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        <title>Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by phoenixxx</title>
        <description></description>
        <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/</link>
        <lastBuildDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2026 22:03:26 +0800</lastBuildDate>
        <generator>FeedCreator 1.7.2</generator>
        <item>
            <title>NAS for dummies</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/5508168</link>
            <description>Hi all, am thinking to create my own personal NAS. I&amp;#39;ve been a long time subscriber of Onedrive (2TB + Office365) and still using now.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I wanted a NAS after stumbling upon some Youtube videos and forum posts online, basically the main purpose is as a place to upload + backup family photos. I have a lot of Apple live photos and just find viewing / downloading and generally managing them through Onedrive very difficult. Either way, it will make me lose out the original live photos (either lose the live part, or the photos become decoupled into an image + video). I also do not want to lock myself into iCloud (hence Onedrive).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;From what I gather a NAS might be able to solve my problem (plus keep the privacy). For some time I considered Google Photos but read some people got banned because photos of their kids slightly naked (very normal for parents with small babies / kids, sometimes you take pictures of your kids playing in the pool, etc), I don&amp;#39;t want to trust my entire family album to this in the off chance that their AI flags 1 photo and I lose my all my photos.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Unfortunately setting up a NAS seems more complicated than I thought, at first I was leaning towards all in ones like Synology, but then I start reading about all the different kinds of RAID configs, bitrot, etc which then led to things like ZFS... this is too much for a non-tech savvy person like me  &lt;!--emo&amp;:D--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I wonder if sifus here that can guide me in a 101 dummies way to set up my own private network, mainly to store my precious photos (and allow my family to upload theirs) which a large part includes Apple live format. It should be able to preserve the live format (most services will decouple them into a image + video file).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The live format is important to me because it captures that few seconds (with sound) of what my family was doing, and it really adds to the memory and nostalgia factor.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I hope to preserve this for a long time to come until the day I am not physically capable to access these memories.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is my main requirement. Any other bells and whistles (being able to stream my old collection of music, movies, etc) is a plus. Early detection of HDD issues, and being able to just slot in a new HDD to replace soon-to-be-dying HDD would also be good.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I understand given the newbieness, I might need to pay a premium for ease of use but it&amp;#39;s something I&amp;#39;m willing to consider.</description>
            <author>phoenixxx</author>
            <category>Hardware</category>
            <pubDate>Sun, 09 Feb 2025 00:15:21 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>Can I mount my TV like this?</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/5423067</link>
            <description>Hi all, just wanted to seek some advice to see if it&amp;#39;s safe to mount a TV using an existing bracket.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The story is - I used to have an old 42&amp;quot; LG TV which I disposed, but unfortunately the mounting attached to the TV was also disposed together  &lt;!--emo&amp;:facepalm:--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/doh.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='doh.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I bought a new mounting bracket, but it is just slightly smaller in size, leaving the bracket arm &amp;quot;sitting on&amp;quot; the mounting on the wall.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The bracket is adjustable, so I can tilt the TV downwards to compensate.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The TV is a Sony 55&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is it safe to reuse the old bracket (hence no need to drill new holes, etc)?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href='https://pictr.com/image/EFbtWQ' target='_blank'&gt;&lt;img src='https://pictr.com/images/2023/11/27/EFbtWQ.md.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href='https://pictr.com/image/EFbqp5' target='_blank'&gt;&lt;img src='https://pictr.com/images/2023/11/27/EFbqp5.md.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;</description>
            <author>phoenixxx</author>
            <category>Home Entertainment</category>
            <pubDate>Mon, 27 Nov 2023 16:21:21 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>Torch on membrane to fix all leaking issues</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/5420266</link>
            <description>Hi all, seeking for some opinions here before I pull the trigger.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some of you might remember my old thread &amp;quot;Old house to dream house&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My house has been facing leaking issues for years and I recently stumbled upon this recommendation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;From what I gather, they extensively use torch on membrane to fix all issues (whether it is cement, steel roof, roof tiles, etc). I&amp;#39;ve heard of torch on membrane and its application on cement slabs only usually.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I&amp;#39;ve actually contacted them for a quotation, which came to over RM20k. Basically almost &amp;quot;wrapping&amp;quot; all four corners of my roof + rolling down over required spots. The logic makes sense, i.e. they don&amp;#39;t just patch the problematic area, but always start from the top of where the water would flow.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here&amp;#39;s the link to their FB page. They got tons of tiktok videos too.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.facebook.com/roofleaking/' target='_blank'&gt;FB page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Example of the concept (mine is a metal deck roof as well):&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href='https://pictr.com/image/EvZy4Q' target='_blank'&gt;&lt;img src='https://pictr.com/images/2023/11/13/EvZy4Q.md.