Volume 1 Issue 8

The Cafeteria Story

For quite some time Tiara Damansara went through a period of cafeteria woes. In fact, there were periods when Tiara had no cafeteria at all.

Getting a competent and dedicated cafeteria and mini-market operator is no easy feat. With a total population of only about a thousand residents, the majority of whom do not patronise the canteen, it is difficult to break even.

In the beginning, on its completion in 1992, Tiara Damansara had the services of a cafeteria. Its very first operator was a Chinese husband and wife team, who ran the cafeteria as well as a mini-market. The cafeteria was well patronised since, at that time, Tiara had a large expatriate population of Japanese and Europeans.

Since it was the only existing condo­minium in Petaling Jaya, Tiara attracted a vast expatriate community. Thus, the cafeteria was a lucrative business then.

But with the emergence of newer condo­miniums in the surrounding areas and beyond, a great number of the foreign tenants moved out.

Without the expatriate community, the cafeteria business dipped. In 1994, the operator offered the cafeteria business up for sale, lock, stock and barrel. It was not taken up.

In the latter part of 1995, a Chinese couple took over the running of the cafeteria, sub-letting to an Indian family at RM400 per month. It was soon discovered that even this small rental was difficult to recover, so the cafeteria soon closed down.

This was the status quo until 2001, when an Indian family reopened the cafeteria at a rental of RM800 a month. Due to the lack of business, it was halved to RM400 a month, but even so the Ravi Mini-market and Café found it hard to survive because of the small clientele consisting mainly of students and people who used the pool.

In November 2004, a new operator took over. Haikal's Cafe and Mini-market, run by a Malay gentleman and his Iranian wife, paid a rent of RM150 per month. Good Malay food was served but since the clientele remained small, the set-up closed down seven months later.

Nine months later, the cafeteria opened its doors for business again when a Malay lady took over, under the name Tiaramase Café and Convenience Store. However, they did not have consistent operating hours, opening or closing whenever they liked. There were many complaints and the Management had no choice but to terminate the services of Tiaramase Café.

It seemed like the Cafeteria was jinxed. No operator lasted long. But fourteen months later, JNJ Ideal Shop, Cafeteria and Convenience Store opened for business in August, 2005. It was agreed that it would be rent-free for a start, to allow the operator time to build up and consolidate her business. However, electricity and water rates were charged.

Ms. Judy Lee, an enterprising and hardworking proprietor, started in earnest, stocking up the shelves with various sundry items, like rice, cooking oil, milk, salt, sugar, jam, bread and coffee. Cigarettes, various snacks, ice cream, canned and bottled drinks are also available as well as household items like toothbrush, toothpaste, soap and razor blades. Phone cards, including IDD phone cards are also on sale.

Judy previously ran a convenience shop at an up-market condo in Mont Kiara before taking over the cafeteria in Tiara. She works Saturdays to Thursdays and closes on Fridays, her day off. The operating hours are from 10am to 10pm, sometimes remaining open even after that as long as the Cafe is patronised.

Her day starts at 7am when she goes to the market to buy groceries and other items, arriving at Tiara by 10am with her cook and assistant. The cafeteria floor is swept and the tables and chairs unchained and set before preparation of the food commences. From then on, it is a full day for them.

There will be some lulls, like afternoons, when people are resting after lunch and before tea or swim time. Her busiest time is around 7.30pm when customers start coming for their dinner. She has a faithful clientele of over fifty people who regularly frequent the cafeteria. Singles, couples and students form the bulk of her clientele; there are few families.

She has a varied menu of Asian and Western dishes, various snacks, hot and cold drinks and beer. There is even Happy Hours, when jugs of beer are sold.

Judy also does catering for groups. Parties have also been held at the poolside. One such recent occasion was when a resident, Mr. Bharat Parthak, from Nepal, held a function there.

"It was a small get-together of Nepalese nationals working in various sectors but living in Malaysia," Bharat said. "The purpose was to get to know one another. I invited around 50 guests and friends and their children as well."

The guest list included the Nepalese Ambassador, Embassy staff and their families, the former Consul General to Malaysia, professionals, businessmen and even Nepalese students studying here. The party began at 7pm and ended around 11pm.

The menu comprised fried rice, fried mee, mutton curry, vegetable dishes, snacks, tit bits and drinks.

