Mysterious markings on the wall

These markings are also found on the wall along the corridors outside my unit. I hope the management can paint them over to prevent any untoward incidents.

New Year Greetings

these are the red marks that written on the wall.
the above pic clearly showed the unit no. on the direction of the unit 9, 10 & 11.
in the 2nd pic, the no. 6 was written on the wall directed to unit 6, 7 & 8.
pls check is there any no. written on the wall along the corridor.

Flora found in our condo (Part 2)

Such peaceful and beautiful place we live in. Please help to take good care of our condo. Let's share these wonderful plants and flowers together.

Flora found in our condo

Stop by and look around you, you will find these beautiful plants and flowers around you. Please help to lookafter them. Do not destroy them.

The Return...

Ayah Pin's Sky Kingdom? Heard that he had returned and was spotted in KT last few weeks.
Above shot taken from my balcony this morning.

....and so does Mr. "Ali". This time with "love" some more!!.. Can somebody identify him so that we can make him pay for what he did?

Looking Back...

Already coming to 2 months into the JMB (after taking over from the developer) and looking back, realised that:-

this is a voluntary job but,
- you can be sued
- people swearing at you for "no water", "no electricity", "dirty swimming pool"
"lift breakdowns", "no Astro" blah, blah , blah
- blaming you for their stolen bicycles and "Nike" shoes
- Will tell you in the face "maintenance fee bayar tapi service teruk!"
- your friends starting to make you feel "you are no more one of them"
- You will also get use to hearing such phrases as "Why take so long to repair"
"who's fault is it?" "how come the JMB is not doing anything""Do something fast la!"
- you also start to get unfriendly glances while in the lift
- people also thinks that "JMB member sure got privileges one, that's why he/she wants to sit in the committee".
- people talking behind you: "Meeting, meeting and more meetings but nothing new happening, no improvement whattt...!!"
-and so on and so on............

We in the JMB are taking all these in good stride and will continue to do our best collectively. We will do our utmost to be a competent, accountable and transparent team and hope that with every one's support and positive contributions, Idaman Sutera will truly be a pleasant place to stay for all of us.

In view of this, I strongly agree with Mr. Alias's suggestion that the Residents'Association be revived so that another cohesive body is available to hasten the desired changes.

So, anyone out there care to initiate this?!

Just a Thought 3...

Looking for a Foolproof Maintenance... not in this life. That's what I can say about building maintenance/management service providers.

After 51 years of independent, we are proud that we can stand tall with others developing nations in building beautiful buildings and skyscrapers. But in term of maintenance, we are miles away behind them. And, most of the time it is “chicken and egg” situation. – developer/maintenance service provider blame the residents because not paying the maintenance fee. Residents blame the developer/maintenance and said why pay when they did not do a good job of maintaining the building. End of the day, the maintenance fund left high and dry; and residents suffer.

Nevertheless, putting the blame entirely to the maintenance service providers will not solve any problem. Its only makes us terminating and appointing from one service provider to another. Here are some pointers that we can consider to improve the situation.

1. Look for a credential and experienced maintenance service provider. It may be a bit expensive but will ease our worries about the level of services provided by them. There are quit few number of services provider (although not 100% foolproof) that residents can depend too.

2. Properly inked their scope of works. Don’t leave any stone unturned. Once appointed, ask for their work schedule. If there is none, sit down with Building Manager (BM) and work-out one. List of every maintenance activities and prioritize them i.e.:
a) Gen-set – system check & test every month or two months. System services every six moths.
b) Lifts – system check every month. System services every quarterly.
c) Water pump – system check every month. System services every quarterly or bi-yearly.
And the list continues … (fire alarm system, lights, roads, parking system, building roof etc, etc, etc).

3. JMB/JMC can have a joint inspection with the BM every quarterly. Use the Work Schedule a guide during the joint inspection. This is to ensure that JMB/JMC also understands with all the common facilities and how they work.

4. As residents (meaning owners), we must educate ourselves regarding stratified living. If we decided to purchase a condo/apartment, we must know what are the contents of the Sales & Purchase Agreement (S&P) are. Living in a condo/apartment is slightly different from living in a landed property. Most of stratified livings are guided by their own House Rules. And, talking about House Rules, I think most of us have forgotten about is or that we have one (for Idaman Sutera it is A5 size in blue colour book). The House Rules are applicable to every resident (including tenant, owner and lawful occupiers of the unit/parcel).
The purpose of having a House Rules is to promote and encourage common sense and courtesy in its members’ action and attitudes. It is not intended to limit reasonable conduct but rather to protect our common interest in the property, to provide an avenue of relief for problems, and to serve as guidelines for a harmonious community.

