Falling Trees - We tried but the trees were just too heavy :(

The RA have already submitted a friendly request to the developer for their kind assistance to rectify this issue. More than a couple of trees along TMP 2A have been uprooted recently due to strong winds and some even falling beyond the boundary damaging the barb wire.

We did what we could to try and straighten the trees and to straighten with some wooden supports. Though some improvements were achieved it will be obviously better to either replace these trees or to properly support them the next time round.

Resident Associations' (Resident Support and Community Centre)

Above are pictures showing the rental property in Taman Mutiara Puchong just acquired to house the new property management company's staff (Khong Jaafar Sdn Bhd) and the office to act as the resident support and community centre.
The RA would like to thank the committee members for pulling together in making this happen considering the short notice given by the developer to get things organised for the betterment of all residentsin TMP. I sincerely hope every single resident in Taman Mutiara Puchong realise and appreciate all the effort put in by all the committee members/residents.
Special thanks also goes to all the committee members whom have donated the various items needed to furnish the said office with kind donations of the following items to kick start a new beginning in TMP:

1.Furniture-tables with drawers (4 units),cupboards
2.Stand fan
3.Aircond (1 HP)
4.Photocopying machine
5.Fax machine
6.Signages for the resident association (coming soon thanks to Mr.Hew)
7.1 month rental deposit to the landlord (special thanks also to Ms.Janice for giving the RA some time to come up with the balance for the security deposit).

The RA would appreciate it if more residents could come forward to donate in kind to assist in keeping costs down,by donating we do not mean cash but something that we can use like for example the following:

1.A4 paper
2.Fax paper
3.Stationery etc
4.Potted plants to make the office more inhabitable
5.Garbage bin
6.Whatever you can think of that will be useful

As there are 400 residents altogether it would mean more if more residents come forward and be a part of the RA. The RA is formed by residents for residents and everything done to date is for everyone in Taman Mutiara Puchong whether a resident is the owner or a tenant.

To all the other residents in Taman Mutiara Puchong that have apprehension, suspicion, negativity coming from influence of others without justifiable cause etc then please heed my personal advice, do not stir up unnecessarily issues that do not benefit the majority of all the peaceful, friendly and committed residents whom are genuine in looking after their beloved home (ensuring peace and security for all their family members esp children).

I have personally worked with the RA committee members and trust me when I say they are a group of people that are not stingy, selfish or have intention/s for personal gain. This I know for a fact as they in their personal capacity are all very successful individuals whom have in fact contributed more than anyone else in this community whether it is by volunteering their home for all the previous RA meetings, providing refreshments etc, sharing resources out of their own pockets and much more.

To the minority of a handful of residents whom are unhappy with the newly enacted maintenance fee of RM 100, my simple advice is to look at all the information provided to date and at the same time look in totality of the costs involved in managing the entire taman comprising a total of 504 units. Keyword here is managing which includes not only the security but also the cleanliness,maintenance of the boomgate system,guardhouse amenities,perimeter wall structure (metal grill will rust, brick and mortar will crack) and will need repair one day very soon,upgrade and enhancement of current facilities available in the park especially the basketball court and possibly the badminton courts and many more which I may not have thought of right now.

Be realistic and be practical just like you were when you first decided to buy into a gated and guarded housing development. Why buy into a gated and guarded housing when RM 100 is a problem? How much do your friends pay for maintenance living in condominiums or apartments? Definitely more than RM 150 per month right! So what is the problem here?

Many of you readers/residents would be asking now why am I reiterating or justifying again well simple, because I am now standing firm and to inform all that as a resident in TMP and who is concern of the well being of this community well after I am long gone and retired, probably to another country :) is think about the future for your children or to your old folks or even yourself as to how you would want Taman Mutiara Puchong to be? Sustainable security, peace and beautiful environment or otherwise?

