World stocks rally on Goldman Sachs earnings

LONDON: World stock markets rallied yesterday, with banks boosted by Goldman Sachs' stronger-than-expected profit.

Equities won ground after Goldman launched plans to repay its US government rescue aid of US$10 billion (RM36 billion) with a US$5 billion share issue plus cash from additional resources.

The news was applauded by investors who have been on tenterhooks awaiting the latest results from banking firms reeling from the ongoing global financial and economic crisis that erupted in 2007.

In European markets' early trading on Tuesday, Frankfurt fizzed 1.21 per cent higher, London surged 1.26 per cent and Paris soared 1.42 per cent.

In Asia, Hong Kong share prices leapt 4.55 per cent, driven also by gains in banking giant HSBC and Chinese stocks, dealers said.

On the downside, however, Tokyo finished 0.92 per cent lower, depressed by overnight losses on Wall Street ahead of a raft of corporate earnings results.

"The early release of the Goldman Sachs numbers will give the financial sector further impetus," said analyst Chris Hossain at ODL Securities.

"The financials were the main reason behind the last twelve months of pain, so it is only right that investors look to these heavyweights to lead us back up."

On Monday, Goldman posted a first-quarter net profit of US$1.81 billion.

Goldman added that it hoped the new capital raised would allow it to repay all of the public money injected through the Treasury's Troubled Asset Relief Programme.

The global financial crisis has ravaged the banking sector due to huge losses on complex investments in toxic or high-risk debts.

Among other banks to report earnings this week are JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup. Another leading US bank, Wells Fargo, had projected better-than-expected results last week.

Economist Lee Hardman, at The Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ, cautioned that the banking sector would only recover if the crucial issue of toxic assets was resolved.

"Ultimately a sustainable recovery in the financial sector will depend upon finding an effective solution for bad assets held on banks' balance sheets which are impairing the flow of credit to the economy," Hardman said. - AFP

Catitan Trip Ke Jakarta & Bandung 2009

Pesawat Airbus 320 Air Asia AK0956 yang sepatutnya berlepas pada jam 1900 ditunda ke 2030, notis penangguhan diberikan melalui sms pada jam 1530, nasib baik pada masa tu saya masih berada di KL Sentral. Kalau tidak terpaksa la tunggu lama giler kat LCCT. Apa yang menarik pada tarikh itu ialah berlangsungnya 3 pilihanraya kecil di Bukit Selambau, Bukit Gantang dan Batang Ai. Malam kemarin saya juga turut serta memberikan sokongan padu kepada calon PKR Bukit Selambau. Ceramah grand finale PKR diadakan di Taman Ria, Sungai Petani dari pukul 9 hingga 12 mlm. Saya hadir bersama saudara Hamed (Utara Network). Ternyata ceramah terakhir PKR mendapat sambutan hangat dari orang ramai yang terdiri dari pelbagai bangsa. Anggaran kasar kehadiran orang ramai sekitar 5 ribu orang walaupun hujan renyai turun semasa ceramah sedang dijalankan. Turut memberikan ucapan ialah Ustaz Badrulaman (PAS), Azmin Ali (PKR ), dan beberapa orang ahli parlimen dan adun PAS, DAP dan PKR. Penceramah yang dinanti-nantikan pada malam itu yang tak asing lagi Dato Sri Anwar Ibrahim yang memberikan semangat kepada para pengundi Bukit Selambau untuk memberikan isyarat yang jelas kepada BN yang mereka mahukan perubahan kerajaan pusat dalam masa terdekat.

Habis ceramah terus drive balik rumah sampai dalam pkl 130 pagi, terus packing brg2 utk trip ke Indon ni. Dari Alor Star saya naik pesawat ATR 72 Firefly ke Subang, dari situ naik bas ke KL Sentral. Untuk maklumat semua, Firefly sedang mengadakan tambang promo dari Alor Star ke Subang dgn hanya RM 35 sahaja, makanan ringan diberikan percuma. Flight dari Alor Star ke Subang ambik masa selama 1 jam 10 minit. Sampai saja kat KL Sentral terus ambik LRT ke Gombak jumpa travel partner – Rafhan. Dia dok di Gombak dekat UIA, tahun lepas dia ikut trip ke Singapore dgn saya. Sebenarnya dia ni bekas roommate dan junior saya kat USM Tronoh dulu. Dia keja agen insurans, masih bujang lagi, ada angan2 nak cari bini orang Bandung, tu yang dia excited sgt kat pi Indon. Dari KL Sentral ke LCCT ada banyak cara, yang paling murah naik shuttle bas KL Sentral – LCCT tambang rm 8, masa lebih kurang 1 jam, kalau nak cepat lagi naik KLIA Express – 30 minit, tambang rm 30.
Plan asal memang la nak naik bas ke LCCT, tapi Rafhan bagi tau last minit yang kawan dia(Mus) nak tolong p hantar kat LCCT, actually kawan dia ni pun nak join skali trip p Jakarta ni, tapi last minit dia tak jadi pula sebab ada hal penting. Tiket flight dia dah booking, cancel last minit. Saya sampai kat Hentian Putra, Gombak dalam pkl 4, terus pi pejabat Mus kat Ampang Hilir, dia keja akauntan. Syarikat tempat dia keja tu jual kereta import – BMW, Merc, Audi, dan kereta2 yang harga rm 100 ribu ke atas. Kami lepak kat pejabat dia sampai pukul 5.30, lepas tu dia hantar kami ke LCTT guna kereta rafhan. Sampai kat LCCT dekat pukul 7 ptg, terus check in msk balai berlepas. Sambil dok tunggu nak naik flight kami pi solat dulu . Masa scan bag nak masuk ke balai berlepas rafhan kantoi dgn security, kat dalam bag da ada pisau kecik dan mineral water. So pisau dgn mineral water tu kena rampas la, dia ni mungkin tak pro lagi naik flight, masih novis lagi.

