Constipation - 2 " My Abdomen is colicky and I am constipated"

A 41 year old man weighing 104 kg with a BMI of 40 and thus labelled as "morbidly obese" came to the clinic looking irritable and depressed. By the way I notice that patients who are constipated are generally glum and down.

This is his third time of seeing a doctor for colicky abdominal pain and constipation. He claimed everytime he came to see a doctor, all they gave him was stool softener and advice to take more fibre, vegetables, fruits and drink plenty of water. Well, according to him the problem settled after taking the stool softeners but it recurred despite him taking the suggested foods to help reduce his constipation. when asked whether he passed flatus (fart), he replied "hardly now".

I could have given him the same prescription of stool softeners but I thought it would not help him. In fact I was tempted to just do that seeing that the patient was irritable and seemed to think that the world owed him a living. He was also accusatory of the "unhelpful treatment" received so far.

I asked him how long had he been constipated and he replied for the last one month or so. He was not constipated before that neither did he have colicky abdominal pain. He also denied taking any medications which could contribute to his current problem. Then I asked him what was " something new" that he had been taking over the last one month or so.

He paused to think then he said that about six weeks ago he went to see a private doctor for aching pain in his knee joints and the doctor advised him to drink a special high-calcium milk as he (the doctor) thought he had "bone problems". The patient had been taking the milk three times a day and now he realised that his current problem started a few days after his thrice a day milk drink.

Too much calcium in the blood (hypercalcaemia), depending on individual response , could cause constipation with abdominal colic.

I told him to stop taking the high calcium milk and prescribed him stool softeners to tie him over the period before the return to normal calcium level. He came for review after three weeks looking more cheerful as his abdominal pain and constipation had both subsided.

He complained that he spent so much money buying the "special milk" only to throw it away. I advised him to lose weight as he is unhealthily obese (morbid obesity). He is 34 kg overweight and now suffering from knee arthritis causing him aching pain. Taking more calcium is not going to help him, in fact too much of the  mineral had adversely affected his bowel movements.

Excess weight strains the knee joint causing arthritis and pain

Obesity affects knee joints by placing more force on them, gradually wearing the joints away causing arthritis, pain and inactivity leading to more weight gain and worsening obesity. A vicious cycle.

Constipation-1 "Help! All my children are constipated"

A few months ago a mother of four children ranging from the age of seven to fourteen complained that all her four children were suffering from constipation for some time. They have been coming to the clinic and have been advised to take more fibre like cereals, more fruit and vegetables and plenty of fluid but it seemed to no avail as the problem kept on recurring.

The children's stool were hard and they really had problem defecating according to the mother. I noticed that stool softeners had been prescribed on a number of occasions but the problem persisted. I asked whether the parents were also constipated for which the mother answered in the negative.

Fried sausages taken everyday for lunch and dinner

Interestingly all four have a similar problem. It must be something that they eat. So I asked the mother what was the children's favourite food that they eat most of the time at home.

The mother said that the children loved sausages. She fried them the sausages day and night. And if she did not do so the children themselves will fry and help  themselves. They loved sausages and eat them like their staple food.

Now that piqued my curiosity. What is sausage? Sausage is defined as ground meat mixed with fat, salt and other seasoning,preservatives and sometimes fillers. You can actually make your own sausage if you know the recipe and have all the time in the world to do it.

Most people buy them  ready-made from the supermarkets  and I suppose they can be rather tasty given the right amount of salt and other seasoning and no wonder the children in question got hooked on this "easy food". But eating them everyday is a bit too much as being a processed food there could be too much of certain items such as pectin or thickening causing their stool to be hard.

To cut the story short, I told the pregnant mother to stop buying and serving the children with sausages for a few weeks and see the effect on their bowel and comfort of life.

True enough after a few weeks of no-sausage meals the children stopped having constipation!

. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2014

I am Dreaming of a White Christmas

Felis Navidas, Felis Navidas

Jingle Bell Jingle Bell, Jingle All The Way 

Silent Night, Holy Night

We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Joy to the World

Pray for Peace and Harmony

Celebrating with Family and Friends

Fun with Good Music and Dancings

Strengthening Friendship and Relationship

Exchanging Gifts and Greetings

Moderation in Foods and Drinks

Drive Safe and Navigate With Care

Enjoy Life and Good Cheers

Merry Christmas

Happy New Year

Love

All wrapped up and ready 

Wishing All My Blog Visitors Merry Christmas 

And  Happy New Year 2014

ASB Unitholders - 2013 Dividend and Lowest Bonus in Five Years and PNB's Lack of Appreciation for Loyal Investors

As the sunset of 2013 is fast approaching, the last of the dividend of the fixed-price PNB unit trust fund that is ASB was timely declared on Thursday 19 Dec for financial year ending on 31 Dec. The unitholders (Bumiputra) will receive a dividend of 7.70 sen per unit and a bonus of 1 sen per unit.The rates are noted to have declined by 0.05 sen and 0.15 sen in dividend and bonus respectively from 2012

There are 8.26 million unit holders who collectively hold 127.2 billion ASB units with the income distribution amounting to a total payout of RM9.38 billion and bonus accounted for RM 706.88 million.

