How to Save on Petrol

With the average price of petrol going up and not likely to stop rising any time soon--"it's time for people to modify the way they drive," says Paul Raj, a spokesperson for the Malaysian Automobile Association (MAA). The biggest impact on your wallet will come from cutting down your car time--walk, use public transportation, and work from home when you can--but when your wheels are the only option, little tweaks can go a long way. Here, experts and real women share some tips to beat the squeeze at the petrol pump:

* Travel in packs. "My friends and I started carpooling for convenience and time, and now we are all saving real money," says Margaret Wong, 43, from PJ. The mother of three regularly shuttles six or seven kids in her van to sporting events, church, the pool, or skateboarding club. And when she is booked on a catering job--her part-time gig--she and her coworkers meet at a commuter lot and pile into one car.

* Go gentle on the pedal. Lisa Lim, 45, from Kajang, stretches out her visits to the petrol pump by coasting toward stopped traffic. "I look ahead to see the light turning red, take my foot off the accelerator, and let the car's momentum carry me," she says. According to Paul, aggressive driving--slamming your foot down hard on the petrol or brakes--compromises your car's fuel efficiency, as does being a speed demon. "Simply dropping your speed from 70 mph to 60 mph can improve fuel economy by up to 23 percent," she says.

* Multitask your trips. Consolidate errands to make every car ride a multipurpose affair. "After putting the kids down, my husband or I used to get in the car just to get out of the house, the excuse being we needed petrol or aspirin," says May Lee, 45, the mother of a 5-year-old and 4-year-old triplets in KL. "But once petrol prices hit RM2.40, we made changes. Now I'll hit the pharmacy, the supermarket, Giant, and Tesco on the way home from work, then stay in for the night. We're definitely stretching out our tank."

* Watch the energy (and money) drains. Avoid idling (Paul recommends shutting off your engine any time you're sitting in a parking space for more than 90 seconds), keep your tyres inflated (fuel efficiency drops by 2 or 3 percent when your tyres aren't full), remove the junk from your trunk (a heavier car burns more petrol), and roll up the windows and use air-conditioning on the highway (that's right--open windows actually create aerodynamic drag, burning extra petrol).

How to Keep Him From Cheating

Sometime ago, Angelina Jolie confessed she fell in love with Brad while filming "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" -- and while he was still married to Jen. Though we love Brangelina, on-the-job cheating sucks. And man-eating coworkers aren't occupational hazards just in Hollywood. Here, the top ways to prevent your guy from straying at work.

Hang with his co-workers. When you are available, join him at social events provided by his company or actually take him up on that invite to his office holiday party. "Making friends with his colleagues turns you into a 'real' person to them," says William July, PhD, author of "Confessions of an Ex Bachelor." "The other women he works with will be more likely to hang back if they can put a face to a name." Plus, your guy will feel extra bonded as a couple if he is able to share another part of his life with you.

Ask him questions.
If your guy feels like he can't talk to you about the stuff going on at work, he'll likely turn to someone else who understands (like his cute cubemate). And although it starts innocently, that kind of emotional intimacy can lead to trouble. Make a point to ask him how a difficult project is going or if anything funny happened that day. "That way, he'll be opening up to you instead of a female colleague he's working closely with," explains July. Besides, if you're well-versed in what's going on in his world, it'll be harder for him to pull that whole "I've got a big deadline -- must work late" excuse.

Stay on his mind. It's no secret that men are visual creatures. Take advantage of his dominant sense and give him a photo of you two to place on his desk. Just make sure the pic captures a moment when you both were having a blast together (like on a skiing trip or at a concert). "The photo will have more meaning and be a constant reminder of just how much fun he has with you," says July. "Looking at it will boost his mood, and his loyalty."

WHAT TO DO IF STOPPED BY MALAYSIAN POLICE

Procedures to follow in the event you are stopped by uniformed police Officers while driving:

1. Stop the car and wind down your window.
2. If the police officers ask for your documents, request to see their
IDs first.
3. If you are satisfied about their identity, ask them if you are being
summoned, and for what offence.
4. Produce your identity card and driver's license and wait to collect
your summon ticket.

In the event that the police officers ask you to follow them to the police station:

1. Ask if you are under arrest and for what offence.
2. If you are not under arrest, you have the right to leave.

In the event you are flagged down by persons you believe could be plain clothes police:

1. Do not stop because plain clothes police officers do not have the
authority to stop you.
2. Drive to the nearest police station and lodge a report. (The same
procedure applies to pedestrians)

In the event the police come to your house:

1. Do not let them in before checking their IDs.
2. If you are not satisfied, phone the nearest police station and
confirm if they had been sent to your house.
3. You are under no obligation to allow them into the house if they
don't have a search warrant.
4. Do not go with them if you are not under arrest.

