Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by Geminist

Florist with delivery service in KL

Geminist — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 10:56:23 +0800

Hi All

I'm looking for a florist to delivery some flowers for a friend's special occasion. Is there a good and reliable service to recommend in the KL area? I live outside of Malaysia so will need to have an online facility.

Many thanks

To PhD or not to PhD

Geminist — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 12:34:34 +0800

Hi All

I recently received an offer to pursue a PhD at one of the world’s top 10 engineering schools on the following arrangement:

- Fully funded by my company for 4 years. Condition is I’ll have to stick with the company for 2 years post-graduation and I’ll have to repay the funding if I leave before then. Doesn’t count if I’m made redundant.
- Working with familiar supervisors (we have collaborated on different projects).
- PhD topic is work related. I will still be working for my company for 4 days with 2 remaining days (including weekend) spent in the university. The research and my work are inter-related / complimentary.
- Because I’m working for 4 days, I will have to take a 20% pay cut.

I’ve considered the pros and cons.

Pros
- Connection between work + research will mean after I graduate, I have enough knowledge and experience to be an expert in my field.
- Promotion to director level as a technical expert. This is as discussed with the company manager responsible for this.
- Additional opportunities to move into lecturing at university. This aligns with my longer term plan.
- Satisfy my personal aspiration of contributing to the scientific knowledge.
- A subject that I like (I’m already doing research in this area on my own time). A PhD is to formalise this.

Cons
- Loss of 20% additional income for 4 years.
- Will be 35-36 by the time I graduate.
- Primary focus for four years will be on the PhD and not developing my career.
- Not being able to finish the PhD (time wasted).
- Change in company manager, i.e. reporting to a new manager not as keen on these things.
- Stuck with the same company + manager for the duration of the PhD. Less flexibility to change company.

In short, I’m trying to decide, and see if there’s anything I need to be mindful of.

All opinions welcomed, many thanks!

Wedding Gift

Geminist — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 00:52:02 +0800

Hi All

My friend is getting wed this year and I will not be able to make it back for the wedding.

I am currently abroad and I am thinking of getting a gift to delivered to their place in KL. Short of buying a gift abroad and having it delivered back (tax implication etc), I'm thinking of getting a gift ordered and delivered locally.

I'm thinking of household items like cookware given they are moving in together, but am certainly open to other suggestions. I am looking at something with a budget of around RM 500. Has anyone got any recommendations, including a website that I can order from?

Many thanks

Simple Guide for Fresh Graduates

Geminist — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 08:47:47 +0800

This is a simple guide aimed at fresh graduates and also would be fresh graduates. It is divided into three sections: pre graduates, graduates and post graduates.

Obviously the guide in here is not exhaustive, and also some of these are already discussed in various other topics, so do check there. Please feel free to contribute your thoughts in here.

Also, it is worth noting these are based on my experience in the UK so it may not be directly applicable, but should still be useful.

Simple Guide for Pre Graduates
Should I start looking for jobs even before I graduate?
Major companies tend to start their graduate recruitment even before the actual graduation date. Also, they tend to do more than one recruitment rounds, so if you missed the 1st one, you can still wait for the second one.

For July graduates, some recruitment process starts around November/December time.

Why should I start looking for jobs so early?
You don’t have to if you prefer to take a few months off after you graduated. However, graduate scheme in companies tend to fill in quite quickly so if you missed one window, you’ll need to wait for another.

Also, by starting early, you get more opportunities to experience the selection process thereby helping you to build up your skills.

What else can I do?
For final year students, the university or companies would usually run career fairs and exhibitions. Visit these to find out what are the options available out there.

Also, speak to your seniors and your lecturers and think about what you want to do. They can usually recommend a few good companies for you to join. Whilst this is debatable, my opinion is that your first job matters so think hard about that. We’ll come back to this shortly.

Also, you university should be able to help you brush up your interview skills, and to give you a feel for what to expect in an interview, carry out mock interviews, preparing your CV etc. Speak to them.

What do I need to do in an interview?
This has been discussed in great length in the pinned topic. However for a short summary:

- Make sure you know your company, do some research, understand where they operate in etc.
- Prior to the interview, prepare a list of questions interviewers would most likely ask.
- Dress smartly, but don’t overdress and nothing fancy. Chose dark coloured or white/blue (traditional colour shirt). Obviously this may not be applicable to all circumstances, so adapt as you see fit.
- Arrive 10 minutes earlier prior to your interview, if you’re running late, call up the company and let them know you’re running late.
- Don’t ask about money or benefits. Wait until you’ve got the job.

