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Tax Return 2010
For the third year, I did my own tax return to the Dutch Government. A pat on my shoulder. Well done! Saved my Euros from all the blood suckers. If I convert it to Malaysian Ringgit, it would be a month’s salary for a sales girl at one of the emporiums in Kota Kinabalu. Indeed! Euro money doesn’t seem much. What is €100 eh! It could be smart but knowing that I did the hole in my own pocket was not a clever thing to do. Let’s just say, I was just being lazy and lived my life to the fullest without having to think of the worst. (Let me tell you, the language did give me THE headache.)
That was before. Now, I can smile. 
It’s easy peasy as most of them are already filled in as I already have my logincode and my DigiD password (still with the dirt from the bin when I realised I threw it away 3 years ago). Once I’m in, I download the program. Most of the boxes are already filled in. My details (and spouse’s), my annual income, and some other details relate to the income tax. Since I have my own house, I have to fill in the details of what’s the market value of my house in 2010, the amount I’ve paid in the fiscal year and the amount that I still owe to the bank. Last year’s market value for the property was not favourable. So, if I were to sell this house, I would lose more than €50K. Not a good bargain indeed. So, a wise advice is to wait till the property value goes up again. I just hope I don’t lose all my teeth waiting.
Then, there are other details to be filled in. It’s interesting to know that I might get back the money I pay for the good cause monthly.
Check! I did. Once I read that I had to provide the bank statement showing those amounts and any other type of proof of payments, I uncheck the box. Why should I go through all this hassle and let strangers see what I do with my money (my bank statements show many transactions per page you see) ? I’ve never reported these as I remember the reason now. Let the gifts be gifts.
Once I reach the overview of my tax return, I feel relieved. I don’t care about all the amounts. My eyeballs work on finding the money I will get back for paying more than I should for my income or property. I do get back. Just a little but it is always nice to know to get a little (or nothing at all) than having to pay back. The signed and send button is there for me to press. But first. SAVE (as my printer’s cartridge is asking for a new one). Now send!
I got a notification that the “belastingdienst” received my declaration at “date” and “time”. Phew!
So, if you haven’t done yours. Please do it before the end of March 2011.
Download the digital Declaration form => Go to Aangifte 2010/ for Dutch or Tax Return 2010 for English
You must already have your logincode and DigiD password. The password you have to request yourself.
GOOD LUCK!
Banking Fraud
I don’t know how to title this blog. I just wanted to share my latest terrible experience.
It never occured to me that I could be a victim of the banking fraud. I don’t blame the bank. I am really greatful to the bank instead for notifying me what happened to my bank account.
Two weeks ago, I received an email from my bank. At first thought, it was just another spam. But I re-read the email and called the bank officer who sent the email to me. A receptionist picked up the phone and put it through to the officer, a Mr R. Unfortunately Mr R was not around so I hang up.
I tried to contact this person and finally I managed to get in touch with him. I had an appointment to come and see him on the next Thursday evening (which is ‘koopavond’, meaning shops are opened till 9pm). It was today.
Meeting a male and a female officers made me wonder, what’s going on? Mr R put a print out on the table and 3 others on another empty space. I had a fast screen on the first paper and saw in the first instance the name, address and some of the transactions. The name is not mine, neither is the address. I’m familiar with one transaction but the rest are ok (I thought).
Mr R started with asking me questions about me going to London in July in 2007. I said no. Then he said if I had done certain transactions during a certain period. I said, I was not sure. Then he said, this could be yours but what we feel weird about is this statement is from this year but the bank card numbering is from the years before 2007. He explained all other things and I didn’t know what to say at first. On another print out, I saw one transaction highlighted in pink. T-Mobile Netherlands 213.11 euros Debit. I checked other transactions and saw another one Kompas Telecommunicatie (studentmobiel.nl) 6.95 euros. Small amounts but how if it was 2000 euro or how if nobody noticed? I could be bankcrupt!
I went back to the first statement. I said to him, this name and address are not mine. He was shocked too as he didn’t notice that until when I told him. Asking him how they found out about this fraud, he told me that the mobile phone shop reported to the bank when he found out after he debited my bank that the name is not according to the bank statement that he was given by his customer. So, he reported to my bank and my bank investigated the issue.
Indeed, the address is not in the bank’s register and everything seems to be very doubtful.
After an hour discussion with Mr R, I decided to open a new account and close the current bank account. I went with the female banker to her office and she blocked the account so it won’t pay to anybody. I returned my credit card but kept my debit card so I could login to my online bank and print all the last statements.
