Refleksi Hari Merdeka

 

Kemerdekaan Malaysia dan Personal Growth

Hari ni ialah Hari Kemerdekaan Malaysia yang ke 67 tahun. I realise that this year, my mom is also turning the same age. And when I look at my mom, I realise that Malaysia, too, has matured and grown older. But is Malaysia truly maturing? Dan ketika kita menyambut Hari Kemerdekaan today, this is actually the perfect time for all of us to reflect achievement negara kita dan juga ourselves. Hari Merdeka ialah simbol kebebasan, perpaduan, dan juga kebanggaan negara. Sambil I merenung perjalanan Malaysia menuju kemerdekaan dan kedaulatan, I terreflect my journey menuju kedewasaan pula, what I have been through dan bagaimana ia saling berkaitan dengan makna Merdeka itu sendiri.

Perjalanan Malaysia Menuju Kemerdekaan

Masa kita belajar Sejarah em.. masa sekolah rendah dan menengah, kita sedar bahawa perjalanan negara kita, Malaysia untuk mencapai kemerdekaan adalah dengan bukti semangat dan juga ketabahan rakyat Malaysia itu sendiri. Pada 31 Ogos 1957, Malaysia, which is sebelum ni dikenali Malaya, mencapai kebebasan dari pemerintahan kolonial British.Of course I dengar macam macam cerita dari nenek I. Bagaimana dari zaman penjajahan Jepun sehinggalah British. Bagaimana nenek I rasa makan ubi bakar dalam tanah, menyorok dalam perigi buta dan lubang buatan..Bagaimana nenek tiada peluang untuk pergi ke sekolah and that the reason kalau cakap pasal kerajaan dan kemerdekaan negara, nenek lebih hebat menunjukkan kesetiaan terhadap negara. I can see it from her eyes.

Hari bersejarah ini menandakan permulaan era baru, penuh dengan peluang dan cabaran. Perayaan kebangsaan mencerminkan keunikan budaya negara, kemajuan, dan cita-cita bersama rakyatnya yang majmuk.

Bagi I, Hari Merdeka bukan setakat tentang memperingati peristiwa sejarah, tapi ia adalah perayaan identiti Malaysia yang unik, gabungan harmoni masyarakat pelbagai kaum, dan perjalanan berterusan untuk mencapai matlamat nasional. Hari ini sekiranya tiada diisi dengan perarakan yang meriah macam dulu dulu pun, tapi seharusnya lagu-lagu patriotik, harus dimainkan bagi mengukuhkan nilai-nilai perpaduan dan kenegaraan. Mestilah kena dengar lagu-lagu seperti Saya Anak Malaysia, Warisan, Bahtera Merdeka dan semestinya Tanggal 31 Ogos dan banyak lagi lagu lagu patriotik yang kita harus dengar. Just to let you know, I’m now enjoying ‘Bahtera Merdeka’ by Aishah.

My Merdeka: Perjalanan Kematangan I

Sejujurnya, in my personal opinion, tentang Hari Merdeka  has a special meaning, especially when I reflect on my own journey. Just like perjalanan Malaysia untuk mencapai kemerdekaan yang involved bagaimana nak mengatasi cabaran belum lagi dengan segala kemungkinan-kemungkinan yang akan berlaku, and my journey of life pun berkisar pada mencapai kebebasan dan my own self- improvement. I remember bagaimana I nak dapat Master Degree, I hanya lah pemegang Diploma yang sangat-sangat lama ok? I tak dapat naik pangkat, naik gaji it just because I ada Diploma je. This drove me to achieve my goals. It was only in my early 30s that I resumed my degree and Master's studies. I pun sendiri terperanjat sebab my result semua cemerlang. Alhamdulillah. Sedangkan masa mula mula I nak ambil Degree, after a long break from studying, my mom ada lah menimbulkan kerisauan dia kat my sister. Dia takut I might struggle and give up. My sister of course bagitau I. That moment, I rasa tercabar sangat and I will make sure all my result cemerlang. Dan Alhamdulillah, my results were indeed quite commendable.

