Volume 2 Issue 4

GONG XI FA CAI

The Tiara Damansara Management Council wishes all Chinese residents a very happy Chinese New Year. May the incoming Year of the Boar bring you good health, prosperity, peace, contentment, abundance and happiness.

The Tiara Management Office will be closed for the festive holiday from Sunday, February 18, 2006 until Tuesday, February 20, 2006. The office will reopen as usual on Wednesday, February 21, 2006.

A Chinese New Year get-together is in the works. Headed by Margaret Lim, Head of Social and Cafeteria portfolio, the gathering has been planned for March 3rd, 2007, at the poolside, starting at 8pm.

Volunteers are needed to assist in the organization of the get-together. Interested parties please call Margaret at 7954 0855 or 012-906 7033. Your assistance is much appreciated.
For those who are driving outstation to be with loved ones, please drive carefully.

Before you balik kampung, ensure your apartment is secured and carefully locked up. It would also be a good idea to have lights which can be timed to come on automatically at specific hours in the evening.

Stop your newspaper delivery, so that they do not pile up outside your front door - a sure giveaway that you are away.

Statistics show that property crime always rise during festivals, when intruders are aware that most residents have gone away.

In the case of Tiara Condominium, since it has been found that most break-ins are committed by insiders, unless you are confident that your neighbours are trustworthy, perhaps it is best not to let others know you have gone away.

Security Matters

Heads I win, tails you lose! Looks like some coins have only one side! The side that suits the complainer.

This was the case when a man came to the King's Gate Guardhouse. He wanted to walk in. When asked for the unit number of the place he wanted to go to, he replied that he did not know what it was. A request for him to call the unit owner elicited the same response - he did not know.

The alert guards saw him carrying a plastic bag containing a hammer, screwdriver and pliers, and for safety reasons, did not allow him in. He might have been a genuine handyman coming to rectify some household defects but rules are rules since the safety of residents in Tiara cannot be compromised. The Guards have a strict procedure to follow, and not allowing a stranger in without a proprietor's permission or prior instructions to the Guards is one of them.

So it is unfair for the proprietor concerned to tick off the Guards for not allowing the workman to walk through. The proprietor should have given the handyman the necessary details, like unit number or house or mobile phone number to call, before being allowed in.

It does not help at all when irrational remarks are made,like "Only rich people with luxury cars are allowed in without any condition, whilst poor people are turned away." As explained by the Security Officer on duty, "All are treated equally and we have to adhere to standing instructions." So, such petty statements are not only unfair to the Guards but diminishes the security of Tiara.

We hope that in future residents will refrain from unpleasantries and allow the Guards to go about their duties. Should any complainants be unsatisfied still, they are free to report the matter to Management for attention.

At The Sixth AGM

The 6th Annual General Meeting of Tiara Management Corporation, postponed from the previous Saturday through lack of quorum, was held on Saturday, February 3rd , 2007. It was also one of, if not the most dramatic, AGMs ever held. The turnout for the meeting was better than at previous AGMs with more than 50 attendees, most of whom were proprietors.

Even from the beginning, as a precursor of things to come, the Chairman's post was contested. Mr. Jonson Chong, who was proposed by Ms. Goh See Meng, and seconded, was challenged by Mr. Mohd. M .A. Bakar (a.k.a Mike) who was proposed by Mr. Shuk Loh, and also seconded. Next came the question of whether to vote by show of hands or poll. Mr. Shuk Loh, quoting the Strata Title Act , demanded a poll. With the help of a bloc of proxy votes, Mike was elected Chairman of the AGM.

Once the meeting got under way, there were the normal questions from the floor.

Datuk Lim Sun Hoe questioned the purported pilfering of about RM12,000 by the former Accounts Executive, the subsequent compensation by the insurance company and why neither was reflected in the audited accounts. However, there were no satisfactory replies.

