Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by leokoo

[Liver Cancer] Doctor / Hospital Recommendation

leokoo — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 03:35:00 +0800

My dad was recently diagnosed with end-stage liver cancer due to Hepatitis B. There's a lack of albumin in the blood and there's swelling in his legs and abdomen. He's currently receiving medical attention from PPUM, but the doctor seem to not be doing anything other than observing coz he said my dad's too weak for now. They have given 3 months or less to live.

He's 77.

Should I move him to Selayang Hospital? Or some private one? Will staying at PPUM take a long time? They'll see him in 10 days time to evaluate the best course to take.

Thanks all!

Cheap Shopee / Lazada vs Branded Bathroom Taps

leokoo — Sat, 23 Mar 2024 16:25:15 +0800

As above. I was just having a debate with my wife on whether we should go for a cheap two way bathroom tap or go for a Sorento

cheap China bathroom tap in Shopee

Sorento bathroom tap, SRT-79SS

I see a lot of buyers for the cheap tap, but read that most don't last. They leak, the handles come off, etc. But are they that bad? Have you ever bought a cheap tap and regret it? Or has yours lasted the years?

Thanks!

Looking for SPAN Plumber to apply for water meter

leokoo — Tue, 09 Jan 2024 21:55:43 +0800

As above. Do you guys know of any SPAN approved plumber with IPA permit to apply for reconnection with Syabas / Air Selangor? Apparently we need to go through someone approved, but the prices are insane.

For example, here's a quote I received today
1) Application with Air Selangor - RM 1k
2) Piping to show Air Selangor - RM 900
3) Air Selangor Deposit - RM 262.10

Now, piping doesn't mean it'll work as the unit's pipe might be blocked.

https://www.span.gov.my/article/view/ipa-permit-type-a1-a2-2

If you have any good and reasonable plumber, can you kindly recommend? Please give me their address too or mobile number the very least, as I need to cross-check on SPAN's website. Thanks!

[attachmentid=11488673][attachmentid=11488674]

Affin Hwang, MPlus or AmEquities?

leokoo — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 18:54:21 +0800

As above. I'm starting my stock investment journey and planning to open an account with either one of these. Which do you recommend for the following features?

a) Ease of trading
b) Purchase of IPO
c) Good mobile app
d) Low trading fees

Appreciate your thoughts

[WTS] End November 2016 Macbook Pro 13"

leokoo — Thu, 29 Aug 2019 03:38:17 +0800

100% ORIGINAL, Non-Touch Bar Model, November 2016 Model, Super Low Battery Cycle Count 5

Price:RM 3.6k

Specifications:
- Processor: 2.0GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz, with 4MB shared L3 cache
- RAM: 8GB of 1867MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Operating System: macOS Mojave 10.14.6
- Graphics: Intel Iris Graphics 540 (1536 MB)
- Screen: Retina display: 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors
- Keyboard: Full-size backlit keyboard with: 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys, Ambient light sensor
- Trackpad: Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures
- Optical Drive: N/A
- Battery life: Up to 9-10 hours wireless web (Super Low Battery Cycle Count: 5)
- Weight: 1.37 kg
- Port:
x2 Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports
x1 3.5 mm headphone jack

Package includes:
-MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
-Apple 61W USB-C Power Adapter
-Apple USB-C Charge Cable (2m)
-Manual Guide
-Original Box

Age: November 2016 Model

Warranty: Battery, Keyboard & Screen are under official Apple Warranty till the 1st week November 2019

Body Condition: 99% Like NEW (Good Battery life, Super Low Battery Cycle Count: 4)

Working Condition: 100% No Problem!!

+ACCEPT TRADE IN (Phone/Tablet/Laptop/DSLR Camera)
+SERIOUS BUYER ONLY
+NO LOWBALLERS
+NO SWAP

COD in PARADIGM MALL, PETALING JAYA ( NEARBY KELANA JAYA LRT), or
COD in AMCORP MALL, PETALING JAYA (NEARBY TAMAN BAHAGIA LRT)

Postage is AVAILABLE

Please Read Through The Entire Ads Before You Ask & Contact Me ONLY IF YOU'RE A SERIOUS BUYER!!!! TQ
HP: 0162330885
Reason for sale: Upgrading. Personally, if it helps, I run WPStarters.com

SEO, WordPress, SaaS Software & Better Websites

leokoo — Sat, 17 Feb 2018 03:21:00 +0800

Hi there!