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href='https://pictr.com/image/EvZOv1' target='_blank'&gt;&lt;img src='https://pictr.com/images/2023/11/13/EvZOv1.md.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After almost 7 years of my massive renovation (meant to be my dream home), it has been anything but. I&amp;#39;ve done countless fixes over the years, but as it rains harder and harder each year, old spots are reopening and new spots are forming.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I&amp;#39;ve accepted this partially due to bad workmanship, but alarmingly a design flaw on the roof which I&amp;#39;ve had limited ability to supervise during construction 7 years ago.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am hoping this is my &amp;quot;final&amp;quot; trigger before I pull it, and hope to finally put my mental torture to an end.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Do share your experience on this company, if you have engaged them before &amp;amp; this method. Happy to hear your thoughts, perhaps in 7 years there are new technologies and methods I&amp;#39;m not aware of.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thanks sifus. &lt;!--emo&amp;:)--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt;</description>
            <author>phoenixxx</author>
            <category>Home Renovations and Interior Design</category>
            <pubDate>Mon, 13 Nov 2023 22:08:28 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>Small DAC/AMP for desktop bookshelves</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4616595</link>
            <description>Couldn&amp;#39;t really find a thread on this - basically, looking for recommendations on any small-footprint desktop DAC/AMP with USB for use with my PC.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I have a pair of B&amp;amp;W CM1 bookshelf speakers (they are passive) which I intend to use with my PC setup. For this, I need the amp to be:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Downloads/Product/InfoSheet/ENG_FP17035_CM1_info_sheet.pdf' target='_blank'&gt;B&amp;W CM1 - 8 ohm, 30-100W&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1) Small sized (definitely not the usual home theatre sizes)&lt;br /&gt;2) USB DAC (amp serves as the soundcard) --&amp;#62; connect to PC&lt;br /&gt;3) Headphone out&lt;br /&gt;4) Subwoofer out would be a bonus&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After a lot of scouring the web for more budget-friendly options (~within RM500), it seems my only choices are limited the China-made amps, e.g.:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1) Lepai/Lepy - super cheap, but mostly no USB versions (the famous Lepai 2020 is only an amp without USB DAC) &lt;a href='https://www.lazada.com.my/products/lepai-lp-2020a-hi-fi-stereo-class-t-digital-audio-amplifier-with-3a-adapter-i13940746-s17121809.html?spm=a2o4k.searchlist.list.6.2f555531a6k1Qy&amp;search=1' target='_blank'&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2) SMSL - AD18 seems to fit my requirements, but too many reviews showing inconsistency and/or problems with the unit or SMSL in general &lt;a href='https://www.lazada.com.my/products/smsl-ad18-80w2-csr-a64215-dsp-hifi-bluetooth-pure-digital-audio-amplifier-opticalcoaxial-usb-dac-decoder-with-remote-control-i142643629-s164946144.html?spm=a2o4k.searchlist.list.2.548a5c84DwMSwc&amp;search=1' target='_blank'&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3) Topping - after a lot of comparison, I actually ordered the VX1 from Lazada, which fits the bill (looks good, fits size, has the features I want) - too bad, the vendor sent me a weird SMSL unit instead which was not what I ordered. Had to return the unit. Also, a bit reluctant to do a re-order from China... &lt;a href='https://www.11street.my/productdetail/topping-vx1-3-in-1-multi-function-hifi-amplifier-52963523' target='_blank'&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4) Others (Nobsound, Feixiang Audio, etc) ... also a bit unsure and not as popular as the first three brands. &lt;a href='https://www.lazada.com.my/shop-home-audio-amplifiers-av-receivers/nobsound/' target='_blank'&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After all these it seems I&amp;#39;m limited to more expensive ones... e.g. Audioengine N22, TEAC AI-101DA (also lots of complaints with volume issues after a few months).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.lazada.com.my/products/teac-ai-101da-integrated-amplifier-with-usb-dac-i100026414-s100033596.html?spm=a2o4k.searchlistcategory.list.4.636529439jNQTB&amp;search=1' target='_blank'&gt;TEAC&lt;/a&gt; RM1.3k&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.lazada.com.my/products/audioengine-n22-desktop-audio-amplifier-i151138905-s177511231.html?spm=a2o4k.searchlist.list.7.58267918CDm5m3&amp;search=1' target='_blank'&gt;Audioengine&lt;/a&gt; RM950&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Market seems to be very niche &amp;amp; limited when it comes to desktop / small-sized budget USB DAC/AMPs for speakers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hoping sifus can advise....  &lt;!--emo&amp;:cry:--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/cry.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cry.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt;</description>
            <author>phoenixxx</author>
            <category>Audiophiles</category>
            <pubDate>Tue, 10 Jul 2018 23:38:57 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>65&amp;quot; TV recommendation</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4404745</link>
            <description>Looking for a new 65&amp;quot; TV.... been surveying different brands / models but end up getting more confusing with their model and other mumbo jumbo details  &lt;!--emo&amp;:stars:--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/rclxub.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='rclxub.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For TVs of this size it seems there are &amp;quot;cheap&amp;quot; versions of RM4k+, then the higher end ones (such as LG&amp;#39;s new 65SJ850T with the Nano cell thingy) that goes up to 10k+, and finally the OLED ones which are out budget.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Can sifus here recommend me / help me narrow down on models to consider? From most to least frequent, the TV will be used for:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1) Movies&lt;br /&gt;2) PS3 &amp;amp; PS4&lt;br /&gt;3) Youtube, Netflix (LG is the clear winner here since I like their interface and the magic remote)&lt;br /&gt;4) Normal TV (astro, etc) - don&amp;#39;t really watch a lot. Mostly I just binge on whatever series I want selectively and these are usually via Netflix or downloaded.