Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by yeowa

Property next/behind petrol station

yeowa — Wed, 25 May 2011 09:04:39 +0800

I am just wondering if any of you will consider buying a property just directly behind a petrol station? I went for viewing last sunday and found one property(corner lot) which is priced at the same with intermediate. This property some more have extension and come with grill. My friend later found out that next to it (slightly higher land and seperated by a zinc material wall) is a petrol station.

Let's discuss the cons of having petrol station too near to a property.

Anglo Eastern Plantation

yeowa — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:27:51 +0800

Anyone work here before? Can share your experience?
Interested to know more about the benefits...

Does the term 'GUARANTOR' still exist?

yeowa — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 10:33:39 +0800

Hi guys, does the term 'GUARANTOR' still exist in applying bank loan? I am a bit confuse with different oppinion from different ppl.

Some ppl told me, I can be guarantor for my brother if he is to buy a house that is beyond his salary. And some bank agent say I have to be co-borrower. Can somebody tell me which is correct? Thanks...

Singing during Dinner

yeowa — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 21:39:27 +0800

I am now attending truly 1Malaysia wedding (Bride - Chinese Malay, Groom - Indian Chinese). But the groom's friend, MC(Indian Lady) is singing My Heart Will Go On! What's ur intepration? Lol... I don't support guest singing on stage...

P/s: She is now singing Sally Yeh Wang Fung... I don't understand single word... Lol...

KL Property Prices Losing steam

yeowa — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 21:50:39 +0800

Finally there is a sign of slowdown in property prices especially condos... A lot of you will be interested. Follow the link:-

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/busines...steam-says-wtw/

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

1 utama old wing still under renovation?

yeowa — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:57:12 +0800

Hi all,

I know 1 Utama old wing started renovation towards end feb. Any idea if the renovation is already completed? Thanks.

Mobile Version

yeowa — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 11:11:39 +0800

I do not know why I always get switched to desktop version today. I prefer to be on Mobile version as it is easier for me to read. Please check.

Conventional vs All Laser custom lasik

yeowa — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 11:39:27 +0800

Dear all,

I plan to do lasik but felt the all laser lasik is a bit expensive for me (RM3,588 per eye). Now Optimax is offering Allegretto Wavelight Custom Lasik @ RM2,488 per eyes. Do you think it is safe for me to do the latter one? Need advice on the experience on during and post the surgery.

A bit about me:
I am not able to wear my contact lense due to dry eyes problem. I just got to know about my problem after my hiking trips few months back when my eyes were red for about a week until I was referred to specialist for further treatment. The specialist said my cornea was eroded and advised me not to wear contact lense until it recovers. I am active with outdoors activities and thinking of getting rid of the discomfort of the contact lense I wore each time.

Thanks.

I did my lasik dy... Thanks for no reply.

If you come across this thread and need to know about my lasik, please pm me.

Digi BB Torch 9800 for RM999

yeowa — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 09:24:11 +0800

Digi is offering first 300 customer a BB torch for RM999. So sad, I am still under contract with my BB Bold 9700...

Digi.com.my

Association: Raise property gains tax to 30%

yeowa — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:03:25 +0800

RAISING the property gains tax from 5% to 30% will be more effective in curbing speculation on house prices, Nanyang Siang Pao reported.

The daily quoted Tan Chong Leng, head of the Chinese division of the National House Buyers Association, as saying the tax should range from 25% to 30%.

The current 5% tax imposed on buyers who sell homes in the short term and 70% loan limit on third home buyers would not curb speculation, he said in an interview with a Chinese radio station on Monday.

Tan said another reason for escalating house prices, especially in gated communities, was the worrying security situation.

He said families with a household income of RM3,000 would find it hard to pay the monthly instalments for property worth RM220,000 even though they were not required to pay the 10% down payment to buy one.

He also noted that properties priced below RM220,000 in the Klang Valley were located in light industrial areas and these were often turned into “mini united nations”, housing foreign workers from various countries.

Source: The Star 10 November 2010

Will people start selling their properties at lower price to avoid higher RPGT? I do hope this is implemented soon.

Which forum can we share food receipe?

yeowa — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 12:30:43 +0800

Suddenly decided wanted to see if there is a section where ppl share their food receipe but couldn't find. Can advice where to? Thanks.

Kia Forte, Ford Fiesta, Honda City, Mazda 2

yeowa — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 11:26:29 +0800

Dear all,

Am considering between these 3 cars as they fall into the same range of price. Will go for a test drive this weekend.

Just wondering how is the Fuel Consumption and performance like. Comparison between auto transmission only.

I think the Fiesta Sedan is tempting in terms of design, Kia Forte in terms of price & spec and Honda City resale value and look.

My only concern for Ford Fiesta is their parts maybe expensive after the 3 years free maintenance.

Any other recommended cars within that range? Hope to receive some warm comments.

Thank you.