5. Regarding the Maintenance fee/sinking fund, once we sign the S&P, we a bound to pay the fees regardless either we are staying in the condo or not. Failing which, a (legal) action can be taken against us by the developer or the JM/JMC.
Nevertheless, poor collection is always a bugging problem faced by any developer/JMB/JMC. It is important to take note that most of the facilities such as lifts, swimming pool, gym, security guard, tennis court, electricity etc are expensive to maintain. We must know does the amount we pay (and especially when only 60% residents pay their fee) sufficient enough to cover all the common facilities within the condo.
It is also important that every resident understand and know what the maintenance fund is used for. Transparency is the key word. Lets the residents know where do their money goes to and how they being spent.

6. We also must educate the residents to take part in managing the condo. The task does not lie solely on JMB/JMC shoulder. It is everybody responsibility. Group together and act together… if we can work as one, we will be a force to reckon especially by the errant residents or event the maintenance service provider.

7. Security issues have also been one of a major problem in a condo. Security guards not doing their job or “curi tulang”, caught sleeping on the job, guards with discipline problem etc have also being the case. Maybe one way to tackle this issue is requesting the security company submit details of the security personnel to JMB/JMC and carbon copy it to the nearest police station. At least this will ensure the company will not simply hire any Tom, Dick and Harry to safe guarded our condo.

Electricity Cut

SEVERAL areas in Gombak and Setapak will be experiencing an electricity supply disruption on Thursday (Oct 30) from 8am till 7pm, as Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) will be carrying some maintenance work. The affected areas are: Taman Melati, Taman Melati Utama, Taman Cemerlang, Taman Cemerlang Heights, Kampung Tengah Tambahan, Taman Ibu Kota, Medan Idaman, Kampung Sungai Mulia, Gombak Market, Gombak Setia DBKL Flats, Taman Setapak Indah, Taman Teratai Mewah, Platinum Walk and Jalan Langkawi. Those who require further information can contact TNB’s service line at 15454. TNB regrets any inconvenience caused.

Just a thought 2… (partly taken from NST 11/10/2008)

No. 1
I think before everybody becomes piss off and things get out of hand… it is better that EVERYBODY KNOWS and UNDERSTAND what Joint Building Management Body (JMB) is. This so call JMB came into the picture when Government introduces Act 664 a.k.a. Building and Common Property (Maintenance and Management) Act 2207 (BCPMM) on April 12, 2007 (that is about year and a half ago).

The first thing to note: Before the formation of this JMB, the DEVELOPER is responsible for maintaining and managing the common property and is duty bound to convene the first meeting of the purchasers within the stipulated time (our first JMB meeting was oranised by Medan Idaman in April but was postponed due to lack of attendance. A second meeting was later organised in May).
(Note: Pls correct me if the month is wrong).

JMB comprising the DEVELOPER and OWNERS is responsible for providing proper maintenance and management of the buildings and its common areas. The agenda for holdings the first JMB Meeting should include:
1. Election of officer bearers (this was the first thing done by the developer)
2. Confirmation of insurance policies taken out by the developer
3. Determining the amount payable by owners to Buildings Maintenance Fund
4. Determine the late interest payable
(Note: The last three items were not discuss because it all have been implemented earlier by the developer. Its only apply to newly developed condos/apartments)

Power and duties of the JMB
To be effective, the JMB is powered to:
a) Collect maintenance and management charges
b) Authorise the expenditure to maintain and manage the common areas
c) Recover sums against purchasers expended by the JMB
d) Acquire property for stratified owners’ enjoyment of the common areas
e) Appoint property agents
f) Draft house rules

Looking at the above statement, YES, JMB is responsible to take charge, as well as to maintain and manage the property and common areas with in Idaman Sutera. However, to act effectively, JMB must first set-up a bank account (will be known as Building Maintenance Fund – BMF) and allow developer to transfer any surplus amount (or what ever left off) from the Building Maintenance Account (BMA) to BMF.