Menggalas Tanggungjawab

For me, kematangan mestilah bermula dengan deeper understanding of responsibility. Sama seperti negara kita, perlu mengurus pemerintahan yang penuh complex ni, dan keperluan masyarakat yang macam macam ragam, tak sebut lagi pergaduhan politik yang buat I muak. I can relate dengan my personal maturity, of course ianya melibatkan untuk menggalas tanggungjawab terhadap tindakan dan keputusan kita. In whatever keadaan, kita kene ambil tanggungjawab tu  samada dalam kerjaya kita, hubungan, ataupun personal goals kita. Seperti negara yang membuat pilihan yang bijaksana dan bertanggungjawab atas hasilnya, yang mencerminkan tanggungjawab lebih luas yang dimiliki oleh sebuah negara terhadap rakyatnya, kita. Macam tu juga dengan kita. We choose our path. Kita memilih perkahwinan ini, jalan ini, hidup ini, kerjaya ini. Dan kita mesti mengambil tanggungjawab terhadap pilihan-pilihan ini. Whatever challenges we face, we must take responsibility.

Memahami dan Menghormati Kepelbagaian

Malaysia ni mempunya rakyat berbilang kaum dan seharusnya aspek penting lain dalam pertumbuhan adalah untuk mempelajari, untuk menghargai dan juga menghormati diversity. Kekuatan Malaysia terletak pada kepelbagaian penduduknya, dan I realise that the personal growth melibatkan prinsip yang sama. Embracing different perspectives and experiences memang membantu my understanding and empathy, making me more open and adaptable in various aspects of life. I think about how, memula I berkahwin dengan my husband, seriously banyak je ketidaksamaan tu. Of course ianya berbeza. Dia dilahirkan dan dibesarkan dari keluarga yang berbeza dengan I. Kalau dia suka makan cencaluk tapi I pula suka makan petai dan buah binjai. Tapi tulah.. sekarang ni husband I yang suka makan binjai jeruk even more than I do! Dari ketidaksamaan membawa kepada banyak persamaan. We adapt to each other’s lives.

Merayakan Pencapaian dan Belajar dari Kegagalan

Sama seperti Hari Merdeka adalah masa untuk meraikan pencapaian Malaysia especially masa diorang bersatu padu untuk menentang penjajah,we should also recognize and celebrate the challenges they faced., Yes, it is an achievement worth celebrating.. That’s why, I never judge pun kalau nak diadakan perayaan sambutan merdeka. Asalkan ianya tidak keterlaluan sehingga menyumbang kepada kemaksiatan.

Pandang ke Hadapan

Malaysia sekarang terus berkembang dan maju. Dari negara pertanian sehinggalah sekarang negara yang maju dan berkembang pesat. Begitu juga myself. Hahah.. dari berat 45 kg pun maju naik angkanya sehingga nak melebihi 60 kg. Jadi sempena hari kemerdekaan ini, I ambil spirit of independence, unity, and progress to guide my own life. Personal improvement is an ongoing process that requires introspection, learning, and adaptation.

Last but not least, please ignore my 'Bahasa Rojak.' The important thing is that the meaning gets across. This is not a language competition but just an expression of my thoughts in a style I’m comfortable with.

Selamat Hari Merdeka kepada semua rakyat Malaysia! Semoga kita semua terus maju jaya, I love you Malaysia. 

' Ain

13 year old boy tried raping a 28 year old woman

Currently heavily circulating in Facebook is the news of a 28-year-old woman claiming that she was molested by a 13-year-old boy inside the female toilet of a petrol kiosk at Jalan Munshi Abdullah.

Lareece Low Mei Yuet posted on her Facebook page that she was in the toilet at 4.25pm on Monday when the boy barged in and held her as she was coming out.

“I was leaving the toilet when he stormed in and held me, covering my mouth.

“He kissed my cheeks and touched my chest as I struggled to fight him off,” Low claimed.

Low said that she managed to shout and bit the boy’s fingers between struggles, while fighting hard to open the door.

“I heard sounds of people outside the toilet and I fought harder to open the door.

“I managed to slot my hand between the gaps to prevent it from closing.”

Low said that several people outside the toilet heard the commotion and came to her aide.

The boy was caught and held at the kiosk until police arrived. During that time, they questioned the boy and found that he was merely 13.

State CID chief Asst Comm Raja Sharom Raja Abdullah said that a report had been lodged by Low.
He said the boy had been remanded for four days pending further investigation.

The case is being investigated under Section 354 of the Penal Code for outrage of modesty.

