Where else do government leaders / top civil servants get paid so much?

Already high, yet still 55% increase in ministers’ salaries. PM Lee said it’s to attract the brightest talents and to curb corruption - but will humans be ever satisfied?

PM Lee’s, 55 salary would have jumped from RM5.58 million a year (RM465,000 per month) to RM7.03 million a year (more than RM585,000 per month), 5 times more than that of George Bush, president of the world’s most powerful economy. And much more than PM Abe of Japan, Asia’s biggest economy. And he’s not the one earning the most - the President earns more.
With immediate effect, the salary structure:

President – $3,187,100 (24.9% increase),

Prime Minister – $3,091,200 (25.5% increase),
Senior Minister – $3,043,300 (13.5% increase),

Minister Mentor (Lee Kuan Yew) – $3,043,300 (13.5% increase),

Deputy Prime Minister – $2,452,500 (18.8% increase),

Minister and Senior Perm Sec – $1,593,500 (32.5% increase) (MR4 Grade),

Entry Superscale Grade – $384,000 (3.3% increase) [SR9 Grade],

MP – $216,300 (23.2% increase)

The government, led by Lee Kuan Yew launched a major campaign to convince the nation but has so far failed.

Middle class Singaporeans earn an average of S$1,500 (RM3,400) a month. The poorest 10% earn S$300 (RM680.70) a month.

In a survey at AsiaOne’s website, only 11.4% supported the idea, 83.7% said no & 4.9% abstained.

Who wants to run for office in Singapore?

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According to The Star on 6th April, this year more F1 tickets are being sold than ever before. So it seems that finally, F1 racing has caught the imagination of Malaysians. However, Sepang International Circuit (SIC) general manager Azmi Murad didn’t say that tickets have sold out. In fact, at the time of the news report, they are still available in all sections of the circuit.

To me, the true mark of an event’s popularity is how fast the tickets sell out. If I can still come in at the last minute and still can get tickets (not from the touts of course), that would be considered a “roaring success”. An example would be the World Cup final tickets. No way would I be able to get in at the last minute. In fact, it would’ve sold out months, if not years before the event actually takes place.

To me, the big issue is more basic - no other sporting event in Malaysia costs so much to watch first-hand.

Azmi said that more Malaysians should show their support and quickly buy their tickets for the event. He added that the grandstand and covered seats are the most popular among fans and they are selling like hot cakes.

Of course tickets start from only RM50, but who wants to sit so far away in the blistering heat at the hillstands? Or perhaps even worse, rain? You can go for the covered hillstand, which costs 3 times more. If you bring members of your family, habis lah 1 bulan gaji. I don’t want to even mention to prices for the Grandstand and the other covered seats.

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No surprises - anything associated with Formula 1 will be among the most expensive, if not the most expensive event of the year.

For social events open to the general public, surely it’s the Grand Prix dinner, this year called the outlandishly long name of Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix Fantasy Gala 2007, held at the KLCC on Friday 6th April.

Every time the organisers will select a different theme, this year it’s “Fantasy”: in previous years “Ice” and “Spring”.

As for glamour, it’s second to none. For starters, check out the guest list: Read the rest of this entry »

Dailydomainer.com reported in January that  of the 100 highest priced domains sold last year:

• 18 have been developed
• 8 redirect to a developed site
• 5 are affiliate sites
• 6 currently under development
• 9 don’t work at all
• … and 54 show PPC (pay per click) ads.

This means that a large percentage of the domain market’s high end is fueled by domainer-to-domainer sales, and/or that most “traditional” sales (to end users) go unreported.

The report goes on to list the domains. I have selected domains which cost more than half a million US dollars:

In conjunction with the upcoming Malaysian F1 GP in early April, Mandarin Oriental Hotel is offering super-rich philanthropists a way to spend their money for charity: offer its Grand Presidential Suite to the highest bidder from April 6 to 8.

Check out these details:

• Starting bid: RM260,000 for minimum 2 nights’ stay at the suite, located at the hotel’s 30th floor. That means it could very well go up much higher than this amount. It’s been said many times before, but it’s worth saying again: you’re gonna burn, in 2 nights, what most people toil for a lifetime to earn.
• a personal butler; 
• champagne breakfast in bed for 2 persons specially prepared by the hotel’s executive chef valued at RM3,630;
• limited and exclusive Formula One and Paddock Club passes for two persons valued at RM30,000!!!
• Hawaiian spa treatment for two persons at the hotel’s The Spa: tailor-made spa experience, valued at RM79,000: provided by widely celebrated Lomi Lomi star therapists Katrina Wagner and Michael Schoernig, specially flown in from Switzerland. So the rate is like: RM20,000 per hour per person??
• a chauffeur-driven limousine BMW 7 Series at guests’ disposal at any time of the day to any destination of choice within the Klang Valley, valued at RM20,000: available 24 hours a day for 3 days from the time of airport pick up. Then I might as well go on a crazy joyride of my life at 4 am.
• a specially prepared Formula One extravaganza dinner with wine pairing for two persons at Pacifica Grill & Bar, worth RM49,000. Served with an exceptional selection of fine wines specially flown in Europe. I wonder what kind of wine would push prices up that high.
• Exclusive His and Hers Chopard designer watches, valued at RM98,810, given as welcome gifts. The watches are adorned with diamonds and sapphires and set in white gold steel. I don’t want that watch - I can never wear it anyway - scared of burglars.

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