Happy New Year!

Here's wishing all Wangsa Maju readers a Happy New Year and best wishes to all your undertakings!

Gombak Post Office at Fifth Mile

Where do you go if you need to do postal transactions after office hours?

Try the Gombak Post Office. It opens from 8am to 10pm daily and serves a variety of services - from stamps to road tax payments, as well as parcel collection and sending Poslaju parcels.



Located right opposite Kg Lee Kong Chian, this post office came into being some time in the 90s. The counters have been increased and today the queue system is pretty good.

Over the last two months, I have been observing how the staff work and to my surprise, they are quite efficient in clearing the queue.

In fact after the last Ramadan puasa period, the counter girls have been extremely efficient.

Setapak Town Gets A Better Bridge

Thanks to the Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway (hence the acronym DUKE), Setapak town will now get a better and stronger bridge. This one's studier than the rickety steel bridge that looked like an eyesore stretching from one side of the road to the other at the Setapak Mosque. This one runs parallel to the DUKE section which runs across Setapak town. I hope the bridge will be properly maintained and well-lit and that pedestrians will be visible when they are on the bridge. One cannot be too careful here since a closed bridge is a potential hideout for robbers or worse.

Merry Christmas To Readers Of Wangsa Maju

Here's to wishing everyone who reads this post a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year!

Do You Know This Soya Bean Milk Man

This soya bean milk seller used to ply his trade at the gates of the Setapak High School in the yesteryears. At that time, he was much younger. He used to have a partner who sells sour plum drink (air asamboi).

Within the blink of an eye, the years have come and gone. Does anyone know his name? He now sells his drink at the gates of the Air Panas market in the afternoons. It is rare to find someone dedicate himself to the same profession for decades. If you are in Wangsa Maju, especially in the Setapak or Air Panas area (including Genting Kelang), I am sure you can see many familiar faces who plied their trades since you were a teen or younger.

Former Nursing Home Building For Sale

If you know the Taman Titiwangsa area well, you would have remembered this building for in the 90s, it was used as the Seavoy Nursing Home, housing the aged parents from well-to-do families.

This is qwhere the able spend their twillight years under the care of professional nurses. I guess if you are wealthy, you get sent to nursing homes. If you are not so wealthy, or have unfilial children who have an axe to grind with you, you get sent to old folk's home. Either way it is not a good way to spend the dusk of one's years.

This building is now up for sale. How much I dont know. But many who have sent their parents there, and are reading this post right now, must have had some memories of the place I am sure.

Metered Parking Introduced But Where Is The Enforcement?

THIS is Taman Seri Rampai and what you are looking at is a motorist obediently using the parking coupon dispenser to purchase parking coupons to be placed on the dashboard of his car.

Yes, ticketed parking system has been introduced in Taman Seri Rampai and the entire Wangsa Maju constituency. It will not be long when the same is introduced in Gombak and further down to Setapak.

Why these parking meters were not yet installed in Gombak - which is also partly under the Wangsa Maju constituency - is left best answered by Mayor Fuad Ismail who has assumed office recently.

However, why some shops in Wangsa Maju still act as though they own the parking lots is best answered here. You and me. And I think it is the lack of enforcement by officers of City Hall is a contributory factor.

Perhaps the MP or even the good Mayor can look into this for good measure?

Look at the blatant 'booking' of this parking lot as shown below. Who put the plastic cannister there is as good a guess from you as it is from me.

Hallo friend, your farder own the parking lot ah?

Why put up metered parking systems when you don't want to enforce its use? Why allow some people to deprive others from parking and City Hall from collecting parking revenue? Can someone please answer this?

Seri Titiwangsa Posh Condo

This is Seri Titiwangsa, a low-density multi-storey condo you see in the bend in Jalan Pahang opposite the Chong Hwa primary school. This high-priced high-rise comes equipped with the full fledged security and facilities.

The building was built some time in the 90s and left abandoned for years until work resumed again. Today it stands tall overlooking the city and some parts of the Wangsa Maju consituency. The condo is within walking distance to Lake Titiwangsa and enjoys the quietitude of the post Titiwangsa neighbourhood. Next door too is the BHP petrol station. How convenient!



