'NO' TO ANOTHER SKYSCRAPER , 'YES' TO ANOTHER PUBLIC PARK

Source: From the book "Building Merdeka" by Lai Chee Kien

The older ones among us who lived in Kuala Lumpur in the 1960s and 70s will remember Merdeka Park (Independence Park). It was the only park we had in the city then that was centrally located and easily accessible to all. The elderly would gather there in the early mornings for tai-chi sessions, parents would take their children there to play, and young courting couples would enjoy romantic strolls there in the evenings.

Merdeka Park was a much-loved public landmark along with other landmarks in the vicinity like Merdeka Stadium, Stadium Negara, Chin Woo Stadium and Victoria Institution.

(Above: Photos taken from https://www.facebook.com/aparkforallpeople)

Visitors to the area today will no longer see Merdeka Park with the famous Mushroom where people could take shelter from the hot sun or heavy rain. Gone too are the sundial and the rock sculpture which were popular backdrops for countless photos. The area once occupied by Merdeka Park is now the site of the proposed 118-storey Menara Warisan. As if the city didn't already have enough skyscrapers! Currently the tallest building we have in the country is the 88-storey Petronas Twin Towers, which are far from fully occupied. Why in the blazes would the government approve the construction of a monstrosity like Menara Warisan which is likely to turn into another white elephant?

Warisan means 'heritage'. Yet how ironic it is to demolish a true heritage that is Merdeka Park, built a year after the country gained independence, and replace it with a gleaming new tower that has no historical background to boast of. How would this building benefit the people? Or is it meant to enrich only corporate bigwigs and those with political connections?

New York's famed Central Park - a park for the people, not for the elite few

I recently attended a people's dialogue session at KLSCAH. Speakers included heritage conservationist Teoh Chee Keong, and MP for Serdang, Dr. Ong Kian Ming. Both spoke on why we must protect our public space, and preserve our national historical heritage. I particularly liked Dr Ong's proposal that if Merdeka Park were to be re-developed, it should be turned into an even bigger and better park similar to Central Park of New York. It would be a park with facilities for everyone to enjoy. It would be the city's premier green lung.

That is exactly what India is planning to do in New Delhi - 'create a mammoth iconic park that would rival New York's Central Park as a refuge from urban chaos'. How far-sighted are Delhi's urban planners, and how utterly lacking in vision are our city planners!

What Kuala Lumpur really needs is another park. KLCC Park is not a people-friendly park. It has too many rules and regulations, and limited facilities.

Dr Ong Kian Ming on 'The Value of Public Parks'

Why we should oppose the Menara Warisan project

So what can you and I do to protect our public space? How can we stop greedy land-grabbing corporations from misappropriating property that belongs to the people? Here are some action plans for the concerned rakyat:

For more pictures and comments on the issue, go to http://ptmnmalaysia.wordpress.com/isu-menara-warisan/

You can also add your voice and support for citizens' groups like Rakan KL and Pertahanan Taman Merdeka Negara

Where is Badan Warisan when its help is needed most? It used to be quite vocal about preserving historical landmarks. A check at their website shows that the site is under construction. Their Facebook page is not regularly updated, and their focus seems to be more about general education and awareness than making a stand on heritage buildings that are at risk. There is no reference at all to the Menara Warisan project. It is obvious they don't want to get involved in any controversial issue that may pit them against the authorities.

It's up to us ordinary concerned citizens to voice our views and be heard. The pessimists among us will sigh, shake their heads and say 'What's the use? We are no match against the bulldozers that will be sent in sooner or later. Our pockets are too small to fight the big fat wallets of the powerful GLCs."

Malaysia's first PM from 1957-1970

I would say to these pessimists, if our Bapa Malaysia had thought for even a second that it would be pointless to seek independence from our colonial masters, that they would never surrender one of their prized colonies, Malaysia might still be under British rule today. Fortunately for us, Bapa Malaysia never lost hope.

