Monday, November 12, 2007

No more B$ 1.50

*sobs*

I had thought in my life this will happened. NEVER!
And I have no idea how did it happened...
Okay laaa... I know how actually. I just want to sound like a drama queen, or king. That's all.

Hai..... Read it yourself [link].
NO! WAIT! Don't click first!
Get some tissues first, because it's so heart-wrenching.

Just by looking at the title already want to cry liao...



OVER?! No more! Habis! Tidak akan happen lagi!

Our famous Seria $1.50 Kolomee is going to change, to $1.80. I naively thought that it's only happening to "Seria" kolomee, KB (Kuala Belait) won't be affected. Hai.... How stupid can I be?



One of my favorite place to eat out,


We (as in my best buds and I) eat there quite often, almost all the Sundays provided none of us is missing. We would ordered porridges, fried kueh tiaw, mee hoon, cakoi and whatever that we felt like eating. Its really exaggerating when the food came in one go and people actually thought we had friends who hadn't come.

Chopsticks, spoons, dishes, cut chillies, grind chillies, dark soya sauce, tooth pick, pepper, light soya sauce. These are the standard stuffs you'll see on everyday table. Basically everything you need to make your food taste the way you want it.




And this, *points below* a MUST TRY!!!


I just like the classic feeling of eating from porcelain bowl and spoon. A big bowl of porridge, B$1.50.


Ling-mong panas, B$0.50.


But this fairy tale will only last till 14th November 2007. They're going to increase the price starting 15th November 2007. So you who hasn't try eating there, you must not miss out the chance to eat the final B$1.50 food + B$0.50 hot drinks.

B$2.00 for a scrumptious and filling breakfast, where to find?

(Don't you dare tell Nasi Katok only B$1.00. Different okay, one Chinese food, one Malay food. Don't compare. I'm talking about cheap Chinese food!)



All food will increase by $0.30.

Meaning,
kolomee / meehoon/ keuh tiaw/ lausu fen- $1.80
fried keuh tiaw/ mee/ meehoon/ lausu fen - $1.80
porridge - $1.80



As for the price for drinks and roti kahwin(s), see it for yourself.



I was thinking,

"If its the rising cost of wheat flour that caused the price increase for the food, why drinks are affected too? We don't use flour to make drinks, do we?"

Thus I asked the auntie (who can already call out my name because I'd start drinking her Milo Ping since 2) why was that. She told me its the Government who asked them to do so. Hmmm....


* * * * *


It was nice for the uncle (hawker) to tell us about the price increase. They informed their customers a week before they implement the new price, just in case anyone will kua-kua-jiao (bising-bising). I bet some of you thought I was saying the male reproductive organ when read the words in red.

Vicky (my colleague) told me that the same thing happened in Seria Mien-Tang (Food stalls). Two men went there for breakfast and ordered kolomee. And when they asked for the bills (as if there's cash bills/ receipts. Hahahhaa!), it gave them quite a shock.

Guess what they did, they just yelled at the poor hawker and said they wouldn't pay for it and walked off. How barbarian is that?

I mean, if you're not happy with the price increase, or you feel cheated, maybe you can just give what you think it's reasonable to pay. Yo dude, you bloody ate that bowl of kolomee liao leh.. How can you just walked away like that? Daylight robbery man!

*huff*

Anyway, back to the topic.

So I was saying, you only have 2 days left to enjoy cheap foods. Restaurants are not affected. At least not the chicken rice + rojak + sotong + cucur udang + kangkong stalls located at the Simpur Gerai.

(I had lunch there today and kaypo-ed about it, Kaypo = busybody. By the way, I had a really weird encounter and rather annoying there. Will blog about it later.)

Can someone tell me why,


When all prices increase,
why does our salaries remain unchanged?



I guess that's #1 unsolved mysteries in the whole wide world that everyone is dying to know.

35 comments:

Hungryduo said...

boh pien loh... inflation.. =(

big bottle, small bottle, plastic glass.. i don't get it.. referring to soft drinks kah?

- Hunnie <3

Anonymous said...

Har really go up??? Aduh... Ei next time tapao for me can or not? :P

BTW I update and will continue to do so... so dont say I never update ah!

Anonymous said...

"When all prices increase,
why does our salaries remain unchanged?"

Salaries do get adjusted in relation to inflation. A quote from Wiki 'Inflation is defined as a sustained increase in general price levels over a period of time. It is measured as the growth of the money supply in an economy, without a commensurate increase in the supply of goods and services. This results in a rise in the general price level as measured against a standard level of purchasing power. There is a variety of inflation measures in use, related to different price indices, because different prices affect different people.'

At present, the average annual inflation rate in Brunei is 2.7%. Someone has to decide if the increase in costs is temporary or permament enough to let it be or start doing something to offset that change, respectively.

Having said this, I'm not so much bothered by this YET. Our single biggest 'evil' from what I've observed is our obsession with buying cars, cars that cost anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 for the average-earning consumer. We're a nation of people living on credit and instead of changing to live within ones means, we dig a deeper hole for ourselves to satisfy a lust for things we desire but do not need. There, I've said it ... [Jan gets off the soapbox now]

Coming back to the kolomee stall, sigh the biggest disappointment has been relocating the Seria business owners that for generations had been intimately nestled next to Telekom Building. Just talk to any of the business owners there now and see if there are still getting the sort of traffic they used to. Patrons sensitive to this price hike may decide to just stay home with their newfound love for Mi Goreng or Maggi Noodles ... oh wait, costs of instant noodles would also be affected, wouldn't they?

