KRT TAMAN MEGAH 2 CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL DAY OF OLDER PERSONS 2014

Just when I thought International Day of Older Persons would pass quietly and unobserved this year, I received an invitation from Ong Thiam Hiong for SeniorsAloud team to join the residents of Taman Megah Fasa 2 (TMF2) in celebrating the special day. Ong (as he prefers to be called), 67, is chairman of the TMF2 residents committee that organized the event.

The minute Kim and I arrived at the padang (field), I immediately felt this was one neighbourhood where I wouldn't mind spending my retirement years. It is easy to see why most of the house owners here are long-time residents.

The padang is the heart of KRT Taman Megah Fasa 2

When we arrived at 7.45am, the entire area was a hive of activity. There was a group of early risers doing tai-chi near the playground, and nearby was another group practising what looked like waitankung. All along the perimeter of the field were others busy brisk walking. I spotted an elderly man cycling, and a woman walking her dogs. Practically everyone was in sports or exercise outfit. The residents here obviously take their health seriously.

We are all too familiar with stories about poorly managed housing areas where security is lacking, facilities are either rundown or non-existent, and neighbours don't know one another. TMF2 is an inspiring example of how a housing area or taman should be managed. Not only is TMF2 clean and litter-free, security is commendable. Security guards man the two entrances, while surveillance cameras keep track of what's going on in the field and the surrounding areas. Not all residents are security subscribers. Those that are, pay between RM70 to RM90 as monthly security fees.

Early birds at the registration table. Everyone gets a 'door' gift of a packet of tikuanyin tea.

What struck me most was the camaraderie among the residents who attended the breakfast get-together. Everyone knew each other, if not by name, at least by recognition. The spirit of cooperation was also very strong as evident by the number of dishes the residents brought for the pot-luck breakfast, and also by the number of volunteers who stayed back after the event to clean up the place.

The guys were only too happy to help lay out the food.

Among the invited guests who addressed the residents were popular MP for Petaling Jaya Utara, Tony Pua, Selangor state assemblywoman for Damansara Utama Yeo Bee Yin, and yours truly, founder of SeniorsAloud.

MP Tony Pua says 'a few words' while TMF2 chairman Ong (right) looks on.

Some of the elderly residents and their domestic helpers. The event was an opportunity for them to meet up with their friends for a chat.

Plenty of food to feed hungry early risers at the breakfast spread, all cooked or prepared by the ladies of TMF2. Kim and Siew Lim from our SeniorsAloud team brought sandwiches and cakes. Thanks, ladies!

Good food tastes even better in good company.

MP Tony Pua and Selangor ADUN Yeo Bee Yin giving out t-shirts to the residents.

Residents aged 70 and above each received a bag of health food products donated by sponsors.

Fun time - chairman Ong (right) who was also the emcee explaining the rules of the game 'Charade'

'Can you guess who/what I am?' Attractive prizes for all who participated.

The men were more interested in discussing politics. 

A good turnout of residents to celebrate International Day of Older Persons 2014.

Post-event teamwork. While the ladies cleared the rubbish, the men cleared the heavier items, including this tent.

SeniorsAloud team members with MP Tony Pua, and ADUN Yeo Bee Yin

Chairman Ong and his committee deserve a round of applause for organizing this breakfast gathering to celebrate International Day of Older Persons. Everyone had a great time. One resident told me that Ong's committee was very hardworking and the best they had. His group of friends nodded in support. They hoped the present committee would continue serving as it was doing such an excellent job in maintaining security and good neighbourliness in Taman Megah Fasa 2.

I know from past experience how challenging it is to keep residents happy and satisfied, so I too take my hat off to Ong and his committee. KRT Taman Megah Fasa 2 has certainly set standards for other neighbourhood residents committees to emulate.

I TOOK A LITTLE TRIP TO MY HOMETOWN...

"I took a little trip to my hometown," sang Paul Anka back in 1960. That was exactly what I did last weekend. I spent the whole of Saturday morning re-visiting the old familiar streets and places that were a part of my growing up years in Batu Pahat.

I left town after completing my Form 5 at Temenggong Ibrahim Girls School in 1964. Since then I have returned only occasionally. My last visit was in September 2008. Batu Pahat has changed tremendously over the years, generally for the better.

On my sister's advice, I took the KKKL bus from Bandar Tasik Selatan, Kuala Lumpur. The fare was only RM20, cheaper if you ask for senior discount. The journey was pleasant and took only three hours with a short toilet break mid-way. The bus stops at the terminal above. If you plan to travel back to KL by bus, do take note of the schedule while you are at the terminal. Just inquire at the KKKL ticket counter.

One of the first places on my must-visit list was TIGS, my alma mater. I spent about 30 minutes on Friday evening photographing the old block where my Form 4-5 classrooms were. You can view the pictures in my previous post.

The town bus service runs at half-hourly intervals. Quite reliable and cheap. This old bus is testimony of the durability of Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Note the sliding glass windows. 

The inside of the bus. Note the wooden floor panels and the seats from a bygone era. That's my sister cum tour guide.

