Volume 1 Issue 12

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AND HAPPY DEEPAVALI

The Tiara Damansara Management Council wishes all Muslim residents a very Selamat Hari Raya and Hindu residents a very Happy Deepavali.

We would like to take this opportunity to advise all residents travelling during the holiday period to drive carefully. Have an enjoyable and safe holiday with your loved ones.

If you are leaving home during the extended holidays, please ensure that your homes are securely locked up.

While our Tiara Damansara security will be on alert 24-hours to protect your homes while you are away, please also do your part by taking extra security precautions. For hints or assistance on security measures, please contact the Management Office.

We would also like to announce that the Management Office will be closed from Saturday, October 21^st until Wednesday, October 25^th re-opening on Thursday, October 26^th.

SECURITY OFFICER

In an effort to further improve the security of Tiara Damansara, the Management Council has hired En. Jamsari Ismail as its Security Officer / Building Executive.

En Jamsari’s work experience includes 18 years as Production Manager of the Globe Silk Store factory (1983-2001), where he overseered industrial safety, fire protection, maintenance of the building & grounds, theft prevention of goods going out of the premises, and the implementation of CCTV and intercom facilities.

His 5 year stint with Progressive Securities Sdn Bhd as Area Manager included providing security services to 6 sites hired by the firm, deployment of security personnel, providing security reports, investigating break-ins and thefts, and also mediating squabbles between residents and tenants.

En. Jamsari’s main duties in Tiara Damansara are to oversee all security aspects of Tiara Damansara, including the management of the security contractor and guards, setting up and implementing security procedures, ensuring the enforcement of these procedures, and management of the car park system.

His other portfolio, as Building Executive, is to assist the Building Manager in maintenance works (as handyman) and monitoring the landscaping and cleaning.

Certificate of Insurance

The Management would like to announce that the Certificate of Insurance (Fire Policy) for each individual unit is ready for collection and can be collected from the Management Office.

Postman Blues

The postman serving Tiara Damansara seems to be dropping mail belonging to other residents into the wrong postboxes. Just the other day, I handed the postman 3 letters which had been wrongly put into my box. A few days later, another belonging to a K16 resident was placed in my box.

A couple of days later, another resident mentioned in passing that she was going to the Tiara Management Office to hand in 3 letters which had been wrongly dropped into her box.

I rang the Jalan Sultan Post Office and spoke to a Postal employee, informing him to please notify the postman serving our condo to be more careful. Important and eagerly awaited letters could go astray, and for those waiting for their cheques, assessment or other bills, such missing letters can create a lot of problems. I was even fined once when a cheque I sent was lost in transit and later received a notification that since I had failed to pay the fine, a penalty had been added on!

We Tiarans should play our part and be neighbourly – if we get letters belonging to others in our mailboxes, please make the effort to drop the misdirected letters back into the letterboxes of their rightful owners, hand these back to the postman when he next comes on his rounds, or drop them off at the Management Office, whichever is most convenient.

Purloined Letter

Tiaran Profile – Sara Mimburg

Twenty year old Sara Mimburg, who is on a 3-month stint with Siemens in Phileo Damansara, chose to stay in Tiara since it was close to her office, had friends from the office tenanting a unit here already, "and because I love the swimming pool, the quiet and the canteen."

She finds it so relaxing to lie on a deck chair soaking in the sun, and then downing a freshly squeezed orange juice in the canteen, together with her favourite dishes, either a plate of fried rice or fried noodles. "The local food is very delicious. The way the potato fries are prepared too make them so tasty."

This is her second visit to Asia, the first being to the Philippines." I love Asia. I find Malaysians warm, friendly and easy to work with. Malaysians are also so very helpful. You just have to ask them to help out with something and they will rally around you. Though I do hear about snatch thefts and such incidents, I personally find the place safe and have never encountered any mishap. I also feel safe taking taxis to places."

After her three month internship at Siemens, Sara will be returning to continue her university studies at the International Business College, Leipstag, an hour's drive from her parents' home in Dortmund, where she spends her weekends with her parents.