There is still a lot to talk about in this list but that’s not the point for this topic. So do check out the pinned topic.

Simple Guide for Graduates
I’ve got more than one offer which job should I pick?
This is one of the most commonly asked question, and also one of the more debateable ones. Obviously there is no one size fit all answer to this question, but you should consider the following:

Your first job is not to make money, as you would be joining a company with 0 experience. The company will be paying you to learn. So don’t expect or pick a job just because they pay more than the other.

You should think about what you can learn in your first job. The key point is what you can learn now to enable you to progress further in the future. Think about how you can develop yourself in the company you work.

Be a bit careful about joining a field that is too specialised as a fresh graduate. It is not bad, but think about how easy it would be for you to move around in the future, and whether is there a market even in other countries. For fresh graduate, it would be better to try and gain experience which is as diversified as possible.

After graduating, does it mean I don’t need to learn anymore?
Even after graduating, your learning process will not stop. You will learn in your work and you will gain experience. You may not need to take formal learning such as those in the university, but you certainly should continue to learn and develop yourself.

Think about taking evening classes, part time studies to Masters level, a second qualification, language etc. Continuous improvement is the key here.

Also, you could also think about taking none work related courses, such as art, music or something that interests you. This would help break you away from your daily routine and should also help you meet new people, and experience new things. Work is not your only life, you need life outside work too.

Simple Guide for Post Graduates
The following are stuff that I have discovered and learnt over the past 4.5 years from working. These are based on my experience, advice from others and from reading books. I find them particularly useful as these are considered as ‘soft skills’.

1) It is a common mistake by graduates where they try to do more, i.e. things not related to their work. This is not a good idea, just do what the company pays you to do.

Whilst it may be great to try and be helpful, being too helpful will send signals to people to dump things onto you. Also, you may be able to do A, B and C perfectly. However, if you have to do A, B and C simultaneously, can you still do a good job with all three? Else, if you do a bad job, it may backfire on you.

2) Learn how to say no. This sort of relate to Item 1 above as I personally find saying no to be rather difficult at first, especially when people start complaining or have a go at you. For example, if someone ask you to do something outside your job scope, you can say No and give them a reason such as you are busy or you don’t know. If you are in a situation where you can only say yes, then make sure the person knows that you are doing them a favour.

3) If something doesn’t work, don’t just say it doesn’t work. Always offer alternative solution or idea and always show that you have tried finding out why it doesn’t work.

4) The glass is half full or half empty. There are two ways for you to talk to people:

a) No, you cannot do this. To do this, you will need to do A, B and C.
b) Yes you can do this by doing A, B and C.

The key point here is to be positive and show a realistic can do attitude. It doesn’t mean saying yes to everything when you can’t deliver.

5) If it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing. This is a quote from Mythbusters but one I find applicable to my work. If you are asked to do something, don’t do a half-hearted job. Give it your best + extra to try and match + exceed the person’s expectation. This is how you can get noticed.

6) Be nice to everyone, and also be nice to the receptionist or admin. A smile is free, so don’t be afraid of giving them out.

When someone is behaving unprofessionally towards you, the last thing you want to do is to respond in the same way. Remember the inverse rule, the more unprofessional someone is, the more professional you should be and the ruder the person is, the more polite you should be.

7) A wall is there to let you show how much you want something.

8) Be open to criticism. People criticise you because they care. You should be worried when people stop criticising you as this means have given up on you.

Even when faced with unconstructive criticism or people bent on putting you down, just smile and go away or ignore it if you can. Don’t engage in a prolonged argument as it is a waste of your time and often, it does not reflect well on you.

9) Remember please and thank you, they go a long way.

10) Always carry a mini notebook with you, when people teach you something, write it down.

11) Avoid making mistakes but understand that mistakes cannot be avoided. What you need to do is learn and make sure you don’t make the same mistake twice. This is tough, but when you make a mistake, be sure to own up to it as soon as you can as there might still be ways to contain the damage. Keeping quiet will help no one.

12) Don’t be lazy, always do your homework before asking a question.

