YES! FINALLY, IT’S HERE!

YES!  YES!  YES!  The DREAM, The VISION, The REALITY.

Firstly, I would like to apologise to all for my delay in updating this blog.  Anyway, better late than never, I always say.

Now for the good news.

Remember my initial postings since 2011 about the potential of Genting Tiara and that one should act quickly to own a piece of this jewel before its value appreciates by leaps and bounds?  Well, it has really happened (congratulations to those who have made themselves owners a couple of years back) and is still happening (growing number of potential home buyers who are realising the true value of this place).

Back in early 2013, with thanks to the financial co-operation of owners and the formation of a pro-tem residents’ committee and their hardwork, commitment and dedication thereafter, Genting Tiara has found its origins.  I am proud to announce herein, albeit a bit late, that Genting Tiara shall once again be known by its original name - Rainforest Sanctuary.

It seems that within a short period of less than 2 years, unbeknownst to me, quite a significant number of people have made themselves proud owners of a part of this gem.  So much so that a pro-tem committee (comprised of caring, selfless and generous Genting Tiara owners, I believe and hope) was formed in early 2013 to ‘polish’ this gem into a truly sparkling diamond.  To put it simply in layman’s terms:-

Good committee ==> proper management ==> enhances living 

  standard ==> increases asset value ==> attracts quality 

    residents ==> further increases asset value ==> continuous

      positive chain reaction.

The above illustration looks simple enough for a layman to understand because it simply IS that simple in reality.  Of course, running a place requires certain initial outlays and monthly maintenance charges.  Thankfully, it seems that all current residents of built and work-in-progress bungalows have no problem contributing to the outlays and monthly charges.  Some owners were even generous enough to contribute a minimal monthly charge even though they are holding only vacant plots.  I guess they already understand the whole concept behind my illustration well before hand.  Therefore, I hope that ALL owners of vacant plots will do the same.  The more funds that are available at the committee's disposal, the more upgrade options will be available to further enhance the living standards in Rainforest Sanctuary.

Newly painted guardhouse enhanced with newly installed
auto sliding access gates, CCTVs and manned 24 hours by security guards

Ever since the initial security upgrades were in place, interest as well as confidence in Rainforest Sanctuary grew rapidly leading to many properties being snapped up by eager potential buyers willing to pay prices which have since been escalating.

The best part is . . . . . This Is Just The Beginning.  Check out some new property developments around the area, namely the further and lower areas of Bukit Tinggi and beyond, compare their values with that of Rainforest Sanctuary and you will realise the true potential value of properties in Rainforest Sanctuary.

Till next time, hopefully soon : ) 

  

PRU13 - The Malaysian Election

It's been two days after the biggest and most anticipated General Election of Malaysia which took place on 05 May 2013.

Malaysians of ALL RACES have spoken, strange things have allegedly happened and results are out.

Some will be happy and some will be sad.  Alas, life goes on.  So is the quest for a Government that truly cares for the welfare of all the true citizens of Malaysia.

God bless Malaysia and all peace loving Malaysians!

Regards

Your fellow Malaysian

Welcoming The Snake Year 2013

Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Happy Chinese New Year!
Selamat Tahun Baru Cina!

Looking forward to more fireworks on 9th Day of CNY

Somehow I have a feeling that Malaysians have been suffering from 'holiday fatigue' with the never ending holidays from festivities since the last quarter of 2012 because the mood this Chinese New Year just isn't quite the same.  Well, perhaps it's just me.  Anyway, enjoy the holidays.  It's for everyone regardless of race or religion.

In this Chinese New Year of the Snake 2013, I wish all readers: 

"Good Fortune, Great Health & Warmest of Love Within Your Family"

Often times, 'Fortune', 'Health' and 'Love' have not been properly understood and used by many in it's truest and most basic form until it is too late.  Well, humans being imperfect, I guess we just have to keep reminding and educating each other that true, lasting happiness and wealth can only be achieved when we are able to share those three words with our family members.