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you noticed, I seem to be biased towards LG- I&amp;#39;ve only owned a LG 42&amp;quot; up till now, and I&amp;#39;ve been pretty satisfied with it (love the 100Hz picture smoothening thing &amp;quot;Motionflow&amp;quot; eventhough some says it makes the show looks &amp;quot;fake&amp;quot; due to the smoothness)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I have no experience with other brands and standing in the shop side by side, after 10 mins everything starts to look the same  &lt;!--emo&amp;:stars:--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/rclxub.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='rclxub.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt; however, I don&amp;#39;t like Sharp, Toshiba and Phillips. Not sure what reason, just don&amp;#39;t like &lt;!--emo&amp;:P--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Budgetary-wise I hope to get one under RM10k. Most of the &amp;quot;cheap&amp;quot; versions (RM4k+) seems to get pretty horrible reviews online but I don&amp;#39;t know how bad they will be in real life setting.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There&amp;#39;s also an OLED version going for around RM12k in one of the shops (display set) - LG E6 if I recall. Not sure if worth it.</description>
            <author>phoenixxx</author>
            <category>Home Entertainment</category>
            <pubDate>Thu, 07 Sep 2017 23:52:27 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>Looking to get 27&amp;quot; monitor</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4257774</link>
            <description>Hi sifus,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My current monitor looks like its going to die soon. Large patch of cloud (looks like pixel noise) which doesn&amp;#39;t go away after trying the pressure press method and also JS Fix... more noticeable during dark scenes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, I guess I&amp;#39;m in the market for a new monitor, and maybe take this opportunity to upgrade my 22&amp;quot; screen to a 27&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;From reading it seems it is advisable to get 1440p with 27&amp;quot; and not 1080p.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Just wondering if my PC specs can tahan and upgrade from 1080p to 1440p? TBH I care more that the gaming is smooth while maintaining as much eye candy as possible.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;i5-4460&lt;br /&gt;ASUS H97M-E&lt;br /&gt;G.Skill Value Ram 1600mhz 1x8GB&lt;br /&gt;SF HX600W Gold 80+ Modular PSU&lt;br /&gt;ASUS GeForce GTX1070 Dual OC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And if so, which monitor should I get?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I&amp;#39;m not into competitive games like CS GO, more towards RPGs, slow games (Witcher 3, Mass Effect, those kind). So it only narrows down to IPS panel, but I&amp;#39;m not sure what else specs I should look out for.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If 1080p is fine, I would totally go for it for the reduced strain during gaming.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Appreciate advise sifus &lt;!--emo&amp;:D--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt;</description>
            <author>phoenixxx</author>
            <category>Monitor Discussions</category>
            <pubDate>Sun, 09 Apr 2017 12:58:38 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>Zotac 780 Ti Amp&amp;#33; card died, need suggestion</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4171658</link>
            <description>Dear sifus,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Back in hardware recommendation v6 you helped me select my PC and I have been enjoying it so far since then (2.5 years).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Problem is, my 780 Ti died 3 days ago. So I guess I&amp;#39;m in the market for a new card. Can any sifu recommend me a good card to pair with my setup? (Copy paste from my post 2.5 years ago).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don&amp;#39;t think the latest and greatest will pair well with my setup (bottlenecking), so a decent upgrade that costs maybe 1-2k+ compared to my 780 Ti would be good.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!--QuoteBegin--&gt;&lt;div class='quotetop'&gt;QUOTE&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class='quotemain'&gt;&lt;!--QuoteEBegin--&gt;There&amp;#39;s further changes to my rig due to unavailability of motherboard... is the one recommended by the seller ok? TQ sifus, almost finalizing rig already.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;i5-4460 - RM5xx&lt;br /&gt;ASUS H97M-E - RM3xx&lt;br /&gt;G.Skill Value Ram 1600mhz 1x8GB - RM2xx&lt;br /&gt;SF HX600W Gold 80+ Modular PSU (5 Years 1:1) - RM2xx&lt;br /&gt;Zotac GTX780Ti AMP&amp;#33; Edition 3GDDR5 - RM22xx&lt;br /&gt;Fractal Design Node 804 - RM3xx&lt;br /&gt;RM4050&lt;!--QuoteEnd--&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;!--QuoteEEnd--&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thanks sifus.</description>
            <author>phoenixxx</author>
            <category>Hardware</category>
            <pubDate>Tue, 10 Jan 2017 20:12:54 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>Bunny Rabbit</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/0</link>
            <description></description>
            <category>Hobbies, Collectibles and Model Kits</category>
            <pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 1970 07:30:00 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>Bunny Rabbit</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3914184</link>
            <description>Does anyone know where I can find these in KL? I believe they are called le sucre rabbits...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Only found one but its in SG. Looking for any place in KL preferably with wide selection choices. Need to get a few types including a wedding bunny pair.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I saw some online websites selling these but would like to physically choose as some looks quite deformed. If no choice only buy online.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.facebook.com/LeSucre.Singapore/' target='_blank'&gt;https://www.facebook.com/LeSucre.Singapore/&lt;/a&gt;</description>
            <author>phoenixxx</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Tue, 05 Apr 2016 14:19:11 +0800</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <title>Magicka, BF3, Dead Space 3 extra key to give out</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3904730</link>