It's been awhile since my last website. Recently I've been focusing on blogging on how to make money online. With crucial topics like
- WordPress Plugins - Which plugins should you buy/use to achieve your goals
- WordPress Themes - Which WordPress Themes are the best? Why StudioPress' Genesis or Underscores instead of say, Avada?
- SEO - How do I get improve my website's performance on Google?
- Software - Which software should I use for business? How about managing my social media profiles? How about those lifetime deals?
- Conversion Rate Optimisation - I have good traffic (about 2k onwards/day), what do I do to improve my conversion rate for more business/leads from my website?

Without further ado, let me introduce you to WPStarters.com, a website for people wanting to understand more about the web and how to make money with their website/software.

As a full stack web developer, I hope my blog will be useful to you

Cheers!

p/s:
I code in PHP, JavaScript and Ruby. Drop me a message at my contact form if you need any development work for your website. Or if you have some burning startup idea

Parking next to Monorail -Imbi - Maharajalela?

leokoo — Sun, 04 Feb 2018 23:00:15 +0800

Hi there!

My GF starts work a few hundred meters from the Raja Chulan Station tomorrow. So we've gone to survey the land and parking here looks limited And open air car parks are far..

Do you know of any good/affordable parking on the KL monorail line? Preferably somewhere along Maharajalela, Hang Tuah or Imbi (next to Times Square)

Appreciate your feedback!

Thanks!

p/s: I'm thinking of the following, but not sure if the rates still hold
- Times Square itself - RM 9.50/entry max for weekday
- Open Parking next to Times Square - RM 5/entry?
- Open Parking next to Chinese Assembly Hall - RM 5/entry?
- Wisma Pahlawan - RM 8/entry?

Ruby On Rails Developers?

leokoo — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 16:19:35 +0800

Hi all,

As the developers list hasn't been updated for awhile, and gets messed up due to job offers, how about we form a list of Ruby developers here? Please only post if you're a Ruby developer and not someone looking to hire.

Thanks!

KooGadgets.com

leokoo — Mon, 02 May 2016 05:58:48 +0800

Hi guys! Here's my other site Recently I began to focus on writing consistently again. Appreciate all your comments on the articles. Cheers!

Five Reasons You Should Not Buy An iPhone

If you have met uncles and aunties with the latest iPhone 6s, but do nothing on them except for phone calls, WhatsApp and perhaps some Facebook, you understand my frustration. If possible, let potential iPhone buying friends to read the 5 reasons they should not get an iPhone.

Five Reasons You Should Not Buy An iPhone

WPStarters.com

leokoo — Mon, 02 May 2016 05:40:11 +0800

Hey guys!

I've switched domains to WPStarters.com in the recent months. Here's some of my recent posts

How to get into Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is hard work, but it pays off in the long run. Once you have a regular stream of visitors, you can actually earn passive income. And what more, the income is in US Dollars (which makes it even sweeter as our ringgit is weak).

Check out the blog post to find out more.

How to get into Affiliate Marketing

Lifetime Gym Memberships?

leokoo — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 14:39:14 +0800

Hey guys!

Just wondering what's the current price for lifetime membership for gyms. Previously True Fitness was going at RM 5k plus, but it seems to have increased. Are any of you on a lifetime membership for California fitness and the likes? Is it worth it?

Appreciate your thoughts

FridgePirate's Adventures

leokoo — Tue, 19 May 2015 19:13:22 +0800

Hey guys! I've been around the blogosphere for sometime, having blogged via the early days of blogspot and having my blog posts listed on Project Petaling Street back then. Anyway, due to spending so much time with Wordpress & Ecommerce, I decided to write and share experiences and the hard knocks I've learn through 4 years of running an ecommerce site based on Wordpress.

