rmgthatsme

Please excuse a dumb question maybe but years ago when we brought in a 20 ft container of personal effects (furniture etc) we specifically had to declare videos and have them reveiwed by the censor and some of them were indeed partially censored e.g. Rocky Horror Show. Is this not the case these days or can such DVDs/Blue Rays be brought in by mail from Amazon etc?

I do think we sometimes become over "scientific" about these choices simply becuase of access to too much information on the internet . Why not do it the old school way; go to a shop or two, stand or sit/squat the appropriate distance from a range of sizes of TVs and judge for yourself. Seems to me that often in spite of all the science/calculations/technical expertise, many guys want to buy the biggest bestest one with all the latest gadgets and many ladies just want something reasonably discreet (it is a big, black box sitting in your lovely colour coordinated living room after all!) that they can watch without squinting. My suggestion: go...watch...buy what you like & can afford...enjoy!

Hi, yes this is what I meant. I hope it works as it's hard to tell pipe lengths from just looking at a picture. If there is anyway you can squeeze in the U-bend I see lying on the cabinet base it would be good. This double U piece can help to adjust for verticle orientation differences between your grey and white pipes and also act as a water trap to stop unpleasant back odours from the drain pipe. Good luck.

They are talking about using an electronic wire/stud/pipe detector which is an inexpensive tool which most plumbers and handymen have; even some home diy types have them. It helps detect metal behind a surface so you avoid drilling into electrical wires or water/gas pipes. I'm surprised they make this sound like expensive rocket science, it isn't. They should not charge you for this IMHO.

Seems simple enough, wonder how she missed it, will find it myself with my advance pathfinder skills Thanks a lot!

Hi May, thanks for your answer. Can you give me the "idiots guide to finding HSW"? We are coming to S'pore soon and will try to find it once more. Could you explain which is the closest MRT and we'll try once more? We don't come back too often so aren't too familiar with the "newer" malls and which MRT to use. Thanks for your time (want to make sure I don't send my wife on a wild goose chase again ) Thanks RMG

Thank you Dean for your advice, will discuss with my contractor.

Would it be possible to take the T piece currently on the left and connect it in place of the straight piece to the outlet on the right in between both outlets at present . Now use your flexible grey pipe to connect from the outlet on the left to the open left inlet of the T piece. Finally have a straight pipe of the correct diameter to join the T-piece to the white pipe inlet (possibly even your exisiting straight grey pipe)? If the geometry is correct might be easier to solve the problem joint you are trying to match. Hope I haven't made things more complicated for you (if I have please ignore...)

Thanks for the feedback, will think of an alternative approach to "disguise" it instead.

Hi, Could you tell me where HSW is located? My wife tried to find it on her last trip to S'pore at the mall near Esplande but couldn't find it. Are we blind or just mis-informed as I found the address on their website. Thanks RMG

Yes Thank you for your advice. My problem is that maybe the original metal gate lock key has been given to other people so I want to change the metal gate lock but don't want to lose a padlock. Also want to avoid change whole gate if possible.

How to change the lock for the metal gate? We were told by our contractor that he cannot change the metal gate built in lock so we would need to buy a new metal gate. Can anybody advise or got good lobang for Sembawang area HDB?

Is it OK for HDB regulations to close off the bomb shelter vent? very interested to know as they are such an eyesore! Thanks RMG

Hi, mine is HDB too and I do think you need to know the info I suggested. "S" type is generally the standard type so maybe you could go with this. You still need to know the outlet size but your ID should be able to tell you. for (6) yes correct. For sitting....well either sit now, enjoy later or don't sit now and regret at leisure . My wife said she sat on so many variants until her behind was numb but she was finally able to choose something she liked a lot. HTH

I'm certainly no expert but I would think you should consider: 1) sewage outlet size (6 or 12 inch) 2) "S" or "P" type outlet (some say "P" type may develope smells in time...no experience so can't comment) 3) length and width of bathroom space you have available so the user can sit comfortably (and not block other user if your modesty allows) 4) whether you wish to use a flushing system for which spare parts are commonly available in local hardware shops such as China sourced fittings or imports for which you will need to return to specialist suppliers. 5) flushing volume per flush (environmental vs standard, sure flush vs perhaps need for repeat flush to clear waste) 6) size and shape of the waste exit at the base of the bowl, narrow means possible blockages 7) One piece or two piece system. One piece may look nicer/sleeker vs need to replace the whole item incase of leaks/issues (unlikely but possible) 8) shape of seat (depending on your physical shape, a flatter contour may be more comfortable than a rounded contour or vice versa; a rounded seat may be more comfortable than a more oval shape or vice versa) is important and means you need to sit and try. I'm sure others will have more considerations but this is food for thought to help you. Do note that I personally don't see why ceramics from China will be inferior for this type of use vs other sources. The flushing mechanism of China sourced cisterns might be less durable (see point 4) but easily replaced at low cost. HTH

