Look Out Of This Sign: F&N Sold Here

If you are above 40, you would have remembered the good old days when Fraser and Neave used to control the carbonated drinks market. Itself, with several brands such as Kickapoo and Sinalco, before Coke and Pepsi or Yeo's came into the picture, were the only drinks you get from coffeeshops - mamak stalls were not invented yet - if you don't like coffee or tea (and yes, Chinese tea ice were unheard of then)







I had a pleasant trip down memory lane when I spotted this sign along Jalan Air Panas. I don't know what this building is today, but it looked like a canteen to me and must have been one in the old days.





Anyway, up under the truss was this sign I have not seen for umpteen years. The colours have faded a bit though. This building is opposite Jalan Air Panas Baru, on the same side of the school and opposite Resource Springs.

And you think you are having a bad day?

Arrow points from a similar hole just less than 3 metres away.

I spotted this car beside the Affin Bank outlet at the newly opened office blocks opposite Pizza Hut near Carrefour in Wangsa Maju.

The driver must have been so busy trying to park the car and did not notice the 'lobang' in the roadside and one of the wheels got stuck in it.

No one was around when this picture was taken, so help could not be given. The hole is due to a missing drain cover by the road side, just like the one you see inset which is actually less than 3metres infront of where this car came to grief.

I am amazed how drain covers made of concrete can go missing if not for vandalism. Some naught persons must have driven a typically heavy vehicle over it and broke the concrete slab. Otherwise, why should someone steal it?

One question is nagging hard. How is it that the developer's maintenance office did not quickly replace the lost cover? Does he want to wait for someone to fall in and lose their life? Doesn't City Hall upkeep the place considering assessment is paid to DBKL?

Playground at the Most Jammed Junction?

I was perplexed when I saw this today. Someone was actually building a playground about 100 metres away from the access road into Wangsa Maju Section 2 and Jalan Genting Kelang junction near the Wardieburn camp.



This particular junction has traffic lights which sometimes forget they are traffic lights and turn green or red as they fancy, causing jams in the evenings and mornings. A couple of accidents have happened here as well because of selfish motorists and hell bikers.

Be that as it may, a playground is being built here, today. It is not too far away from the Hindu temple there and about 50 metres from the traffic lights junction.

While it is noble effort to beautify the area, I was wondering if anyone living nearby (at least 100 metres away) would want to have their children play there.

And if they do, they would have to keep their eyes open lest their children run onto the road, say while chasing a ball, into the harm's way in the form of fast driven cars from the upper part of Jalan Genting Kelang or from Desa Setapak/Wangsa Maju.

Desa Setapak Hawker Centres Reduced To Rubble!

The arrows mark those that have been removed. Two other, diagonally opposite these two, have also been removed.

I was shocked! Today, at the round about in Desa Setapak, four hawker centers lining the four corners of the roundabout were reduced to rubble.

The concrete structures were gone and upon enquiry, this blogger was informed that City Hall had removed the structures yesterday. Where the hawkers are going to trade is left to be seen. Why the structures were removed is for you to wonder.

One would assume that it was to act against illegal hawking. If so is the case, then good for enforcement. But are more illegal hawkers going to be pulled up and their illegal structures removed? Let's wait and see if those at Section One will be dealt the same fate.

And what about those near Section 6, a shout's distance from the 7-11? During the mornings, motorists park indiscriminately to buy nasi lemak. And what about the illegal stretch from Taman Sri Rampai towards Selangor Pewter? If I remember correctly, this piece of land was unoccupied until the fruit stalls take over. Do they have licence or are they going to suffer the same fate? Let's wait and watch.

What A Waste Of Prime Property

Everytime I pass by this complex, which was built in the 90s and opened briefly for two years or so, I wonder who the owners are and why are they not doing something about this eyesore which is now home to stray pigeons.

I am talking about the Galleria, in Jalan Pahang, next door to the Chong Hwa primary school The complex did not take off when it was opened many years ago. Primarily, it was not well promoted. In the days when there was yet to be big complexes, this one was ill-prepared when it opened. It has a small supermarket as anchor tenant and smaller lots of businesses. There were little promotion here if I remember correctly, perhaps due to the fact that the owners did not know to to promote the place. With few activities, shoppers dwindled and the whole place collapsed. Businesses soon moved out and the complex was closed, finally.

I think the main cause of its downfall is the parking lot - they go a number of floors down and the lowest, if it rains heavily, usually gets flooded. The poor parking facility somehow contributed to the downfall of this magnificent building.

I think it would have been more successful if it was turned into a hotel and why not? The shoplots within could be transformed, with a little refurbishment, into rooms. It already has a huge lobby characteristic of a hotel. Let's see what the owners will do with this eyesore.



ps: If you are looking at the facade, look higher at the roof top. You will see a statue of a cockerel frozen in perpetuity as if ready to crow. Why a status of cockerel was placed on to roof top above the main entrance is perplexing. If my guess is right, it has something to do with fengshui - or the lack of it.

Great Asam Pedas At Setiawangsa

Just a short distance from the Setiawangsa LRT station, opposite the Army Barrack homes, lies the Asam Pedas restaurant. This is a spin-off of the famous Malacca Asam Pedas shop in Tengkera, I think, although questioning the staff was a waste of time as none knew who they were working for nor the history behind the shop where they earned their living.

In any case, this restaurant's speciality is spicy soury fish curry rice. In the Malacca lingo, it is simply asam pedas. Although they serve many other dishes, I would like to recommend their asam pedas which comprises three types - beef, stingray and mackeral (tenggiri).

The dish comes with a plate of rice, half a salted egg, two slices of cucumber, chopped salad for garnish, and a bow of spicy curry, containing fish or beef. I tried the stingray, which is quite good and tender although the curry could be hotter.

They also serve dessert comprising Malay kuih indigenous to Malacca such as bengka and onde-onde (glutinous rice ball with palm sugar filling and coconut shavings for the skin). For about RM12.00 you could have a satisfying lunch. The ambience is pretty good too.