Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by Wholecats

Do guys need a nice car?

Wholecats — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 19:10:29 +0800

I’m a single mid-30s guy in KL. Upper middle income, not rich. I still drive a 10 year old Proton that I got from my fresh grad job. Still drives and looks ok.

I own and stay at a nice condo but drive a cheap car. I probably have the cheapest car in terms of residual value of the entire condo car park.

Got out of a 3y+ relationship. Been single the past 1 year. I used to take pride in being prudent but recently I’ve been dating around (nothing stuck so far) and I do get self-conscious when my date sees me driving an old Proton.

Should I buy a new car so it reflects my current financial level (no longer fresh-grad salary)? I’m thinking of getting an EV actually. There’s still time before the tax incentives expire this year.

Talk me out of buying a condo

Wholecats — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 18:58:23 +0800

I paid 10k in booking fees because the agent was flirty and really good at selling. I really like the place too. It's for own stay.
This unit is super convenient. It's in central KL. Great address. Great unblocked view. Walking distance to trains. Covered walkway to a major mall. Only cons is quite noisy since it's facing a busy road. Windows will have to be closed almost always. That's ok with me.

But it makes no financial sense.

Investing in S&P 500 index funds is giving >10% ROI. Some years >20%.

Condos in KL can't possibly beat that.
This unit is 1700 psf
I looked through NAPIC's Open Sales Data: https://napic2.jpph.gov.my/en/open-sales-data
There's barely any transactions at that level. There's incredible risk that I'm buying at the ceiling of what the market would bear.
I looked at some luxury condos in KL, their value has barely moved.

Actually there's under-table discount. I can't say it but it's not a small amount. If you consider that then maybe it makes sense?
I paid for a Brickz report. It seems like transactions are all at the 1700psf (before discount) level.
Issue is maybe all the transactions also not reported with under-table discounts? Which makes the transaction prices unreliable.

Seems like it makes more sense to continue renting and invest in S&P. If I buy for own-stay, I'm paying rent too right? Just in terms of opportunity costs. How fast can appreciation go at this already high level? Plus all the new supply that will be coming in.

Talk me out of paying for this please

I answer your tech consulting questions

Wholecats — Sat, 13 Apr 2024 15:22:21 +0800

A little about me. I’m a manager in a global business and tech consultancy. I’ve been in the industry for about 7 years and would consider myself to be in junior management.

Ask me almost anything. If it’s a salary question, I would encourage you to look at Glassdoor instead. Since this is lowyat, I rather not answer questions that will identify myself.

The industry is going on a bit of a squeeze but nevertheless there are (mostly technical) roles that we are still hiring for. I might be able to refer you to an open position if you have the right skills.

[WTS] iPhone 11 Pro 256GB Graphite

Wholecats — Sun, 29 May 2022 13:57:32 +0800

Item(s): iPhone 11 Pro 256GB Graphite + original and never used Lighning EarPods

Package includes:

* iPhone 11 Pro 256GB Graphite
* Original box if you want it
* Original and unused Lightning EarPods: https://www.apple.com/my/shop/product/MMTN2...tning-connector
* Original and unused USB C to Lightning cable: https://www.apple.com/my/shop/product/MM0A3...htning-cable-1m
* Charger not included. If you want, I can throw in a 12W Apple charger. It is used and will not fast charge the iPhone. This is it: https://www.apple.com/my/shop/product/MGN03...b-power-adapter

Price: 2,250 or offer

If you offer, I will reach out to you if it’s the highest among the offers I get.

Warranty: No longer under warranty

Dealing method: In-person preferred (cash/COD or Duitnow)

Location: KL or Selangor

Contact method/details: PM or post here
---

Item(s) conditions:

Body:
* Flawless front and back glass.
* Flawless camera glass.
* Minor scratches on steel frame (only noticeable from up close). - The 2 scratch spots are in the pictures.

No dead zones or dead pixels on screen.

Battery health: 83%
You can get the battery replaced by Apple partners or by 3rd-party vendors when it drops bad enough.

Lightning port, quick charge, and wireless charging works as normal.

All buttons work as normal and are still perfectly clicky. Silent toggle works and is still perfectly clicky.

All functionality works as normal: All 3 cameras. Face ID. Camera microphone and flash. Cellular, wifi, bluetooth. Microphone and speakers. GPS. Gyroscope/rotation. Proximity sensor.

Picture:
The smudges can be wiped away.

No touchscreen scratches.

No back glass and camera glass scratches.

Minor scratches on the top left and top right stainless steel frame.

Box included with new (never used) earphones. Original charger not included.

Reason for sale: Switching phones.