July 2011 Update

13) Everyone dislikes whiners, so either do it and don’t whine, or don’t whine and don’t do it. Instead of whining to your boss, don’t whine, be proactive and propose solutions to a problem.

14) Talk less do more. People like a man of action or someone who can make things happen instead of just talking about them.

15) Ask and you shall be given. It took me some time to do this, but if there’s something you want, ask politely. More often than not, you will be able to get what you want.

16) WIFY – What’s in for you? This is negotiation Rule 101. If you need something for someone, think about what the person wants in return. Bringing something to the table the other person wants would more readily get you what you want.

17) Don’t hog the credits and spread them to those around you whom you worked with.

18) Do what you’re paid to do and don’t be a busy body. You may notice your colleagues or your managers are goofing around etc. Unless if what they are doing stops you from doing your work effectively, stay out of it and don’t go around complaining etc. That’s your boss’s problem as that’s what he is paid to do, not you.

Communication (July 2011 Update)
How to tell people they are wrong?
There are times you need to tell someone they made a mistake in their work. Never ever gloat over someone else's mistakes because remember, you will make them one day too, including silly mistakes.

There are two ways for you to tell people they are wrong:

a) This is wrong. You should do it this way. Follow up, why have you done it like that?
b) What do you think if we do it this way?

My personal preference is (b) because it gets people thinking and two heads are always better than one and from time to time, the other person would surprise me with a new insight. However, remember there are times you need to use (a), if you’re in a hurry but always remember to have a follow up discussion afterwards.

The key point here is to focus on the work and not the person. People can get defensive if you’re not careful with your words because they feel their intelligence etc is under threat.

Remember, you’re there not to interrogate them, but to discuss and find the best solution. So don’t behave like you’re interrogating a criminal.

How to tell someone you don’t know and still look good?
First off, let’s face it that you don’t and can’t know everything. Anyone who tells you they do is probably lying or delusional and you know what to expect from them. If someone ask you something and you don’t know, don’t try to act smart and wing it because it will bite you back.

There are three ways how you can answer about something you don’t know:

a) I don’t know.
b) Good question! I don’t know BUT I can find out the answer and get back to you by the end of today.
c) I am not entirely sure, but my recollection is …………. I will confirm this to you later today. (Only use this if you are uncertain with your answer instead of not knowing it).

Answer (a) is an unhelpful answer and you get ‘points’ deducted if you answer to people like that. Answer (b) and © show that you are honest and at the same time proactive. Anyone worth their salt will appreciate that we don’t know everything and would appreciate your answer.

Remember though, the answer above only works if you can’t answer 2 out of 10 questions. It will back fire on you if you use them more than 20% as people will think you’re actually incompetent.

KISS and jargon, jargon and jargon
Let me tell you how to spot the fakers and the NATOs (No action talk only) when you’re talking to one: Jargon.

People who hasn’t got a clue what they are talking about likes to throw around complicated words, jargon etc. Anyone who understands something can explain them in clear simple terms you and me can understand.

Remember when either writing or speaking, use simple terms people can understand. Don’t use jargon and technical terms and assume everyone understands. Also avoid short forms such as POPP, TIPPS, CDO etc unless if you absolutely need to. Even if you do that, be sure to explain it, for example, we need to speak to PTM, people that matters concerning this.

No, no and NO!
The last thing a client want for an answer is no and it’s the easiest way to upset someone. I’ve sat in meeting where people got so crossed when the other party just said, no, no and no for all the questions. You’ll be seen as unhelpful and that will be the last time people work with you.

The wrong way to answer when you’re asked to do something:
A: Can you do this?
B: No.

The right way to answer:
A: Can you do this?
B: When/What/Where etc do you need to get this done?
B: To do this, the fee/resources etc would be xxx.

The key point here is unless if it’s sending someone to Mars, most things can be done if you throw enough money, time or people at it. The question is whether the client wants to do it or not and whether can they afford it.

Replace client with your boss and the same rule applies.

Truth and perception
You need to learn how to manage perception. For example, the truth is you’re hard working but your colleagues' perception is that you’re not. Try guessing if you’ll get a pay rise or a promotion. Another example is that you’re really intelligent (truth), but your colleagues' perception is that you’re so so (perception) because you rarely demonstrate your intelligence well enough.

The key point here is to understand the difference between the two, you may think you’re doing an important task but in actual fact, the perception by the company is that the task is really easy.