If we don't keep a watchful eye on our national heritage buildings, don't be surprised to see them disappear one by one in the near future, beginning with Stadium Merdeka, followed by Stadium Negara, then Museum Negara, Parliament House, and other independence era buildings. One day there will be no traces left of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj's legacy as far as historical buildings go, except in our grandchildren's history textbooks and in old photographs in the museum.

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LEE KUAN YEW'S VIEWS ON LIFE AND DEATH

(All the passages below are taken from Lee Kuan Yew’s book, “One man’s View of the World,” published in 2013. Copies of the book are on sale at all major bookstores.)

My daily routine is set. I wake up, clear my email, read the newspapers, do my exercises and have lunch. After that, I go to my office at the Istana, clear more papers and write articles or speeches. In the afternoons and evenings, I sometimes have interviews scheduled with journalists, after which I may spend an hour or two with my Chinese teachers.

I have made it a habit to exercise daily. At the age of 89, I can sit up and I do not need a walking stick. When I was in my 30s, I was fond of smoking and drinking beer. I quit smoking because it was causing me to lose my voice at election campaigns. That was before medical research linked smoking to lung and throat cancer, among other things. Oddly enough, I later became hyper-allergic to smoke. The drinking gave me a beer belly and it was showing up in pictures appearing in the press. I began to play more golf to keep fit, but later on turned to running and swimming, which took me less time to achieve the same amount of aerobic exercise. Now, I walk on the treadmill three times a day ---12 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes after lunch and 15 minutes after dinner. Before dinner, I used to swim for 20 to 25 minutes. Without that, I would not be in my present condition physically. It is a discipline.    

I continue to make appointments to meet people. You must meet people, because you must have human contact if you want to broaden your perspective. Besides people in Singapore, I meet those from Malaysia, Indonesia, and, from time to time, China, Europe and the United States. I try not to meet only old friends or political leaders, but people from a variety of fields, such as academics, businessmen, journalists and ordinary people.

I have cut down on my overseas trips significantly, because of the jetlag, especially when travelling to the US. Until 2012, I was still travelling to Japan once a year to speak at the Future of Asia Conference --- now into its 19th year, organised by the Japanese media corporation, Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei). For a time, I was going to China nearly once a year, although I am reluctant to go to Beijing now because of the pollution. But the leaders are there, so you have to go there to meet them. The JP Morgan International Council, which I am on, did me the honour of holding its 2012 annual meeting in Singapore, so did the Total Advisory Board. Going to France is all right. It is a 12-hour direct flight on an Airbus 380, there and back. But to go to New York is much more tiring --- especially because of the time change, from night into day and day into night. Travelling overseas helps me widen my horizons. I see how other countries are developing. No country or city stays static. I have seen London and Paris change, over and over again.

Being out of government means I am less well-informed of what is going on and the pressures for change. I therefore go by the decisions of the ministers, by and large. I seldom express a contrary opinion --- at least, much less than when I was in government and attended Cabinet meetings, which allowed me to participate fully in the debates.

Occasionally, when I disagree strongly with something, I make my views known to the Prime Minister. There was an instance of this when the government was looking to reintroduce Chinese dialect programmes on free-to-air channels. A suggestion was made: "Mandarin is well-established among the population now. Let us go back to dialects so the old can enjoy dramas:" I objected, pointing out that I had, as prime minister, paid a heavy price getting the dialect programmes suppressed and encouraging people to speak Mandarin. So why backtrack? I had antagonised an entire generation of Chinese, who found their favourite dialect programmes cut off. There was one very good narrator of stories called Lee Dai Sor on Rediffusion, and we just switched off his show. Why should I allow Cantonese or Hokkien to infect the next generation? If you bring it back, you will find portions of the older generation beginning to speak in dialects to their children and grandchildren. It will creep back, slowly but surely.

