Useful Penang overnment Links

Here's a compilation of useful links, mostly gathered from forwards, surfing and experience. If you have any other useful government links, please comment and I will add.

• MPSP Parking
• MPPP Parking
• JPJ
• CHECK DRIVING LICENSE-Your can now check your driving license expiry date on below link.

Best Way to Call USA Toll Free Number

I've always had problems calling US toll-free numbers from outside the United States of America. I couldn't seem to be able to call directly from a phone or even using calling cards like iTalk. (more on iTalk in the future).

So I was left questioning,
"How do I call a US Toll Free Number outside of the USA?"
"What's the best way to call a US toll-free number?"
"What's the cheapest way to call a US toll-free number?"

Recently my friend informed me that you can use Skype to call any USA toll-free number for free.

I had recently tried it, and was really happy with the call quality.

The call was clear, loud, and with all the functions available which are not available on normal phones, like the mute option. Try it out at http://www.skype.com/intl/en/

Hyperlinking your Comment Text

Ever since Peter pointed out I have in-active / non active links in my comments, I started asking myself,
"How do I create a comment with a hyperlink to my website"
"How do put in my comment a link to my blog which is click-able?"
"How do I create an active link, How do I make a link to my blog?"
"How do I ... for a non-technie?"
"How's the easiest way to create hyperlink text to my blog without knowing html?"
I tried searching around, and found some html tips, but couldn't really get it to work, since I found the simplest html still confusing.

Then it occured to me, why not use blogger? How? Here's how
1. Log in to your blogger acount and go to create new posts.
You'll notice you have 2 tabs;
one Compose, the other Edit HTML.

2. Make sure your compose tab is active (if it's not active it'll be underlined and you can click on it).

3. Now, Just type how you'd want to describe your link to your url, ie desribe the hyperlink.
i. You can either use something descriptive, eg Information on Penang, or just the main name of the link, eg fyi-penang.
ii. Or you can if you prefer, just type the whole link / url of the website you want to link to.
eg http://fyi-penang.blogspot.com/

4. Now select/hilite the item typed in 3.i or 3.ii. You'll know it's selected if it's hilighted, usually in blue.

5. With the item selected, click on the Link icon, ie the icon of a chain on a green ball.
6. A "Enter a URL:" dialog box pops up.
Now copy paste the full link of the website you want to actively link to and click ok. In my case, http://fyi-penang.blogspot.com/
Now click anywhere.

7. Once de-hilited, notice the text you initially hilited in 4 is now blue in color and underlined.
This means you have created a text with an active hyperlink.

8. To get the html code that Blogger has created for you by doing steps 1-7. Click on the "Edit Html" tab.

9. You will see html code (gibberish to some :) ).All you need to do is hilite/select the whole code, and copy it (either RClick>Copy, or just Control + C).
You have html code to actively link to your website.

10. So go to the website you would like to leave a comment in, eg http://makan2food.blogspot.com/
Click on the comments link, usually located at the end of the blog entry.

11. Type your comment, and paste the code you just copied from Blogger's Edit HTML tab.

If might not look 'nice' but once the comment is published, you can see that item 4 you linked to is underlined and has an active hyperlink.

12. Wait till your comment is approved, revisit the blog/website you left a comment in and it'll look something like this.
Notice that when I move my cursor over my hyperlinked text, on the lower left corner, it shows the link it will link to.

Good luck.

Note - Please do not use this to spam. Only leave valid and reasonable comments and links in other peoples blog or website.

Buy More, Pay More?

Usually, the theory is when you buy more or in bulk, the price per piece goes down, similar to economies of scale. And that is usually true when you do shopping in malls as well. Yes, usually true, but not in this case at Tes.. Ext.. . Check it out.

Yes, same volume, 1 piece for RM8.20 but a pack of two with 'Value Pack' written on it is RM16.50, making it RM0.10 more expensive for a Value Pack.


Go figure.

