Kagape - Harvest festival comes to Kajang

The Holy Family Church Kajang celebrated the Kagape which is the short form of the various names of the harvest festival in Sabah, Sarawak and Indonesia. The name is taken from Kaamatan (Sabah), Gawai (Sarawak) and Penin (Indonesia). This is hosted at the Kuala Lumpur Archdiocese level.

This year, the celebration was held on Sunday, 10 July 2011. The festival started with a Community Mass at 10am followed by a whole day of celebration.

The Guests of Honor for the day was His Grace Archbishop Murphy Pakiam and Kajang Assemblyman YB Lee Kim Sin (Cikgu Lee).

A number of activities were held during the day which included cultural dances and shows. There were also a number of performances by various groups. An exhibition area to highlight the culture of Sabah and Sarawak was also put up.

Many stalls were set up serving traditional food from Sabah, Sarawak and Indonesia as well as local favorites.

A lucky draw was also held and for the young, many games and activities for the young were also held.

A notice board showing the various activities for the day

An exhibition area

Some of the cultural exhibits

Another view of the exhibition area

Games for the young

Children enjoyed the various games available

A view of the stage (not so clear)

Some of the crowd

Crowd watching the activities on stage

Another view of the stage and crowd

Stall selling food and souvenirs

All types of delicious food

Stall selling religious items

Drinks stall

Refreshing ice kacang stall

It was also very heartening to see many people turning up in their traditional costumes. The attendance of quite large and the place was busy almost the whole day. It was a celebration for those from Sabah, Sarawak and Indonesia. At least they were able to celebrate this important festival away from home. The large attendance by the local community was also very encouraging as it was also an eye opener for many and the chance to celebrate together with those from Sabah, Sarawak and Indonesia.

Kudos to the organisers who had worked really hard to make this a success.

Until the next time, cheers.

Calls for takeover of solid waste collection service

The Star also reported today about this matter which was brought up by our Cikgu Lee at the Selangor State Assembly. I am sure we all feel the same way in this matter. It does not matter which party is in Government. They must serve the rakyat first. We must keep bringing up these issues until they are properly dealt with.

Until the next time, cheers.

The Star, Wednesday, 13 July 2011

Calls for takeover of solid waste collection service

THE Selangor Government has been urged to take over the domestic solid waste collection service from Alam Flora.

Lee Kim Sin (PR-Kajang) made the call during the debate session after expressing his dissatisfaction over the waste collection service provided by the agency.

While applauding the state’s move to take over the maintenance and grass cutting service from Alam Flora beginning this month, Lee said the state should seriously consider terminating Alam Flora’s contract.

“Alam Flora has failed in providing an efficient service, especially in my constituency,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, state local government chairman Ronnie Liu said the poor service offered by Alam Flora had led to the state’s decision to stop the company from providing maintenance service to various local authorites in the state.

He said the local authorities had been flooded with complaints of inefficient service from Alam Flora.

“The state has issued a directive to all the local authorities in the state asking them to take over the service from Alam Flora effective this month.

“This was done in order to ensure ratepayers get better service and to cut operation costs,’’ he said in his reply to Datuk Johan Abdullah (BN-Semenyih) on why the services had been taken over by the local authorities.

By hiring their own contractors, Liu said the local authorites were able to save on the commission that had been paid to Alam Flora in the past.

Under the owner-operator concept, he said the local authorites would be able to save more money.

“We have asked the local authorites to ensure the contracts are awarded only to those who carry out the job themselves and not pass it on to a third party.

“We do not want sub-contractors to come into the picture at the expense of the ratepayers who end up receiving sub-standard service,’’ he said.

Poor upkeep of facilities Kajang badly needs more parks and fields

This letter was written by Dr Tan Eng Bee and appeared in The Star on Wednesday, 13 July 2011. I think he has written well and probably the matters brought up are also in the minds of many Kajang residents.

Until the next time, cheers.