Read on to find out more with our first posting on Lowyat

Do you run a WordPress site? With WordPress powering up to 25% of the World Wide Web and WooCommerce powering around 25% of all ecommerce carts out there, WordPress is significant. As such, with more people in Malaysia turning to WordPress to power their websites, it is crucial to understand why your developer should use premium WordPress plugins instead of developing one for you.
http://www.fridgepirate.com/why-your-devel...dpress-plugins/

WTS Build You A Wordpress site worth RM4500 yearly

leokoo — Sun, 17 May 2015 22:59:23 +0800

Hey guys! Having an online presence is crucial nowadays for many businesses. However, the cost of starting a new website with the features we want can vary wildly from RM 3000 to RM 100k, and that is without maintenance fees nor server charges. In that sense, we have been in your shoes and understand how frustrating it is to build a great site from scratch.

Having run an online store since 2011, we know that there are a few facts with Wordpress and the Wordpress ecosystem.
1) Wordpress now powers 25% of all websites Worldwide
2) Wordpress themes and plugins are gradually becoming more expensive as large companies are beginning to move to Wordpress
3) Lifetime licenses are becoming a rarity, so much so that only old timers like us or long term developers have a bunch of them. Even so, most of us miss out on some really good deals.
4) Lifetime licenses are gradually being replaced by yearly renewed ones
5) Sometimes, although the base plugin is free, in order to get certain functions, you need to pay a premium or purchase the most expensive tier.

Having said the above, we now offer you an affordable way to get a Wordpress business website up and running, fast. And for a really good price. You see, while we can not sell nor transfer our licenses, we can build you a site with premium lifetime themes and plugins which comes with lifetime updates.* And with lifetime updates, you get to update your themes and plugins with a single click from your own Wordpress dashboard!

Before we continue, we would like to clarify that this doesn't come with ecommerce extensions, though we can help you install the free WooCommerce plugin

Now, what's the catch? Why are we doing this for such an affordable price?

Firstly, as we own the developer license for these themes and plugins, we're free to use it in as many websites that we want to. Sure enough we only have a limited range, but it enables us to quickly build you a site. We actually have been building sites for friends who needed one using some of our unlimited lifetime with unlimited sites licenses, and found many of them complained that starting a Wordpress website with some premium plugins was so expensive. On the other hand, they can't find free plugins that could function nor do the same things premium plugins could.

Thus, the idea to help people build a basic site with these premium themes and plugins was born

If you were wondering about the value of the package and how we got to the figure of RM 4500 per year, here's the breakdown of the theme(s) and plugins that we'll include in your installation.

Yearly Renewal Costs for Wordpress themes if you were to purchase them for your site

Elegant Themes Divi 2 - USD 89/year
WooCommerce’s SuperStore - USD 79/year

Yearly Renewal Costs for the Wordpress plugins if you were to purchase them for your site
AffiliateWP - USD 199/year
BackupBuddy - USD 80/year
Bloom - Included with Divi’s license - USD 89/year
Envira Gallery - USD 99/year
LearnDash - USD 129/year
Monarch - Included with Divi’s license - USD 89/year
Soliloquy Slider - USD 99/year
Tickera - USD 149/year
Toolset - USD 149/year
WPML - USD 79/year
WP Review Pro - USD 39/year

Other plugins included in the installation
Formidable Forms Pro - USD 47 in value
WP All Import Pro + WooCommerce - USD 139 in value

If we get 3 signups, we'll include another lifetime updates plugin for you here, valued at USD 199/year

Now, the problem with every site is that you usually spend 3 years with the site before revamping.
Thus the cost of maintaining plugins for the site = RM 4.5k x 3 = RM 13.5k
When compared to our current development package = RM 700
Savings to go with us = RM 12.8k over a span of 3 years!

Now, what could you do with RM 12.8k? You can
- Take a trip to Japan for a week and back
- Hire a top notch agency to build you a custom plugin or custom theme
- Customise the current theme you're using
- Save for a rainy day
- Buy stocks to sell on your online store
- Hire a staff for a couple of months

The thing is, with our basic package, you get to launch your site with a number of awesome features and ensure your runway stays a little longer.