Questions were also raised on the justification in the increase of rental parking rates as well as the proposed Sinking Fund. It was decided that both these matters be re-looked into by the incoming Council.

The proposal to hire our own in-house guards was also brought up. Keith Kok (Head of Security) explained the security guard situation and the justification for having such: a hefty saving in costs for Tiara. This matter was also left for the new Tiara Management Council to deliberate and decide.

The swimming pool was in bad shape due to the old tiles, pumps and filters giving way. Major renovations to upgrade the pool was decided to be left to the new Council to look into.

Debate on the limits the Council could spend and whether there was any budget were also raised.. It was left to the Council to prepare a budget.

Minutes of Council Meetings should be highlighted on notice boards whilst minutes of the AGM were to be circulated to all proprietors within a month of the AGM. (For more details of the AGM, refer to the minutes which will be circulated soon.)

Two security guards were present at the AGM and although there were some heated exchanges of words between residents no untoward incidents took place. In fact, there was even laughter when a resident shouted at another seated resident to keep quiet and "sit down !" to which the other resident stated that he was already seated.
The action became more interesting when it came time to elect the Council Members for 2007. Mr. Shuk Loh proposed that the number be limited to eight members. Mr. Jonson Chong counter-proposed that it be twelve or even the maximum fourteen. After some debate from the floor on the merits of having either eight or twelve, the issue was brought to a vote, again by poll. With the bloc of the proxy votes, the proposal for eight Council Members won.

At this juncture, several people, dissatisfied with the proceedings thus far, walked out.

The AGM proceeded with the voting in of the eight Council Members. Fifteen were nominated, including twelve of the thirteen current Councillors (one declined to be nominated). After the vote counting was done, six of the current Council Members were retained: Ms. Goh See Meng (who received the highest number of votes), Mr. Harith Ahmad, Ms. Margaret Lim, Ms. Lily Tan, Datuk Lim Sun Hoe and Mr. Willy Boo. Rounding up the eight were Dr. Asma Ahmad Shariff and Mr. K. Surendran, both serving for the first time.

Tiara Times extends congratulations to Tiara Management Corporation's elected Council Members for the Year 2007.

Also At The AGM

Also, at the AGM, some attendees commented on Tiara Times. These are just some of the comments made:

I hope it is not too late to tell you that you are doing such a wonderful job at Tiara Times. Keep up the great work ... we are indeed blessed to have a newsletter of this quality. – Renu

A very good newsletter, very interesting. – Mike.

I must congratulate you on producing such a wonderful newsletter. The articles are so interesting, not like most boring newsletters in general detailing what one should not do and info in general about what is being done or will be done in the near future. Just boring updates.
– LYF

Thank you for spending so much time giving the residents here such a good newsletter. I am particularly fascinated by the profiles on Tiarans. I must say that we do have many talented people in Tiara. – May

How do you manage to produce two issues of Tiara Times monthly? You must be spending many hours of your time doing it. We are so very fortunate to have someone so dedicated to bring out such a high quality newsletter. My whole family enjoys reading the articles and look forward to every issue. Thank you very much for your effort. – Mr Lim

Tiara Times is a very good and commendable newsletter.
– Suren

Police Presence in Sec.17

Section 17 was in the news again, recently. Though not for the right reasons. An increase in snatch thefts, robberies, break-ins and muggings has left residents in Section 17 fearful about their safety. Certain parts of Section 17, though, seemed more vulnerable .

Residents in Jalan 17/31 and 17/33 have been the worst affected, with criminals going on a brazen looting spree. Burglaries were not only committed in broad daylight but even outside homes or their compounds while the residents were home. That is how daring robbers have become.

Not only are they fast and efficient at getting their hands on stolen items, but they have with them the necessary tools to get into houses as well - so even grilled windows and doors seemed no barrier to them.