In the event persons who claimed to be plain clothes police come to your house:

1. Do not let him in because they do not have the authority to do so.
2. Lodge a report at the nearest police station.

How to Survive a Recession

Are you worried about how a recession might affect you? You can put your fears to rest because there are many everyday habits the average person can implement to ease the sting of a recession, or even make it so its effects aren't felt at all. In this article, we'll discuss seven ways to do just that.

No. 1: Have an Emergency Fund
If you have plenty of cash lying around in a high-interest, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)-insured account, not only will your money retain its full value in times of market turmoil, it will also be extremely liquid, giving you easy access to funds if you lose your job or are forced to take a pay cut. Also, if you have your own cash, it won't be an issue if other sources of backup funds dry up, such as a home equity line of credit.

No. 2: Always Live Within Your Means
If you make it a habit to live within your means each and every day, you are less likely to go into consumer debt when gas or food prices go up and more likely to adjust your spending in other areas to compensate. Debt begets more debt when you can't pay it off right away - if you think gas prices are high, wait until you're paying 29.99% annual percentage rate (APR) on them.

To take this principle to the next level, if you have a spouse and are a two-income family, see how close you can get to living off of only one spouse's income. In good times, this tactic will allow you to save incredible amounts of money - how quickly could you pay off your mortgage or how much earlier could you retire if you had an extra $40,000 a year to save? In bad times, if one spouse gets laid off, you'll be OK because you'll already be used to living on one income. Your savings habits will stop temporarily, but your day-to-day spending can continue as normal.

No. 3: Have More Than One Source of Income
Even if you have a great full-time job, it's not a bad idea to have a source of extra income on the side, whether it's some consulting work or selling collectibles on eBay. With job security so nonexistent these days, more jobs mean more job security. If you lose one, at least you still have the other one. You may not be making as much money as you were before, but every little bit helps.

No. 4: Have a Long-Term Mindset With Investments
So what if a drop in the market brings your investments down 15%? If you don't sell, you won't lose anything. The market is cyclical, and in the long run, you'll have plenty of opportunities to sell high. In fact, if you buy when the market's down, you might thank yourself later.

That being said, as you near retirement age, you should make sure you have enough money in liquid, low-risk investments to retire on time and give the stock portion of your portfolio time to recover. Remember, you don't need all of your retirement money at 65 - just a portion of it. The market might be tanking when you're 65, but it might be headed to Pamplona by the time you're 70.

No. 5: Be Honest About Your Risk Tolerance
Yes, investing gurus say that people in certain age brackets should have their portfolios allocated a certain way, but if you can't sleep at night when your investments are down 15% for the year and the year isn't even over, you may need to change your asset allocation. Investments are supposed to provide you with a sense of financial security, not a sense of panic.

But wait - don't sell anything while the market is down, or you'll set those paper losses in stone. When market conditions improve is the time to trade in some of your stocks for bonds, or trade in some of your risky small-cap stocks for less volatile blue-chip stocks. If you have extra cash available and want to adjust your asset allocation while the market is down, however, you may be able to profit from infusing money into temporarily low-priced stocks with long-term value.

The biggest risk is that overestimating your risk tolerance will cause you to make poor investment decisions. Even if you're at an age where you're "supposed to" have 80% in stocks and 20% in bonds, you'll never see the returns that investment advisors intend if you sell when the market is down. These asset allocation suggestions are meant for people who can hang on for the ride.

No. 6: Diversify Your Investments
If you don't have all of your money in one place, your paper losses should be mitigated, making it less difficult emotionally to ride out the dips in the market. If you own a home and have a savings account, you've already got a start: you have some money in real estate and some money in cash. In particular, try to build a portfolio of investment pairs that aren't strongly correlated, meaning that when one is up, the other is down, and vice versa (like stocks and bonds).

No. 7: Keep Your Credit Score High
When credit markets tighten, if anyone is going to get approved for a mortgage, credit card or other type of loan, it will be those with excellent credit. Things like paying your bills on time, keeping your oldest credit cards open, and keeping your ratio of debt to available credit low will help keep your credit score high.

