Do It Yourself Web Traffic #2

Do It Yourself Web Traffic #2

Keats The Sunshine Girl: On the streets where you live

Keats The Sunshine Girl: On the streets where you live

reBlog from malaysiainsurance.info: A RM500,000 GenPage web portal….. for Web Cage?

I found this fascinating quote today:

Just can’t help taking a swipe at MSIG’s recent launch of their RM500,000 GenPage website portal. OMG! Is this some exorbitant show or what! In the days of open source, cloud computing and free templates for website building, why is there a need to create website portal to cage up a group of agency websites?malaysiainsurance.info, A RM500,000 GenPage web portal….. for Web Cage?, Jan 2010

You should read the whole article.

Insurance against housing defects? Two insurance products......

Under the current Housing Development (Control & Licensing) Regulations 1989, house buyers are given a 24-month defect warranty period..... But which house buyers do not want more nowadays, especially involving defects in materials and labour, and building envelope, including defects resulting in water penetration given the fact that shoddy workmanship and usage of low quality materials are common and widespread!. The existing 24 months should be extended to a period of at least 72 months period.......so demanded by many Consumer's Associations nationwide over the last couple of years.
However, which developer is willing to acede to such demand?
In the recent meeting on the 24th August this year between the Housing and Local Government Ministry, National House Buyers Association (HBA) and the various stakeholders in the building industry has endorsed a decision to introduce a newly mooted (by PIAM) "Housing Defects Liability Insurance" to make it mandatory for all developers in this country to buy for the purpose to safeguard the house buyers. In addition, house buyers can also have another option to purchase a "House Defective" Insurance policy...

Looks like the non-life insurance industry has proposed two different products within a three hours sitting during this 24th August's meet:
1. Housing Defective Liability Insurance (Mandatory for all developers)
2. House Defective Insurance

Well, the industry is still silent about the conceptual aspects of these two new products... Anyway, it is extremely important that the Ministry also enforce certain benchmarks in respect of both quality and standards to be adopted by all contractors, otherwise, it would be back to square one, ie. passing all possible grouses and claims for damages to the insurance industry.....and the premiums go up, which then would cascade down to the house buyers' pocket! Ultimately the house buyers are still paying for the inadequacies and inefficiencies of developers and contractors that they appointed. Looks like CIDB would have to improve further.

BACK TO BAHASA FOR MATHS AND SCIENCE

When the government changed the medium of teaching for Science and Maths in 2003, many parents were joyfully praising the government's foresight and their governing will to bring the nation not only to the forefront of the world globalisation but also to elevate the country towards realising our "Wawasan 2020". We emphasised on productivity and focus towards attaining the said wawasan within the shortest possible timeframe; even with a view towards achieving it before 2020.

The piece of news yesterday was not good for the ears and our soul for the matter. This government is too focus towards achieving results they themselves are not sure of. They made the decision by just merely comparing the results of the implementation of teaching science and maths in english..... the results were obviously bad. It was bad simply because the teachers teaching the subjects were not proficient enough with their english. But this was despite the government spending more than RM4.3 billion since 2004! Mind-bloggling because despite spending such a huge sum the teachers concerned still failed in achieving necessary proficiency level in english. Our education minsiter told us that they actually did not really learn grammar in school and university.....

Totally mind bloggling, RM4.3 billion spent and the results to show were science and maths teachers can't teach and students can't understand as all do not have the necessary grammar... the science and maths books written in BM were totally uncoordinated with sense and certainly weird looking in terms of meaning because the Dewan & Pustaka wanted to maintain the originality of the malay words......and blah! blah!

Despite all the hurdles created by those implementing English as the teaching medium, we did have some improvements, albeitly small...but nevertheless improvement we got, which the government begged to differ. Those who are in the education ministry for umpteen years making proposal and continue making proposal were proud to proposed again that BM as the teaching medium should be more appropriate. These people should be SHOT for failing to implement the English medium and squandering RM4.3 million and parents' time. They should be removed first and then we test out again English as the teaching medium....

Are you working well with you colleague

In a recent development at OneBestWay, a company specialises in design and marketing over at Newcastle upon Tyne staff stripped naked during office hours at the encouragement of their boss. After consulting with some motivators and psychologists, the company decided the only way out of business dolddrum is to work NAKED.

Front-of-house manager Sam Jackson, 23, told The Sun: ‘It was brilliant. Now that we’ve seen each other naked, there are no barriers.‘We weren’t put under any pressure. If we wanted to come in clothed or in our underwear, we could. But I love my body and I wasn’t ashamed.’‘It was emotional but we found we were much more able to talk to each other honestly – and have been since. The company has improved massively.’

