Random Thoughts

1. Here's an interesting way to advertise your services (by having anyone be able to see what's going on inside):

On one hand, one might think that business is poor as nothing is going on. On the other hand, an empty clinic is one where you might not have to wait for services. The other day I could actually see a patient being attended to while driving.

2. I'm getting used to simply walking back home. I find that if I walk briskly, I can get home in just 30 minutes, which is exactly the same as taking the LRT. But I won't be doing that going to work, as I don't have any intention of being drenched in sweat on arrival to the hospital. I'm a person who wears a single layer of clothing in a cold operating theater, so I don't tolerate heat well. On another note, today was the first day that a "homeless guy" greeted me below Bulatan Pahang. Any homeless person (unfortunate as their fate is) with some sense I'd assume would prefer to stay and the next door Pusat Gelandangan (homeless shelter). I wouldn't approach anyone who decided to sleep outside and suddenly decide to greet me. I'm sorry, but a hefty dose of skepticism is needed.

3. The Boost (and any other cashless mobile system) app is useless without an Internet connection. And at the LG floor of Quill City Mall (where I go to get Dunkin Donuts coffee), the only way of getting internet is by sometimes getting to the WiFi networks of other nearby shops; DiGi has a piss poor connection there. That's a problem.

4. A good cut of ribeye or other expensive steak cuts cost in the region of RM 25 per piece at AEON Mid Valley (at a size that satisfies me, after those 30% discounts on "almost expiring pieces"; in the freezer, the so called expiry date can be disregarded completely). This might sound expensive, but consider this: eating 2 ala carte "ayam penyet" sets without rice (that gets me a 1/2 chicken that's actually not that big) at a joint I regularly frequent cost RM 21. A Fuel Shack Mini-Tower (my preferred choice of quick proteins and huge amounts of calories) costs RM 26. And that gets me only I guess 300 g of burger patties (processed meat, not the pure steak goodness). 2 ala carte sets of "ayam tandoori" (the minimum that can make me feel satisfied) costs around RM 15. Food is expensive nowadays. Gone are the days during childhood where RM 5 could get you rice + 2 large pieces of chicken (with good taste) at a mamak restaurant. If not for convenience, I do not want to eat out until I die; I'll just cook whenever I can. And I will always eat the anemic chicken (with a Hb of 4) served at the hospital if every else does not want them; free protein is free protein. Anywhere else and nitrogen is god-damned expensive. Modern money is more and more useless.

Update Regarding the Boost App

I mentioned in a previous post that the Boost App doesn't support credit cards even though the option is there.

Today, I tried the app again, and now increasing your balance using credit cards is now supported.

So now, if want to buy that Dunkin Donuts iced coffee (so good that my urine smells like coffee), I get the best of 2 worlds: I get credit card points and get cashbacks (so far RM1/transaction is the very limited trend) for every transaction I make.

Boost App (with a promo code if you'd like)

So I decided to eat at someplace (Pancake House International), and coincidentally it offered payments via the Boost App. I had it installed before but I had never used it before.

Apparently you can use it for cashless payments at participating outlets as well as send and receive money.

This is what you see after the initial setup. You choose whether you want a basic/premium setup (with the advantage of a bigger wallet limit and the ability to transfer money back to one's banking account; I decided for the basic setup). On setup I got an RM 8 sign up bonus. So the next step was putting some balance to actually pay the bill.

What, I can't use my credit/debit card? What's the point then? This makes it less convenient than just using you card to pay (for shops that accept them). Topping up cash from your account requires you to login to your online banking account to top up (with the requirement to request TAC numbers as well), making it time consuming; you don't want to do it at the cashier.

So there are apparently food vouchers on offer...

Example of voucher

...But certainly not many (yet). So when I went over to pay, apparently the staff did not know how to have me pay via the app. It was the first experience for both shop and customer. After referring to a manual provided to the shop, only then did they know to use the provided terminal and produce the QR code for the phone to scan.

1st Cavs game without Love...And they win, for now.

Once scanned, you just confirm the transaction and you're done.

Um.. thanks

Apparently after the transaction, I also got a so-called "Shake Reward". Better than nothing to promote use of the app.

All in all, an interesting experience. But other than promotions (which are not many), I don't see the value of using the app over credit/debit cards (that can get you points/cashbacks) and have a faster transaction speed (partly from the familiarity of vendors using card-based systems). And with the inability (I guess for now) to link to your cards, you have to top-up your wallet (preferably while not at the front of the line). My take? If the shop offers card-based transactions, I'll use that over Boost unless there are promotions/bonuses that give added value. If it's either cash/Boost, then maybe I'll use the app, but only if I won't embarrass myself topping up the account just enough to pay for the transaction/have an excess of bonus value to make the potentially longer time at the cashier worthwhile (it could get shorter as every one gets more comfortable).

Anyways, if you're interested in trying out the app, go ahead and use the Invite Code muhq2c0 to get RM 5 after your first mobile credit top up. Do try it out, if mobile cashless payment systems are your thing.