Subject: Shocking reasons why Malaysians are living beyond their means

I'm going to be touching on a touchy subject today. Not because I suddenly feel like an expert but because it bothers me - ALOT.

We live in a greedy little world--
that teaches every little boy and girl
To earn as much as they can possibly--
then turn around and
Spend it foolishly
We've created us a credit card mess
We spend the money that we don't possess
Our religion is to go and blow it all
So it's shoppin' every Sunday at the mall

- Shania Twain, Ka-Ching

Meowjesty frequently sends me articles touching on 'how people handle their finance and why people end up bankrupt'. Not exactly everyone's favourite subject. I enjoy reading them but it usually leaves me with a sense of frustration.

I don't consider myself the brightest person around and I have almost no willpower. There is NO such things as me sitting there looking at someone person eating - diet or not. I'll be helping the person polish off the delicious cake/ pie/ whatever but at the very least, I am living a debt free life with healthy account and some investments on the side.

I don't buy things I cannot afford. I do not spend future money. Yes I can afford to get a couple of Hermes Birkins on my own with cash and then what, eat grass flavoured grass for the next few months? I don't think so!

PETALING JAYA: Shopaholics and poor management of personal finances -

these best describe a good number of Malaysian consumers.

On average, 41 are declared bankrupt every day, mostly due to credit

card debts, while every weekend, about five million throng the 300-odd

shopping complexes in the country.

Fomca discovered that many of those declared bankrupt due to credit

card debts were below 40 years old.

"And they do not care about the consequences," said Fomca chief

executive officer Datuk Paul Selvaraj.

"In one of our surveys, we were shocked that many children did not

even know where money came from," he said, adding that most replied

"the ATM (automated teller machine).

"And, they do not believe that their parents have to work to earn

money," Selvaraj added.

Low said while some people shopped, claiming it to be therapeutic,

"the truth is, it is not necessarily based on need".

See said handling personal finances was something the young had to go

through themselves to gain experience.

Some 60% of young consumers were already in debt, Fomca said at a

separate function here yesterday.

"And, 72% of young adults have no retirement plans."

Nobody likes to read anything that long so basically the whole gist of is it that;

1) An unhealthy amount of kids thinks money either comes from the sky or grow on money trees. (If you have a kid like that, smack them, or better yet smack yourself for not teaching them)
2) We all shop too much.
3) We buy things we cannot afford (Hellooooooo Chanel!)
4) Youngsters don't think much about being bankrupt.

Marrying someone rich is ideal but according to Meowjesty, the rich unfortunately make up a small percentage of the population. You had better look like Ziana Zain (I have no idea why he said her) if you want to snag a rich person.

First off, some girls (kindly note the word 'some') are spending tons of money on cosmetics. I have read of some that frequently finish their monthly pay on skincare or cosmetics that even I can't afford. Worst, it doesn't happen once in a blue moon when we feel like treating ourselves but rather every month. Do they have savings?

Q: Why do you care how I spend my money? You ain't my mom!
A: It's not my job to control your spending but having some self awareness helps to keep you away from debt that might eventually burden the people you love. (People who financially burden their loved one with their uncontrollable spending have the same status of a cockroach in my eyes. Hah!)

Say YOLO and I'll smack ya :D

It's none of my business what you buy or how you spend your money but if you keep thinking that your parents will bail you out anytime, your thinking will be the reason for your down fall.

What happens when you decide that you can't pay off your debts? Declare bankrupt? What happens when you become a bankrupt in Malaysia?

1) Give up all your belongings and assets
2) Not allowed to open bank account without approval from Director General of Insolvency (DGI)
3) Not allowed to travel overseas. DGI will hold on to your passport.
4) Not allowed to do any business or become a company director or management.
5) A certain percentage of your monthly income goes to the DGI to pay your debt off.

To sum it it simply;

NO honeymoons to Paris! Or anywhere out of Malaysia to be exact. Not that it is the end of the world but don't we all have dreams of going somewhere romantic for our honeymoon? Not to mention the cheap Chanels and LVs waiting for us there!
Sacre Bleu!!

The way to stay out of being in a debt is easy.

1) Spend cash. I personally find it easier to keep track off. If the money in my wallet finishes. I am done for the month.
2) Spend within your means. If you are buying that LV you saw just to show off, you need to go to the nearest wall and bang against it 3 times. If the urge remains, bang it a further 3 times.
3) Save at tleast 30% of your pay.

