Living in JB

[mathstub]

So if we say it is necessary to learn Malay, will he/she learn? Well, actually learning an additional language is not a bad thing.

When I went to Thailand as a kid, I learnt Thai language and this had nothing to do with survival but more for fun. This language stayed with me for the rest of my life. Now every time when I go to Thailand to buy something and bargain with the seller, I will always first pretend I don't understand the Thai language and hear what those sellers say behind my back. I usually end up getting something a lot cheaper after revealing I can speak Thai perfectly and they think I am some Chinese Thai or Thailand born Chinese, whatever you name it.

Cant help myself but laughing after seeing the question raised. (no offense)
maybe he/she never been to JB and he/she is asking a very general question about JB then it is understandable.

 

[mathstub]

Hi bro,

You certainly look more knowledgeable than me seeing the info and experience you have shared with me and I thank you very much for your kindness for this. You are one of the good examples to show the benefit of reading posts in the thread. I enjoy a lot reading the posts in this thread starting from page 1.

perhaps it is the spoon-fed culture brewed and honed to perfection through the years of education.
I can understand this exactly, when I teach the most common question is almost always 'can repeat?' and this was for the most mundane questions where answers can be found in the notes, on the accompanying textbook and on the net etc...

I think quite a number of us here made the effort to read through the whole collection of this thread and have benefited deeply. Put in the hardwork and the yield is manifolds. I spent weeks leaving the forum page open all the time progressing a few pages at a time and devouring the contents before I dared initiate any questions and contributions. Now am informed and enjoying life on the other side. Thanks everyone here for all the advice, information etc from page 1 till almost 500 whether constant or occasional pitcher...

 

[mathstub]

I am very interested in learning Malay and have started looking at websites and some books. Hope some time soon in the future I can slowly catch up. Thank you very much for the link!

mmm ... 'should' ... The reality is that this has never been encouraged. In schools today, this is offered only to secondary school students who have done well in two other langauges. Prior to the 1980s, bazaar Malay was happily used by most people, it being such an easy language to learn and so expressive with even a single work eg 'shiok'!

The powers decided that all dialects should be suppressed and Mandarin only should be spoken in the Speak Mandarin Campaign, 1979: 講華語運動 - this translated to mostly the death of dialects and with that vast swathes of genuine culture brought over from all over China, because parents were so terrified that their children would lose out in school. Nursery rhymes, songs, little tales .. all lost. The disaster extended to grandchildren being unable to communicate with their grandparents, and this was ignored.

This also put paid to the authentic development of our own Singaporean culture with Malay-dialect words and phrases like "buay tahan". A simple example of forcing the language is kway teow however spelt, as it does not exist as a dish in Beijing.

While I loathe the garbling of grammar and torture of regular pronunciation of English, what has developed in the use of loan words into Standard English as used in Singapore [yet to be defined since no one has been given or taken that role to pronounce on what Standard Singapore English is] gives our brand of English authenticity, something so lacking with us, till even the Merlion is now a "symbol of Singapore"; and as for the re-writing of our history ... . I am glad to use such words as "dhoby - dobi" for laundryman, gasak buta, kena, Alamak!, kaki, gostan and so on. No doubt these may one day disappear as language evolves, but till then let the FT blend in with us and learn those too!

With FT now almost overtaking citizens, the Malay language as a National Language is unlikely to be restored as the lingua franca of Singapore, however simplified it was as we used it. Considering how expressive and easy the language is to learn, and how many millions in Indonesia and Malaysia, our closest neighbours, speak it, this is a pity.

I slaved preparing these two items on how to speak Malay - make a happy start in Malay with these:

http://www.puterim.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=61:languages&Itemid=53

 

[mathstub]

I've seen some books with CDs sold in Popular but just too expensive. Maybe I should get those learning materials in Malaysia instead.
I guess they should be cheaper if any.

Asking questions to clarify doubts can only help that much. Best is to go down to experience it for yourself.
Have been to jb very frequently since june this year - that was the very first time we heard of bukit indah . Have visited some of the eateries recommended on this forum and of course various properties. I must say JB is very livable and accessible. The journey has been an exciting one. And my next to do list is picking up the Malay Language. Cheers!

