I Guess Canadians are Imperfect Like the Rest of Us

“How expensive is cheese in Canada, you ask? Well let’s consider pizza, everybody’s favourite cheese delivery mechanism. There’s a big nationwide chain here called Boston Pizza that sells, among other things, pizza. A large pepperoni pizza at Boston Pizza is $30.28.

At Pizza Hut in the US, they currently have a deal on where you get a large pepperoni pizza for $7.99. That is less than $30.28 – even after health insurance premiums.”

How are Canadians who are apologetic even when bumping people atypically unapologetic about this? 

(from Daring Fireball)

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Taken Together, A Not So Rosy Picture is Painted

All quoted from Bank Negara Malaysia, via the Star:

“The survey showed that in Kuala Lumpur, the provisional estimates of a living wage ranged between RM2,700 and RM6,500 per month.

It said the living wage for a single adult was RM2,700 per month; RM4,500 per month for a couple without children; and RM6,500 per month for a couple with two children.

...

The central bank also said the living wage estimates in Kuala Lumpur were below the median income (in Kuala Lumpur) of RM9,073, emphasising that up to 27% of households were earning below the living wage.

“In terms of household type, a larger share of single-adult households and couples with two children were earning below the estimated living wage in 2016, compared to couples without children.

“The finding for single-adult households is consistent with the fact that graduates with a first degree or diploma earn on average, starting salaries of RM2,207 and RM1,346 per month, respectively.””

A provisional living wage in KL as low as that? Let's not kid ourselves.

“Unsold housing units increased on an annual basis by 22.7% in 2017 (2016: 41%) to 129,052 units as at end-September 2017.

More than 80% of the unsold units were priced at RM250,000 and above.

Many of these units were high-rise residential properties and were mainly in areas located far from major economic centres and with limited public transport facilities.

“The high number of unsold housing units also reflects the persistent mismatch between the selling price of houses being built and what most households can afford,” according to the report.”

That's not sustainable for buyers.

“Bank Negara pointed out that activities in the commercial property segment (comprising shops, office space and shopping complexes) remained soft, amid an oversupply in these segments and challenges faced by businesses in the oil and gas (O&G) sector.

The volume of commercial property transactions declined by 8.2% (2010-2016 average: -4.7%) to 16,025 units during the first nine months of 2017. The value transacted nonetheless increased by 3.8% to RM17.8bil driven by higher transactions of properties priced RM1mil and above.

Slower activities in the commercial property segment were observed in most major states such as Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor and Penang.”

It's not hard to find empty shop-lots and empty malls (I'm typing this in Quill City Mall). And if people lose jobs because of bad business, who's gonna pay for those property purchases?

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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.