Drains, where robbers can take cover in before pouncing on unsuspecting residents, and the lack of street lights have amplified fears for people living in Jalan 17/31 and Jalan 17/ 33. A friend, Ms Tan, who owns a semidee in Jalan 17/33, had her home broken into 5 times since she moved in many years ago, though the crimes were all committed within 3 years. In one of the incidents, her 85 year old father,who was visiting from Johor Baru, was slashed by a well dressed man complete with tie who entered the compound on the pretext of asking for road directions. Her father had to be rushed to the hospital with his arm half dangling down.

Petaling Jaya OCPD, Asst Commissioner Mazlan Mansor stated that the Police had arrested several burglars and snatch thieves in the area (one of which was assisted by our own Tiarans, Nigel Green and Jamsari - see Jan .4th issue of Tiara Times ) and invited Section 17 residents to call him should they face any problems. He can be contacted at 019-6000293 / 79662222. He added that the Police would "provide the necessary security and do our best with the resources we have to prevent crime in the neighbourhood."

In fact, the Police have now set up a Mobile Police Van near the Section 17 wet market, opposite the Caring Pharmacy, eating places and the gaming outlets, where pedestrian traffic is heavy. Residents can reach them 24 hours by dialling 78742222.

Postman Blues

Pos Malaysia is back in the news again, albeit in a negative light. The local newspapers have also been highlighting the inefficiency and carelessness of the postal services.

Today (Jan 18th, 2007), I received a postcard from my cousin in Singapore, post dated Dec. 4th, 2006, informing me that my cousin from UK was in town, one month and four days after it had been posted! So, the cartoon in a recent edition of the Star, showing the drawing of a snail in the Pos Malaysia logo, was most apt. Maybe Pos Malaysia should change their logo...so at least their customers would be forewarned that their mail may take some time to arrive at their destination...

Since I have a history of misplaced letters and wrong letters dropped into my box with the postal authorities, I have a list of postal personnel I can contact to impart my displeasure at such occurrences. In one instance, there were three wrong letters dropped into my box, so I handed them to the postmen when he came on his next round, and he took them back, but not before I gave him a "lecture" on his carelessness.

Despite this, letters continue to be dropped into the wrong letterboxes. It is just human error, though this should not be an excuse given by Pos Malaysia. Letters dropped into wrong boxes often incur inconvenience. Like for instance, when share dividend cheques are lost in transit, and the shareholder has to go through so much effort before a replacement cheque can be issued.

I have also been the unfortunate victim of a cheque lost in transit. An income tax refund was not replaced till seven years later, after a couple of trips to the Income Tax Department, seeing various personnel there, and being assured they would look into the matter. That was how long it took me to get the money back, just because of a postman’s carelessness.

So, please be civic minded, Tiarans, and drop back letters not meant for you, into the correct boxes, or hand them to the Tiara Management Office to be dropped back correctly.

Ann’s Birthday Party

Unlike her past birthdays, Ann Gabriel did not have a single son or daughter with her for her birthday on December 18th, this past year. Eldest daughter, Dr. Sharmini Gomez, was in Switzerland with her family and husband, Dr. Terence Gomez, who was posted there over a year ago on a UN assignment.

And younger sister Ann, named after her mother, had flown there with her husband and daughter to spend the Christmas holidays with her sister.

Son Paul Gabriel was in Caracas, covering Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's trip to Venezuela for the Star in his column "Jottings from Caracas."

Anita Gabriel was baby-sitting for her sister and brother-in-law, who were at a function. Anita, one of seven "outstanding Malaysian women honoured for their contribution towards raising awareness of female-related cancers" was recently presented with the PRUlady Achievement Award by Prudential Assurance Malaysia Berhad in Kuala Lumpur.

Another son and daughter were abroad as well.

In lieu of her children's absence, Ann invited some friends from Tiara and from her work place, Educare, over for a get-together.