It is a shock to know that a boy which has a long future ahead and is barely legal age is ready to commit such a crime. He is brazen enough to attack a woman twice his age. Well, I hope this will teach him a lesson to control his lust. If this doesn't change him, he will probably try a "weaker" victim such as a young girl or arm himself with a deadly weapon. This dude seriously need to be counselled. I blame all this to  his parents for not watching their children's activities. I don't know where he got this idea. Porn, perhaps?

 

Man survives crocodile attack during toilet break.

A CONSTRUCTION worker's been bitten by a crocodile during a toilet break in Malaysian Borneo but fought the huge reptile off and escaped with his life.

 

Pai reportedly punched the two-metre crocodile in the eye after it bit him just above his right buttock, and despite being in incredible pain and soaked in blood managed to summon help.

The attack happened early on Friday, when the 32-year-old decided to take his chances in a river in Sarawak state despite knowing it was infested with crocodiles.

The labourer, who works at a nearby construction site, had just finished relieving himself under a bridge when the animal bit him from behind.

"Fortune favoured me when the crocodile let go after I punched it in the eye," he was quoted as saying by Malay tabloid Harian Metro.

"After being freed from the jaws of the crocodile, I found extraordinary strength to run and call for help even though my waist was extremely painful."

Several newspapers ran pictures of Pai, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, lying on his stomach at the Sarawak General Hospital with bandages on his waist and hip area.

Crocodile attacks have been a constant problem in Malaysia, with several deaths reported in the past few years.

Moral of the story: Use a proper toilet and stop polluting the river!

P1 cruiser crashed. Time to slow down?

In the Internet broadband world, the faster your speed, the better it is. The internet “highway” is a place where speed matters. But it doesn’t speak the same in the real world. Recently a P1 Wimax’s cruiser, that was spotted on a highway near KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport), crashed probably due to speeding. P1 Wimax is a telecommunications company in Malaysia that provides wireless broadband service that boasts of fast internet speeds.

Going too fast? Drive safe people!

Lesbian marriage in Batu Pahat, Malaysia

A lesbian couple in Batu Pahat, who had been dating for the past two years have taken their relationship to a new level by undergoing a traditional wedding ceremony.

Thomas, 29, and Apple, 27, both property brokers underwent a traditional Chinese tea ceremony at their home here at about 10am on Saturday.

It is learnt Thomas had proposed to Apple about two months ago. They also set up a Facebook page as a testament of their love.

However, both declined to be interviewed when requested by reporters.

Checks on their Facebook fanpage showed revealed many messages posted in Chinese with over 656 "likes".

One friend identified as Wong Shally said she wished she would be lucky enough to experience a love like that of Thomas and Apple and congratulated the "newly weds".

Another Facebook friend, Winny Chin, congratulated the two and said that they were an example to other similar couples.

Thomas and Apple's Facebook page features a pre-wedding wedding photo shoot album entitled "The happiest lesbians" with several pictures of their wedding ceremony.

Malaysia, predominantly a Muslim country forbids same-gender marriage. Therefore the marriage between Apple and Thomas is not recognised as legal by the Malaysian law. 

Picture and news souce: dailychilli.com

A cuckold fetishist forced wife to sleep with men online

Today’s local daily in Malaysia highlighted that a husband forced his wife to sleep with Caucasian men while he watch remotely through a laptop via Skype. The strangers that his wife slept with have no qualms about her husband watching and she had slept with dozens of men. Some of the men are repeated bed partners as her husband finds that the men are able to perform well in bed. Her husband forced his 38-year old Sabahan wife to do such despicable act because he finds more pleasure in watching his wife having sex with other men. According to source, the husband will source for caucasian males through social networking sites and arrange for a rendezvous at a hotel. On the other hand, his wife thinks that this is the only way to please her husband even though it is against her will. According to the wife, no money was exchanged for the sexual services. After 5 years of torment, the mother of 3 children decided to seek help from a local daily to highlight her plight to end this fetish.

I find her story fishy as she had remained quiet for the last 5 years and put up with her husband’s crazy demand. She must be so foolish to think that she is offering her body to strangers in return for nothing. She said she kept quiet and gave in to him because she has nowhere to turn to and love her husband so much. In the video, the wife is seen to enjoy the act and she said she was forced to pretend that she enjoyed it in order to keep her husband’s mouth shut. Now she decided to blow the whistle and does that mean she has a place to turn to now?