Why buy the iPhone 11 Pro:
* You may like the curved steel body more than the flat edges on the 12 and 13 Pros. It's more comfortable to hold actually and still looks good.
* The camera is great enough. You may not care about the slightly better cameras of 12 and 13 Pros.
* If you care about camera bumps, the camera bump on the 11 Pro is noticeably thinner than on the 12 and 13 Pros.
* The CPU+GPU is plenty fast. You may not care about the faster 12 and 13 Pros.
* You may not care about ProMotion (go to a retail store to try a 13 pro out).

Dating expectations

Wholecats — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 21:15:06 +0800

Told in guy's POV.

You've been texting and going out with a girl (say 2/3 dates). Dates are okay, not romcom-level of excitement but there is potential. She replies to your texts but rarely initiates. Wanting her to initiate a conversation, you stop initiating. The last reply is from yourself and it's a proper message and not an "ok" or an emoji. If it matters, girl is in her late 20s.

But after you've stopped initiating, the girl doesn't initiate either.

All along, I've just taken this to mean that girls doing this are not interested. Am I right in this thinking or are women here just that passive? Maybe they are thinking that guys who do this have lost interest. I'm actually interested but I also want someone who wants me back.

Recently a lady friend said that guys who do this are assholes and that I've ghosted her. Did I ghost her? I sent the last text and did not ignore her texts. I just didn't initiate.

What is the local dating expectations of women here as it relates to this type of case?

PH has no winning strategy for next GE

Wholecats — Sun, 01 Aug 2021 16:38:41 +0800

In spite of growing resentment towards PN, we all know that urban seats will go to PH, and rural seats will be split between BN, Bersatu, and PAS.

In the last GE, Mahathir and his Bersatu won a share of rural seats to secure enough seats for a majority. Unless Amanah can step up to the plate, these seats are all going to be unreachable to PH.

Further, it appears that there's no strategy for Sabah and Sarawak either. It's not obvious that Warisan can win back Sabah, they after all just lost the previous state election. And there's completely no pathway to win Sarawak.

Without a PH majority, it seems inevitable that BN, PAS, and Bersatu will again join forces to form a government since it's unlikely that either of them prefers PH. Bersatu is hated in PH. PAS hates DAP. Unless UMNO hops over, but that seems really unlikely and defeats the purpose of electing PH in the first place.

That's it folks, in the foreseeable future, it's going to be PN.

Locking down everyone to save thousands

Wholecats — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 10:50:41 +0800

This is it folks, it's time for us to say no to another MCO.

No more "1 time super strict MCO". It doesn't matter if it failed because we weren't strict enough or if lockdowns are just ineffective. We tried. It didn't work, time to move on.

It's time for us to stop being terrorized by case count and accept that saving all lives is a cost that we cannot afford. If you are old or fat and get COVID, it sucks that you may have to die, but we cannot all pay this much as a society to save a fraction.

Too many poorer children who don't have the means to properly study from home is lagging behind their peers who have the means to. They are staring at a future where they are lagging further behind in university and job search.

Too many people in non-essential sectors are suffering. Yes we have deemed them to be non-essential, but their incomes and jobs are very much essential to them.

This essential / non-essential classification is just crazy when you think about it. Just by some person's decision on where your sector lies, your income can be wiped out.

We can't pay this cost as a society. No, we shouldn't be paying this much.

Closing hotspots make no sense <_<

Wholecats — Mon, 10 May 2021 10:25:41 +0800

People transmit the virus, not places.

You close a hotspot, the people with the virus will just go somewhere else to spread it.

Although it does make sense to temporarily close a place to disinfect it, there's no need to force it to be closed for 3 days.

In fact, closures could even increase spread because crowds are getting funneled into fewer still-open locations. The spreaders go to these places too.

WTS for free - 8 GB DDR4 RAM single stick

Wholecats — Fri, 30 Aug 2019 16:16:19 +0800

Item(s): Avexir Desktop DDR4 8GB - White RGB

Package includes: No box, just the stick

Price: Free

Warranty: None

Dealing method: You have to come to collect from my apartment Sunday September 1 between 1pm to 3pm. No negotiation on time and dates. No postage.

Location: My apartment within walking distance of Sri Rampai LRT (https://goo.gl/maps/cyGT17MQavvvMaV9A)

Contact method/details: Post here; don't have to include your contact details. If there's only 1 poster by Saturday morning, you'll get it. If there's more than 1 poster, I'll randomize the winner Saturday morning.

Item(s) conditions: 2+ years old. Works fine. Was part of a dual channel kit. The other stick in the kit failed so I bought another kit.