During the week leading up to the strip-off, the workers were encouraged to photocopy parts of their bodies to make them more confident about themselves. A nude model was also brought in for the workers to sketch and talk to.

The experiment in April was filmed for a one-off TV show Naked Office, which will be screened on Virgin1 on July 9. How, Where....don't ask me, I am not sure but why not have a NAKED OFFICE for your company as well!

Hmmmm.... I wonder how does the situation over at my department would be like if I am to implement one of this. The department is 90% filled by the women folk - probably have a field day for me (guessed.....) but then all of them would be looking at me. Don't think I so! It is unlikely for me to get any proposal working - remember, our company sells Lady PA that provides for legal fee in pursue against sexual harassment!

A H1N1 or Swine Flu?

Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said all media should return to using “swine flu” or "selsema babi" instead of A H1N1...... He said people would not be able to understand and appreciate the danger of this current influenza if we use A H1N1; sort of difficult to pronounce, not to mentioned remembering it. I supposed the minister has not discuss the issue with his people before making such a statement. Although nothing sensitive to those who are pork eater, it sort of dawn upon me that the word "babi" could easily make people twitch their ears more once it is being spoken upon.... I am sure the our kampung (village) folks would immediately be alerted to this disease. I have to admit, the "babi" word is effective, once mentioned loudly in public would trigger alot of reactions.

This time both pork and non-pork eaters are going to make a hoo-hah out of it....(for the good of it or the bad side to it....whatever...) and the pigs would be sensitive too. Why bothered to accuse us (the pigs) again and again when there are animal flu in circulation? Just eat us alive will do.... and making sure the pork would cost more...

If you would also notice, whenever there are some diseases having some connection to swine or pigs, the "babi" community got slaugther in totality, meaning none were left behind. However, for the non-pig animal community, the authority would merely slaughther a few that look sick, leaving the others (looking healthy....) untouched. The pigs are complaining, "What the heck....why pick on us, do it fairly man! There should not be any quota when coming to slaugther order!

Well, it's a PIGs' Lives.....

Are the insurance industry workforce a lowly paid lots?

Just last year I read an article posted on The Insurance Journal, a US -based magazine. This article was about the workforce that we found within the Financial (mainly relating to investment, banking, etc) industry and the Insurance industry; there are just two distinct groups - remarkably those in the financial circles certain have better educational grades and academic clout than the our group.....the insurance group! They were the cream of the best university could possibly produced and the they have had to consistently soak up pressure in their job, working to deliver the best....and of course making tonnes of money on their way up the career ladder. For the poor insurance group (you and I...don't forget), we would alway stick to our job, lie low, stay contended.....so that we have lesser pressure....longer life was the only reason why we love our insurance job despite retiring poor! By using the word, "cream....." meaning they are truly the high achievers, not just in their academics but also in their pursue of personal wealth.... Before the subprime crisis, all aspiring graduates of the best university aimed towards getting into the best merchant or investment bankers workforce - their starting pay was horribly high. It was reported not just in US but all over the world....you don't have to leave out Malaysia.

Sadly for us we just can't make it there within the ranks of achievers (creams of any nation) .....although on the contrary, these groups also cause the remarkable downfall of the Wall Street....and they were out of their job; their fat paying job! The insurance group however are still around not doubt in Malaysia holding the paddle trying to get the sampan to shore before retirement one day.

Whatever that is we belong to a group that the Insurance Journal deemed us as "drop-outs" - not fit and sharp enough for a pressure cooker job like high power finance. Anyway who cares..... we all know we are lowly paid lots....because our industry runs on a marginal underwriting profit, there is actually nothing much to make given the fact if any non-life company competes substantially in an opened markets.

Of course, because we are not genius enough, we throw away good practices...all in the name of roping in the $$ first...lose money, "belakang kira". Stupidly, stupidly......forward, we are still here, the industry is still here - 20 years today still same...not much of major changes unlike our high finance brothers and sisters; their industry changed by leaps and bounce.

Whatever that is, beat around the bush or otherwise, the fact is that the industry change so little is because we are not academically inclined enough during our student's says......we play marbles, catch spider, 'poteng sekolah' but thinking outside the box lah - "no-lah, day dreaming" only! Thus, that's the reason why we are not experimenting with new things years ago...... Never mind lah, poor also good, stupid also good.....we are still chugging along the way...... like the image, "WITH THE POLES BETWEEN THE LEGS" on a motorcycle that build for TWO!