Son-in-law Robert Schuster from the US roasted a leg of lamb and made a mashed potato dish to go with it for the party. And in keeping with the taste buds of Malaysians, Robert jazzed the gravy with a "pedas"touch to go with the lamb. His dish was given the thumbs up by guests See Meng, Irene, Nini and Uma. Not-shy-one See Meng helped herself to three helpings of lamb, and everything else with it! "Any time better than Lafite Restaurant," she exclaimed. By the time she had the trifle dessert, which was laced with cherries, orange slivers and peach slices, she was positive she was more stuffed than a stuffed Christmas turkey.

With wine flowing freely, Ronald and Gopi kept entering the kitchen to refill their glasses. They were in safe hands, they said, since they had a back up and very sober driver in Pushpa, wife of Ronald.

For those who fancied Malaysian fare, there was fresh chappati, curry, and egg sambal, done earlier in the day by Kalvinder Kaur, (who was featured in the November 18th, 2006 issue of Tiara Times) who had been requested to do some dishes for the birthday bash. Kal had to babysit so could not attend, whilst sister Baljeet had gone to Penang earlier in the day – that left two guests short and more to go around for the others.

After a sumptuous feast, the guests started regaling one another with snippets of their life. Newlyweds Nini and Gopi Krishnan, an IT System Administrator, said he knew his wife for eleven years before popping the question. He took so long since, in IT terminology, " I had to get to know and learn about her, and study her likes and dislikes. After all, this is a once-in-a-lifetime decision, so one has to be sure not to make a mistake," he opined.

But he did not propose to her on bended knee. "We were on my motorbike when I asked her whether she would marry me, and from behind, I could only hear her say, 'What, what ,what?' I was afraid she would say no," he admitted. But new bride Nini had been smitten. "Every day, for one year, when I came to the office (they worked in the same set up) there was a rose on my table. And though he had nothing to do in that part of the office, he would make it a point to have some excuse to make his way there daily to say 'good morning' to me."

He had this advice for people who wanted to know the secret of a great marriage – after only three months of marriage, was he qualified to give such views, someone asked. "Well, I feel that one can’t go wrong if one keeps a line of communication open all the time between spouses. I never fail to greet my wife and ask how she is, every single day. I always have time for her, and sit and talk to her. I believe in communication. And that, to me, I feel, is the secret of a good marriage."

The rest of the guests threw in their share of life experiences as well and the evening was punctuated with peals of laughter at the amusing anecdotes, whilst everyone concluded in the end that Malaysia was the best country in the world to live in.The merrymaking went on till the wee hours of the morning before the guests went their separate ways.

Many happy returns of the day, Ann, and we look forward to another such occasion next year.

Tiara Classifieds

EDUCATION SERVICE AT TIARA
1) Home Tuition for Primary School and Lower Secondary in the mornings, Monday to Friday,
Call: 012-2436381 or 03-79577349

2) Creative Writing Class for Children. Lets bring out the Shakespeare in you! Age: 5 to 12 years old.
Call Renu (012-3737349)

EVENT PLANNERS
Thematic Birthdays, Manicure & Pedicure, Saree Tying, Bouquet Arrangement, Mehndi Art , Private Parties (Engagement; Special Occasion),Cultural Events / Entertaiment ,Vegetarian Food ,Party Costumes. Contact No; 012 – 3737349 / 012-2436381/ 03-79577349 (eventscity @gmail.com)

Volume 2 Issue 3

Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting (AGM ) of Tiara Damansara Condominium which was scheduled to be held on Saturday January 27, 2007 did not have a quorum.

Thus, the AGM has been postponed to:
Saturday, February 3, 2007 at 2:00 p.m.
At: the function area next to the squash court.
As this is a postponement, the AGM will proceed regardless of quorum.

All registered owners / proprietors are encouraged to attend. Non-owner residents are also welcome. Light refreshments will be provided.

Farewell, Thelaga

February 7th, 200, will be our temp Thelaga Muniandy's last day in Tiara Management Corporation.

