Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by tchtax

LATEST DRAFT GUIDELINES FOR GST BY KASTAMS

tchtax — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 17:13:47 +0800

Yokohama C Drive 2 vs Bridgestone AR10

tchtax — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:50:13 +0800

Hi all tyre sifus,

Need your advice on the above.

My specs :

Car Make : Altis
Size : 205/55/16
Area driving : Klang Valley..usually along LDP and some other highways
Average Speed : 80-100 km/h
Driving type: Not really the 'sweeping' type, weekend family car,

Looking for qualities : comfort, minimal noise. some performance

Thanks guys

Gold Investment Corner V6

tchtax — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:58:02 +0800

Sliced right through USD1,400 at this point in time

1)Daily Gold Price RM/gram -------> http://www.fgjam.org.my/

2)Live Gold Price --------> http://goldprice.org/spot-gold.html

3)Gold Volatility Index --------> http://www.cboe.com/micro/gvz/introduction.aspx

WTA, Should I sell...

tchtax — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:59:50 +0800

Hello sifus,

As the topic suggests, I just want to ask if I should sell my property, details are as follows:-

Property type: 3 storey commercial unit
Tenure: Freehold
Built Up : 5,280 sq ft
Location: Sri Damansara (back unit)
Held since: more than 18 years
Purchased price from developer : abt 450k
Bank valuation : 1.7m
Offer from buyer : 2.0m
Last rental : 4.8k per month for whole block

Considerations of wanting to sell: 1. maybe can get better returns elsewhere and not sure of any more potential upside
2. not sure of getting a tenant/ tenants

Considerations of not wanting to sell: Maybe intend to use 2nd floor for my own business

Really need your help guys.

Thanks

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE VITAMIN B GROUP

tchtax — Tue, 01 May 2012 22:03:31 +0800

Just to share with all of you on the importance of this Vitamin

The vitamin B group contains many individual vitamins including the following:

Vitamin B1 (thiamine)
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
Vitamin B3 (niacin)
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
Vitamin B12 (cobalmin)
Folic acid or vitamin Bc
Biotin or coenzyme R or vitamin H
Choline
Inosito

lThe vitamin B complex is an extremely important group of vitamins that the body must have to enable it to:

a. change food into energy,
b. maintain a strong immune system,
c. balance many of the body's hormones,
d. and perform a wide variety of other tasks.

The B vitamins work together as a complex and are dependent upon each other to perform their individual tasks in the body.

The insufficient intake of one B vitamin can create imbalances and deficiencies in others and impair the body's ability to assimilate and metabolize them. If a depletion or excess of one over the others occurs for a period of any duration, there will be a problem in the entire complex.

1. At first the signs of a vitamin B deficiency are not recognizable and are to do with the running down of existing tissue stores.

2. If the low intake continues then we develop physical and psychological disturbances with symptoms such as:

insomnia,
recurring bad dreams,
inability to concentrate,
depression,
anxiety and mood swings,
aggressive changes in children,
muscle pain of unknown origin,
alternating constipation and diarrhea, and
fatigue and muscle weakness.

There are many lifestyle and physiological factors that can prevent us from having sufficient B complex vitamins. These factors include:

smoking,
excess alcohol consumption,
the use of prescription or over the counter drugs, particularly those on long term drugs such as anticonvulsants, certain antibiotics and oral contraceptives,
pregnancy and lactation,
physical energy output,
very warm or cold climates,
wound, burns or post traumatic stress,
psychological distress,
unique personal requirements due to specific genetic individuality,
environmental factors such as radiation, smog or lowered exposure to sunlight, and
eating calorie rich diets which are mainly fat and sugars.