I just don’t understand how this thing could happen to me, or to anybody. In 15 years of service at the same bank, this was Mr R’s first experience and guess who’s the lucky victim?
I learned my lesson. From now on I am going to be a good manager and organiser for myself. Losing EUR220 in September will not let me lose. I am going to file a report at the police station on Monday.
And my advice to you and of course to myself:
- Do not throw away any of your personal papers in one piece. Burn them if possible or cut them into small pieces.
- Always aware who you give your bank statement’s copies to.
- Check your bank statements often, possibly once a week per online banking. Otherwise you will lose your money if it is more than a week old.
I hope whoever did this to me (or to any of you) would not be prosper in his/her lifetime.
Random Talk Update
Helloooo. Have you missed me? Sorry for my long absence. That happens when one tries to live a life full of excitement. 
Apparently I’m not the only one who hasn’t updated her blog. I’ve been visiting my fellow bloggers and grinning from ear to ear when I saw their last post was in January or even last year December. 
Meaning I can be forgiven, can’t I?
Welcoming 2010 was not as merrier as last year. I didn’t invite many friends as last year’s but only my fellow Paparian girlfriend and her husband who live 7 minutes away from my place. I managed to make several photographs of the beautiful fireworks. As usual every year, I’ve been calling home in Sabah to share with my family the loud and noisy fireworks from here. Millions of Euros were spent for the fireworks alone. As it turned out, I’ve suffered homesick for the first time after more than a decade away from my country, my dear family and friends. It could also be for a reason that lead me to a certain tragedy.
The weather didn’t help much either. It had been cold, below zero degree Celcius and sometimes the real feel was far worse than the real temperature. For the first time after perhaps 20 years (according to my Dutch friends), the country was covered with lots of snow for weeks. I had so much fun taking pictures at first but then the fun went away when I was infected by some viruses. Depression in winter time is normal due to the lack of sun and positive mind. I did my best to be happy and to look happy when I realised I have eye-bags. Not sure if it would help but no harm trying, right? 
Oh, did I mention that it’s January and the Year-End crazyness was here? Did I also mention that I managed to get my butt of my desk for a couple of weeks? Ha! Gotcha! I had a nice resting weeks but still I had to work even from my dreams. Sucks!
I wish to share some photos with you but I am so hungry now that I do not have time to edit the photos and upload them here. I know it’s past 8pm already but I just can’t help from not eating every 1 or 2 hours. (The reason why I don’t share my latest photos with you.)
I might be back to tell you other tales. But I can’t promise. Anyway, it’s almost Chinese New Year and also Valentine’s day. I would like to wish my Chinese family, relatives and friends GONG XI FA CAI, WAN SHI LU YI.
Who wants ang pow?
My New Year Eve’s Nightmare
In a few more hours and it’s the New Year’s Eve. I can’t imagine that it will be the 11th or 12th time that I’m welcoming the new year far away from my home sweet home.
Tomorrow will be my last working day for 2009. (Yes! Sad but true. I DO work tomorrow. I enjoy though as I get to leave work early.)
However, I am not so sure if I dare to leave the metro station tomorrow and walk to my home. The silly, selfish, mad people have already started playing the firecrackers. Every year I have to pray hard that they would leave me alone. I hate those loud thing and just a few centimeters away from my feet. It is dangerous!
I guess I will just have to pretend that nothing is happening as it is every year. What a nightmare it will be! Bummer!
Free Sites Dilemma
(To my family, relatives and friends out there.)
My Space, Facebook, Friendster, Twitter, Linkedin and the list goes on.
Questions of how safe the sites are have been going on for quite some time. But no one knows (in my ring of friends and acquaintances of course) what the damage it can do to one.
Sharing your personal information to these sites might get you into trouble: hacked, spammed, scammed, etc. The last thing you know, you can’t even enter your account with the special-password-only-you-know because it got hacked.
Being the curious person as I am, I don’t mind setting up an account on Facebook, Friendster or even Linkedin.
So tonight I had my Linkedin set up. But after a few minutes, I thought of checking how secure Linkedin is. Well! This is what I’ve found out. Or you can also read another article at eweek here. I guess you know by now what’s my next action was.
Indeed! I disabled the new account. (What a waste of time setting it up! Alright, finger’s pointing at ‘moi’.)
Next!
