manutd1972

my personal opinion when it comes to buying HTS, nvr buy from those electronics giants. go to a specialised audio/video specialty store and buy frm there. but before going down, do some research online first. so u won't get smoked. and once u've shortlisted the systems, make sure they are able to demo the system to you. bring along those music CDs, movie DVDs, Blurays that you usually listen/watch. ultimately, u must like the sound. tech specs can say this and that, but some stuff, our human ear cannot pick out. so u may end up paying more for sth that u can discern. as for the denotions of 4.1, 5.1, 6.1 etc...the .1 refers to the sub, while the number before the full-stop refers to the number of speakers that the system has. anything in odd numbers typically means thr's a centre speaker. overall, remember that the ultimate strength of any sound system is equal to the quality of the worst part in the system. so if u spend tons on the HTS, make sure all ur cables and connectors are also of high quality. no point having a system churn out high-quality signals when ur cables will lose important bits of that signal. also need to be mindful of how you mount the speakers. in terms of absorbing vibrations. if mounting on a stand, is the stand solid enuf to not create its own vibrations and thus, "noise" to interfere with the eventual sound? if really particular abt sound quality, thr's a whole lot of variables to consider. and if u dun watch ur budget carefully, u'll find urself edging higher and higher in the pursuit of good sound. if not so particular, then soundbars are a good alternative. also solves the headache of speaker placement and hiding the various cables. one that i am faced with rite now during my reno. put here also cannot, put thr also cannot.

oh my gosh!!...8k COV for a high floor unit in Toa Payoh, and only 8mins frm TP mrt. You are not blessed. You are ultra-blessed. PTL! I paid 30K for my 3rm unit at jurong east. but i'm happy wif it. bought frm an owner who's a fellow sister-in-C and very flexible with my requests for early handover for early reno start. looks like a lot of 3-roomers here on RT...hehe. my reno just started on Mon, 18th. and guess wat, i've yet to select materials or see any 3D drawings frm my ID. hopefully everything will be as expected when i see them later today, 20th. So we can proceed immediately to tiles and laminate selection. A bit frustrated in recent weeks but praying that the Big Man up there will ensure things go smoothly for me to move in early Dec. Else i'll have no place to stay come 1st week of Dec.... and yes, I totally agree with you that the term ID is too loosely used here.

i noticed the laminates are laid wif the planks being parallel along the axis of the entrance doors. why is this so? as in, when one stands at the door, the joining seams between each plank is running horizontally across the room, and not going vertically and away from oneself. why not lay it perpendicular? I thot i remember most condo developments lay their parquet flooring in a direction that's perpendicular to the door's axis. wat's the rationale behind it?

usually in such instances, ie. job changes in the middle of a loan application, the concern of the loan provider is not so much as in the salary change, but rather the stability of the job, and whether the applicant is able to keep up the repayments as his earning power is not stable, ie. no confirmed in the new job yet. cos even if his new salary is double of his previous, it wldn't mean anything to the loan provider if he doesn't stay in the job beyond the probation period. supposing they grant the loan based on the previous salary level, and he changes job again within the next 3 mths due to whatever reason, and that new job now pays him lower than the job he held when he first applied for the loan, wldn't the loan provider then be exposed to a higher risk of non-payment of the monthly repayment? Borrower may not be able to meet the repayments due to a lower salary now.

ehhh.....the post was started in 2007?

eh....long as in how long? i'm currently using an Electrolux washer and my washes are usually done in 1hr+. Unless i use the full wash programme - 90deg wash, 3 rinses, spin dry. This one will take over 2hrs to complete. But i only use this when i wash my bedsheets. cos anything less than 70deg will not rid the sheets of those microscopic bacteria. And for normal clothes, we really dun nd tt high a temperature. 60deg and below is good enuf. besides, too high a temperature will ruined those elastic stuff.

yup. garlics work. simplest way to keep those pests away.

hw did u knw ur current water pressure is 1.7-2 bars? hw u measure?

no , i need it with a light fitting. it's to be fitted in the top as well as the bottom of cabinets. sort of like cove lighting.

where u heard from? cos i'll also be needing quite a number of T5s soon...

if not wrong, this one no need permit. cos window is not on parapet wall. http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10324p.nsf/w/...ow?OpenDocument

ROFL....so funny. but u better not let the missus see this post....haha...

