Friday, November 11, 2005

Wishing Upon A Star

One wonderful thing that still exist in my town is you still can see the nightline along with the stars. Unlike Cities with skyscrapers and tall building, you can look at the stars in the nightsky on groundlevel. And my town still has not much polution, if the weather is good, you can see the moon and the stars shining brightly across the nightsky anywhere in my town. In Old Town very very late at night, when traffic is almost nil, looking up into the nightsky and looking at the stars is a beautiful sight. It's different if you are in New Town. As New Town is more happening and it isn't as peaceful as Old Town.
I was looking at the stars and was wishing that my town will still be the same town forever. A Dream that will never come true?

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Battle Royale Of The Nasi Kandar!

There is a battle going on in my town at night. On one corner, there is the team from New Town and on the other corner there is the team from Old Town. In Old Town, there is the Pelita Nasi Kandar, Dinas Nasi Kandar and a few unknowns. In New Town, there is Nasmir and a few unknowns. The fight for customers. So far, they are still at an impasse. Neither is getting the upper hand. Although the majority of my town's population is now in New Town, Old Town is still holding it's own. The Nasi Kandar team in Old Town still is pulling in the customers although the New Town team were the aggressor from the start. Huge projector's for major EPL weekends viewing and huge open spaces and lots of parking. However, Old Town team is fighting back with the same huge projector's and cheaper prices and also better nasi kandar! (I know, I rather buy from Old Town rather than from New Town!).
So, this Battle Royale might get more exciting once the new residential area in New Town is finished. Not to be outdone, there is also some new buildings being build in Old Town.

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

1.8 million isn't even enough to get a McD

I was told in my previous post that the franchise to open a McD is RM1.8 million. True or not, I can't confirm it, but if we give it a benefit of a doubt and say it is true, then why my town is able to have 2 KFC (same owner even). One in Old Town and one in New Town. Does it mean that the KFC franchise is much cheaper? Or is it that they noticed that working people like to eat KFC more than they like to eat burgers? But if that argue is true? Then why there is so many small burger stalls in Old Town at night? I mean, near my house, there is already 2 small burger stalls and from what I have seen, they are doing rather well. Oh, I think I forgot to mention. I live in Old Town.
I highly doubt that opening a McD outlet is going to fail or lose out to KFC. In fact, I believe it will have gained the advantage.
And to mahagurusia, I would have open one, if I have the 1.8 million to go + an extra million to find a location and renovate the place.
Hopefully, anyone rich enough or business enough, who wants to try they luck can come to the City of Myth (and no, I am not going to tell where is my town yet) and try to break KFC's dominance.

KFC's and McD

It's has been bugging me for a very long time. My town has 2 KFC's (Kentucky Fried Chicken) outlets. Ayamas and also Pizzahut. But there was one fastfood outlet that was missing. McD! So, what happened to that Yellow Clown with big red shoes and sells burgers?
The neighbouring town has already 3 to 4 McD, but why not my town? Ok, I forgot. My town is no longer a town, it's a City. And yet, where is that Clown?

Monday, November 07, 2005

Short Cuts and Small Roads

My town has lots of shorts cuts/small roads leading from one residential area to another. Not all are connected, but some of them are connected by small roads. If you know these small roads, you can get around from one residential area to another fast. People tend to use these short cuts to move around.
As for cars, some residential area are being used to get from Old Town to New Town and vice versa. Come to think about it, my town is like a maze but you won't get lost. Since all roads leads somewhere.
However, there are still some places like "Ghost City" that haven't been connected yet. Since it was an abandoned project, it was left to rot until recently. Now, it is slowing turning into a happening place. There is a Chinese Tea House, a couple of bars-cum-eating place, a few restaurants and some other shops. I was wondering if there is a small road leading to somewhere at the abandoned mall. But I don't dare exploring. It's abandoned afterall. There might be some bad things happening in it.
With the City Planners making some of the roads one way street, people are now using some of the short cuts/small roads to avoid making unnecessary U-turns and driving a longer distance to get to their intended destination. That is why the one-way street is more of a hassle than trying to cut down on the traffic jams. In fact, I think it created more jams than usual.