            <description>Was clicking around in humble bundle and realized I have 3 unredeemed games, so thought I want to share it out to fellow gamers here who doesn&amp;#39;t own the games yet.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One thing is, I kind of remember humble bundle disabled gift sharing (only realized after I redeemed BF3 1 min ago, you may try out and see if it works. Or maybe BF3 is already free from one of the Origin on the house promos).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So I didn&amp;#39;t redeem the other 2 yet, takut if I click the games will somehow be tied to my account. Magicka 2 has a gift box icon so I&amp;#39;ll gift it out to whoever replies first. Dead Space 3 - no gift box icon - any idea how to give it out?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;[attachmentid=6235321]</description>
            <author>phoenixxx</author>
            <category>Gamers Hideout</category>
            <pubDate>Fri, 25 Mar 2016 11:26:34 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>Old house to dream house</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3750500</link>
            <description>EDIT: realized the house dimension is 24x80, not 24x75&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hi sifus,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Embarking on the next stage of my life... and recently received keys for my &amp;quot;brand new&amp;quot; 40-year old house. It is a 24x80 double-storey link house. I hope this will be my dream home for the next 20-30 years at least and wish to obtain some guidance on my reno journey...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Still at a very early stage... looking to be an extremely daunting task not just on my pocket.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Guidance used:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!--SPOILER BEGIN--&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;spoilertop&quot; onClick=&quot;openClose('8d3f1c8957b501abc7fec7f39464169d')&quot; style=&quot;font-weight: bold&quot;&gt;&lt;u&gt;&amp;raquo; Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... &amp;laquo;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;spoilermain&quot; id=&quot;8d3f1c8957b501abc7fec7f39464169d&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;&lt;!--SPOILER END--&gt;&lt;!--QuoteBegin--&gt;&lt;div class='quotetop'&gt;QUOTE&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class='quotemain'&gt;&lt;!--QuoteEBegin--&gt;ponomariov&lt;br /&gt;1. Do all hacking work first. Such as extension, civil renovation. &lt;br /&gt;2. Do all electrical work. Most electrical wiring are not up to standard. They joint wiring to single fuse. So you have money, better redo everything. plus you need alot of points anyway.&lt;br /&gt;3. Then do tiling and plaster ceiling process. covering all ugly places. Painting also should done after all cement work done.&lt;br /&gt;4. furnishing permanent furniture. Make sure you protect your floor by put cardboard during moving. &lt;br /&gt;5. everything else&lt;!--QuoteEnd--&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;!--QuoteEEnd--&gt;&lt;!--SPOILER DIV--&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;!--SPOILER DIV--&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Below are floor plan, details &amp;amp; budget:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;1. Floor Plan&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;[attachmentid=5153723][attachmentid=5153760]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2. What I hope to achieve with above budget&lt;/b&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;1. Extension (per attached plan - red arrows)&lt;br /&gt;2. Ground floor - retile (hacking the terrazo + tiling)&lt;br /&gt;3. 1st floor - change from parquet to something like laminated flooring which I believe to be cheapest for &amp;quot;wood-feel flooring&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;4. Plaster ceiling (both floors)&lt;br /&gt;5. Repainting&lt;br /&gt;6. Bathrooms - retile, change all the hardware&lt;br /&gt;7. First floor bathrooms (Bath 3)- split into two, one for each room.&lt;br /&gt;8. Grills&lt;br /&gt;9. Lighting, fans, air con&lt;br /&gt;10. Possible rewiring (due to age of property) - including adding socket points, concealing wiring&lt;br /&gt;11. Possible repairs... don&amp;#39;t anticipate much since I&amp;#39;m basically redoing big chunks of the house... roof maybe&lt;br /&gt;12. Other hidden costs / things I missed out?&lt;br /&gt;13. (edit) solar panel for water heater&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;3. Problems&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1. Ground floor - currently the bathroom is venting out into the Yard (circled) which is really a glorified indoor garden - if I close it up (ie extend the dining area) what&amp;#39;s the best way to ventilate the bathroom?&lt;br /&gt;2 &amp;amp; 3. First floor - same problem as ground floor bathroom. Maybe bathroom 3 can be extended all the way to the back together with the rooms, then it will be no issue. For bathroom 2, the extension will surround it leaving no space to ventilate.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is there anything I missed out? Basically, am trying to get those big-hassle items out of the way first. Will be engaging a few contractors for pricing (please share if you do know of any) and update.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Will try and add pictures soon.</description>
            <author>phoenixxx</author>
            <category>Home Renovations and Interior Design</category>
            <pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2015 00:44:20 +0800</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <title>Love &amp;amp; Co</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3702167</link>
            <description>Plan to propose to my gf. Saw a diamond ring in Love&amp;amp;Co, 0.56c ideal cut (Love &amp;amp; Co signature or something, supposedly better than GIA certified diamonds). Full spec below.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;0.56c&lt;br /&gt;VS1&lt;br /&gt;H&lt;br /&gt;Round diamond&lt;br /&gt;RM15k including white gold ring.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is it worth it? Saw this to be the best so far, surveyed Tiffany, Cartier, TSL, DeBeers, Le Lumiere, Habib  &lt;!--emo&amp;:stars:--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/rclxub.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='rclxub.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt; become more confused because I don&amp;#39;t see much difference no matter how they try to sell their special / signature diamond. So far Love &amp;amp; Co seems &amp;quot;best&amp;quot; from my very limited experience. But not sure 15k is worth it for the spec?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;HCA calculator from pricescope is 1.4 for this particular diamond.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thanks&amp;#33;</description>