Lifetime updates* - are valid as long as the developers of the plugins and themes do not discontinue them. Most of the time they don't, but on rare occasions, some might just do so.

Why Kangen Water?

leokoo — Fri, 08 May 2015 18:01:24 +0800

Any ideas why Kangen water is really hot right now in Malaysia? Why Kangen instead of some water filter system? I mean, Kangen isn't cheap.

What to do in a Sunset Industry?

leokoo — Sun, 26 Apr 2015 00:16:59 +0800

Hey guys, what would you do if you were in a sunset industry hit by external forces? The graph above is correct all the way till end of 2014, while 2015 and 2016 are industry estimates. If 2016 is correct, the industry would have shrunk about 80% by 2016 compared to its peak in 2011.

In Malaysia, it would be around 90% plus of decline. I couldn't get the national data from the manufacturer though, only regional.

I won't name the industry nor confirm even if you guessed it right, but all I can say is, it's being hit by external competitors that are
1) cheaper
2) much more convenient
3) a lot easier to use to the consumer

Also, I've went online and read on strategies and even asked those in the industry. Which option would you pick?

1) Leave
Because there's no point fighting a dying trend. Better to preserve your energy and focus on a sunrise market

2) Wait
Perhaps things will get better? Most players in the market are waiting though some have entered bankruptcy and others are in the midst of joining them. A 70-80% drop in revenue while having fixed cost is an easy way to go bankrupt fast,no? But most of them don't know what to do next and think the graph will even out.

However, they've been saying the same thing since end of 2012, when it was already evident that the market was struggling. Ideas folks?

3) Fight
I also found some players expanding instead. They feel that they could take advantage of the situation by taking bank loans (in the millions) and then expand their range of product offerings. I find it really risky, but if they pull it off, they will be the ultimate winners.

4) Others?
Like start something new, merging, etc?

Appreciate your thoughts and analysis!

p/s: Latest regional data for Jan & Feb 2015 shows a 30% decrease from 2014 in terms of sales. So, it'll continue to go down this year.

Cannes 2010 : World Photography Awards Competition

leokoo — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:21:28 +0800

Sony is reminding interested photographers that the 2010 Sony World Photography Awards is open for entries. With categories for both professional and amateur photographers, the Sony World Photography Awards is one of the world’s largest photographic events. The awards are a platform for both established and emerging photographers and in 2009 the competition attracted over 60,000 entrants from 139 different countries. The competition for professional photographers incorporates 12 categories across three genres – commercial, fine art and photojournalism/documentary. The overall winner will take the L’Iris D’Or title together with $25,000 along with Sony camera equipment. The 36 category finalists will then be exhibited in galleries across the world as part of the Sony World Photography Awards Global Tour throughout 2010 and 2011. New for the 2010 awards, a documentary category has been introduced for amateur photographers. Whether documenting a person, place or current issue, the category is looking for an image which captures momentous occurrences of every day life. From the nine categories, one photographer will be chosen as the Sony World Photography Awards Amateur Photographer of the Year and win a grand prize of $5,000 and Sony camera equipment. Click through / read on for the full list of categories and key dates.

New Poison! : Highkeycamera Straps

leokoo — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 03:51:58 +0800

Dear friends,

We've just clinched a deal to bring in this exciting new brand as sole agents. Stocks should be in by the end of this month Kindly contact your fave local shop for more information.

Sophisticated Symmetry Blue

Urban Explorer Orange

Royal Argyle Blue

Ink Dribbles B&W

Smooth Jazz

And finally, details of the strap >:)>:)

Cheers!

Leo of Hambone
p/s: Just in case you didn't know, we're the sole agents for the following brands
1) Thinktankphoto bags, cases & belt systems
2) Optech straps & accessories
3) Markins ballheads
4) Giotto's tripods, blowers & cleaning kits
5) Heliopan filters
6) Clik Elite bags
7) Spudz microfiber cloth