Living in JB

[Analytical Professor]

BitTorrent has BTGuard http://btguard.com/.

There are other softwares as well.. The VPN part says your entire netbrowsing experience becomes secure and private.

If this is the case wont terrorists be able to use this for IM, email and voice chat?

Seeders are uploaders/contributors while leechers are downloaders..
Hence it would be better to get torrent where you have a higher seeder nos..

not too sure abt anonymous downloads.. maybe some techic bros here can help..

 

[abugumgum]

I believe the point is to cut cost and thereby lower the selling price.

Consumers may actually want w/o 3G because:
- tablet mostly used at home where there is WIFI
- when used outside, there are many WIFI spots
- can tether from your smartphone, if it needs connection where there is no WIFI
- can also use a mobile 3G router to create own WIFI LAN so that no need to subscribe to multiple data plans for user that has multiple devices, or wants to share with friends.

Yes, apps are so easy to download and use, we tend to want them, not knowing when we will use them, guilty here too, especially the USD is weak now

Actually i am a die hard Android Supporter....

Hence i got the Galaxy Tab 3G n Wifi....


Then how come the decision to go for Ipad? The new Galaxy 10.0 does not come with 3g. I dunno whats the point of not adding the 3g bit?

Cant help spending money downloading stuff man.....


Not sure how much i am gonna use these apps.... But its easier than lugging around dictionaries and grammar books... What with kids around? Handy anytime.....

The Android apps are not that great yet.

However Android is destined to be the market leader relegating iOS to second place.

One of the main reason i liked the Galaxy tablet is that with 3G, it also serves as a phone and thereby has Video Calling. This enables me to call the home camera and check...

 

[Analytical Professor]

Absolutely bro....

And there you go.......

Beijing (CNN) -- Although the United States narrowly avoided an unprecedented default following congressional approval of a last-minute compromise plan to raise the debt ceiling, China's leading credit rating agency Wednesday downgraded U.S. sovereign debt after putting it on negative watch last month.

The Dagong Global Credit Rating Company, which lowered the United States to A+ last November after the U.S. Federal Reserve decided to continue loosening its monetary policy, announced a further downgrade to A, indicating heightened doubts over Washington's long-term ability to repay its debts.

It said the gloomy assessment -- much lower than the AAA ratings given by the so-called "big three" Western agencies Moody's, Fitch, and Standard and Poor's -- was inevitable given the level of market concern generated by the stalemate between Democrats and Republicans over the debt ceiling.
"The squabbling between the two political parties on raising the U.S. debt ceiling reflected an irreversible trend on the United States' declining ability to repay its debts," Dagong Chairman Guan Jianzhong told CNN.

"The two parties acted in a very irresponsible way and their actions greatly exposed the negative impact of the U.S. political system on its economic fundamentals," he said.
Ironically, Dagong's move could hurt not just the United States but also China, the largest foreign owner of U.S. debt with holdings worth almost $1.2 trillion.

"Our downgrade simply reflects reality," Guan said. "Our rating didn't cause China to lose any money --- it was the inappropriately high ratings for the U.S. by Western agencies that had led China to make risky investments in U.S. debt."

Observers say China, whose foreign exchange reserves now stand at $3.2 trillion, has had little choice but to buy U.S. Treasury bonds.

"There aren't that many other markets that are as deep or as liquid as treasuries," said Patrick Chovanec, an economic analyst with Tsinghua University in Beijing. "When they accumulate reserves, this is the only place they can put them."

The privately held Dagong, founded in 1994 to rate Chinese companies, attracted worldwide attention last July when it published its first sovereign credit ratings and, citing growing deficits in the developed world, ranked China higher than the United States and Japan.

Dagong now rates 67 countries and aims to more than double the number by the end of this year. Its ambition to become an alternative to the "big three" suffered a setback, however, when the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission refused to recognize its rating because of the commission's inability to supervise the Beijing-based agency.

Guan, who worked as a civil servant and a Wall Street accountant before taking the helm at Dagong, is quick to defend his firm's independence and objectivity. He points to what he calls Western agencies' "double standard" in rating the U.S. and European economies to underscore the global need for a newcomer like Dagong.
"People are used to credit ratings issued by the 'big three,' but the financial crisis has clearly proved them wrong," Guan said. "They can no longer shoulder the responsibility of rating the world."
"That's the role we are striving to play," he added.