Nonnie King said...

Hunnie : Nope, its for tapao drinks like Teh-C or kopi. Here they use bottles from soya sause, tomato and chilli sauce.

Alex : Can of course, but when will you go BSB again? I know la, you enjoy climbing trees with monkeys ma.

Wah seh, no wonder it was raining heavily yesterday, rupanya got people update blog. Kweng kweng kweng.

Jan : Don't say so soon, you'll never know when are they going to increase the price of Indomee. Serious, the whole relocation and price increase matter kinda push me away from the kolomee.

I just don't like to eat at the new place (I have problems finding the stalls I want to eat) and paying $0.30 more doesn't bring me extra fish cakes or charsiew.

Anonymous said...

Hi Nonnie,
Have pity on people like us downunder. Here we pay 3-4 times your quoted price for a plate of kolomee, and it's not even tasty. That's why I tend to order 2 plates of each whenever I get a chance to go to Seria or KB.
Distant Hermit

Unknown said...

Playing the monkeys is nice! you should try it. When you're bored try playing with the crocs. Thats fun too hehehe... Wah... blame me for the rain just cos I update my blog? (finally) Should thank me!

Jewelle said...

Oh no, this is not good...hope they won't start on the chicken rice too

Anonymous said...

This is just like how our parents experience back in their days that $1 seems like very big and we are now seeing that money become smaller with prices slowly increase. In future when we tell our children or grandchil that kolo mee used to cost $1.50 - $2, they would find it hard to believe.

Also...I haven't get to buy myself a cheap kolo mee yet and by the time i go back Brunei, I won't have the opporunity :(

Thanis Lim said...

The end of the 1.50 kolomee ... T_T If you notice those pizza hut selling one slice one? Last time was only $1.8 per slice ... nowadays you see the price per slice ... almost $2.70.

Inflation is ..... sigh...

Nonnie King said...

DIstant Hermit: Awwwww... Kasian. Something that I can get everyday without problem seems so far away from you. Maybe I shouldn't whine so much about it.

Alex Playing the monkeys, or playing WITH monkeys? Very different eh. I'll tell you when I need a free car wash, will park my car in an open area and get ready with the car shampoo. Save water mah.

Jewelle : I no eye see if chicken rice also naik harga. Just ask my super mom to try cook for me, somemore can eat as much as I want.

Nonnie King said...

Pui : Eh, got spelling mistakes. Apa tu "Opporunity" and "Grandchil"?

Thanis : Eat at home better, go out eat keep on having heart attack when the bill comes.

Iwan said...

hmm nonnie,
expenses will increase, costs will oso increase..

hahaha!

from what i learnt in school, the value of $$$ will never depreciates..

so its unlikely that the price will drop. at most it will be stagnant..

haahhaa!

but since u like the food, no choice bah?

Paupau said...

don't really have any comments on that,cuz the price of wheat and so on also increases in m'sia.so tired looking at the price going up and up and up...=_=..

btw,my brunei friend wanna tell you that she's also very very sad about that inflation..she can't get to eat very cheap char kuey teow anymore..=/

Anonymous said...

You are so lucky you can still find food under $2 :(

Unknown said...

Hey Nonnie! Good news got answer from Uni already!!!

Anonymous said...

But still I am thankful that Brunei don't follow Malaysia in simply increasing price frequently. Sorry Nonnie, I mean 'Opportunity' and 'Child'. ;p

Anonymous said...

Bobby: I totally agree with you on price hikes. I guess we can all blame on the ongoing war, no war would mean that oil prices wouldnt be sky high. Then come to think about it Brunei won't be able to sell its oil & gas products at ridiculously profitable prices... hmmm~

Nonnie: Thankfully our chicken is mostly supplied locally if not die lor. Chicken rice also go up. I'm faily certain at if the international oil & gas price remain at nearly USD$100, those everyday things that we use would go up since Brunei import a lot of things. That's what's going on in neighbouring countries which rely heavily on importation.

Blame it on the stupid war! Curse that monyet...

Anonymous said...

This is life... Everything price up up up... Just our salary remind the same. =P

Nonnie King said...

Iwan : Mm... I guess its okay since I only eat there once a week.

Pau Lene : CUt down the intake lor, what to do?

Still I'm glad that Brunei case better than Malaysia. At least price of petrol not skiy high.

Sha : Yeah, I know Singapore can rarely get food under $2. At least I still got $1 nasi katok.

Nonnie King said...

Bobby : *kiss*

Alex : Awaa.. Go get your monkeys from Temburong and teach him a lesson.

Jayce : We should be glad we still have a job with salary lagi. Else, really die lor.

Horny Ang Moh said...

Hi Noonie! U r lucky only 30cts increase! Over here in boleh land increase is even more! No money nowaday! I have even offer myself up for sale! Anyone want a cute 'orang utan' ....very skillfull in pokeing????
Have a nice day!

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