As usual the Chairman of PNB, Tun Ahmad Sarji said that the dividend was competitive amid the global economic uncertainties and that, according to him, the fund could have declared a dividend of 10.54 sen per unit but it decided to bring forward 2.71 sen per unit to help the fund's portfolio to become more competitive in future.

It does look like the fund is forever under declaring its dividend and may,as a result, not really looking after those long-term loyal investors many of whom are elderly and would benefit from a higher dividend in the current financial year. Some have invested since the launching of the fund in 1981 as ASN and later migrated to ASB in 1990, a good 32 years and are now expected to keep looking to the future! Lamented one of my elderly ASB- investor acquaintances. Many of these investors are in the twilight years of their lives.

ASB should have rewarded the above such investors by giving a bonus at least at 1.25 sen per unit to offset a little the lower dividend rate. In short, PNB should value loyalty.

Bursa Malaysia: FBM KLCI Index gaining 200 points
from 1600 over a period of one year , 
Jan-Dec 2013 ( STAR online)

While our stock market is doing reasonably well with FBM KLCI index going from 1600 points to 1800 in the last 12 months, it does not reflect in tandem with the PNB income generation possibly partly due to its portfolio contents.

The fact is 2013's ASB income distribution is lower than in 2012 and the bonus is the lowest in the five year period as seen in the following table. Of particular concern is the performance of its overseas' investments and how they are presented in its annual report. Unlike banks which are regulated by BNM (Central Bank), which body is regulating the mammoth PNB?

ASB Dividend and Bonus 2009 - 2013

Year	Dividend	Bonus
*2009	7.30	1.25
*2010	7.50	1.25
*2011	7.65	1.15
*2012	7.75	1.15
2013	7.70	1.00

* Source: ASB Scheme Annual Reports

Granted that many ASB investors are grateful for the dividend and bonus rate for 2013 and that historically, PNB has never declared income generation inclusive of bonus lower than 8.50 sen per unit, a number is also unhappy with the lack of caring displayed by PNB for its loyal investors, putting them at the same level with new ones who are mostly the y generation who could still keep looking to the future.

On top of this rate reduction, the investors and other Malaysians are being burdened by higher cost of living starting with the removal of subsidy for sugar ( though most of us doctors welcome it), an increased electricity tariff, introduction of GST and now talks of toll rates being hiked as well, all coming in one go. Look like 2014 is not really going to be a happy new year for many low income groups.

In deciding on the dividend and bonus rates for ASB (many investors are low income group Bumiputras), PNB should take into account the current economic situation where cost of living is increasing and the need to reward its long-term loyal investors. 

By the way, is PNB's decision on income distribution and bonus declaration being influenced by external non-market forces? Just thinking aloud.

And curiously, for the first time, I am hard pressed trying to find one -for- the album photo of PNB's CEO appearing with the Chairman at the ceremony for ASB  dividend and bonus declaration for financial year 2013.

IPOs - The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

Discerning investors will study or carry out due diligence on  the businesses of companies raising fund through IPOs (initial public offerings). There are factors that predict and sustain good returns of particular investment and most investors make decision to go in based on their interplay. Retail investors most of the time would not have certain crucial information about these companies and may end up losing their hard earned money.

We have come across many market listings with IPOs on Bursa Malaysia over the last five years since the global financial crisis (GFC) in 2008. The best so far has been the Petronas-linked companies such as MMHE and Petchem. MSM, MAXIS, CMMT and IHH are good too in terms of their share price upside post-listing. I must admit I make money on the respective IPOs. These are all big companies raising hundreds of million through their IPOs.

For investors looking for short-term gain, the above companies are Godsend. As for me, I choose which company's stock to be purchased for dividend, long-term and short-term returns thus giving me portfolios which are diversified.

My most recently successful IPO acquisition is IHH at RM2.80 about a year ago and now the stock has appreciated to RM4.16, a capital gain of about 49%.

If only you can spot them!

Among IPOs which are a disappointment surely is JCY . I noticed that JCY after years of being private and raking in much profit, then decided to list the company.

I remember the IPO was first put at 2.20 and after much talk of overvaluation, it went down to 1.60 and in less than a year the stock tumbled down to less than 50 sen due to negative news from HD makers mainly Western Digital and Seagate: production of HD was scaled down due to lack of demand, Eurozone crisis and entry of new technology.

The timing of the JCY going public and the bad news made me wonder whether the company's owners had prior knowledge of the impending loss of revenues leading to the sharp and sustained fall of its stock price.

The same goes for WPRTS touted to be the owner of Malaysia's busiest port and yet its post-listing stock price has virtually stood still nearer to the IPO's. Then we read in the news about a shipping consortium of some kind with ships which used to dock in Port Klang Western Port have now decided to move to another port for reasons best known to them. Had the news come out before the listing date, I probably would not apply for the IPO, period.

Despite reassurances by the company's top stakeholders, the Gnanalingham, the share price has refused to move upwards indicating the market's sentiment. Now it also makes me wonder whether the company's owners also had prior knowledge of this major move by the shipping coalition and thus they decide to share the cost of this change with the public? I really hope I am wrong. I will stick with the company for a while yet as it actually has strong fundamentals though the short-term prospects don't look encouraging.

The price of WPRTS is now about RM2.55, 0.05sen above its IPO's price ( a mere 2% increase), a highly disappointing early performance indeed. However, it will likely go up once the company announces its dividend in 2014. Interesting to see this stock just before April next year.