"The food was good. Everyone enjoyed it, especially a friend who has a Japanese wife. He and his wife and daughter liked the mutton curry very much. Needless to say, all the food was eaten," added the happy host.

Mr. Bharat added that he believed the place was ideal for small get-togethers of approximately fifty or sixty people. He gave the thumbs up for the food whilst the pool view added a lovely and calm ambience to the occasion, more so on a moonlit night.

To enable Tiarans to have meals in comfort, the Management is now looking into the Cafe's request for a canopy or awning to protect clients from the rain and heat of the sun. The kitchen was also extended to enable the cafeteria to operate in greater comfort and store items from outside view, giving it a neater, cleaner image.

The enterprising Judy hopes to offer even more services in the future. She said she is looking into providing dry cleaning, clothes alteration (like changing of broken zippers, narrowing, broadening, lengthening or shortening) and car wash services.

For Tiarans who would like to cater food for birthdays, hold poolside BBQ's, or wine and dine at the Cafeteria, Judy can be reached at 79608988 or 0123991918.

We wish you all the best in your endeavour, Judy, and may you stay long in Tiara.

Letter - Cafeteria

Dear Editor,

My family and I have enjoyed some very good meals at the cafeteria. The menu is well presented and the food is appetising. We are fortunate to have a clean and healthy cafeteria in a lovely setting at our doorstep. The service is good and they will even deliver meals to the apartment if needed.

Keep it up.
Carimakan

Letter - Why We Chose Tiara

Dear Editor,

My wife and I just moved to Tiara. We were scouting around for a good apartment for a couple of months and among the condominiums we looked at were Ehsan Ria, Gasing Heights, Pantai Hill and Goodyear Court in Subang Jaya. The units in Gasing Hill were the best, but we decided against it after learning that there were plans to develop the green lung located nearby.

Our real estate agent then showed us two units at Tiara Damansara; a two-bedroom and a three-bedroom unit. Apart from the little walk up the stairs, the three-bedroom unit was suited to our requirements. The price was reasonable and the main buying points for us were the good security and strategic location. My wife and I work in KL, while our parents are in Damansara and Subang Jaya respectively. Tiara’s strategic location kept everyone happy.

Everything is great about Tiara Damansara and as long as we play our part to upkeep the cleanliness and image of our homes, there should be no reason why the price should not appreciate. However, from feedback I have received, hanging clothes out to dry on our balconies does seriously put a damper on the property value. So, perhaps we residents should all refrain from doing this.

I guess what people really want these days is a safe, peaceful home, so good security is vital; it also greatly enhances the value of apartment units. I have heard that poor security at some other condominiums had affected their value quite a bit.

Other than that, Tiara Damansara is a pretty cool place to live in. Once again, thank you to the Editor of TT and to the Tiara Management—keep up the good work!

Patrick Sennyah

Letter - Additional Parking

Sacrifice Nature for a common and banal Car Park?

I say NO!

Being the owner of an apartment in Block K, my kitchen faces the green landbank. One of the main reasons I decided to purchase the apartment was because of the beautiful and serene view of the green bank. Therefore, as a resident of Tiara, I am strongly against the proposal to convert this vacant land into a car park. Enough trees have been felled the last couple of years for good reasons. Stop felling more trees. Why sacrifice nature for something as COMMON as a Parking Lot?

On top of being an eyesore, a parking lot will also mean noise and air pollution and all the inconveniences mentioned in arguments against this proposal.

The argument that trees and bushes provide cover from the road for potential burglars does not stand as we all know that many serious crimes have happened in parking lots ( with surveillance cameras!)!!! Therefore, my point is that cars provide cover for potential burglars!!!

The green bank is well and regularly maintained and is one of Tiara Damansara’s assets.

I am sure and confident that the Management and Committee Members are resourceful and clever enough to find other alternatives/solutions to this parking problem without having to sacrifice the green bank.

Upset Resident

Letter - Additional Parking

Dear Editor,

I am from Europe and I have been living in Block K1 for the past 5 years with great pleasure.

When I heard the news about the proposal to chop off the trees facing our kitchen windows, I was really revolted.