Yes, apps are so easy to download and use, we tend to want them, not knowing when we will use them, guilty here too, especially the USD is weak now

 

[Analytical Professor]

Yep after the initial euphoria dies down i may not use the dict /Grammar apps...

Hey but mallow is here.... So i might wanna use it to avoid getting caned for bad english?

Yes, apps are so easy to download and use, we tend to want them, not knowing when we will use them, guilty here too, especially the USD is weak now

 

[Analytical Professor]

At home Wifi obviously works great...

Talking about the mobile 3G router....

http://www.tp-link.com/common/subject/3g-router/share/?siteid=1

Is it something like the above you are referring to?

I have bought one of these units....

Now i din try them in malaysia yet.... Cause unless i am on maxis the 3g speeds sux...

For the same reason tethering is also not a good option in malaysia (again if you are not on maxis) cause of the speeds...

maxis sells volume based plans.... so they got no issues giving you max speeds.... i tested maxis out several times... got upto 5MBps and beyond...

While with Digi 350kbps..... Hu hu....

Ofcourse la there is a saying.... you pay peanuts... you get.....

I believe the point is to cut cost and thereby lower the selling price.

Consumers may actually want w/o 3G because:
- tablet mostly used at home where there is WIFI
- when used outside, there are many WIFI spots
- can tether from your smartphone, if it needs connection where there is no WIFI
- can also use a mobile 3G router to create own WIFI LAN so that no need to subscribe to multiple data plans for user that has multiple devices, or wants to share with friends.

Yes, apps are so easy to download and use, we tend to want them, not knowing when we will use them, guilty here too, especially the USD is weak now

 

[Bigfatfish]

Hi bigfatfish, why don't you name and shame the agent or point to the type that the owner is trying to sell? At least we can all know and get to know about problems and how to tackle them with your construction knowledge?

I believe HH was refereing to me to stop all the criticisms, ( I was stressing about the inferior quality of those HH houses all along but later found out that this forum is strictly meant for HH lovers. You can only say good things about HH, nothing else. So you better stop your criticism of HH or else someone will say u are a salesperson from another development trying to act as an owner in HH.)

Well maybe this place cannot be called a forum anymore, I will not attempt to say anymore bad things if it hurts the feelings of many here.

Note: A public meeting or presentation involving a discussion usually among experts and often including audience participation.
A public meeting place for open discussion.
A medium of open discussion or voicing of ideas, such as a newspaper or a radio or television program

Even though people are well learned there are many who cannot take criticisms. this is how PAP brought up the entire nation. they tell us something we do, don't ask too much if not we will all repent and regret. If not they will send Big Brother clamping down on us. Even not on us but our loved ones.

I will from now say things dat make everyone happy. Say something wrong, HH might send down their agents clamping down on my love ones. People investing here will start bombarding me.

 

[Bigfatfish]

I was stressing about the inferior quality of those HH houses all along but later found out that this forum is strictly meant for HH lovers. You can only say good things about HH, nothing else. So you better stop your criticism of HH or else someone will say u are a salesperson from another development trying to act as an owner in HH.

Thanks for your concerns HH. However I'm not attempting to crticize HH Developments. it's a malaysian thing for the houses to have so many defects.

I shall explain below.

 

[abugumgum]

Mine is from Huawei, with built in rechargeable battery to bring it out.

http://www.huaweidevice.com/worldwide/productFamily.do?method=index&directoryId=5009&treeId=3619

Yes, Maxis is faster than Digi. But Digi speed is good enough for me (surfing, check goggle maps on the go bec I do not have GPS device)

As for the saying, pay peanuts .... do not get .... taps?

I am using P1 at home.

Overall, the fees to get a decent speed and quota, is costing me about the same as in Sgp. Although it is unlimited in Sgp, there are many times that I experienced slow connection. Fair Use Policy in practice but not spelt out in contract and advertisement :*:

At home Wifi obviously works great...

Talking about the mobile 3G router....

http://www.tp-link.com/common/subject/3g-router/share/?siteid=1

Is it something like the above you are referring to?

I have bought one of these units....

Now i din try them in malaysia yet.... Cause unless i am on maxis the 3g speeds sux...