Yes, people are disgusted and angry of that her husband forces his wife to such immoral act for his own pleasure but I don’t know if Malaysians should sympathize her for the ordeal she went through. I had the feeling that there must be 2 sides of the story and some where during the course of the event, things must have turned awry that led her to voice out now. Or she might be seeking public sympathy for some hidden personal agenda. We don’t know what happened but things will not be as simple as 1, 2, 3. As the there is a saying “It takes 2 hands to clap” as the responsibility of the actions are bestowed on both parties. After all, if she can come to the media for help on her own accord, she would be well-aware off her situation during the past 5 years and gather the courage to walk out of her man and seek help much earlier.

Picture source: mmail.com.my

A bus ride to grave

Today’s local daily highlighted that there are thousands of unfit buses plying our roads carrying passengers in the city or on long distance haul. Puspakom, the main inspection center for commercial vehicles throughout Malaysia, shows that 4,111 commercial buses were not brought in for inspections last year.

The vehicles, which include express, tour and school buses had not undergone mandatory inspections which are supposed to be done once every six months to ensure their tyres and brakes are roadworthy. Many bus operators would only send their buses for inspection once a year, before the expiry of the road tax.

The lack of concern for safety may most probably be the cause of disastrous road accidents caused by buses. Some bus operators prefer to maximise their profit at the expense of their passengers’ lives. If you were to read on bus accidents in Malaysia, many of times the blame on accidents is caused by brake failures or other technical parts.

Is this the easy way out blaming the cause of the accidents? The root of the accidents lies in the mentality of some of the bus operators. If the buses are properly maintain and check, the accidents may be avoided and will not add to the statistics.

As Malaysia is moving towards a develop nation, bus operators should not be having a 3rd world mentality giving sub-par service. Passengers that rely on buses as their main transportation will not know that this bus ride might be their last ride that will send them 6-feet underground. Imagine the anguish their family members have to face if their loved ones died in a tragic accident. The fate of the passengers lies in the hands of the bus driver and bus operators.

The trails of major accidents involving buses that hit the headlines in the media will send the shiver down your bone if our Malaysian bus operators maintain their ignorance.

DECEMBER 20, 2010

The bus accident is believed to be the worst road accident in the nation's history. Two Malaysians and 25 Thai nationals were killed on board an express bus at KM15 of the Cameron Highlands-Simpang Pulai road. The bus had 37 passengers on board, 34 of them were Thai tourists. The cause of the 11.40am accident was said to be caused by speeding and brake failure.

The driver was trying to negotiate a sharp bend but failed, causing the vehicle to hit a divider before overturning. It landed on its roof in a ditch about 51m away from the divider. The impact killed 22 passengers on the spot.

The impact of the crash was so severe that bodies were flung several metres away from the wreckage while others were trapped deep in the ditch. The bus was heading to Kuala Lumpur from Cameron Highlands.

OCTOBER 10, 2010

The accident which involved two buses, a van and two cars at KM223 of the North-South Expressway claimed 13 lives and 40 others were seriously injured. In the 6.40pm tragedy, a bus heading towards Kuala Lumpur went out of control and flipped over to the southbound side of the highway.

After colliding with a van and two cars, the bus then slammed into a Welfare Department bus which was heading towards Malacca. The dead and injured were sent to Malacca Hospital and Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital in Seremban. The incident caused massive traffic snarls on both sides of the highway.

DECEMBER 25, 2009

Ten people were killed after a northbound double-decker Sani Express bus skidded and hit a divider at KM272.8 of the North-South Expressway. The victims were seated on the lower deck of the bus in the 1am incident.

DECEMBER 7, 2008

Ten people were killed after an express bus skidded and overturned at KM146.5 of the North-South Expressway near Pagoh, Johor. Five women, four men and a nine-year-old girl died while another 19 were injured when the bus overturned in the 2am incident.

AUGUST 13, 2007

Twenty passengers of the Super Express bus were killed in an accident which took place near Bukit Berapit, Bukit Gantang, Changkat Jering, Perak. The driver, Rohizan Abu Bakar, lost control of the bus as it was going down an incline and crashed into a ditch at the KM229 of the North-South Expressway. Rohizan 38, died, along with 19 passengers. Police disclosed the driver had two arrest warrants and 13 summonses against him.

