Just An Ordinary Girl

Photo By: Elin Chow

My husband have been wanting to visit Hong Kong for a long time, but did not really have the chance to. The decision to visit Hong Kong was practically made for us when AirAsia was having a promotion for flight to Macau. Since my husband and I have not been to Macau before, we figured that it will be a good idea to take advantage of this promotion.

Initially, we intended to visit Macau for 5 days 4 nights. But eventually, we have to change our plans due to the ridiculously high hotel rates in Macau during the weekend. Hotel rates generally doubled during the weekend in Macau and we had difficulty finding a decent hotel room in Macau that was within our budget. So we decided allocate two days of our five days trip to Hong Kong instead. Or to be exact, we only had one and a half day in Hong Kong.

Normally I will find two days a little short to see and experience a city, but after two days in Hong Kong, we just could not wait to leave. It is not like that we have seen every part of the city. But I just find it boring. Unbearably boring.

Well, this was actually my third time visiting Hong Kong, so I think it is perfectly understandable if I find the city boring and dull. I have been to most of the popular tourist attractions in Hong Kong - Hong Kong Disneyland, Ocean Park, Victoria Peak, Victoria Harbor, bustling shopping districts and night markets. I believe there are nothing much more for me to do or see except to eat and drink all day long.

But for my husband and parents-in law who were visiting Hong Kong for the first time, I thought this will be a more interesting experience for them, which surprisingly, was not the case. Just like me, they actually find Hong Kong strangely depressing and dull too.

Hong Kong is a small, crowded, fast-paced multi-culture city packed with skyscrapers. On the first impression, the skyline of Hong Kong does looks impressive. But after awhile, everything just get boring. We wanted to re-visit a few of the popular tourist attractions again, but realized that we will not have sufficient time for that. So we flew in to Hong Kong without having a set itinerary and decided to let everything goes with the flow.

We arrived at Macau International Airport at 6 pm and made our way to the taxi stand right after clearing the immigration. From the taxi stand, we took a taxi from the airport to Taipa Outer Harbour to catch a ferry to Hong Kong.

There are three ways to get to Hong Kong from Macau: by ferry, by helicopter and by plane. Taking the ferry is the most popular way among the three. It is very convenient, fast and of course, the cheapest way to travel.

At Taipa Outer Harbour, we bought ferry tickets to Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal located in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. There are two main Macau ferry operators from Hong Kong - TurboJet and CotaiJet. We chose Turbojet because it offers a higher frequency of sailing. TurboJet ferry runs every 15 minutes while CotaiJet ferry only runs every 30 minutes between Macau and Hong Kong. There is no need for you to book the ferry tickets in advance (except during the peak season). You can simply approach the ticket counter at the Harbour to purchase your ticket.

The ferry ride took approximately an hour. It will probably takes you 15 minutes by helicopter, which will cost you a whopping HKD 400 each way. Flights departs daily every 30 minutes from 9 am to 11 pm.  Unfortunately, we were not able to take the private helicopter from Macau to Hong Kong due to budget constraint. So, the ferry was actually a great alternative.


We arrived at Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal located in Shun Tak Centre, a commercial and transport complex. The complex comprises of a 4-storey podium containing a shopping center and car park, two 38-storey office towers, a bus terminal and the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal.

During our two days in Hong Kong, we stayed in Ibis Hotel Central & Sheung Wan. Ibis Hotel Central & Sheung Wan is a 3-star hotel located in the heart of Sheung Wan, just 8 minutes walk away from the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal and Sheung Wan Station of the MTR. Our reason for choosing this hotel was due to its proximity to public transportation. It will be convenient for us to travel around the city and to Macau without much hassle.

Once we cleared the custom and immigration, we made our exit out of Shun Tak Center and spent the next 30 minutes looking for our hotel. It was late and we could not access to the google map on our mobile devices because we did not have WiFi connection. We did not purchase a local SIM card or rent a pocket WiFi in advance because we were too confident that we would be able to locate the hotel easily.