            <author>phoenixxx</author>
            <category>Brides &amp;amp; Grooms</category>
            <pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2015 00:02:59 +0800</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <title>Lost Ark</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3414330</link>
            <description>[YOUTUBE]LL5zGvsmSM0[/YOUTUBE]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!--QuoteBegin--&gt;&lt;div class='quotetop'&gt;QUOTE&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class='quotemain'&gt;&lt;!--QuoteEBegin--&gt;Lost Ark is a Korean-made action-RPG that looks a lot like Blizzard&amp;#39;s Diablo 3 - with a raft of fancy bells and whistles layered on top.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The eight minute video, below, gives us a great indication of what Lost Ark is like. There are mounts, for a start, spectacular spells and abilities, nice-looking animations and eye-catching environments. Classes include Fighter, Warrior, Magician and Gunner. Gunner looks best to me.&lt;!--QuoteEnd--&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;!--QuoteEEnd--&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-11-17-lost-ark-is-the-best-diablo-3-clone-you-cant-play' target='_blank'&gt;Sos&lt;/a&gt;</description>
            <author>phoenixxx</author>
            <category>Gamers Hideout</category>
            <pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2014 13:52:52 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>[WTS] Preloved Bags,Shoes,Wristlet -Price Reduced&amp;#33;</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3404629</link>
            <description>Hi all, posting on my friend&amp;#39;s behalf who has some preloved bags, wristlet &amp;amp; shoes for sale. All items have been carefully maintained and lovingly cared for throughout, and are in very good condition. Any questions, feel free to PM me &amp;amp; I will try and reply ASAP. Prices are negotiable. Thank you&amp;#33;  &lt;!--emo&amp;:)--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;EDIT: Price markdown&amp;#33;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Item 1:&lt;/b&gt; Furla leather bag with removable strap&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Package includes:&lt;/b&gt; Bag &amp;amp; strap&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Price:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;s&gt;RM1390&lt;/s&gt; RM1290 (original price: RM2900)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Dealing method:&lt;/b&gt; COD / Postage (borne by buyer)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location of seller:&lt;/b&gt; KL (Petaling Jaya)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Contact method/details:&lt;/b&gt; PM Me&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Age of item:&lt;/b&gt; ~3 years&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Item(s) conditions:&lt;/b&gt; 8.5/10, very minor stain on fabric inside&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Picture:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;[attachmentid=4208001][attachmentid=4208003]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Reason for sale:&lt;/b&gt; Need &amp;#036;&amp;#036;&amp;#036;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;=========================================&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Item 2:&lt;/b&gt; Coach fabric bag&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Package includes:&lt;/b&gt; Bag only&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Price:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;s&gt;RM990&lt;/s&gt; RM940 (original price: RM2600)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Dealing method:&lt;/b&gt; COD / Postage (borne by buyer)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location of seller:&lt;/b&gt; KL (Petaling Jaya)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Contact method/details:&lt;/b&gt; PM Me&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Age of item:&lt;/b&gt; ~4 years&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Item(s) conditions:&lt;/b&gt; 9.5/10, excellent condition&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Picture:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;[attachmentid=4208018][attachmentid=4208019][attachmentid=4208020]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Reason for sale:&lt;/b&gt; Need &amp;#036;&amp;#036;&amp;#036;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;=========================================&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Item 3:&lt;/b&gt; (Brand New) Coach leather sling bag (W:25cm, H:30cm)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Package includes:&lt;/b&gt; Bag only&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Price:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;s&gt;RM850&lt;/s&gt; RM820 (original price: RM1500, bought from U.S.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Dealing method:&lt;/b&gt; COD / Postage (borne by buyer)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location of seller:&lt;/b&gt; KL (Petaling Jaya)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Contact method/details:&lt;/b&gt; PM Me&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Age of item:&lt;/b&gt; ~3 years&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Item(s) conditions:&lt;/b&gt; 9.9/10, excellent condition (unused)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Picture:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;[attachmentid=4208692][attachmentid=4208693][attachmentid=4208695]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Reason for sale:&lt;/b&gt; Need &amp;#036;&amp;#036;&amp;#036;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;=========================================&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Item 4:&lt;/b&gt; Coach fabric sling bag with adjustable strap (W:22cm, H:25cm)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Package includes:&lt;/b&gt; Bag and strap&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Price:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;s&gt;RM650&lt;/s&gt; RM620 (original price: RM1050, bought from U.S.