I am also sorry for those who acquired AirAsia X's IPO which I did indicate that people should stay away from it. My prediction was correct as it has gone down below its IPO price of 1.25 despite heroic support  from Maybank Investment . It even went down below one Ringgit at one stage and now hovering around that figure, about 20% depreciation in less than a few months.

Really bad post-listing performance

ASTRO's IPO also did not do well. I now have the feeling that after the company has raked up profit over those early years of growth, they then decided to list the company when growth has declined and share their meagre income with the public. There was some uneasy stories about ASTRO's share performance post-listing as the price kept on tumbling as if people who acquired the shares before the listing were selling off. An ugly situation.

I am encouraged though Caring Pharmacy listed on 13 November at an IPO of 1.25 has gone on to RM1.71 an upside of about 37%. Unfortunately, I was overseas during the important pre listing period and was unable to participate. But all the same this is one company which, though small has managed to attract new capital simply due to its business model of dealing with everyday necessities. Its prospectus could also be credible with promises of business expansion etcetera. I have to check whether it has big cornerstone investors (which I doubt).

Before you decide to ride with any of them ,
please do your homework .

There you go. The above IPOs give some indications on investors', particularly, big fund managers' sentiment. IPOs making money for investors? I would not be so sure and am certainly not going to rush into applying for them in the near future.

An article in the Edge on 25 Nov 2013 on IPOs in Malaysia mentioned the following :

"RHB Investment Bank Bhd director and regional head of equity capital markets Gan Kim Khoon recently said that investors should ride on the wave of Malaysia’s IPO market, but only after doing their homework on the new entrants."

A wise advice indeed.

Raul Di Blasio " Mediterraneo"

Another gem from Raul Di Blasio. I find this piece pleasant to the ear. Somehow parts of the music sound like that song recently released for 56th Malaysia Merdeka Day (2013)... but of course this piece is released much earlier.

Juan Gabriel - Hasta Que Te Conoci ( Until I Met You )

Somehow Latin music and songs like Latin dancing to me are very attractive. One cannot help but move with the music either mentally or physically. The musical arrangement of this piece is a joy to listen to and the artiste, Juan Gabriel certainly knows how to entertain his audience as he sings with such natural emotion. I listen to this and forget about things around me: a kind of relaxation. Great music heals the mind.

Second Penang Bridge ready for use... great news

Despite a faster air travel, I prefer to drive over Penang Bridge which is becoming irritatingly congested over the years and as such that there were times then we would rather go on the ferry instead... yes, good old ferries with names like Pulau Aman and Pulau Undan  were really nostalgic for Penangites like me. Although I have already relocated, Penang  still holds a special place in my heart.

I am elated that now we have a second Penang Bridge. It would be a beautiful travel from Batu Kawan on the mainland and entering the island at Batu Maung which used to be a very quiet little town. Things are set to change in these two areas for sure.Wished my paternal aunt had not sold her land in that area 10 years ago!

Westports' IPO Applicants - The Joyous and The Crestfallen

Balloting for Westports' IPO was conducted on Wednesday October 2 2013. By midday Thursday October 3, Jeff sent an SMS to inform that a full refund of his application had been credited into his bank account at HSBC. In short he failed to get the shares. What a disappointment!

I went online at 4.30pm the same day to check on my status but there was no indication that my application was successful or not. In the meantime I alerted a couple of relatives who also applied to check online. Early on Friday October 4  I received SMS from the two telling me that they were also not successful, not even a single lot! Almost audible sighs of  lack of luck.

I was thinking that I might be in the same boat as three out of three had so far failed to get the IPO. I knew I would be crestfallen if I didn't get it as well especially after my frantic and  almost last-minute effort to scramble a substantial fund to apply for these coveted shares.

 I only managed to check online late Friday afternoon. What I saw in my account made me gasp, there, in front of me, only 33% of my application was refunded and that means I managed to get about 66%. What good luck! Yes, it's nothing guys but my luck for being balloted. Of course I cannot hide my joy but have to restrain it as none of my dear relatives have the same luck.

Luck is seldom recurrent

But I suggested that they buy the shares in the open market upon its listing on October 18 2013. It is  advisable to avoid big price fluctuation on the first two to five Bursa days before acquiring them. I myself will purchase additional shares with my refund.

Though the market is still kind of volatile and the negative effects of a prolonged US government partial shutdown are hovering over us, value investors will ride this period out and be with the company to enjoy its business growth in services and ultimately in profit. I am looking at the dividend proposal of not less than 75% of the company's profit as stated in the prospectus. I am also one of those who look for a longer term investment on this stock due to the nature of its economy-promoting business for Malaysia.

Congratulation those successful Westports IPO applicants and now the exciting time waiting for its debut in the market in less than two weeks time. Apparently the institutional portion was 10 times oversubscribed and that of the retail portion 30 times. Those who are not successful can buy it following the listing or could wait after six months when the cornerstone investors may want to unlock their profit and send the shares price downward? One word of caution though, do not try to time the market because it is known to be highly efficient on most occasions.

Whatever happens, as far as the stock price is concerned, on October 18 when Westports is listed on Bursa, I will take it in my stride and have fun watching the ride.

Heavy Coffee Drinkers Beware

People drink coffee for various reasons. Many would admit to drinking many cups of coffee because they are addicted. Some of my patients who work as security guards say they drink a lot of coffee to stay awake, sometimes more than four cups a day!

