him to get to the guard house for ambulance. And that fellow could still asking for a stick of cigarettes from the guard, haven’t got enough smoke perhaps.

Yes, there are many other types of accidents in the workplace.

Most of us who are working in the comfort of an air-conditioned office would normally think we have nothing to fear. Unergonomic workplaces can also pose serious damages in the long run if you are not observant enough.

Many of you might not have heard of Aeron chairs. The ergonomic awareness level in Malaysia needs a little more boost. The Malaysian Labour Law should start introducing some basic ergonomic acts that can help protect the workforce should their employers ignored the importance of an ergonomic workplace.

Also, it’s important that you are, at the very least, covered by your Employer with a personal accident insurance, with the claim proceeds going to your dependants. You never know, as patriotic as you are the company, a half-dead employee remains a non-productive liability.

There are health and medical hazards that can be reduced, if not totally eliminated in the workplace. But there also those that you cannot predict. Accident only catches you unprepared, and it doesn’t matter how rich or poor you are, which God you give your prayers to or whether if you have ever donated to a charity before. It comes in the most unexpected moments, and your only consolation is that it could have been worse.

The only way you can reduce the impact of an accident is most likely through financial means. I have yet to come across any products or services that can reduce the emotional loss of a loved one. And psychiatrist cost money too!

Although it’s good to be optimistic about life, but one should always be prepared about the uncertainties that comes with it.

You might have noticed that I love writing guides. Maybe it’s a guy thing, you know, like reading manuals and shopping in DIY stores. Judging from my earlier success with some rather geeky tutorials waaaaaaay back in 2003, I think the habit stuck.

Okie, enough self promotion, let’s get back to today’s guide.

If you are a Malaysian like me who wants to withdraw money out from your PayPal account, this is one of the most cost-effective way to do it. You might be able to setup bank accounts in other countries where PayPal withdrawals can be made without any fees, but in this guide, I am going to show you how you can do it without using any oversea bank accounts at a minimal charge of USD 5 per transaction (limited to USD 500.00 per transaction).

So let’s get down to the ingredients you need:

Item 1: RM 100 in cash. No cheques, bank drafts or postal cheques.
Item 2: Your NRIC
Item 3: An Al Rajhi Branch, the closer the better.

That’s all.

Here’s the 19-Steps Procedure:

1) Go to the Teller and request to open an Al Rajhi Savings Account. Opt for the Mudharabah Savings Account-i since according to the Wise Teller I’ve met, the normal Savings Account-i does not give you any form interest. Also request for the Debit-ATM Card-i, which is the critical ingredient in our entire PayPal withdrawal scheme.

Tips: Don’t bother asking the Teller about PayPal related fees, you might just get a “Huh!?” look.

2) You can also opt to open for the Al Rajhi Current Account-i, but make sure you have the following extra ingredients: a letter from an Introducer who already holds an Al-Rajhi current account or a 6-months current account statement from other banks.

3) You will be asked to fill up the standard account application form and there’ll be a few autograph sessions.

4) After that, you will be asked to part with your RM 100 cash, and you will be notified by the Teller that you must have a minimum RM 50 balance in your account at all times (if you open the Mudharabah Savings Account-i).

5) Once you made the payment, the Teller should return to you with the Debit ATM card, where you will be asked to sign on the back of the card. You will also be given a document folder (also known as the Scrolls), where it contains a few important documents which you will need to activate your account later on.

Tips: Step 3 to Step 5 should take no longer than 15 minutes.

6) You should have everything you need from the Teller. The next step is to activate your Internet-Banking access, and to do that, you must obtain a temporary Internet PIN.

7) To obtain the magical temporary Internet PIN, you must explore the Scrolls given to you by Teller previously. There should be a Scroll that says “Confidential/Sulit”. Open it and you should see 6 magical PINs where you will use it to access your account via the ATM Machine later. Hence, it’s important that you DO NOT LEAVE the Al Rajhi branch yet.