Tepat jam 830 mlm pesawat Airbus 329 Airasia AK0956 berlepas menuju ke Jakarta. Cuaca kat KL agak baik, penerbangan berjalan lancar. Tapi bila menghampiri pulau Jawa, hujan turun agak lepas dgn angin agak kuat. Bagaimanapun semuanya selamat, tidak mslh besar, walaupun ruang udara Jakarta berkabus tebal. Pesawat selamat mendarat kat lapangan terbang Sukarno-Hatta di Jakarta dalam pukul 10.30 waktu Malaysia, pukul 930 mlm waktu Indonesia. Perjalanan sejauh hampir 2 ribu kilometer mengambil masa 2 jam dengan kelajuan pesawat 900km/jam pada altitude 30 ribu kaki atau 10km. Ni first kami jejak kaki kat airport ni, sebelum ni saya dah jejak kaki kat airport kat Singapore, Bangkok, KLIA, LCCT, Medan, Siam Riep. Ternyata airport ni agak ketinggalan dari segi rekabentuk dan prasarana berbanding Singapore, Bangkok dan KLIA.

Lepas turun pesawat terus kami menuju ke pemeriksaan imegresen. Kat situ timbul satu masalah besar, saya lupa print copy return tiket balik ke KL. Prosedur untuk masuk ke Indonesia pada masa sekarang perlu sesorang itu ada passport yg sah, visa (warganegara Malaysia tak perlu visa) dan terun tiket. Jadi pegawai imegresen kat situ tak bagi kami teruskan perjalanan kalau tak tunjuk return tiket kat dia. Saya plan nak buka laptop, guna wifi msk website airasia dan tunjuk tiket online kat dia. Tapi masalahnya kat situ tadak wifi (airport ni dah ketinggalan zaman), kat LCCT, Bangkok, SIngpore semua dah ada WIFI. Kemudian kami try pi kat kaunter MAS dekat kaunter imegresen, tapi depa tak mau tolong sebab depa hanya layan customer MAS shj, dia suruh kami cari staf Airasia yang slalu dok lepak kat kaunter imegresen, tapi waktu tu tadak pun. Sepatutnya Airasia kena buka satu kaunter customer servis mcm kaunter MAS untuk bantu pelanggan yang bermasalah macam kami ni. Lepas dok pusing kat situ lebih kurang 30 minit baru la jumpa staf airasia ni. Kami pun srh dia tolong print sat copy return tiket tu, dia kata no problem, lepas dia minta detail booking flight kami, lps 5 minit dia mai hantar copy return tiket tu. Lepas tu terus kami blh masuk , lepas chop passport, scan bag kat kastam, terus kami ke gate F utk cari bas ke pusat Bandar Jakarta. Lepas tunggu 15 minit kat gate F, baru ada bas smpai. Tambang dari airport ke pusat Bandar Jakarta ialah sebanyak 25 ribu rupiah sorang. Untuk maklumat umum tukaran mata wang semasa rm 1 sama dgn 3 ribu rupiah lebih sikit. Utk trip ke Jakarta ni sy bawa 2 3 juta rupiah, kat sini senang saja nak jadi jutawan. Sbb tu ramai org indon jutawan. Hahaha…


