Don't Use This Slip Road During Peak Hours

The junction where the slip-road joins Jalan Pahang, in front of the Sikh Temple. Traffic is diverted left into Jalan Pahang, towards Galeria. 

IF you are in Sentul and would like to use the slip-road that links Sentul to Jalan Pahang on weekdays, make sure you do not go there after office hours. This is because a traffic policeman will be station to seal off the junction and you will have to go to Setapak and make a U-turn to get to the city again. This is to help free traffic along Jalan Pahang move faster to Setapak.

Anyone Knows What This Is?

Construction work is going on at a feverish pace, but I doubt this building facing the Genting Kelang traffic lights is going to be ready for Chinese New Year. They say it is going to house a giant shopping complex. Which, we are not told. But truth be told, Genting Kelang folk and those using the stretch going home in the evenings better brace themselves should a sale happen when the complex is open. The two lane main road is definitely not able to take all that traffic overspill. We wonder if MP Wee Choo Keong is aware of the hardship this is going to cause - or if alternative routes have already been planned?

Big Signs - But Did You Notice Them?

Was told that this big signs came up early this year. Didn't notice them at all as a matter of fact. Only when I was alerted to it again did I see this piece, mounted on top of the bridge at the Chong Hwa Primary School.

Wonder what the school authorities are doing about it. From the huge size, it looks precarious to me. Let's hope in strong wind, it wont come crashing down - or worse, drag the entire roof off this bridge with it.

Why is City Hall allowing such pain-sized billboards in the city? The city is not colourful enough izzit? Perhaps City Hall can allow its trucks and vehicles to have advertising panels too. And maybe even advertising badges on its enforcers?

Imagine a DBKL officer issuing summonses on illegal parking wearing and advertising badge on his sleeves that says: "Minum Milo, Anda Jadi Kuat Dan Sihat!"

Egg Lovers Should Check This Out

Egg lovers, take note. If you are looking for wholesalers in Wangsa Maju, especially if those of you are operating business, go to CenterMart at Genting Kelang and check out this outlet. There are various offers weekly and if you choose wisely, you might land something worthwhile.

Crazy Bus Driver Again!

Everyone who uses the lane parallel to Jalan Genting Kelang knows very well that the traffic is one way and comes opposite to that of Jalan Genting Kelang.

But because of the jams on Jalan Genting Kelang, bikers zip pass on this lane, breaking the law and endangering lives of the people using the stretch, mostly pensioners and other pedestrians, for the morning cup of coffee at several restaurants there. Of late, the public buses have also thrown their weight around and use these lanes just to get to their destination.

As can be seen in these pictures, the conductor even dares to grin as is posing for his picture to be taken. I wonder what Metrobus is doing to control their errant drivers illegally using the slip roads as well as the parallel lane beside Jalan Genting Kelang. And what are the JPJ and traffic police doing about these daily happenings?

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.

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.

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!

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...

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.

Who Owns The Land Beneath High-Tension Wires Anyway?

Good warning this. No one should be allowed underneath high-tension wires.

Look at this photo - it holds a warning from Tenaga Nasional that no activity should be carried out beneath the high-tension lines. This warning sign is located near Jalan Perusahaan, coming out of Air Panas.

The sign is well and good, and shows that Tenaga is a socially responsible company. And who knows what might happen should there be a power surge. A sign like this will tell people not to stay underneath the power lines or partake in any activity beneath it because of the obvious dangers.

But wait a minute - why the double standard? A hundred yards down stream is a huge nursery operating blisfully underneath the same high-tension wires.


Wait a minute! What is this? A park? Nursery? What's up there? Hallo!

Is it safe here and not there? Of is there something funny going on? While a nursery means putting idle land to good use, what about the obvious danger the overhanging wires pose to customers and workers at the nursery? You tell me!

Setapak Wet Market Gives Way To Development

The Duta-Kelang Highway, otherwise known as DUKE Highway (above), which cuts across the Setapak town like a sore thumb, missing the mosque on one side and over the carpark across the road, has contributed to the demise of the Setapak Wet Market.