We have a handful of residents adamant about only paying RM 50, honestly I do not know where these people come from and whether they know how to do additions or subtractions.....yes this is the amount the developer initially impose at the very beginning but this is just purely for security only and nothing else becauseeeeeee.......at that point in time it would be a fair price to impose as they were still developing the place and the costs of everything else were not factored in.......I am not going to reiterate what other costs as I am also tired of repeating myself again like a talking parrot.

RM 50 X 400 units now = RM 20,000 and this amount just enough to cover the cost of security but that is if assuming 100% collection is achieved. So can you imagine what kind of funding all of us will have if this was the scenario? Yesssss you guessed correctly, no money to repair anything or to improve anything at all.....!!! Bottom line no money....and then what? Fundraising all year round? You got time? As it is only a handful of people willing to do so out of 400 odd residents so you can imagine the scenario by then. And what do you think the handful of residents whom are so adamant of only paying RM 50 will be saying then? Probably again blaming others why they did not think of setting the fee higher or maybe they would just pack their bags and run.........away from the problem rather than be constructive and solve it.

The AGM was held the majority voted and a new era has begun hence let us start by looking at what we all can do to be better and the rest will follow. To those that will continue to harp and bitch about blah, blah, blah............well my advice is to shut up and get on with it. You are not special, you are not privileged and I am absolutely sure you are not one of a kind hence do the maths and do good not for me but for all closest to you, asoneh your family and your children and most important their future in ensuring PEACE, SECURITY AND SUSTAINABILITY in TMP.

"DO NOT DO UNTO OTHERS WHAT YOU WILL NOT DO TO YOURSELF"

"ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS"

"WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND"

"LOSERS NEVER WIN, WINNERS NEVER LOSE"

"TALK IS CHEAP"

"IF YOU FAIL TO PLAN YOU PLAN TO FAIL"

Newsflash TMP RA.......Latest UPDATES!!!

Another milestone achieved as the RA have confirmed the appointment of Khong Jaafar as the property manager for Taman Mutiara Puchong starting from 1st April 2008 as planned without delay (phew!!!) Please visit KHONG JAAFAR for more information :)

It is also official that the RA have secured a rental premise to house the property management company's staff and at the same time will act as the resident support and community centre. The said address of the premise is located at:

Residents' Association Taman Mutiara Puchong
(Resident Support and Community Centre)
No.60, Jalan TMP 4
Taman Mutiara Puchong
Puchong 47100, Selangor.

More information will be provided this coming weekend when the RA will perform another maildrop exercise between 29th - 30th March 2008 (Sat/Sun). This information dissemination exercise is to inform all residents in TMP the minutes of the recently concluded AGM (held 16th March 2008).

The RA wanted to carry out this exercise earlier but was unable to due to too many things that needed to be resolved (appointment of new property management company and sourcing of rental property) etc etc etc.

Please take the time to read the contents if you happen to be one of the residents who did not attend the said AGM as the information is vital for all that is in the dark pertaining the said new maintenance fee of RM 100 per month. A costing breakdown will also be distributed in this maildrop exercise justifying the need of RM 100 per household per month specifically detailing each item. To all tenants in TMP please kindly pass the said maildrop contents to your LANDLORD and please inform them of the new RM 100 maintenence fee and where to make payment etc.

Proof of majority vote supporting the RM 100 maintenance fee is also available with percentage breakdown given and this information is already available in earlier post in this blog. Such an exercise is still necessary although again costing the said RA additional and unnecessary expenditure i.e. 400 houses X (5 pages AGM minutes + 2 pages RA letter + 1 page costing breakdown) totalling 3200 pieces of paper required,from our own pockets again :( and not to mention volunteers time.

Believe it or not we have residents complaining that they were not informed of the said AGM and hence did not attend and then complain RM 100 is too expensive without understanding the costing etc. Just for all our readers and residents knowledge the RA did inform residents by using the following methods of communication:

1. Maildrop - Flyer notifying the AGM date,time and venue
2. Banner (2 Pcs hung near the guardhouse and corner unit of TMP 2)
3. SMS
4. Blog
5. Community notice board

Additional ( I left out these 2 items.....old liao need to eat more Omega eggs).

