I never thought this will happen. I know Japan is being hit hard by the recent recession, but one of the largest carrier in Asia filing for bankruptcy protection was really shocking. People expect new resolution from a new year, but this doesn't seem to be a good resolution.

As reported on 19 January, Japan Airlines, or JAL in short, announced that they are bankrupt. Even their board members have decided resigning, causing roughly 15,600 to loose their jobs. As of 19 January, the shares of JAL is only 10% of the previous week, and now the whole value of the company is only $150m, barely enough for a jumbo jet.

Japanese government announced that flights will still continue as they are restructuring the company. Plans of replacing older aircrafts and flying routes are being made (about 12 international destinations).

I heard from my brother that their service were damn good, and wanted to try it someday... But anyway, Delta Airlines has issued a statement to help JAL out, with the condition that they have to join SkyTeam and leave OneWorld.

You can read more about it HERE or HERE.


*************************************************************************************

Just finished both my CHM and MCB lab reports. Feeling very tired right now. What Ray told me just now:

"We have a good network indeed. Although Kent's country is damn rich because he has a lot of oil, he still need my country. My country has only water, so we need your (referring to me) country. Your country have technology to process crude oil while Fukuyama's country is an entrepot, dealing with packaging and exporting."


Having 8am class later, so I guess I'll stop here.


By,
Blue-Wingz

Duck Rice, anyone?

Had a bad start this morning. I can't sleep and I don't know why, so I switched on the laptop I loaned from Fukuyama. Ray bugged me when I signed in MSN. So I told him I wanted to go and buy coffee and newspaper. At last he agreed to take a stroll as he can't sleep too. I saw someone outside the block, and greeted LOL. The weather was cold with cool breeze blowing. Ah, I like the feeling of cool breeze blewing. Slept at 3am++ and woke up at 7am.

I had MCB 2 quiz 1 at 10am just now, after Dr. Ooi's class. The quiz was a bit different from what I did till now. Mr Lim let us watch a short clip and asked us to answer the questions given. Luckily the questions are not that hard, but the second part of the quiz was confusing. Stupid MCQ, I was not confident in my answers for the last few questions. Mr Lim said that we all seemed very tired, so he let us go at 11.10am and we were happy and shocked.

There was a second hand book sale around MPH and we went to have a look. I took a while over there and bought James Rollin's Deep Fathom. His book is interesting, so I bought it without second thought. Later, Lyence, Keiro, HSiang and I followed Mr Lim, Kenneth and GY to Nilai Square and had duck rice. The duck rice was somehow different from what I've had before, especially the steamed rice, which makes it special. The chili sauce was nice too!! However, the shop is confined that you won't notice there was a coffee shop there.

Mr Lim named this shop 'Hak Dim' because it is always dark inside and the shop is unnoticable.

Everyone except me. I'm the photographer LOL. Can't see GY...

The roasted duck we ordered.

Care for some chili sauce, anyone?

We sat there and joked till 1pm. Just got back from the lunch :) Feel like having a nap now to recharge what I lost this morning.

By the way, Moral lesson from Dr Ooi's class:
1. Gambling = Sex substitution
2. Ah Bengs going overseas (Au) come back as Ah Lians
3. Pendrives are like prostitutes


By,
Blue-Wingz

23 days since the new year has arrived, at last I decided to type a few words over here. Just to tell everyone that, I'm still alive and kicking!

Look, he's half dead. But I'm still alive!!! (Sorry Lyence xD)

The second semester started 3 weeks ago, and I had my first quiz (BTE quiz) on Thursday. The next quiz will be MCB2 scheduled on Tuesday. But the unfortunate part is that I was unable to get my precious lappy back for 3 weeks!! I sent my lappy for a warranty replacement for the speakers which bursts after volume 46... and I've been calling them and asking when it will be done. Those stupid buggers keep telling me that they have to follow protocol and I have to wait for it to be done. WTH!! 3 straight weeks and you tell me it is not done yet? You all might as well just jump off a cliff! The suggested me to get it back without replacing the speakers as I was telling them I need it urgently. If I really want it back, of course I wanted the speaker to be replaced before getting it back! What's the point of leaving it for 3 weeks and getting it back when nothing is done? I really hate those buggers...

Anyway, as my friends and I came out of the chemistry lab yesterday morning, we saw something nice just outside the block.

Huh? A lift leading down to a toilet?

Kent: What the heck is this?