Like Warren Buffett once said, If you buy the things you don't need, you'll soon sell the things you do.

Tokyo

This is long over due but since so many pictures has been taken, I decided to post them up anyway whether people will read them or not.

My 2nd trip to Japan in a year and this time was to Tokyo. Didn't do mad, crazy shopping there but it was still good.

Our main intention was actually to visit Hakuba, Japan. It is about 2 hours via bullet train to Tokyo and an hour bus ride to Hakuba.

Hakuba is a small, sleepy town during spring, summer and autumn but once winter arrives, the entire place comes alive! In Sir Knows-A-Lot's mind, it is the best place to ski. Niseko is just too crowded and tourist-y and since both Hakuba has the soft powdery snow as Niseko, it was a heaven for skiers.  We went during autumn and it was beautiful. The mountains and the scenery was amazing.

Arrived in Narita Airport and stayed nearby at the Toyoko Inn. The room was as usual tiny but clean and comfortable. We chose to stay in Toyoko Inn since it was close to the Narita Airport and not too far from the train station where we will be catching the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hakuba.

Didn't know where to hide the luggage.. 

Breakfast was provided but didn't have much of an appetite so I only took some buns and a couple of coffee. 

Saw some interesting adverts on the train magazine. Some compact powder to cover grey hairs? Sorry the hair looks seaweed green, the magazine didn't agree with the lighting...

Looks really painful and silly. Not sure if it works but damn it was NOT cheap.

Not too sure what is the name of the restaurant anymore. I cant read but I think this was somewhere in Tokyo during lunch time. Was walking around aimlessly when we decided to try it out.

After the 1 hour bus ride where I feel asleep and felt as it I was magically teleported to Hakuba.
The map of Hakuba area. It's a very small town that you can't really get lost in. Plenty of shortcuts and beautiful scenery. It's a pity the map was not that accurate. We got a better map later on.

We're hereeee! 

We stayed in Allure. It was a small B&B ran by an wonderful Australian couple. We were the only customers since it was 'off' season. The rooms were about USD150 per night + breakfast.

Fabricated toilets. They all look the same and comes in the same size!

Saw some interesting mushrooms outside the OneHakuba. Just had to go closer to inspect and take a couple of pictures.

Thought someone dropped some Cheezels on the ground. On closer look, they were some kinda mushrooms too.

I have no freaking idea what is this..

The entire town was eerily quiet since they don't expect people to start arriving till Winter but there was still a few restaurants operating. One of them was a Mexican Restaurant called Uncle Steven's. I never had Mexican food before. Sure I had some nachos in Chilli's but that hardly count right?

Onwards with the orders! The food arrived pretty fast too. I mean we were the only customers but the food was still fast :P

Does not taste too bad actually. Nothing I couldn't handle *puffs chest*

Definitely should NOT have ordered that much! We didn't realise how big the portions were. We ordered about 5 dishes for a little under 10,000yen (RM400)

Tokyo

We decided to head to the Tsukiji market on a Tuesday and when we got there it was surprisingly quiet. We found out later that Tsukiji market closes on Tuesdays.

We couldn't believe our luck.

So Sir Grumpy went looking for breakfast instead. He had something in mind and was eager for me to try. Upon arrival, Sir Grumpy ordered sushi set for 3,150 set of sushi. It was absolutely fantastic. the tuna was odorless and fresh.

To me, Tuna has a very distinctive smell and taste of blood. Sir Grumpy explains that if Tuna is drained of blood properly, the meat wont have the distinctive order and taste. Interesting.

 For years I have always pestered Sir Grumpy about Uni (Sea Urchins) I have seen enough on TV to know that I wanted to eat them. They look so delicious! Sir Grumpy had always rejected my request because Uni don't come cheap.

This time, he granted my request.

Once was enough.

Uni are taste very creamy and 'fishy' in a way. Unfortunately, Uni entered my list of things I-Dont-Wanna-Eat-Raw-Again along with squids and prawns.

Had to take a picture of this; a small ball of rice wearing a Tamago helmet. AHAHA!

We had plenty of other things to eat and I left the place a lot poorer since I had offered to pick up the tab for that meal.

We chance upon some seafood stall on our way back and the oysters called my name. I floated over in a trace to see all the lovely, fat oysters.

I drooled. Sir Knows-A-Lot generously offered to pay for my oyster. I chose a small sized oyster and damn, it was the best oyster I have ever had in my entire life.