Picture & Bus tragedy source: The Malay Mail

Bomb scare at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur

This afternoon during lunch I was on my way to have my lunch in Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur. Pavilion is located in Jalan Bukit Bintang which is only a stone throw from my office in Jalan Kia Peng. I saw  policeman directing traffic away from Pavilion and the escalator that serves as the pedestrian entrance to Pavilion has been closed to public. There was a massive jam along Jalan Raja Chulan and a curious onlookers gather to watch is happening.

A police officer told me that the authorities received a call that there is a suspicious box which might be a bomb along the walkway within Pavilion’s compound. A bomb squat unit was deployed to defuse the bomb. Eventually it was discovered that it was prank by some irresponsible people. The white box contained wires which doesn’t contain any explosives. The childish act has caused a lot of inconvenience to the public. Well, some people here has not grown up and thought that this prank is funny!

So far Malaysia is still safe from terrorism and suicide bombing or any bombing incidences which have not occurred, as far as I can recall. Anyway, I still managed to grab a bite for my tummy at a stall nearby in Cosway building.

How long do you need to work to buy a Big Mac?

Yesterday as I was eating my dinner in McDonald’s I saw an advertisement posted by McDonald’s hiring temporary staffs at RM4 per hour. I began to think of the Big Mac Index which is frequently used as a measurement of a country’s purchasing power. A Big Mac in Malaysia is sold at RM6.70 each excluding taxes. The price of Big Mac may differ slightly in places like in Genting Highlands.

The Big Mac was chosen because it is available to a common specification in many countries around the world, with local McDonald’s franchisees having significant responsibility for negotiating input prices. Currently McDonald’s Big Mac is sold in about 120 countries. The Big Mac index enables a comparison between many countries’ currencies.

How hard does an average Malaysian needs to work to buy a Big Mac in McDonald’s? Well, it takes 41 minutes for an average Malaysian to work in order to afford a Big Mac. In comparison to our neighbor in Singapore which takes 36 minutes while strongest buying power is Tokyo which takes only a mere 12 minutes to buy a Big Mac. Generally the shorter time an average person in a country takes to a buy Big Mac, the better paid the person is.

As Malaysia is struggling to overcome the effects of inflation, the purchasing power of an average Malaysian is weakening as the days goes by. As subsidies are cut, the inflation rate will go up in tandem. As our Malaysian government always claims that our petrol is the cheapest in the region, our Malaysian salaries are also one of the lowest. Malaysians are paying (dollar to dollar) one of the most expensive internet broadband service and cars in the region. In fact our houses in Klang Valley and Penang are beyond reach for many average household incomes.

As price of petrol, sugar and power tariffs are up, naturally the cost will be passed down to consumers for necessity goods. Gone are the days when a cup of teh tarik (tea with milk) is only RM0.80. Today I bought a packet of nasi lemak (rice with chilli and anchovies) for RM2. It used to be RM1 in those days.

Although we can see projects spearhead by the Malaysian government such as My First Home Scheme and 1Malaysia Shop (Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia) intended to help the Malaysians, we would like to see more of the Malaysian government helping us in lowering the inflation further and increasing the buying power without over tightening our belts.



Picture Source:
The Malaysian Insider
talkmoneyblog.co.uk

Can we change racial stigma?

Yesterday I was on my way driving home after dinner and I met with an Indian hooligan on a motorcycle bearing the number plat BGU 5221. The Indian motorcyclist beat the red light and we met at the T-junction. He got irked at me as I had the right of the road and when we reached another traffic light, he stopped by my side and started to use vulgarities and kicked my car. I wound down my car window slightly and asked why did he kick my car and he got even angrier. To cut the story short, he eventually rode off swearing at me.

Once I read an article about how people generally labelled Malaysian Indians as gangsters especially those are of dark skin. I bet those who mentioned that are those who personally had a awful experienced them. I’m not trying to be racial or racist but it is because of a few bad apples it spoils the whole basket. I believe whatever race or culture we are, the way we carry ourselves are important. When there is a too many bad encounters with a certain race, people will remember your race for the bad doing rather than the individual itself. People will start to think that this particular race carries bad culture and the people from that race are labelled negatively. Before we react or we do anything, we need to think of the impact it will cause to ourselves and our society. We are responsible for our act and not the race itself. It is never easy to erase the stigma and negative perception but to change it, it always starts from an individual and carried by another individual.