But we did not expected that it will so difficult to find the way in the dark. It was almost 9 pm and we were starving and tired. The last meal we had was at 12 pm. All we wanted was to check into our room and rest for the night. After asking directions from a convenience store staff, we finally managed to find our way to our hotel.

Check in process was fast and hassle-free. After putting our luggage in the room, we went out on the streets again, searching for something to fill our empty stomach. We were surprised to find most of the restaurants around the area were closed by 9.00 pm and had to search hard to find one that was still open. The entire street was empty and dark on a Saturday night. We could barely see anyone walking on the streets after dark.

I finally got my Income Tax Refunds for year 2014 and 2015 from the Inland Revenue Board Malaysia (IRBM), also known as Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (LHDN) last week, and I am excited to share my experiences on how I managed to get my excess tax payments refunded to me. Hopefully this will be useful to those who are in the same situation as me.

Please note that all the information that I have shared in this post are solely based on my personal experience and are subject to change in accordance with any amendments to any rules and regulations made by IRBM. Although I am not a tax expert, I will still do my best to help as much as I could.

Determining The Tax Resident Status

In Malaysia, an individual's tax liability is determined by his tax resident status. The tax residence status is determined by the physical presence of an individual in Malaysia and not by his nationality or citizenship. As such, please note that the citizens of Malaysia are not automatically tax resident. The following rules governing the determination of tax residence of an individual will still apply even when you are a citizen of Malaysia.

In general, an individual is not considered a non-tax resident if his duration of stay in Malaysia is not more than 182 days in the calendar year. As a non-tax resident, he will be taxed at a flat rate of 26% (reduced to 25% for assessment year of 2015 onward) and will not enjoy any tax incentives and rebates offered by the government.

Tax-residents, on the other hand, are taxed at a lower rate of 0% to 26% and are able to enjoy various tax incentives that will reduce their net taxable income considerably. Generally, the question of determining an individual's tax status would not arise if he has resided in Malaysia permanently.


I moved to Malaysia in September 2013, where I managed to secure my first employment in December 2013. Having only been in Malaysia for 3 months (which was less than 182 days), I was taxed at a flat rate of 26% and was unable enjoy any tax incentives and rebates.

I only became a tax resident in April 2014 after I continuously stayed in Malaysia for more than 182 days. Before April 2014, I was paying 26% of my monthly income to income tax. The amount of tax is automatically deducted from my monthly income through the Potongan Cukai Berjadual (PCB), also known as the Monthly Tax Deduction (MTD) system by my employer. The employer will then remit the sum deducted from my monthly income to Inland Revenue Board Malaysia (IRBM) the following month.

I am taxed at a lower resident rate of 0% to 26% only after I became a tax resident in April 2014. Becoming a tax resident has significantly reduced the amount of monthly tax deductions from my income. In year 2015, I received two EA forms from my employers (I worked in two different companies in year 2014). From the EA forms that I have received from my employers, I added up my total amount of income in year 2014 and filed my Income Tax Returns via the e-filing system in April 2015. You may want to check up my How To Do E-Filling For Income Tax Returns In Malaysia blog post if you do not how to file your Income Tax Returns in Malaysia.

Although taxpayers who are subjected to MTD are not required to file their Income Tax Returns Form (ITRF) if such monthly tax deductions constitute their final tax, it is recommended for them to still file their tax if they would like to reduce their taxable income through various tax reliefs and rebates. Usually, you will find that you have actually overpaid their taxes after taking in all the incentives and rebates offered by the government.

Do not worry if you have paid your income tax payment in excess via the MTD as the excess amount will be reimbursed to you via the bank account details you have provided in the Income Tax Returns Form. Although it can be a very difficult and tedious process, this is the only way where you can get your excess tax payments back.

Being a tax resident, I am able to enjoy tax incentives including personal and family rebates. After taking advantage of all the deductions that are available to me, I am expected to get a significant amount of my tax payments back for the year 2014. So I waited excitedly for my Tax Refund to be transferred to my bank account. However, I did not my Tax Returns within the stipulated 30-day time frame.