The news report on the findings of a study (here) on heavy coffee drinkers should act as an alert for those in the same boat about the danger of this habit to their health. In fact, heavy coffee drinkers have an increased death risk according to the study.

I am a coffee drinker only on an occasional basis. I just do not drink any brand of coffee, though would dispense with my personal preference if presented with the choice of brewed coffee usually at my golf club or restaurants.

When I was a student in Australia my favourite coffee brand was Maxwell House (MH) and I continued with it on my returning home but gradually over the years, the brand has slowly disappeared. I tried several other brands but found them not of equal taste to MH.

When I was studying I drank coffee quite a bit. I was then suffering from leg cramps especially during winter though not as cold as the winter in England but all the same the nights could be quite cool. Anyway, these leg cramps were really bothering me, sometimes I would wake up with extreme pain and had to massage my legs frantically. The condition came about when I was a second year medical student. 

One day during an anatomy class I entered into a conversation with my demonstrator, an old Professor from East Europe and mentioned about my affliction. Without batting an eyelid he asked me to stop drinking coffee or tea for at least three weeks and see whether the cramps subside. To cut the story short, the condition disappeared after I stopped drinking coffee. I cannot find any research studies on this effect of coffee (caffeine) on muscle cramps, perhaps overstimulation? But at which level of the nervous system? I should have then asked the Prof who is now deceased.

My favourite brand of coffee

Anyway, for a long time I had not drunk coffee simply because I could not find a brand that I like and by this time I decided to drink only one cup a day. At last I found a brand that I truly enjoy the taste. It's called Kenco but it is not sold in just any supermarkets. 

I first bought it at the Pavillion, Bukit Bintang and once finished, I could not get it anymore so for nearly two years I was not able to enjoy a good coffee. Then a few months ago I chanced upon it at Jaya Grocer in Bukit Jelutong Shah Alam, imagine my joy! Unfortunately there was only one bottle left.

No, I don't suffer from cramps anymore because I only drink coffee occasionally whenever I need to perk up! Hardly a heavy drinker or rather what is elegantly referred to as a quaffer.

TM and PChem : The Joy of Receiving Dividends

I cannot help but smile when Zana messaged me that she had just received her dividend payments for TM (9.8 sen per unit) and PChem (8 sen per unit ).

The total amount is sufficient to settle her monthly car loan payment for a few months. There is a big  at the end of her message. I responded by saying that was how it should be, making her money work for her while she is asleep so to speak. She was able to make the initial investments from the salary she earned and saved while studying and later working in London for five years.

I can feel her joy as she has just been working for three years and is already saving up whatever she can for her future needs, already planning for her retirement in more than 30 years time! She has also set up a portfolio for her investing activities. Mostly consisting of dividend-paying equities, PNB unit trusts, mutual funds and a hedge fund, courtesy of her Dad. For her age, the portfolio should be more adventurous to capitalise on opportunity and growth stocks. She can afford to venture on this route since she has a steady monthly income and working in a great organisation.

BAT - British American Tobacco is a top dividend-paying stock
but its price at RM65 per unit is prohibitive for most retail investors!

This is the way to go for young people, planning financially at the beginning of their career. I also advise her to read a lot on investing, the market conditions/factors affecting them, the world economy and commodities prices to understand market volatility and to act accordingly.

For example, she may have to sell off her PetChem shares soon as the company is involved in a cyclical business where work and profit will be affected and the share price will also decline on the cycle's trough and she needs to short her position well before that and repurchase them on the next cycle.

And now that TM's share price has tumbled due to in part by Fitch Rating downgrade announced on 25 September 2013, this is the time to buy the shares as TM despite the outlook being negative currently will not be greatly impacted as it has solid business fundamentals and that its expanded broadband service will be able to maintain its strong position among the telcos.

I for one will continue to support TM and ride with its fortune. It is an excellent defensive stock which prides itself with giant anchor shareholders such as PNB and EPF. I plan on buying more TM shares at this present beaten down price using my dividend proceeds from AS1M paid out on this coming October 1 2013.

I had some PetChem shares acquired through its IPO and had cleared them all after 18 months on price upside but Zana has been keeping them for dividend purposes.

Many top dividend paying stocks like Dutch Lady,Nestle and of course BAT are expensive and not worth buying due to the low yield on your investment. A wise choice of dividend stocks will make your money grow over time.

Westports IPO - Fund Scrambling and Anxious Application

I don't know about you, but my experience with IPOs has been both positive and negative. I have  yet to find time to blog specifically on my encounters with IPOs including my recent disaster with ASTRO. Needless to say, one needs to be very selective when applying for an IPO.

 I was late in finding out about Westport's. I quickly read the prospectus and have a look at their website and note who are the people owning and managing this business and the reasons they are going public. My utmost concern is when a company is raising fund from the public to pay for their debt. I will keep away from such an IPO unless their fundamentals are strong. I will also keep away from an IPO of a newly established company whose business has too many competitors and risks: the main reason I gave AirAsia X a Big X.

I like the first two words: PROVEN and TRUSTED

I have a different feel though about Westports. This is a company which has a good track record of growth and corporate governance. They are not issuing new shares instead releasing portions of the main shareholders' existing units for this IPO exercise. No indication that they are out to enrich themselves. And I also like that father and son.