Petrol station at your doorsteps. How convenient!

Kuan Ti Temple Gombak Holds Inauguration \Ceremony

FOR four days fom Dec 13, today, the Kuan Ti Temple, also known as Ju Xian Miao, at Jalan Gombak will be celebrating its inauguration.

This almost 50 year old temple has recently been refurbished at about half a million ringgit and sculptors from China were brought in to do the refurbishment work, which included extension of the compound, a new gateway, a concrete theatre and other internal work.

It should now be one of the most beautiful temple in Jalan Gombak, perhaps even rivalling that of the Thean Hou Temple.

In the olden days, this temple is famous for assisting the sick and needy. Consultation was in the form of two mediums going into trance and holding a divining rod (Y-shaped branch). Those who are sick or in trouble would ask the mediums in trance for assistance and the divining rod would write the prescription on a drum of rice. The inscribed words will take the form of instructions to undertake or medical herbs to purchase and consume.

There is a statue of Kuan Ti, said to be made from wood, in the temple which is even older than the temple itself. It is believed that the founder of the temple had brought the statue in from China when the first Chinese settlers came to Gombak.

Rumous has it that the statue disappeared during the times of turmoil only to reappear when peace trancends such as during the Japanese occupation and during the Emergency. The Kuan Ti was believed to have returned to heaven to assist in calming the world in times of strife. How true this is up to you to take it.

The temple six months ago, while it was being renovated. The two chaps are the Chinese craftsmen undertaking the job. Look at the 'jade' pillars in front of the main door.

Setapak Pays Its Price For Development

This is Setapak Wet Market (above).

The DUKE highway, which cuts across Jalan Pahang at the Setapak Mosque, has taken away a big chunk of a building nearby and what used to be the only car park in Setapak has been demolished.

The market is now a pale comparison of what it used to be in the 70s and 80s where Setapakians gather in the morning to shop for groceries and exchange news about their neighbourhood.



The DUKE Highway has yet to open. When it does, another casualty might just be the decades old Setapak Mosque, which lies barely 30 metres from it. I dread to think what would happen if some silly speed hog loses control of his vehicle on the highway and jumps the highway walls...

Gombak Road Expansion On Its Way

One side of the road has been scraped and tarring would have begun in a few days. (Note: The rubbish bags being left on the new road area. This is one filthy habit Gombak residents cannot do without. You will find garbage in bags strewn by the road or hung on lampposts. Now you wont be amazed if they call Gombak people 'Ulu')

After months of waiting, the road expansion at Jalan Gombak finally is on its way. The tarring of one side has begun, after the divider have been constructed. The lampposts have been moved and this is a good sign.

From what we have observed, from Gombak 5th Mile onwards to the junction to Sentul, one side of the road has been tarred.

Work is also being undertaken from there to Chong Hwa school.

Hopefully, the roadwork will end when school reopens.

I will keep you posted.

Bata Warehouse Sale Is On At Genting Kelang!

THE Bata warehouse sale is back at Jalan Genting Kelang near the Kenny Rogers outlet. Look out for the white tents located at the open space on the right side of Pelangi Condo/Kenny Rogers. You cant miss the blaring music.

This sale first appeared sometime early this year, also during the school holidays. But there were shoes on offer then. same goes with this one. And there are more than just school shoes on offer - sports shoes and women's shoes are also available.

The prices are pretty good - from RM5 for school shoes to RM19 for leather ones. These are old stock and some have been soiled. If you are looking for bargains and dont mind the looks, check it out then.

Also, check those shoes before paying - some of the heels have peeled off and the gum can be pretty sticky. According to the chaps there, the sale is on for a month or till stock runs out whichever comes first. So Good Luck in your bargain hunting.

This Padang Produced Many Soccer Stars

The Padang is a hive of activity in the evenings and soccer is still the favourite game. There is now a poorly built basketball at one end which is used by senior citizens to exercise in the mornings.

If you remember Santokh Singh, I am sure you are a football fan. But if you are below 40, chances are that you probably don't know who he is. Well, he is one of the soccer greats and along with him, the famous names such as Towkay Soh Chin Aun, Spiderman Arumugam, and Mokhtar Dahari.