In May 2015, I received a letter from IRBM informing me that they will hold my 2014 Tax Refund for the time being. In addition to that, I was also asked to clarify whether my taxes are paid by my employer or me, and if I would like to have my Tax Returns back, I would have to contact IRBM.

I tried to call LHDN several times but could get through, so I gave up eventually and decided to see how things will go next year. Unfortunately, the same thing happens again this year 2016. I did not receive my excess tax payments for year 2015 after filing my tax in April 2016.

Tax Refunds

Most taxpayers should get their Tax Refunds credited directly into their bank account within 30 days after filing their income tax returns via e-filing. Please ensure that the bank account details provided in your Income Tax Returns are correct. Your name and identification number under the bank account should match with the records that are provided in the Income Tax Return Form.

For taxpayers who refused to disclose their bank account details to the IRBM, they will be reimbursed by cheques, which will soon be replaced by the Tax Refund Voucher System (BBBC).

The Tax Refund Voucher System was recently introduced by the IRBM to reduce cost incurred in issuing cheques. It is meant to be a faster, cheaper and more effective way to refund excess tax payments to taxpayers. Through the implementation of the Tax Refund Voucher System, IRBM hopes to reduce the number of individual tax payers who do not furnish bank account details and to address the cheating cases that have occurred.

Highly secured and protected by a bio metric system, the Tax Refund Voucher can only be cashed out at a CIMB branch or banked in a CIMB account. Please note that the Vouchers cannot be used to shop or exchange any goods or services.
Online Feedback Form

There is a possibility that IRBM might want to audit your tax returns if you have not received your Tax Refunds within 30 days. If you have not received your Tax Refunds and would like to enquire the status of it, you can either:

1. Forward your application to the Collection Unit of the branch where your tax file is located, or

2. Complete and submit via the Online Feedback Form, or

3.Call the IRBM toll free number 1800-88-5436

I tried to call IRBM toll free number several times in May 2015 and 2016, but could not get through. So, in June 2016, I decided to make use of the Online Feedback Form to inquire about the status of my Tax Refunds for year 2014 and 2015. I actually got know about this Online Feedback Form through a reader of mine. So thank you Patricia, for taking your time to update me with all the latest information.

For those who plan to make use of the Online Feedback Form, please ensure that the email address that you provided in the Form is correct. The IRBM customer service officers will reply your enquires through your registered email within 7 working days.

My Correspondence With IRBM Officers

I received a reply from an IRBM officer 5 working days after I submitted my enquiry via the Online Feedback Form requesting me to submit the following documents for my Tax Refunds.

For non-citizens claiming their Tax Refunds for the first time are required to submit the following documents to the respective IRBM branches in order to facilitate the refund process. You will need the assistance of your employer to prepare the following required documents.
1. Confirmation letter on whether Tax is borne by the employer or employee. IRBM has attached sample of the letter in the email. All I need to do is to send the file and ask my employers to fill it up before having the letter printed it out on a company letterhead for me.

2. EA forms for year 2014 and 2015

3. Monthly Tax Deduction Form (PCB) for year 2014 and 2015. A sample of PCB II form is attached in the email. Your employer should be able to fill this form up for you.

4. In & Out Schedule year 2014 and 2015. Attached in the email is a sample of the In & Out Schedule Form. It took me quite some time to fill this form up. I have to calculate both of the number of days I am in and out of Malaysia, and attach photocopies of my passport pages as supporting documents.

5. Confirmation on my refund payment mode

By Telegrapic Transfer (TT)

For those who prefer Telegrapic Transfer, you are required to provide the following information:

1. Bank's name
2. Bank account number
3. Bank's address
4. SWIFT code
5. Currency preferred
6. Bank account name (which should be the same as your passport name)
7. Passport number
8. Home address

Please attach copy of your bank's passbook or monthly statement as supporting documents.

By Cheque 

For those who prefer to receive a cheque (which will be replaced by Tax Refund Voucher), please provide mailing address. Please note that this option is only available within Malaysia.

By EFT 

For Direct Credit to your local bank account, please provide copy of your bank's passbook or bank statement as supporting documents.