Living In A City

My town is actually a City. However, no matter how you look at my town, you can't say it is a City because it never really was one in the first place. In Old Town, there are many Colonial Era buildings. And all these Colonial buildings are being forced to paint with the same color! I agree that painting all the building with the same color makes it look more neat and nice to look at, but it loses it appeal from it's Colonial past. I just don't understand why the local goverment of my town wants all the Colonial buildings to be painted in the same color! If I was in charge, I would have just leaft it alone or asked the building owners to restore the original colors of the buildings.
Living in a City. With the tallest building is just 7 storey's high in my town, can my town really be call a City? With my town having more residential area, can my town really be call a City? With no tourist spot in or near my town, can my town really be call a City? With so many abandoned projects in my town, can my town really be call a City?
It would be a joke if I say that "I am living in a City". As I have said countless time, my town doesn't look, feel or sound like a City. That's why it is A City Of Myth.

Sunday, November 06, 2005

Cutting Down Trees

For this past couple of weeks, for some reason, very old and very big trees are being cut down or trimmed.
Is this something that must be done towards the goal of being a City?
I highly doubt it is that reason. All those trees that have been cut down are very huge and very old tree. Those trees has been there even before I was born.
Why cut them down? Is this because a City doesn't need trees?
My town. It is now call a City. But it doesn't look like a City.
There is a few abandoned projects all across my town. One is the "Ghost City" which is now starting to pick up it's pace as a few shops has begun to open for business.
A old abandoned project located beside a school. The building has been abandoned since don't know how long. And it is still abandoned until today. And a couple more places where buildings are half-build and abandoned with no indication that they will be finished in the near future.
My town used to have paddy fields. Now, all those paddy fields are buildings now. Although there are still mini pockets of secondary forrest left in the outskirt of town, soon those will be gone too. More Residential Area has been planned. And somewhere in New Town, they are building more Residential houses. That's why it is call New Town.
Soon, Old Town will be a pale shadow of it former self.

Knowing My Town.

26 years. That's the magic number. I am happy that I grew up in this town of mine. It might be already a City. As I have mentioned countless time on my previous posts. I guess I love my town too much.
And until now I haven't even gave the name to my town yet. Well, I plan to keep it a secret or until someone figure out the name of my town. It is more fun that way.
My town might be changing slowly towards being a modern age City, I seeing that it might take several or a few decades to even reach the level of Kuala Lumpur. I still think my town should just stay a town. Don't call it a City yet.
Have you ever heard about a City that looks more like a Town? Probably never or none. Wait. There is one. My town. That's why I call it a City of Myth.
It is a Myth for a City that looks more like a town.
26 years, I watched as my town grew. More Residential areas were build. More factories were build. More people from all over Malaysia came to work. And you wonder why my Town can hit a population that is fit to be declared a City.
They build more schools. Smart School they call them now. Maybe because my town is a City now. It needs more Schools. I figure they will build a Univercity next.
Knowing my town. It will never be a City. Not in the next 10 or 20 years. And that's a fact.

Saturday, November 05, 2005

The City That Never Was

Maybe in another 5 or 10 years down the road, my town will eventually turned into a "Real" City. Maybe. I will just have to see.
However, eventhough my town is now call a City, it will be the laughing stock of those who really live in a City.
Maybe I am not the qualified person to say that my town can't be call a City. That's for the professionals, the city planners, the Major(by the way, we don't have a Mayor yet), the goverment, etc. However, as it is my hometown, I see what I see. Living here for 26 years and probably will still be living here for the next 30 or 40 or even 50 years. I can't figure out why my town can be call a City?
PS: This just a rant post.

Friday, November 04, 2005

The Town I Grew Up In

That town I grew up in is no longer the town I grew up in. But to me, it is still my town. My home for the pass 26 years. I love my town. Eventhough lots of things has change, my town is still home sweet home.
Big multinational companies might have come and build factories and jobs and create various opportunities for the town to grow into a City. But in my eyes. My town still is not ready to be a City.
I call my town the City of Myth because it is a town that is call a City. Where else in this world where you can find a town there is call a City? Only in a myth.
My town. The City of Myth.
However, I know my town one day is going to change into a City. Sadly, it probably won't happen in my lifetime. Maybe my kids can see it turned into a City. Maybe it will turned into a City of Angels.
I love my town. It's the place that I grew up in. My sadness, my happiness and my sorrow and sufferings can be all found in my town. It might have changed alot over the past 26 years. But deep inside forgotten by time, it is still the town I grew up in 26 years ago.
My town, where the old trees are being cut down, roads widen, big multinational companies building new factories, more residential areas being build, the population keeps on growing year after year, no highrise building being build anytime soon, my friends all leaving town for a better future and me still living with my parents. It's still my town and I wouldn't trade it for all the Kuala Lumpurs or New York City anytime soon or in the near future.
My town. The City of Myth.