Some people are worried about the above point simply because we have been told umpteenth time if the company's insiders are disposing their shares, we should be aware as the business might not be doing well.

I am taking a contrarian view with regards to this company and have decided to apply for their IPO. I am also comfortable with the cornerstones investors and their lock-up period of six months.

As I only knew about this IPO on 19 September the date of its launching, I was hard pressed trying to scramble the fund as the bulk of it is in Unit Trusts and as luck would have it, my HSBC ATM card has just been changed to a new one which is yet to be linked to my CDS account! And the closing date of this IPO application is on 27 September which effectively only left me with five banking days and it takes three days to activate my new ATM card to enable its ESA (electronic share application) function.

To complicate matters, the ASNB agent informed me that if I were to redeem my requested units she needed to issue a cheque which could only be cleared by the bank in three days. And on top of all this, I don't really have much time to go to all these places to complete the required transactions.

Then I thought of my banker at Maybank, good old Agnes. My SMS to her was simple: could I transfer some fund from PNB unit trusts directly into my account at the bank? Her reply was a relief: yes, no problem! And so I proceeded to Maybank at midday Friday to deposit some cash for topping up and then performed the PNB-Maybank transfers and in less than 15 minutes I was ready to apply for the IPO online through Maybank's internet banking facilities. How is that for a fast solution? No need for the inconvenient ESA and I could apply after-hours at my leisure at home.

Of all the time, I decided to go online just before midnight to perform the online application. It's another experience for me as this was my first time to do so because all my other IPO applications were through ESA. The five steps are easy enough and when you wrongly type in the number of applied units there is always the "go back" alert. Just after I printed my "successful" receipt at 11.57pm, the system automatically shutdown with a busy signal screen coming up! Then I realised that there must be a system which automatically checks the internet banking facilities just around midnight before the next day's operation.

And so it is not advisable to do internet banking especially when you are transferring fund around midnight as you might wonder whether your transaction is successful or not because you cannot immediately login again after that sudden shutdown, to find out.

Well, I managed to apply for Westports' IPO but am under no illusion that I can easily get it because the portion for retail investors is rather small. My better half has also applied and so we are waiting to see whose luck is better. While I went through an anxious time, Jeff applied his through ESA in less than two minutes at HSBC. Come to think of it, I will now transfer most of my liquid fund to Maybank to facilitate my e-share activities as I prefer an online application as it can be done anytime (except around midnight!), at home and definitely is time-sparing for a busy professional.

We all need it!

Good luck to my blog readers who are in the same shoes as I am for Westports IPO!

Happy Moon Cake Festival 2013

Wishing all my relatives and friends a Happy Moon Cake Festival today 19 September 2013. The celebration also goes by the name of Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon Festival for the uninitiated. I prefer the "cake" name because it's synonymous with my childhood memories of growing up in Penang and seeing Aunties busily making them and how I used to gorge on those sticky cakes!  Nostalgic....

When you miss your loved ones... look at the moon and imagine,
 it's better than being on Skype!

Yes, celebrating the Moon Festival has a certain feel to it as you would be gazing at the full moon and think of your loved ones and friends far away and they would in turn gaze at the same heavenly body, how touching! This practice has, however, been somewhat usurped by modern age technology. But I still prefer gazing at the full moon.

Intricately patterned

Our friend the owner of a resort in Kota Kinabalu used to send us these delicious cakes with exquisite patterns every year of the Festival and I would look around the place trying to find ones just as lovely as a return gift. Missed those cakes of his as he is now in Timor Leste, developing yet another resort!

Delectable!

Mooncakes, we are indeed spoilt for choice with their various shapes,designs and fillings made possible by commercialisation. Anyway the Festival will not be complete without their distinctive presence. Look for those with less sugar.

AS1M 2013 - Fourth Dividend Declaration at 6.7 Sen

Today Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) through its subsidiary, ASNB (Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad) has declared a 6.7 sen dividend per unit of AS1M for financial year ending on 30 September 2013. According to PNB Chairman, Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid, RM593.06million, an increase of 30.9% over last year's RM453.03million will be distributed to 365,355 unitholders who have subscribed to 9.28 billion units of AS1M. The dividend will automatically be credited into unitholders' accounts on 1 October and will be based on the average monthly minimum balance held.

The Chairman of PNB, Tun Ahmad Sarji (L) and CEO  Tan Sri Hamad
at the dividend declaration for AS1M 2013
 (Photo by BERNAMA)

Though it is higher by 0.10 sen compared to last financial year 2012 at 6.60 sen, I am rather disappointed that the income distribution is less than those of ASD and ASM at 6.8 sen per unit declared in June and February respectively.

I note that the BURSA counters held by AS1M are on the whole the same as those in ASD and ASM the only thing I could think of is the timing of the income distribution. For those two unit trusts, the counters were profitable before the Feds gave hints of ceasing their quantitative easing activities. Then stock markets the world over started reacting the middle of year causing volatility. For example, TM one of the common counters for PNB investments for all its unit trusts started to decline. This appears to indicate that foreign investors are beginning to withdraw their funds from our market putting pressure on selective stock prices.