Like every other Chinese New Year before this, many will be gambling and playing fireworks and  even more will be indulging in their favourite delicacies.   To those who gamble, please treat it not as a money making opportunity but as an opportunity for reunion with friends and relatives.  To those who play fireworks, play safe and consider people and properties around you.  Finally, to all who love their food, please remember that there is always another day and another time where we will get to eat our favourite foods.  So, there's really no need to push the limits of our stomach.  Stay healthy, be happy!

Tasty! Yummy! Ouch?

Happy 2013

Happy New Year to all readers!

Wow, has been a while since my last posting, having stuffed my fair share of durians into my stomach.  This coupled with the endless wedding dinners in the months of November and December 2012 certainly gave me a very prosperous start to 2013 - I now have a more prosperous waistline and even more prosperous weight.

I guess the first New Year Resolution should be to continue posting more useful and/or informative data in this blog.  Am glad to see that readership has not dropped.  I'm guessing the readers are those who are looking for a good alternative to the busy and expensive city living, and as I have initially guessed when starting this blog, prices have been moving North.  Good news for owners, bad news for buyers.  

Noticed in www.iproperty.com.my a couple of Genting Tiara bungalow lots for sale asking for above RM60 psf.  Bear in mind these lots are situated near the guardhouse, meaning they are the lowest situated lots in the vicinity, meaning if these lots successfully transact at or above RM60 psf, owners of lots on the higher grounds can look forward to even higher pricings.  Naturally, land is a scarcity and cost of land can only move up over time.

Meantime, just want to share with everyone a scene which greeted me one morning as I stepped out of the house around 8am.  Hmm, guess I don't wake up early enough every morning.  Visibility was way low (could not see the houses which were barely 200m away, but the feeling was like being in paradise and every breath taken in felt special.  Added to that a cool 23 deg Celsius (darn, how do I key in the  'o' symbol on top to replace spelling out degrees) and I really did not want to go back to the city, but I do not have that luxury of doing so as yet : )    

The Awakening!

Wow! How time flies.  Must have been too busy eating the Musang Kings and Trackas this durian season whenever I was up here in Genting Tiara.  Bad news for my waistline though. 

So, seems like more and more people are waking up to the fact that Genting Tiara is a location worth buying into.  This year alone, a couple of bungalows have already been sold.  This buying trend seemed to have started in the year 2011.  Prospective buyers visiting Genting Tiara now will find much progress compared to a couple of years back.

Hmm, wonder if my postings had played any part in influencing their decisions.  Anyway, I'm happy if they did as I sincerely put my heart into writing each and every posting and truly hope that my blog will make people realise the genuine quality of life that they may be missing, especially with all the hype on the booming Klang Valley property market the past couple of years.

Let's face it and accept one obvious fact - No matter how expensive or big or exclusive or beautiful or sophisticated a property in Klang Valley is, it is still HOT and I am not referring to Hot Selling Prices here.  Money allows us to buy anything in Klang Valley, even Love ; ) but no amount of money can bring us weather so cool and fresh, yet so easily accessible and conveniently located.

Am just lucky to have bought my place earlier, though just a year earlier.  At current prices, I would have had to fork out an extra of more than RM200K.  Well, like they say - the early bird gets the worm.

As much as I hope to get more people interested in Genting Tiara, deep down inside me is a selfish thought that this place does not see high occupancy rates so that I may fully enjoy the peace, calm and harmony of nature that should rightfully be.  Anyway, just a selfish thought.      

Durian Season Greetings

It's that time of the year again.  Yup, the durian season has begun (though not at its peak yet) as several fruit stalls in Bukit Tinggi Village can be seen selling limited species of durians.  That means having to start eating the beloved durians but also needing to pay higher prices for them.  Sigh!  The merciless economics of Demand & Supply at work as always.

The great tastes of the Musang Kings, D24s and Trackas ('Bamboo Legs' if crudely translated from its Chinese name)  lingered in my mind since I sank my teeth on them in the last durian season.  Am glad I need not wait much longer to savour the various species of durians at 'more attractive' prices.