wat do u mean? if watching HD, the difference in reproduction of black between LED and Plasma is super obvious? So much so that picture quality on LED will noticeably be much lower? on a side note, i'm also currently looking at TVs and also have narrowed down to a 46" as i'm sitting very far from the TV (between 3.5m to 4m away). But the TVs i'm considering are not those that TS is looking at. Am looking at the Philips 46 inchers. I knw abt the difference in reproduction of black colour between LED and Plasma, but i'm also aware of the vast difference in energy consumption between a LED and Plasma. i recently made some calculations and these are the numbers i got. Based on 8hrs usage per day for 365days a year at electricity tariff of $0.245cts/kWH : 1) Plasma at a rated 365W (TS's selected Panasonic model) Energy costs - $21.76 monthly 2) LCD only at a rated 197W (Sony's KDL-46EX500) -> (For comparison only) Energy costs - $11.7445 monthly 3) LED at a rated 125W (TS's selected Sony model) Energy costs - $7.4521 monthly Now I knw that the savings in the monthly PUB bills will never balance out the difference in the cost of buying the TV. Big screen Plasmas can be bought at a much lower price than an equivalent LCD and the same LCD is also typically cheaper than an equivalent-sized LED. for me, it's more of the initial capital cost and being at least a little bit environmentally-friendly. i oredi do enough damage to the environment when i drive...haha. i'm the type who'd rather pay more 1-time, than see my monthly PUB bills so high every month. 1-time heartache vs monthly heartache. lol...

so it seems Wellmax is one where u can engage, will probably be cheap, but cannot expect quality work or service. has anyone heard of Ho Ho Engineering? anyone engaged them for their windows change and also wrought iron gate? They've been in business since 1976....that must mean they're doing something correctly, rite?

let's go back to basics. wat's the purpose of a gate? to improve security. to improve the aesthetics, manufacturers started introducing wrought iron gates as u could twist, curl, knurl, and make all sorts of design with it. u can't do it using the old aluminium gates. u can angle the spokes, criss-cross etc, but u can't twist, curl or knurl the aluminium spokes. den to lower cost, hollow wrought iron gates were introduced. in terms of security, the previous aluminium gates offered higher security versus no gate installed. burglars at least had 1 barrier to overcome, even though it was a piece of hollow metal. they had to spend time cutting through it, so a delay in break-in equals a higher risk of being discovered and caught. the "original" wrought iron gates were solid steel, thus introducing 2 layers of delay to any attempted break-ins. 1st, being solid, it's more time-consuming to cut through. 2nd, being steel, it's harder than aluminium, again slowing down the cutting process. so when using a hollow wrought iron gate, it's almost like going back to the previous aluminium gate. however, it still is steel so it'll still take a little longer to cut through than aluminium. as stated before, wrought iron gates whether solid or hollow, is now popularly used due to design aesthetics. if one is not particular about aesthetics, den an aluminium gate will suffix. if one prefers higher security, den go for hollow wrought iron. if require even higher level of protection, take solid wrought iron. however, wrought iron is ultimately, a form of carbon steel. and carbon steel though hard, will rust when exposed to water and oxygen. full 18/8 stainless steel is almost rust-free. that's why it's so expensive. anything that's 18/8 or 18/10 stainless steel will be expensive. and the stainless steel gate not only solves the rusting issue, it also offers an even higher level of security as stainless steel is even harder than wrought iron. so in order ascending protection - aluminium, hollow wrought iron, solid wrought iron, stainless steel. for my personal use, if gg for hollow wrought iron, i'd rather take the Alu gate. no rust headache. if i wanna accept the rust headache, i'll pay a little more for the solid wrought iron. as for the stainless steel gate, i wun go for it. unless i earn 15k and above per month, den maybe i'll use the stainless steel gate. dun be misled by the aesthetics. remember the main purpose of having a gate.

why Philips in particular? thot Osram is better when it comes to bulbs?

u guys still got write in to appeal ah? i just called them and arranged for them to come and install during my reno. need to pay 200+. but at least i get it done immediately. dun want to wait 3-12mths. especially after everything's built-in and all my trunking is concealed by cabinets and feature wall.

my "friend" is with this company, Richard. he did the reno for my previous home, but that time he was with another firm. so i can't comment on this firm's quality of work. but i do know that Richard is very responsible.

for such instances, HDB has a standard indemnity form for the sellers to sign, to indemnify themselves from any damages caused by the buyer's reno. make sure the buyer lets u sign this form and gives u a copy. such arrangement cuts both ways. but based on wat i'm told, the buyer actually has more to lose. cos when reno starts, n if reno is completed before HDB 2nd appt, if sth goes wrong with the sale and the transaction is cancelled, the flat is returned to the seller fully-renovated but the buyer still has to pay his contractor for all the works done. even if not fully-renovated, the seller would have oredi gained whatever works was done. they just engage another contractor to finish up the job. it's like getting a new flat w/o paying for the whole reno. minor issues to settle is PUB bills, S&CC, property tax etc. who pays for all these? legally, seller is still liable. but unit oredi handed over to buyer, so shldnt buyer be paying for all these?

i dunno where info that the cheapest grade of marble is lower than laminate is coming frm, but i knw that typical cost of marble is at least $6-$7 per sq feet, and that's oredi the cheapest grade at promotional rates. whereas the average grade laminate is about $4-$5 per sq feet. how to equalize those 2 types of flooring? *shake head*...... i feel that flooring is one of the most difficult things to replace in a house while u're still living in it. so to avoid subsequent headaches, best to spend a bit more on a good flooring tt u like. rather than scrimping and saving on flooring so u can spend on other items. furnishings n appliances, can always upgrade later on....but to upgrade a flooring, carpentry, wetworks stuff after one has moved in....i wldn't want that. i'd rather i sit on the floor first, place my TV on the floor, place mattress on floor etc, and buy my furnitures later.