Hi Froggy, just wanted to say the cake to which you were referring is amazing. I used to do various types of theme cakes for my boys when they were younger and it's so worth the effort. I was surprised when my eldest who turns 18 this year talked very happily about the birthday cakes his dad used to make for him with his friends. I was very surprised he remembered and even more so that his friends were really interested. Do you make the figures yourself from scratch? RMG

Hi RB, curiously when I went to choose/buy my kit, my wife was heavily involved because (a) we were spending a fair bit of money (b) she didn't want anything functional but hideous © allowed us to play good guy/bad guy with the salesman. I would say how great the system was, wife would look very unconvinced preferring some much cheaper nasty stuff, she would start to walk away, I would look ruefully at the salesman and start my trip to the door and then he would crack open just a little which was then the signal for my wife to swoop on him and cut him to shreds with Olympic class bargaining skills. It was so funny because the salesman was lost as he was used to extolling the merits for this technical feature or that and my wife was telling him she couldn't care less and that it was an ugly box and if she had to have it in her house it was certainly going to be at firesale prices. It was worth it just for all the drama...I'm sure the salesman would run out screaming if he ever saw "she who must be obeyed" walk into his store again

Hi there, what are they going to do for HT installation that needs charging you $599? Are you doing a lot of concealed cables or something which requires specialist tools? Careful of the "expert" sprouting "black magic" jargon about the complexity of such home systems. for the kind of money the average joe is spending on his HTS, it really isn't rocket science and is generally designed to be easy to install and tune...the satisfaction and bragging rights you'll get from your installation...priceless! Re the marriage counselling: its a very interesting concept; did not have such stuff in my day. The deal I struck with "her who shall be obeyed" (aka the missus) is that I bring home the money, it goes into a joint account and she looks after all the bills/saving etc. seems to have worked well for the last 20yrs . She keeps my wallet topped up so I don't run out of cash; great stuff. I am not ethnic Chinese but my wife is and her sisters were horrified that she did not have any "see gay cheen" i.e. personal cash in Cantonese. We still laugh many years later that she doesn't need it as she has all our money anyway . One rule we do have which has worked through the years is to try not to go to bed mad with each other. Usually works well as both sides normally only argue because they don't understand each other.

Thats a lovely vibrant colour for your bedroom 2. May I know whats the paint brand and colour name please? Thanks

Thanks mate, just my POV. It's great there are so many differing views of this hobby but my opinion is it's safer to buy simple or second hand to get a "financially harmless" intro to the hobby. Cheers

Hi I bought my simple kit about 4~5 years ago in HK. I use a pair of NHT 4 for music and the fronts, a 3C for the centre of a 5.1 system which uses a pair of 3 for the rears. I use a Cambridge Audio Azur 840A amp for the fronts paired with a 640R av receiver for films. Use a 640 C player for my CDs and a BBK (you may know this as OPPO) 989 for DVDs. For projection I use a Panasonic PI AE 1000E projector on a Grandview Flat Screen 10 foot width screen (can't remember the diagonal dimension) which is fun for films. It's a nice workhorse system, fun for the family to watch films, can belt out rock when my sons' friends are over and destroying my basement and soothing for me when I am chillin to Linda Ronstadt or getting my pulse up to the Clash. I really do use very simple (almost like lamp) wire cos I can't tell the diff with the branded stuff which can be 1000s more. You know the Chinese do make some lovely stuff nowadays because they compete with the very high end imports for a large and extremely wealthy local client base. I keep threatening to buy one of the beautiful open valve amps they make, really a sweet soft sound for classical or female vocals. Don't have too much free time so not sure if it makes sense

Actually the missus is in SG now as we're about to do the reno thing on our matchbox, hence my frequenting all these forums. The joke in all this is that about a month ago I was telling my wife, we'd probably have to get rid of all this hifi kit if/when we move back permanently to SG as it's a bit daft having enough wattage etc. to dim the lights in the whole block and melt the walls. Be sad to lose my stuff though especially the floorstanders. Oh well at least we won't freeze our nuts off half the year and bake the other half We're doing the place up after owning it from new years back and leaving it empty as we've been working overseas all the time. Older lad's about to graduate from school and go do his bit for his country (NS beckons) so we thought it would be as good a time as any to do a bit of deco to give the poor wilting flower a decent retreat to collapse into on weekends away from soldiering. Way off topic ..again!