Once you have the all required documents ready, you can submit them by:

1. Walking in to the IRBM branch where you tax file is located, or

2. Mail. Make sure you mail the documents to the correct branch and attention it to Unit Pungutan (Bayaran Balik) or the Collection Department.

IRBM will determine your resident status for the year after they received the following documents from you. Any Tax Refunds will only be processed after IRBM determined and confirmed your tax resident status for the calendar years.

Tips To Consider When Sending Your Documents To IRBM

Once I have all the required documents ready, I proceeded to courier them out to the stated address using Gdex Speed-DOC service. Besides the required documents requested by IRBM, I also attached the email correspondence between the IRBM officer and me and a cover letter stating the purpose of the documents. Although delivery cost is slightly more expensive than normal mail, the Gdex Speed-DOC service allowed me to trace and track the delivery status of the documents online via the GDex Online Tracking System.

I would not recommend sending your documents over to IRBM office by normal mail because you would not know whether it will be lost in transit. If you are sending the documents by mail, I would recommend you to send only photocopies of the documents. Make sure you keep the originals just in case the documents are lost somewhere in the process.
I would also recommend you to keep scanned copies of the documents that you submitted to the IRBM, whether by mail or walk in so that you can refer back to them any time you want.

Finally Got My Income Tax Refunds

I inquired about my Tax Refunds status via the Online Feedback Form again 2 weeks after the documents are delivered to the IRBM branch office. Please make sure that your documents has been delivered before sending in your enquiry. This is also why I actually recommended using the Gdex Speed-DOC service instead of normal mail.

Attached in my mail this time were the scanned copies of the documents that I have sent to IRBM branch office earlier on, Gdex delivery status, and  previous email correspondence with the IRBM officers. But this time, it only took the IRBM officers two days to reply my enquiry.

The IRBM officer informed me that my refund case has already been forwarded to the respective Tax Branch for processing. I may contact the officer (a name and phone number was provided) from that branch after 14 days to check on the progress on my refund case.

I planned to call the officer or apply leave from work and make a trip to IRBM branch office after Hari Raya period. But unexpectedly, I noticed that there was an additional sum of money transferred to bank account when I checked my online statement earlier this month. The money was from IRBM and I have finally gotten my Tax Refunds for year 2014 and 2015!

It seems that IRBM will not notify you when they will transfer the Tax Refunds to your bank account. I would suggest anyone to check their bank statement constantly for any additional credits to your account to avoid a wasted trip. It is very easy to identify the transaction in your bank statement, so you certainly do not have worry about anything.

I received an email just a few days later from IRBM notifying me that they have transferred my Tax Refunds into my bank account. The email is in Bahasa Malaysia, so I could not read much of it. But basically, this is just everything about it.

Record Keeping

For those of you who have received your Tax Refunds without any hiccups, please make sure you keep the following documents for at least seven years for any possible audit by IRBM. You will need to keep your:

1. EA Forms

2. Original receipts for any tax incentives and rebates

3. Any other supporting documents such as employment letters and contracts.

I am happy that I finally got my Tax Refunds for year 2014 and 2015. Well, who wouldn't be happy to get their money back. Hopefully, I will not encounter the same problems again next year.

Be sure to follow me on Facebook or Twitter  for any latest updates on my blog. So stay tuned!

Photo By: Elin Chow
Official Website: Hong Kong Disneyland 香港迪士尼乐园

Hong Kong Disneyland 香港迪士尼乐园 is the fifth Disney theme park location to open, and the second Disneyland in Asia to open outside of the United States. Located in Lantau island, Hong Kong Disneyland is the smallest park of Disney.


Hong Kong Disneyland is a magical place where adults become kids again. It is the happiest place on earth where dreams turn into reality. Visitors to the park would feel disengage from the real world as they enter into a world of fairy tales.

To reach the main entrance of Hong Kong Disneyland, we have to walk through a huge park featuring a surfing Mickey Mouse fountain as its centerpiece. The park is huge with plenty of benches around. Around the fountain, crowds of people gathered, all eager to have their photo taken.