For information, this account was only step-up by our Idaman Sutera JMB (IS-JMB) last month. However, it does not stop IS-JMB from doing its job, and one of the first thing they did is extended the maintenance company contract (DG Management) till end of December 2008 (this will give JMB ample time to seek other option with another companies). At same time, IS-JMB is doing it level best to get all the audited accounts, service provides contracts etc from the developer, in-order to unsure that our condo can be managed smoothly and for the residents’ betterment.

Although JMB is bestowed with powers, it is important to note that JMB IS AN INTERIM BODY. Apart from managing and maintaining the condo, it has a greater task that is to ensure at least 25 percent of the owners obtain their strata title. Upon that Joint Management Corporate comprising owners will be formed and Idaman Sutera JMC will superseded IS-JMB. And, only after this a proper Management Corporation can be formed by the owners of Idaman Sutera to take full control of our condo.

---------------------------------
No. 2

With regards to all the teething problems at Idaman Sutera, I would like to suggest few things for IS-JMB’s consideration:

1. Set-up a clear House Rules (a.k.a. “By-Laws” in the Strata Titles Act). If I’m not mistaken there is a book printed and was circulated by developer (during the vacant possession)on Idaman Sutera House Rules. IS-JMB can take that as a guide and further improve on it to suit our current situation. Pass a copy of it to COB, and circulate it to the residents including tenants. They have to follow strictly the rules, failing which action can be taken against them.

2. Pls revive the Residents Association (RA). This is important because:
a) Will be a good training ground for owners to learning about managing and management for property and common facilities at Idaman Sutera. Later, maybe few of the Residents Assc. Members (owners especially) can be appointed in the JMC or MC.
b) RA can be the body to look after the social-relations among residents which comprising various races and citizenship.
c) RA also can act as the water-dog to JMB or JMC and vice-verse.

3. Problem with the swimming pool. The ideal action is to close it temporary and put a warning sign. If any resident still ignore the warning, it is at their own risk. Look into the BMF account and if it is sufficient, maybe IS-JMB can consider repairing the water-pump at the swimming pool. However, it is wise to look after the more important matter first such as the Gen-set, the lift, water pump at each block and the security aspect of Idaman Sutera.

4. Motorbikes parking fronting the Management office, I think its need to be relocated to another area. The road needs to be cleared from any obstacles for emergency cases such pathway for ambulance or bomba. The other back road is not suitable because it does not have a good turning point (especially at block B) and most of the time the entrance gate was lock and have to request the Security Guard to open it.

---------------------------------

Note: All this is just my personal thought on how we can STRIVE TOGETHER TO PROTECT OUR PROPERTY. Do remember this -- To improve the standard of stratified living is everybody’s effort and does not lies on JMB alone.

Session With Lawyer (Strata Title Matter)

Due to the overwhelming response, we are pleased to advised that the representative of a Legal Firm will again be present on Saturday, 18th October 2008 to advise Owners of Idaman Sutera Condo regarding the Strata Title Legal Fees to owners who are not able to be make it last week.

Please be present at the Resident’s Association Office on the Ground Floor, Block B, at 11 am until 1 pm (no obligations).

Please bring along the following documents :
-A clear photocopy of your IC
-Current quit rent and assessment receipts
-Income tax reference no and place of submission
-S & P.

For residents who have decided to engage the lawyer, please bring along the relevant documents which they have requested and payment (preferably by cheque).

JMB Secretary

NST today on stratified living

There is very good write-up on stratified living in today's NST (pg 6 & 7 Property pull-out) by Ivy Chang. The article talks about the formation of JMB, its power & duties, as well as guide to establish a "House Rules".

But the one that capture my interest is "Maintenance Charges" which partly said that owners are liable for late payment interest not exceeding 10 percent per annum if they delay in paying these charges.

The one thing that I noticed when I first moved into Idaman Sutera is that most of us did not read carefully the S&P Agreement and the Deed of Mutual Covenants. The purchaser's responsibility to pay the maintenance charges is stated in clause 11 in the Deed of Mutual Covenants and further celebrated in sub-clause (3).

And, since we are purchasers of stratified unit, we MUST understand clearly what Clause 13 means. In other words, we must understand the meaning of living in a house where our wall is also our neighbor's wall; our ceiling is our neighbor's floor and our floor is our neighbor's ceiling. If we fail to understand this simple rule, we will never can make our condo living a harmonious one.

Just a thought...