" I enjoy traveling, so I took three months off to visit Malaysia and at the same time do my internship here. I hope to return to Asia, a continent which fascinates me." Maybe she will return to visit Malaysia again since she has so many friends here, and where the people are gracious, warm, hospitable and friendly. "But I also would like to see as many countries as I can."

So, continue to enjoy your brief stint here, Sara.

Letter To The Editor - Tiara Observations

Dear Editor,

Road Cracks

I would like to recommend that the Management engage a structural engineer to inspect the cracks along the elevated road at the lower end of Queen's Promenade. There has obviously been some earth settlement over the years, resulting in a long crack parallel to the retaining wall. Unless something is properly done to rectify the situation, I suspect further settlement and erosion could happen, resulting in serious consequences.

Speed Humps

I am sure all residents will agree that at times it is dangerous exiting from Queen's Gate due to fast on-coming traffic from the slope on the right. This problem is further compounded by cars parked along the road on the right side of the Gate, almost blocking vision of cars coming up the hill. To slow down the speeding traffic along that stretch of road, I would like to suggest to the Management to apply to MBPJ to add a speed hump at an appropriate location to the right of Queen's Gate, probably before the crest of the hill.

Staircases

The Management of Tiara Damansara has done a very good job over the past few years. The new paint job, visitor's car park, better security and proper parking allocations have made significant improvements to all living at Tiara Damansara. The areas that could use some attention would be the staircases to the apartments. These areas, with the poor quality cement flooring, should be upgraded so as to create a more conducive approach to the units. I believe any investment here would contribute to the overall increase in value of the units.

Swimming Pool and Cafe

My family are regular users of the swimming pool and we certainly enjoy all the improvements made so far. The new deck chairs are great but could we have a few more units, please. Perhaps some chairs with tables (with umbrellas) on the upper deck may encourage more residents to the poolside.

The cafe operator is great. The very well presented Judy has put in a lot of effort in making the cafe a great place for residents. My family have held several kiddies' parties at the poolside and Judy made sure we were all well taken care of. More residents should patronise the cafe to give her all the necessary support, as it is not easy running a business within a small community.

However, notwithstanding the improvements to the poolside, the swimming pool itself needs some urgent attention. Pool users would definitely have noticed the missing and broken tiles in and around the pool. Please have these areas attended to urgently before someone gets hurt. Also, the spikes along the top of the fencing beside the walkway should be cut off (from the inside) as it is dangerously set at eye level.

If the Management needs any help with the above, I am offering my services.

Erric Chew

Letters To The Editor - Tiara’s Image

Dear Editor,

Tiara is a great place to live. We have virtually everything on the grounds itself – pool, cafe, mini-market, walking tracks, tennis and squash courts, children’s playground, BBQ pit, gym- besides peace and quiet. Tiarans generally go their way without interference.

However, there is one eye-sore area that needs urgent attention, so that Tiara will have an even better image. We often see many units with laundry, including bedsheets, hanging from the balcony, giving the condo a third-rate image. Some units have unsightly blinds covering their wash areas. These dilapidated blinds have seen much better days. By continuing to display them, Tiara gets a poor image.

Some people, fortunately not many, sometimes clear their throat and spew phlegm on the road as they walk – a most disgusting habit. A few smoke as they walk along and then throw the butt on the ground. Could the smokers not hold the butts until they come across the trashcan / garbage chutes? Then there are those who still refuse to put rubbish into the bins and leave them on the floor outside, resulting in rubbish strewn about once the cats attack it. Of course, we have cleaners who clean and sweep every day, but can’t these people be more civic conscious?

There are also those who have a tendency to leave their slippers or shoes untidily, outside their door. For the opposite unit, which has taken pains to put pretty plants and a nice welcoming doormat outside, the neighbouring unit seems to be inconsiderate of the image it may put out.

I was just wondering whether Management could get someone to look into Tiara’s image? Maybe a member from the Tiara Management Council?