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Dealing method:&lt;/b&gt; COD / Postage (borne by buyer)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location of seller:&lt;/b&gt; KL (Petaling Jaya)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Contact method/details:&lt;/b&gt; PM Me&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Age of item:&lt;/b&gt; ~3 years&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Item(s) conditions:&lt;/b&gt; 9.9/10, excellent condition (used less than 10 times)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Picture:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;[attachmentid=4208698][attachmentid=4208699][attachmentid=4208700]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Reason for sale:&lt;/b&gt; Need &amp;#036;&amp;#036;&amp;#036;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;=========================================&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Item 5:&lt;/b&gt; Kate Spade wristlet (W:21cm, H:11cm)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Package includes:&lt;/b&gt; Wristlet only&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Price:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;s&gt;RM300&lt;/s&gt; RM285 (original price: RM650, bought from Singapore)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Dealing method:&lt;/b&gt; COD / Postage (borne by buyer)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location of seller:&lt;/b&gt; KL (Petaling Jaya)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Contact method/details:&lt;/b&gt; PM Me&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Age of item:&lt;/b&gt; 1 year&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Item(s) conditions:&lt;/b&gt; 9.9/10, excellent condition (used once only)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Picture:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;[attachmentid=4208701][attachmentid=4208702][attachmentid=4208703]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Reason for sale:&lt;/b&gt; Need &amp;#036;&amp;#036;&amp;#036;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;=========================================&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Item 6:&lt;/b&gt; Raoul leather shoes, light grey (Size 37, 4-inch heels)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Package includes:&lt;/b&gt; Shoes only&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Price:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;s&gt;RM300&lt;/s&gt; RM285 (original price: RM650, bought from Australia)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Dealing method:&lt;/b&gt; COD / Postage (borne by buyer)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location of seller:&lt;/b&gt; KL (Petaling Jaya)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Contact method/details:&lt;/b&gt; PM Me&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Age of item:&lt;/b&gt; 1 year&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Item(s) conditions:&lt;/b&gt; 9.9/10, excellent condition (worn once only, looks like brand new)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Picture:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;[attachmentid=4208704][attachmentid=4208705]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Reason for sale:&lt;/b&gt; Need &amp;#036;&amp;#036;&amp;#036;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;=========================================&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Item 7:&lt;/b&gt; Aldo leather shoes, black (Size 36, 3.5-inch heels)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Package includes:&lt;/b&gt; Shoes only&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Price:&lt;/b&gt; RM150 (original price: RM400)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Dealing method:&lt;/b&gt; COD / Postage (borne by buyer)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location of seller:&lt;/b&gt; KL (Petaling Jaya)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Contact method/details:&lt;/b&gt; PM Me&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Age of item:&lt;/b&gt; ~3 years&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Item(s) conditions:&lt;/b&gt; 9/10, excellent condition (hardly worn)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Picture:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;[attachmentid=4208708][attachmentid=4208709]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Reason for sale:&lt;/b&gt; Need &amp;#036;&amp;#036;&amp;#036;</description>
            <author>phoenixxx</author>
            <category>Garage Sales Archive</category>
            <pubDate>Sun, 09 Nov 2014 15:49:05 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>Hatred</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3388917</link>
            <description>[YOUTUBE]qV3PhvCf_Jg[/YOUTUBE]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!--QuoteBegin--&gt;&lt;div class='quotetop'&gt;QUOTE&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class='quotemain'&gt;&lt;!--QuoteEBegin--&gt;Hatred is an isometric shooter with disturbing atmosphere of mass killing, where player takes the role of a cold blood antagonist, who is full of hatred for humanity. It&amp;#39;s a horror, but here YOU are the villain. Wander the outskirts of New York State, seek for victims on seven free-roam levels. Fight against law enforcement and take a journey into the antagonist&amp;#39;s hateful mind. Gather equipment of the dead ‘human shields’ to spread Armageddon upon society. Destroy everything on your way of hunt and fight back when it&amp;#39;s disturbed...&lt;!--QuoteEnd--&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;!--QuoteEEnd--&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Controversial game</description>
            <author>phoenixxx</author>
            <category>Gamers Hideout</category>
            <pubDate>Sat, 25 Oct 2014 01:01:48 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>WTS Watch Dogs Key</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3307750</link>
            <description>Item(s): Watch Dogs Keycode (PC)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Package includes: Code Only &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Price: RM50&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Warranty: one-off redemption&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dealing method: Online, code provided after payment&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Contact method/details: PM me&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Age of item: new&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Item(s) conditions: 10/10&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Picture: &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Reason for sale: &amp;#036;&amp;#036;&amp;#036;</description>
            <author>phoenixxx</author>
            <category>Garage Sales Archive</category>
            <pubDate>Sat, 02 Aug 2014 15:42:59 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>Air con fan starts by itself</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2906484</link>