Well, this is the padang in Air Panas, near the girls' school, that produced many soccer greats. In the 70s, there was a remarkable soccer team called Setapak Rangers who was quite a team in the soccer arena. In fact, Santokh Singh's house is directly opposite this padang. Haven't seen Santokh quite a while already. Heard he has moved elsewhere and the house is now rented to another. Anyone got any news about the chap?

Bukit Antarabangsa Landslide Tragedy!

This picture was taken by the Star, showing rescuers leading some of the victims out of the disaster area on foot.

Sad news reverberated through Wangsa Maju at about 4am today when tragedy struck at Bukit Antarabangsa, taking a total of four lives, injuring tens, and shattering the dreams and hopes of thousands who were evacuated from the scene of the latest landslide to hit the area. Houses were brought down by tonnes of earth, which buried four and damaging property valued in the millions.

Some of the residents were still trapped at the other side of the tragedy area when the roads and electricity supply were cut off. This latest tragedy came in the wake of another landslide which claimed the lives of two children in Ulu Yam a week earlier.

Ironically, the authorities did not seem to have the sensibility of installing a monitoring system on such precarious hills developments realising well that heavy rains the past three weeks could have contributed to earth movement which could have led to this massive landslide. Apparently, the local authorities in Selangor have not learnt from the Highland Towers tragedy, which also happened on a Saturday, Dec 11, some 15 years ago.

For those who have forgotten, the Highland Towers comprised three blocks of 12-storey apartments. one of the blocks collapsed when 10 continuous days of rainfall led to a landslide after the retaining wall at the Tower's car park failed.

Meanwhile, there are two hillside development that sits smack in the heart of Wangsa Maju - Desa Putra condo which were built couple of years ago, and several others in the vicinity. Has City Hall initiated hillside monitoring in view of bad weather being forecast for the next few days? Some time ago, there was a landslide Section 10. I think the MP should visit these hillslide developments near Carrefour and the vicinity now.

Biscuit Factory Noodles

Love Kon Lou Mien? Check Out Biscuit Factory Noodles at Sky restaurant beside the Genting Kelang market. This stall used to be across the street at Jalan Genting Kelang, where the bridge is now. It was operated by the current owner's mother then. Because of road expansion in the 90s, the stall moved here. The noodles haven't changed much and are good to the last bite. The restaurant too serves good breakfast drinks. If you enjoy Chinese oldies, this is one place you should not miss. Will write about it later.

Chong Hwa Laksa Now In Batu Caves, Sri Gombak

No going away again. The Chong Hwa Laksa's new premises

If your had studied in Chong Hwa High School in the 70s and 80s, you will remember the popular shack opposite the road. Today this shack is now owned by a Malay hawker.

The new premises, just like a modern kopitiam

In the days of yore, there is a popular laksa stall known fondly as Chong Hwa Laksa operated by several sisters and their parents. Then for some unknown reasons, they moved. Speculation was rife that the Malay owners of that piece of land where their stall stood wanted back their land, so they moved.

Besides the signature laksa (top right), you can get nasi lemak too.

Many laksa lovers missed that joint after they moved. Recently, I rediscovered them while on a trip to Sri Gombak, Batu Caves.

Located a stone's throwaway from the Sri Gombak Market, occupying a corner-lot three-storey building, is the Chong Hwa Laksa Restaurant. It now owns the premises.

Doing well now, it is highly popular among local residents and serves several dishes for breakfast and afternoon meals. The signature laksa is still there, and not an ingredient amiss, the menu has been extended to include nasi lemak, noodle soup, porridge, buttered bread and coffee, and even pan mee.

According to the sisters who are still operating there, the recipes have not changed for the laksa and noodle soup despite their having added other items to the menu.

Laksa lovers should check it out. I rate this as one of the best within 10km of the Wangsa Maju area. Ask for extra tow foo pok in the laksa, you wont regret it.

Knuah Nah Keng - Exquisite Carvings At This Temple

IF you use the short cut from Genting Kelang into Air Panas, passing by the Len Seng Bus Depot, you will come across a lovely temple on your left. Opposite the temple is a huge vacant lot where during festivities (on the eighth lunar month of the Chinese calendar) will be filled tables for offerings and a stage for puppet show. On nights when the temple is all lit up, it is a lovely sight. You might want to take some photos such as what I have done here.