What's left of the operators at the market is down there. they are no long visible from the road like the old days.

Yes, there was once a big market at the corner of the hige parking lot here (arrowed). About 10 stalls are located here, selling anything from pork to anchovies and joss sticks. Today, half of them folded business and more will probably move on to another site. Development has killed yet another character of a quaint township!

Story of the Setapak Tunnel

Do you know the story behind the Setapak Tunnel? The one which sits oddly under the road in front of the Setapak Police Station and approachable via Jalan Gombak if you want to go to KL city?

In the 70s, this tunnel had not yet existed. Jalan Gombak meets Jalan Pahang at a T-junction with traffic lights. As development came to the upper reaches of Jalan Gombak and Jalan Genting Kelang, backlogs became the norm. Then sometime in the 80s, work was given to a concessionaire to improve traffic along both Jalan Gombak, Jalan Pahang and Jalan Genting Kelang.

The tunnel was built, the traffic lights removed, and when the new upgraded road was opened, a toll booth was set up at Jalan Pahang near the Jalan Pekeliling roundabout, just opposite Tawakal Hospital. Toll was collected by the concessionaire for all traffic heading towards town - first 50 sen, then more. The reason: the concessionaire had spent money on upgrading the road. Traffic going home however, was not tolled.

After collecting for more than a decade, 12 years if memory serves me right, the toll booth was demolished. This is the reason why you find Jalan Pahang, which is two lane, opens widely to join the Pekeliling roundabout in front of Tawakal.

Eye on Malaysia Going South

Eye on Malaysia. Moving to Malacca.

Did you know that the Eye on Malaysia ferris wheel in Lake Titiwangsa is heading to Malacca at year's end? I wonder what the vast space built just for this purpose will be used as. Without the Eye, it will probably be as empty as hell. Maybe it could even attract youngsters to lepak there on weekends. Why the Eye had to be moved is because some rich fellas staying in Titiwangsa area complained that the attraction caused them hardship and sleepless nights because of the traffic generated nightly. Good now, the park will be a ghost park on weekdays, save for the few odd joggers on their nocturnal run.

Royal Selangor Sale This Weekend!

Need more be said? Of course not! Here's two pictures that speak louder than any words can - of course, in a language only pewter lovers can understand!





Click on the pictures to see bigger ones.

Venue? Call them lah! And oh, don't forget, tell them you heard it first here!

Courts Mammoth Premises - Story Behind It

For those who remember it well, the spot where the current premises of Courts Mammoth in Jalan Genting Kelang used to be the premises of Rich's supermarket. It was the first supermarket in the area and came into being somewhere in the late 80s.

Just like any good supermarket, Rich's sold anything from groceries to household appliances. It was pretty popular and during promotional periods, scores of shoppers from Gombak, Setapak and even as far as Ulu Kelang and Sentul make a beeline for the place.

However, for some unknown reason, it lasted only a couple of years. Some say it was bad location, others say it was bad management. The complex died and the three-storey building remained empty for a while before Courts Mammoth rose in its shadow.

Today, all memories of Rich's have been erased. However, its reputation remained as the first shopping complex (okay, supermarket) to arrive in the Setapak, Genting Kelang and Gombak suburb.

Have you gotten your subsidy?

This scene was spotted at 8am today. This queue, purposely blurred in this picture, was that of people lining up at the Setapak Post Office before it opened its doors. If you are wondering why these people were there as early as 7am, well, it certainly not because they were buying first-day covers.

No, they were waiting in line, documents in hand, to get their subsidy for bikes and cars - RM165 and RM625 respectively, remember?

So, have you gotten your money? From what the papers wrote, it seemed so easy to get the subsidy money. But heck, what I saw showed otherwise. According to news from TV and on the radio, queues were long because of the usual 'technical glitches' and technical breakdowns. So, what else is new?

Even the Pos Malaysia HQ experienced computer breakdown. And so with the Pos Malaysia outlets all over Malaysia. And tomorrow, yes, tomorrow, Sunday, Pos Malaysia will open its offices from 8am.

Crazy? Well, tell me about it!

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.