how u manage to conceal all wiring? urs not HDB? think ur DB is of a much higher capacity, tt's why more ex. urs is 63A, mine is 40A. bt whether tt much more is reasonable or not, i dunno . i believe the higher prices are due to concealed wiring. instead of quoting u the normal price and den give a lump sum for concealment works, like wat my ID's electrician did, wat ur electrician did was to work in the cost of concealment into the individual items.

once u compare anything that is of different materials, den u're no longer comparing apple to apple, even though both items are flooring materials. when doing comparison, shld always be apple to apple. each flooring material has its pros n cons. think abt wat one wants for the flooring, and den compare within that category.

totally agree wif u. young Singaporeans nowadays have a diff set of ethics n conduct code. they compare, find the lowest prices, den go back to the one they wanna buy from and press their price down, quoting the lowest price they found. those who are able to charge lower rates by being more efficient and having a lower bottom-line are thus not rewarded wif more business, and income. in the end, these businesses suffer and over time, they either wise up and start charging same as others, or go out of business. den where are these youngsters going to find the lowest price from? tsk tsk tsk....*shake head*.... i asked 3 electricians to quote for my plc, including my ID's electrician. i gave the project to jaskel's contact even though i will probably upgrade the switches and end up paying maybe the same amount as wat 1 of the other electrician quoted me. reason being? not cos he's jaskel's contact, but rather, cos he offered good advice. advice that the other 2 electrician didn highlight to me. it was sth tt might have affected my reno timeline, which is extremely tight for me. a lot of times while shopping for my stuff, i've been served by very good salespeople wif good prices as well. i'm still trying to decide hw to reward as many of them as possible. perhaps the best way is to buy a few items frm each shop, instead of everything frm 1 shop. and even if i do buy all frm 1 shop, i dun believe in telling them to match the lowest prices for items whr their price is not the lowest. every biz needs to make money, every salesman need to earn their commission. i understand this perfectly cos i used to be in sales for a long time. and yes, cheap is not always good, and good is not always cheap.

ehh...no offence meant, but i think ur ID is not an ID, but rather a contractor. any real ID educated in the art of interior design, and worth his salt, will not propose a layout like that. only contractors do that. tt's why it's impt for us home-owners to know wat we want. if we oredi hv a quite definite layout tt we want for ourselves, den just engage a contractor to do the works. but if we dun hv a firm layout, instead we have a certain idea or a theme or concept that we want our home to project, den its best to engage a REAL ID and let them propose a layout tt is in keeping with the theme/concept that we want. and the best part is, it doesnt have to blow the budget when we engage a real ID. i am one living example. all the contractors i approached quoted a higher price than 2 of the 3 IDs i approached. and both those IDs' designs were much more impressive than any of the contractors'. "give a contractor a floor plan, and he plays with Lego bricks and mix & match. give an ID a floor plan, and he treats it like a canvas and starts painting" 28th Oct edit: Sorry, typo. I meant "living example", not "loving example".

tt's why i say set a standard. so thr's no possibility of pros and cons. eliminate once and for all, the opportunity for ambiguity and the situation where sometimes this is a pro, and at other times, its a con. as far as competition is concerned, i dun see a problem. CEA is looking at it only frm the $$$ angle (why am i not surprised?). agents can compete based on service levels. agencies can compete based on during- and after-sales support. to a lot of pple, they may think tt there isn't much scope of differentiation as far as an agent's service is concerned. but if one thinks wider, there is a lot more tt an agent can offer besides arranging viewings and doing the necessary paperwork after a deal is signed. we need to think out of the box. the govt is always telling us to be creative and think out of the box. well, this is a perfect opportunity to let 30,000 people do so. but wat do they do? they choose not to do anything. let market forces dictate. ya rite! den when agents under-cut each other and offer those $500 commission, or worse still $0 commission, den cos they're not getting anything frm the deal, the natural attitude is to be bo-chap and give slip-shod work, consumers suffer again and the number of complaints rise again. back to square one. idiots! dim-wits! spineless a**es! want to take action? den take firm action! nip the problem in the bud. dun put in half-hearted solutions and den after some time when it becomes obvious that it hasn't solved the problem completely, start changing the rules again. besides, 1% service fee here is peanuts compared to what estate agents in other developed nations get for their deals. granted, property prices in some of these countries may not be as high as ours, but they also dun have that many public housing units like we do. its mostly landed properties for them and even if it costs $250,000(can u seriously find a landed property at tt low a price in say, Australia, Europe or US?), assuming an agent's fee of 3%(i use 3 as an average), it works out to $7,500 for the agent. we would have paid only $2,500 here! and we're expecting our agent to do this and do that, and basically everything else to protect our interests? for a puny $2,500 in a $250,000 deal? we must be nuts! at tt low fee, they still dun see it fit to fix a standard percentage? wat more can anyone say? i give up....