The Town That Has More Residential Area

My town. It has a lot of Residential Areas and more are on the way. The jobs that was created by the big companies cause the population to swell. It was declared a City based on the population but it doesn't feel like a City.
It has that many people, yet it doesn't have that feeling of being in a City. With no Skyline or even a cinema. My town is still a town.
My town with it's ever increasing population, will it be declare a Metropolis once it reached that much amount of people living in my town?
I doubt it. Even if it reached that amount of population, it will never be a Metropolis, not even in the next 20 years or so.
Maybe I might be wrong, but even now, as a City it doesn't feel like a City. The infrastructure isn't even at par with a City. And again. There is no cinema.
My town. It has more Residential Area then you can build virtually in Sim City 4.

Thursday, November 03, 2005

How I Live My Life In My Town

For 26 years, I have been living in the town I grew up in. Went to school in and now living in. Being unemployed and still living with parents. I am practically a useless bum.
After I got my degree, somehow I couldn't get myself to go find a job. Argue with my mother day in day out. That's the only conversation between me and my mother. The only other time we aren't down each others necks is when my friends done something like getting married, then I will tell my mother about it and we did have a normal conversation rather than a shouting match or crying match.
I love my mother. Argue and shouting aside, my mother is still my mother. She is the only one that cared about everything that I do. I am happy because of that.
I have friends, but most of them are busy with their own lives. Yet, everytime there is always my mother around to talk to me. I like to talk, but since people don't like to listen to me or ignore me completely, it is always my mother that listened. I am happy because of just that. That's probably why for the past 10 years, we are always arguing. It is how we communicate. Weird right?
I might be leaving for training soon. I am sure my mother and I will be arguing over the phone. As usual. It has been that way.

Banana Trees & Ghost City

Looking back at my town 20 years ago. I was 6 years old. Beside my house there used several banana trees. I could remember how high they were. It was like a mini jungle with it's undergrowth of tall grass and small trees. I used to play around in my own mini jungle. My mother was afraid of snakes and scorpions. But yet, I still play around it.
Now the mini jungle is gone. Make way for a drain and a tarred flat space for cars to park. No, it is not a parking lot. But since nothing was build on it, it turned into a parking lot for some workers and worked opposite my house.
I have been living in my town for 26 years. Haven't really gone out into the wild harsh world there is. I call my town the City of Myth because it is a City that doesn't looks like a City but more like a town. That's the Myth in it. Also, everything that happens in my town, the people in my town and the things in my town are more like a town than a City. But it is officially a City now.
There is a commercial area abandoned by the developer just before New Town. Because the name of the commercial area was given as "______ City" (No,I will not review the name). Because it was abandoned, I call it "Ghost City". And it stays a "Ghost City" until recently. Now people started opening shops in "Ghost City". However, there was a Mall that is still abandoned there. No one even cared. It was left there to rot. And this project only started a few years back. Although now "Ghost City" isn't as ghostly before, I still call it "Ghost City" as there is still many empty lots and also the abandoned Mall.
My town has a few normal SuperMarkets. The abandoned Mall would have served as a stepping stone towards making my town more like a City, but it wasn't to be. My town. A Town called a City.

A Town Call A City

My town is call a City. It has reach the population requirements of a City but it certainly doesn't feel like a City. It is more like a town. My town which is now declared a City. Doesn't have tall building where Superman can leap over in a single bounce. In fact, the tallest building in my town, Superman probably won't even bother to leap over.
My town which everyone are proudly calling it a City now, doesn't have happening places to hang out. Most of the time, people hang out at the next town which is more happening and more activities for entertainment.
My town. It doesn't have a cinema. The only cinema building was left vacant 20 or more years ago. Now it is a snooker and karaoke place. But it is just quiet. Nothing special at all.
In New Town, where everything should be happening. It wasn't so. There might be lots of people there, but mostly they are there to have dinner and supper. There is really nothing to do.
My town. It is a boring town. So, this is a boring story to tell.
My town. It is a primary industrial town. You can find big companies and their big factories in my town.
My town. It doesn't have a tourist spot. Nearest tourist spot is in the next state.
My town. It has a newly build hotel. But mostly it is a quiet and looks deserted hotel. Probably it gives those "one night stand" people more places to go.
My town. It doesn't have tall buildings.
My town. It is call a City, but it doesn't feel like a City.

A boring town, boring stories.