Even at the current high prices, I can already see many people eagerly patronising the current durian stalls in Bukit Tinggi Village.  Such is the pulling power of the King of Fruits.  As more and more people from other countries who many years ago would stay far away from the strong aroma of the durian e.g Hong Kong and China, are getting attracted to this fruit, we may have to be prepared to accept the fact that future prices for superior species of this fruit are only going to go up.  Being a seasonal fruit only makes it worse.

Anyway, no amount of money is going to stop durian fans in Malaysia from enjoying this most awesome of fruit.  No other fruit can even match its popularity since years gone by.  Its awesomeness is just way too awesome.  Even the potential risk of a bad sore throat and fever (usually due to overindulgence in this fruit) will deter very few from eating it.

Below is my teaser of what's to be expected in the coming months from the fruit stalls in Bukit Tinggi Village:

A 2kg durian?

Tricked ya!

Durian fit for a hamster?

And I thought durians only fall when they are ripe.  Guess this one must have been blown off by strong wind or heavy rain.  No matter because we know, come rain or shine, nothing is going to stop all of us from emptying our wallets and rushing to any durian stall at first sight.  Proper sitting etiquettes and dining etiquettes are thrown out the window at times like these.  No matter.  Just eat it and enjoy it.

A Glimpse Of Nature's Wonder Creatures

As Genting Tiara is surrounded by rainforests, it is only natural that we expect Mother Nature's creations to be our neighbours. I shall try to 'shoot' these wonderful animals whenever possible and share with everyone once in a while some of the more common creations and some quite bizarre and rare looking ones. We should not forget that 'we' are the guests of the forest, not the animals. So, let us all learn to live together in harmony, respect each other's private space and enjoy one another's company.

In this post, I shall just show a couple of bugs that I have 'shot'. Please rest assured that no animals were harmed in the making of this post.

Firstly, we have the Cicada. From this photo, it looks like a fly but when I was 'shooting' it, it is actually quite big (about 3" long and 1" wide) and was very calm in my presence. I know I should have taken a closer shot to give you guys a better look but I guess I was afraid that it would suddenly fly onto my body. My only bodily encounter with a Cicada is the toy version where we press with our fingers to emit a tic, tac, tic, tac sound, the ones often distributed in party packs.

Next, we have this beetle, from the beetle species, I think. Don't know it's actual name, so I'll just call it Mr Beetle. Mr Beetle here was discovered by my son on our porch one afternoon. As my son is a bug lover, he immediately called to me to show me a demonstration by this animal. Seeing that it seems to have a pair of nasty looking mandibles, my son put a piece of paper in between them and immediately, the mandibles went to work making a hole on the paper. This is one of the reasons why I truly appreciate being around Mother Nature. My kids will hardly be encountering, let alone interact with these wonderful creations in city living. This is where they can learn and admire the sophistication of animal bodily functions in person instead of just watching them on television. This is where we also let our children learn to respect other living beings by peaceful interaction instead of running away scared or gruesomely ending their precious yet fragile lives with powerful foot stomps.

Unfortunately, Mr Beetle here did not live to see the next day. I feel that it was all my fault. Fearful that I might accidentally run over Mr Beetle with my car, I scooped him up with a shovel and attempted to free him onto my garden 10 feet below. I was sure it would not get hurt as the grass would cushion the fall of Mr Beetle. However, due to my carelessness, Mr Beetle had dropped onto the concrete surface of my manhole cover instead of on soft grass. I was glad to see Mr Beetle still moving after that hard landing, so thought that everything was fine. But that was not to be as I discovered it's motionless body in my drain the next day.

Therefore, I stand corrected on my opening statement. One animal was indeed accidentally harmed in the making of this post. Sorry, Mr Beetle for my intended help on you became your undoing. I shall be more careful in future. May you rest in peace in Bug Heaven.

Finally, let us enjoy the love song performed by this cricket, a song which never fails to accompany me and my family during our sleepy nights - 'Music of The Night' (Not Phantom of The Opera version)