My walkabout began with Jalan Rahmat, the town's main road. It is now a one-way street. Not much traffic at this early hour before the shops open. There's even a one-stop computer centre on the right. BP is modernizing.

My sister is standing in front of the shop-house where my siblings and I grew up. It used to house a beauty salon which my mother operated, and my aunt's tailoring shop on the ground floor. We lived upstairs. The corner unit was a hotel cum coffee shop. I recall watching Fijian soldiers in the 1950s drinking beer on their night off and dancing to music from the jukebox. They came from the army barracks along Jalan Tanjung Laboh during the colonial days. I still remember Queen Elisabeth's coronation celebrations in 1953, and the day black and white TV came to town in 1964.

I can't believe the old signboard for our shop-house is still there!
It says 'Golden Star'. Everyone in BP knows the shop. 
My mother started the hair-salon and bridal gown rental business
in 1948, the year I was born.

Sing Ah Book store is still there. Many of these shop-houses were protected by the Rent Control Act till it was repealed in 2000. In the 1960s, my mother paid less than 100 dollars in monthly rental for her shop-house along the main road, Jalan Rahmat. Now rentals can reach as high as RM8000 or more. 

The dollar was the currency used before independence. I still have these notes in various denominations.

The Chinese Chamber of Commerce built in 1931. It was THE place to hold social functions in the old days. A number of my relatives held their wedding ceremony and dinner here. 

Still standing - the Post Office. Building materials in the old days were probably of better quality, as was the workmanship.

This is the first and only shop I know that sells firearms. Frank Tan must be doing well to have remained in business since 1926! Wonder who the customers are, and what they want firearms for. 

One of the streets off Jalan Rahmat with many of my favourite makan places, including Ah See wantan noodles shop. 

The Kwong Shiew Association building. Another BP landmark in Jalan Jenang where I would watch lion dances and Chinese operas during festivals.

Odeon cinema used to be here. Cineplexes and VCDs sounded the death knell for the big cinemas. Many of them were converted to bargain stores like this one above. Movie tickets in the early 1960s cost only 40 cent, and for matinees only 25 cents. It was free seating. We reserved seats for our friends by tying handkerchiefs around the arm-rest of the seats.

The government house in Jalan Sultanah where my first child was born has been demolished to be replaced with this restaurant with the strange name 'Mee Racun' or Poison Noodles. Apparently, this recipe is unique to Batu Pahat.

The current school building bears absolutely no resemblance to Ai Chun Chinese school where I attended kindergarten in 1953. (see below)

Ai Chun School as I remember it during my school days.
(Photo from http://onlytigersden.wordpress.com/2011/08/05/batu-pahat-old-photos-part-1/)

These abandoned shop-houses stand out like a sore thumb amid the newly renovated ones in the town centre. Must be due to either legal or financial issues.

In the old days it took courage to walk along back lanes like this
one because of the smell emanating from the buckets of night soil!

How can I forget this row of dilapidated houses? That's where I had my first kiss - an innocent peck on the cheek from a boy that I liked very much then.

Shops like this one will soon be a faded memory as progress envelopes the town, and people prefer to shop at the malls that offer everything under one roof.

One of the last surviving repair shops. The 70-year old shop owner is self-taught. He claims he can fix anything from a typewriter to a washing machine. Amazing!

A trip to the morning market is a must. One can find all sorts of interesting wares here besides cheap clothes. There's a flea market here too.

At the vegetable stall. The prices are unbelievable. For only RM10, it is possible to buy enough food to cook a decent meal for the whole family. 

The wet market is still in the same location. Here's where you can buy fish, chicken, beef and mutton as well as vegetables.

You would be forgiven if you think my sister is walking towards the public toilet hidden behind these walls.

Behind those walls lies the pork section of the wet market exactly as I remember it in my school days. The pork sellers would wrap the meat in leaves and tie it with hemp strings. We didn't have plastic bags or raffia strings in those days.

Windows with wooden shutters and beautifully painted tiles are typical features of pre-war Peranakan shop-houses.

As a child, I would buy biscuits sold in mom and pop provision shops like this one. The price was according to the weight in katis and tahils.

I just had to take a picture of this vendor with his multi-container of nuts. I bought a  small packet of steamed chick peas for only RM1. In KL, it would have cost me double.

BP's iconic cendol stall boasts an original recipe dating back to the 1950s.

Love those prices. One good reason to return to my hometown more often. (Below) Batu Pahat is also well-known for its biscuits. Hup Seng and Hwa Tai biscuit factories are located here.

By the way, here are some prodigal sons of Batu Pahat that you will probably recognize. Clockwise: Tony Pua, Vincent Tan, Chua Soi Lek and Lim Kit Siang. Have I left out anyone famous or infamous?

My trip back to Batu Pahat reminded me of one of my favourite Beatles songs "In My Life". It was in BP that I spent the best years of my life, made the best childhood friends, and fell in love for the first time. There are people and places I will never forget, and I shall return again and again to visit old familiar places and dearly-loved friends. These are fond memories that will remain forever in my life.