As commented by Dr.Kuang, arigato gozaimas for mentioning.

6. Email
7. Calls to owners

Be duly notified that the commencement of the said maintenance fee of RM 100 is payable starting this April 2008 and by the 7th of each month. Payment can be made monthly,quaterly or yearly and to be paid at the Residents' Association office mentioned above to the property manager on duty (Khong Jaafar) located in the office.

All payment will be issued receipts and if payments made via direct banking into cash deposits or cheque deposits then please provide copy of bank in slips with unit address, owners name and contact number to be faxed to us or hand deliver to the above address. (Fax number will be provided once telephone line installed).

Payment to be made to:

Persatuan Penduduk Taman Mutiara Puchong
Public Bank Account No: 314-7455-735

The RA will also look into opening a Maybank account soonest possible (Maybank asking for 2K to open account) so will hold for the meantime. I know Maybank is much more convenient as it is located just opposite Tesco.....what to do they want 2K to open an account, so we all have to wait until we have sufficient funds to do so.

Please do your part to ensure you play the role of a responsible resident owner in TMP. It will be ideal for the majority to contribute the said maintenance fee of RM 100 and it will be great if we can achieve above 80% collection. This will ensure that TMP will have sustainable funds to preserve/enhance the quality of security as well as to ensure proper maintenance of all amenities and common areas well into the future.

And if you are wondering what if some owners do not pay? Well simple, read the DMC as it is mentioned that there will be penalties imposed for defaulters and action will be taken. I do not want to mention anything for now but measures will be put in place to ensure that owners whom are supportive will be differentiated and more privileged :)

More good news will come your way as the RA will be moving forward to organize more social activities for the young and old, this is possible now as we do not have to wait for the local council to install additional lighting in central park for this purpose (already waited too long after more than 2 letters written to MPSJ). The resident and community support centre has sufficient space to accomodate and it is mcuh easier to install additional lighting.

Of course the RA will continue to pursue MPSJ to install the additional lighting but do not expect delivery to be soon. More news to come.................

RA CHAIRMAN - Post AGM Reflection

Just click on the above images to enlarge so that the contents are visible and readable :)

Just a note that the Chairman's message is to address the reality of the impact the handover process has on all owners in TMP. I believe many owners in TMP do not realize the meaning of "Handover" and the many implications that comes with the process and this could be due to many reasons:
1. Not reading the Sale and Purchase Agreement and the Deed Of Mutual Covenant to understand the process of before and after handover implications to the derivation of maintenance fees base on current realtime costing.
2. Too busy with work hence an excuse not to know.
3. Could not be bothered due to being a advocate of "Four Wall Syndrome", living in the confines of the house and not bothered with happenings beyond their premise.
4. Do not have access to information (well another common excuse due to lack of initiatives) very common mentality we have come to accept but again not a valid excuse as many initiatives have been put in place to minimise this expected attitude of owners (blog,email, sms - at the cost of volunteers willing and able to contribute their time and invest for a common cause).
5. Not reading the flyers the RA have distributed by maildrop and taken the trouble to offer also in Mandarin version to accomodate many non english educated residents (take note maildrops are done by a handfull of RA committee members and these individuals all have fulltime jobs just like you).
6. Owners who like to talk but do not like to do the work, another common problem we face but manageable as we all know actions speaks volumes and are louder than words.
7. Owners that like to complain because they simply do not take the time to invest to get the real facts and information readily available before they jump to their personal conclusion/s.
8. Free loaders who wants to enjoy the facilities of a gated and guarded concept but do not want to pay for it.(Can afford to buy RM 350K ++ house but complain maintenance to expensive.....?????) and justifiable realistic costs!!! Defies logic just like levitation defying gravity. No sense in common sense......here I am absolutely baffled.
9. Trouble makers just for the hell of it, the theory here is the law of opposites. You will have law abiders and law breakers.
10. Could not care less mentality or the whole world is against me kinda of attitude. Blame everyone and everything except themselves.