Was cleaning up my hard-drive and came across of Idaman Sutera logo. Did some touch-up and include the JMB underneath it ... and presto - logo for the Idaman Sutera JMB.

Blue Sky, Green Pool

Blue Sky @10.45 am 08/10/08, Garden Yard between Block A & B...... ah so nice....(not New York 5th Avenue la !)

Green pool....yuk! Wonder how much the cost of repair will be this time as according to Mr. Eric of DG, all the 3 pumps + 1 propeller are not working. Any suggestions on how to have a proper upkeep of the pool at reasonable cost?

What Did you do last Raya?

Hi Everyone,

Just got back from my kampung yesterday. As I drove passed the guard post and into the car p-ark area, I kept thinking what "unpleasant" thing I would stumble upon to greet my return "home". As I reached my parking lot, everyhting seemed ok and normal. Took the car park lift and "surveyed" the interior. Phew.... Thank God again, no new 'graffiti', no foul smell, no chocolate/snack wrappers on the floor.

Walked through the covered corridor leading to Blk A & B. Glanced at the garden, no complains. No rubbish scattered (might be the cleaners had just cleaned up the area). No one was shouting, or screaming or playing football or sitting on the "statdium"terraces" aka the stair steps. No kids doing stunts with their bicycles, in short, I really felt "home sweet home".

Then....the feel good turned to wild horror!!!! There,inside the NEWLY repainted lift, our Mr/Ms Itchy Hands strikes again !!! It really goes to proof that things like these will spin your mood 360 deg and the frustration will linger on each time you step in the lift again and again until the next repainting job. By that time, if somebody else starts adding more graffities, you will tend to feel "nothing", "use to it" and totally hopeless.

So to anyone out there who has the talent of coming up with the most effective "public notice' to stop these vandalisms, please feel free to submit your work to me at Letter Box A-18-7.

The JMB will do the final selection and the one chosen will be rewarded with a RAYA HAMPER courtesy of the Management.

**Please state your Name, Unit & Contact no. at the back**
Closing date for submission: 11 Oct 08

IDAMAN SUTERA MANAGEMENT SERVICES SDN BHD (572908-D)
LOT 169, JALAN IBU KOTA KANAN
53100 KUALA LUMPUR


CIRCULAR



26 September 2008


Dear Owners and Residents;

Please be informed that the developer, Medan Idaman Sdn Bhd will be handing over the management and maintenance of the common properties of Idaman Sutera Condominium the Idaman Sutera Joint Management Body (JMB) effective from 1 October 2008 under the operation of the Building and Common Property (Maintenance And Management) Act 2007.

The Commissioner of Buildings had duly certified the establishment of Idaman Sutera Joint Management Body(JMB) on 11 August 2008.

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Joint Management Committee for the successful formation of JMB.

Please welcome the committee members and give your full supports to them.

The list of the committee members is attached for your reference.

Thank you


For and on behalf of Idaman Sutera Management Services Sdn Bhd

Salam Aidilftri

Salam Aidilftri bagi semua penghuni Idaman Sutera. Bagi mereka yang pulang berhari raya di kampung, berhati-hati ketika memandu di jalan raya. Maaf zahir & batin.

And, not forgetting, happy holidays to all non-muslim residents.

Alias Kamaruddin

View from the sky

View of Idamam Sutera Condo via Google Earth. Look nice and organised. No matter what has been said about its surrounding and the way the building being managed, the residents still hang on to it.

Idaman Sutera – just another property to a few, a house to some but a place call home to others. Let’s us work together with JMB to make the condo a better place to live in and a great home.

Fire 19sep08 @ 6pm

This is most unfortunate. Whoever started this will have to be severely punished. This sort of act clearly endangers everyone's life and the culprit should be brought to face the music in the court of law.

The above incident happened reportedly due to two foreign kids lighting up one of the discarded matteresses and with the wind blowing strongly that evening, the fire quickly spread throughout the unofficial "dumpsite". Luckily the hydrant was working and the security and management staffs managed to put off the fire before the arrival of bomba. "Syabas" to Mr. Magen, Siva, Low and all residents who were involved to put out the fire.

To everyone let us play our role as responsible residents and be watchful of circumstances which could lead to untowards incidents such as this.

Mr. "Ali", please grow up la !!!

This has just been scribbled around 1/2 days ago in a block A lift. Thank you "Ali" for adding to the ugliness of our lift interior...