QUOTE

Simple Guide to Email - April 2014 Update
Email is now an indispensable form of communication in companies big and small, so how do you go about it?

Below is a short guide for emails communication. This is based on my experience, so feel free to adapt to your needs as you see fit.

How to address someone

QUOTE

Dear [First name]
x
x
Regards
[Your full name]
[Position - depends on the purpose of your email, is it necessary for this person to know your position?]
[Your immediate contact details]

- Used when you don't know this person
- Client or colleague
- Formal or informal situation

QUOTE

Hi [First name]
x
x
Kind regards, [Friendly - Your first name only; semi casual - Your full name]

- Used when you have communicated a few times with this person
- An informal email with friendly tone

When to respond to email?
After sometime, I've worked out a simple formula with emails:

Emails with questions you have an immediate answer to:
- Reply immediately

Emails with information only:
- Judge how important this email is, if it's sent to you with important information, reply with an acknowledgement that you've got it.

Emails with questions you need to think about:
- How long do you need to think about this?
- If it's within 2 days, then let it be.
- If it's going to take more than 2 days, reply with acknowledgement that you've got the email, and will need to think about it. Give a time scale if possible.

Rules to remember
1) There are times you have to be strategic with your emails, for example withholding from responding too quickly, e.g. the client still owes you money, or constantly leeches off you without giving anything in return.

2) Never, ever use text speak in email, it's rude and reflects badly on you.

3) Avoid using Mr, Mrs, Ms in your email. There is a chance you'll get the gender of a person wrong. Exception is if the person is a Dr or Professor, some people likes to be called Dr. Lastname, but generally Dr/Professors like to be called without the honorific, as in the commercial world honorific is seen as arrogance.

4) Smileys are rarely acceptable in work emails, unless if it's between colleagues in a friendly banter.

5) When in doubt, use formal tone.

Problem Solving Tricks & Techniques

Geminist — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 06:37:20 +0800

Hi All

This topic is for everyone to share problem solving tricks and techniques. It is not meant to be applied to a specific subject, study or work. So if that’s what you’re looking for, it is not here.

I have been working as an engineering consultant for almost four years now. This is not a lot of experience for an engineer but I had a lot of opportunities to be involved in challenging projects. Also, problem solving has always been something I love and I continue to think about this.

One thing I noticed is a lot of times, the solutions are there, it is just how to reach the solution, make sure you’ve covered all variables and factors of interdependencies. Therefore, throughout these four years, I’ve created a few set of mind tools for myself to help lead me in the right direction and I’m sharing them here as I am hoping people can share their methods as well and see if we can refine them.

I must stress here I do not know whether these are the ‘right’ method or not, but, it has served me well throughout these four years and I’m hoping I can create more tools.

[I am aware that this topic can go to other subforum as well, but having thought about it, problem solving is fundamental to education and should start from education so I've posted it here]

Create headlines that need to be considered
To get yourself into first knowing what the problem is, I would create a few headlines (think of these are your title to something) that would help lead my thinking in the right direction.

For example, you are preparing a dish. You would then think:

Ingredient – What ingredients do I need, can I buy them here etc
Utensils – Have I got the necessary tools to cook them, if no what do I need etc
Skills – Can I cut and prepare the ingredients etc

As you can see, by creating the headlines (ingredient, utensils and skills), you can then lead yourself into the finer details. In short, headline helps you to categorise your problem. As you go one, you can create more head line issues, or fine tune it.

The next step is to make these headlines come to you as naturally as possible, for example, you can rearrange the three headlines as S.U.I which means water in Cantonese/Mandarin and you need water for cooking. Knowing this, you can recall the headlines as quickly as possible.

Trace the event from start to finish
Once you have the problem figured out and the solution, what you need to do now is to make sure your solution works and you have not left out any blank holes or overlooked anything.

The way I would do it is to play the event from start to finish. Taking the cooking as an example:

Think about preparation of the ingredients, slicing/cutting them, to marinating them and to cooking them. If say for example you forgotten an ingredient, by the first or second stage you would have noticed that.

Play the “what if” game
This may be less relevant to some people but as my work requires me to consider the worst possibility and cover all eventualities, I use this method.

I would start asking ‘what if’ this worst case scenario happens, ‘what if’ the person I spoke to didn’t understand what I said and so on.

