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GST Information please!

For the past few weeks, there has been a flurry of activity… businesses sorting out their accounts, repricing services or goods, consumers mass purchasing groceries… all because of the GST that will be implemented by the Malaysian government this 1st April. I must say, I too was caught up in this whole hype (or dread, to some!)… I bought some new dining chairs for my home, after procrastinating for years!

What is GST?

As explained on the official Malaysian GST websiteGST (Goods & Services Tax), which is also known as VAT or the value added tax in many countries is a multi-stage consumption tax on goods and services.

In Malaysia, we are now charged 6% GST on top of the services rendered or goods purchased. To put things into perspective, there are many countries all over the world who have been charging GST for years. Let’s see… Singapore (7%), Australia (10%), Indonesia (10%), UK (20%!!!).
Source: http://www.vatlive.com/vat-rates/international-vat-and-gst-rates/

How does GST affect my booking with Stories?

The mother company that runs Stories, Integricity Visuals Sdn Bhd is a GST registered company. If you are interested to find out GST information about our company, please click here.

So, to keep it simple, if you make a booking with us at Stories, you will be charged GST if:
1. You are residing in Malaysia, and the shoot is done within Malaysia or overseas.
2. You are residing overseas, but the shoot is done within Malaysia.

GST will not be charged to you if:
1. You are residing overseas, and the shoot is done overseas.

Hope that clarifies! As a note, we did not raise the price for any of our services. We look forward to having a good year with you!

Angpow

Dignity for Children’s Visit

Last week, we had 12 very special visitors to the Stories studio. It was an unusual day for us as we never had a group of teenagers visit us in this manner before. These teenagers were chatty, fun, cheeky and ambitious. You wouldn’t have thought that they came from underprivileged backgrounds or hold a refugee status here in Malaysia.

But thank God for amazing individuals who have volunteered their time and energy in order to give back to society. And especially so for the people behind Dignity for Children, a one stop community learning centre for the urban poor and underprivileged children. Their vision is to empower these children to break the cycle of poverty through quality education, which leads to a positive life transformation.

We were pleased to share our journey as photographers / videographers and to encourage these students to see that this is a viable career path. It was a good exposure for most of them and they even got to have their portraits photographed by our team! It was really worth it to see their smiles knowing that we made a small impact in their lives, even if it was only for 2 hours. We really pray for the best for these kids, and hope that they will lead successful lives as they make carve their path into adulthood.

20150312_DIGNITY_FOR_CHILDREN_STORIES_12520150312_DIGNITY_FOR_CHILDREN_STORIES_032 Continue Reading

Vendor Highlight: Michelle Touche

VendorHighlightFrom personal experience, I can say with utmost conviction that having the right make up artist can ‘make’ or ‘break’ you. I have gone through good and bad experiences, and I know for certain that this art is never to be taken lightly. I have known Michelle for years now, and every time I see the work that she has done, it is truly amazing. She has transformed brides and also made those who are already beautiful even more beautiful.

Amazingly, this woman looks really youthful, and you can hardly tell that she has been in the industry for over 20 years! When she was in Form 2 in Secondary school, Michelle started to learn how to apply make up over her school holidays. And when she was in Form 5, she already started training others how to do it! Naturally, through the years, Michelle has built a strong team of make up artists who are also excellent at their craft.

The rate for their wedding make up & hair services starts from RM1,000 (senior). Pre-wedding rates start from RM500 onwards.

Here’s some tips and interesting facts that Michelle has given to me in our conversation together. Continue Reading

Vendor Highlight: Pretty In White

VendorHighlight_PIW
Starting this month, we’ll be featuring a new wedding industry vendor every few weeks. These are people whom we love working with, and who are excellent at what they do. I am really pleased to introduce the face behind Pretty in White, Louisa Michael.

Pretty in White has been dressing brides for years… we love their wide selection of gowns, fitting all sorts of body shapes. Their wedding gown rental range starts from RM1,300 and custom made wedding gowns from RM4,000 onwards. Custom made evening gowns start from RM2,500 and bridesmaid’s dresses from RM800 onwards.

As a fashion designer, Louisa has been working in the industry for the past 7 years. Before this, she was a graphic designer for 3 1/2 years. Married and a mother to a cute baby, I spoke to Louisa about her passion, how she got started and some advice to brides who are looking for a wedding gown.

20140812_PRE_WEDDING_PUEYGUAN_CARYN_007 Continue Reading

Happy Chinese New Year 2015!

To all our wonderful blog readers, clients and friends, we would like to wish you a Happy Chinese New Year as you usher in the year of the goat! We look forward to another good year ahead, trusting God for His provision in our lives.

Love,
Grace, Alex, Krysta and Kyle

CNY2015