How fast the time has flown, but Thelaga is happy to have served the short stint with us. "This job is so different from the one I held the last time, where my administrative post did not give me the chance to meet people. I enjoyed working in Tiara, which was a totally new job experience for me, and in such a different environment too. I learnt so many new things and was given the chance to engage in customer service, interacting with people of all ages and positions, from students to office workers, corporate officials and senior citizens, which was such an interesting change for me," she said.

She described her working colleagues Kang Boon Guen and Jamsari Ismail as helpful and wonderful people, whilst Paul Baktha "was always guiding me, encouraging me in my work and is such a nice boss." The sentiment is reciprocated as Paul described Thelaga as "reliable, responsible and pleasant."

Though it has been only a few months, "I have come to know so many people, many of whom seem like I know them for a long time already." Thelaga will leave this place with very fond memories.

A Tiaran has asked for her work resume and she also has a couple of job offers, "but I have not decided on anything as yet," she added," and will keep in touch with some of the people here even after I leave."

Farewell and we wish you all the very best for the future,Thelaga.

Welcome Back, Salmah

Meanwhile, Welcome Back, Salmah. It is good to see you looking so well, glowing and trim after your two-month absence.

How did she manage to return so slim and svelte after having a baby only 2 months ago, I enquired.

It was not difficult at all, "like the birth of my baby, it was an easy birth with no labour pains too," she said. "I tied layers of cloth around myself, tightly,and that did the trick," adding that she was also very grateful to the many Tiarans who gave her advice and moral support before the birth of her baby. "Being the very first time, I was naturally very scared, but thankfully, it was such an easy birth," she said.

She still has some diet constraints to bear in mind, like not taking spicy foods, tea, fish like kembong, chicken, prawns and crabs since she is breastfeeding. "But I can take detox tea which I buy from the Chinese sinseh shops"
Her lifestyle is different now, she adds, since it is entirely centred around baby Adam Faris, who, at 2 months (as of this writing) weighs a hefty 7 kilos, slightly more than double his weight when born. "He is chubby and long, at 59.5cm, like his father is tall."

She is very happy and life seems rather complete, with a child. But "saya ada tanggong jawab," she confided. She spends a few hundred ringgit extra a month now that there is an addition to the family. She has to pay the babysitter, buy milk and diapers every month, but Adam brings so much joy and happiness to her and her husband.

Adam is left in the care of her neighbour' s mother, from 7am - 6pm. The neighbour has a newborn about the same age as Adam too, and three other children. Salmah has to leave her baby early at the babysitter's since she has to drive her husband, Hairi, to office, which for him starts at 8.15am. After dropping him she is at Tiara way before office starts at 9am.

Welcome back to Tiara, Salmah.

The Grand Old Lady of Petaling Jaya

She may be old, but she is hot, very hot. "She" refers to none other than Madam Tiara Damansara Condominium, the Grand Old Lady of Petaling Jaya.

Aged 15, considered old by building standards, Madam TDC, as we shall refer to her, is the oldest, besides being the very first condominium, built in Petaling Jaya. As such, this is the season of aches and pains, which most elderly people may have, too.To keep her in prime health, repairs and maintenance works are ongoing 365 days a year, give or take a few days off during festive seasons.

After 15 years of existence, Madam TDC needs continuous upgrading, repairs and improvement to some of her existing facilities and infrastructure. Whilst replacement and repairs are expected to be considerable, in view of so many years of wear and tear, maintaining the continuity of basic services like security, cleaning, landscaping, pest control, sewage, leaking roofs,etc, have to be borne as well.

To keep her looking neat and clean, there are sweepers and cleaners to maintain the grounds, roads, landings and staircases. There are Jamsari and Man Chu to see to minor repairs, whilst pest control services, cutting the grass, fogging, etc. are carried out regularly but contractors. Refuse collection services have been contracted out to Vision Well Trading and Engineering, landscaping to Semaian Intan Maju and C.M.Chan Services cleans the swimming pool three times weekly, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

ASW Tech-I Bhd, which is of IWK standards, services our condo twice monthly, whilst Enctech Services Sdn. Bhd. ensures our vehicle entry and exit access system is in working order, except, of course, when, due to uncontrollable forces like lightning strikes, breakdowns occur.