The difference in the rate of distribution is substantial when a unitholder owns, say more than one million units of AS1M. Anyway, this 10 billion fixed price unit trust has a quota of 50%, 30%,15% and 5% for Bumiputeras,Chinese,Indians and other Malaysians respectively. Only the Bumi's portion is still available for subscription and that also look like only 0.72 billion units are left at current figures of unit holdings underscoring the high demand for this PNB unit trust.

Notwithstanding the lower comparative income distribution rate, historically for AS1M, this year's dividend is the highest since its launching in 2009 as follows:

YEAR                  DIVIDEND RATE
2010                             6.38
2011                             6.50
2012                             6.60
2013                             6.70

And so this is the final dividend declaration for PNB unit trusts for 2013. The next one will be in January 2014 for ASB and ASN and I would like to reserve my prediction on their income distribution rates!

Sources: BERNAMA, Businesstimes

Juan Gabriel - Asi Fue

Relaxing with Juan Gabriel, the evergreen Mexican singer and song composer. He has lasted all these years with this music which makes you want to move around the floor and sway and let yourself go and be free of any tension.

Check out his "Hasta que te conoci", the audience response is just tremendous and his interaction with them is nothing but spontaneous. Good music,natural singer,sensitive composer and responsive audience. What else do we want?

Good music is truly invigorating,refreshing and rejuvenating and believe it, healing as well. Have you all heard of Music Therapy?

MALAYSIA - 50 Years old today- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Together We Prosper

Today 16 September  in 1963 Malaysia was formed when Malaya (Malay Peninsula) , Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak came together to be one country but Singapore left us in 1965.

And today this country turns 50.

The significance of this date was largely ignored for some years till the people in Sabah and Sarawak promoted its significance vigorously. Without the two East Malaysian states there would not be MALAYSIA but just MALAYA. A fair argument indeed.

So let us celebrate today's date Malaysians! 50 years old and still together, fantastico!

Happy Malaysia Day!

Raul Di Blasio - Aguas de Invierno

At last I got hold of this musical piece which I used to love hearing and yes, dancing the Salsa with it at a five-star hotel I once stayed for two weeks while undergoing a course. It kept playing non-stop and no one seemed to know its title. It's very nostalgic for me because this has brought a flood of memories of things,foods, colleagues, guests' greeting on the corridor and helpful staffs.

I have not realised that it is performed by Raul di Blasio, a famous Brazilian pianist whose music Corazon De Nino is my all time piano musical piece favourite. I must thank the uploader for sharing this.

AMB Value Trust Fund (AMBVTF) - 2013 Income Distribution

Despite Bursa FBM KLCI against which AMBVTF is benchmarked,  having an uptrend this year, the 2013 gross income distribution declared on 06 September 2013 did not assume the same direction. Last year's distribution at 10 sen per unit was the last of a string of stellar performance since 2009 for the fund.

 All the same, the seven (7) sen per unit declared gross income distribution is translated into about 11% total return based on the calculation of capital return and income return. This is less than last financial year (2011/2012) as there was a decrease of about 8% in NAV recorded over the 2012/2013 financial year. Will have to wait for the report to see the actual total return.

The third week of July 2013 saw the NAV registering a high of 0.5699 and it gradually went down along with the  market's downward movement and just before the declaration of dividend,  it was at 0.5444 on 30 August. As expected after the dividend payment, the NAV decreased to 0.4709 on 02 September. And that was time to accumulate more units be it at 6.5% sales charge or if you acquired it online from FundSupermart, the sales charge is lower at 2%. My calculation shows that if I purchased 50k units at 0.4709 at sales charge of 6.5%, it is cheaper than if I were to purchase the same number of units at a higher NAV, say 0.5000 even at a discount rate of 3% sales charge.

As my initial fund is purchased from Maybank, I have decided to stick with it mainly owing to familiarity with the banker who goes out of her way to remind me regularly when the best time to purchase the units. The personal touch is important.

As stated in the prospectus the main focus of this fund is for capital growth as opposed to income distribution and the medium term period suggested is three to five years. The reason I like about this fund is the compulsory reinvestment of units generated by annual dividends. This suits me fine as I have set my target period of investment.

From May to November 2012, I had made four purchases at 3% sales charge. My first gross income distribution, duly reinvested, was at 10 sen per unit in September 2012. And as at end of financial year on 31 August 2013, with the second reinvested income distribution of seven sen minus fixed charges, my capital appreciation is approximately 15%. It is clear that  investing in this fund has given me  double the returns of all the other individual ASNB funds over a 15 -month period.

The return has motivated me to remain with the fund for the longer term despite the following examples of specific risks faced by AMBVTF (or any other mutual fund for that matter) :

• Market - volatility
• Individual Stock - fluctuation
• Credit/Default - on fixed income securities
• Interest Rate - up and down
• Currency - changing in value
• Country - socio-political turmoil
• Manager - non-compliance/fraud

Suffice to say the Fund has in place mitigation measures to reduce those risks.

True indeed!

But, really if you are worried about the risks, you should put your money regularly in the bank at 2-3% interest per annum with PIDM protection ( make sure you know the set maximum savings though). You may sleep better but you will have to work harder to create wealth and take longer to achieve your financial freedom.

Happy investing!

Beautiful Music in Any Language is Just As Wonderful

I came across this beautiful piece of music and would like to share with my musically-inclined blog readers. It's Japanese and I don't understand a word of what the singers are saying but the arrangement and melody coupled with the three groups of singers each with their unique sound are really entertaining for me. I heard it countless times and really enjoyed the medley sung with such gentleness and amazing intonation.... loved it!