Every country needs one language that everybody understands. It was a difficult enough task integrating the four language streams the British left us with. The Chinese schools, where the majority of Chinese students were enrolled, were proud of their language, especially with the rise of a new Communist China from 1949. I had to fight on many fronts to make English the language of all schools and the mother tongues the second language. Chinese language chauvinists battled against this policy tooth and nail. The Chinese newspapermen and schools wanted to prop up their student and readership numbers. Because my command of Chinese then was inadequate, Li Vei Chen, my Chinese press secretary at the time, kept the Chinese press, Chinese middle schools as well as Nanyang University and their staff and supporters under tight control to minimise or prevent demonstrations, go-slows and strikes.

Eventually, it was the market value of an education in English that settled the problem. Hence, we have today's Singapore, with English connecting us to the world and attracting the multinational corporations, and the mother tongues as second language keeping us linked to C'hina, India and Indonesia. This was a critical turning point. Had the people chosen the other path, Singapore would be a backwater.

For sentimental reasons and practical reasons of trade and business with China, we need Chinese as a second language. But we certainly do not need the dialects. To undo now what we had spent so much time, energy and political capital achieving --- the removal of' dialects from the mass media---would be very foolish.

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

Life is better than death. But death comes eventually to everyone. It is something which many in their prime may prefer not to think about. But at 89, I see no point in avoiding the question. What concerns me is: How do I go? Will the end come swiftly, with a stroke in one of the coronary arteries? Or will it be a stroke in the mind that lays me out in bed for months, semi-comatose? Of the two, I prefer the quick one.

Some time back, I had an Advanced Medical Directive (AMD)) done which says that if I have to be fed by a tube, and it is unlikely that I would ever be able to recover and walk about, my doctors are to remove the tube and allow me to make a quick exit. I had it signed by a lawyer friend and a doctor.

If you do not sign one, they do everything possible to prevent the inevitable. I have seen this in so many cases. My brother-in-law on my wife’s side, Yong Nyuk Lin, had a tube. He was at home, and his wife was lying in bed, also in a poor shape. His mind was becoming blank. He is dead now. But they kept him going for a few years. What is the point of that? Quite often, the doctors and relatives of the patient believe they should keep life going. I do not agree. There is an end to everything and I want mine to come as quickly and painlessly as possible, not with me incapacitated, half in coma in bed and with a tube going into my nostrils and down to my stomach. In such cases, one is little more than a body.

I am not given to making sense out of life --- or coming up with some grand narrative on it ---other than to measure it by what you think you want to do in life. As for me, I have done what I had wanted to, to the best of my ability. I am satisfied.

Different societies have different philosophical explanations for life and the hereafter. If you go to America, you will find fervent Christians, especially in the conservative Bible Belt covering much of the country's south. In China, despite decades of Maoist and Marxist indoctrination, ancestral worship and other traditional Buddhist or Taoist-based religious practices are commonplace. In India, belief in reincarnation is widespread.

I wouldn't call myself an atheist. I neither deny nor accept that there is a God. The universe, they say, came out of the Big Bang. But human beings on this earth have developed over the last 20,000 years into thinking beings, and are able to see beyond themselves and think about themselves. Is that a result of Darwinian evolution? Or is it God? I do not know. So I do not laugh at people who believe in God. But I do not necessarily believe in God -- nor deny that there could be one.

I had a very close friend, Hon Sui Sen, who was a devout Roman Catholic. When he was dying, the priest was there next to him. At 68, he was young, but he was also absolutely fearless. As a Roman Catholic, he believed that he would meet his wife in the hereafter. I wish I can meet my wife in the hereafter, but I don't think I will. I just cease to exist just as she has ceased to exist---otherwise the other world would be overpopulated. Is heaven such a large and limitless space that you can keep all the peoples of the world over the thousands of years past? I have a large question mark on that. But Sui Sen believed that and it gave him a certain tranquillity of mind as he went through his last moments with his priest. His wife, who died in November 2012, believed they would meet again.