All these services, naturally, incur costs, and the Tiara Management Council has tried its very best, with the financial resources it has at hand, to manage the condominium with the maintenance charges paid by residents. At 18 Sen per square foot, Tiara has one of the lowest maintenance rates in Petaling Jaya. Compared to Bangsar Puteri Condominium (33 Sen), Prima 16 (25 Sen), Prima 16 Second Chapter (27 Sen), Trellises (25 Sen), Villa Flora (22 Sen), Astana Condominium (30 Sen), Kiara Park (22 Sen), Kiara Green Town Houses (22 Sen), many of these have to pay for Sinking Funds as well.

Bangsar Puerti levies 7 Sen psf, Prima 16 and Prima 16 Second Chapter 3.5 Sen, Li Villas 2 Sen to the 19 Sen for maintenance charges, Trellises 2 Sen, whilst Astana residents foot 5 Sen psf for the Sinking Fund.

With the limited resources we have, prudence has to be practised to stretch the Ringgit. Unless it is totally necessary to do a major overhaul, TMC goes along with repairs which are lasting though not necessarily aesthetic. Like repairs done to the road within the premises, when premix is used to fix potholes as and when they occur. Resurfacing the entire stretch from King's Gate to Queen's would cost a staggering RM250,000.

The last year had been a very busy one for Tiara, in terms of new and upgrading works. Among the projects installed, commissioned or upgraded were the sewage treatment plant, cold water piping works (phase 2 and 3, with a total 25 blocks attended to), extension and repairs to the cafeteria, water tank cleaning, 3-phase wiring for the male and lady sauna, tennis court, relocating speed bumps, the main refuse chamber, roof leaks for 29 top floor units, flood /security lights at the perimeter fencing, increasing the height of the perimeter fencing in certain areas to tighten security, interlocking tile footpath from King's Guard Post to the gym, drainage system behind Queen's Gate,water filtration system, waterproofing / elevated suction tanks, new water bulk meter at JBA water mter and anti termite treatment.

In addition to these, for good security,Tiara had to fork out a good sum for the 24-hour Nepalese security team guarding Tiara.

Late next year, 5 years after the initial repainting of Tiara, Madam TDC may need a facelift (after all, she would be 16 then, and in need of a repainting job) - and this would not come cheap, since her upgrade would incur RM600,000, a hefty sum by any standard.

Meantime, the lady is holding its own very commendably. Her occupancy rate is very high, with about half a dozen empty units only. Should any unit be up for sale, it is grabbed shortly after, and many estate agents in Tiara report having several people on the waiting list to buy, at market price of course, should units be available.

Why is Madam TDC so much in demand, despite being what, in human terms, may be deemed "over the hill." Well, to begin with, Madam is situated in a prime location, very central in terms of Bangsar, Brickfields and Sentral, SS2, Subang Jaya, Kelana Jaya, Section 5, next door to Section 16, is leasehold, low rise (which translates to having a low density), has a rather unique car park system which is on road level (unlike many highrise condos which have underground carparks), has a reputation for being very quiet, and last, but not least, a dedicated Management team which works hard to keep the Lady in great form and cares for her good health, in terms of finance and condition.

Even clients seeking to purchase units here have told estate agents that they have heard that Tiara has a very responsible Management team in its Councillors. And to a great extent, that is why the Lady continues to thrive and hold its old among many upstart condos...

Condo Newsletters

How many condominiums in Petaling Jaya send out regular newsletters? Not many, it would appear.

Of the approximately dozen condos surveyed, eight have no newsletters at all (Tivoli Villa, Prima 16, Prima 16 Second Chapter, Li Villas, Trellises, Villa Flora, Kiara Green Townhouse and The Residences). Of these, Tivoli Villa will be attempting to launch its first newsletter in a fortnight's time, around February.