One thing to be cautious with ‘what if’ is that it can make you to be too pedantic or too risk averse, so use it with some care.

Ask the ‘why’, ‘what’, ‘who’ and ‘how’
When I am looking at a problem, question, statement or statistics, I would always ask these questions.

Again taking cooking as an example, the questions would be why do we need to do it this way, who said we need to cook it this way, how do they cook it this way, what is used to cook it this way etc. This often shed new light to a problem.

Don’t look for what’s there, look for what is missing
When thinking about solutions or problems, you would also need to look at it from another angle, the what is missing angle.

Cooking is a poor example here, so I’ll use looking at statistics as an example. Everyday we are bombarded with stats in the news with scary figures like 1 in 2 male watched pornography (this is purely fictional, go ask someone else!). This seems like a scary figure but if you attack the news at the what is missing angle, you’ll soon start laughing.

What is missing:

How is the statistics compiled?
Who compiled it?
What is the age of the men involved?
Why would people want this stats compiled?

You would realise by now this is used in conjunction with the ‘why’, ‘what’, ‘who’ and ‘how’ method above. With this, you can have the joy of laughing at poor souls who would believe all manners of nonsense on the news.

Start by assuming everything is wrong
Often I have to evaluate other people’s work and these include work by very experienced people. Instead of looking at their work and confirming what is wrong, I start by assuming everything they did is wrong and tried poking holes at their work. A lot of times, combined with the tools above, I can pick out mistakes easily where people would have missed.

Tackle one thing at a time
Sometimes when I start working on a project, by using the methods above, I know what the problems in the project would be and often, there's more than a few of them and they may seem overwhelming at times. What makes it even more interesting is these problems are inter-related, if you do X to A, B will change and if B change, C will change and will affect X of A.

What I do in the first instance is to tackle all the non related problems (be careful as this may backfire as something non related can become related hence the use of the earlier methods above would be useful to sniff this out).

After that, ideally I would tackle just problem A and worry about problem B and C later. At times, when I have to, I would look at A and B simultaneously. I noticed when I try to confront too many problems at one go, my brain don't work that efficiently and I would feel overwhelmed.

Simple Guide to Engineering

Geminist — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 05:03:42 +0800

Simple Guide to Engineering
This guide is meant for school leavers but may be relevant to current undergraduate students as well. Feel free to post any comments or questions here.

Who should study engineering?
If your first question is any of the following:

- Which is the highest paying engineering field?
- Which is the best engineering field to study?
- I like engineering but I hate math and I am not interested in a dynamic, ever changing environment
- I can’t even be bothered to Google the main branches of engineering so I’ll just post in the forum asking people about what is [insert] engineering subject

So, if your question is any of the above, don’t bother going into engineering. You’re much suited at something else. This may seem harsh but for yours and the futures’ sake, it is better if you don’t go into engineering.

The above aside, it is not always easy, especially for school leavers to perfectly pinpoint their interest in engineering be in mechanical, electrical etc. But if you have the following trait:

- You like taking things apart, i.e. you like to understand how things work etc
- You find solving a problem exciting and you can spend hours trying to solve a problem
- You enjoy learning, you always try to learn about new things and are always curious
- You have an interest in science based subjects, like math, physics etc
- You like getting hands on and wouldn’t mind getting your hands dirty

These are some signs that engineering might just be right for you although bear in mind there are other field of study that requires some of the same traits.

Which engineering subject should I go for?
It is usually not easy for you to be absolutely certain about what you want to do at this stage. Congratulations and good for you if you know what you want to do, so go for it.

If you don’t know, then you will have to start speaking to course consultants/seniors and look deep within yourself. Do you find mechanical parts, i.e. cars, moving parts fascinating? Do you find electronics interesting? These are some of the things you can explore.

Alternatively, after finishing school you will almost certainly have some free time at hand. Try getting work in a local small size firm, people might be willing to hire you if you don’t mind too much about the pay and would be more than happy to plunge into and get your hands dirty. I found a hint of my interest by working in a contractor firm as an errand boy during holiday.

Next Step
Once you have a rough idea of which field you like, a personal suggestion is always to avoid plunging too deep into it too quickly, especially if it is a specialised field.

What you can do, is start at the core engineering courses, e.g. E&E, mechanical, civil etc as a lot of times for degree level studies, you can branch into a more specialised area once you have completed your degree.