First of all, we chose this place because Tiara had lots of trees around the apartment. But a few years ago the Management decided to chop off many trees in the condo. We were not at all happy about that...now we hear that Management may have ideas about building a big car park on the side facing our kitchen, along Jalan 17/1. This makes me feel really angry because all the world is trying to save Nature and you want to destroy it !!!

I have nothing else to propose other than if it's just a car park problem, ask the people who have 3 or more cars to go and live in a house. For only 50 more car parking lots does such a great land bank have to be destroyed? You are not being ecological or even logical here, if I may add.

Have a nice day

Best Regards

Stephane Camguilhem

Tiaran Profile – Sita Rajagopal

Like clockwork, Tiarans can often see a petite saree-clad lady, umbrella in hand, walking the turf twice a day. At 7.30am, and again around 5pm, Mrs. Sita Rajagopal, an Indian national, does her rounds.

"This is the only exercise I have these days," said the grandmother of 4, all girls.

Modern-day life, with all manner of appliances, cuts down on using the limbs for pounding, grinding, doing the laundry and other forms of work which could otherwise be considered "exercising", she added.

"In the past, we had to spend a long time grinding ingredients to make a paste. These days, we just put everything into a grinder, or blender, and the paste is done in a jiffy. So we don’t get exercise at all these days. My twice-daily walks are a must for me. My son insists on it too," she said.

Her son, an expatriate doctor on contract with the Malaysian Government, stays at Queen's. Dr Raman Rajagopal, a father of two girls, has been in Malaysia the past 7 years, and his widowed mother comes on three-month visits twice a year. One of his daughters, a graphic designer, lives in Auckland, New Zealand, while the other, a doctor, lives in Philadelphia. His wife continues to work in India. The family meets up often whenever there is a chance.

Whilst her late husband, the Director of Finance in the Central Government of India, was working, Mrs. Sita lived and travelled with him in New Delhi, Simla, Bangalore and Calcutta, returning to live in Chennai, in Tamil Nadu, after his retirement. It was here that he passed away.

Mrs. Sita spends 6 months in India, where she has a home, with sisters and relatives close by. Her other son, Balachandran, a marine engineer, lives 6 - 8 months aboard a ship. She recalls that from the tender age of 7, he was passionate about ships and submarines. The parents thought it a childhood fantasy, but he lived his dream, becoming a marine engineer later in life.

Married at the age of 14, Mrs. Sita stated that she has known her parents-in-law more than her own parents. She and her in-laws are a very close-knit family. A housewife all her life, her joy in life, and her achievement, she said with a smile, is having brought up her sons well. They are very filial and affectionate, as are her daughters-in-law and grandchildren.

She describes herself as a very contented lady. Life has been good to her. A total vegetarian, even eggs do not feature on her menu. Her meals are cooked daily. It is always fresh food, hearkening back to the days when she was young, and refrigerators were unknown during those times.

This time round, her fifth stay with her son in Tiara, Dr Raman took his mother to Penang. She enjoyed visiting the temples, shopping and the sightseeing. It was her very first experience crossing over by ferry, she added.

Here in Kuala Lumpur, of course she has taken in the Petronas Twin Towers, she said, the Bird and Butterfly Park, and done some shopping.

I asked whether she had any problems travelling by herself from India to Malaysia. "No problem at all. It is quite simple. I get onto a wheelchair and am taken up and down the plane, and when I arrive, my son is at the airport to receive me."

Does she have any hobbies? "I enjoy reading, and I cook."

Mrs. Sita returned to India at the end of June, but will be returning for another stint with her son in a few months time. “ This is the pattern of my lifestyle now,’’ she added.

We look forward to seeing you again soon, Mrs Sita.

Tiara Times Is Online

Dear Readers,

We are pleased to inform you that Tiara Times is now online, in the form of a blog. It can be accessed at tiara-times@blogspot.com The contents will be the same as the print version. Only the formatting and arrangement are dissimilar due to a different media. Each issue of TT will be put on the website as and when the print copy is distributed. So please do check it out and let us know your comments.

Tiara Management Corporation is also pleased to announce that a Tiara Damansara blog has also been set up. It can be accessed at tiaradamansara@blogspot.com. The purpose of the website is to be an online bulletin board—for the Management to disseminate information and announcements online and to get feedback from residents. The regular notices on the notice boards in each block and beside the pool will still be there, of course. So do check this out and let us know what you think.