For your info, my family's daily intake of Vitamin B complex is as follows:-

Vitamin B-1 (thiamin mononitrate) 50 mg
Vitamin B-2 (riboflavin) 50 mg
Vitamin B-3 (niacinamide) 50 mg
Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine HCI) 50 mg
Folate (folic acid) 400 mcg
Vitamin B-12 (cyanocobalamin) 50 mcg
Biotin 50 mcg
Pantothenic Acid (calcium D-pantothenate) 50 mg
Choline Bitartrate 50 mg
Inositol 50 mg *
PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid) 25 mg

I don't think the above amounts are available in Malaysia so I get it from o'seas. In addition, my wife and I personally take 420mg of Phosphatadyl Choline (which is actually lecithin) daily for cognitive (good for memory) ,liver health and cholesterol control, and 500 mg of Vitamin B5 for the following:-

Every cell in the body, including brain cells, requires vitamin B5. It plays and important part in:

synthesizing the adrenal hormones (important for those under stress),
boosting the health of the nervous system,
building cells and maintaining normal growth and development,
forming antibodies to fight infections,
enhancing the utilization of other vitamins, and
promoting the conversion of choline to acetylcholine,
brain neurotransmission,
the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract,
carbohydrate conversion and glucose metabolism, optimal energy levels, and
wound healing.

Source of info: http://www.healthy-vitamin-choice.com/

Adrenal Fatigue

tchtax — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:39:32 +0800

I think quite a significant number of the working and ageing population (this includes me) would have this but don;t know about it.

Symptoms of adrenal fatigue:

Morning fatigue -- You don't really seem to "wake up" until 10 a.m., even if you've been awake since 7 a.m.
Afternoon "low" (feelings of sleepiness or clouded thinking) from 2 to 4 p.m.
Burst of energy at 6 p.m. -- You finally feel better from your afternoon lull.
Sleepiness at 9 to 10 p.m. -- However, you resist going to sleep.
"Second wind" at 11 p.m. that lasts until about 1 a.m., when you finally go to sleep.
Cravings for foods high in salt and fat
Increased PMS or menopausal symptoms
Mild depression
Lack of energy
Decreased ability to handle stress
Muscular weakness
Increased allergies
Lightheadedness when getting up from a sitting or laying down position
Decreased sex drive
Frequent sighing
Inability to handle foods high in potassium or carbohydrates unless they're combined with fats and protein

In addition to noticing these symptoms in yourself, you can objectively check for adrenal fatigue by using the following three tests:
Ragland's sign (blood pressure test) -- (Equipment required: Home blood pressure kit) Take your blood pressure while sitting down. Then, stand up and immediately take your blood pressure again. Your systolic (first) number should have raised 8 to 10 mm. If it dropped, you probably have adrenal fatigue.

Pupil dilation exam -- (Equipment required: Flashlight and a mirror) Look into the mirror and shine the flashlight into the pupil of one eye. It should contract. If after 30 seconds, it stays the same or, even worse, dilates, you most likely have adrenal fatigue.

Pain when pressing on adrenal glands (located over kidneys)

Treatment of adrenal fatigue

"Optimal adrenal health is one of the major keys to the enjoyment of life," according to Dr. Wilson. If you have adrenal fatigue, you can fully live life again by making the necessary lifestyle and dietary changes to treat your disorder.

Treating adrenal fatigue is as easy as:

Lying down during your work breaks (preferably at 10 a.m. and again anytime from 3 to 5 p.m.)
Sleeping until 9 a.m. as often as possible
Laughing
Exercising
Minimizing stress
Taking negative people out of your life
Eating regular meals
Chewing well
Doing something fun each day
Combining unrefined carbohydrates with protein and oils
Avoiding junk food
Eating five to six servings of vegetables each day
Taking calcium and magnesium supplements
Adding sea salt to your diet
Taking 2,000 to 5,000 milligrams of vitamin C each day
Supplementing vitamin E with mixed tocopherols
Taking B-complex supplements that are high in B6 and pantothenic acid
Adding licorice root extract to your dietary supplement regimen

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/019339.html#ixzz1rtN6LZ3f

L

Need an audit assistant and book-keeper

tchtax — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:18:29 +0800

PM me know if anyone is interested.

Book keeper may need to go to clients' premises on a weekly basis.

The super anti-oxidants that you know of.

tchtax — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:01:18 +0800

I'm not an expert in this field but from what I gather in my little research, the following are the supplements deserving mention though not necessarily they are better than the other :-

1. Pycnogenol
2. Resveratrol
3. Ubiquinol
4. Active Hexose Correlated Compound (AHCC,--> expensive)
5. Super fruits high in ORAC values such as Acai, Goji, Maqui, pomegranate, noni, mangosteen)
6. Curcumin (taken with piperin for max absorption)
7. Vitamin E (especially delta-tocotrienol)

Of course there are many others as well, such as the humble and good old Vitamin C and E, grape seed extract, green tea extract, etc.