Happy Eid - Selamat Hari Raya AidilFitri 2013

Wishing all my Muslim blog readers a Happy and Joyous Eid and Selamat hari Raya AidilFitri Maaf Zahir dan Batin. Watch out what and how much you eat during those gathering of loved ones, relatives and friends. Most of the fares doled out during the one-month celebration are both sweet and fatty and gassy. The tastiest are made of such delectable stuff.

Many of my Muslim patients have lost about 2 kg after one month of fasting but they are likely to put it on again in less than one month. It is important to think again before you take that next mouthful of "rendang" a sweetly spicy meat slowly cooked in coconut milk for hours.

I was at a relative's place on the first day of Hari Raya and noticed the "traditional fares", glutinous rice packed into bamboos (lemang), "palas" leaves (ketupat), chicken curry, rendang galore,cabbage and tofu in coconut milk, peanut sauce (kuah kacang) and bottles of coke,sarsi and orange drinks, cakes and cakes and cakes in all shapes,colors and sizes! And to think that the head of the household is a diabetic with a recent fasting blood sugar of 29mmol/L! (target range 4.1 to 6.1 mmol/L).

Festive Ketupat and Rendang- High fat and carbohydrates

It's so easy to overeat when you are with your relatives and friends, sharing stories,friendly banters and pleasant "Hari Raya" songs in the background. Some people were joking and promising to exercise more after the celebration as they gleefully helped themselves. A real festive binging on foods and drinks.

Just remember that Moderation is a virtue 

Omega-3 Fish Oil - A Healthy Heart or A Healthy Prostate

As always the case, many of my patients would ask about the goodness or advantages of their food or vitamin supplements. Many of them are led to taking these through friends' recommendations, media advertisements and lo and behold, even through their GPs (general practitioners)! some of these errant doctors even sell those vitamins at their clinics. My training has persuaded me to regard  this as unethical. Anyway this is beside the point.

I always tell my patients that for as long as they are healthy, not suffering from terminal diseases,   and have good appetite they should stick to taking a balanced diet suggested by the food pyramid. It is better to take natural foods as the body is physiologically familiar with them. Fresh fruits and vegetables contain vitamins that the body needs. Supplements may contain other chemical contaminants and artificial food stabilisers like colouring and taste at the point of processing and production.

One of the supplements highly touted to be advantageous to people suffering from heart or cardiovascular disease is omega-3 fish oil. Many of my patients take these capsules and I had earlier not much information on the long-term effects and have therefore remained rather neutral on my advice.

Omega-3 Fish oil capsules - Net Image

But the latest research findings on the link  between omega-3 fish oil and risk of prostate cancer, which confer with an earlier finding in 2011 is rather worrying. Prostate cancer especially the high grade classification is usually fatal. As suggested by the researchers here more studies need to be undertaken to determine the specific mechanisms linking this finding in prostate cancer patients with high level of blood omega-3 fatty acids, I would suggest to my elderly male patients who don't have cardiovascular disease indicators such high triglycerides level to stop taking this supplement for the time being.

Apparently it doesn't matter from which sources you take this omega-3 oil, dietary intake or supplement, you have to be aware that a high level of this fat may not be good to your prostate. I suppose omega fish oil capsule taken daily would have exposed your system to a more sustained high level of it.

It is important to note that unless a properly planned research is done we might not know the effects of any medications/supplements on our body. Some of these scientific research are triggered by cluster observations of people coming down with a certain condition and a search for links is made and findings are required to be reproducible by other groups using similar methodology and later peer-reviewed and published in reputable medical journals.

Anyway, omega-3 oil may be beneficial for the heart and its "required" blood level may have been established but then people are different in their response to their metabolism and certain factors like enzymes may affect the level in different individuals. Hence what is fine to a patient may not be so in another.

What about women taking this omega-3 fatty acid supplement? There is some suggestion here that might be beneficial for breast cancer but there is no focussed research but only a meta-analysis of 21 studies the individual methodology of which are important to look at before they can be accepted.

What 2000 Calories Looks Like

Have you ever wondered why you are getting bigger despite eating so little? It is the content of food that matters and not the size. The daily calorie requirement of an average size man is 2000 and if you eat pizza daily plus all other foods like ice cream and biscuit especially without exercises, you sure will have excess calories which your body turns to FAT! So be aware of what you eat. Choose wisely and live longer with good health.

Watch the above video if you want to know what 2000 Calories "look like".

( Obesity is usually food-related but can also be due to hormonal imbalance )

Chest XRays - Similar Symptoms, Different Infections

Two different men presented to my clinic. The first is a well-muscled, local, mid-thirties and working in a detention centre and I will call him LY. The second is a thin foreigner in his mid-forties, jobless and hard of hearing and I will refer him as FS.

LY came with a complaint of recurrent and unrelenting coughs for more than two months. He also experienced evening sweat and fever. His appetite was low and he had lost a lot of weight recently. He also gave a history of having slept in the same room as an inmate diagnosed as having tuberculosis. His coughs were productive and sputum was yellowish and occasionally streaked with blood with incessant coughs.