Desa Setapak Prawn Mee

I laugh every time I pass by this building.

Why?

Just look at the striking colour! Looks as red as a cooked lobster. And precisely this is what the owners must be looking for to strike a note with passers-by whose stomachs are growling.

According to friends, this place serves 'mee yoke' or prawn mee. This is non-halal of course, as among the condiments used are pork ribs. I won't be writing a review because I have not eaten at this place before.

But I do know of Tan Kee's shop opposite the Chung Hwa primary school in Setapak. It is one of the earliest 'mee yoke' stalls that operate in there and from what I have tried, it is still the best.

Of course, one of these days, I just might pop into this lobster red shop in Desa Setapak. Then I will write a review.

Carrefour Convenience Store

Step aside 7-Eleven. Meet Carrefour's convenience store. This one is located at Section Two, Wangsa Maju, at the new block of shops just before you make the turn into Desa Setapak.

The range is quite good though ranging from household products to sundry goods. Inside, you can't help feeling that it's a miniature of the giant hypermarket. In any case, for residents of Wangsa Maju, when the big Carrefour closes, you know where to head for when you need your household supplies.

Mr Bread - Pork and Lard Free

This bakery is located along the road into Section Two, at the new block of shops to your left as you make the turn into Section Two. The owner looked worried when I took the shot of his shop and the No Pork notice. (Relax brudder, we are just trying to help you.)

Okay, the bakery offers pretty decent range of breads and pastries. If you are looking for breads you have not seen before, check it out. The wholemeal breads are pretty well made, too, quite soft but a little light though.

When I surveyed the place recently, it was having a Buy Three Free One promotion. I don't know if this is on during low-peak hours are an all-day affair. Check it out yourself.

Cheap Food - Taman Teratai Mewah

See this restaurant? No it is not a Japanese seafood or sushi joint. Very much Chinese in fact.

It is highly popular in the evenings on weekends when people eat out. Why it is popular is obvious - food is good and portions are big. Check out their Hokkien Mee and fried rice. You will agree that the extra pork-fat fritters make for good taste!

The restaurant is located along the Gamblers' Row - near the SportsToto, Magnum and Damacai outlets in Teratai Mewah, in Setapak Garden.

Sri Gombak Market - Clean and Nice

Well organised, plenty of parking. The Sri Gombak Market.

If you had been to the markets in Wangsa Maju, ie. Air Panas and Genting Kelang wet markets, and Gombak Market, you will find that they are quite dirty. Of course, if you dont mind - and you shouldnt, markets being markets and dirty afterall - it is one of those things we learn to live with.

Clean or not? Just look at the floor - not wet and grimy. Now, this is one market I want to see in Wangsa Maju area!

But if you want to see a really clean market, check out the Sri Gombak Market located in Taman Sri Gombak, near Batu Caves. This market, operated by both Chinese and Malays, is a model market City Hall should emulate for all markets.

Not only are the prices reasonable and tagged, the place is pretty clean too. Even the arrangements are neat and nice and marketing is a whole new experience too.

This is one of the most popular green grocers here. See the video-cam on the ceiling? I was told that the stall can get so busy that thieves often make off with their vege. Hence the third eye from above!

Sad Sight At Air Panas Market

In blissful slumber, well-sheltered from the harsh reality of life, even for a moment!

This is one sight which will make you wonder if you are of the same human race and are living in the same planet.

This trio was spotted blissfully in slumberland, with nary a care in the world, and totally shut off from the cacophony of the Air Panas market at 7:45am on a Sunday morning.

The central adult figure must be the father - or guardian - and the two youngsters were probably his charges, sons perhaps. One of them has a bandaged upper palm, not unlike that left by the intrusion of a needle (perhaps an intravenous drip or a diagnostic probe) made recently. A sick kid just recovering? Who knows?

Who are they is as good your guess as it is mine. What are they doing sleeping on the sidewalk of the busy market is a million dollar question that begs answering aloud although you and I know it already.