Picture: It looks like this: https://www.lazada.com.my/products/avexir-4...s967052027.html

Before you express interest:

1. This is a desktop DDR4 stick.

2. Only express interest if you are sure you are going to use it.

2. Don't get it if you are thinking of using it with another RAM stick to make 8+8 GB; it will most probably not work correctly.

3. I don't want to spend the time to wrap it; no postage even if you offer to reimburse me.

Wire to US brokerage blocked

Wholecats — Sat, 22 Dec 2018 01:20:30 +0800

Tried to make a transfer to brokerage TD Ameritrade (to their US bank account). Maybank officer called and told me that the beneficiary is blacklisted by BNM because it's for investment (and Malaysians aren't allowed to make foreign investments?).

Is this only an issue with Maybank or is it really BNM? Are there any brokers not blocked by BNM?

I lost ~ RM100 between the wire fees and exchange spread. WTF

Rule of law and suspending Najib's travel

Wholecats — Sat, 12 May 2018 22:16:07 +0800

To be clear, I support the opposition coalition but am not a fan of TDM because of his past tenure. I am not a fan of Najib or BN.

There has been pronouncements that Malaysia will now adhere to rule of law. One of the things rule of law means is that individual freedoms cannot be revoked without a judge having considered some kind of evidence.

A PM instructing the Department of Immigration to bar an individual's right to leave the country is not rule of law. It is effectively arbitrary and dictatorial. The only circumstances that someone should have freedoms taken away is via reasonable interpretation of laws by enforcement (immigration) or by the courts.

Admittedly, the circumstances here are special since Najib was the previous PM and has obstructed investigations into his crimes.

The concern here is that it really is not okay for a PM to be able to revoke a citizen's right to move. Let's hope that this is a singular exception.

But to be honest, if we are really a rule of law society, we shouldn't be making any exceptions. There is no space for a PM to revoke anyone's right to travel. Only the courts can do so.

WTS - GTX 1070 8GB - Gigabyte G1 Gaming

Wholecats — Sun, 06 May 2018 17:36:11 +0800

Item(s): Gigabyte G1 Gaming GTX 1070 8GB

Boost: 1822 MHz/ Base: 1620 MHz in OC Mode
Boost: 1784 MHz/ Base: 1594 MHz in Gaming Mode

3x Windforce fans
Customizable RGB colors
Metal backplate

Never OC'ed, never used for mining. Barely gamed in it.

Package includes: GPU, Display Port cable (HDMI cable not included in original package). Box. Retailer's receipt.

Price: RM 1700. Very competitive price for a fully working GPU with an active warranty and no defects.

Warranty: Until 22 March 2020

Dealing method: COD only

Location: KL, PJ, or surrounding areas

Contact method/details: PM me
---

Item(s) conditions: Working order. Never OC'ed. Never used for mining or any extreme use cases (e.g. benchmarking).

Picture:

No picture because it's still inside my PC case. GPU has no physical defects.
Gigabyte's product site (product looks identical to website's pictures):
https://www.gigabyte.com/Graphics-Card/GV-N...G-8GD-rev-10#kf

Reason for sale: Bought for gaming but lost interest in gaming soon after. Waste of money to keep.

Why buy from me? I scratched someone's parked car when they are away and left a note to compensate them. Not going to scam you.

How do introverted girls find dates in Malaysia?

Wholecats — Sun, 07 Jan 2018 19:52:39 +0800

Am a guy and am curious about this from the other side. Wouldn't call myself an introvert, but I'm not that extroverted myself.

Seems to me that if you are always going between work, home, and the usual group of friends (probably only girls?), then wouldn't it be impossible to find someone?
Especially if you don't date colleagues.
And especially if you avoid online dating.
Actually, I just described myself

Accident, other party didn't make police report

Wholecats — Fri, 17 Mar 2017 00:56:05 +0800

Hi,

Got involved in an accident last week. The other car changed lanes without looking and hit both my front left and back left doors. The other driver wanted to settle RM 150 but damage was definitely more expensive. I made a report but other driver still had not.

What can be done? I am hoping the police will conclude that the other driver is responsible for the accident for me to claim and keep my NCB.

Also, because of this, my car has been going unrepaired for the past week. I think the metal body itself got scrapped. Should I be worried that it will begin rusting in the mean time?

I just informed my insurance company, they have yet replied.

Also while I was at the police station, a workshop rep said he may be able to help me with this and that he has guys that can find that driver. I told him to go ahead and that I'll fix my car at his workshop if he can help me. Can I trust this guy?

So 3 questions:
1) Am I f**ked if the other driver doesn't make a police report?
2) Can I trust the workshop rep?
3) Is there a chance either 1st or 3rd party insurance will not cover the entire repair and that I'll have to bear part of it?

Thanks !