Happy Birthday Roland

What a birthday bash! We had beer, durians, mangosteen, steam boat and to top it off, a birthday cake for our committee member Roland Barbosa. Can you imagine that this was only a prelude to the TableTennis match that was coming up before we had our monthly committe proper.
During the meeting, we decided and it was settled, we will purchase a second hand Table Tennis table as the demand for the game has steadily increased.
We actually had many more reasons to celebrate. Roland's promotion, the Vehicle Access System ready to be implemented on July 1st 2009, the new security company that will take over from the current (Good For Nothing) G.F.N. security company and the disposal of some items left behind for tender (that will generate income for the Management Corporation M.C. We certainly hope for the best as we plod along this path in the future. I will try to snap some photos of the new VAC - even my 17 year old girl exclaimed in wonder, "Wow Daddy, the new auto gate systems looks so posh and grand, got standard and class." That is pride, pride that every resident should feel when they pass through it. Her next question was equally interesting, "Daddy, are they going to use the same old guards or are they changing guards" For once I could smile and answer my girl, Do not worry, we hope to have guards that can match the new Vehical Access System auto gate. How is that for a start. We expect a lot of hue and cry from the free loaders who have been coming in for free during the transition period. The new security compnay will face their acid test when this happens. I hope to get some colorful videos and CCTV footage of these idiots for police reports if we need to. Anyway, we all have to push forward and press on. To all the committee member s and sub committee, my special thanks and appreciation for all your hard work and support all this while and sincerely hope that you will all continue. God Bless You All.

Think about it....

I was chit chatting with my good neighbour Lim last evening and i am glad that he shares the same sentiment like i do about Taman Lone Pine a place we call home, we both agree that where can we find in the whole of Ayer Itam a living place with a reasonable size landscaped garden with a little lake or pond you may call it and a gazebo or two to complete the landscape.

I was made to understand the current value for the high rise unit now stands in the range of RM140,000 and just recently one unit of 2nd floor walk up condo was sold for RM260,000 and in echoing the belief of Mr Chairman's, i am pretty sure that if our property can be genuinely and properly managed and with the cooperation from all the residents, we can really make Taman Lone Pine a model property, hence that will in turn boost our property value, it is not a wishful thinking and i sincerely believe we can do it.

By the way, as far as i am concerned i am glad that i am surrounded by good neighbours

First Extraordinary General Meeting 18 May 2009

Thank God! Everything went on smoothly. All three resolutions were passed. The auto barrier and CCTV system, the Car Park Awning project and the House Rules were all passed. Everyone chipped in as usual to support in any way we can. For once I can see with my own eyes the sincerity and diligence of the new Management Company. Minutes taken properly, on the spot registration and best of all the quorum was met - 66 residents with Strata Title turned up to vote and the vote was unanimous in passing all three resolutions.
I found it so interesting that some residents were so concerned that all the projects the committee wanted to do would increase their monthly maintenance.
Some asked, whose money was it that was spent to buy the weight lifting bench,the sit up bench, the dumbbells,the barbells, the table tennis table and making the new parking lots between block 22 and block 24. We are proud to say, NOT ONE CENT WAS TAKEN FROM THE RESIDENTS FUND. We chipped in for the Table Tennis Table, I gave my gym set to be shared by all residents who wish to work out in the common room, another resident gave an exercise bike for the gym, a dart board will be set up soon, the extra new parking lots were paid for by the 6 months payment upfront from residents who rented it from the new Management Committee. Carom board are on the way. Wow! Many more things to come...

Our Chairman made an appeal to all residents to assist by paying up their maintenance fee on time in order for a smooth cash flow that will lead to the effectiveness of the management of our common property. So much has been cut to ensure residents do not have to pay an increase in the maintenance fee, all that is needed is for residents to do their part by paying on time.

The best to come was a speech by Sergeant Veera from the Air Itam Police Station giving all present a talk on crime prevention as well as a warning to all the tough people and trouble makers wanna be to not threaten the security guards, the Management Company or any f the Committee Members or they will be called up and action taken against them. Please take a look at the short video clip of an interview with our Police Officer.

Once again, on behalf of the Perbadanan Pengurusan Taman Lone Pine, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all the residents who have helped in one way or another in making the EGM a success. Our special Thanks to the Chairman, Vice Chairman and the team members for their hard work, to the Management Company and any other persons whom I may have left out... God Bless Each and Every One of You.

Walk the Talk

As were happily playing table-tennis in the community hall, there came Mr Chairman sauntering in,briefly after that he showed us two pictures of a "luxury car" which was scratched on the side and there was a letter of the car owner's intention to file claim, i will not dwell on the issue of legality for i am not fit but instead what bothered me on that particular moment was the expression on Mr Chairman's face.