Any lists that you guys have? Would be good to share.

How the ECB borrows monies from the Fed

tchtax — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 09:44:23 +0800

If this how it works, ECB or the FED will never default?

The European Central Bank tapped a foreign exchange swap facility with the Federal Reserve earlier this month, borrowing $500 million. In exchange, the ECB puts up collateral of Euros worth around $500 million.

The ECB wants the dollars so it can lend them out to European banks, which have been having trouble borrowing dollars at affordable rates due to fears about their financial health.

But it’s worth taking a moment to pay attention to what actually happens mechanically. Because the way we talk about these swap facilities can create the illusion that somehow we’re sending boatloads full of dollars overseas and that the ECB is then sending us boatloads full of euros.

Would-be pirates will be disappointed to hear that there are no currency flotillas crossing back and forth on the Atlantic.

What’s really happening takes place, for the most part, down on Maiden Lane in Manhattan’s financial district. That’s where the headquarters of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York is located. (You can read the actual swap agreement right here : http://www.newyorkfed.org/markets/FRBNY_EC...Agreement.pdf.)

Like most interbank transfers these days, everything is done electronically.

When the ECB wants dollars, it gives notice to the New York Fed. The notice contains how many dollars the ECB wants, when it wants them, what the exchange rate is at the time, when it will pay back the dollars, and what the interest rate will be.

The interest rate is always one percent plus something called the Overnight USD Indexed Swap Rate. When the ECB last borrowed, it agreed to a 1.09 percent rate. (It’s very telling that only the ECB has to pay interest. There’s no price for the Fed getting to hold euros.)

Next—and this is important—nothing happens. Not really, that is.

Nothing moves anywhere. No currency flotillas leave for the high seas.

All that happens is that an account at the NY Fed that the ECB has designated as its swap account gets credited with the dollars. This account is really just a line on a spreadsheet in a computer in that Fed building on Maiden Lane. Crediting the account just means that someone enters numbers into a spreadsheet.

At the same time, the ECB enters numbers onto a spreadsheet housed in a computer in Frankfurt, Germany, where the ECB is headquartered.

Those numbers represent Euros that are now “in” an account for the NY Fed.

Neither the dollars nor the Euros come from anywhere. They aren’t moved or debited from anywhere. They are invented right on the spot with a few taps on the key pad. And that’s all. There’s no printing press fired up to make new dollars or euros.

This is sometimes called “fiat money.” But that makes it sound as if some command from a sovereign created the money. It’s really closer to “keyboard money,” since it is created by data entry in a computer.

While the swap is outstanding—a period which can last for up to 88 days—the ECB can lend the dollars in its account to European banks. It does this simply by telling the NY Fed that it wants to credit the account of a European bank and debit its account. This all happens, again, by someone typing the data into a computer.

Flash forward to the maturity date—the date when the swap is supposed to be unwound. On that day, the Fed simply zeros out the ECB’s account. This means there are no dollars left in it to be lent out to banks, although that’s really just a metaphor. What it really means is that the Fed will not credit the accounts European banks if asked to do so out of the zero’d out account.

If the ECB’s account on the maturity date has the right amount in it, then the swap is closed off. If there’s a shortfall, then a new swap is created to represent this amount. This means that it’s pretty much impossible for the ECB to default on this loan, since any shortfall is just rolled over into a new loans.

Why might there be a shortfall? Remember, the ECB is borrowing dollars so that it can lend them out to European banks. If those banks haven’t repaid those loans, it must “purchase” the dollars from elsewhere—most likely other banks.

What’s more, the ECB must pay interest on the swap—which means that it must always purchase a few dollars more than it borrowed or collect those dollars in interest from the banks it lent to. If it doesn’t purchase the dollars or get those interest payments, you get a shortfall.

By the way, there’s nothing in the swap agreement about what happens if the Fed doesn’t have the euros to refund the ECB. That’s because it is impossible for the Fed not to “have” those euros. You see, the ECB created the euros “held” as collateral for the loan by entering data on a spreadsheet. As far as I can tell, there is no provision at all for the Fed to “draw” from the “account” in which the euros are held.