I still believe and want to believe that there are good Samaritans out there be it Malay, Chinese or Indian. For the the readers or anyone who knows the Indian guy on the motorcycle bearing the number plate BGU 5221, tell him not be the rotten apple and in the end spoils the whole basket. You may think you are a HERO but you a ZERO if you bring shame to yourself, family and race.


Picture Source: donicethings.org/

Liverpool merchandise for sale in Reject Shop

Liverpool fans will be utmost glad to know that they can now buy Liverpool merchandise at Reject Shop throughout Malaysia. Reject Shop has close to 40 stores throughout Malaysia and it is the official retailer of Liverpool's Asian Tour 2011. All of the items in Reject Shop are in excellent condition and not rejected items in which many shoppers had the perception of. There are a wide variety of merchandise such as Liverpool caps, jersey, scaft, T-shirts and whole lot of other merchandises up for sale.

This coming 16 July 2011, Malaysia will take on Liverpool at Stadium Bukit Jalil. Go, get your tickets and watch the action!

Malaysian Tourism spend RM1.8 million in Facebook

Recent news reported that our Malaysian government spend a whopping RM1.8 million on 6 Facebook pages to promote Malaysian Tourism. Sound like a good effort? In fact it has caused an outcry among the public.

Each of the pages cost about RM300,000 and their top pages has so far attracted about 20,000 likes. This means that the government spends approximately RM15 for each Facebook likes. According to Datuk Seri Dr. Ng Yen Yen, RM1.8 million included costs for designing, flash programming and coding, testing and debugging, uploading and launching the application, system server deployment and campaign management.

There are many disgruntled Malaysians on the government’s action on spending RM1.8million on Facebook and a Facebook page Curi-Curi Wang Malaysia was started and has already garnered 35,000 likes. Curi-Curi Wang Malaysia has gained more Facebook likes in comparison to any of Malaysian Tourism Facebook pages. You can check it out at here.

Do you think is it worth the money spend? Or is a mismanagement that is wasting tax payers’ money?

10 Most Expensive Condos in Kuala Lumpur

Have you walked into a condo and go “wow” over it’s environment, facilities, security and unit size? Have you ever dreamt of living in a high-end condo? In the heart of Kuala Lumpur, there lies 10 most expensive condos and they are all near the Petronas Twin Towers, KLCC.

One KL

Topping the list is One KL condo. It is a 35 storey condominium with 94 units and 95 swimming pools. Each condo unit comes with a swimming pool. The size of the unit is 3625 sq ft per unit.

The Troika

2^nd in the list is The Troika, 3 towers condo with total of 164 units. The size of each unit ranging from 2045 to 9043 sq ft. Its notable features unique features include the irregular shape and the sky lobby at level 24 which links the three component structures with pedestrian bridges.

K Residence

For those who visit Avenue K, you are now at in the vicinity of K Residence. The 50 storeys high, K Residence, has 188 units with each unit ranging from 1446 to 7342 sq ft. Avenue K/K Residence is close to the Petronas twin towers, to which it is linked by a pedestrian subway (underpass).

The Meritz

This high-end condo is about 3 minutes walk to KLCC. The Meritz has 31 storeys with 110 units in which 4 units are duplex penthouse. The sizes are ranging from 1076 to 3412 sq ft.

Marc Residence

Marc Residence resides in a 2-acre site for its two towers. It has 35 storeys for 2 towers with a total of 607 units. Each unit size ranges from 600 to 2800 sq ft. Anemities in Marx Residence are business centre, cafeteria, club house, covered parking, gymnasium, jogging track, playground, sauna, squash court, swimming pool, wading pool and tennis court.

The Avare

The Avare is a 41 storey high condo with 3800 sq unit size. There are two large apartments to each level, each with four bedrooms, all or which will enjoy en suite bathrooms. Occupiers of the Avare will enjoy panoramic views of the Petronas Towers and the Royal Selangor Golf Club and the KLCC Park is also close by.

Park Seven

Park Seven is not quite high rise, being a seven tower development with each reaching to 20 storeys. The site is only 1.6 acres so these blocks will be quite close together. The design is clean and simple and aims to give 270 degree views to most residents. Those on the Persiaran side of the development will have views of KLCC Park and the Petronas towers.