Of the rest, Astana Condominium, just across the road from Tiara, and which shares the same address as us (33,Jalan 17/1, 46400 Petaling Jaya) issues a newsletter once a year , Kiara Park has two issues per year, whilst Bangsar Puteri may have four or five editions a year, but all these newsletters are about condo matters.

At two issues a month, maybe we should have the tagline, Tiara Times Rocks!

Festive Get-Togethers

TMC is all for reviving the festive get-togethers in Tiara...if the original aim of the idea is adhered to. Mooted 2 years ago by TMC, the aim was to create a spirit of camaraderie and to get Tiarans to know one another.

The idea was for residents themselves to organise the festive gatherings. For example, for Chinese New Year, some Chinese residents should get together to organise the get-together. They could rope in their Chinese neighbours or other residents, who in turn could rope in their friends as well, to organise the festivity. TMC is even agreeable to contribute up to RM500 to the organiser for food, balloons, angpows for the children, even prizes should there be games.

For a start TMC councillors started the ball rolling, using their own money to organise the get-togethers. But it was found, after a few gatherings, that this defeated the purpose of the mooted idea, since the same faces turned up all the time. Not that there was anything wrong with this, of course, but this defeated the aim of getting Tiarans to interact and get to know one another.

Since this was not happening, and TMC members had to keep on organising the get-togethers, it was decided to do away with the festive get-togethers. After the announcement was made in Tiara Times, two residents, "Disappointed" and "All for Get-Togethers," (see Dec. 4th, 2006 issue of Tiara Times) expressed their sadness over the cancellation of future get-togethers.

At a recent TMC meeting, the Councillors were agreeable to the idea of resurrecting the get-togethers after hearing the views of “Disappointed” and “All For Get-Togethers”... but residents themselves should do the organising. This, after all, was the original idea for having such functions.

So, for the forthcoming Chinese New Year, if some Chinese residents are game to organise, TMC would be happy to throw in their support. It actually does not require large sums of money to hold such gatherings. It requires teamwork and a generous spirit of giving of one's time.

There is plenty of time too to organise the party. It need not be done on Chinese New Year of course, since most Chinese would have returned to their "kampungs" to be with their elders. Set a date a fortnight after, either March 3rd or 4th, 2007, for the get-together, when everyone should have returned to Tiara.

Let us be muhibbah and organise this for our Muslim, Hindu and Christian neighbours. And for Hari Raya, Deepavali, Christmas, the others would surely reciprocate by organising the get-togethers when their turn comes.

So, do take up the challenge for those who would like to celebrate the Chinese New Year with a bang! How about “Disappointed” or “All For Get-Togethers” joining hands and organising, for a start...

Tiara Classifieds

There has been a suggestion from some residents for a Classifieds Section in the Tiara Times (not unlike The Star's Classifieds) for people in Tiara wishing to sell a service or personal item.

At the last TMC meeting, it was agreed that this would be a good idea. A fee of RM10 per insertion in Tiara Times was agreed upon. So, do advertise in our Classifieds section what you would like to sell - a service (like catering for parties,appliance repair, babysitting, tailoring, if you are adept at this,) or a personal item (like your car, dishwashing machine, fridge, computer, furniture, paintings, lovely handbags which you have too many of, second hand clothes, but which are virtually new, since you hardly ever wore them, your baby's crib, since the child has outgrown it) – in short, something like what a flea market offers. Advertisements for rent or sale or your condos or vehicles are also welcome.

While Tiara Times does not have the circulation of the daily newspapers, we do have a niche market – the residents of Tiara Damansara. Who knows, your potential buyer could just be a few doors away.

You can put in your advertisement by visiting the Management Office. Put in your contact numbers and your unit number (optional) and your advertisement.