The meat was fresh, slightly creamy, firm with a slight 'crunch' (no I didn't eat the shell) and my biggest regret was not emptying the stall.

Some random shop we passed by

I had to take a picture of this. These are small edible cakes! Arent they the prettiest cakes you have ever seen?

Shibuya

 Don't ask, I don't know.

It was surprisingly not cheap. 

A souvenir I got for 100yen.

You put in 100yen and a small amount of copper ball is flatter and a Hello Kitty design of your choice is stamped on it. It pops out of the machine fresh and hot.

Shinjuku(?)

Ate at the Cococurry. A curry house that allows us to select the level of spiciness. Being the arrogant fool I was, I obviously choose level 9. Afterall, I have an unbelievable tolerance and love for chilies. Death sauce in Mexican Restaurants? No problem!

My farts could set my jeans on fire.

I didn't know they use pepper to bring up the level of spiciness rather than chillis. I hate food with an overdose of pepper cause it numbs the tongue and all taste is lost. Well, it was like eating a bowl of pepper paste with some meat in it.

It was spicy alrighty. I sweated and sweated.

Kumicky Eyeliner 

Haaa, this is the interesting part. I saw this in some shop and decided that it looks pretty interesting. It was slightly cheaper than my Dolly Wink at about RM40. It comes in only one colour; chocolate brown.

Kumicky!

Comparison between the Kumicky and the Tsubasa (Dolly Wink) 

Both had very firm yet gently felt tips that had gave us good control. The Dolly Wink tip was slightly thinner and thicker but they were both good and easy to draw with.

Colour comparison. Dolly Wink comes in both black and brown but I got the black one. Kumicky only comes in chocolate brown.

The water test. Pass!

Both eyeliners did not budge an inch and with that I was SOLD. I went around looking for another one and got myself TWO Kumicky eyeliners. Whee!

Before you run to the nearest online shop to buy them, please do read below.

After the water test, I used them on my eyes a day after I bought the second pencil. I absolutely regret it. The eyeliner formula seems very 'watery' and I found it extremely hard to get an even consistency over my eyes. 

That is not the only problem. There has been many many times when I find my eyeliner MIA and it is frustrating! I will stick to my Dolly Wink and Etude House Oh my Eye eyeliner both being much better that this. This turned out to be my most regretted buy. EEW!

Asakusa

Asakusa, a Buddhist Temple dedicated to the Bodhisattva Kannon also known as the Goddess of Mercy to us Chinese. It was packed to the brim with tourist from all over the world. We even spotted a few Malaysians there. How did I know? Malaysians tends to have a 'distinctive' accent and our grammar is uhh...one of a kind?

Had lunch nearby in a famous restaurant. There was a long queue by the time we got there a little before 12pm. While waiting in line, we chatted a with a nice elderly Japanese couple. Okay I was kidding, Sir Know-A-Lot was chatting, I was just nodding my head politely clueless. 

We ordered the tempura set and it was delicious. Especially the side dishes and soup. Found the tempura a little too oily for my liking but it was still delicious!

The wait for the food was horrendous. Unlike Malaysia, everyone waited patiently and never once demanded to know where and when the food was coming. They chatted, sipped beer and just waited. Amazing. We shamelessly asked the waitress about our food and kept looking at them. AHA!

Narita airport's Hello Kitty shop. I saved all my money for this place!

We arrived early for our flight and before checking in our luggage visited the Hello Kitty shop. Bought tons of souvenirs mostly chocolate mochis and butter cookies for family, friends and colleagues.

Bought some Hada Labo BB cream that has still not reach our Malaysian shores for Pinky Doodle Doo. (I bought this in my previous Kyoto trip and it turned out too dark for me so I gave it to my sister. She loved it) The Freshel BB cream can now be bought at Watsons (BAH!) and discounted Hello Kitty noted pad, eye drops for a friend, green tea latte, make up remover that came free with something or another that I have forgotten about.

Overall this trip to Tokyo and Hakuba costed us much more than our trip to Kyoto, Nara, Osaka. The timing is one factor. We went in Autumn instead of winter. B&B in Hakuba are extremely expensive (to me anyway) and while Kyoto had a fantastic bus system, in Tokyo we mostly took the trains. Truthfully, I was much happier in Kyoto than in Tokyo.

Sadly, we will not be going back to Japan again till 2014. we have a big trip coming up and since that trip is bloody expensive, we won't be doing any travelling for the rest of the year.