Update after test drive on 10/10/10 Sunday:-

Was suppose to test drive only 3 cars but due to Kia Forte being test drive at the time I reached there, I decided to try out Mazda 2 sedan sports which is supposed to be the same car as Ford Fiesta.

I test drove 4 cars in total (Honda City, Mazda 2, Kia Forte & Ford Fiesta-3 variant) all with 4 ppl in a car.. I get my housemate who is a training manager in one of the European Car company to assist me. City, Mazda 2, Forte was test drove by me alone with my housemate, gf and a salesperson. Fiesta we both test drove with our gf with us.

Test drove the Honda City Grade E. I felt a little bit uncomfortable with the driver's seat as I felt the cramp from the head space even after I adjusted the seat to the lowest. Test drive route from Jalan Damansara (Mofaz showroom) to Damansara Uptown u-turn back. The pedal shift is cool (although still trying to get use to it), but I think I will just use it when I first get the car and will forget about it few months later. I don't like the sound from from engine in which the salesman say is actually not the sound from engine but from the air intake device (very unfamiliar with this). To me, it is just driving a noisy car.

I felt personally the built in audio player is ugly but I love all the seat cushioning. The passenger seat behind are up to my comfort level as the main advantage of City car compare to all the other 3 I have tried. Having said that, I might want to test drive the car another time as this was the first car I test drove of the day.

Tried Mazda 2 R-Spec Sedan so I can compare with Ford Fiesta test drive later. Test drive route from TTDI Naza showroom to Sri Hartamas and u-turn back. Mazda 2 is not as noisy as Honda City. I love the acceleration, very smooth. The interior basically are very plasticky, seats and built in audio. Behind seats are very bumpy as this suspension for this car is harder. Was turn off when the salesman told me (which I think he is wrong) that the fuel consumption is 10litre/ 100km. They are having promotion until end of October where Sedan type will get RM5k discount.

Next is Forte 1.6 SX. Was a bit dissapointed as I have high expectation about this car. No doubt the exterior is cool, but interior is a bit plasticky also. The interior is very spacious but the seat fabric is just lousy to my opinion which can be improved by changing it to a better quality one. Love all the functions, dislike the stering as it is not an electric power steering in which it is heavier as compare to the other 2 cars earlier. What I think is great about this car is the indication about the distance to fuel empty, the intelligent air cond but to me the major turn-off is still the sterring. Please comment.

Didn't get the chance to accelerate as the test drive route was sucky. Imagine from TTDI Naza showroom and make a u turn at phileo damansara back. Maybe those who drive Forte can comment more about the acceleration as I didn't manage to accelerate.

Next is Ford Fiesta. Manage to register myself for 1.30pm test drive from Souled Out which covers 40+km with a change of driver at mid point. Get the opportunity to accelerate and at 170km/hr it was very stable from inside. Didn't realise I accelerate up to that speed lol... The handling was smooth and very responsive. To begin with my experience, I was assigned a Fiesta Hatchback 1.6 sports. My problem with the car earlier was the pickup. I felt the pick up was bad but after certain speed, it is ok. We refer this problem to Harvinder from Driven at mid point when we change driver and he asked us just press hard on the accelerator. My friend tried and have the same problem.

When reached hartamas we get the opportunity to try out the other two car with Hatchback 1.4 manual and Sedan 1.6 auto surrounding the hartamas and the driving experience is more or less the same but definitely better than the first one Hatchback sport 1.6 auto. When we finished the 3 cars, we talk to Harvinder and Paul Tan about the issues and they say should not have the problem and we were asked to try out the other 1.6 sport auto around the hartamas area. And well it was a thumbs up. We later found out that the first car we drove is very new where the mileage was less than 2000km whereas the rest were above 5000km and that the run in issues takes place. The more km you travel, the better the car's performance will be.

Interior for the audio system, Fiesta is the best with the voice asisst (whcih I think is not that useful in long term). The driver seat is the most comfortable among all the 3 cars I have tried earlier but the major setback is the passenger seat behind where the adjustable headrest and seat was a bit stiff. Maybe cushioning change will help?

Hehe.... Sorry for the length. Up to today, still don't have any decision yet. Will take my time to decide as I only plan to change my car in March where I can pay more downpayment. Hope no offence to certain car owner as this is purely my opinion and your comments are greatly appreciated.

Loyalty or Money?

yeowa — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 10:01:19 +0800

Hi guys, something interesting to share. Let's discuss.

Don't miss last 2 Questions...

Some, rather most organizations reject his CV today because he has changed jobs frequently (10 in 14 years). My friend, the 'job hopper' (referred here as Mr. JH), does not mind it. well he does not need to mind it at all. Having worked full-time with 10 employer companies in just 14 years gives Mr. JH the relaxing edge that most of the 'company loyal' employees are struggling for today. Today, Mr. JH too is laid off like some other 14-15 year experienced guys the difference being the latter have just worked in 2-3 organizations in the same number of years. Here are the excerpts of an interview with Mr. JH :

Q : Why have you changed 10 jobs in 14 years?
A : To get financially sound and stable before getting laid off the second time.