Kent: Look, the lift opened? Maybe we should go down and have a look on the supposed toilet?

Here is a LINK that may give you the clue about the toilet. Well, I'm done for now. May do a major change in this blog when I got my beloved lappy back.


Yours truly,
Blue-Wingz

Aloha my friends!! A good morning to ya all!! Yea, I'm so happy right now as I'm sitting in McD of the airport, waiting for my flight minutes later!! Wooohoooo, my sweet home, here I come~~~

Ok ok, that's it, I'm too happy right now that I want to make someone who is not able to go back his/her hometown envious. Lucky that this was a short sem, so I got to have a 2 months holiday at my hometown, though I doubt I will be bored to death xD.

Finally, winter is here! Although there is now snow falling over here, and you are impossible to see a White Christmas over here, it still rains, and there've been a lot of downpour since erm... last week?? I think. And the downpour spoiled me and my friends' plans of going to the lagoon and having some fun. Darn. The news of 3 UTAR students also scared me to hell. Luckily my bro and I and his churchmates were safe when we went to a waterfall before that (it's a different waterfall). Now, my parents and even my grandma forbid me and my bro to join any outings invloving waterfalls and 'bridges'... But I still pay respect for them, so let's close our eyes, and pray for a minute.

Woot, look at the time! I have to board the plane now. Good day folks, and see ya in a short while. For those who are having their finals, good-to-the-luck to ya all!!


By,
Blue-Wingz

It has been a loooong 2 months and at last, I've decided to blog!! Yes, I'm not dead yet, so don't worry. Hm... I think this will be my first time blogging here huh.

The MCB test 2 yesterday was awfully hard (don't get me wrong, it means Molecular & Cell Biology). Even if I've read them and memorized them (I doubt I did), it still gave me a hard time answering the questions. I gave up a one small part of 4 marks when the time's up even though my lecturer said she will give extra time. I was too lazy to think already... Waking up at 4 consequently really drains me out...

Anyway, I came across an interesting e-mail, so I thought I can share it over here. Be reminded that I'm not the one who wrote this, and it does not represent where I am standing:

Blacklisted Companies

1. The cafe scams - Island Red Cafe & Stevens Corner
Both of them are located in Pandan Indah. Island Red Cafe collects RM6k from its members each and promised 5% return every month, and even give you a name in the ROC shareholder, but what's the point when they run away? Stevens Corner, the famous Indian coffee shop, follows due to drop os bussiness since their renovation. They collect RM3k per member and promised a return of RM150 monthly and plans to open nice franchise cafe called Stevens Tea Garden. Someone mentioned that they will make you sign an agrement that gives them the right not to pay you anything in the future. If you really wish to join, you can ask for a copy of their agreement and consult your lawyer BEFORE paying them. Both of them collect money from MLM (multi-level marketing) recruitment schemes and pay the old members like Sunshine Empire. You'll never know when they will run away.

2. Sunshine Empire (busted by BNM)
This licensed and legal company has an impressive office at the ground floor of KUB building along Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, near Menara Public Bank and AmBank building. They also have a showroom office at the ground floor in the next building. 3 or 4 months ago, Singapore Strait's Times and The Paper (they stopped paying back members now and all investors lost their money, as expected).
Although Singapore is investigating them, they did not stop their business as the business is legal and so far, no Singaporean have failed to recieve their commissions as promised. Thus, the government cannot stop them yet. The news published that the founder, director and group president is someone named James Phang but he is not the owner. At the end of the game, James Phang can just disappear from the company easily and claimed that he was just 'employed'. Such tricks always happens in scam bussinesses. Now, the company has stopped paying commissions and interests to members with the excuse that the Singapore government has freezed their bank account while under investigation. Do you think their boss will be so stupid to keep that much money in the bank to be freezed? They are all transfered away. It's just an excuses not to pay their members and members are only paid with "e-bonus-points" which is cashless. If they wish to convert them to cash, they have to recruit new members to pay them cash and the recruiter less out from the amount. So victims act like vampires and are "forced" to victimise other victims if they wish to get their money back. And their victims will later transform to vampires and the scam carries on…

3. MobilWallet
This company owned by 2 young men, Stanley & Rey Gan, owning an office in Queens Avenue Park, has collect multi-millions for the last 2 years. Claimed that they tied up with Telekom, Utility Board payment like Water & Electricity bills, even Maybank got fooled by them. Advertisement billboards were everywhere. They STOPPED paying back their members few months ago and the members cannot do anything because they are made to sign an agreement unaware that the company can stop paying them by CHANGING terms and policies.