Let us all try to do our part, however small, to raise Tiara’s image.

Just a Thought

Profile Of A Hoarder

How many Tiarans will, in a jiffy, say yes to exchanging their RM300,000 - RM400,000 Tiara Damansara unit for a US$1,000,000 property?

Not so Mrs. L.0.T. (the initials of her name, since she wants her identity kept confidential, the condition for permitting me to write this article).

It all started when Mrs. Lot (as we shall call her) dropped over for a visit. Home to visit her aged mother, she had called to ask whether we could meet up for lunch and catch up with all the happenings after she migrated to Perth five years ago. Mrs. Lot owned a unit in K block then, but sold it prior to moving Down Under. We had not seen each other for quite some time, and she had not seen my unit in Q16 since I moved in less than three years ago.

"Wah, so immaculate and neat," she exclaimed when she came in. "And so minimalist too. I can never keep an apartment like yours, which is so tidy and uncluttered. You see, I am a hoarder," she explained.

"Some time ago, I watched an Oprah Winfrey show. A hoarder accepted Oprah's offer of a million dollar property if she would give up her unit, discard all the things she had collected over decades of years, and never again hoard stuff. So the segment showed the untidy, (things strewn all over the rooms), dirty (even used baby diapers were on the floor) and cluttered premises. It ended with a brand new, tidy and clean property handed to the former hoarder. For me, I would never have accepted Oprah's offer," Mrs. Lot stated.

"I will never, ever, trade my old home for a strange new property that is not me. I will feel lost living under such circumstances. I may be a hoarder, and have things all over the place, in drawers, cupboards, boxes on the floor, but I know where to find items that I need. My son, who lived with me before I emigrated, may have difficulty locating my items, but I know exactly where they are."

In the beginning, her mother, siblings and well meaning friends kept telling her to keep a neater home, so in the end, tired of their nagging, she disallowed them to visit. During her stint at Tiara, only 2 friends who kept equally untidy homes were allowed to visit. "We don’t have to defend ourselves. This is the way we are, and this is our life, so if others find us strange, then don’t drop in. We are not lonely people. In fact, if you ask me, we are generous people. We give or loan friends what we have and which may not be in existence any more since they are virtually antiques."

Their philosophy, so she said, was, "If something is not broken and still usable or serviceable, why throw it away?"

She added that hoarders tended to be sentimental people. "The things we keep have great sentimental value to us. Like my son's teddy bear which was given to him when he was a child. Even today I will hug the bear and remember the nostalgic times we had."

When she moved to Perth, her son was happy at the sight of the clean and whitewashed home she had bought, but that did not last long. Once her items of furniture, clothes, decorations, etc., arrived in crates from Malaysia, the rooms started filling up, and because she had so many things to do, she had been unable to unpack all the boxes and put things where they should.

And now, after so many years there?, I asked. The same, she replied. There were still boxes all over, and some old bed sheets draped temporarily where curtains should have been. She still has her younger sister's mismatched furniture, which had been handed to her when her sister bought a new set.

"It does not matter whether they match or not. After all, they are so comfortable and still new, so why waste and buy a new set."

Would it not have been cheaper for her to buy a set there rather than incur shipping costs freighting the items over?

"That may be true, but then, the new set won’t have any sentiments attached," re-iterating the sentimentality of hoarders.

"I took across even old clothes which I may use again, once I find the matching material for a couple of cloth buttons which had dropped off. I have a huge bagful of such clothes. I still have birthday gifts which I don’t think I will ever use, but then I may give them as gifts to others one day," Mrs. Lot added.

What other stuff does she hoard – I mean, store – in her home in Perth?

There are old shoes that she intends to have mended, though in Australia, it is not easy to find a cobbler, unlike in Malaysia, she added. But who knows, one day she just might bump into one.