Starting at a core subject is much better than a specialised subject as throughout your course, there is a very good chance that your interest may change, and it’s not a good idea if you’re locked into a specialised subject at this stage.

I know some may *think* they are absolutely certain that is what they want to do, but my advice is still to start with a core course. You may take a slightly longer route by starting at core course, e.g. you spend an extra year. On the other hand, if you start off with a specialised course and decide to change later, you would have wasted a lot more time and effort.

Lastly, with a core engineering course, it would be easier for you to branch into other areas, even after you have started working.

Final Step
After you’ve made up your mind, go out and talk to people, especially your seniors. They may shed some new light on your decision. Also, speak to various course consultants in the university, for the sake of your money, they will try their best to help you (which is also a good reminder to speak to a few people, just like you wouldn’t trust the decision of one doctor alone, especially if you need to spend RM200,000 to follow their advice).

Frequently asked questions about engineering
I am interested in cars, buildings and robotics, what should I do?
First off, be aware that these are generic interests. A lot of people enjoy eating and food but not everyone is interested in how the food is produced etc. So keep that in mind.

Secondly, you can have more than one interest, but you can’t have more than one career at one time. Also, hold on to something or fall in everything. Think hard which is the one you want.

Oil & Gas/Nanotechnology/Renewable energy etc is really popular now and well paid, and I have some interest in it, so can I go for this?
Of course you can if that is what you like to do. However, if your decision is swayed by the amount of money you’ll make, then do so at your own peril.

Don’t forget it’ll take you four years to graduate, by that time anything could have happened and robots might have replaced all engineers out there, who knows? If you go down this route, you’ll end up with a degree in something you only have a vague interest in and no one would hire you. Good luck.

Alternatively, you might end up with something that you like and are passionate about and no one would hire you. I’m sure it’s clear which one gives you a better chance.

Should I go for Masters?
Yes, it is becoming the norm nowadays and my view is that it will become the new ‘degree’ in the future, i.e. the minimum education threshold before people employ you. Don’t forget Chindia is churning out tonnes of competent graduates each year, you’ll need all the advantage you can get.

I like [insert] engineering course, but I heard jobs are not available nowadays?
It’s true there are jobs out there which have been replaced because of new technology etc. This applies not just in engineering but in other dynamic careers.

As long as you like what you do and are good at what you do, your skills will be sought after and you can always carry your problem solving skills into another area. The real danger is when you graduate with a course that you don’t like.

Club LYN UK Meet Up@London

Geminist — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:51:09 +0800

Hello

Club LYN UK at Travel & Living subforum is having a meet up for dinner this coming Friday. Details as below.

Venue: Hare and Tortoise - Blackfriars - http://www.hareandtortoise.co.uk/flash/index.aspx?locid=1595
Time: 15th Jan Friday at 7.00pm
People attending:
1) Geminst,
2) Mr. Lappy,
3) panda00,
4) Chizzu + 1.

Please post here or give me a shout if you would like to join in as well.

French and Irish fall out over 'box' incident

Geminist — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:28:59 +0800

These letters were leaked today showing a major breakdown in communication between the French Government and the Irish over the upcoming World Cup qualifying play-off. There’s now a full-blown diplomatic row brewing.

http://irishsoccerinsider.wordpress.com/

Recommendations?

Geminist — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 07:49:42 +0800

Gents

I am looking to do a bit of shopping this weekend so wanted to get some ideas on clothes.

1) I am 168cm, 74kg and would consider myself to be medium built. So clothes for skinny/slender people or for people with well toned body doesn't suit me.I look younger than I should.

2) What I currently wear:
I try to pick clothes that wouldn't make me look younger than I already am, and so I opt for those that make me look more mature. Some examples are like:

Jeans: http://www.burton.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/...83634&langId=-1

Jumper: http://www.burton.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/...10229&langId=-1

I prefer t-shirts and hoodies but these aren't doing me any justice at times and it really doesn't help when it makes me look too young. Bear in mind I'm living in the UK currently, so I look even younger when the Westerners tend to look a lot older than their age.

3) I am looking for some new clothes, preferrably two piece but ran out of ideas because you don't get too much variations based on the combinations I mentioned above. I want something that makes me look more mature/grown up. I'm not looking for current trends or things that would make me look cool (I'm sadly passed that age now!).