 

[Aisanbo]

I've seen some books with CDs sold in Popular but just too expensive. Maybe I should get those learning materials in Malaysia instead.
I guess they should be cheaper if any.

I seen in their Harris bookstore at Tebrau city. The booklet with cd is about 50rm.
Another title Learning Malay for Everyone is about 26-28rm....can't remember exactly.

 

[lastresort]

Hi bro, Great info! Now I have a clearer picture of the development. I know my neighbors may be rick and didn't know they could be that rich!

Hi bro, don't mention! =)

 

[lastresort]

Just curious, has anyone been to the Horizon Residence Tower B launch. I wonder how much they are selling the units in tower B.

 

[Investor]

Hi bro, don't mention! =)

Hi lastresort and anyone else who knows about Horizon Hills,

Are there any completed bungalows in The Hills Precinct with owners moved in? If yes, is it possible that they have already resided there(bungalow in the Hills) for a year?

 

[mallow]

Thank you very much for the assurance! I will need to get one of these there before people start queing up for one.

We took someone down today, on our way out to Singapore. The whole thing took less than 20 minutes - a Godsend, considering last year we had to leave our passports overnight with the Danga bay office.

 

[lastresort]

Hi lastresort and anyone else who knows about Horizon Hills,

Are there any completed bungalows in The Hills Precinct with owners moved in? If yes, is it possible that they have already resided there(bungalow in the Hills) for a year?

yes, from what i've observed, some have already moved in, esp those nearer to the club house. I do see some of them building extensions to their bungalows. Might be possible that they have moved in for a year. I do see cars going in and out of their precinct.

 

[Batok Seri]

So if we say it is necessary to learn Malay, will he/she learn? Well, actually learning an additional language is not a bad thing.

When I went to Thailand as a kid, I learnt Thai language and this had nothing to do with survival but more for fun. This language stayed with me for the rest of my life. ..

That language for me is Hokkien. Grew up in MacPherson estate. Yes its fun to listen in when they think you don't understand...

But Mandarin.. I liak bo kiu.

Interestingly, the word "Mandarin" was derived from the Malay word "menteri" meaning minister. Else it would have been "Speak Putonghua Campaign".

 

[Investor]

yes, from what i've observed, some have already moved in, esp those nearer to the club house. I do see some of them building extensions to their bungalows. Might be possible that they have moved in for a year. I do see cars going in and out of their precinct.

Ok thanks for your reply lastresort.

 

[arsenal]

Interesting... Wish to have more time knowing some Malay folks and learn something from them..

Thinking about it, my childhood friends are mostly Indians and Chinese.. There is a Malay family next door that we usually exchange cakes during festive seasons.. Very nice family.. Whose son is one of the Malay MPs but I don't have the chance to speak to him at all, not even once...

During Army have some Malay friends during BMT.. They are so funny... and easy going..

That language for me is Hokkien. Grew up in MacPherson estate. Yes its fun to listen in when they think you don't understand...

But Mandarin.. I liak bo kiu.

Interestingly, the word "Mandarin" was derived from the Malay word "menteri" meaning minister. Else it would have been "Speak Putonghua Campaign".

 

[euphony]

Hi bro,

You certainly look more knowledgeable than me seeing the info and experience you have shared with me and I thank you very much for your kindness for this. You are one of the good examples to show the benefit of reading posts in the thread. I enjoy a lot reading the posts in this thread starting from page 1.

cheers, no worries at all regardless of which 'taman' we reside, we're all on the same side of the land so i guess that's where the camaraderie is built on. at times i find the reading this forum entertaining even as it is educational as we experience the day to day ups and downs that's documented here.

 

[arsenal]

cheers, no worries at all regardless of which 'taman' we reside, we're all on the same side of the land so i guess that's where the camaraderie is built on. at times i find the reading this forum entertaining even as it is educational as we experience the day to day ups and downs that's documented here.

Taman is melayu? meaning country or garden? camaraderie is ??? liat bo kiu..

 

[euphony]

in a bid to get a bit more social with board users (think of it as e-kopi), I thought I'd ask since when have u started living in JB (including weekenders)? i am a johorian, one of the tens of thousands who crossed the border when I was a kiddy to study, but lived in SG fully subsequently though i skipped out of town to the UK for a bit inbetween. Started to live in JB again circa nov 2010. what about you guys and gals?