Those around me who may have tried to proselytise to me no longer do so because they know it is a hopeless case. My wife had a friend she knew from school who was very religious and kept trying to convert her. In the end, she stayed away from her friend, saying: "It is absurd. Every time we meet she wants to convert me into a Christian." She did not believe in the afterlife --- although, admittedly, it is comforting if you believe there is an afterlife even if there is none.

With every passing day I am physically less energetic and less active. If you ask me to go out in the heat of the sun at two o'clock to meet people, shake hands and kiss babies, I will not be able to do it. I could do it 20, 30 years ago, but not anymore. You take life as it comes, with your physical capabilities declining over the years. Sometimes my secretary would see me resting in my office and would ask me whether they should cancel the next meeting. Sometimes, I would say: "No, let's get on with it." I need 15 minutes for a shut-eye, so that my mind can concentrate after that. But if I cannot, I would say: "Yes, put it off: Let me have a nap." You cannot predict what your physical condition will be like. However rigorous and disciplined I am, it will still be a downhill slide.

In the end, my greatest satisfaction in life comes from the fact that I have spent years gathering support, mustering the will to make this place meritocratic, corruption-free and equal for all races --- and that it will endure beyond me, as it has. It was not like that when I took office. The Lim Yew Hock government was already going corrupt. Younger Singaporeans may not be familiar with a man by the name of Mak Pak Shee, a member of that government. He was an Indian Cantonese with a moustache, and he was what you would call a fixer --- somebody who facilitated the fulfilment of favours for a fee.

Singapore, as it stands, is the one corruption-free spot in a region where corruption is endemic. The institutions have been created to keep it that way, with the anti-corruption bureau. People are promoted on the basis of merit, not of race, language or religion. If we uphold these institutions, we will continue to make progress. That is my greatest hope. [pages 295-301]

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

An editorial team from The Straits Times comprising Han Fook Kwang, Elgin Toh, Zuraidah Ibrahim, Chua Mui Hoong and Shashi Jayakumar (an administrative Officer on secondment to the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy) asked the questions below.

Q: You have said before that you consider yourself a nominal Buddhist. Would you still describe yourself as such?

A: Yes, I would. I go through the motions and the rituals. I am not a Christian. I am not a Taoist. I do not belong to any special sect.

Q: When you say "rituals”, what do you mean?

A: On set days you've got to give offerings to your ancestors --- food and so on. All that is laid out by the servants. But it will go off after my generation. It is like clearing the graves during Qing Ming. With each passing generation, fewer people go. It is a ritual.

Q: Where do you draw your comfort from, if not from religion?

A: It is the end of any aches and pains and suffering. So I hope the end will come quickly. At 89, I look at the obituary pages and see very few who have outlived me. And I wonder: How have they lived? How have they died? After long illness? Incapacity? When you are 89 you will think about these things. I would advise that if you do not want to be comatose or half-comatose in bed and fed through a tube, do an AND. Do not intervene to save life.

Q: The number of people who do this in Singapore is still very low, for some reason.

A: Well, because they don't want to face up to it.

Q: Are you in favour of  euthanasia, which some countries have legalised?

A: I think under certain conditions where it is not used to get rid of old people and it is a personal decision of a man taken rationally to relieve himself from suffering, I would say yes, like the Dutch. So in my AMD, I am in fact saying: "Let me go."

Q: If a grandchild of yours comes to you and asks you what a good life is, what do you say to him?

A: I have grandchildren in their 20s. They don't ask me what a good life is. They know what it is. There's been a change in the physical world they live in, the people they meet, a change in generations and different objectives to what people do in life.

Q: Are you saying that it is not possible to influence young people these days?

A: No, you can influence the basic attitudes from the day they are born to about 16 or 17. After that --- sometimes earlier --- they have a mind of their own and they are influenced by what they see around them and by their peers.

Q: You spoke about not believing you would meet your wife in the hereafter. Do you not hold out such a hope, even in your quieter moment? Is it not human to do so?