8) Go to the ATM Machine, insert the Debit ATM card and use the 6 magical PINs from the “Confidential/Sulit” Scroll. Select the option to obtain the Temporary Internet Pin and the machine will then print you a random 6 digit numbers which will be your Temporary Internet Pin. It should look something like the following:

9) Okie, you can now leave the Al Rajhi branch and head home on your next quest to link your PayPal account to your new Al Rajhi Debit ATM card. Make sure you activate your Al Rajhi ATM card first before you add the card in your PayPal account.

10) Go to the Al Rajhi official website: http://www.alrajhibank.com.my/. Click on the First Time Login under the Internet Banking section.

11) Read and then accept the Terms and Conditions to proceed. It’s not like we have a choice NOT to accept. Banks will always be banks.

12) Now, take out the Scroll that says “Essential Information”.

The CIC Number above corresponds to the Customer Number you see in the “First Time Logon” screen below. The Pin will be the set of 6 digit numbers you obtain previously from the ATM Machine. Do not confuse this PIN with the 6 digit numbers given to you in the “Confidential/Sulit” scroll- they are different.

13) Once you are logged in, you will be asked to insert a “New Username” and “New Password”. Once you are done, click on log out to complete the process of initializing your Internet Banking registration.

14) Now, let’s proceed to the real deal: logging into your Internet Banking Account. Go to the official Al Rajhi website again: http://www.alrajhibank.com.my/. This time, click on the “Login” link instead of “First Time Login” under the Intenet Banking section. Use the “New Username” and “New Password” you have just set in Step 13. You should be able to login into your account and that means your Al Rajhi Internet Banking is officially active now.

15) Now, login into your PayPal account. Click on the “Withdraw” link, under the “My Account” header.

16) Click on the “Withdraw Funds to Your Card” link. Notice that you’ll be charged USD 5.00 per transaction.

17) Using the information printed on your Al Rajhi ATM Debit Card, fill up the information as requested by PayPal.

Tips: Insert single space after every 4 digit as per your Debit Card Number. Also, use the same Address for the Billing Address as the one you provided when applying for your Al Rajhi account earlier on. It doesn’t need to be the exact format and structure, but don’t stray too far.

18) Once you are done filling up the details, click on the “Add Card” button. If you have not activated your Al Rajhi Internet Banking account previously, please make sure you do so using Step 10 to Step 14. Otherwise, you will be greeted with an “Unsuccessful” page when you tried adding the card, even if all the information you’ve provided is correct.

Tips: You MUST activate your Internet Banking account first before linking your card from PayPal.

19) Assuming that you’ve successfully added your new ATM Debit card into your Paypal account, you will see your new card when you click on the Withdraw link. All you need to do now is to insert the amount of money you want to transfer to your ATM Debit card. The maximum withdrawal limit for Paypal to Al Rajhi ATM Debit card is USD 500.00 as of this writing.

And that concludes the PayPal Withdrawal Guide. I am not sure how are the procedures like with other Debit Cards, but it should be roughly the same- activate your internet banking account and then link the card from within Paypal.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the guide and find it useful in your quest to transfer money to your bank account from PayPal. Should you find anything missing, confusing or have anything to add, just drop me a line!

By the way, I wouldn’t mind a little tips:

Yeah, for the first time in history, my good old Toyota hit record high yesterday at RM 113.56 when I pumped full tank. Yes, T-H-R-E-E digit. It’s rather scary as you keep seeing the numbers at the pump increasing mercilessly.

For a while, I thought I’ve upgraded to a bigger fuel tank or something.

Let’s not jump on the wrong gun and face reality, there’s nothing special about Malaysia that the recent global price hike would exlcude us from it. As a responsible global citizen, we should embrace the hike and find ways to cut down on our unnecessary expenses and practice frugality.

A quote from the documentary The 11th Hour:

Frugality does not mean poverty. Frugality means the wise use of resources.

In other words, excessive waste and unplanned spendings is foolish and careless use of resources.

Here’s an email I received from reader Edrin, which will be an interesting read in regards to the recent petrol hike.

WHAT IS NEVER MENTIONED IN Mainstream Media like NST/TheStar/Utusan/BH are these
facts….