That they are begging for sympathy (perhaps having found none where they came from) at the open market is a possibility - this assumption awaiting confirmation by the presence of the pink red bin by their side.



Life must have been hard, especially so for the deprived and the handicapped. This picture does not need a thousand-word intro to tell a sad tale. And who is to question why the parents choose to bring their children (not one but two!) into this world, this way?

Perhaps procreation is one of the means this stranger (and his mate?) has hoped for to bring him out of the quagmire he has fallen into or even born with. It is not far-fetched, you know. Afterall how many of us place our dreams and pin our hopes on our children to take us out of our own little ghettoes?

Luckily for the trio (although they seem oblivious to it yet but will soon realise when they wake up from their slumber), they have been successful in their quest for sympathy.

Many kind hearts among morning shoppers at the market have been dropping ringgit upon ringgit into the plastic bin since early morning so much so that one is amazed by the outpouring of human generosity. Whether or not a parted dollar is to make up for not having done enough good previously or purely an automatic response to human suffering, only the giver know.

But certainly this is one sight one would not expect to see staring back at one's face on a busy Sunday in a nation as prosperous as Malaysia.

I will certainly hope - nay, pray - that our politicians will take a walk in the streets of their constituencies one of these Sundays and look at the reality of life for what they are. Maybe then they will stop bickering and start working together for a nation where sights like this will be but a page from a forgotten past...



Bless this man for he has a kind heart and for sharing what little he has.

Gombak Road Widening - Updates

Tarring of the trunk road leading from Setapak to the upper reaches of Jalan Gombak has begun downstream from Gombak Fifth Mile (Pasaraya Ong Tai Kim). The road shoulders have been tarred sporadically, and this presents an even more dangerous situation for bikers. Loose gravel and uneven road shoulders are a fatal combination should the biker hits the dirt at high speed. Let's hope the contractors will complete the road fast before Chinese New Year!

Wangsa-Maju.Com Wishes Indian Readers Happy Deepavali

Happy Deepavali!
May You All Be Happy And Healthy!

Now You Know Why Some People Become Mat Rempit Later On

This youngster is spotted along Jalan Gombak recently, exuding a sense of infantile confidence, perched in front of her dad's bike. She was standing on her tiny feet, gripping instinctively onto the bike's handlebar, as her very irresponsible parents sped towards town. They were inches away from construction debris in the middle of the road and riding on the outer lane, oblivious to bigger vehicles.

The mother and father were engaged in their own world while the little toddler feels the breeze rushing through her face - with no other protection. I dont need to tell you how fast the bike is going - just look at the toddler's hair and you will have an idea.

It beats logic how parents could have exposed their offsprings to this obvious danger. Isn't a bus more convenient and safer? Is this the way to live it up in the city?

If there is a sociologist, I hope he/she would study if the exposure to this mode of transport has encouraged children to become Mat Rempits in their later life. It would really make an interesting read!

Steven Must Be Laughing All The Way To The Bank

If you knew your Steven, you will know that it first started in Old Klang Road area. I frequented that original place many years ago and it was only a packed stall with 10 tables or so by the road.

Today, this high rise with Steven's Corner emblazoned across its facade must be the owner's proud trademark. In those days, where mamak stalls were unheard of, Steven's Corner is the place to grab your nightly supper. The fried crab and fish are fabulous and they are served here too. This is one of the most striking eating places in the Prima Setapak area by the Genting Kelang thoroughfare.

Baker's Cottage - Desa Setapak

This is one outlet you should visit if you love bread. In fact, it is one of the branches of the Baker's Cottage chain of bakery. What I like about it is the 99sen deals you find at certain times of the day.

The proprietor must have been a smart fella with good business acumen. After certain hours, you know for sure certain things can sell and certain things cannot, and will probably end up in the next morning's trash can if you insist on the price tag. But if you were to go cheap, even marginally, at the end of the day, not only will you garner goodwill from those who can ill afford your tagged price but earn their gratitude as well, especially during tough times when everyone is looking to stretch the ringgit.

This cheap-cheap concept is neither new nor novel - it has been practiced by some socially responsible corporate bodies already. It's about giving back to society when you reap from them.