Hi RB, as you can tell, I'm not one of the religious faithful All my component kit is Cambridge Audio but it's 4 years ago I bought this stuff so forgive me for not having the model numbers to hand. Yes you're right on the pre-amp set up. My set up is not HDMI (well it's pass through so doesn't make a diff). MY POV is that for the money the average bloke spends on kit, he might as well buy decent 2nd hand stuff. I do understand that this is very personal; bit like cars really where some people like me wouldn't ever touch a new car (daft; lose 20% once you drive off the forecourt etc.) and some are new car addicts (new smell, free servicing, latest toys etc.). I am trying to say that I really feel the fun factor is lost sometimes online when people start discussing hifi just due to the almost infinite variations of components you can buy, different room configurations and furniture, different ages of listeners with different audio acuity, different musical tastes, different formats (vinyl, cd, compressed) and even more bewildering because of the intersection with home theatre which has very different demands. I just hope ELY doesn't lose sight that when all's said and done, it's not the system you're enjoying but rather the music or soundtrack. If you've made a decent choice for your own ears then hopefully the hardware disappears and you are transported by the music or film you're watching. I still love being surprised by just how real the setup I have can create an almost visual soundstage for some recordings. I'm equally certain that another bloke will think my setup is a load of codswallop I don't intend upgrading to move with the latest and greatest though I might be tempted one day with an HDMI setup if just to lose some spaghetti. My wife's a good sport about it all and enjoys the surround sound and base effects the NHTs can generate without a sub when she watches a film with me. Many of my mates don't believe I haven't got one lurking about ( a sub that is) somewhere in the basement. My older lad says he will take my amps off me as a favour if I feel the need to move with the times...nice of him eh? Can't help with the second hand scene in Singapore. I was out at some shopping arcade out near the airport way. Can't for the life of me remember the name but it was oddly full of massage parlours and had quite a few shops selling second hand kit. I'm sure there are people getting rid of their kit to get the latest greatest in Singapore as well as anywhere. Why not go onto the hifi/camera forums locally and ask? I am many many miles away in the land where people who can't make hifi actually make most of it . I have seen and heard some very nice stuff in HK sourced from Shanghai actually. They do some tasty valve amps in Shanghai which also look beautiful. This can actually fit right in with the right type of retro look many householders are going for nowadays as the valves are exposed and look very art deco. oops rambling on so better shut up for now. Cheers

@ the original poster It makes me smile to see that whenever people get to talking about hifi, things can rapidly get very heated. Here's my take having done my bit of research a few years back, listened to alot of different kit in Hong Kong where I lived at the time and ended up buying NHTs driven by Cambridge Audio hardware: Never get into a discussion about cables; those that take the hobby very seriously are either cable zealots who swear they can hear differences and those that say this is rubbish. My answer is, try it yourself at an audio shop; try crappy electrical lamp type wire vs a several hundred bucks version. Don't let the salesman touch anything other than the wires and listen for yourself, if you can hear a difference, you've found another avenue to spend money happily. Thankfully I couldn't tell the difference so could spend my money on other parts of my kit. With regard to speakers, again listen to stuff in your price bracket; ignore the salesman and let your ears decide. If you can't find anything suitable in your price bracket I would be surprised because you are unlikely to be used to listening to anything "better" unless your family/friends have great systems which you frequently listen to, in which case bad luck, sell your car/house etc. in pursuit of sound perfection. Do bring your own stuff to listen to and watch as you rarely find any system great for all uses. My NHT floor standers have, to my ear, lovely clear sound for the music I like and give reasonable bass effects for movies with no need for a sub. My home theatre is in my basement in an area about 12ft wide by 40 ft long. (btw Velodyne does do a great sub but if living in an apartment maybe that isn't too great an idea if you want to be a reasonable neighbour.) My very unsexy suggestion is start cheap and have fun. Audiophiles are notoriously fickle and always chasing the next great thing. Profit from this and buy 2 - 3 year old kit from these guys at stupidly discounted prices. You can audition it in their homes which could be a similar size to yours and if you hear something you like, buy it and take it away. Get fed up with it or fancy a change, sell it on and get another set second hand. It's a great way to have fun, learn, meet some people with the same hobby too. Oh, last bit of unasked for wisdom, buy the best amp you can afford as the heart of your system, I use one to drive my floor standers and another for the surround and the center...this is certainly where second hand can pick you up incredibly expensive/exotic stuff for stupidly low money because the guys who can buy this stuff often buy it for bragging rights and when the next cool thing comes along, they have to sell to keep up appearances...be smart and enjoy. Hope my not too serious approach doesn't offend but in all honesty, it's not a religion, it's just entertainment. Have fun mate!

Wood itself is an insulator. The built in ovens are designed just for that purpose and shouldn't cause any issue. I am using currently an old SMEG oven (nothing fancy at all) under the SMEG hob. The fixtures are donkeys years old and no issues with the cabinets. The use of stainless steel plates will not do anything as steel is a heat conductor not insulator. The point raised about having to squat or bend when using the oven is valid but not an issue if you're going to use this only a few times a year. Be careful though when you open a hot oven placed below the hob as a cloud of hot air will rapidly rise upwards as soon as the door is opened so stand with your face back out of the way when you open the door. I also have a National (Genius Serries) convection/microwave 42L oven which does a great job with simple baking and roasts etc. Hope this helps