Malaysian PerCapita Income USD 5000 VS Singaporean PerCapita Income USD 25000

Further The Star made a comparison of prices in Thailand , Singapore and Indonesia. For Thailand it is quoted at RM3.90/liter, however are they aware that in Thailand new cars are cheaper than Malaysia by RM10,000? They pay only one life time for their driving license? No renewal fee after that? Also that goes for road tax as well? And do TheStar also aware that you can drive all the way from Hadtyai to
Bangkok on a six lane highway without paying any Tolls ??!!

Whereas here in Malaysia you have to pay yearly renewal for road tax , driving license and TOLLS, TOLLS, TOLLS!!!

For Singapore how can you quote RM 5.20 ? Please quote in Singapore Dollars because they are earning in Sing Dollars. You might as well say Europeans are paying RM10/liter. RM5.20/liter = Sing $ 2.20/liter, still cheaper than Malaysia in view of fact that Singapore is not a crude oil exporter. Are you saying that you fill up petrol in Singapore by paying Ringgit?

In economy, dollar to dollar must be compared as apple to apple. Not comparing like durian in M’sia is much cheaper than durian in Japan!! Of course-lah, Japan is not durian producer!!! Comparing Malaysian durian with Thailand durian make more sense!!

For Indonesia we might say is cheaper there at RM2.07/liter but compare that to their level of income!
Now, let us compare the price with OIL PRODUCING countries:

UAE – RM1.19/litre
Eygpt – RM1.03/litre
Bahrain – RM0.87/litre
Qatar – RM0.68/litre
Kuwait – RM0.67/litre
Saudi Arabia – RM0.38/litre
Iran – RM0.35/litre
Nigeria – RM0.32/litre
Turkmenistan – RM0.25/litre
Venezuela – RM0.16/litre
MALAYSIA – RM2.70/litre

RM 2.70!!! Individual’s Perspective:
As of last month a Toyota Vios would ’cause a damage’ of about RM 89,000. In the international market, a Toyota Vios is about USD 19,000 USD 19,000 = RM 62,700 (using the indicative rates of USD 1 = RM 3.30) That makes Malaysian Vios owners pay an extra RM 26,300.

This RM 26,300 should be cost of operations, profit and tax because the transportation costs have been factored in to the USD 19,000. RM 26,300/ RM625 petrol rebate per year translates to a Vios being used for 42.08 years.

I do understand that the RM 625 is a rebate given by the government, but it also means that one has to use the Vios for 42.08 years just to make back the amount paid in taxes for the usage of a foreign car. Would anyone use any kind of car for
that long?

Now with these numbers in front of us, does the subsidy sound like a subsidy or does it sound like a penalty? This just seems to be a heavy increment in our daily cost of living as we are not only charged with high car taxes but also with a drastic increase in fuel price.

With all the numbers listed out, I urge all Malaysians to join me in analyzing the situation further.

Car taxation is government profit, fuel sales is Petronas’ (GLC) profit which also translates into government profit. The government may ridicule us Malaysians by saying look at the world market and fuel price world wide. Please, we are Malaysians, we fought of the British, had a international port in the early centuries (Malacca), home to a racially mixed nation and WE ARE NOT STUPID!!!

We know the international rates are above the USD 130/barrel. We understand the fact that the fuel prices are increasing worldwide and we also know that major scientist are still contradicting on why this phenomenon is happening. Some blame
Bush and his plunders around the world and some blame climate change and there are others which say petroleum ‘wells’ are getting scarce.

Again we go back to numbers to be more straight fwd

1 barrel = 159 liters x RM2.70/liter = RM 429 or USD 134

On 1 hand, we are paying the full cost of 1 barrel of crude oil with RM2.70 per liter but on the other hand the crude oil only produces 46% of fuel.

Msia sells crude oil per barrel at USD130 buys back Fuel per barrel at USD134. And not forgetting, every barrel of fuel is produced with 2 barrels of crude oil.

1 barrel crude oil = produce 46% fuel (or half of crude oil), therefore 2 barrel crude oil = approximately 1 barrel fuel
In other words, each time we sell 2 barrels of crude oil, equivalently we will buy back 1 barrel of fuel.