 

[euphony]

Taman is melayu? meaning country or garden? camaraderie is ??? liat bo kiu..

arsenal bro sort of translated to garden roughly?
the latter word refers to the bond amongst people.

 

[mathstub]

I am not sure whether other bros have thought about this problem. This problem comes to my mind because my passport is going to expire in 7 months. When you sign the sales and purchase agreement or any other legal documents indicating your ownership of your property and all those documents you have signed during the process, some information regarding the owner, for example his/her name and passport no. etc. will be shown there so that this information together with the document can be used to prove he/she is the owner in case it is necessary in the future.

After your passport expires, you will get a new one with a different passport number. So do you think those sales and purchase agreement, legal documents need to be updated? Or simply keeping the old passport (the one you are holding when you buy the property and that is listed in the document for proving ownership) will do?

According to the website, it said applying MACS required the passport to be valid for at least 2 years. This means when your passport is going to expire in less than 2 years, you will not be able to get MACS unless you get a new passport. I assume this requirement is still valid, right?

Any bros here have encountered and thought about similar problems?

 

[Inception]

Penang chief slammed over Johor remarks
He had said S'poreans risk being kidnapped when they visit Johor
The Straits Times
Sep 28, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR: Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has touched off a firestorm in Malaysia after reports emerged that he had said Singaporeans risk being kidnapped if they visit Johor.

Mr Lim was touting Penang's advantages over Johor's in order to secure investment and visitors when he made the remarks at the Foreign Correspondents Association of Singapore luncheon, the New Straits Times (NST) newspaper said yesterday.

An audio recording of Mr Lim's remarks was earlier aired on the popular TV3 news channel.

According to TV3's news bulletin, Mr Lim said: 'So you don't have to worry about your safety when you come to Penang.

'In Johor, if you are Singaporean, you are likely to get kidnapped.'

At the luncheon, held last month, Mr Lim also said: '(Penang) is visibly cleaner, greener and also safer. We talk of safety in terms of reducing crime index. Penang was No. 1 last year in terms of cutting crime. We cut crimes by 37 per cent last year, and for the first six months of the year, we cut crime by another 25 per cent.'

The chief minister made the remarks in response to questions about the competition for investments between Penang and Johor's Iskandar Malaysia zone, according to several blogs in the country which posted the transcript of his remarks.

The zone is being developed into a tourism, educational, residential and business investment district by the Malaysian government.

According to the transcript - the blogs which published the remarks did not say how they were obtained - Mr Lim said that while there are those who say Iskandar is a big growth area, Penang will in the long run beat the Johor zone because 'Penang has rule of law'.

He was also quoted as saying that while Iskandar probably offers cheaper land prices, Penang has many skilled workers.

The wide-ranging remarks contained in the transcript also address, among other things, the state of the opposition in Malaysia, the reasons for Penang's economic success, and control of mass media in the country, among other things.

But his remark on kidnapping in Johor attracted the most attention, and has drawn criticisms from politicians and ordinary Malaysians alike.

Mr Lim, secretary-general of federal opposition party the Democratic Action Party (DAP), was reminded by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin not to undermine Johor, and that such criticism would also affect the nation as a whole.

Malaysians across the country echoed Tan Sri Muhyiddin's comments, with some asking him to explain his remarks.

The incident first came to light last week, when news reports claimed Mr Lim made the remarks in an interview with Australian radio.

He issued a denial soon after, and furnished a transcript of the interview which contained no such remarks. He also threatened court action against the Bernama news agency, which carried them.

However, it has since emerged that the remarks were made at the Singapore luncheon.

In response to the latest reports, his press secretary issued a statement yesterday saying: 'It is clear that this is a planned and concerted attempt by the BN-controlled media to distract the Penang Chief Minister from his official duties with a plethora of misrepresentations, distortions and outright lies.

'The Penang Chief Minister does not have the time, nor the capacity, to deal with such an orchestrated attack of spiteful malignance when he is elected to focus on serving the best interests of Penangites.'

The statement did not refer to the comments made in Singapore.

 

[checkers]

I've read throught most of the pages on this thread ...I may have missed this out.

Very little is mentioned of Austin Heights and Austin Perdana... Any comments on this development?