FS had the same symptoms except his sputum tended to be frank blood (haemoptysis). In fact, through his mother who accompanied him, I learnt that he had no contact with a known PTB patient.

Whilst LY's sputum came back negative for AFB (Acid fast bacilli) on all three good specimens, FS's was positive on the first sputum sample. There is no doubt as to FS's diagnosis and his chest xray showed the lesions on his upper left lungs. He was promptly treated with an anti-tuberculosis regime.

FS's chest x-ray showed more "stormy" picture of the lung with two cavitating lesions at the apex of the left lung. Though  most TB lesions tend to be in the apical region of the right lung  due to the more vertical position of the right bronchus, it can also occur on the left upper lobe.

LY's chest x-ray - clear apices with parahilar lesions.
Sputum AFB -ve and treated for community acquired pneumonia
and referred for further evaluation partly due to abnormal left cardiac border.

FS's chest x-ray - cloudy apex of left lung with cavitating lesions
more "snow storm" noted - Sputum AFB +ve and treated for PTB

LY's chest xray showed parahilar solid lesions likely to be lymphatic enlargements. He was treated with a twin-course of antibiotics and returned three weeks later to report that his coughs had stopped and he was feeling a lot better.

Fearing that he might suffer from other conditions, I referred to the general Hospital for further evaluation like getting a CT (computerised tomography) of the thorax done on him. His chest x-ray picture had not really changed after two weeks of the antibiotics course. Apparently, according to the respiratory physician, post-treatment lung changes might take a longer time to resolve.

Using chest x-rays alone are not sufficient in making a diagnosis of PTB (pulmonary tuberculosis), the sputum analysis is the gold standard for confirmatory tests. By the same token, it is not enough by just having a plain history as the symptoms are similar in fact, LY's contact with a PTB inmate had convinced me that he was suffering from PTB.

ASD and ASM - 2013 Dividend Declarations

Yesterday 14 June PNB (Permodalan Nasional Berhad), declared dividend for its Unit Trust ASD (Amanah Saham Didik) for financial year ending 30 June 2013 at 6.80 sen per unit. This is 0.20 sen more than last financial year at 6.60. The increase is due to better unit trust performance with a recorded gross income of RM400.61 million

PNB Chairman Ahmad Sarji (Left) with President and CEO
Ahmad Kamah Piah  at the income distribution
Announcement  for ASD 2013

 A total of RM 307.36 million, an increase of 11 per cent compared with last year's RM 276.92 million, will be distributed to 340,947 ASD unit holders who collectively own 4.5 billion units of ASD.

This dividend rate appears to indicate that other fixed-price Unit Trusts in the PNB stable such as ASW,ASM and AS1M have declared or will issue a similar income distribution. The good news, however, should take into account the inflation rate that has the habit of increasing annually. 

For some investors the receipt of dividend is a time to take out their investment for planned purchase or spending while for others it is an opportunity for reinvestment to enjoy that compounding magic. 

Apparently this is the time also for keen Bumi investors to pick up more units as ASD units are becoming hard to get as more Bumiputra investors are becoming savvy in planning for their retirement nest egg. Having PNB unit trusts in investors' portfolio is a good strategy to derive regular income for saving purposes.

Last March ASM declared a dividend of 6.50 with 0.30 special income  making the distribution also at 6.80 sen per unit. The income distribution entailed a total payout of RM 913.85 million, an increase of 11.6% from RM 818.62 million paid out in 2012. There are 542,809 ASM unitholders who hold 13.44 billion units which are more than double that of ASD. A similar increase in income performance of the two unit trusts is also noted. ASM is obviously a bigger trust than ASD and is open to both Bumi and non-Bumi. ASM has been fully subscribed for a number of years now.

Am waiting for dividends declaration for AS1M to be credited on October 1 2013 and  I expect it to be also at 6.80 if not at 6.50 with a special income distribution of 0.30 sen per unit as well. Have not really scrutinised which stocks on Bursa AS1M is heavily invested in but I am sure they are profitable counters.

Sources: The Edge, Businesstimes and Staronline

MERS- Is It A Developing Threat?

I came across this news report (read here) on a novel coronavirus referred to as MERS or Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome virus which has apparently claimed lives in Saudi Arabia. The virus causes high fever,respiratory symptoms such as coughing and difficulty breathing and leading to rapid kidney failure. It sounds similar to SARS or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome virus which precipitated a global scare back in 2003 when 800 people were reported to have succumbed to the disease.

A MERS coronavirus is shown in this colorized transmission electron micrograph.

Photograph by: THE CANADIAN PRESS , HO-US National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases-RML Beth Fischer

Considering that million of people the world over perform a pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia annually, the virus could have the potential of being spread far and wide. I hope the Saudi Health Authorities will act on this public health concern by getting the cooperation of the World Health Organisation or WHO (Read here) to collaborate with it. The concerning feature of this new virus is that it has a high fatality rate.

Unprecedented global cooperation to fight SARS ten years ago resulted in the threat being prevented from inflicting greater morbidity and mortality. The current lack of information flow from Saudi Arabia is worrying.

As it is a new virus, there is no vaccine against it and the mode of transmission which is airborne poses a danger of very rapid spread unless cases are quickly detected and quarantined. Public health measures and personal hygiene need to be promoted.

It is advisable to be overcautious than waiting for the threat to be full blown and becomes a health crisis.

More articles  here.