And newspapers, of course. There may be an interesting article in the paper which she would like to cut out and keep. Yes, photographs too. She has boxes of them, "But I don’t have the time to place them into albums. I will, one day, when I am more organised," she explained. She intends to put all her school photos into one album, all her family events in another, and another of outings and occasions with friends. "But I must find the time."

Mrs. Lot does not encourage friends and relatives "not on the same wavelength as her" to drop in.

"They may comment on why I am serving tea in different cups and saucers and pot, which is really uncalled for,” she stated. "People don’t understand us. They think we are odd people because we seem unwilling to throw anything away. They even think we are stingy, but we are not tightfisted. We are merely sentimental and find such joy recalling memories when looking at some of the items. I pick up my son's squeaky toy duck now and then and squeeze it. The squeaks still sound, and I smile at the memories of bathing my son with him playing the duck. We hoarders have many good memories of events past," she smiled.

I invited her to overnight at my place during her stay here. "No, I can’t accept." Surprised, I asked why, to be told, "Because I will have to reciprocate when you come to Perth for a trip. And I can’t invite you to stay at my place, since you wont feel comfortable. I know, because you are so tidy. And maybe, like my mother and siblings, you may ‘lecture’ me on my untidiness and persuade me to keep an uncluttered home. That would be an invasion of my privacy," she concluded, apologizing for being so frank.

A hoarder friend of hers gave her a fridge magnet a long time ago, and which she still has today. It has a 5-word statement on it: Boring women have immaculate homes!

Thank you, Mrs. Lot, for opening my eyes to such an interesting mentality.

Volume 1 Issue 11

Security Forum

It is distressing, disturbing, frightening, even life threatening at times. We are referring to the rampant crime rate in Malaysia today, a recent trend which, as a Tiaran, Dr Ng Yan-Goh, stated in the last issue of Tiara Times, "has become a Malaysian way of life... and the recent car window and windscreen breaking incident that happened outside Tiara along Jalan 17 / 1 on Aug. 30th. 2006, is a clear sign that the security and safety in PJ Section 17,have not improved at all."

In fact, in a recent Star article: Police to Step up Patrols in Section 17, the OCPD Asst Commissioner, Mohd Hazam Abdul Halim, echoed the sentiment. At a dia­logue between residents of Section 17, SEA Park and other surrounding areas, he said that "The Police have agreed to step up patrols in an effort to improve secu­rity in the crime-plagued Section 17 area."

To this end, a Tiara Management Council member arranged for a security forum for the benefit of Tiarans. The talk, demons­tration and exhibition of appliances to be used in crime prevention, was by Mr. Eddie Chin Kee Cheong, President of the Master Locksmiths Association of Malaysia. Mr. Chin's vast knowledge and experience in recommending constructive ideas in crime prevention, apart from supplying security products would have been a boon to Tiarans.

But sadly, despite a notification in the Tiara Times, and notices placed on all Notice Boards, only a handful of residents showed up – fifteen to be precise, including some Council Members.

This was a crying shame, since Mr. Eddie Chin has been at the forefront of organising security, lock-expo and crime prevention conferences for Malaysia in the past, in conjunction with members of the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation, Polis Di-Raja Malaysia, and the Master Locksmith Association of Malaysia.

Suffice to say that Tiarans missed a golden opportunity to listen to a high quality eye opener on how to prevent crimes from happening in our homes as well as to our property, like our car, office, etc.

It appears that Tiarans are unappre­ciative of the time and effort expended by Council members in trying to help them. It takes time to organise events, which are meant for the good of Tiarans, but the disappointing turn out reflects on resident apathy. If even such an important priority as security is taken with a lackadaisical attitude, it discourages Council members from trying to organise other events. For it is embarrassing when the speaker, Mr. Eddie Chin, on seeing the poor response, wondered whether we had made any effort to highlight the talk.

However, he gamely gave informative and helpful advice to the few who were present during the two-hour presentation and demonstration. In fact, he impressed the gathering so much that almost everyone who attended bought items to upgrade their property security. A resident even ordered 10 sets of a proven vehicle-locking device on behalf of his company.

