In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years--Abraham Lincoln

It's a new year, so I decided to write a random post. Everyone managed to survive the end of the world, which basically means that I have to start working SOON! It is a bit disappointing as I thought we might be the last group of people who witness how the world really ends. Haha...

Anyway, this year will be a challenging year for me. I will be living alone in KL and begin my working life in March. Worse still, I have to drive frequently to clients' place, work overtime until wee hours, pay for my car, stuck in jam, pay rental, and do housework after work. Eww~ I don't even wish to think about that right now. I can't imagine how am I going to survive the next 40 years of working life! 

Ironically, some audit firms claimed that they emphasise on work life balance but none of their employees (In Asia) actually go home after normal working hours everyday. Besides that, many lecturers said that audit firm is a great stepping stone for our future career, but how true is it? I am not even sure that I can survive the first 3 years in an audit firm.

Is this really what I want to do?
To work like a slave from day to night?        .
Waste my youth on routine work?                         .

Life would be great if we don't have to work,wouldn't it? Nevertheless, I shall be prepared for the worst as soon as possible. Most importantly, I have to hone my driving skills with my new car.^^

Next, I need to familiarise myself with all the roads in KL. It will be terrible to get lost in the city, especially when I need to meet my clients. I also need to revise some IFRSs before commencing my job as I have forgotten most of the standards.:P Hopefully, I'll like my first job although the possibility is extremely low.

All Izz Well :)

100th post :D

Today, I had a quick look at Budget 2013 announced on 28/9 after returning from Sunway. Frankly speaking, I'm a bit disappointed with the budget revealed. However, there are also some positive aspect that will help our nation.

First and foremost, there is a reduction in tax rate by 1 percentage point for individual chargeable income between RM 2500- RM 50000. This would effectively result in a tax savings of RM 475 for chargeable income up to RM 50000 as illustrated below:

The increase in child relief for children in higher education from RM 4000- RM 6000 is also welcomed. However, I don't think there will be any significant impact on parents nowadays. How much can you save from extra RM 2000 relief? My hostel fee for a year is already equivalent to RM 6000!

On the other hand, the government is also keen in reducing crime rates by investing substantial amount to enhance the security of the country. It is certainly necessary in view of the increasing crime rates that threaten our lives, especially in KL areas. I do hope that the money allocated will be well spent and I can safely reach home at night after work next year.

In addition, it is a great news for those youngsters who wish to purchase new house next year. 50% exemption on stamp duty for new house below RM 40000 will be given to them. The government will also be building affordable houses in a few areas in the country. Moreover, individual with monthly income of RM 5000 or below is eligible for My First Home Scheme (although I don't know exactly how to apply for that). However, this should be carried out with caution so that it will not lead to property bubble and massive defaults in housing loans by younger generation.

On the downside, our government is still giving book vouchers to students. This time, the amount increased to RM 250. In my opinion and for the sake of our country, the government should stop doing that! No doubt that students will be happily spending the vouchers on books(really?!), CDs, DVDs, hard disk, thumb drive etc, it doesn't have any benefit at all. We are just taking back a portion of our money we paid to government (taxes) and spent it in a restricted manner. If the government is serious in reducing our government debt, it should stop giving such vouchers. Maybe it wants to help to boost Popular's sales, hmm....

Furthermore, the provision of RM 200 one-off rebate for purchasing a smart phone is absolutely ridiculous! If you can't afford to buy something, then don't do so. What is the point of giving money to youngsters to buy smart phones? Smart phone is just a luxury good, you can still survive without it. It indirectly implies that our government is encouraging youngsters to be more materialistic and spendthrift rather than nurturing them with good virtues. On the contrary, the subsidy for sugar, which is an essential good, is reduced by 20 cents. Is the government getting its priority right?  

Lastly, I'm very VERY disappointed that there were no reduction in car prices despite all the rumours I have heard this year. Taxing 300% on imported cars is really a burden for everyone in Malaysia. Lower income groups were forced to purchase low quality local cars i.e. Proton and this has resulted in Proton being complacent over the years. Now that Proton is taken over by DRB Hicom, I wonder why our government is still protecting it.

Other details of the budget can be seen in The Star's website. Thank you for reading, if you really read until the end of this post.=)

Quote of the day

Epic failure

Today, 8th of August, is a day that I'll remember because I failed one of my ACCA exam and thus unable to graduate with my fellow classmates. I prayed so hard to get a straight pass and yet I was disappointed with a failure out of my three papers.:( However, I didn't cry or can't cry out loud (I don't know why..) when I saw my results. Probably because I had seen the past year answer yesterday and somehow expected such outcome.

It is so disheartening to fail with one paper on the last semester! Lots of problems followed immediately after that. Where should I stay? Should I continue with the same lecturer? How about the exam fees? etc.. I feel bad when I see the disappointment in the eyes of my parents. My father sit beside me for hours and kept on encouraging me not to feel bad about it. I also want to thank my friends as well as my lecturer who gave me supports during this time.

Whether I like it or not, life goes on. I must pull myself together and start focusing on my studies again. I'll just have to try harder this time. Haiz... I hope all the negative emotions will begone by tomorrow...

:)