Letters to The Star - Wednesday, 13 July 2011

Poor upkeep of facilities Kajang badly needs more parks and fields

I WAS born, bred and educated in Kajang, a town not too far away from commercial Kuala Lumpur, our capital Putrajaya, and only 30 minutes from KLIA.

Kajang is an interesting town as it has among the highest concentration of private and public colleges and universities in and around the town.

It is growing in terms of student population.

Strategically located in the ‘Golden Triangle’ of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and KLIA, Kajang has played a significant role as a residential and meeting place for businessmen, students and visitors.

Surely the authorities ought to be paying special attention to ensure proper amenities and infrastructure for Kajang to improve the movement of people, goods and services in an orderly and speedy manner.

But in the midst of massive residential development taking place, public amenities are sadly missing.

The upkeep of the town and infrastructure can be further improved with more parks, playgrounds and fields.

The few we have right now are simply inadequate to meet the needs of the residents.

Stadium Kajang which had its wall torn down not too long ago has more often been occupied by tent stalls selling food and drinks, clothing and domestic goods.

This defeats its intended purpose as a recreation place for people to exercise or just to take their evening walk around the tracks.

In fact, Kajang has not created more parks and fields for its inhabitants except existing ones which are too small to cater to the needs of the population.

It is time for MPKj to consider designating more space as parks and playing fields while more residential areas are being developed to cater for the growing population moving into Kajang.

Kajang is too concrete and it is time to shed that image for more trees to be planted and the creation of parks and playground.

One of the most jammed places is Jalan Besar as buses and taxis stop to pick and drop passengers.

I cannot understand how the main bus station could be located along this busy road where thousands of cars literally plied to and fro from Jalan Besar throughout the day.

With the pending MRT running from Sg Buloh to Kajang, and which, will run through Jalan Besar according to the masterplan, I am afraid congestion will escalate further. Relocation of this bus station in the heart of the town should be considered and a viable place elsewhere should be looked into without delay.

Jalan Bukit is another congested area as the train station is situated along a busy route, thus creating a massive movement of people.

Traffic police should be deployed to disperse the traffic.

Another concern is the cutting down of trees indiscriminately in many residential areas when a mere trimming of the branches should be the order of the day.

Trees provide shade; give us a touch of greenery and a cooling effect on the environment.

Impose strict rules pertaining to the cutting down of trees without valid reasons.

On the other hand, do consider whether the two existing wet markets, one in Kajang town and the other in Sungei Chua are able to meet the needs of the people as in most days these two markets are filled with people and there are obviously limited parking space for cars.

I strongly believe Kajang can be transformed into a ‘Garden of Eden’ as ratepayers are contributing millions annually to MPKj’s coffers and this money ought to be spent wisely on improving the infrastructure and the housekeeping of the entire town.

DR TAN ENG BEE
Kajang

Harvest festival celebration in Kajang

The Harvest Festival also known as Kaamatan in Sabah, Gawai in Sarawak & Panen in Indonesia (KAGAPE) is an annual festival organized by the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur.  This year, the festival will be held in Holy Family Church, Kajang.  Details as follows :

Date :     Sunday, 10th July 2011

Time :
10 a.m.   -   Mass
2 p.m.    -   Performances

For first-time house buyers

The Star's article mentioned about affortable housing to be be built in Selangor. The state will launch about 1,000 units but only 124 in Bandar Baru Bangi. The country needs a lot more of these houses and hope more efforts will be made, not just lip service.

Until the next time, cheers.

The Star, Thursday, 7 July 2011

For first-time house buyers

THE Selangor government is targetting to launch the construction of about 1,000 units of affordable homes this year for first-time house buyers.

The project, undertaken by Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor (PKNS) started with the launch of 124 units in Bandar Baru Bangi last month.

PKNS will then move on to construct 440 apartment units in Kampung Seri Temenggung, Gombak, 150 units at U12 Shah Alam and 300 townhouses in Kota Puteri (formerly called Batu Arang) in Kuala Selangor.

Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said the state has been carrying out discussions since 2009 on affordable homes in place of low-cost or medium-cost flats.

“We want to provide three-room homes for families with all the amenities and proper infrastructure for comfort.

“The pricing for affordable homes in the state will be below RM120,000. It is a tall order but we are confident it can be delivered,” said Khalid during the launch of the Selangor Affordable Homes Seminar 2011 at the Shah Alam Convention Centre.

He added that while the Federal Government’s own affordable homes project were outsourced to contract companies, the state’s project was different.

“For one, the state’s power is over land matters where we can take control of land allocation and planning. So we will be closely involved,” he said.

Khalid also said the affordable homes registration was open to first-time house buyers and low-income group families and the Selangor Housing and Property Board would have a database for verification of those who were eligible.

“Priority will be for those without a house,” said Khalid.

Selangor State Housing, Building Development and Squatters Com­mittee chairman Iskandar Abdul Samad said those earning within the middle income bracket had been left out of opportunities to buy a suitable home.

“This is why we are focusing on those earning between RM2,500 and RM5,000.

“Small, narrow homes can be the cause of social problems which is why the state has thought since a long time back about the need to upgrade low-cost units into affordable homes.

“We are building a community and not just another building. These homes will also be built in ‘fair’ locations — not near treatment plants or substation,” said Iskandar.

He added that the state also acknowledged that there would be people who would probably never be able to buy a house and hence the number of council homes would be increased to accommodate them.

Iskandar said the state was actively seeking other developers to develop more affordable homes.

“We are also open in the sense that if there is no demand for low-cost flats in the area, we will relook at options including building affordable homes in lieu of the low-cost,” he said.

Selangor Housing and Property Board chief executive officer Datin Paduka Alinah Ahmad said the Board will be doing the checks and verifications for only genuine buyers who meet the criteria of the affordable homes.

“The individual has to be a first-time buyer. We also allow a low-cost house owner who has been staying in that unit for over five years but wish to move into more comfortable premises to purchase the affordable home.

“Husband-and-wife who do not own any house in Selangor are also eligible, and so are individuals who have family commitments,” said Alinah.

She said buyers would be required to sign a pledge not to rent out or sell within the first five years.

“We will also get their immediate neighbours to inform us if the unit has been misused,” said Alinah.

The state is targetting those within the RM2,500 to RM5,000 income group aged 35 and below, while the Federal Government’s projects are meant for those earning RM3,000 and RM6,000.

A study is being carried out to assess the actual level of affordability among Selangor residents, developers, and financial institutions.

Once the study is completed by end of November, it will determine the homes’ pricing and set a blueprint for the state’s housing policy by 2012.

For now, these affordable homes should be built between 850 sq ft and 1,000 sq ft and to be sold within the range of RM85,000 to RM120,000.

PKNS has also proposed several locations where 11,000 units of these affordable homes will be built.

They are in Antara Gapi and Bernam Jaya in Hulu Selangor, Gombak, Petaling, Bandar Baru Bangi and Taman Sains Selangor 2 in Sepang.

Restoran Min Kee in Broga

My friend GD has been talking about this restaurant for so long. I remember going there once with him a long time ago. We had the chance to visit Broga recently and so had to go and eat there.

The front of the restaurant

As GD told me their hokkien mee is good, we just had to order this. Unfortunately, it came first. It was good but a little too sweet for me. In fact, most of dishes were sweet. The mee had a lot of lard which made it nice. By the time I was done with this dish, I was already more than half full. So, it was a bad idea to start with this.

Hokkien mee

The stuffed braised duck is the house speciality and one has to make reservation at least a day ahead. I must say that this dish is good. The stuffing had a number of things (treasures) including mushrooms, nuts and vegetables.

Braised duck (house speciality)

From the stuff duck

As we ordered too much food, we had to "ta pau" the braised pork trotters.