Honestly I can go on and on and on but I guess I have better things to do than spend a lot more time trying to understand the un-understandable....hahaha creating my own word now (should post this word to wikipedia).

The RA already anticipated that there will be this group of people (minority) from the word go as this is common and experiences many of our friends whom have tasted of a gated and guarded concept of living have shared. We have heard of stories in more affluent housing area like Bandar Utama having residents not contributing to the security scheme the RA have set up and many more similar cases all over. The most common are from apartment dwellers.

The RA in TMP do not expect 100% collection but with realistic objectives of communicating to the majority that the maintenance fee set is for the betterment of all to achieve sustainable finance to maintain and upkeep all facilities and possibly maybe even enhance if there is additional funds available. The key word here is sustainable hence careful considerations have been taken into account when the costing was being drafted.

Foresight is important here hence maybe in this area many owners do not see the implications of not having sufficient collection will do to the quality of life many have bought into (gated and guarded) i.e. repair and maintenance of common facilities like boomgate, guardhouse,fencing,landscaping,park facilities etc. Some of these common area facilities are covered by local auntorities but in most cases relying on ourselves is the better option as delivery will be much more efficient due to many reasons I am sure you can conclude.

There could also be costs I am not aware of yet as I am not a psychic able to see the future hence better be prepared with proper funding than not. In this case it is pretty much like preparing for your retirement, either you are prepared by setting a little fund aside your entire working life or realising you do not have enough when you are about to retire. I reckon many will fall into the latter category than the former, which also support the argument of why some owners cannot see beyond RM 80.

Alas at the end of the day I am happy to pay RM 100 and more if need to as I have no reason to worry at all and understand that to manage and maintain a property with 504 units of houses covering a very big area will cost $$$. To all my fellow owners cum residents in TMP please see the bigger picture and realize that what you do will impact the very environment you are living in, take note your children will be brought up here and your families will enjoy the serenity,peace and security as well and not you alone.

RM 100 is nothing but a small investment to protect and maintain sustainability for the entire Taman Mutiara Puchong folks, from the young to the old, women and children to feel safe and happy will be in itself a great return for a small price :)

Cheers to all who have supported a common cause and cheers to all that will see the light and join us in being united "ONE VOICE ONE COMMUNITY"

Post AGM Information

Attendance = 210 (53% of 397 units handed over)- Quorum Achieved :)
C’tee nominated by: Carlos Marcello Mathews
Seconded by: Karine Mooi

Vote count for Security & Maintenance Charge:
RM80 = 63 (36%)
RM100 = 89 (50%)
RM120 = 19 (11%)
Spoilt vote = 6 (3%)
Total votes = 177 votes
Majority: RM100/mth

To spear head sub-committee activities:

1.Security SOP: Kuang, Murali, Gerard
2.Social & Recreation: Adeline, Suminn, Melanie, Amy
3.Maintenance & Support: Ray, Vivian, Razali
4.Fund-Raising: Regina, Mary, Neela
5.Administration: Eric, Chris Chan
***(more volunteers encouraged to participate so please email us at mytmpcommittee@gmail.com for more information)or kindly show up for any of our committee meeting scheduled in the calendar of this blog. Just click on the date to view the agenda brief and venue until we set up a proper office.

Tasks to complete:

To consolidate AGM attendance list (Completed)
To tabulate vote count for officiating committee with ROS (Completed)
To confirm Malton rep (Ravi) accepted RA committee as officially recognised (Completed)
To confirm vote of majority choice of monthly security maintenance charge of RM100 (Completed)
To convey message of residents to urge Malton to reconsider contribution for unsold units
To set up meeting with Malton management to discuss on issues that are still pending
To view audited account, list and site walk on properties for hand over
To select property management company (in the process-scheduled to complete by 23rd March 2008)
Rental of residents support and community centre premise in TMP - which will house the property management company and the RA (in the process - scheduled to finalise by end of March 2008).

