One place that we have not been for ages is the Lorong Selamat Char Koay Teow.  We thought we allow this luxury since we have not been there for so long and we did enjoy the CKT there before.  The last time we were there, a plate of regular CKT was like RM5.50.  I believe that was quite some time ago.  Its now RM6.50 for a plate, and the taste still the same.  Its truly a luxury that we don’t get to enjoy often… We usually pay RM2.50 or RM3.00 per plate for a CKT, the Proton version of course.  The ones that is good enough to quench your thirst.  The BMW of CKT stands at RM6.50 per plate.  Almost 3 times the Proton version.  In the car industry, it would be 300 times, but in CKT world, its only 3x at best.  By the way, notice the empty tables and chairs, we were there early, at about 11.30am.  We left at about 12, and the place did not sizzle like it used to.  The Recession is getting to the folks in Penang.  BMW Char Koay Teow is not a true luxury. 

The Dow have been climbing for the past four days.  If it continues to climb today, it will be the first week of climbing since January.  If this trend continues, is this showing the confidence that we have been seeking for all this time? If this the sign of recovery? Its still too early to say.  While the unemployment market rise, and issues still plaguing the financial, automotive and other sectors, I am not sure if a solid gain in the Dows will actually turn the economy around. 

Malaysia KLSE index on the other hand has been dropping since Najib announce the 60b package early in the week. 

Checking out Maxis iPhone deal, I can’t help but felt turn off.  Instead of Maxis bundling the phone price into the rates and long term commitment, they pass the iphone cost to the consumer and they charge you a bom for your usage.  Lets look into the details.  All prices are in reference to 16Gb model.

Maxis iValue Plans

Commitment of RM100 a month for a year, and pay RM2290 for the phone. Or Pay RM375 a month for a year and pay RM1470.  Then, if you decide not to take the iValue plan, you can just take the 6 months commitment with a minimum of Value Plus 80 and take the phone home for RM2960.  If you break this 6 months commitment, you are only penalized RM100.  This means, the phone only cost RM3060.  And for RM100, you need to be tied to a minimum of Value Plus 80 for 6 months. 

Working along the same line, lets look back to the iValue Plans.  With a 12 month contract and monthly commitment of RM100, you pay RM2290 for the phone.  Which means maxis subsidize RM770 for this plan.  For this mere RM770 Maxis investment, they get to charge you RM0.30 per minute (to all network) and if you exceed 333 minutes, they will charge you RM0.15 per minute.  An existing Value Plus 50 only charge you RM0.10 on same network and RM0.18 to other network.  They get to make 60% more from your call charges.  Isn’t this a great deal for Maxis, and a horrible deal for the consumer. 

Now lets look at our neighbors Singapore and Thailand.  In Singapore, one can take the phone home for SGD 508 from Singtel with a monthly commitment of SBD56/Month.  With an exchange rate of 2.4 (conservative), that works out to be RM1219 to take the phone home and monthly commitment of RM134.  And if you take the premium, which is the most expensive package of SGD205/month, the phone is free.  This works out to be RM492 and the phone is free.  In Malaysia, you take the most expensive package of RM375/month and you still need to pay RM1470 for the phone for a one year contract and RM250 for a two years contract.

*Pst!, I heard can get unlock iphone in singapore for SGD1000, that’s RM2400.  Jailbreak ofcourse.  

In Thailand, you can take the phone home for 28,500 Baht without commitment, that’s about RM2925 (with today’s exchange rate from Google).   You can take the phone home for 27,075 Baht with 599 Baht monthly commitment for a year or 1,599Baht (RM164) for 24months and you can get the phone home for free. 

In Malaysia, one can take home a free iPhone, but with RM 375 commitment for two years and only the 8Gb model.  In Thailand a 2 year contract with commitment of RM164, you can get a 16Gb home and in Singapore with RM492 2 year contract. 

Thailand has the best deal in terms of iPhone cost, but the call charges may differ. 

This is why I am not jumping to get iPhone from Maxis just yet.  I am currently on Value Plus 50, and for me to get the phone, I need to change to iValue RM100 to take the phone home for RM2290.  RM50 more a month, and in a years time, that is RM600, so the phone to me is RM2890 (without the premium call charges with iValue plans, note the call charges is RM0.30/minute for first 333minutes to all network vs Value Plus 50 RM0.10/minute to Maxis and RM0.18/minute to other networks).  Or, I upgrade to Value Plus 80 for 6 months and get the phone for RM2960.  Which means I pay RM30 more every month for 6 months and that total up to RM3140 (RM2960 + RM180). 

Apple is rumor to announce new models in June/July this year.  A 32Gb maybe? And maybe this time, iPhone with MMS, one of the most basic phone feature this expensive brick does not have. 

*Prices are true during time of posting.

Not the Hitz FM fugutive I must first say.  The story goes like this.  My wife’s colleague is pregnant.  At the same time, she is leaving Penang for Singapore next month for her new job there.  She is afraid to let her mother inlaw know that she is pregnant because she is afraid that her mother inlaw will stop her from going to Singapore.  Since her tummy is now getting  bigger by the day and she has another good 1-2 months to go, she wants to move out from her mother inlaw’s home.  Hence, my home. 

She plan to tell the mother inlaw that she has gone back to Singapore while hiding in my home.  I honestly not sure sure how she can achieve this, and advice against it, but she is hard on, and we as outsider dont really know the story of the relationship behind.  So, starting today, I will have a new tenant in my home, for a short term.  She is not really a fugitive of the law, but the fugitive of her inlaw.

I’ve finally spent all of my last year end bonus.  Initially, I was hoping to safe a big chunk of it.  It did not turn out as plan, I end up spending it all little at a time.  Do you still got your year end bonus from last year? How did you spent it?