            <description>Hoping someone could help&amp;#33; It seems the fan in the air conditioning unit will&lt;b&gt; switch itself on after I press the green wall switch&lt;/b&gt;. It goes to max speed. When I switch the unit itself on with the remote, it works as in there&amp;#39;s cooling, but the fan continues to blow at full speed and is not adjustable. If I switch it off (with the remote) it does all the routine switching off stuff... except the fan will still be blowing at max speed until I off the main switch (red wall button).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is the first time I encountered such a weird problem.... any idea?</description>
            <author>phoenixxx</author>
            <category>Home Renovations and Interior Design</category>
            <pubDate>Tue, 30 Jul 2013 23:21:06 +0800</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <title>SimCity v2</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2738406</link>
            <description>&lt;a href='http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2255973' target='_blank'&gt;Link to v1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hi guys, v2 here  &lt;!--emo&amp;:D--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style='color:purple'&gt;&lt;span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'&gt;&lt;u&gt;&lt;b&gt;News&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!--QuoteBegin--&gt;&lt;div class='quotetop'&gt;QUOTE&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class='quotemain'&gt;&lt;!--QuoteEBegin--&gt;&lt;span style='color:blue'&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href='https://help.ea.com/article/simcity-something-extra' target='_blank'&gt;Something Extra - Free EA game for those who activates SimCity by 25 March&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Which games are available?&lt;br /&gt;Battlefield 3 (Standard Edition)&lt;br /&gt;Bejeweled 3&lt;br /&gt;Dead Space 3 (Standard Edition)&lt;br /&gt;Mass Effect 3 (Standard Edition)&lt;br /&gt;MOHW (Standard Edition)&lt;br /&gt;NFS Most Wanted (Standard Edition)&lt;br /&gt;Plants vs. Zombies&lt;br /&gt;SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition&lt;!--QuoteEnd--&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;!--QuoteEEnd--&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!--QuoteBegin--&gt;&lt;div class='quotetop'&gt;QUOTE&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class='quotemain'&gt;&lt;!--QuoteEBegin--&gt;&lt;span style='color:blue'&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.ea.com/news/simcity-update-straight-answers-from-lucy' target='_blank'&gt;SIMCITY UPDATE: ANSWERS FROM LUCY&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!--SPOILER BEGIN--&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;spoilertop&quot; onClick=&quot;openClose('2e141f333c529f0569ce32527bab892e')&quot; style=&quot;font-weight: bold&quot;&gt;&lt;u&gt;&amp;raquo; Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... &amp;laquo;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;spoilermain&quot; id=&quot;2e141f333c529f0569ce32527bab892e&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;&lt;!--SPOILER END--&gt;I hate to disturb you when you’re playing SimCity, but I’d like to offer some straight answers on the topic: Always-Connected and why SimCity is not an offline experience. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Always-Connected is a big change from SimCities of the past.  It didn’t come down as an order from corporate and it isn’t a clandestine strategy to control players.  It’s fundamental to the vision we had for this SimCity.  From the ground up, we designed this game with multiplayer in mind – using new technology to realize a vision of players connected in regions to create a SimCity that captured the dynamism of the world we live in; a global, ever-changing, social world.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We put a ton of effort into making our simulation and graphics engines more detailed than ever and to give players lively and responsive cities. We also made innovative use of servers to move aspects of the simulation into the cloud to support region play and social features. Here’s just a few:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We keep the simulation state of the region up to date for all players.  Even when playing solo, this keeps the interactions between cities up to date in a shared view of the world.&lt;br /&gt;Players who want to reach the peak of each specialization can count on surrounding cities to provide services or resources, even workers.  As other players build, your city can draw on their resources.&lt;br /&gt;Our Great Works rely on contributions from multiple cities in a region.  Connected services keep each player’s contributions updated and the progression on Great Works moving ahead.&lt;br /&gt;All of our social world features - world challenges, world events, world leaderboards and world achievements - use our servers to update the status of all cities.&lt;br /&gt;Our servers handle gifts between players.&lt;br /&gt;We’ve created a dynamic supply and demand model for trading by keeping a Global Market updated with changing demands on key resources.&lt;br /&gt;We update each city’s visual representation as well.  If you visit another player’s city, you’ll see the most up to date visual status.&lt;br /&gt;We even check to make sure that all the cities saved are legit, so that the region play, leaderboards, challenges and achievements rewards and status have integrity.&lt;br /&gt;Cloud-based saves and easy access from any computer are another advantage of our connected features.  You can pop from work to home, play the game and have your cities available to you anywhere.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Almost all of our players play with connected cities. But some chose to play alone – running the cities themselves.   But whether they play solo or multiplayer, they are drawn to the connected city experience. And Always-Connected provides a platform for future social features that will play out over regions and servers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The game we launched is only the beginning for us – it’s not final and it never will be.  In many ways, we built an MMO.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, could we have built a subset offline mode?  Yes.  But we rejected that idea because it didn’t fit with our vision.  We did not focus on the “single city in isolation” that we have delivered in past SimCities.  We recognize that there are fans – people who love the original SimCity – who want that.  But we’re also hearing from thousands of people who are playing across regions, trading, communicating and loving the Always-Connected functionality.   