Kami turun kat depan stesen keretapi Gambir kat pusat Bandar Jakarta. Sampai kat situ dalam pukul 11 malam waktu Indonesia. Kemudian kami naik bechak (motor roda 3, kat Bangkok panggil Tut Tut) ke hotel Margot kat Jalan Jaksa, tambang 15 ribu rupih sorang, ambik masa 5 minit. Lepas check in kami keluar ronda2 sambil cari makan. Kos stay kat hotel tu 220 ribu rupiah . bilik blh la tahan, ada cable tv skali breakfast. Lebih kurang Hotel Marriot juga la, tapi murah lagi. Bajet kena jaga juga, byk lagi duit nak juga sbb bln 5 nak p ronda Borneo pula. Masa ronda2 sekitar Jalan Jaksa baru teringat nak check result by election kat 2 bukit 1 batang. Sebenarnya Jalan Jaksa ni tempat backpacker foreigner stay waktu dok Jakarta. Tapi saya tgk biasa saja, tak la best mcm Khao San Road kat Bangkok dan juga Petaling Street kat KL. Kami jumpa 1 cc terus surf internet msk themalaysianinsider.com, seperti yang dijangka PKR menang di Bukit Selambau, PAS menang di Bukit Gantang dgn majority yang lebih besar. Nampak gaya Najib nak cipta rekod baru jadi PM paling singkat dalam sejarah. Lepas dapat berita gembira tu kami pun p makan kat café area Jalan Jaksa. Makanan kat café ni lebih kurang mcm kat Malaysia la, nama café pun ada KL. Kami order nasi beriani ayam goreng, fries, udang goring tepung, fresh orange . semua skali 85 ribu rupiah. Lepas makan kenyang kami pun balik ke hotel, time dah pkl 1 waktu indon, pkl 2 waktu Malaysia. Sebelum tu kami beli sim kad indon, saja nak testing indon punya line. Kos 15 ribu rupiah, operator dia nama simPATI Pe De, no dia 081288033174. Kat bilik kami dok try call dgn sms balik Malaysia guna sim kad indon ni. Adalah lebih murah call/sms guna sim kad indon balik Malaysia daripada guna sim kad Malaysia ambik roaming kat indon, sms saja rm 3/sms utk sms dari indon ke Malaysia guna hotlink 017. Lepas lepak2 pkl 3 baru terlelap.
Bangun pkl 8 pagi, lepas mandi terus p breakfast (free) kat café hotel. Makan nasi goring dgn kopi o panas. Kat situ ada Wifi, so kami bawa laptop terus surf internet tgk perkembangan saham dan juga berita terkini terutamanya berkaitan pilihanraya 2 bukit 1 batang. Lepas dok 1 jam kat café kami balik ke bilik packing barang2 nak check out nak p bandung. Kami kena kluar awal sikit sbb ada kemungkinan tiket train akan habis waktu petang disebabkan oleh cuti umum pada hari khamis 9/4/09 sempena pilihanraya umum di Indonesia (kat indon dipanggil pemilu = pilihanraya). Kami check out pkl 11 ambik teksi Vios utk ke stesen keretapi Gambir, timing dalam 15 minit sbb jammed, tambang 15 ribu rupiah guna meter, lagi murah dari naik bechak semalam. Lain kalau sapa mai Jakarta naik la teksi Vios yg pakai meter, lagi cepat, murah dan selesa. Sampai kat stesen Gambir, saya suruh Rafhan beli tiket ke Bandung ( bisnis class) 25 ribu rupiah utk 1 tiket. Waktu bertolak pada pkl 130, jadi sementara kami nak tunggu train ke Bandung, kami pi makan dulu kat café berdekatan, makan makanan indon – bakso dgn es campur. Untuk maklumat umum, Jakarta mempunyai populasi penduduk sebanyak lebih 9 juta orang (berbanding KL 1.8 juta orang) , majoritinya berbangsa jawa yang beragama islam. Juga terdapat minoriti beragama kristian (berbangsa jawa, melayu, dll) dan lain2 (budda,hindu, etc). Pun begitu walaupun ramai penganut islam di Indonesia, perlembagaannya tidak ada rujukan berkaitan islam, dengan kata lain perlembagaanya berlandaskan system sekular yang liberal. Jadi kalau anda nak travel ke Jakarta dan Bandung tak perlu risau masalah mendapatkan makanan halal. Dari segi sejarah nama asal Jakrta ialah Batavia yang merupakan sebuah Bandar pelabuhan yang dibuka oleh penjajah Belanda pada tahun 1619. Pada hari ke-2 kami di Indonesia adalah hari pemilu (pemilihan umum) atau pilihanraya umum di Malaysia. Proses pilihanraya di Indonesia agak berbeza dgn kat Malaysia dimana poster2 kempen kurang kelihatan, rapat umum tidak begitu kelihatan, ianya selalunya diadakan di tempat tertutup. Bagaimanapun tv dan suratkhabar di Indonesia mempunyai waktu siaran tertentu untuk semua parti2 yg bertanding untuk berkempen.

Tepat jam 130 waktu Indon, train ke Bandung mula bergerak. Perjalanan ke Bandung sejauh lebih kurang 200 km dari Jakarta mengambil masa lebih kurang 3 jam. Bandung adalah sebuah Bandar perlancongan tanah tinggi yang mempunyai byk kilang tekstil dan universiti2. Pemandangan sepanjang perjalanan agak menarik, kadang2 tak menarik juga bila melalui area penduduk miskin. Kami sampai kat bandung lebih kurang pukul 430 petang, terus naik angkot (van) ke hotel Puri Tomat kat Dago. Perjalanan dari stesen keretapi Bandung ke hotel ni ambik masa 20 minit dgn kos 6 ribu rupiah utk 2 org. Kos menginap di hotel ni sebanyak 170ribu rupiah utk 1 mlm, kami nak stay 2 malam. Hotel ni ditempah oleh kawan internet Rafhan yg bernama Ratna Dewi, seorang gadis Sunday g dok kat Bandung. Secara amnya hotel agak sederhana, ada hot shower, cable tv tapi tak da aircon sbb suhu kat Bandung sekitar 22 darjah Celsius, jadi tak perlu aircon la..