Rainforest in Subang Jaya

It turned out to be a most interesting late morning. Together with my Singaporean house-guest, Betty Kingsley, and her cousin Ping from the US, we had taken a taxi to SS19/1K, Subang Jaya to visit a Cancer Care counsellor, Khadijah. Betty had spoken so much of her rain forest garden, knowing Ping's and my love of nature, that we decided a trip to see it would be worthwhile. And we were not disappointed.

With slightly over 2,000 s.f. of land left for the garden after extending her double storey corner link, it was amazing the number of plants, trees and shrubbery which was grown within that space. At the entrance of the home, on both sides of the gate, stood two huge birds nest ferns. Husband Johan Yeong said that he saw these birds nests discarded on the roadside nearby, "and before you could say 'jangan', he had picked them up and taken them home to be planted," said wife Khad. Today, from the mere foot high nests he brought back lovingly from the roadside, they stand a gigantic 10 foot high.

"They are so easy to grow. In fact, you don’t have to take care of them.They grow by themselves", explained Johan.

We oohed and aahed as we entered, looking at the number of shrubs, trees, ferns and potted plants bordering the entrance before entering the rain forest proper. There were tall royal palms, coconut trees, three fig trees ("I planted only one fig tree, but bird droppings after eating the figs gave us 2 more," said Johan) and 7 species of other palms, among them the Norfolk Island Pines and the Candlestick Palms. Bougainvilleas, staghorn ferns, yellow palms, thunbergia vines, periwinkle, butterfly plants and various heliconia brightened the "forest". On the ground grew cekur hitam and sambung nyawa, used as ulam with rice and supposedly good for diabetes. Birds nest ,water cabbage (crocus), monstera, caladiums (keladi) and local ginseng, together with poinsettia, geranium and the ubiquitous banana trees, ginger and pandan proliferated the garden.

Because of the quick growth of the plants and vegetation, it was a losing battle trying to keep the land free from weeds and undergrowth, explained Johan, whilst Betty was of the view that a "well maintained garden is not the way Nature grows." Though manicured lawns and neat gardens seemed to be the purview of the rich, who could afford gardeners to maintain the grounds, "somehow it is not as pleasing as Nature at its natural best," she added.

Betty should know. Back in 2000-2001, when she lived in Starseed Sanctuary, in Noonamah, on the outskirts of Darwin, her garden was one of the sites selected by the national Australian Open Garden Scheme Committee, to be showcased to the public for two weekends in 2001 and 2002, and allowed to charge an entrance fee for viewing. Said Betty: "I planned the food garden to show that an edible garden, maintained with no toxic pesticides, can be as beautiful as any ornamental garden, and myriads of paying adults came to view it."

Also grown were pecah beling (or hak meen cheong kuan in Chinese) and keladi tikus. When boiled and drunk, the pecah beling drink is reputedly good for keeping kidney stones at bay. MARDI (Malaysian Agricultural Research Development Institute) is at the moment doing research on the pecah beling and keladi tikus for cancer treatment.

"And what is this plant?" I asked, pointing to what was explained to me as the Indian borage, which was good for coughs, when boiled with water, and also used in pasta.

Sitting on the lounge chairs facing the rainforest, we also took in the flight of the burung murai, kelicap, tekucur and merbok. Johan explained that these birds dropped in on their garden in the mornings as well as late afternoon. "I think our garden is on their flight path, so they come to feed on the figs and bananas and berries here."

One of their 14 cats came up to nuzzle itself against my leg. When informed I was not partial to cats, it was shooed away. "My cats are all potty trained," and in the evening, I set up their cardboard boxes for them to sleep in," said Khadijah ,who adores her cats.

Except for some mosquitoes flitting around - but which homes in Malaysia are mosquito-free - it was a most enjoyable and constructive time. Topping up the fascinating outing was lunch at Medifoods, a vegetarian restaurant, in SS18/6, Subang Jaya.

Now,when some people complain that they do not have sufficient land in their homes to grow things, well, if Johan and Khad can do it, so can you.