Credit Card Statement, hard copy or e-statement?

Since the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST), the annual government tax of credit card which cost RM50 has been removed.

The previous annual government tax on credit card was a measure to curb the personal and household debts due to over spending with credit cards.

With the removal of such restrictions, banks were aggressively launching various rebate and loyalty programs to promote their credit cards.

For instant, I do apply a few new credit cards depending on my spending patterns to enjoy rebates and discounts. The rebate can go as high as 5% with certain capping as well as free entrance to Premier Lounge at the KLIA airports.

I noticed that by default, the new credit cads are not sending me physical statements. The banks sent me e-statements instead. Due to the change of mode of receiving the statements, I have unintentionally missed the payment deadline and it causing me time to call up to the call centers for penalty fees waiver.

It was definitely not a very nice experience as I need to communicate with machine before I get to talk to the customer service officer.

Today, not sure what made me think slightly out of box. I did call up the customer service to request for annual fee waiver, before I end my call, suddenly this issue strike my mind, I requested for a physical statement instead of e-statement. The customer officer tried to convince me to compromise with the e-statement initially, however the decision is on the consumer hands.

If you are someone like me that prefer to have hard copy credit card statement, make a call to the call center and exercise your right.

Deceased of the great master and mentor

30th November 2016, around 9:00pm, received a short message from one of my business associate that my mentor has passed away.

 

It was very hard for me to accept the news that my mentor has passed on. We just met each other on 29th, a day before he was hit by heart attack.

 

We knew each other since year 2008, at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. He was generous in sharing his knowledge and experience with people, especially to young people. We were very close and spent a lot of great moments until 2013, where I was tied up with my day time career tasks.

 

I went to the wake, can't stop looking at his peaceful face under the mirror of the coffin. Emotions rushed to my mind, could not accept our journeys ended so soon, sooner than what I can imagine. All the moments we went through together was flashing out from my mind, it was too hard to accept you that you were leaving us.

 

"James, you are my great mentor, you have all my respect, may you rest in peace."

 

人生的暮年

来自南洋大学校友的信息供大家阅读北京著名女作家杨绛於2016 年 5月高齡105 歲過世. 下面是她在103 歲時的一段鼓勵：

花開花謝，潮起潮落，不經意間我們正走向人生的暮年。

從呱呱墜地到兩鬢染霜，歲月的行囊裡装滿了酸甜苦辣。接下來，在夕陽的路上能走多遠，取决於我們的體魄和心態。在曾經的歲月裡，每個人都會有大小不一的光環，但這光環已是“過去式”。當光環退去，誰都是柴米油鹽，誰都是一介布衣。

“我們曾如此渴望命運的波瀾，到最後才發現：人生最曼妙的風景，竟是内心的淡定與從容。

我們曾如此期望外界的認可，到最後才知道，世界是自己的，與他人毫無關係。

今天，我們生活的國度裡，銀髮浪潮席卷而來，老年人的比例越來越高，年輕人的負擔越来越重。老年朋友們，何不錯開尖峰時間出行，给公共交通緩解壓力，與年輕人相互理解、相互關懷、相互尊重，何樂而不為？

不要满懷焦灼期待子女常回家看看。子女們有各自的生活和事業，他們像永不停歇的陀螺一樣，上有老下有小，“老”是“夕陽”，“小”是“朝陽”。“朝陽”總比“夕陽”更令人關注和憧憬，這是動物繁衍生息的法則，是規律，誰也不能違背。記住，年輕人永遠比老年人忙。

人生，夫妻也好，母女父子也罷，不管是怎樣的水乳交融、心心相繫，每個人都是生命的獨立個體，因此，我們要學會在孤獨的時候给自己安慰，，在寂寞的時候给自己温暖。

老要有老的風骨，老要有老的優雅，正如春華秋實，四季輪迴，各有風采。

暮年是美好生活的開始，是一種從容、恬闊、悠哉遊哉的状態。願我們保持一顆寧静的心，少些期盼、多些寬容，寵辱不驚、去留無礙，微笑向前，善待暮年的自己。