Pada hari ke-2 kat Bandung kami bangun awal dalam pukul 7, lepas mandi terus ke kafe hotel utk breakfast free, mcm biasa nasi goring dgn tea o panas. Lepas breakfast kami gerak ke Gunung Tangkupan Perahu yang merupakan sebuah gunung berapi yg dah lama pencen (tak aktif). Ni lokasi yang agak terkenal di kota Bandung. Kota Bandung memang terkenal dgn bandar percutian tanah tinggi (768m) , terdapat banyak universiti ( Institut Teknologi Bandung, Universitas Pendidikan,etc) byk kilang2 tekstil, ladang2 the, pelbagai makanan menarik seperti masakan sunda dan tempat bersejarah era penjajahan Belanda. Digelar sebagai Paris Of Java oleh Belanda, kota tanah tinggi ini adalah merupakan lokasi pentadbiran penting dizaman penjajahan Belanda di tanah Java. Terdapat banyak hotel2 pada harga yg berpatutan di sekitar kota Bandung. Disini juga terdapat banyak produk tanaman tanah tinggi seperti bunga, strawberry, the dan lain2. Nickname bagi Bandung ialah Kota Kembang yang merujuk kepada bunga yang pernah ditanam secara komersial pada masa lepas. Dengan penduduk melebihi 2.7 juta orang yang majoritinya beragama islam , kota Bandung memang agak sesak dan sibuk . Jalan raya agak berserabut dan kurang terurus. Medium pengangkutan awam utama disini menggunakan ‘angkot’ bermaksud – angkutan kota. Ianya adalah sebuah van dgn 8 tempat duduk, kos perjalanan 2 ribu rupiah pada jarak 2-4 km. Apa yang menarik yang saya lihat di kota Bandung ni mempunyai ramai cewek2 (gadis) yang cantik2, kulit putih melepak. Kebanyakannya adalah keturunan Sunda yang terkenal dengan kecantikan semula jadi tinggal di kawasan tanah tinggi.

Perjalanan dari kota Bandung ke gunung Tangkuban Perahu yg terletak kat utara Bandung mengambil masa hampir 2 jam menggunakan angkot yg terpaksa tukar 3 kali. Kos tambang sebanyak 70 ribu rupiah seorang. Pemandangan yang memukau mata boleh dilihat di puncak gunung tersebut yang terdapat kawah gunung berapi. Kawasan sekitar puncak itu berbau sulfur seperti bau telur busuk. Ramai pelancong tempatan dan antarabangsa yang melawat ke situ pada hari ni. Kami ronda2 sekitara gunung sambil ambil gambar untuk kenangan. Banyak gerai jualan cenderahati dan makanan terdapat di puncak gunung yang berketinggian 2084m. Apa yang kurang menarik kat situ adalah terdapat ramai penjual jalanan yang datang menghampiri setiap pelawat utk menjual cendarahati dgn harga yang agak mahal. Mereka mengikut ke mana saja saya bergerak. Siap dia offer tolong ambik gambar, bagi maklumat pasai gunung, tolong cari Rafhan yang sesat lagi. Last sekali saya beli juga tasbih kecil dgn harga 20 ribu rupiah. Kat situ juga kami makan makanan yang famous kat Bandung iaitu ketan – pulut bakar yg diletak kuah kacang di dalamnya. Lepas tu kami pekena tea halia panas untuk panaskan badan kerana suhu kat atas gunung tu agak sejuk walaupun di tengah hari.

Lepas solat zohor atas puncak gunung berapi tu kami bergerak turun naik angkot untuk ke Sari Ater yg merupakan kawasan kolam air panas semulajadi. Perjalanan ambik masa 30 minit melintasi ladang2 tea yang mempunyai pemandangan yang menarik. Taman rekreasi Sari Ater menyediakan kemudahan riadah seperti kolam air panas, flying fox, tunggang kuda, dan banyak lagi aktiviti2 outdoor. Ramai pelancong tempatan yg datang pada hari ni sempena cuti umum pilihanraya Indonesia. Ramai yang datang mandi-manda dikolam air panas semulajadi dan juga berkelah bersama family. Harga tiket masuk ke taman rekreasi ni sebanyak 15 ribu sorang. Rafhan tak lepaskan peluang utk mandi air panas kat situ. Lepas relak kat situ selama 2 jam kami pun bertolak ke kota Bandung untuk shopping sikit. Perjalananan dari Seri Ater ke pusat Bandar kota Bandung ambik masa 1 jam lebih naik angkot. Jalan2 kat Bandung memang selalu jammed, sebab tu ambik masa yang agak lama. Kami shopping kat kedai2 factory oulet yang jual baju2 dan seluar jean berkualiti dgn harga yang murah. Saya beli seluar jean BMW dan t-shirt, Rafhan beli baju batik dgn t-shirt. Lepas shopping kami p makan malam kat kedai makan Sunda. Kat sini kedai makan atau restoran dipanggil rumah makan. Antara menu menarik kat sini ialah pepes ikan, nasi timbel, laksa bandung dan banyak lagi. Juga makanan2 lain yang agak terkenal di kota Bandung ialah brownies (kek coklat) , kerepek pisang raja, the botol dan lain2 . Lepas makan kami ronda2 sekitar Bandung lepas t uterus balik ke hotel smpai dalam pkl 1030 mlm dan apa lagi terus tidor la lepas penat mendaki gunung berapi tu.

Pada hari ketiga (jumaat 10/4/09) kami check out pkl 9 pagi terus naik angkot ke Pasar Baru, sebuah tempat membeli belah tumpuan masyarakat tempatan dan pelancong tempatan. Berbanding gedung2 membeli belah, factory outlet dan distribution outlet yang menjadi tumpuan pelancong luar serta pelancong tempatan kelas pertengahan ke atas, barang2 di sini lebih murah sekitar 20-30%. Kat situ sy beli kain batik, kupiah jawa, kain pelekat dan makanan2 unik di Bandung seperti brownies, strayberry, kerepek pisang raja dan lain2 sebagai ole2 untuk dibawa balik ke Malaysia. Setelah hampir 2 jam shopping sakan kat pasar baru kami pun naik taksi vios ke terminas bas ekspress utk kembali ke Jakarta. Kali ini kami menuju Jakarta barat dekat Cekereng yg juga berdekatan airport. Tempoh perjalanan ke Jakarta hampir 3 jam melalui lebuh raya . Tambang 35 ribu rupiah, secara amnya perjalanan agak selesa da n lebih cepat berbanding menaiki keretapi. Kami sampai ke terminal bas Kali Deres pkl 4.30 petang, terus ambik taksi vios ke hotel yg paling dekat dengan airport yang bernama Huzwah Transit Hotel. Kadar bilik ialah 150 rupiah sahaja. Hotel ini agak strategik kerana dekat dgn airport kerana flight kamipagi esok pada pkl 8 pagi, jadi pkl 6 pagi dah kena ready kat airport. Kalau stay kat Jakarta pusat, perjalanan dari situ ke airport ambil masa 1 jam.