There is only one unit per floor per building so the layout ensures plenty of privacy. Each unit sizes ranging from 2500 to 7000 sq ft. The first level is described as a ‘recreation deck’ including the following: multi-purpose function rooms, lap pool, heated pool, gardens with water features, gym, yoga/pilates studio, toddler’s room and children’s play area.

Pavillion Residence

Pavilion Residence is another tall development and, after Marc Service Residence, the largest of our 10 with 368 apartments. It has 2 towers and each condo unit size ranges from 1234 to 7174 sq ft.  It is the second development to have a retail element and in all the development covers 12 acres.


Idaman Residence
Idaman Residence  is targeted at high income professionals between the ages of 24 and 45. Along with the other nine developments it shares the easy access to work and facilities in KLCC. Idaman has been planned to be environmentally friendly with natural ventilation in common parts and even natural ventilation features in the units themselves.
Above the car parking levels there are four garden units (including larger balconies) and the penthouses on the top level include roof gardens. It has 33 storeys with 248 units. Each unit is between 800 to 1900 sq ft.


Ampersand @ Kia Peng
Ampersand@Kia Peng is situated half way between the KLCC Park and the Royal Selangor Gofl Club it is still very central. The development includes three blocks ranging from seven to 12 storeys. The interiors is modern, well-proportioned and simple. There is a swimming pool at ground level and enough space for a small amount of landscaping. It is only 9 storeys high with 71 units. Each unit is between 2613 to 5852 sq ft.

Now, have you finish drooling over these high end condos?

A "homeless" generation

When can I own my dream home? Where do I find the money to buy a house? These are the questions that constantly plague the new generation of first-time house buyers. Many young adults are struggling to buy a house due to the escalating prices of houses in Klang Valley and Penang.

Property prices in urban areas such as Penang and Kuala Lumpur rose by up to 40 per cent last year fuelled by low interest rates and a surge in speculative buying whereby investors snapped up multiple properties in hope that prices keep on rocketing upwards.

The prices of houses are exorbitant and it is beyond reach of an average income earner. The average price of a KL residential property is now about RM485,000, or roughly nine times the average urban household annual income of RM54,000 and there will be a possible sign that the market is heading for a bubble.

The Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey rates markets, whose property prices are 5.1 times median income or more, as “severely unaffordable”. The sharp increase in prices of houses are far outpacing income growth thus creating many who are unable to buy a house. Some have resorted to buying a house far from the city resulting lengthy commutes to work.

Secondary markets of older homes are not cheap either and one may need to fork out more money for house repairs.

The government imposed RPGT (Real Property Gain Tax) has been less effective in curbing the escalating prices of houses. The high prices of property in urban areas prompted the Najib administration to introduce a first-home ownership scheme in March in addition to the loan-to-value ratio cap in a bid to stave off discontent.

The government’s My First Home Scheme launched in March will enable young adults aged up to 35 and earning less than RM3,000 to get 100 per cent financing to buy houses worth between RM100,000 and RM220,000 with a repayment period of up to 30 years. However, lawyers and bankers say the first-home ownership scheme will not help those who take home RM3,000 in total household income as the amount will not cover loan repayments due to rising prices for food, other basic necessities and utilities.

Price increase for Engine Oil

Changing engine oil in our vehicles has become costlier after the increase of crude oil globally. I felt the brunt of it when I purchased a pack of lubricant.

I serviced my car today and I've been searching high and low for a reasonable priced of branded engine oil. Usually I will settle for my car manufacturer's engine oil but since my car's warranty is over, I will use engine oils such as Mobil, Castrol, Shell or Petronas which I will buy from the petrol station or hypermarkets. I'm always wary of where I buy my engine oils as there are cases of recycled engine oils in the market. Just in case you don't know what it is, recycled engine oil is where used oils are being processed and repack as new and sold to unsuspecting buyers. Recycled engine oils are of low quality and it is harmful to your car after prolong use.

With the rise in crude oil price globally, I bought a pack of 4 litres Shell HX 7 semi-synthetic engine oil (I use semi-synthetic only) for RM103.80 from a nearby Shell petrol station. I remembered that I bought a pack of 4 litres Mobil S semi-synthetic for only RM79 last year. Maintaining a car is getting costlier besides the additional burden from the rising prices of food and petrol in our homeland.

The price increase in lubricants has dented my monthly budget and I need to change my lifestyle like what our government has asked its people to do. If you'll excuse me, I'm cycling out to buy a packet of instant noodle for my dinner.