Takaful Malaysia Declares 10% Mudharabah

It has been 1 years plus since I moved to Takaful Malaysia, after hearing that they have profit sharing for a number of their insurance. This is great, since it is the only Insurance scheme that offers dividends/ profit sharing for general insurance, and on top of that, they declared more then 10% the year back. The theory behind this is I believe, due to the fact Takaful Malaysia does not use agents for selling and collecting insurances, therefore this savings can be passed on to the consumer. Note we have to go directly to Takaful Offices to renew, and yes, no free umbrella. :) But if I get the 10%, it'll probably be worth more then a few umbrellas, hopefully in cash, or a deduction in my premium
So I have been waiting for my chance and turn, but the wait was quite long. Just a couple of days ago, I was contemplating to change my Motor Insurance to another Insurance / Takaful, since at least I get a free umbrella. :(

Takaful Malaysia had been quiet for sometime due to a re-org and system change. And I was growing impatient.
However, I just read in the Star today, that they are declaring 10% Mudharabah for all General Takaful.
Details from Takaful Malaysia Website
"Kuala Lumpur, 31st March: Syarikat Takaful Malaysia Berhad (“STMB”) today announced a 10% Mudharabah payment for participants of its General Takaful products. Qualified participants or holders of certificates will be entitled to 10% of their adjusted net contribution as their share of the surplus sharing from the General Takaful fund.
Mudharabah payments will be made to those participants holding General Takaful Certificates that have expired on or after 1st March 2007 to 31st December 2007 with no claims being made against the certificates and provided that all payments of the contributions have been fully paid for the year concerned. The company will make subsequent declarations of Mudharabah payments for policies expiring after December 31, 2007. "

I'll either drop by a Takaful Office or call their Hotline at 1-300-13-7180, and check it out.

UPDATED 10 April 2008.

I managed to call Takaful's HQ at 1-300-13-7180, and was greeted by a very friendly voice. My first question was, is Motorcar Takaful under 'General Takaful' as the press statement says the 10% is for 'General Takaful'. Answer is yes.

Next question, how do I get the payment, will they contra it in my next renewal, as previously practiced? Nope, for this year they will issue a cheque. However to process the payment, we need to update/provide our particulars to them. The form can either be attained at any STMB office or thru their website. Current link is Participants Information Form , it can currently be found (at time of this entry) in STMB's main page, upper right hand corner. Download this form, fill it up and fax it to the provided number in the form or submit to a branch. Payment will be done by cheque.

Al-Mashoor (L) Dinner

Majlis Malam Tautan Bakti
8pm, Saturday 22nd March 08 at the City Bayview Hotel, Penang

SMKA Al-Mashoor (L), Parents & Teachers Association had a fund-raising dinner and it was a pretty nice one.
Tickets were on sale for RM100 per seat, and sponsors could also sponsor a whole table.

A little about Al-Mashoor from my memory. This school was started in 1918 where Komtar is now. To make way for Komtar, this school was shifted and now it's current location is in Air-Itam. Currently there are a couple of Al-Mashoor schools, the (L), which means lelaki, ie boys school, then there is the (P), perempuan, ie girls school, and also there exist a Mahad Mashoor.

The dinner was a 7 course meal, and enjoyable. The waiters were not well trained though, point for City Bayview though.

The school had their own Nasyid Band performing.

Al-Mashoor's Nasyid Band

The hilite of the night was the performance of Now See Heart, a famous Nasyid band which has many acclaims and awards. They performed for 2 hours to the delight of the attendees.

NowSeeHeart Nasyid Band

Al-Mashoor also re-launched it's Alumni, in effort to gather information and bring together ex-Mashoorians. Ex-mashoorians can call 04-2296790 regarding queries for Alumni membership. Come 2018, Al-Mashoor will be celebrating it's 100th Anniversary.

To end the night, everyone was given a memorable souvenir, which I find really useful and practical. I got one with a pen-holder+card holder+sticky pads.

Souvenir (1)

The other version was a pen-holder with 3 columns of sticky-pads (1 large one, and 2 smaller ones)

Souvenir (2)

Contact Information.
SMKA AL-MASHOOR (L),
JALAN AIR ITAM
10460, PULAU PINANG
TEL: 04-2296790
FAX: 04-2291503
Find SMKA Al-Mashoor (L) on Wikimapia by clicking here.