Immediate Action Plan:

1.Additional lighting for park
2.Shade at proximity-card-reader
3.Roof for Gazebo in Central Park to have at least some weather protection especially from rain.
4.Line Dance / Qi Gong / Tai Chi lessons and other activities which will create more social groups in TMP (open for suggestions) if can get more than 10-15 participants then the said activity will commence.
5.'Visitors’ Parking Bays
6.Speed-humps in TMP as well as main road leading to TMP
7.Monthly old newspaper,magazines,bottles and cans collection campaign.
8.Plant a tree/per family campaign
9.Dog obedience/agility training program
10.Collection bin for items that can be donated to orphanages,old folks home like books,toys,pillows,blankets etc.
*** if you have a project you are passionate about for the betterment of TMP please contact us and you can assist to bring the project to life.

Officially Official.....FINALLY!!!

Ha!Ha!Ha! "He who laughs last laughs the loudest" well the laughter of my happiness resonates in my mind and spirit for the same reason why I choose to coin the title of this post "Officially official".
To know the struggle and the pains of getting a non-profit organisation properly registered (7 months duration for ROS to certify- 3 trips to Shah Alam MBSA) and certified is no joke for one and at a juncture even not being recognised (table talk with developer in MPSJ building USJ Subang) by the developer truly left a bad taste in all our mouths not to mention lack of respect for the parties involved (this is after the then pro-tem RA members went house to house door knocking to get the mandate from almost 200 residents/owners, and at a time when Phase 1 and 2 was not even fully occupied and with Phase 3 residents slowly trickling in.
On top of that we had to do the same exercise again after being informed that getting a signed acknowledgement without proper description of the said mandate was deemed insufficient.....grrrrrr!!!
It is difficult to not bear any grudges at that time knowing you have invested in your home (below average workmanship - Phase 1) and having to form a resident association for the sole purpose of protecting our rights as home owners and having to juggle between work and community service for the betterment of all residents in TMP......I tell you it is truly a labourous exercise.
At least it was not for nothing and in the end where we are now today it can be concluded that we might not have won all battles but we have indeed won the war :) at least all the time and effort invested by all committee members did not go down to waste and upon nostalgic reflection it is bitterweet to say the least :p
Alas like the saying goes "when the going gets tough, the tough gets going", incidentally there is a song with the exact title by Billy Ocean. A pat on the back and it is back to work for all but at least now with all the bad after taste out of the way the future in TMP looks better and brighter in the hands of its resident owners.
Many challenges lies ahead of course but with the support and assistance of all owners, TMP can evolve into a place like no other.

Preparation for the AGM...........

It has been a couple of hectic days getting things organized and prepared for the AGM which is to be held tomorrow (16th March 2008) @ 5.00 PM - Central Park TMP.......honestly it is tedious and tiring to say the least but a very important initiative for the betterment of Taman Mutiara Puchong community.
How I wish there could be more interested residents in TMP to lend a hand besides the usual number of dedicated committee members whom are willing to take a little time out from their busy schedule to be a part of the community, luckily for my sanity there are people who wants to make a difference in society and willing to be a part of developing TMP further to be better.
Everything the RA does are purely voluntary and hence no personal gains (in fact many of us in the RA plus the caring residents in this community have contributed in kind) especially evident in the Pesta Tanglung event held in 2007. Now with the RA being officially formed it is my hope to see more people more willing to come forward and assist in kind or donation as I honestly believe every residential owner in TMP is a stakeholder in this community and thus have a vital role to play in this community.
This is your home and fair to say it is unfair for a small group of people in this community to care to make a difference, we need the majority of residents here to care and to ensure that TMP have enough funds to maintain its serenity, beauty and peace in Puchong.
It is time for a wake up call for all the residents here that have atypical mentality of just living within their own four walls and to just give comments without actually putting in any real effort to be a part of this community, to you all I say please walk the talk and not just talk the talk..........we already have too many of this kind of people in this world and we do not need anymore of it in TMP. Simple example is that until today we have residents that still take their dogs out for a walk without plastic bags to scoop the poop, they just do not care for the fact that the dog poop is littered all over public places and sometime in other residents lawn......so inconsiderate and that really pisses me of in certain ways.
Another concern which I feel disgusted, yes....disgusted is the fact that we still have residents that do not practice using their proximity card to gain entry or exit. Why live in a gated and guarded community when you do not help enforce the security protocol. How are the guards going to improve their performance when there are residents giving them a hard time and treating them like they are "kadam" to open the boom gate for their convenience??? To you all I say "Please set a proper example.....do not be lazy" "Why you so like that ahhhh?"
The RA have already initiated and implemented a reduction of 50% of the purchase price of the proximity card as well as the stickers (since 2007)to make it very affordable for all house owners especially those that have more than 3 cars per household. If you can afford to have 3 cars I am sure the cost of the proximity card is trivial to own.....and if you have lost the card it is also affordable to replace.
Remember my fellow residents.....the boom gate and security is for a reason.....yesss asoneh it is to ensure we have proper and adequate security to prevent any criminal activities in TMP by making it very difficult for would be law breakers to gain entry. How are we going to achieve this if we do not uphold the said security protocol......is it just because nothing major has happen yet??? Let me remind everyone that prevention is a better alternative than a cure (Do not wait for something bad to happen to know that you have made a mistake). Too late already....if you come to that stage....regret is all you can do/feel then.