Q : So you knew you would be laid off in the year 2009?
A : Well I was laid off first in the year 2002 due to the first global economic slowdown. I had not got a full-time job before January 2003 when the economy started looking up; so I had struggled for almost a year without job and with compromises.

Q : Which number of job was that?
A : That was my third job.

Q : So from Jan 2003 to Jan 2009, in 6 years, you have changed 8 jobs to make the count as 10 jobs in 14 years?
A : I had no other option. In my first 8 years of professional life, I had worked only for 2 organizations thinking that jobs are deserved after lot of hard work and one should stay with an employer company to justify the saying 'employer loyalty'. But I was an idiot.

Q : Why do you say so?
A : My salary in the first 8 years went up only marginally. I could not save enough and also, I had thought that I had a 'permanent' job, so I need not worry about 'what will I do if I lose my job'. I could never imagine losing a job because of economic slowdown and not because of my performance. That was January 2002.

Q : Can you brief on what happened between January 2003 and 2009.
A : Well, I had learnt my lessons of being 'company loyal' and not 'money earning and saving loyal'. But then you can save enough only when you earn enough. So I shifted my loyalty towards money making and saving I changed 8 jobs in 6 years assuring all my interviewers about my stability.

Q : So you lied to your interviewers; you had already planned to change the job for which you were being interviewed on a particular day?
A : Yes, you can change jobs only when the market is up and companies are hiring. You tell me can I get a job now because of the slowdown? No. So one should change jobs for higher salaries only when the market is up because that is the only time when companies hire and can afford the expected salaries.

Q : What have you gained by doing such things?
A : That's the question I was waiting for. In Jan 2003, I had a fixed salary (without variables) of say Rs. X p.a. In January 2009, my salary was 8X. So assuming my salary was Rs.3 lakh p.a. in Jan 2003, my last drawn salary in Jan 2009 was Rs.24 lakh p.a. (without variable). I never bothered about variable as I had no intention to stay for 1 year and go through the appraisal process to wait for the company to give me a hike.

Q : So you decided on your own hike?
A : Yes, in 2003, I could see the slowdown coming again in future like it had happened in 2001-02. Though I was not sure by when the next slowdown would come, I was pretty sure I wanted a 'debt-free' life before being laid off again. So I planned my hike targets on a yearly basis without waiting for the year to complete.

Q : So are you debt-free now?
A : Yes, I earned so much by virtue of job changes for money and spent so little that today I have a loan free 2 BR flat (1200 sq.. feet) plus a loan free big car without bothering about any EMIs. I am laid off too but I do not complain at all. If I have laid off companies for money, it is OK if a company lays me off because of lack of money.

Q : Who is complaining?
A : All those guys who are not getting a job to pay their EMIs off are complaining. They had made fun of me saying I am a job hopper and do not have any company loyalty. Now I ask them what they gained by their company loyalty; they too are laid off like me and pass comments to me why will you bother about us, you are already debt-free. They were still in the bracket of 12-14 lakh p.a. when they were laid off.

Q : What is your advice to professionals?
A : Like Narayan Murthy had said love your job and not your company because you never know when your company will stop loving you. In the same lines, love yourself and your family needs more than the company's needs. Companies can keep coming and going; family will always remain the same. Make money for yourself first and simultaneously make money for the company, not the other way around.

Q : What is your biggest pain point with companies?
A : When a company does well, its CEO will address the entire company saying, "well done guys, it is YOUR company, keep up the hard work, I am with you". But when the slowdown happens and the company does not do so well, the same CEO will say, "It is MY company and to save the company, I have to take tough decisions including asking people to go." So think about your financial stability first; when you get laid off, your kids will complain to you and not your boss.

Disclaimer: This interview does not relate to me and my job at all. Received this from friend's fowarded email.

BB9700 Cannot View Youtube

yeowa — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:08:09 +0800

Hello sifu sifu,

I got my BB9700 3 weeks back and I have problem in viewing youtube. I google the internet and some people say it is common to BB9700 but my colleague with the same phone can view.

My earlier problem was when I enter into the youtube page, the video player is always black with a message 'You need to upgrade your Adobe Flash Player to watch this video. I tried downloading but it always stop (went white) most likely the file was too big. And yesterday I deleted 'WAP2 files' (2 files) after reading other forum and there are still no difference. Installed player for youtube, and I am getting a message 'An error has occured attempting to play media' whenever I try to play a youtube file. Sometimes the earlier message.

Please advice...

Pets Wonderland post

yeowa — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 17:06:57 +0800

Just wondering which categories does the Pets Wonderland forum falls into? Should there be count on the posts?

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?act=faq&article=3

Thank you.