Thank You For Coming To School?

This signage was spotted at one of the top schools in Wangsa Maju -well, at least it is to my knowledge one of the best. But look here at this signboard.


Does it tell you something? Have students been playing truant that the school authority needs to come up with this courtesy message?

Congratulations for coming to school?
During our time, you just get whipped if you were late. And if you missed three times, you better had a good reason or get transferred or 'buang skolah' for that matter.

Sign of the times no doubt. No wonder the morale of teachers are low..

Craving For Mee Rebus? Go See Hamid of Taman Melawati!

Okay, this is a bit out of Wangsa Maju but it is nearby. Within shouting distance in fact, in Taman Melawati.

Yes, for you all mee rebus fans out there, if you have not tried Hamid's Penang Mee Rebus, you don't know what you are missing. Suffice to say this is one of the best yet and drool if you wish, we at Wangsa Maju have the best mee rebus Penang within reach.

Hamid mee rebus is operated by Hamid himself (see picture) and I won't spoil the fun for your self-discovery. But I will share with you the location.

The stall is among the many at the Melawati Square (next to the Pasar Tani and Pasar malam site. It faces the Magnum-DaMaCai outlet. It is on your left if you are cruising along this stretch which is a one-way street.

Check out his mee rebus, rojak mee and cendol. You'll be glad you are reading this, believe me.

Unless of course you know of a better mee rebus outlet in the vicinity that I don't...


Updated: Aug 4, 2008.
This is in reply to the reader who wants to find out the actual location. Below is the map:

View Larger Map

Everything So Expensive - So Watch The Scale!

Since the oil price hike, everything has become so expensive. Especially so when you do your groceries weekly and keep tabs of your spending like I do!

I used to frequent the Pasar Tani Mega in Danau Kota for weekly grocery. Things are relatively cheap here. However, since the oil price hike, even the cheapest 'sayur longgok' are expensive. It used to be RM1 for a bunch of threes (mix and match if you wish). Now, it's RM2 for a smaller bunch and there is lesser choice now.

And while some grocers are kind enough to tell you of impending increases or cease to sell vegetables that have ridiculously high prices, I noticed that some grocers were out to pull a fast one.

I do not wish to name names or identify stalls but let it be known here, to anyone who knows anybody trading there, that at least one consumer is wise to their antics.

Next time you buy something that needs to be weighed, watch the electronic scale carefully. See that the weight of what you purchase EXCLUDES the weight of the basket/aluminium tray/trough they use to put vegetables like tomatoes, chillies, etc, in before weighing.

I bought some chili padi, tomatoes and brinjals which were weighed today at one of the many green grocer stalls there. When the weighing was done, the seller unknowingly (forgotten?) left the empty aluminium tray/trough onto the scale. It registered 35g.

Although this is not much, and I did not make an issue there, imagine how much this little discrepancy contributed to the grocer's profits at the end of the day. Suffice to say, the price per kilo of whatever sold here was based on the weight of the trays and troughs, too.

So, if you are shopping at the Pasar Tani Mega, keep an eye on the weighing scale all the time.

Unlike at the wet markets, Pasar Tani do not have a calibrated scale which you could check the weight against what was offered by the grocers. You will have to be smart to the antics of some people who are unscrupulous.

Never the less, some of the traders here were kind and helpful, considerate to say the least. Only some black sheeps that should be watched out for and identified and boycotted.

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!

The Thais Are In Town

Times must be hard. Barely three months ago, a travelling Thai fair came to the Prima Setapak (near Genting Kelang Pasar). That was just near the Chinese New Year period.

Well, what do you know. They are here again. The usual fare offered, including women's stuff and Thai food. Check it out if you are free.


Thai Food, anyone?

Location: The white tents that house the entourage can be seen from Jalan Genting Kelang, not far from the pedestrian bridge, opposite the Kenny Rogers outlet.



They will be staying for a month or two and as usual, bargains are aplenty - depending on what you are looking for.

Wangsa Maju Maybank Moves To Opposite Carrefour

If you were wondering where the Maybank Wangsa Maju which used to be situated at the new block behind NZ Curry House was relocated, wonder no more. Wander instead to the new block of building opposite Carrefour. That's where the new location is. Just found out recently.

I think this bank has stopped thinking like a business entity because the all the ATM are located on the ground floor and if you need to do transactions, manual transactions, you have to go upstairs. It is not exactly easy to find parking and if you are a senior citizen, climbing up that stretch of stairs will make it harder if you have arthritic knees. I wonder if the bank officials really thought about the implications of putting their counters upstairs to the disabled and the elderly.

Hmm... banks must learn to care.

Litterbugs of Wangsa Maju - When Will they Ever Learn?

This pile of garbage was spotted on the short-cut from Taman Setapak Jaya to Air Panas, the road which takes you to Jalan Gurney as well? This heap, no thanks to whoever decides to take the easy way out, sits opposite the stream running parallel to the road.

When will people learn to keep clean? I wonder!