4. Water bussiness - Oxygenated water products
Some of these are bottled water and some are filters or equipment that claimed the trick.
One of the better known company that sold "oxygen" water is SITO (supposed to stand for Selangor International Trading Organiszation and claimed that Selangor State Government owned some share in it). The key person and founder is Dato Robert Ong from Rawang but his name is no longer in the business now. Their products are sold for RM2 to RM3 for a 350ml bottle and now concentrating mostly in the Indian market. Their Chinese and Malays market are long gone since a year or 2 ago. Their customers are made to believe that their water has more oxygen and able to give miraculous effects for the body. Water is H2O, how to put more O into it? Anyone knows how much oxygen do we breathe into our body everyday at FOC? Latest news is that this SITO company is going to create a new label to market under a new company since the SITO name has already gone bad. Someone informed that this company is owing alot of money(due to refunds) to ex-stockists but just refuse to pay them. (Latest news, SITO shifted to another place and their MLM business has closed but planned to start again with a different name, beware!!)

5. Car fuel booster - K-Link
K-Link, the famous scam MLM company that sold the footpatch TAKARA, later the "cock-ring" and energy-card launched the patrol-saving pills last year. Got so hot that even grocery shops are selling for them. Recently many of these cars that used the pills are rushing to the workshops to clean the residual. Few months ago, another MLM Company launched a fuel booster gadget, claimed that saves up to 20% fuel, that is attached to the cigarette lighter. Started off well using binary plan but business begin to fade now and most users find it NOT effective.

6. Perfume
(eg. Lampe Berger & Bel Air)Lampe Berger is not so hot now in the neighbouring countries but there are still new victims every month in Malaysia. Must thank those who have contributed and kept the thread alive here in Kopitiam. Bel-Air have closed in Malaysia. LB is almost zero in Singapore. This perfumery product from France with over 100 years history is just bottles and fragrance (check the factory's website) but the Company marketing them in Asia claimed them as an "aromatheraphy" product. Hong Kong TVB aired a program that exposed their scam but their members claimed that HK's TVB already apologised to them. Note that the biggest strenght in a MLM Scam is that their members will go all way out to lie in order to defend for their company. The reason is simple: these members fear that they will not be able to make their money back if the company collapse. Knowing that the Lampe Berger products are moving slow, they add a line of skincare products named Estebel, also claimed to have over 100 years history in France. (Hardly anymore Chinese newcomers, they are now tapping the Malays in Malaysia.)

7. Energy products
(eg. stone pendants, bracelets, mattress and pillows). They use all sorts of gimmicks and demonstration to make you into believing them. They will do some tricks and demo to prove that these products really produce energy BUT is there any tricks in their demo? So what if they really produce energy? Is it good or strong enough to help the body? The effect is actually similar to placebo!!

8. Hi-tech products
Names like bio-tech, nano-tech that claimed millions of dollars of research involved, eg. Bio-Young and XKL few years ago. Most of these will have a professor named behind them (even with name and picture of a person) or used words like "U.S.A. formula", "German Technology" or "Nanotechnology" and no further details. If you ask for more details like the professor or factory's address, the answer will be "trade secrets".

9. Investment schemes (busted by BSN)
SWISSCASH is the king of all. Swisscash is nearly over now but there are many similar and smaller ones that are still on. (Now, it's closed or stopped paying back members.)

10. GoldQuest
This copany that claimed to be HK-based started with some non-value gold-plated coins that are sold for over RM2k have several names and changed their products several times (QuestVacation, QuestNet, etc.). They have several offices in Amcorp Mall, PJ and their key person (in fact, the owner), a Malaysian Indian was arrested last year in Indonesia for being involved in a very big Phillipines scam. Most of their overseas offices are closed or inactive but their Malaysia business is still hot, with some "energy" products.

11. Numerogy & fortune telling
A company named Visible is using MLM to sell fortune telling classes using your birthday based on numerology fortune telling. Prospects will be told that they need to buy a certain "number" between 1 to 9 in the form of pendants or bracelets made of stainless steel and sold from RM600 to RM20k. Customers, or rather victims are mostly females from rural areas. Very hot in Penang now and a number of spin-off companies have started.

