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.