Financially, Malaysia sell 2 barrel crude oil @ USD 130/barrel = USD 260 = RM 858

Then, Malaysia will buy back fuel @ USD 134/barrel = RM 442/barrel

Thus, Malaysia earn net extra USD 126 = RM 416 for each 2 barrel of crude sold/exported vs imported 1 barrel of fuel !!!
(USD 260-134 = USD 126 = RM416)

So where this extra USD 126/barrel income is channeled to by Malaysian Govt?????????

Another analysis:

1 barrel crude oil = 159 liters.
46-47% of a barrel of crude oil = fuel that we use in our vehicles.

46% of 159 = 73.14 liters.
At RM 2.70/liter x 73.14 liter = RM197.48 of fuel per barrel of crude oil. This is only 46% of the barrel, mind you. Using RM 3.30 = USD 1, we get that a barrel of crude oil produces USD 59.84 worth of petrol fuel (46% of 1barrel). USD 59.84 of USD 130/barrel turns out to be 46% of a barrel as well.

Another 54% = bitumen, kerosene, and natural gases and so many more. And this makes a balance of USD 70.16 that has not been accounted for.

So this is where I got curious. Where is the subsidy if we are paying 46% of the price of a barrel of crude oil when the production of petrol/barrel of crude oil is still only 46%?

In actual fact, we still pay for this as they are charged in the forms of fuel surcharge by airlines and road taxes for the building of road (because they use the tar/bitumen) and many more excuse charging us but let us just leave all that
out of our calculations.

As far as I know, only the politicians who live in Putrajaya and come for their Parliament meetings in Kuala Lumpur (approximately 60+ km) are the ones to gain as they claim their fuel and toll charges from the money of the RAKYAT’s TAX.

It is so disappointing to see this happen time and time again to the Malaysian public, where they are deceived by the propaganda held by the politicians and the controls they have over the press. Which stupid idiot economist equates rebates for rich or poor with the cc of the vehicles? An average office clerk may own a second hand 1300cc proton Iswara
costing $7,000 (rebate = $625) while the Datuk’s children can own a fleet of 10 new cars of BMW, Audi and Volvo all less than 2000cc costing $2 millions and get a total rebate of $625 x 10 = $6,250! Wow what kind of economists we are keeping in
Malaysia…wonder which phD certificate that they bought from…

Misleading concept of Subsidy:
The word “subsidy” has been brandished by the BN government as if it has so generously helped the rakyat and in doing so incurred losses. This simple example will help to explain the fallacy:

Example:
Ahmad is a fisherman. He sells a fish to you at $10 which is below the market value of $15. Let’s assume that he caught the fish from the abundance of the sea at little or no cost. Ahmad claims that since the market value of the fish is $15
and he sold you the fish for $10, he had subsidised you $5 and therefore made a loss of $5.

Question :
Did Ahmad actually make a profit of $10 or loss of $5 which he claimed
is the subsidy?

Answer:
Ahmad makes a profit of $10 which is the difference of the selling price ($10) minus the cost price ($0 since the fish was caught from the abundance of the sea). There is no subsidy as claimed by Ahmad.

The BN government claims that it is a subsidy because the oil is kept and treated as somebody else’s property (you know who). By right, the oil belongs to all citizens of the country and the government is a trustee for the citizens. So as in the above simple example, the BN government cannot claim that it has subsidised the citizen!

I have also noticed people are more pissed off with the petrol price than with the rice hike. It shows that the people are not stupid. They know the price hike is a global issue. But they also know that the shocking petrol hike is NOT so much of a global issue than it is a home-brewed one.

They know Petronas is hiding too much secrets from the people. Petronas digs the nation’s resources, and now the people are pissed because they don’t know how much profit this single company has made from the resources of the entire nation. The people cannot help but feel that the petrol hike of 40%, the largest petrol hike ever in the history of the nation is not economically motivated. It surely is not because the removal of subsidy. It’s smelt so strongly of political stench.

After all, we have to also realize that transparency is not part of the by-products of crude oil.