Selepas check in, kami kluar ronda sekitar Jakarta barat. Ambik taksi vios ke Tanjong Periuk , sebuah kawasan pelabuhan utama di Indonesia. Pelabuhan ini terletak di laut Java yang memang terkenal dengan ombak yang ganas, banyak kapal telah tewas di laut jawa. Di situ kami berpeluang melihat matahari terbenam di laut jawa, ronda2 sekitar Tanjong Periuk serta makan masakan padang. Pada perjalanan balik kami berpeluang melihat bandaraya Jakarta pada waktu malam. Bandaraya cosmopolitan yang agak besar ini agak meriah pada waktu malam, bagaimanapun pengurusan lalu lintas yang agak kurang terurus, jalan sesak, ramai yang tidak ikut undang2 jalan raya. Tambahan pula ramai peminta sedekah yang berkeliaran di merata2. Ada peminta sedekah remaja dan kanak2 yang bermain alat music dan menyanyi atas bas , di trafik light untuk meminta sedekah. Ini menunjukan kadar kemiskinan yang agak teruk berlaku di Indonesia. Perbezaan golongan kaya dengan miskin amat besar jurangnya.
Pada hari ke-4 kami bangun awal dalam pukul 4 pagi disebabkan oleh timing flight balik ke KL dalam pukul 8 pagi. Ikut prosedur Air Asia para penumpang harus sampai ke airport 2 jam sebelum waktu pesawat berlepas. Kalau datang lewat dah tak boleh check in. Paling lambat boleh check in 1 jam sebelum pesawat berlepas. Lepas solat subuh dalam pkl 5.30 pagi terus kami bergerak ke airport menggunakan transport percuma yang disediakan oleh pihak hotel. Sampai ke airport dalam pukul 5.45 terus saya tersedar tertinggal pda kat hotel, terus call hotel srh tolong check kat bilik, confirmed ada tertinggal kat bilik, saya pun patah balik ambik pda tu. Rafhan masuk check in dulu. Saya kembali semula ke airport dalam pukul 6.20 terus check in. Sebelum tu sempat pi beli burger kat A&W untuk breakfast kat departure hall. Kat airport ni ada bayaran 150 ribu rupiah (lebih kurang rm 50) utk departure tax antarabangsa. Tepat pkl 825 pagi waktu Jakarta pesawat Airbus 30 Air Asia flight no 953 pun berlepas menuju ke LCCT Sepang, Malaysia. Cuaca agak baik, walaupun pesawat terbang pada paras 10 ribu meter, saya masih dapat nampak daratan dan lautan. Pemandangan memang cantik dan memukau mata. Pesawat selamat mendarat kat LCCT pkl 12.15 waktu Malaysia, terus ambik bas shuttle ke KL Central dan lepas kat star buck minum Coffe Mocha Cuppercino sambil surfing internet check email, check stok dan update blog ni. Sekian…..wslm



































Pesawat Airbus 320 Air Asia AK 956 yang sepatutnya berlepas pada jam 1900 ditunda ke 2030, notis penangguhan diberikan melalui sms pada jam 1530, nasib baik pada masa tu saya masih berada di KL Central. Kalau tidak terpaksa la tunggu lama giler kat LCCT. Apa yang menarik pada tarikh itu ialah berlangsungnya 3 pilihanraya kecil di Bukit Selambau, Bukit Gantang dan Batang Ai. Malam kemarin saya juga turut serta memberikan sokongan padu kepada calon PKR Bukit Selambau. Ceramah grand finale PKR diadakan di Taman Ria, Sungai Petani dari pukul 9 hingga 12 mlm. Saya hadir bersama saudari Hamed (Utara Network).

Ternyata ceramah terakhir PKR mendapat sambutan hangat dari orang ramai yang terdiri dari pelbagai bangsa. Anggaran kasar kehadiran orang ramai sekitar 5 ribu orang walaupun hujan renyai turun semasa ceramah sedang dijalankan. Turut memberikan ucapan ialah Ustaz Badrulaman (PAS), Azmin Ali (PKR ), dan beberapa orang ahli parlimen dan adun PAS, DAP dan PKR. Penceramah yang dinanti-nantikan pada malam itu yang tak asing lagi Dato Sri Anwar Ibrahim yang memberikan semangat kepada para pengundi Bukit Selambau untuk memberikan isyarat yang jelas kepada BN yang mereka mahukan perubahan kerajaan pusat dalam masa terdekat.