He highlighted the lack of security knowledge most people had and made them aware that due to the poor security systems installed in their homes, cars, offices, etc., these resulted in many losing personal belongings, not to mention being hurt in the process sometimes .

To the experienced house breaker, nothing seems difficult or impossible to break open. Many padlocks, which may seem strong and impenetrable, can be easily prised open, as demonstrated by Mr. Chin, who broke open a padlock handed him by a resident. He showed to jaw dropping residents how easy it was to pick the resident's lock with a small saw blade and a normal 3-inch nail, all done quietly in less than 4 minutes.

He then stressed the importance of coupling a good lock with strong lock hinges (where locks are latched to), otherwise the hinges would give way with the lock still intact.

As for car-theft prevention, Mr. Chin said that mechanical clutch and brake pedal locking devices were the best, since these locked the toughest part of the vehicle. They were also very affordable. These devices were superior to mechanical steering wheel locks, which were the most widely used, but which could be easily dismantled and broken off in a couple of minutes.

Those who attended the Saturday afternoon talk went away satisfied that they had gleaned a lot of knowledge about security. As a benefit to Tiarans, Mr. Chin left behind some 20% privilege discount vouchers which are valid for a month. Contact the Management Office to get hold of a voucher should you wish to improve on securing your home or other property.

Security should be of utmost importance to us. Let us not take our security for granted until it is too late. As Mr. Chin stated: Prevention is better than cure.

Letter To The Editor - Nepalese Guards

The new Nepalese Guards look good in their smart uniforms and hat and sporting a no-nonsense attitude. I hope they keep this up though. Last week I came home in a taxi and before I could get my Resident Card out, the Nepalese Guard had already given the taxi driver the Visitor Pass and opened the barrier gate. He did not question or take any particulars from the taxi driver or me. I’ve also had visitors arriving at my door step without my being notified via intercom. I hope this doesn’t mean the Nepalese Guards are beginning to slack already.

Another problem with the Nepalese Guards is the language barrier. I have tried to communicate with some of them but their English is barely passable and their BM virtually non existent. I’m assuming that the other guards are about the same. This may be a problem especially in an emergency where every second counts when trying to communicate the nature of the emergency. Either the Management must ensure the Guards quickly learn to speak English or BM, or maybe we should have a good local guard or supervisor on each shift.

Don’t speak Nepalese

Tiara Parking

Parking has always been a major issue in Tiara Damansara. Past issues of Tiara Times have had numerous articles and letters discussing this matter. The recent break-ins and vandalism of cars parked outside Tiara have made this matter even more urgent.

From the beginning, the Management has always been aware of this issue and made proposals or changes to alleviate this problem.

Initially, Management created new uncovered parking lots on one side of the road. It also took away all the covered visitor parking lots and rented them out to residents.

With this came complaints that there were no longer any parking bays for visitors, so Management created a whole new parking area for visitors in the triangular piece of land near Queen’s Gate.

Even this met with complaints that the Visitor’s Parking Lot was under-utilised and residents should be allowed to park there. There were also complaints that having the Visitors’ Lot at Queen’s Gate was unfair to residents near King’s Gate.

Thus, recently, the Council, after deliberations during the monthly TMC meetings, decided to create some parking lots for visitors near King’s Gate. The plan was to take back about five of the rental lots closest to King’s Gate (since they would be the easiest to monitor from the King’s Gate guardhouse) and convert them into parking bays for visitors. Five parking lots from the Queen’s Visitor Lot would then be taken to replace the five rental lots taken away. This would, naturally, result in some renters finding their original lots changing. Everyone, though, would still have a parking lot except that some might not have the same bay as before. To be expected there were complaints about the reshuffling.

There seems to be a misconception among renters of parking lots that once they have been allocated a parking lot, as long as they pay their dues, the parking lot is theirs to rent for as long as they want. We would hence request residents to read the Parking Lot Rental Agreements that were signed.

Please be thankful for a place to park within the premises compared to those who have to park outside.