Volume 1 Issue 7

Recycling Bins

few metres from Queen's Gate and at the TNB substation on King’s Crescent stand 3 bins each. These are MPPJ's recycle bins for Tiara Damansara .

The brown bin is for glass – glass bottles, glass crockery and drinking glasses. The blue bin is for paper – newspapers, cardboard and books. The orange bin is for aluminium cans and plastic drinking bottles.

Residents do use these bins, which fill up to the brim between 10-14 days. The Management then makes a call to MPPJ, which sends a lorry to collect the items.

The Selangor State government has appealed to residents to reduce the use of non-biodegradable materials so as to save on creating new landfills.

State Environment Committee chairman, Datuk Ch'ng Toh Eng said it was getting progressively harder to find landfills after the two in Kundang and Bukit Chembong were recently filled.

Every pocket of land available now was either surrounded by development or would be, in the next few years, he added. Residents or house buyers would protest vehemently against the opening of landfills not far from their homes, he said.

Selangor residents were also on record as being among the highest waste generators in Malaysia, Datuk Ch'ng revealed.

The Selangor State government was fighting an uphill battle providing sufficient landfills in Selangor since such a high volume of waste was produced daily.

One solution was to persuade residents to reduce waste by adopting stringent recycling and re-using materials.

So, Tiarans, do your bit for the state and the environment, and recycle. Drop your recyclables into the three coloured bins at Queen's Gate and the TNB substation on King’s Crescent.

Refuse Bins

The Management would like to remind Tiarans to please use the refuse bins properly: that is, to put your garbage through the chute and into the bin.

Please do not leave the garbage outside the bins, as it is often ripped into by cats or dogs. This is not only unsightly, but unhygienic as well.

Please do not leave your garbage outside your doors or on top of the bins at the entrances.

Let us be neighbourly and keep Tiara clean and healthy.

Letter - Additional Parking

Dear Editor,

With reference to your article "Additional Parking", I disagree with the writer and would like to state that the land bank is well kept and maintained.

I own a unit facing the land bank. A year ago, it was true that the grass was allowed to grow wildly. Even so, it did not appear unkempt but rather serene since it is green. But of late, the land bank has been well kept and it is such a pleasure and relaxing to look out the window and see a patch of green outside.

In addition, the magnificent trees, with birds chirping in the morning and the moon peeping through the foliage on moonlit nights, are a sight so calming and reflective. I think it should be pointed out that quite a few of the units bought by residents here was due to this green field fronting them.

Hence, I vehemently object to the idea for converting the lovely patch of green outside my unit for a car park. Let us save some green field in anyway we can, however small an area, for our future generation!

Nature Lover

From The Editor

Dear Tiarans,

What a very pleasent surprise for the Editorial Team of Tiara Times to receive such an inundation of emails. This is, I may add, the very first time since Tiara Times started out in earnest earlier this year, that we received such a barrage of mail.

Although the outpouring this time centred on a few topics: against the green bank being converted to a carpark, tree-cutting and the speed bumps, nevertheless, your output is always welcomed. From emails to us, we will be kept abreast of your thoughts and what should /could be done to Tiara so that all will continue to enjoy good living here.

However, due to space constraints, we cannot print all letters sent in this issue, but we will attempt to continue publishing the letters in forthcoming issues.

We also reserve the right to edit for clarity, shorten due to space constraints, omit desultory paragraphs, and disparaging statements.

So do keep the emails coming, Tiarans. Getting feedback from residents here is always appreciated.

The Editor

Letter - Additional Parking

Dear Editor,

Thank you to Tiara Management for continuing to look for ways to make more parking available to residents and visitors. But I think converting the land bank along Jalan 17/ 1 is not a good idea.

A car park for visitors was built opposite the Queen's Gate exit. But hardly any cars are parked there.

Likewise, a car park along 17/1 may turn out to be underused. Has the Management done a survey on how many residents are willing to pay for a bay? If there are 50 bays and each bay is rented out at RM70 per month, we will only get RM42,000 per year. What will it cost to build the car park? How many years will it take to recover the capital? The money will be better put to providing better facilities for the residents. Can we be assured 50 residents are willing to rent a bay? This has to be settled before Tiara Management even thinks of such a project.