12. MJ - Life
This Company boost of a very big background with many many years of history which is NOT true. Their people or associates may be long in business but they have nothing to do with their MLM launched recently. Why is it considered a scam or bad? New members are told to pay a sum of money (up to RM1k) and you get NOTHING for it. You only get a membership entitling you to enjoy all sorts of special prices and discounts when you have medical check-ups in their centres... They will claim all those check-ups cost more if done elsewhere. It's not true. Only the naive and those new to medical check-ups will fall victims to them. Most members who paid the money ended up with nothing.

13. Seaweed venture scams
One such company is located in Taman Maluri, Cheras. They will ask you to invest a few thousands ringgit for their venture of growing seaweed in East Malaysia and you are guaranteed returns. To gain your confidence further, they will tell you your investment money is secured by "insurance" or "unit trusts" & "trustees". When you ask for further documents to prove, they will give all sorts of excuses or just ignore you because they know they cannot get you. This seaweed scam is one of the hottest now, warn all your friends about it before they are victimised.

14. MXM (previously MGM)
This is a master in scamming among the younger groups, very successful 2 or 3 years ago but since they moved to their big 10-storey office at Phileo Damansara and changed name to MXM, their business dropped. They collect members RM3k to RM4k with credit card monthly easy payment from members and in return you get a hospital benefits insurance from Pacific Insurance worth only a few hundred RMs together with some you-don't-need medical check-ups from their associate company Pathlab. Also talk about fitness, lifestyles bullshit that is all worthless.

15. Gano Excel
This company from the north, a copycat of DXN selling Lingzhi capsules created a new company called Gano iTouch to cash-in in the internet like e-Cosway after their company went down the drain since the last 2 years, selling Linzhi and some no-value energy pendants and alkaline water gadgets. They provide free transport every weekend from KL to visit their Alor Star office.

16. NuLife (HK)
This company started by some HK people has been in Malaysia for more than 10 years but they have flopped in HK and Malaysia due to bad management and a product scam making use of a prosecuted American named Dr Jeffrey Bland, found guilty of false products claim. Since this case in the US leaked out and many Malaysians found out that the real boss in HK is a Steven Tang (he cheated many Malaysians in another scheme about 20 years ago) their business went down all the way. Now they claim Malaysian partners cheated them and startd a new company in Malaysia . Watch out, this new company will come out with some investment scheme idea that will get many to lose their money.

17. Arowana fs breeding
Oora from Germany , Biofuel (Kompleks Maluri) etc - These are some newer scams. Arowana fish venture ask you to invest some money and give you fixed return. Biofuel will tell you their Indonesia connections (just like Sunshine Empire before using Taiwan) & Oora from Germany (never trust those cruel Germans) that market some bio-chips and a gadget that claims to give energy and therapeutic effects of accupunture, tai-chi, yoga, etc depending how you set the toy-like gadget, wear it on your body and you get the effect later.
They could not explain or provide any demonstration to prove their effectiveness. The health effect is actually like placebo.



It have been a busy week... I'm off now.

Yours truly,
Blue-Wingz

iPhone 3GS

At last, iPhone3GS has reached our country. Everyone knows this place always launches stuff later than other places, but it is launched here earlier than I expected, by the company that launched iPhone3G package locally, Maxis. Don't worry, iPhone3G is still available. The letter 'S' in for the iPhone3GS basically represents 'speed'. The word 'speed' is used as everything you do on an iPhone3GS is practically 2 times faster than a iPhone3G. It is also more responsive and improved 3D graphics.


iPhone3GS is a lil bit heavier than iPhone3G, though you can say it is insignificant as the difference is only 2 grams. It now offers a bigger capacity of 16GB and 32GB and you can have one more colour to choose from other than the original black colour, white. For user's sake, Apple upgraded the camera to 3MP with autofocus, which is a bit shameful for iPhone3G as it doesn't have one for such a 3-in-1 phone.

Apple added an additional digital compass and voice control into the iPhone3GS too, and prolonged the battery life of the phone. With iPhone3GS, you can now talk +2 hours more than the old iPhone3G in 2G, +3 more hours when using Wi-Fi, +3 hours for video playback and +6 hours for audio playback. Of course these are just approximate and varies from every user.

The other features and specifications for iPhone3GS are basically the same as iPhone3G.You can go and check the iPhone3GS out in Apple's official website. For information about packages offered by Maxis regarding iPhone3GS can be found in the official Maxis webpage.