4) I know of the combination of jeans + shirt + casual blazer but these are not always suitable because I carry a sling bag with me and it's difficult to match it.

5) I live in the UK so I have access to shops like Burton, River Island, Topshop, FCUK, Zara etc. These are the shops that I would visit as I don't really fancy designers stuff.

6) So, I would really appreciate if people can suggest something. It's more or less a brainstorming thing so anything goes!

Many thanks.

Education-Related Advertisements

Geminist — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 03:17:33 +0800

Although we previously disallow advertisement related to tuition, kindergarden and the likes, we do realise there are quite a substantial amount of such advertisement and resources sharing here.

Therefore, here is a thread for everyone who wants to advertise or share any form of resources. We will allow each center to post only 1 post for advertisment, and is expected to edit their post if there is any change of information. The centers are also expected to provide as much information as possible to avoid confusion.

There will be no replies allowed in this thread. It is purely for advertisment purpose. Anyone caught spamming will be immediately awarded warnings. Repeated offense will be awarded with a ban.

[Note: Please be reminded that this topic act only as a medium for people sharing resources or advertisement. We by no means guarantee and will not be held responsible for the quality/validity of the resources offered here, therefore please kindly approach accordingly]

When Architect gets Bored on the Drawing Table

Geminist — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:37:49 +0800

Note that the said room is a toilet as well.

Source: http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?sectio...ode=3115740&c=1

Software to share a computer screen

Geminist — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 21:19:00 +0800

Dear All

I remember a few years back toying with a free software that enables two (or more) person on different computers to look at one another's screen without having any controls over the computer (therefore it's not remote desktop).

Googled around and most of the similar software are either expensive or they come with a lot of features which are of no interest to me. What I am looking for is just a simple software to do the above.

Anyone came across something similar before?

Many thanks.

Some math calculations

Geminist — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 06:01:18 +0800

Hi there,

I have a question here with regard to graph.

Note that the graph does not extend beyond -ve Y axis, it's a crude sketch.

Here are the conditions: -

1) The curves are all semi circles. Their coordinates will never change.
2) I have this irregular line. The coordinates along the line will change based on what the user put it. The number of points will not always be 4, it may change.
3) How do I assess mathematically the coordinates (x,y) in which the line intersects with any of the curves?

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

Thanks for the help.

Some jokes from friendster

Geminist — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 17:27:40 +0800

Wireless Internet

Geminist — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 04:32:12 +0800

Question on Scenario Below

Geminist — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 23:01:50 +0800

Good day ~

I have a question here and hopefully you guys who are more experienced can give me some opinion.

Scenario
If let's say I have been invited by two companies for their interview where company H is the company I wanted to join first and company D is the second.

However, the director of company H went on holiday and he can not conduct the interview until when he is back, say on next week. However, company D contacted me and arraged an interview on 9th June and somehow, the director of company H also arranged another interview on 9th June.

It is unethical for me to turn down the company D interview since I promised it first and perhaps I can just talk to company H to change the time.

But my problem arise here, with company H, I had to change the time for the previous meeting due to my exams and presentation where I asked to change the date after agreeing to it (also due to the fact that the company are not reimbursing my travel and it takes me 5 hours to get there, with a train fare more than 100 GBP - this is my miss for not confirming everything and I apologized to the director personally).

The director of company H has yet to set another interview date with me but chances are it will be on the same date as company D (since I gave him a list of dates I am not available due to exam).

So my question now is,

1) Should I wait for the director of company H to contact me and pray that it wouldn't be on 9th June.

2) Should I send an updated list of time where I am not available to the director of company H (including the fact that I am not available on 9th June) before he contacts me?

Personally my choice falls on (2) though however, it will be the second time for me to update him with the time I am not available. Will I tarnish my reputation in company H even before the interview of is it okay for me to do so?

Or is there any alternative?

Thanks

New Moderator for Education Essentials

Geminist — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 22:46:38 +0800

Welcome darkages as the new probationary moderator for educatioin essentials.

He will be an additional moderator helping out at the education essential subforum.

Thank you.

Dispute Resolution Corner Etiquette and FAQ

Geminist — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 03:19:59 +0800

Guidelines in Trade Zone Dispute Resolution Corner

QUOTE

Rules and Regulations

1. The moderators are not here to resolve your disputes, neither are they here to help you out. This subforum is for you to resolve your disputes in an organised and easy to follow manner.