Besides, how would those residents facing the green bank feel about the conversion of a lovely and idyllic scene into an ugly gas-emitting car park right outside their units? Not only will their units go down in price and rental, but Tiara Management has to take their health into consideration.

I hope Tiara Management will not rush in and build before a very cautious study has been made.

Be Prudent with Public Funds

Letter - Additional Parking

Dear Editor

I disagree with the writer's view (see July 1^st issue of Tiara Times) that the price of Tiara units will rise if there is sufficient parking.

I spoke to a couple of the real estate agents living in Tiara and asked them whether this was so. Was it difficult to sell units here because of the lack of parking? In fact, I understand from them that this view was far from it. The agents stated they had a list of potential buyers for units here. Most buyers prefer units facing the landbank and there were hardly any for sale. Sometimes, there were hardly any units going for sale or rent.

So, just because a buyer may have more than one car and rules out buying a unit here does not mean that other deals won’t close because of this factor. One swallow does not make a summer, remember?

One Swallow Does Not Make A Summer

Letter - Additional Parking, Speed Bumps

Dear Editor,

I am proud of the Tiara Times. It’s definitely more interesting than NST! Congrats. Would love to see pix of Tiaran personalities though.

I have just two issues:

1. Additional Parking

The idea of more parking bays is appealing but don't you think the charm and desirability of Tiara is that stretch of green bank? How lucky we are that even though we live in a condo yet we can still enjoy trees, monkeys, squirrels, birds and bees! Sometimes there is more to life than measuring everything in dollars and cents. I hope other options would be considered as the idea of a naked Tiara is just too awful for words.

I disagree as well that turning the green bank into a car park would prevent burglary. I live in two units (facing the green bank) and we had a record of 9 break-ins only—once from the sliding door, the rest through our main doors and windows, twice in broad daylight! It does not say much for security does it?

2. Speed Bumps.

I have nothing against bumps and I love a friendly and safe Tiara. But some of the bumps are not very friendly and have been scraping the undercarriage of my car relentlessly. Some bumps have been modified (after complaints) but alas to no avail. The belly of my car is still suffering. I beg someone out there to do something - pleeeeze!

Thank you.

Nora Marzuki

Letter - Tree Cutting

Dear Editor,

I get the impression that Tiara Damansara is the only condo in the Klang Valley—or, for that matter, the whole of Malaysia—that cuts trees down at the rate of a few every month. In a year, this would mean 48 beautiful trees giving ambience to the condo, not to mention shade, biting the dust.

It can’t be that Tiara Damansara is so unfortunate as to be the only condo in Malaysia to have a white ant infestation problem. If indeed this is the case, should we not send our staff to check with other condos how they deal with white ant infestation and still keep their trees?

It is such a pity when lovely trees are chopped down for no rhyme nor reason, like the beautiful tree behind a Queen’s Block recently (July 15th). Some of the residents there were virtually begging the tree choppers not to cut down the tree, but to no avail. And the interesting thing is, no manisfestation of white ants was found. Neither were its roots breaking the foundation of the units there, as I was told.

Maybe the Resident Council should take note what Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting stated in the June 26th issue of the Star:

"Local authorities are reminded not to cut trees indiscriminately or the target of planting 20 million trees by 2020 will not be achieved. He added that, "the purpose of the initiative would be defeated if local authorities go round planting trees and then cutting them."

Well, looks like Tiara Damansara is single-handedly going against this.

Very Unhappy Nature Lover

Letter - Tree Cutting

Dear Editor,

I woke up with a great shock at the sound of a chainsaw on a quiet Saturday morning (15 July 2006) and was more shocked when I found out that a row of mature trees were facing their death row. I found out that these trees were supposed to be cut down at the excuse that they are being attacked by termites.

Upon the felling of the first tree, I went to inspect the condition of the tree. I was disappointed to see that not a single termite was found and that the tree was in perfect condition. It was fortunate that another resident managed to stop the “genocide” of the rest of the innocent trees.

The trees took numerous years to grow and provide shade needed for the residents. It is sad to see that these trees are being cut down without proper examination. In fact, the termite problem should be treated using the underground extermination system. By cutting the trees, we leave the root to rot, which in the end would result in more termite attacks!