He looked stressed out i guess once again being bombarded with another problem, and i am 100% certain it would not be his last, most of the residents know Mr Chairman and most of the residents would always go to him with complains no matter how trivial. We might think it is indeed a dirty job being Mr Chairman in a Resident Committee, or we may even say it is all foolhardiness offering oneself to be Mr Chairman, but then again if no one wants to be a scarificial lamb,what then will happen to the place or community we all live in.

Sincerely i can feel for Mr Chairman, i truly appreciate his giving to the community, his tenacity in seeing things get done despite being obstructed by the insermountable challenges. And i am pretty sure if we are strong as one united committee, we are able to face any challenges that are ahead of us, let us not falter or let our spirit be dampened. And my appreciation too to my fellow committee members who share the same feeling like i do,that's to make our community a better place that we could live in.

The Tip of The Iceberg is Starting to Crack

A car owner threatened the Security Guard in charge that if his car is pasted with "No Parking" sign, he will beat up the guard concerned. Wow! That is fantastic! Thinking with the wrong head is the issue here. If the guard is threatened, a police report can be lodged. If the guard is beaten, then the Penal Code can be activated. All because of what? The world will be chaos if there is no systems and rules in place. Free for all is actually not free, a heavy and ugly price has to be paid in the end. I urge all the impatient and angry souls to think coolly, if you are right or wrong, would shouting and threatening help improve the situation?

Today, one of the morning shift guard has fallen sick after working 24 hours for a couple of days. Tonight an old man (replacement guard)has taken the night supervisors place.
On a brighter note. We can now see more cars without stickers parking outside and many more cars who switch around their stickers stopping to do that.

It is written, Light and Darkness cannot be together. The darkness will flee when it is exposed by the Light. We should not give up and continue to press on. We shall see some light at the end of the tunnel soon.

Can we last ?

I was telling a neigbour about me involving myself in a Resident Comittee or MC , he then asked me what was the motive that i got myself involved in the voluntarily group, happily i told him i've got no motive at all when i offered myself to be in the committee, to me it was more like a community service where i personally believe i must contribute however big or small i can to a place where i stay.

Then my friend continued telling me that most of such kind of groups of RA or MC would not last long,he cited a few reasons why he believed that one cant be too long in such kind of service, and i really wonder why?

Personally, i have high respect for my fellow committee members especially our chairman and for those who walk the talk and not talk the walk. I sincerely pray and hope that we can all share the same visions and the same goals to find the passion to strive and contribute to our community, overlooking our own self's interest.

So for the question as can we last or not? i wholeheartedly believe it is our vision that drives our passion.

P/S : I may not agree with you but then again if we share the same vision that's what exactly makes us strong.

You cannot have your cake and eat it.

We only have one choice, if you want to keep the cake then you cannot eat it, vice versa.
Our residents at Taman Lone Pine want to have good security but yet they refuse to follow set rules and regulations. Sad to say, many are self centered,focusing only on their own needs. This selfishness can be seen so clearly when they do not contribute to the community they live in but when it comes to making decision they have a lot to say.

It was so ironic, funny and yet sad, we sacked a guard that was always smelling of toddy and we also suspected the guard of committing thefts around the Taman. This guard came back and threatened the other guard supervisor with a knife. When we told this to a resident, the reply was that, why did the Management hire "Samseng" to work as guard? I guess I am not qualified to answer that question. I am only glad that we got rid of the bad apple and more incidents can be put to a stop.

A couple of days ago, a committee member found a foreign worker sleeping in the Taman's store room. We found out this was done by permission of the security supervisor. The foreign worker was immediately ejected out from the store room. An elderly resident passing by stopped and commented, "Aiyah, we already know that the guard always sleep in the store rooms since a few years back."
What baffles me is that, why did they keep silent all this while? Do they want to wait until someone is injured, raped, murdered before they start realizing that they could have been a part to make our Taman a better place but they did not and now it is too late.

Now the guard are starting to do their jobs to paste No Parking stickers on cars that have no stickers and now the residents with no car park stickers are making a fuss. They forgot how robber actually got into one of the Lone Pine Developer office house by pretending to be contractors moving house and they cut the lock of the house grill and ransacked the whole house for valuables. At that point, it is so easy to blame the security and the Management. If we look closer, if only cars with stickers with can come in, if only contractors which inform management and security can come in, then these "incidents" could have been somewhat prevented.
Soon we will be implementing the touch and go swipe card system and CCTV systems. This will be tabled in the upcoming EGM. I can only pray that the people in the Taman has the good sense to vote for it in majority so that we can go ahead and progress.