There was also a complaint that: “consideration of residents should be first and foremost in any changes, not visitors. This creation of visitors’ parking lots is for the benefit of residents! As a full-facility condo­minium, Tiara Damansara should have certain facilities, among which is parking for visitors. What is a ‘home’ if your friends and family find it difficult to visit because of lack of parking?”

Whether the parking lots for visitors are under-utilised remains to be seen, but that is not the issue. Some parking lots must be available for visitors. The developer of Tiara originally allocated 40 covered lots for visitors!

Recently there were suggestions that residents be allowed to park in vacant visitor lots overnight. We are looking into implementing this suggestion.

Of course, the root of our parking woes is the lack of more available land within Tiara Damansara. For whatever reasons, the original developer only planned for 1 parking lot per unit, while most households these days have at least 2 cars, if not more.

The Management looked into the possibility of building a multi-storey car park where the present tennis court stands (with the court moved to the rooftop of the proposed car park). However, this proposal did not go through due to the high costs involved, in the millions of Ringgit.

The challenge for Management was to acquire more parking spaces. This resulted in the triangular area near Queen’s Gate converted into a parking lot.

Then Management discussed the possibility of converting the green lung on Jalan 17/1 into a parking lot. This proposal did not materialize due to vociferous and impassioned resistance shown by residents with units fronting the land bank. All emails received by Tiara Times were against the motion with not even one email against.

Our next (and possibly last) option is to get MBPJ to create legal parking lots along Jalan 17/1. Feedback from MBPJ has indicated that they might allow this only if Tiara foots the costs. Parking lots along Jalan 17/1 would, however, have the following two problems: Security – however this may be solved by guards patrolling outside along Jalan 17/1; Outsiders using the parking bay – staff /employees from the nearby office buildings might avail themselves of these lots. This, however, should be fine since these would utilise the lots during the day while Tiarans require them during the night. However, discussions are still on-going before this proposal gets the nod.

We would like feedback from residents on this parking issue. Your views and suggestions are most welcome. If you do not take this opportunity to do so, do not later complain about the situation or about decisions made by the Management Council. So do write in.

The Management will then study and deliberate the pros and cons of each suggestion before making any decisions.

Tiaran Profile – Sadiah Younis

It is a common sight seeing three young Sudanese children walking along the roads in Tiara. They are well behaved and often seen in the company of other children, chatting and playing.

Mohammad, 11, and his sisters Safanah, 10 and Salsabeelah, 5, are the children of Sadiah Younis and her husband, Dr Khalid Osman Yasuf, from Sudan. Dr Khalid is a lecturer in Arabic and Islamic Studies at Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (International Islamic University) in Section 17, Petaling Jaya, whilst Sadiah is a teacher at the Sri Hartamas Kids Fun Pre-School, working Mondays to Fridays, from 8am to 3pm.

Sadiah is the fifth sibling of nine children. Her parents live in Gadref, "a big city in Sudan, the largest country on the African continent but with a population not much more than Malaysia, at 28 million."

She misses her hometown and would like to return there to live one day in the future. "But we like to live here. We want to stay here, forever," echo her two daughters, who were born here and accom­panied their mother, whilst brother Mohammad had other things to do. Sadiah and her husband have been in Malaysia for 11 years, since l995, living in Kelana Jaya for 8 years before moving to Tiara.

It was her son Mohammad who made the change necessary. He had to undergo treatment at the University Hospital for many years, and it was difficult for Sadiah to travel by taxi from Kelana Jaya to the hospital daily. Her Chinese-Muslim friend, Juliana, chanced upon an advertisement in the papers nearly 4 years ago, regarding a unit in Tiara for rent. She took it since it was closer to the hospital and also a stone's throw from Dr Khalid's work place as well.

"After staying here for a short time, my husband and children all loved this place. It is so very nice, so peaceful and quiet, safe and beautiful. We really enjoy living here," she said, smiling. Dr Khalid's contract with the University is till 2008, but when it is renewed, they will continue staying in Tiara: "We won’t move out, since it is so wonderful staying here."