Habis ceramah terus drive balik rumah sampai dalam pkl 130 pagi, terus packing brg2 utk trip ke Indon ni. Dari Alor Star saya naik pesawat ATR 72 Firefly ke Subang, dari situ naik bas ke KL Sentral. Untuk maklumat semua, Firefly sedang mengadakan tambang promo dari Alor Star ke Subang dgn hanya RM 35 sahaja, makanan ringan diberikan percuma. Flight dari Alor Star ke Subang ambik masa selama 1 jam 10 minit. Sampai saja kat KL Sentral terus ambik LRT ke Gombak jumpa travel partner – Rafhan. Dia dok di Gombak dekat UIA, tahun lepas dia ikut trip ke Singapore dgn saya. Sebenarnya dia ni bekas roommate dan junior saya kat USM Tronoh dulu. Dia keja agen insurans, masih bujang lagi, ada angan2 nak cari bini orang Bandung, tu yang dia excited sgt kat pi Indon. Dari KL Sentral ke LCCT ada banyak cara, yang paling murah naik shuttle bas KL Sentral – LCCT tambang rm 8, masa lebih kurang 1 jam, kalau nak cepat lagi naik KLIA Express – 30 minit, tambang rm 70.

PS- byk lg gmbr2 akan diupload kemudian
Trip2 yang belum dimasukkan ke blog :-
- Trip ke Medan dan Danau Toba 2008
- Trip Ke Bangkok dan Cambodia 2009

Google In Talks To Acquire Twitter

Here’s a heck of a rumor that we’ve sourced from two separate people close to the negotiations: Google is in late stage negotiations to acquire Twitter. We don’t know the price but can assume its well, well north of the $250 million valuation that they saw in their recent funding.

Twitter turned down an offer to be bought by Facebook just a few months ago for half a billion dollars, although that was based partially on overvalued Facebook stock. Google would be paying in cash and/or publicly valued stock, which is equivalent to cash. So whatever the final acquisition value might be, it can’t be compared apples-to-apples with the Facebook deal.

Why would Google want Twitter? We’ve been arguing for some time that Twitter’s real value is in search. It holds the keys to the best real time database and search engine on the Internet, and Google doesn’t even have a horse in the game. In a post last month called It’s Time To Start Thinking Of Twitter As A Search Engine, I wrote:

More and more people are starting to use Twitter to talk about brands in real time as they interact with them. And those brands want to know all about it, whether to respond individually (The W Hotel pestered me until I told them to just leave me alone), or simply gather the information to see what they’re doing right and what they’re doing wrong.

And all of it is discoverable at search.twitter.com, the search engine that Twitter acquired last summer.

People searching for news. Brands searching for feedback. That’s valuable stuff.

Twitter knows it, too. They’re going to build their business model on it. Forget small time payments from users for pro accounts and other features, all they have to do is keep growing the base and gather more and more of those emotional grunts. In aggregate it’s extremely valuable. And as Google has shown, search is vastly monetizable - somewhere around 40% of all online advertising revenue goes to ads on search listings today.

If this is accurate, it’s a brilliant deal for Google - the value of Twitter is only going to go up over time. And it will be Twitter founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone’s second sale to Google - they sold Blogger to them just five years ago. But there’s one big question - where’s Microsoft in all this? Letting Twitter go to Google only hurts them, badly, in the long term search game. This is an asset they need to be competing for aggressively.

Of course, it’ll be sad to see Twitter become just another subsidiary of Google, if this happens. I would have liked to have seen the company spread its wings a little longer to see what it could do.

Hai-O helps Malay entrepreneurs to success

DESPITE the economic downturn, Hai-O Marketing Sdn Bhd has managed to nurture several Malay entrepreneurs to success in the competitive direct selling industry.

Through its 100,000 members with 95 per cent of them Malay and Bumiputera, the company has showed that it is still possible to succeed despite the tough economic conditions.

Spirit among the members is high and they want to achieve success on their own efforts, said Tun Musa Hitam, co-chairman of the Malaysia-China Business Council.

"They see success staring at their faces. Without government assistance, without any incentive or subsidy, they can succeed. Given the opportunity and their competitive spirit, they can succeed," he said recently when interviewed after attending the Hai Diamond Night event.

Hai-O, with 75 per cent of its revenue from the direct selling business, was among the 13 Malaysian companies which made it to the Forbes Asia's fourth annual "Best Under A Billion" list.

This was the second successive year that the company was in the list.

To help the entrepreneurs, Hai-O provides guidance in planning, marketing and product sales as well as incentives like Umrah and holiday packages.

Musa said that many did not know that majority of the successful Hai-O entrepreneurs are teachers and housewives.

"The success of the company came from the active involvement of housewives, and the women community in particular," he said.

Among them is Siti Rohana Yusoff, a crown diamond manager who has been in the business for five years and now earning a monthly income of five to six figures.

"At the start I did it in my start due to my busy schedule as a teacher. After a year and a half, I saw the prospects were good and decided to stop work and do it full-time," she said.

According to Rohana, the economic slowdown has not affected her business and she has also received many requests to become entrepreneurs like her.

She said the qualities needed to succeed in the business was patience and determination never to give up.

Another entrepreneur Samiah Parman said she personally tried the products offered by the company before deciding to enter the business.

"The products were effective and my success started with the marketing strategy," she said.

Hai-O is now ready to spread its wings, looking at neighbouring Indonesia.

Group managing director Tan Kai Hee said the company expects to open its Indonesian branch by the end of this month and has targeted to register 5,000 members in the first six months.

"We will provide an opportunity for free registrations to attract more people. In addition, we will hold several workshops to introduce our products," Tan said.

To expand its business in Malaysia, the company planned to launch new products in the skincare, health food and household categories, he said.