They just “sit” there—although, again, since its just numbers on a spreadsheet, nothing is physically sitting anywhere.

To be honest, I don’t think there is an economic point to the existence of the Fed account with the ECB. What do we care if there is a spreadsheet in Frankfurt that represents the conceptual Fed possession of a bunch of euros?

I suspect the reason for this is entirely legal and optical. It’s good for all the central bankers to be able to tell the world that these loans are fully collateralized. Depending on how you read the regulations, the Fed may even be required to be able to claim it has collateral for the loans—even if that collateral is just a line entry on a spreadsheet in a computer housed in the very central bank that is borrowing dollars.

I’m not even 100 percent confident that anyone in Frankfurt does enter the numbers into a spreadsheet. Why would they? There’s no point at all to having them entered and automatically erased at the end of the swap.

And since the Fed doesn’t use those euros during the period of the swap, there’s no need to keep track of how many are in the account. If you’re a Frankfurt central banking clerk, why not just take a smoke break instead of opening the computer file that has this totally made up account in it?

Source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/44963864

Draft guidelines -GST on Second Hand GoodS

tchtax — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:21:03 +0800

Kastams Draft Guidelines on GST

http://www.ctim.org.my/cms/file/news/15/00...%20(060911).pdf

GST on Second Hand Goods (& non residential prope

tchtax — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:17:37 +0800

Looks like from point 8.1 , used car dealers would have to bear the GST.

http://www.ctim.org.my/cms/file/news/15/00...%20(060911).pdf

Get ready for GST!

tchtax — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:20:28 +0800

All those in business, GST will be coming. Better to familiarise yourselves with these draft guidelines that have just been issued. Even though it's only draft, it will be very close to being final once it's out. Sorry E-commerce guys, the net of GST includes them also.

http://www.ctim.org.my/cms/file/news/15/00...%20(300611).pdf

For those in business its more paperwork!!

US Debt clock Real Time

tchtax — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:40:38 +0800

Any of you guys keeping track of this incredible time bomb?

http://www.usdebtclock.org/

Very worrisome if Obama doesn;t work something out

What's the next denomination after trillion? Gazillions???

INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION AFFECTED MY CAR

tchtax — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 10:11:33 +0800

Was in Sunway Industrial yesterday. Rained heavily in the evening. As I left the office about 9pm after the rain, went into the car and notice large white patches on the windscreen and windows. If its there, must be on the the whole car as well (can;t really see as it was dark). Raced back home, shampooed the whole car (even though it was still drizzling), but still can;t see the real effect until this morning.

Car paint was still good thanks to the sealant and double layer wax I applied on to the car, but no protection on the rubber trimmings. There were still large white spots on it and I don;t think I can remove them.

So be careful guys when you park in industrial areas. The industrial fallout is very real especially when its raining. I think the factories will take the opportunity to release these pollutants in the air during this time. No one can see it's being done and its all washed away...until it lands on your car.

and don;t forget to seal and wax your car. Effort is worth it.

REGISTER TO VOTE THIS WEEKEND

tchtax — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 12:59:23 +0800

GUYS AND GIRLS, DO YOUR BIT AND REGISTER YOURSELF TO VOTE FOR THE NEXT GE

Register to vote this weekend, 29-30 Jan.

You can do so at:

1) Jusco Bukit Tinggi (Klang), 10am-10pm (in front of Harvey Norman);
2) Tesco Menjalara, Kepong, 10am-11pm - change voting address btw 11am & 5pm

VOTE REGISTRATION DRIVE CALENDAR

http://inorout.org/index.php/pages/news

Your votes are crucial. Remember in GE12 that were quite a number of seats went through re-counting to indicate the close margins. Your votes could make that difference.!!

WHY DO THROTTLE BODIES GET DIRTY?

tchtax — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 12:51:36 +0800

Hello all sifu's

I notice nowadays that a lot of problems with current cars especially those with the local makes have problems with throttle bodies, getting dirty and so on. Is it mainly because of the petrol, design problem of the TB, the air or what. and how often do you clean your TB's ? I suspect its the type of petrol. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Many thanks guys.