Two years after Salsabeelah was born, a bone marrow transplant was done on Mohammad, since his sister's blood matched his. Though he is so much better now, Sadiah continues to give him good food and the necessary supplements. The adults eat Sudanese food daily, "since my husband likes to eat only our local food. But my children prefer pizza, local fare and other kinds of food, so I cook various dishes to cater for everyone's needs," she said.

Though vast areas of Sudan is desert, with crops able to grow on only 5% of the land, yet two-thirds of the Sudanese live by farming. They work the land that is watered by the Nile and its tributaries. The main staple is dura and "I mix this with water and blend, to make kisra. It is something like your chappati or roti. I make a thick gravy to go with this, like you have your chappati and dhall curry here, and my husband and I eat this most of the time. My children prefer other kinds of food, like fish and chicken. They do not like mutton or beef." She uses a lot of ladies finger – bamiyah in her language – beans, tomato, onions and potatoes in her cooking.

When Mohammad was unwell, Sadiah stayed at the hospital for many years to look after him, leaving her neighbour, a friend and husband to keep an eye on daughter Safanah. But now that her son is so much better, she teaches at Kids Fun Pre-School whilst her children attend classes at the Maz International School in Petaling Jaya. They are picked from home by the school bus at 7.10am and return around 2.15pm. A part time Filipino maid helps out with the household cleaning.

Safanah enjoys school life, taking part in drama, taekwondo, swimming, play education besides her studies. She is even game to try Yoga that is being taught at the condo grounds if permission is given her, demonstrating to her mother how yoga poses are struck. She has won gold medals in the Sack Race, Ball and Spoon Race and Hole in One. She also participates in sprinting and enjoys swimming and watching television.

Dr Khalid and Sadiah have started building their house in Gadreh, where they return to once every three years. It should be ready in a year's time. But she does not know as yet whether Mohammad can take the hot weather there. "We have three seasons in Gadref, summer, autumn and winter. There is no spring. When the winds are strong during the winter months, it is extremely chilly." She has taken her children back during autumn and also summer, but Mohammad did not take the weather too well. "He sleeps in aircon here, since he does not take heat too well," she added.

Who braids her daughters' complicated hairstyle, I asked. She does, she replied. It is called the moshat hairstyle, and many in Sudan sport this. "If the hair is short, like my daughters’, I take only 25 - 30 minutes to braid their hair. It is not difficult," she said.

The julbab that she wears is the traditional dress worn by the women in Sudan and many Arab countries. "Over here, I buy material and give it to my tailor and she sews the julbabs for me. She is a good tailor."

I asked what festivities they celebrated. "We follow some of your local festivals, like Hari Raya and Hari Raya Haji," she replied, since Islam is the faith of many Sudanese. Besides Islam there are also tribal religions and Christianity.

The family has made many friends here, and it was easy to see why. They are friendly and warm. Sadiah's phone kept ringing several times during the hour she spent with me. "My friends, just to say hello to me and ask what I am doing," she smiled.

"I really love it here but I feel I must return home one day, in the future, because my parents are there," she said. "But not me, Mommy, I love it here. I am going to stay here permanently," Safanah said enthusiastically. "What is ‘permanently’?" her mother asked. "That means forever, Mom. I want to stay here forever."

We wish you and family a long, long and happy stint in Malaysia, Sadiah.

Temporary Staff Wanted

Tiara Management Corporation is looking for a fulltime temporary staff to fill the position of Administrative Assistant in the Management Office.

The job specifications include customer service (attending to customers – both walk-in and over the phone), collection of payments and issuing receipts, typing of letters and filing, and other administrative duties.

This is a fulltime but temporary position for three months from November 2006 until January 2007 (inclusive).

If you are interested, or know anyone who is interested, please fax the application to 7955-1264 or email to tmc33@optics.net.my. If you need further details, please call the Building Manager at 7955-1209 or 7955-1241.