For the same reason tethering is also not a good option in malaysia (again if you are not on maxis) cause of the speeds...

maxis sells volume based plans.... so they got no issues giving you max speeds.... i tested maxis out several times... got upto 5MBps and beyond...

While with Digi 350kbps..... Hu hu....

Ofcourse la there is a saying.... you pay peanuts... you get.....

 

[Bigfatfish]

Hi bigfatfish, why don't you name and shame the agent or point to the type that the owner is trying to sell? At least we can all know and get to know about problems and how to tackle them with your construction knowledge?

I do not attempt to hide anything, we are all here to share our experiences be it good or bad. There is not such thing as everything good. If everything sounds too good to be true, then it's not!.

I learned a lot from a friend's father how to see many things in the contstruction/renovation industry.

we start with water leakage. things to note, as already mentioned by our dear friend 2 to 3 pages from here. after rainy day when rain stop, you will start to see certain areas more damp than others. there will be a reflection mark. as the ceilings of many units in this part of Johor are made from gymsum board, this water wetness will actually cause the board to be light brown after the water seeps there. due to dirt in the roofing ceiling area.

i've gone up into the ceiling inside and seen how it was all formed up. it's not only HH but all these new developments around. not all of them but majority of them. after a rain , water will trikle down the sides of walls and some of it will actually enter the house from the side or the top. you will not miss it. water dripping into the house.

so when viewing a house sub sale, look at the ceiling, look at the floor, look for visible marks. if owners are cleaning and mopping the house when u visit or just finish mopping , you can guess something there already.

look at the outside of the house, look for difference in colour for the walls. crack lines are scary. they mean a lot of stories behind the wall. I do water proofing in the past so i'm scare of crack lines.

crack lines also mean the process of putting the brick tiles up, not letting enuf time for it to set then putting up the rendering straight away a day later or even the very day itself. and even before first layer of rendering dries up, 2nd layer comes in. even before 1st and 2nd layer dries, they throw the plaster all on straight away.

i was having a minor discussion with a sub con yesterday who does tiling, he says if wall new , can do many things to it. i said no, and explain to him, then told him the practices overseas which is normally done by a professional. hence no professionals in SG and JB? he said no time, no choice everything rushing and it will be to costly to do the method i told him about.

basically only well trained skilled Chinaman in Singapore do it. hence all these special group of people are here in singapore only to do the landed private properties. and probably half of the condos done by them. in order to qualify to come here to work in the construction industry they have to pass a few tests before they can come.

there are 2 kinds of them, the skilled ones who are here to do all the walls leveling and so on. the not so skilled ones are unskilled here to do the manual work ......

don't want to go too much in. hence i refuse to let any malaysians enter my place to carry out renovations. i know too many of them, not that they are bad , they are good but......

as a johorian, who stays in johor, by the time enter singapore what time already? in order to avoid the jam, must rush back early. so if a certain wall cannot finish in time, rush rush rush, think of the end result. the style to cover up imperfections are many. i've seen it and i ask why they give me reasons since i'm part of them in the team. its' a no choice sitiuation.

hence i will not allow any shoddy work should i have a team of workers.

 

[Bigfatfish]

Hi bigfatfish, why don't you name and shame the agent or point to the type that the owner is trying to sell? At least we can all know and get to know about problems and how to tackle them with your construction knowledge?

Sorry i've not gone into in depth details. it's easier to explain in person. to tackle them, can die, a lot of efforts. This was what prevented me from buying a very very beautiful corner unit in gateway, i was so close to signing the deal when i back out at the very very last min and got something from the hills instead after looking at the designs which make a lot of sense in preventing water leakage.

to really tackle must go to the source of where the water leaks. meaning also to climbing into the roof area inside. there are many very good ways to tackle such things however it's not widely know here in this part of the world. even the people doing my hdb upstairs i can know what to expect.

few months down later, water will seep in. also there is no such thing as water proof paint.

 

[Bigfatfish]

I went to the one at Bedok yesterday morning and they offered me RM244.3,
called Arcade to compare and they offered RM244.2,
another one in Woodlands only offered RM242.5,
JB Wong Ah Fook St displayed RM241.(They can give higher though)

This one at Bedok knows the rate which Arcade offer and highlighted that he can give equal to Arcade or higher if your amount is bigger.
Care to share the super good one which you've found?