Price






With 1-Day Pass currently costing HKD 539 (around RM 270) per adult and HKD 385 (around RM 193) per child, Hong Kong Disneyland has been acclaimed as the world's least expensive Disney park to visit. Ticket prices are subject to change without notice. Please check out their official website for the latest pricing.

Operating Hours

The park opens from 10.00 am to 9.00 pm daily.  Opening hours may vary throughout the year, so you might want to check out their official website for any changes before you visit the park.



Unlike any other Disneyland around the world, English, Cantonese and Mandarin are all commonly-spoken languages by the Cast Members at Hong Kong Disneyland.  Almost all the attractions and rides are in English. though some of them are available in three languages. As such, foreign tourists visiting the park should not face any language barrier at all.




All visitors are required to go through a security check before entering the park. Please note that you are not allowed to bring outside food (including snacks) or beverage items into the park (except for baby food).


The park consists of seven themed areas - Main Street, U.S.A, Adventure Land, Fantasy Land, Tomorrow Land. Grizzly Gulch, Toy Story Land and Mystic Point. There is free WIFI service available throughout the park and no password is required for connection. This allowed us update and share our happy moments instantly online while we have fun at the park.

But like most public WiFi, do not expect super fast speed. But connection are generally quite stable so we did not really have much problems uploading our pictures on social media most of the time.


Located just right above the floral Mickey Mouse at the entrance, the Main Street Station of the Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad is the first thing you will see the moment you stepped into park.
Passing beneath the tracks of the Main Street Station, we entered a magical land of adventure, fantasy and discovery.

Main Street, U.S.A

Walking in, the first themed area you will come across is the Main Street, U.S.A. which starts from the park entrance all the way to Sleeping Beauty Castle, the gateway to Fantasyland. This is also where the magical experience starts.






We wanted to take photo with at least one of the Disney character, just for memory's sake. So we decided to get into one of the shorter queue to take a picture with two Disney characters whom we do not even know. However, the queue took much longer than we initially expected. We probably waited about 45 minutes in the line just to meet and have our pictures taken with two adorable squirrels.

To some extent, I felt stupid but at the same time, satisfied that we get to meet and take at least a nice picture with a Disney character. I later got to know that they are Chip and Dale and they are not squirrels but chipmunks. Most of the people around me do not know their names too. I guess they are not really famous so that is why I do not know them.

After that, we saw Goofy and Donald Duck at the other corner and were feeling tempted to get into the line. But we did not because we decided that one is enough. We certainly do not want to waste our time waiting in the line anymore.

Hong Kong Disneyland offers an impressive of dining options. There are a couple of restaurants that are Halal Certified in the park. Plaza Inn is one of the restaurant that you will find at the Main Street. This is a Chinese restaurant operated by the Maxim's Group, one of the biggest food and beverage companies in Hong Kong.

Tomorrowland

At the end of the Main Street is the Central Plaza of the park with entryways to Tomorrowland, Adventureland and ,through Sleeping Beauty Castle, to Fantasyland. We decided to take the right turn and head to the Tomorrowland first.


Tomorrowland is the optimistic vision of the future. Attractions in this area include Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Autopia, Stitch Encounter. All the attractions featured in this area are related to space travels or anything futuristic.

Starliner Diner
Located at the entrance of Tomorrowland is Starliner Diner, a counter service restaurant that serves America quick-snack foods such as fried chicken and burger with fries. With 800 seats, this is the largest restaurant in Hong Kong Disneyland.

Orbitron


Located next to the Orbitron is Comet Cafe, an open-air quick service restaurant offering several Hong Kong's specialties.







The castle itself is an attraction. It is an iconic trademark of Disney and one of the most photographed icon in the world. Set against the backdrop of the green mountains of Lantau Island, the castle stands majestically at the entrance of Fantasyland.



The castle is five stories tall and its spires are topped with 23.75 karats gold leaf finials. It is widely known that the castle is based on the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, but it is not an exact replica. However, the castle in Hong Kong Disneyland is a beautiful recreation of the original one in Anaheim, California.