Here is a valuable lesson for all parents – open a bank account for your children before they leave school.
It has been so long since I last opened an account that I forgot how crazy the process is.
My son wanted to apply for a part-time job while waiting for his SPM results. He attended several interviews.
At each one, the prospective employer asked for his banking details. He does not have one.
So, we went to the bank yesterday, hoping to open an account.
Unfortunately, the bank staff told us he could not open an account unless he had proof of income or a letter of offer from his prospective employer.
We told the staff that he had no income and that he had attended several interviews. We explained our predicament – that he could not get a job unless he had a bank account.
The staff was understanding but said there was nothing she could do.
“The rules are stricter now because of so many scammers,” she said apologetically.
She, however, suggested we open a student account. She said it was easy, as all we needed to do was prove that he was a student.
However, national schools do not issue student cards.
So now, the next step is to go to his secondary school and try to get a letter from them, which the staff assured me was easy, even though he had completed his SPM.
We have an appointment with the bank on Tuesday morning. I hope we can sort it out before I return to Subang Jaya that evening.
Separately, this was our first trip back to Bau, Kuching, in three years, to celebrate Gawai.
We could not come back in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the town – about 35km from the state capital – was packed.
We avoided going out, apart from the first day of Gawai on Wednesday, when we visited my brother-in-law.
Traffic was horrible, and there were so many vehicles on the roads that the town’s two Shell stations ran out of RON95 petrol.
But it was not just petrol that was in short supply. Poultry was also hard to come by, and we had to go to several outlets before we could get potatoes and some vegetables.
Luckily, the in-laws had stocked up on the other items.
It is good to be back for Gawai, but we were a tad disappointed that there were not many decorations around town.
In any case: Gayu Guru Gerai Nyamai (long life, health and prosperity).
ANOTHER DROP IN NEW CASES
There were 11,106 new Covid-19 cases in the past week, bringing the total to 4,512,040.
It was the third straight week that the number of new infections dropped.
The good news is that 13,421 people fought off the virus in the last seven days, making it 4,453,313 individuals who had recovered.
Sadly, there were 21 deaths in the past seven days. That means 35,638 people lost their fight with the coronavirus. That total included one fatality on Friday, matching the year’s daily low, set on May 9.
Worldwide, there are 534,770,208 infections, and 6,319,032 deaths.
ENJOY A CUP OF TEA, AND HELP SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT
Tomorrow is World Environment Day. This year’s theme is ‘Only One Earth’.
To celebrate, why not join BOH’s International Tea Day Photo Collage Activity that was launched on International Tea Day (May 21).
Smile, snap and share a photo of yourself enjoying a cuppa. For every photograph, Boh will donate RM5 to the Global Environment Centre.
To learn more, go to Boh’s Facebook page.
CELEBRATING THE HARVEST FESTIVALS
KL Big Band will hold a performance at Jalan Raja, Kuala Lumpur (Dataran Merdeka), tonight at 8.30pm in conjunction with Gawai and Kaamatan harvest festivals.
KL Big Band features members of the Kuala Lumpur Orchestra. Also performing are guest artistes from Sabah and Sarawak.
NO-BAKE BERRY CLOUD CAKE
Here is a unique no-bake dessert that looks like a cake but feels like you are eating a cloud. It is very fluffy and melts in your mouth.
SUNHAT SONG
Since it is the harvest season, here is Alena Murang with a Gawai-themed song.
Until next week, stay safe.