My town. It was declared a City. But it is different from any other City. It is a boring town. There is pratically nothing much to do. For entertainment, the people in my town have to travel to the neighbouring town to get entertainment like cinema and nightlife.
My town has nightlife, but it isn't as happening as the nightlife in the next town. The next town isn't even a City, yet it looks, sounds and feels like a City.
My town is a boring town. People's routine is almost the same for almost everyone.
Wake up in the morning.
Eat.
Go to work.
Eat
Continue work.
Come home from work.
Eat.
Sleep.
It's the same.
There are a several nasi kandar places in my town. Everyone goes to these places to talk and watch football matches. During the weekdays, these places are only half full. During EPL matches, those showing matches using projectors gets the crowd and they are filled to the brim.
Still, it is a boring town. At night, there is nothing to do. Drink beer? There is a few places in New Town to have a beer or two, but it isn't as happening. Dance some groove? There is no places for that at all. Eat? More nasi kandar. Can't find other kind of food stuff. Places to have a date? Practically none.
My town is a workholic town. It's an industrial town. But it's call a City.

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Myth (Story 4)

My town is located in this land call Malaysia. 48 years of Independence. 48 years has gone by. Even though I wasn't born yet, my town survived the Japanese Occupation, it also survived the Communists. It has it's history, but it was long forgotten by the people on my town. Everything has changed. Roads were widen. New lamp posts were put up. And old building that shows time still stand, but everything around it has changed. A new mini stadium is being build for football. Football, one of Malaysia's popular sports, but the Football National Team of Malaysia has been the whipping boys this several years. My town. It was around when the Football National Team of Malaysia qualified for the Olympic in Moscow but then has to boycott it.
My town. They call it a City now. A City that doesn't looks like a City but more like a town. They build pavements for people to walk in. They are still building pavements. They changed some roads from two way street to one way street. They put a huge statue of a bowl in the middle of Old Town. I couldn't figure out why. They cut down trees to make way for the widening of the roads. I couldn't figure out why.
My town. They call it a City. I call it the City of Myth.

Myth (Story 3)

My town. It used to be a peaceful town. Now it is a busy town. Eventhough in New Town is where everything is happening now, Old Town still is busy enough. In fact, for a small town like my town, traffic jams can happened! Traffic jams. something that only happens in a city. But my town doesn't look like a city. Yet it is call a City.
At night in Old Town, after 9pm, it's almost a ghost town. However, with a few nasi kandar place still in Old Town, you can still see some activities near the nasi kandar places. It wasn't like that 15 years ago. It wasn't like that 10 years ago. Old Town was so quiet back then when night comes. Now, it's different. Is this progress? Is this really what a city is all about. I have been living in my town for the past 26 years. I saw it changed. Buildings were tore down to make way for new buildings. Rubber tree's were cut down to make way for more residential area. Even the abandoned mining pool area is now turned into a fishing spot and a residential area is builded around it. Now a hotel is being build near the mining pool too.
My town. They declared it a City. But it doesn't feel like a City. Even with all the traffic jams, the new buildings, the new hotel and even the new lamp posts. It still doesn't feel like a city. Doesn't look like one either. My town. The City of Myth.

Myth (Story 2)

My town was a small town back then. Until one day, some big companies came and build factories and create jobs. The Residential houses kept on appearing everywhere. Everywhere you go, you can see Residential areas. It's a mess. It really is. This town was declared a city not long after the companies came. Many people from all over Malaysia came to work. As far as Sabah. They came. As far as Indonesia. They came. As far as India. They all came to work.
My town is a city but it doesn't sound like a city. It's more like a town. But it is call a city. They started to widen the roads. They started to put up specially builded lamp posts. It took them years. They are still widenning the roads. They are still putting up the lamp posts.
Now there is two main part of my town. One is Old Town. The other is New Town. Old Town is the former main part of my town. Until they build a huge residential area. 6000 residential houses. Businesses started to move to New Town. Old Town isn't what it is used to be.
My town is still a town. How can it be a city when it doesn't look,sound or feel like a city?

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Myth (Story 1)

This town of mine, it changed. It used to be quiet and peaceful. It really changed. With all the traffic and all the buses, trucks and motorcycles. People going to work. Students going to school. Day in, day out. It's the same. People going to work. Students going to school. It's just the same, yet different in some ways. Driving in town is like going to a battle field. You either bravely go, or you might lose your mind and your insanity! It wasn't like that 10, 20 years ago. Nevermind that it is now no longer call a town but a city. A city without skyscrapers. A city without a main commercial area. A city consisting of thousands of residential houses. It's call a city but with no skyline. To me, I call it the City of Myth.

It's a city, and yet it doesn't look like a city. That's why I call it a Myth.

A Myth In Time

This is the story about a man living in Malaysia who lives inbetween a reality and fantasy world. He tells us his story as he sees it.