Asked whether Hai-O was keen to explore other markets in the region, Tan said the Malaysian and Indonesian markets still have big potential for growth.

"We are committed towards nurturing our entrepreneurs. At this point, the Hai-O entrepreneurs have shown an encouraging performance," he said. -- Bernama

Virgin brides off the shelf

Its reputation as a stable, affluent society and the close affinity in culture, skin colour and food has made Singapore a special choice of Vietnamese women.

MOVE over, China ladies; hello, Vietnam! In their dependency on foreign brides to correct a marriage imbalance, more Singaporean men are turning to Vietnamese women in recent years.

But this growing marriage bond has become mired in controversy and charges of exploitation that are earning Singapore’s image a black eye.

For years, the city-state has gone on a global binge on almost everything in life, including the institution of marriage.

With educated women rising, a marriage gap has been building in Singapore between a small army of middle-aged, less-educated men and independent-minded women who shun them as spouses.

Some 40% of marriages in Singapore today are with foreigners.

Last year, 6,520 male Singaporeans and permanent residents married foreign brides, the highest number in 10 years, according to the Department of Statistics.

Yet, one out of three citizens does not have a spouse and some 30% of the men are wife-less.

These social statistics are quite sobering for Singapore and are building up into a huge dependency on foreign spouses to keep life in b alance.

The biggest numbers still come from Malaysia and China.

But in recent years, the Vietnamese women are making up for lost ground. Many of them are flocking here – and to other Asian cities – seeking a better life.

“Many of them take a tremendous risk marrying foreign men – some having met for only an hour – so they can send money home to their families,” said a marriage agent.

Vietnam is famous for beautiful girls and obedient, hard-working wives, a contrast to their more Westernised, educated Singapore sisters.

The exact number who arrived is unknown. One unconfirmed report said that between 2000 and 2006, the arrivals had risen by 42 times.

Singapore is very small compared with bigger markets like South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, and China in the transnational matrimonial business.

But the republic’s reputation as a stable, affluent society has made it a special choice of the Vietnamese women, despite the language obstacle.

A major reason is the close affinity in culture, skin colour and food.

For every Singaporean who goes to Ho Chi Minh City to find a wife, there are thousands of women who want to come here.

Aired over TV, an 18-year-old Vietnamese girl was asked whether she would marry any Singaporean and she nodded her head. “Will you marry someone even if he’s 60?” Her reply without hesitation: “Yes.”

The practice of paying for a bride has raised anger in the West and among Asian liberals who say Singapore – with clean, transparent advocacy – is condoning trafficking in women.

A letter signed by more than 1,000 Vietnamese appealed to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to stop some of the 30 Singaporean agencies offering “certified Vietnamese virgin brides” for sale.

A human rights office in Ho Chi Minh also protested to Lee about this “shameful form of modern-day slavery”.

Those in support argue that arranged weddings or dowry payments have always been part of Asia’s traditions.

Even modern weddings still involve some exchanges in cash, red packets or in gifts (either jewellery or ceremonial lavishness) demanded by the bride’s parents.

“So why is the idea of a brokered marriage through an agency so wrong?” one representative asked.

The answer lies in the undignified, inhuman way many businesses are advertising or parading Vietnamese girls (86% do it to get out of poverty) in their premises like they are selling branded shoes.

The economic crisis has delivered a sharp blow to the practice, resulting in further insults.

One outlet advertised a half-price discount – from S$8,000 to S$4,000 – for the prospective husband.

The supply of cheap, virgin brides from hard-hit countries seems inexhaustible. Cambodia has banned marriage brokers.

Vietnam, however, can’t stop its poor, rural families from “selling their daughters” as long as poverty exists.

However, to stop the exploitation, the Hanoi government is considering setting up a government centre to handle the marriage of Vietnamese women abroad.

An estimated 15,000-20,000 Vietnamese do so every year. On the positive side, the families often get a better life, or have debts repaid or may receive a steady allowance from their sons-in-law.

In one Vietnamese island nearly every peasant – or his neighbour – has a daughter who is married abroad in an Asian country.

There is also another downside for the Vietnamese. The average Singaporean man who is seeking a bride in China or elsewhere has a high-educated profile today.

One agency said that five years ago, its clients rarely had more than a secondary 2 education. Now, seven out of 10 have at least a bachelor’s degree.

This doesn’t appear to apply to Vietnam, where the “husbands from Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore are often older, unskilled workers who are unable to attract a woman back home”, said a Hanoi official.

That would imply that because the price is so affordable that more of the elderly bachelors in the state are making a beeline for the women there.

As Vietnam gets richer, the number of its women willing to be sold into marriage will drop.

But, as a British Telegraph columnist wondered, what would happen if the UK were to slide into prolonged recession, and economic power continues to shift to Asia?

“I wonder if 10 or 20 years down the line, (whether) it will be British women coming to Singapore, Beijing or even Hanoi to find a rich Asian husband,” he quipped.

Malaysia REITs - The Sunrise Industry

It’s high yielding, way cheaper than valuation and thrives in a low interest rate environment.

The humble REIT (or Real Estate Investment Trust) has come a long way in Malaysia over the last four years.

Since the listing of Axis REIT in August 2005, the market cap of Bursa Malaysia REITs has reached RM4.1 billion as of last Friday 20-Mar-09.

Interestingly the first listed REIT in Malaysia was not Axis REIT as is commonly believed. It was actually Arab-Malaysian Property Trust which was listed as far back as 1989. Through a series of corporate exercises it eventually became AmFIRST REIT and re-listed on 21 December 2006.