Hi Contra, so far I've not tried remittance yet.
For those money changers who also do remittance, they'll give better rate for remittance compared to money change. I think there'll just be a charge of $10 or so.
I didn't use the remittance service because it'll take 3 days for remittance to a foreign bank in Malaysia(eg. UOB, Standard Chartered, HSBC etc).
It'll just take 1 day if you remit to their local banks like EON, Public, Maybank etc.
Moreover, I don't trust any money changer with say SGD 100k remittance in one go. If I split it up to 10 x SGD 10k each time and 3 days to confirm each deposit, that means 10 trips to the money changer and 30 days to complete the SGD 100k :*::*:
For Arcade, I use the service of Money Matters on the 2nd floor right at the end of the alley.

will PM you

 

[arsenal]

Sorry i've not gone into in depth details. it's easier to explain in person. to tackle them, can die, a lot of efforts. This was what prevented me from buying a very very beautiful corner unit in gateway, i was so close to signing the deal when i back out at the very very last min and got something from the hills instead after looking at the designs which make a lot of sense in preventing water leakage.

to really tackle must go to the source of where the water leaks. meaning also to climbing into the roof area inside. there are many very good ways to tackle such things however it's not widely know here in this part of the world. even the people doing my hdb upstairs i can know what to expect.

few months down later, water will seep in. also there is no such thing as water proof paint.

Thanks for such a detailed descciption.. Buying a property overseas is unlike Singapore when there are so many things we have taken for granted... even though the quality of many new developments in Singapore are nothing great as well...

 

[toyohon]

Thanks for such a detailed descciption.. Buying a property overseas is unlike Singapore when there are so many things we have taken for granted... even though the quality of many new developments in Singapore are nothing great as well...

Generally you get what you pay. I've some friends (Singaporeans) who bought landed properties during the RM250K threshold days who complained about workmanship, materials, etc etc. I mean - please be real, unless you are paying millions of RM for your property, you can complain about defects but not to the point of nit-picking the smallest details! In short, manage your expectations..

 

[Analytical Professor]

This guy was damn right!!!

I used his speech in Sec 1 at an Elocution Competition and went on to win the 1st prize.

"An association of men who will not quarrel with one another is a thing which has never yet existed, from the greatest confederacy of nations down to a town meeting or a vestry." [ ..... Thomas Jefferson]

 

[Analytical Professor]

This statement hits both ways.....

1) Yes we take things for granted

On the other hand...

2) We get so used to Singapore that when we are placed in more competitive countries eg., China quite a few of us may not qualify to get jobs! I know of people with polytechnic diplomas who have gone on to become VPs/Directors in Singapore.... The same cannot be said for other countries... Now dun give me Bill Gates as an example.

We get so used to orderly schools/public transport/hospitals at your door step that the lack of this becomes a humongous problem to us...

Our immune levels are so low that when we go to 3rd world countries we fall ill easily.... Yet our maids children can roll in the m&d and still eat with the same hands... They can pick up fries dropped on the road and eat they wont fall ill....

Unfortunately due to Singapores limited land supply we do not have the ability of watching construction activities at close quarters and therefore we know very little about construction....

Yet ask the FTS from China and India.... They pretty much know what to look for in construction....

Yet we need the help of friends and uncles to come and check on our homes/flats for defects.... Even my friends in KL take the help of my more experienced friend to look for defects at homes..

Thanks for such a detailed descciption.. Buying a property overseas is unlike Singapore when there are so many things we have taken for granted... even though the quality of many new developments in Singapore are nothing great as well...

 

[Analytical Professor]

Welcome back. where have you been?

Agreed with what you said

Generally you get what you pay. I've some friends (Singaporeans) who bought landed properties during the RM250K threshold days who complained about workmanship, materials, etc etc. I mean - please be real, unless you are paying millions of RM for your property, you can complain about defects but not to the point of nit-picking the smallest details! In short, manage your expectations..

 

[Analytical Professor]

Enjoyed reading this write up....

Your P1 modem is different right? Does it actually give you 4G speeds?... If 4G network not available does it switch to 3G/Edge/GPRS?

Also can 3.5G modems be used on 4G networks to ateast give lower speeds? Or do you need to change your modem altogether?

I am using both Digi and Maxis bro. For streaming and videos i use Maxis....

For normal browsing activity i stick to Digi...