A: No, it goes against logic. Supposing we all have a life after death, where is that place?

Q: Metaphysical, perhaps?

A: So we are ghostly figures? No, I don't think so.

Q: How often do you think of' Mrs Lee?

A: I have an urn with her ashes and I have told my children to put my ashes next to hers in a columbarium, for sentimental purposes.

Q: And hope?

A: Not really. She's gone. All that is left behind are her ashes. I will be gone and all that will be left behind will be ashes. For reasons of sentiment, well, put them together. But to meet in afterlife? Too good to be true. But the Hindus believe in reincarnation, don't they?

Q: It is in the Hindu creed, yes.

A: If you lead a good life, you come out in a better shape in the next world. You lead a bad life, you become a dog or something.

Q: So do the Buddhists.

A: But they are not so sharp in their conceptions of the hereafter.

Q: Is your routine these days very different compared to when you were still in Cabinet?

A: Of course. The pressure is not there.

Q: But you are somebody who has always coped very well with pressure.

A: Well, the pressure of office means a decision has to be made. And when several decisions come at the same time, you've got to look at the questions carefully and decide. Once you have decided, you cannot backtrack. It is a different kind of pressure.

Q: Do you miss having that sort of pressure?

A: No, no. Why should I miss it? I have done my share.

Q: And would you say you miss attending Cabinet meetings, and the opportunity to interact with younger ministers?

A: No, I think the time has come for me to move on. I am 89. Compared to my world and the reference points that I have fixated in my mind, the map of Singapore --- the psychological map of Singapore --- has changed. I used to visit the housing estates. I used to know people from the residents' committees well. I interacted with them. I had a good feel of the ground. Now I do not have that. I have to go by reports, which is not the same thing. So I have to leave it to the people in charge who do go around.

Q: Do you regret the decision to step out of government shortly after the 2011 general election?

A: No. How can I carry on making decisions when I am losing the energy to make contact with people on the ground? It requires a lot of physical energy. The mental effort does not bother me because I have not had a stroke nor am I going into dementia. But I lack the physical energy. Before this interview, I had a light lunch, did my treadmill routine and then rested for 15 minutes. I did not need that in the past.

Q: So you have no unfinished business that you had wanted to...

A: No, I have done what I had wanted to do. I gave up my duties as prime minister to Gob Chok Tong. I helped him. He passed them on to Lee Hsien Loong. It is a different generation now. So my contributions are less meaningful --- except when they want to go back on dialects.

Q: How is your health, if I may ask?

A: I was recently hospitalised after experiencing what the doctors said was a transient ischaemic attack. But I have since recovered fully and have returned to work. If you take into account the fact that I am in my 90th year... the doctors have told me there is no benchmark for people of that age.

Q: You set the benchmark. So you are reasonably happy with your physical and mental state at the moment?

A: No, you have to accept the gradual decline in your physical abilities. So far the mental capabilities have not declined, which has happened to some of my friends. I am grateful for that. I think it is largely due to inherited genes. But the physical ageing --- you cannot stop it.

Q: Your mental faculties --- could that be due to your mental habits as well? You are someone who has kept himself mentally very occupied and interested in what is happening.

A: Yes, of course. And I keep on learning new words and phrases in Chinese, so that I am forced to. It is like playing mahjong.

Q: Have your dietary habits changed over the years?

A: Well, I no longer eat to my heart's content. I stop before I am full. I also try to eat more vegetables and less protein.

Q: At an interview with The Straits Times when you turned 80, you said one worry you had was the narrowing window that people who are ageing tend to have, and that it gets smaller and smaller, that would be the end of existence. Is that something that you still think about --- keeping that window open?

A: Yes. Otherwise I would be sitting alone. Why should I meet you and talk to you?

Q: Are you afflicted by loneliness sometimes?