I know I cannot change other people's mentality or attitude but what does it take for people to realize that we live in a community style housing development in TMP and that everyone in TMP has a role to play.
Is it so difficult to want a better living environment, to be example setters than law breakers, to care rather than not, to invest in your own living environment........to be continued (have to do the costing now.....)

Almost another flood incident........11.03.08

Heavy downpour occured today and the backlanes of TMP 6 as usual was the first location where the water level can be seen rising very quickly. It was my maid that alerted me about the incident since after 3X prior experiences I have set up a domestic flood warning system in my household.....my maid is the official flood watchdog in my residence :) Recently I have initiated a move to have 2 exit holes punched into the perimeter wall at the base at the backlane of TMP 6 and I am glad I did as the exit holes prevented the drain from overflowing and rising any futher than it would if it were not for these exit holes. Having said that there is still a need for the developer to improve water ponding and outflow, especially at TMP 8 right at the end of the road lakeside as the request put forth by the residents in Phase 3A months ago is still pending action. I believe in prevention and that was the sole reason I did what I had to do since the developer did nothing to help ease or alleviate the flooding at TMP 6 the last 3X. I do not expect TMP 8 or Phase 3A residents or possibly even Phase 3B to be spending their own money to have the drainage outflow constructed when this duty is clearly one of the developer. Faster action is required and these drainage outflow for Phase 3 residents must be implemented immediately to avoid futher anxiety and displeasure by home owners.

ROS Certificate Of Incorporation TMP RA

Officially as of the 3rd March 2008 Taman Mutiara Puchong Resident's Association is thus certified finally after a lengthy 7 months period of waiting.

With the above out of the way the RA would like to press on and to announce to all residents in TMP that the first official AGM will be held:
16th March 2008(SUNDAY)
5.00 PM
Park Area (the usual gathering place where the community notice board is located)

Please take note that your attendance is very important as the RA will be tabling some initiatives and putting it to a vote for majority approval hence your voice is important to lend a hand in this true democratic process of getting things done in the best interest of all residents in TMP.

The most important subject matter will be the proposed new management fee and sinking fund rate to enable sufficient collection of funds to finance and continue security services plus all the other costs involved in properly managing Taman Mutiara Puchong to ensure that all residents continue to enjoy a standard of living that is safe, secure and in a comfortably friendly environment.

Please inform all your neighbours in TMP and please make the time to attend as your attendance is important to the process of making TMP a truly great community to call home.

Email reminders will be sent out to all email addresses collected to date from residents and we will also be informing all residents in TMP by mail drop so please take note of this important event.

Looking forward to a huge turnout and show of support :)