Illegible Receipts. Does it have a purpose?

Greetings lovely readers on this gloomy day.

Don’t get me wrong, it is a wonderfully pleasant day, I just commented “gloomy” due to the rain. Forecast states that monsoon season is reaching and we may be faced with more downfall as it is La Nina. So buckle up and take all the required precautions. 

Coming to our topic for today. On the issue of gloomy let me voice out my grievance on receipts printed out nowadays. 

Have you ever noticed that nowadays, even receipts printed out in the petrol station, shops and etc are barely legible? I am taking about not receipts that you have stored for years but even receipts just printed upon purchase. Why is this so? 

Well, it is printed on thermal paper and permanent ink is not used. It is sensitive to many things, exposure to light, heat , moisture and etc will cause the print to fade. 

I have many receipts from Shell petrol station, Popular Bookstore, Becon stationary, Mr. DIY and the list goes on, months down the road, most of the print are not legible. 

According to Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri Malaysia, Public Ruling No. 5/2000, all records for claiming Income Tax needs to be kept for 7 years. So how? Show them stack of blank receipts?

That is my gripe. I was sorting out receipts for purchases made for Income Tax and 90% of my receipts are not legible. Even I could not decipher what was purchased. 

Remember the saying old is gold? The bygone era where things were made to last. I have ONE receipt that survived out of the bunch of failed receipts. 

What is your Food for thought on this receipt dilemma?

These are a tiny fraction of my failed receipts. 

Did the Britpop band Blur get the name from such illegible receipts? 

Notice the receipt on the left is upside down? You can tell from the stapler holes on the bottom right. Never noticed right that I purposely placed in upside down. 

The reverse of the paper where the company name is printed is clearly visible on the receipt on the right. But the details of items purchased is not visible. Are receipts supposed to be for advertising company or reviewing details of items purchased? 

The only sole survivor

Think I'd crumble?

You think I'd lay down and die?

No, not I, I will survive

Long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive

I've got my life to live

And all my love to give and

I will survive

I, I, I will survive  

LEGO Desk Calendar 2025

Cost of this calendar is less than RM60 as it is now April 2025, almost halfway through the year. Online search, the price varies RM40 to RM50+.

My wife received as a gift from a colleague. 

My personal thoughts, it is in no way a replacement for a physical calendar. 

It is mainly a novelty for lego fans. 

Why?

• It is too small to read (unless you place it close to you, within a feet or two).  
• As the calendar date and month is in white, the background colour for the calendar may not be contrasting enough read it clearly (unless you place it close to you, within a feet or two). 
• There is no place to properly write on dates for important events (unless you write on the back of the calendars which defeats the purpose as you want to see everything in the front clearly). 
• There are worthless small figure cuttings to decorate your calendar by month, which you end up throwing as not only is it pointless but it has no purpose unless you intend it to be used for some other purpose like decorating your diary or etc. 

So inclusion, this is my personal opinion, which may differ from yours. Get a proper physical calendar that you can view from a reasonable distance that you can write your important agenda on the relevant dates. It probably will cost less than RM10 for a proper calendar and just like lego desk calendar, you will end up throwing it once you welcome the new year.