The SimCity we delivered captures the magic of its heritage but catches up with ever-improving technology.    &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So I’ll finish with another HUGE thanks to everyone who stuck with us through this launch.  Hundreds of thousands are building and sharing cities online now.  And what you’re creating just blows us away.  SimCity is a special game, with a very special community of players, and we’re proud to be a part of it.&lt;!--QuoteEnd--&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;!--QuoteEEnd--&gt;&lt;!--SPOILER DIV--&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;!--SPOILER DIV--&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style='color:purple'&gt;&lt;span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'&gt;&lt;u&gt;&lt;b&gt;Patches / Updates&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href='http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/9381430.page' target='_blank'&gt;Update 1.7 Notes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;• Traffic Improvements: Tuned traffic congestion and fixed some intersection traffic issues. &lt;br /&gt;• Traffic improvements: Emergency Vehicles will drive in empty lanes to get around traffic at intersections. &lt;br /&gt;• Traffic improvements: Emergency and Delivery vehicles get priority over regular traffic when leaving garage. &lt;br /&gt;• All units and buildings can now be demolished using the bulldoze tool. &lt;br /&gt;• Performance improvements for low spec systems. &lt;br /&gt;• New Server: Asia 2 will be released Tuesday afternoon (PDT)&amp;#33;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style='color:purple'&gt;&lt;span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'&gt;&lt;u&gt;&lt;b&gt;Previous Updates&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!--SPOILER BEGIN--&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;spoilertop&quot; onClick=&quot;openClose('ec22caf23da411afa74fae66e3a92426')&quot; style=&quot;font-weight: bold&quot;&gt;&lt;u&gt;&amp;raquo; Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... &amp;laquo;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;spoilermain&quot; id=&quot;ec22caf23da411afa74fae66e3a92426&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;&lt;!--SPOILER END--&gt;&lt;a href='http://answers.ea.com/t5/Miscellaneous-Issues/Patch-Notes-Accompanying-latest-Patch-1-6-1/m-p/694284' target='_blank'&gt;Update 1.6.1 Notes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href='https://help.ea.com/article/simcity-patch-notes' target='_blank'&gt;Update 1.5 Notes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!--SPOILER DIV--&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;!--SPOILER DIV--&gt;</description>
            <author>phoenixxx</author>
            <category>Gamers Hideout</category>
            <pubDate>Sat, 16 Mar 2013 18:05:41 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>I kinda feel cheated</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2579480</link>
            <description>I joined a company recently - two managers interviewed me on two separate occasions, and in the second interview the manager told me there is a bonus package (works out to be about 3 months or so). I had not discussed compensation in the first.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Joined the company to find out that the bonus was part of a management package (I am in a non-managerial position). The manager had mistakenly mentioned it to me during the interview.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The company does not actually pay bonus apart from 13th month which is pretty standard nowadays.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Not to say the bonus was the main reason I joined but it certainly did weigh in. Now it seems I either suck it up and stay put or leave after only spending half a year with the company.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Has any of you encountered a similar experience? What did you do about it? Do share your thoughts.</description>
            <author>phoenixxx</author>
            <category>Jobs &amp;amp; Careers</category>
            <pubDate>Wed, 07 Nov 2012 13:16:36 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>[WTS] PS3 games</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2409950</link>
            <description>[WTS] Used PS3 games  &lt;!--emo&amp;:)--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style='color:blue'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Games list&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1. Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock - RM50&lt;br /&gt;2. The Darkness - RM30&lt;br /&gt;3. Dark Souls - RM30&lt;br /&gt;4. Various Rock Band, Guitar Hero games&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;s&gt;Shadow of the Damned - RM30 - SOLD &lt;/s&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;s&gt;Heavy Rain Move Edition - SOLD&lt;/s&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;s&gt;Resonance of Fate - SOLD&lt;/s&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;s&gt;Heavenly Sword - RM30&lt;/s&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;s&gt;GTA V - SOLD&lt;/s&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;s&gt;Motorstorm Apocalypse 3 - SOLD&lt;/s&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;s&gt;Bayonetta - SOLD&lt;/s&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;s&gt;Little Big Planet GOTY Edition - SOLD&lt;/s&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;s&gt;Resistance: Fall of Man - SOLD&lt;/s&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;s&gt;Resistance 2 - SOLD&lt;/s&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;s&gt;Killzone 2 - RM30&lt;/s&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;s&gt;Killzone 3 - RM30&lt;/s&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;s&gt;Yakuza 4 - SOLD&lt;/s&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;s&gt;Demon Souls Deluxe Edition - Artbook, soundtrack &amp;amp; game guide - SOLD&lt;/s&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;s&gt;Guitar Hero / Rock Band set (drums + lots of games, PM me if interested - drumset working, but guitar is spoiled)&lt;/s&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All games in good condition unless stated otherwise.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Prefer COD at PJ area. Anything just drop me a PM  &lt;!--emo&amp;:)--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt;</description>
            <author>phoenixxx</author>
            <category>Games Garage Sales</category>
            <pubDate>Sun, 01 Jul 2012 15:29:55 +0800</pubDate>
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