So far REITs on Bursa Malaysia have experienced a lukewarm response from investors. And 2009 is proving to be a year of consolidation for the sector.

A couple of REITs got off to a good start but since then the unit prices of all REITs have fallen way below Net Asset Value.

REIT Price
20/3/09 Net Asset
Value Discount
to NTA
Alaqar KPJ 0.89 1.03 14%
AmFIRST 0.84 1.03 18%
Amanah Raya REIT 0.705 1.02 31%
Atrium 0.62 1.04 40%
Axis REIT 1.28 1.75 27%
BSD Reit 1.03 1.49 31%
Hektar 0.92 1.26 27%
Qcapita 0.81 1.21 33%
Starhill REIT 0.73 0.97 25%
Tower REIT 0.875 1.59 45%
UOA REIT 0.98 1.39 29%


Huge Potential
While our REITs have come a long way, there is still so much room for growth.

The market cap of the entire REIT sector on Bursa is not even half the market cap of CapitaMall Trust in Singapore. The RM4.1 billion market cap we have is not even 1% of our overall stock market.

It will grow… it’s just a matter of time. And institutional money will eventually pour in.

If you are looking for a career, think of becoming a property funds and asset management professional. Just kidding, do something you actually love to do… if it is REIT management then fantastic

Far from Mature
So the REIT market on Bursa Malaysia is small, has low investor participation and low trading volume. My guess is that it will take a good 15 years at least to become “mature”. This is a classic situation for mispricing due to a lack of depth and understanding. Right now we have low interest rates and high yields which is a great opportunity for investors.

Trophy Assets
Ideally the best real estate assets in the country should be placed in REITs. It would really help create an awareness of REITs. Petronas Twin Towers, Mid Valley Mega Mall, 1Utama and the likes of these… many investors would want to own a piece of these properties.

OK granted that you can own a piece of Petronas Twin Towers and Mid Valley by buying shares in KLCCP and Kris Assets but it’s not the same. Both companies pay out less than 50% of earnings in dividends and are not tax efficient as compared to holding the assets in a REIT structure.

REITs are not Stocks
Somehow I get the feeling that most investors in Malaysia don’t dig this. In reality REITs have different risk profiles. When you buy shares in say Sime Darby, you are exposed to business risks. When you invest in say TowerREIT, your income is from rental streams. It doesn’t take W Buffett to figure out that collecting rent is so much easier and safer than running a palm oil plantation, especially when you have blue chip tenants locked into long leases. There are some exceptions, for example REITs like Starhill REIT and Boustead REIT which have an element of business risk in them.

Should I Invest in REITs?
Absolutely Yes! (but not if you are a short term player). Based on current prices, they add a good yield to your portfolio. For now, collecting rent is to be preferred over operating a business

Analysis of REITs
Don’t just look at the headline yield! I will cover this in another article soon.

Number of wealthier investors growing as income gap widens

HONG KONG: The Shanghai Stock Exchange may have lost two-thirds of its value last year but not everyone was a loser, according to a new report on high-net-worth China mainland investors.
The South China Morning Post said on April 1 that by the end of this year there will be more than 320,000 investors on the mainland with more than 10 million yuan (HK$11.35 million) of capital to speculate with, a report produced by the China Merchant Bank and global business consulting firm Bain & Company predicts.

The estimate represents an increase of 6 per cent from the end of last year, with the group expected to have more than 9 trillion yuan between them - 7 per cent more than at the end of last year.

The figures are a stark contrast to events at the other end of the social ladder, with dramatic rises in unemployment and wage cuts reported among the lowest paid as the full impact of the global slowdown begins to be felt by the mainland economy.

They also underline the widening wealth gap, highlighted in a recent UN report on development.

The China Institute for Reform and Development warned that the growing disparity threatened to undermine progress made in improving welfare and living standards.

"Development gaps have emerged and widened sharply between urban and rural areas, between the prosperous coastal regions in the east and the poorer interior regions of central and western China, between men and women and between registered urban residents and urban migrants," said Khalid Malik, the UN Development Programme's resident representative in China, as he delivered the report in November.

Per capita annual earnings in rural areas were just 4,761 yuan last year.

The bank's prediction follows a roller-coaster year for the economy.

The government admits at least 20 million migrant workers have lost their jobs, out of a floating workforce of 130 million across the mainland.

An estimated 1.2 million university graduates from last year have still to find jobs, and competition will increase when 6.1 million more complete their degrees this summer.

Figures from February show mainland exports were down 25.7 per cent on the same period last year, with imports down by 24.1 per cent.

The Shanghai Composite Index ended last year as the worst performing market in the region and second worst worldwide, having fallen from 5,272 points in January to close on just 1,820 points on December 31. By yesterday, the market had clawed its way back up to 2,373 points.

However, the bank's analysis says there were still more than 300,000 high-end investors - categorised by people whose main source of income is from their investments - with portfolios valued at more than 10 million yuan at the end of last year.

Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Zhejiang and Jiangsu accounted for the lion's share of the rich, the report said, with each region boasting more than 20,000 of those investors.

The highest number was in Guangzhou with 46,000 - almost 15 per cent of the national total.

The report also identified a high number of super-rich investors, with a national total of nearly 10,000 having more than 100 million yuan to play with. The elite group's investments totalled 1.4 trillion yuan. - SCMP