Braised pork trotters

We bought a Guinea fowl (see visit to ostrich farm) and had the chef steam it chinese style. The taste of the meat was very nice but as the bird was very lean, it does not have much fat (how I like it).

The steamed Guines fowl

We had this pucuk paku which was very nice. We also ordered another vegetable. The portions were huge.

Pucuk vegetable

A type of choy sam

Overall a nice meal, the bill came to about RM 160.

Until the next time, cheers.

A short trip to Broga

We have not visited Broga for quite some time and since it was the school holiday, we went there one evening. Located after Semenyih town, the place is now getting popular with visitors coming here for the food and to enjoy the greenaries. For a small town, there are many restaurants and bus loads of visitors come here especially during the weekends. The town is also popular with hikers and runners like the hash house harriers.

The town is also nearby to Nottingham University and the general location now is developing very fast.

When you reach the town, the largest place is the Chinese temple. Apparently a lot of people come here to ask for 4D and lottery numbers. I was surprised to also see a huge park built beside the temple. It is massive and look impressive. It has a large statue of the monkey god and a large suspended bridge.

The Chinese temple

Another view of the temple

The park next to the temple

The huge monkey god statue

Another view of the park

The hills surrounding Broga provides a very pleasant view.

A little hazy though

A bonzai garden

More greenaries

Restaurant in a fish pond

Near the town, there are a number of fish ponds which rears tilapia. A number of these ponds also allow fishing (with a charge) and have a small restaurant selling the fish. This particular one cooks the fish in a foil in various types. I have eaten here quite a few years ago and it's actually quite good. Gotta come back again soon.

The ponds are full of tilapia fish

The fish being cooked in foil

The Broga town is actually made up of a few shops only. Most people here tap rubber. So, it's actually a very quaint town but becoming touristy as the locals are starting to see the money from visitors.

View of some shops

Runners after completing their run

More view of the town

So, if you have some time during the weekend, it is a pleasant drive, enjoy the small town life and have some nice inexpensive food. What more do we want?

Until the next time, cheers.

Ostrich farm in Sungai Lallang, Semenyih

We were invited to visit an Ostrich farm located in Sungai Lallang near Semenyih. It is in the vicinity of the Nirwana Memorial Park. This farm has been around for sometime already but it is our first visit there.

With such a name, there would surely be ostriches around and there were quite a few. The owner also breeds these huge birds. However, due to the weather, a lot of them had shed their feathers. They looked really funny without feathers, very much like huge frozen turkeys.

The ostriches are very curious animals. They will come up close and observe you and even follow you around.  It was rather funny to have a few of these birds tagging along and watching what you are doing.

Quite a number of ostriches at the farm

They are a curious lot and follow you too

Apart from ostriches, the farm has a few other types of birds and animals. So, it was a treat for the kids. Amongst the birds, there were peacocks, jungle fowls, Guines fowls, pheasants and geese. Other animals included a monkey, a goat, a reindeer and fishes.

There were peacocks

Guinea fowls and wild chickens

A mixed Guinea fowl up close

Majestic peacock

A number of geese

Jungle fowls

The farm is also breeding Guinea fowls, so there are quite a number of baby chicks. There were also incubators and eggs. The owner gave us a tour and explained the process which was very educational. One can see his passion for this and he was also very experienced learning from past practises and mistakes.

Baby Guines fowls

Baby chicks just hatched

Getting out of its shell

Day old chicks

Very cute

The farm also had a number of fruit trees and vegetables. There were also berries.

There were berries also

A view of the farm

Another view

We bought a frozen Guinea fowl to taste how these birds taste. Apparently they are very similar to pheasants and the Europeans and Africans love this meat. It is not cheap as you need to learn a lot to rear them.

A frozen Guinea fowl ready for dinner

The farm also breeds different birds for the pet shop market. No wonder, we can see all these birds at the pet shops.

It was an educational and entertaining evening for the kids. By the way, the park is open to public but there is a charge to get in. If you and your family have some time, it may be worth your while to check this place.

Until the next time, cheers.