2. Only aggrieved parties may open a thread here.

3. Do not post unless you have something useful to contribute. Ranting is not useful contribution.

4. Inform the other party (via PM or otherwise) about your thread here, so he/she has an opportunity to defend himself. An accused party who does not reply within 1 week may then be added to the Trade Zone Black List thread.
Don't worry if you have been blacklisted because you are not available for one week, all you need to do is PM a trade zone moderator to have your name cleared if you have settled you dispute then.

5. Each thread here should be accompanied with a link to the original thread. Thread titles should include the nickname of the person the object of the complaint.

6. Rule No. 1 is the cardinal rule. Make sure you understand it.

Please kindly check below for guidelines related to starting a complain or topic here in dispute resolution corner.

QUOTE

Guidelines to starting a thread here:
Post any trade disputes you have here in this section.

If you are having trouble finding someone regarding trade, reporting fraud cases or want to add more information regarding a dispute; you can also post here in the Trade Dispute Resolution Corner.

Tips For making a complaint thread against someone:

1) You are suggested to use the following template in your topic:
Your name:
Forumer you are complaining against :
Item being sold/bought :
Original thread link: (if still available.)
Date of transaction :
Amount of money involved : (not 100% necessary, but will add on to the weight and vailidity of the accusation)
Details of the complaint :
Any extra details : (such as telephone numbers, ic numbers, address and bank account numbers.)

2) The topic title should contain the item being dealt and the alleged party's nick (and other details like names).
A complaint thread is mainly made to allow the alleged party to defend him/herself.

3) Inform the other party (via PM or otherwise) about your report here, so he/she has an opportunity to defend himself.
Remember to do this as what is most important is to resolve the issue at hand with the person you are complaining against.

Note to all LYN-traders:
All members especially traders are advised to check from time to time on the trade dispute section to check if their names have been complained about or not. This reminder is given because sometimes an accused member may be difficult to contact with problems such as members having full PM boxes or incorrect contact details given.

Trade Zone Moderators:
shockk & Geminist
PM either moderator if you have any trouble here or want to request something as per the pinned threads in this Trade Dispute Resolution Dispute Corner.

QUOTE

Help us to make LYN a safer place to trade

This procedure here is set to allow LYN members to take on an active role in making LYN a better and safer place to trade in.

Here's how it works:

1) There is no response (at least 3 days grace period must be given) from the accused party but there are still on-going sales OR the accused party gives responses, but fraud is still of concern and there are still on-going sales

2) LYN-members are encouraged to post their concerns in the accused member's sales threads to warn other members.
Take note that only reasonable accusations will be recognized as proper in posts. Unreasonable posts are grounds to warning or suspension.

- Reminder: If you wish to do this LYN-member intervention procedure, you MUST refer to a complaint thread in the Trade Dispute Resolution Corner regarding the complaint that involves the accused party -

[ALERT] Official BLACKLIST & MINOR OFFENDER list

Geminist — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 21:57:33 +0800

[RULES] Trade Zone Rules & Etiquette

Geminist — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 20:34:47 +0800

Main rules

Disclaimer: Lowyat.NET is not responsible for any transactions conducted here.
Seller's responsibility:Traders MUST be able to deliver the merchandise as promised; in terms of the delivery period, contents, condition and price.
No trading of prohibited items. The sale of any item in our PROHIBITED ITEMS LIST is punishable by a lengthy suspension or permanent ban of your account.
Sellers are required to display the exact selling prices of their products. Those who are looking to only trade/swap their items with others are not required to display. Failure to do so may result in immediate deletion of the particular thread.
Tag your topics and use the template. Do kindly include the THREAD TAGS and [WTB]/[WTS] tags when opening a thread. Failure to do so may result in immediate deletion of the particular thread. Using the template helps potential buyers search, so it is to your advantage
One topic per item. The creation of multiple topics for similar items will result in deletion of all the topics and a warning/suspension.
Report suspicious activity. If in any case you feel suspicious regarding a sales, please alert us by PMing a staff or administrative member.
No market testing. No test/survey of market allowed within this forum as well as its subforums.
Board rules apply. All other Lowyat.NET Rules & Regulations apply to Trade Zone as well.