Well! Since I’ve deleted most of my photo albums at those free sites, now I’m going to edit the profile and also delete the remaining photos still displayed there. The next move will be to remove my name from all the tags of friends’ photos.
Why all these hasles, you might ask.
Simply because I don’t want my photos being used by those parties (whom I’ve agreed on their terms and condition upon signing up in their sites that I may allow them to use any of my photos without my consent.)
Another reason is just because I don’t want to sabotage my beloved family or friends’ faces by putting up their photos on those free sites when suddenly you found out that their beautiful faces or even caught-in-the-act photos are attached to a site that I-don’t-even-dare-to-mention.
I’m not giving you a bad idea but just think and act before it damages your (perhaps) wonderful life.
Further: check out all the terms and conditions of all the free sites you are using including those photos site. Unless if you don’t mind sharing your work (i.e. photographs) being used by other parties without giving you any credits.
Wet and Cold Summer
3 Sept 2009
Believe it or not, we were entering the autumn season although it was still 18 days away from the 3rd.
My red umbrella was a bit damaged, I was cold and wet, not to mention the hair as if it was attacked by an eagle (copying my friend’s Cher expression). That was between my office building, near the Central Station, and the Plaza. OK, it was a short “heavy” rain on its way to God-knows-where with a strong wind that almost blew me away.
I guess we have to wear autumn-jacket now. I miss the summer already.
Escapade
The closing for this month went smoothly although there was a very “interesting” issue happening after everything was closed. I might say we handled it perfectly up to now. I am not sure what is coming our way next week. I might get another bombshell from the partners which I’m not looking forward to.
My week at work was a disaster. I dare say that all I remember doing was looking straight at the machine the whole day while on my desk and counting the speadsheet cells, or walk like it’s nobody’s business (not sure when I was turned into a robot) and even ate nothing but a heartache. Head spinning and foul tasting, I wished I was somewhere deserted. But hell, no. I was in the middle of an old building with thousand pairs of eyes and mouth to prevent me from screaming out loud.
As the minute passed by each moment, I got weaker and weaker. So all I could think of was to get the hell out of here. Tonight either to the clubs that I’ve abandoned a year ago or to a movie. No, going home shouldn’t be a good idea at this moment as the brain might do its work again and creating the already dark circles around the eyes.
G: “Any plans for lunch?”
J: “None so far. Want to go out?”
G: “Yep, should be fun again.”
So, I had a date with a male colleague! Eventually accompanied by another 3 male colleagues. With 4 men as my bodyguards, I was sure sweating. Don’t get me wrong, it’s hot here in Rotterdam. The passionfruit and mango icecream at Australian introduced by G with the combination of sweet and sour was really delicious. Instead of 30 minutes lunch time, we reached office the next 1.30-hour.
Back to work, I felt the waive back (not that I didn’t feel it during the walk with the guys). My eyes were heavy and the heart was breaking. Fortunately, the American Hongkese manager with a pitching voice told us about his educational experience at the gay parade in Amsterdam when the guys asked him whether he would go for the dance parade tomorrow. His another experience with a gay pastry chef was sure creating the quietness in the office to a sfere of a male club, loud and clear. As a non-gay fellow, he got this remark from his pastry chef, “Your hand is as straight as an arrow.” It sure was the words of the day for them. As for me, I got an unfinished business and so here I was back to my mobile phone again.
It’s Friday and Rotterdam is full of Friday-night-life-visitors. As it happened, I was in to that. A JD on the rocks did do me good. Just an escapade for once in a blue moon thingy.
Some News
It’s 2.08 am and I’m bored. Reading the textbook won’t do me any good anymore at this wee hour.
So, next… go surfing. Aaahh… the news, right. After a decade away from them, I think I get something pretty exciting to read about tonight.
So.. our Volendam cute singer and his pretty actress girlfriend are going to separate. Is this telling me that both Jan Smit and Yolanthe are no longer a couple? So, what’s the big deal? They both in the show biz. Tired of you, goodbye. Or, I’ve found someone else, so see ya.
Gheez!
This could be a big news for their fans. And I… carry on to the next one.
Another Dutch celebrities will sign their divorce papers. Is he Dutch anyway? Adam Curry does sound English. Not that I am ignorant but this happens all the time in their world, so why bother? OK. So, Mr Curry has an eye on someone else and therefore Patricia Paay has to say goodbye to England. I wonder what they are going to do with the DVDs of their family show as the happy family a couple of years ago.
Oh well.. next…
