Category: All Things Malaysia

Dish of Discontent

The Astro parabolic dish was installed on the outer wall of my apartment because there is a direct line of sight to the satellite from there. My neighbours whose apartments are obstructed had to find other ideal locations.

The building manager refused to allow the dishes to be sited at the rooftop. They designated a couple of places where these dishes can be placed, namely at the sixth floor of the car park building annex. This is a sensible move since the dishes will not be installed in a haphazard manner.

Those staying at the higher floors had to fork out extra money to run their cables from their apartments to the sixth floor annex. That is in addition to the RM100 installation charges. Most do not have a problem with this arrangement.

However, what I cannot swallow is that the building manager is practicing double standards. The above image is proof. They had allowed that particular parabolic dish to be installed without question. They hold the key to the rooftop exclusively. When confronted with the evidence they feigned ignorance and made no effort in demanding that that offending device be removed.

Feudalism in the Modern Age

Instead of doing something that will benefit all apartment owners and residents here, the developer cum building manager have allocated two lots of parking bays at the common area for themselves. To add insult to injury, they even have the impudence to build collapsible barriers to prevent others from parking there.

Unless I have missed out something, my understanding of a common area is that it should not be for the exclusive use of certain parties only but for the utilisation of all the apartment owners. After all, the quit rent for the premises within the fenced compound are being paid for from the management fund. Each apartment has to contribute RM90 monthly into the management fund towards the upkeep of the common area.

The Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang (MPPP) is unable to do anything because according to them that is not within the ambit of their authority. The building manager ignores our repeated complaints. Staying here is like living during the feudal times. We are at the mercy of the building manager who does everything to their own whims and fancies.

Early Morning Alarm


Night panorama from my window – 0411hrs.

It is common to hear the wailing of sirens here. The apartments are close to the main road of Jalan Bukit Gambir. After six years, I have gotten used to it. It does not bother me much. But this morning, one after another came blaring. The first thing that crossed my mind was something big must be happening.

Still groggy from sleep, I listened, my eyes closed. That sounded more like the sirens of a fire engine than an ambulance. It was getting too close for comfort. With the ineffective security guards here, I thought I better get up to see what the situation was. I did not want to be caught dead with only a sarong and nothing else should I need to evacuate. I groped in the darkness and finally got onto my wheelchair.

Looking out the window, I saw the flashing blue and red of a fire engine racing into the Taman Pekaka housing estate. It then made a left turn and stopped at the five storey flats. It was quite a distance from where I was and I could not see very clearly in the darkness. I looked at the clock. It was already 0400. Since I was already up, I thought it was a good idea to snap a few shots of the night panorama. The fire engines left a while later. It must have been a minor fire only. I went back to bed and woke up at 1100 this morning.