Mine is from Huawei, with built in rechargeable battery to bring it out.

http://www.huaweidevice.com/worldwide/productFamily.do?method=index&directoryId=5009&treeId=3619

Yes, Maxis is faster than Digi. But Digi speed is good enough for me (surfing, check goggle maps on the go bec I do not have GPS device)

As for the saying, pay peanuts .... do not get .... taps?

I am using P1 at home.

Overall, the fees to get a decent speed and quota, is costing me about the same as in Sgp. Although it is unlimited in Sgp, there are many times that I experienced slow connection. Fair Use Policy in practice but not spelt out in contract and advertisement :*:

 

[Bigfatfish]

Generally you get what you pay. I've some friends (Singaporeans) who bought landed properties during the RM250K threshold days who complained about workmanship, materials, etc etc. I mean - please be real, unless you are paying millions of RM for your property, you can complain about defects but not to the point of nit-picking the smallest details! In short, manage your expectations..

well i guess there is no wrong or right in this matter, each n everyone of us is entitled to each own's opinion. Probably the only reason i can think of why we r paying more is a few factors:

security which is suposely guarded n gated.
Singaporeans n investors pushing the price up.
The type of living we dream of living but not possibly in our homeland due to rising costs
we r sick n tired of our home nation
enuf of pigeon holes / letter boxes but cannot afford landed in sg hence choose somewhere cheaper
need for that breathing space since foreign talent has over taken as first class citizens where they r treated even better
lots more

however remember developers promises? Quality living quality houses quality homes quality workmanship but what is quality to them may not mean the same as us? How can this be?

They come sg to promote , eg. I went to mont calista to view, i shake my head. Sorry dun mean to offend anyone here who hates to listen to the truth

for me, if a place can have a world class golf course why cannot at least do a place a bit much more proper? I'm not asking for the sky but all i'm really asking for is:

A roof over my head. With only 3 simple factors. I believe these 3 factors r not difficult to fullfil.

They r:

1) a roof over my head which will not leak (might as well use coconut leaves as roof if it's going to leak)
2) a house which will not crack apart ( might as well use wood , y put bricks in the first place)
3) security ( what r security guards meant for?)

I applogize if my words hurt anyone, they r solely my own interpretation n how i feel. It's not meant to be of offence to anyone nor meant to chase anyone away or putting down any would be home owner in johor.

I guess this is what living in johor is about. We can renovate to make a place look better but we r not meant to buy a leaking roof n think how to solve this problem. If u r a developer would u develop houses with roofs that leak?

Thanks for reading. Moderator may delete this post n banned me here or give me a warning if u find my words too harsh. Warmest regards. BFF

 

[rw6akr]

1) a roof over my head which will not leak (might as well use coconut leaves as roof if it's going to leak)
2) a house which will not crack apart ( might as well use wood , y put bricks in the first place)
3) security ( what r security guards meant for?)

1. I live in EL for a year and so far my roof is not leaking much. There were minor issues with windows but those were promptly rectified by the management once reported. At the same time, there were comments that quality of new properties in Singapore is not much different (e.g. windows leakage) as workers are anyway from Bangladesh or so.

Let me also ask you one question - have you ever tried to move into a brand newly build landed property (not HDB or Condo as you can hardly have a roof leakage unless you are in Penthouse) or in Singapore and found no issues?

2. I'm not aware of any recently completed houses within Nusajaya that cracked apart. There might be some minor cracks in the walls but that is not abnormal and might happen within first 2 years (land have to settle down under the weight). It is your choice however if you would want to build a wooden house and there are plenty of options where you can order such.

3. No major cases in HH or EL while there were a number of break ins to a condo in Singapore (3-4 cases followed by a meeting between residents and a management) where I was living.

That makes me feel that you are a bit blinded about Singapore supremacy which is taken for granted. I couldn't say that MY doesn't have problems but one should be realistic in his judgements.

 

[toyohon]

AP, I'm always around, lurking most of the time.

BFF, agree with the 3 factors you mentioned are basic and valid complaints.

I've friends who'd contemplated in asking the developer to re-plaster the interior walls because they find it not smooth, especially under lighting! Then you have the nitty-gritty complains like not up to their "Singapore hotel standard" bathroom fittings, etc. This was for properties bought above the RM250K days.