Shouldn’t it be better to spend on termination of termites using the current modern technology, instead of finding a quick-fix solution by cutting down a perfectly healthy tree?

Perhaps, if I may suggest, Management should consult a proper tree expert (arborist), before making the unjustifiable decision to cut the trees.

Please show greater respect towards the trees, which are LIFE in itself. It will take another decade to grow the trees like those we have at Tiara Damansara.

Julien Repellin

Tiaran Profile – Anne Gabriel

After she was widowed nearly ten years ago, her eldest daughter, Sharmini Gabriel, gave her the will to live. "My daughter told me that no man is an island. She gave me the strength to live, and her plea to live for them—my children—kept me going," said Mrs. Anne Gabriel, who lives in a ground floor unit of Tiara Damansara.

Her late husband, Mr. T.S.Gabriel, was a Member of Parliament for Pulau Pinang Selatan in Penang a long time ago. Later he was also appointed a Senator by the Yang DiPertuan Agong, and represented Malaysia at the UN General Assembly on several occasions.

Because of his various positions, Anne had the oppor­tunity to meet Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, then Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, the Yang DiPertuan Agong, and various Ministers at state and national banquets.

The youngest of six children, all girls, she was 15 when she first set eyes on her future husband in Sungei Patani, Kedah, where she was born, marrying him four years later in l961. She said that her marriage seemed made in heaven and she had 36 years of blissful married life, which ended in l997 when her husband passed away.

Life became meaningless for her then, and she retired from public life, keeping to herself. "But my six children kept me going. It was very hard, but with time, and my children's persistence that I should leave the sadness behind and get on with my life, eventually I got a hold on myself and realised that life must go on," she said reflectively.

She is grateful to her children, five daughters and a son, all graduates, some with two or three degrees to their names. It is a parent's main concern and worry that their children are independent, otherwise parents would worry for them, but fortunately for Anne, all her children were doing well, she added in gratitude.

Her children are all married, and today she is the grandmother of five boys and six girls, ranging from five to fifteen years of age.

Eldest daughter Sharmini, who kept her post-graduate study on hold to be with her father till he passed away, was a Commonwealth Scholarship holder, one of two students selected from the country every year. She completed her Ph.D. in Literature in UK in l997. Currently, she is in Switzerland together with her three children, where her husband, Dr. Terence Gomez, is on a UN assignment.

A twin daughter is the Managing Director of an international company.

Anne moved to Tiara Damansara eight years ago when she initially rented a unit to be close to her workplace, Educare Child Development Centre in Section 16. She rented the unit for three years, and liked it because "it is so peaceful, the environment is so pleasant, and it is also within walking distance to my workplace."

She asked the owner to sell the apartment to her but was told that the unit was her retirement investment. But one day, out of the blue, the owner rang and asked whether she was serious about wanting to buy it. She was so overjoyed when told the owner was considering selling it. "Today I am so happy to own a unit here. I won’t dream of selling this place and will keep it as a holiday home for my grandchildren," she added.

Today, Anne works a 5-day week, Mondays to Fridays, from 8am to 1pm. Her hobbies are walking, which she does faithfully every day from 6 - 7am, gardening, housekeeping and shopping. "I love shopping," she said passionately.

Anne enjoys being in the company of the little ones at the Educare Centre. “Children are so refreshing and joyful to be with,” she smiled.

Besides teaching in her younger days, she also held various other positions. She was the Juvenile Court Adviser in Penang, served as a Committee Member of the Penang Welfare Council for girls and women, was the Honorary Secretary of the Women's Affairs Committee in Penang, and was responsible for organising seminars on Child Abuse and Neglect in l988, and Love and Marriage in l989. She was also a member of Kawan Ku, an organization set up to counsel delinquent juveniles.

Chosen from a field of 200 pre-school teachers to present a farewell speech on the last day of a course on Educating the Young, she ended the speech by dedicating a short poem to all present:

"Aristotle places teachers on a higher plane when he said: 'They who educate children are to be honoured more than those who bear them, for these only give life, those give the art of living well.' "

Today, Anne Gabriel feels she has lived a life fulfilled. "I have discharged all my duties, as a social worker, mother, educator, pre-school teacher and as a friend to my colleagues and friends, to the best of my knowledge," she added.