Plastic War

With the imposition of the Government newly RM50.00 service tax, banks are now engaging in a plastic war to retain their existing card base. As it is now, it is a great challenge to solicit or sign up new customers as the market is already saturated. In an effort to keep cardholders `tied', banks are offering innovative loans, easy cash and balance transfers just to name some. Credit card new acquistion has been slowing down as we are totally aware of the RM50.00 service tax. The credit card cancellation rate has been escalating with cardholders retaining 2 cards ie one Visa and one MasterCard only.

We have to be mindful at all time of getting caught in the credit circle as it is very hard to get out of it. It is not how many credit cards we have but rather how we use the credit card.

Credit card issuers are not subsidising the RM50.00 service tax that came into effect on January 1 this year. All credit card issuers impose specific conditions upon cardholders in order to offset the amount. Among which included the following:

Rewards points
Credit Card Issuers allow the amount of RM50.00 to be offset against the reward points earned.

Minimum spending level
Another mechanism offered is a RM50.00 cash rebate and it requires cardholder to utilise/spend their card with a minimum value transaction.

Happy reading

Lunar New Year

Today is the first day of the lunar New Year. We are having 2 celebrations, one the lunar New Year and Valentine's day. When we have events such as Raya and Chinese New Year, we called `KongsiRaya'. In this year, when we have 2 events again, one the lunar New Year and Valentine' Day, shall we call it `KongsiValentine'.

As many are returning to their homes for lunar New Year, February 14 is quiet this year. Florist business has to take a dip when the Valentine's day is overshadowed by Chinese New Year as many are home bound.

Let us celebrate the two events with a sparkle and spirit as these are lacking in today world. We should not view the events as another holiday but instead as an opportunity to renew our ties with our family and loved ones. The deserted roads in KL must be a great relief for those remaining in the city. Just imagine a good population of the working public is from the other states.

Here's to a roaring start in the Year of the Tiger.

Office Chinese New Year Decorations

My office was initially devoid of Chinese New Year decorations. It only takes the first step to start the ball rolling. True enough, with the contributions we have managed to put up decorations in line with the New Year. We have used the concept of reuse and recycle. The last year ang pow packets then came in handy. We arranged the ang pow packets in such a way that it formed the word `fook'. Everyone has had their fair share of contributions. At the end of the day, everyone was pleased with the result. It is not an understatement to say `Many hands make light work'.

Many businesses are cashing in on tiger merchandise that pays tribute to the big cat. The movie `WooHoo' also plays a part to popularize the tiger merchandise. Guess what I personally have a prize collection of tiger merchandise.

Another tradition in Chinese New Year is none other than the lion dance. In this year of the tiger, we may even expect to witness the tiger dance. I personally have marked in my calendar the date of the lion dance performances at complexes. I am looking forward to these super lion dance performances.

Last and not least, HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR.

Managing Stress

Stress is inevitable in our working life. Stress is in fact our body's reaction to the demands that we face in our working life. We will be able to manage our stress effectively if we listen to our body's signals. Our body talks to us constantly, however at times we choose to ignore it. If only we listen to our body and the signals it try to convey, we may be able to nip the problem in the bud.

Broadly speaking, stress can be categorised as physical, emotional and mental stress.

Physical Stress
We will hear it through aches, pains and discomfort when the voice of our body is physical. Find the physical exercise that works best for us and start immediately. Nutrition and sufficient rest are the keys to good health that can create a profound sense of relaxation to our bodies.

Emotional Stress
We should not react to our emotional stress such as anger, disappointment, frustration. The most effective way to manage emotional stress is to find our support people. Our support people may be our spouse, friend or family who are willing to lend a listening ear. In so doing, we can deal with the situation in a much more healthy manner.

Mental Stress
Mental reaction which comes through our self talk. When we tune to our self talk, we will be surprised to discover that it is mostly focused on negative, filled with complaints, insecurities etc. As our self talk is often repetitive and persistent, an excellent way to to circumvent it is by repetitive positive affirmations.

We cannot eliminate stress totally. However we are in control if we have an effective stress management programme. Once we are in control, we are in a better position to stay focused by taking positive action.

Something for sharing.