Conclusion
The best part about these habits is that they won't only serve you well during times of recession - they'll serve you well no matter what's going on in the market. But if you implement these financial strategies, a recession is less likely to have a significant effect on your financial situation.

SQ3R - A Reading and Study Skill System

SURVEY - gather the information necessary to focus and formulate goals.
1. Read the title - help your mind prepare to receive the subject at hand.
2. Read the introduction and/or summary - orient yourself to how this chapter fits the author's purposes, and focus on the author's statement of most important points.
3. Notice each boldface heading and subheading - organize your mind before you begin to read - build a structure for the thoughts and details to come.
4. Notice any graphics - charts, maps, diagrams, etc. are there to make a point - don't miss them.
5. Notice reading aids - italics, bold face print, chapter objective, end-of -chapter questions are all included to help you sort, comprehend, and remember.

QUESTION - help your mind engage and concentrate.
One section at a time, turn the boldface heading into as many questions as you think will be answered in that section. The better the questions, the better your comprehension is likely to be. You may always add further questions as you proceed. When your mind is actively searching for answers to questions it becomes engaged in learning.

READ - fill in the information around the mental structures you've been building.
Read each section (one at a time) with your questions in mind. Look for the answers, and notice if you need to make up some new questions.

RECITE - retrain your mind to concentrate and learn as it reads.
After each section - stop, recall your questions, and see if you can answer them from memory. If not, look back again (as often as necessary) but don't go on to the next section until you can recite.

REVIEW - refine your mental organization and begin building memory.
Once you've finished the entire chapter using the preceding steps, go back over all the questions from all the headings. See if you can still answer them. If not, look back and refresh your memory, then continue.

REMEMBER: THE INFORMATION YOU GAIN FROM READING IS IMPORTANT. IF YOU JUST "DO IT" WITHOUT LEARNING SOMETHING. YOU'RE WASTING A LOT OF TIME. TRAIN YOUR MIND TO LEARN!!!

Panduan Mendengar dengan Berkesan

Mendengar dengan berkesan bermaksud dengan mata, telinga dan hati. ia melibatkan kebolehan untuk terus berdiam, mengelakkan tumpuan dan minat pada orang yang sedang bercakap. ia juga melibatkan kebolehan memahami bukan hanya pada apa yang diperkatakan, tetapi maksud diperkatakan dan perasaan orang yang memperkatakan. suatu cara menguji kebolehan mendengar ialah dengan membuat rumusan dan menyelami perasaan orang yang bercakap.

Perkara yang digalakkan :

* Duduk atau berdiri condong kearah orang yang bercakap dalam keadaan relaks.
* Pandang kearah orang yang bercakap.
* perhatikan air muka dan gerak-gerinya.
* Senyum apabila ia senyum, dan bertenang apabila cerita menyedihkan atau mengejutkan.
* Dengar apa yang diperkatakan, gaya, nada suara dan kelajuan bercakap kadangkala menyatakan sesuatu tentang perasaannya.
* Berikan galakkan supaya ia terus bercakap dengan membuat tindak balas lisan dan tidak lisan seperti mengangguk..., ya..., lepas tu..., em...

Perkara yang tidak digalakkan :

* Terlalu banyak bertanya seolah-olah menyiasat untuk kepentingan sendiri.
* Bertanya soalan 'kenapa' dalam nada seolah-olah ia bersalah.
* Menggangu atau mencelah semasa ia bercakap.
* Memberikan nasihat dan teguran.
* Menilai perbuatan sebagai salah atau betul.
* Menahan ia meluahkan perasaan sedih dan marah.
* Menyangkal atau menentang pendapatnya walaupun anda tidak bersetuju.
* Membuktikan ia bersalah atau lemah akan menyebabkan ia lebih 'defensif'.
* Tukar tajuk perbualan daripada hal lain kepada hal peribadi.

Good Human Relations

1. Speak to people
There is nothing so nice as a cheerful word of greeting

2. Smile at people
It takes 72 muscles to frown, only 14 to smile

3. Be friendly and helpful
If you would have friends, be a friend

4. Call people by name
The sweetest music to anyone's ears is the sound of his own name

5. Be cordial
Speak and act if everything you do is a genuine pleasure

6. Be genuinely interested in people
You can like almost everybody if you try

7. Be generous
With praise - cautious with critism

8. Be considerate
With the feeling of others. There are usually three sides to controversy: yours, the other person's, and the right side

9. Be alert
To give service. What counts most in life is what we do for others

10. Add to this a good sense of humour
A big dose of patience and a dash of humility, and you will be rewarded many folds