A: You have to distinguish between loneliness and solitude. I had a friend who was one of the brightest students in Cambridge. He is dead now. His name was Percy Cradock. He had a wife who was Danish and had diabetes. She had lost two legs. Percy used to say: "I enjoy my solitude." And I said: "Get hold of the computer and go on Google. You can get all the poems that you have read and enjoyed, purple passages from works of literature. You just type in the keywords. It will come out.” And he did.

Q: What newspapers  or Internet sites --- do you read regularly?

A: I read The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobai.  I used to read Berita Harian also but now I don't. I used to be very good with my Malay but it is not necessary now that most Malays in Singapore speak English. I follow closely on the Internet news on Singapore, the region, China, Japan, Korea, America, India and Europe. The Middle East --- occasionally. Latin America --- almost zero, because it is not relevant to us. Too far away.

Q: What particular Internet sites?

A: Google. I prearrange for news from the various regions to be automatically passed on.

Q: What books or movies have you read or watched recently?

A: I do not watch movies.

Q: And books?

A: Usually I read biographies of interesting people. I am not attracted to novels --- make-believe, or recreations of what people think life should be.

Q: Any recent one that you enjoyed particularly?

A: One on Charles de Gaulle. France was lost. He was a nobody. He went to London and said: "I am France." And he went to Algiers and told Alphonse Juin, who had obeyed the Vichy government and was in charge there: "As a Marshal of France, you ought to be ashamed of yourself." That was a pretty bold man. And he walked back to Paris, of course, with the Allied troops having cleared the way for him.

Q: What are your foremost preoccupations these days? What are the things that keep you awake?

A: I think our changing population. With an overall fertility rate of 1.2 --- we have no choice but to take in migrants. It is difficult to get Singaporeans to change their mindsets. The women are educated. They want a different lifestyle, not to be stuck with early marriages and children. They want to travel first, see the world, enjoy life and marry later, by which time they will have trouble having children.

Q: Any hopes for Singapore?

A: Well, the hope is that it will keep a steady course and uphold all these institutions which make it different from the rest of the region. [pages 302-310]

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OH MALAYSIA!

To all Malaysians who still remember what it was like in the 1960s when we celebrated Merdeka (Independence Day) on 31 August each year, here are some tunes to re-live happy memories. Enjoy!

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A CONVERSATION WITH DR MAYA ANGELOU

This morning I was watching Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN when the interview with Dr Maya Angelou came on. It was to mark the 50th anniversary of Dr Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech of 28 August, 1963. For the next 15 minutes or so, I sat transfixed, listening to every gem of wisdom that came from her lips. At the end of it, I confess I shed some tears. I was emotionally overwhelmed by what she said in response to the questions asked.

Perhaps it's has to do with what's happening in my country these past weeks. All the fears, suspicions and mud-slinging that we read about in the papers every day, and the online comments - so full of hate and prejudice.

With a mere two days left before Independence Day on 31 August, the spirit of unity, of pride, of patriotism seems to be missing among my fellow Malaysians, many of whom are squabbling over the most trivial matters imaginable. Making mountains out of molehills seems to be the favorite national pastime. So much so it's like having to walk on eggshells all the time, so that we do not offend others, confuse them or upset them in any way.

Perhaps that's why Dr Angelou's words resonate so much with me. She may be referring to what she calls "the yet-to-be-united States of America", but what she says could easily be applicable to any country, any people, any human being.

Here's the interview, in two parts. If you are unable to view it below, you can watch it here.

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MARIJUANA - THE GROWING MOVEMENT TO LEGALIZE IT AS A MEDICINE

Photo grab off my TV screen

So glad I caught Dr Sanjay Gupta's documentary on "WEED" last Sunday on CNN. If you missed it, you can watch it on Youtube or here (below). Dr Gupta spent one year researching for the documentary, including interviewing people who have used weed as a medicine for their illnesses and ailments. From a skeptic, Dr Sanjay is now a firm believer in the medical benefits of weed and has publicly apologized on CNN for being 'so wrong' about weed, and for misleading the public all these years.

Weed is also known as marijuana, cannabis, pot or simply 'grass'. Supporters of the movement to legalize marijuana must feel vindicated that state governments are finally recognizing marijuana as an alternative medical treatment for cancer and other medical ailments. To date, 20 states in the US have legalized medical marijuana, with more expected to follow suit.



For those who would like some hard facts and statistics to be convinced about the medical benefits of marijuana, do watch the documentary below. It's best to study all the pros and cons before you draw your own conclusions about this controversial hemp. There are plenty of research studies and Youtube documentaries on the subject. Just google it.



Before you set out to purchase some weed or grow some in your garden, be mindful that marijuana is illegal in most countries, including Malaysia and Singapore. In Malaysia where it is known as 'ganja', anyone convicted of selling or possessing 200 grams (seven ounces) of marijuana receives a mandatory DEATH sentence. Period. So be forewarned.

Woodstock 1969 - featuring some of the biggest names in music then,  from Jimi Hendrix to the Grateful Dead; also Santana, Crosby, Stills and  Nash, CCR, Incredible String Band, Ravi Shankar, Janis Joplin, the Who, and Joan Baez. 

This was not the case prior to 1969 when ganja was quite easily available here and one could smoke it anywhere anytime without any issue in this country. In fact, few people knew about marijuana, and even fewer took an interest in it. Who would have thought that a day would come when you could be arrested for smoking these leaves or growing this plant.

Then Woodstock happened in 1969. Three days of young people celebrating love, peace and music in a dairy farm outside New York. Critics would label it three days of sex, drugs and rock n roll. Hoping to ride on the success of the music festival, a group of Woodstock fans here organized a similar festival in Kuala Lumpur. The event was given prominent media coverage the day after. A reporter wrote that the youths who turned up not only enjoyed the music, but also the ganja joints that were openly passed around and smoked. That set off alarm bells within the government, which promptly declared ganja illegal.

But that's another story, and I digress.

Just one of many such clinics in
Venice Beach, LA.

In 2011, I was on a family trip to Los Angeles. While strolling along Venice Beach with my grandchildren I was pleasantly surprised to see a number of marijuana clinics with 'doctors' in white coats prescribing medical marijuana for a small fee.

Marijuana is easily available in LA. But how safe is it for anyone to smoke it, or for a cancer patient to ingest it?

Based on the research and studies conducted, no one has ever died from a marijuana overdose, or suffered adverse side effects. In fact, the opposite is true. There is increasing evidence that taking marijuana does more good than harm.

It is believed that over 200 ailments can be treated with medical marijuana. Some of these are mentioned in the videos above.

Health Benefits of Medical Marijuana 
(click here for the full article and references).

• prevents blindness from glaucoma
• controls epileptic seizures
• stops cancer cells from spreading
• lowers anxiety
• slows the progression of Alzheimer's
• eases the pain of multiple sclerosis
• reduces the side effects of Hepatitis C treatment
• treats inflammatory bowel diseases
• relieves arthritis discomfort
• stops stuttering
• relieves insomnia

It's obvious that it's the older generation that will benefit most from medicinal marijuana. Young people smoke marijuana joints or bongs mainly for recreational purposes. If grandma suffers from Alzheimer's, should she be encouraged to smoke pot? If grandpa has stage 4 cancer, should he consider marijuana as an option to treat his cancer? The documentary below provides answers to these questions and others as well.

By the way, as shown in the video "Should Grandma Smoke Pot?", there are other more palatable ways to take marijuana - in cookies, candies and chocolates. There are probably recipes for marijuana fried rice, omelette and soups. Add marijuana tea to the list as well. I wouldn't mind a cup or two the next time I find myself in Venice Beach, LA again... 

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TIMELESS SONGS FROM MALAYSIAN ARTISTES

Photo grab from The Sunday Star, 25 August 2013

Our walk down Memory Lane continues with more nostalgia from the music of decades ago. With just a week before we celebrate Malaysia's 56th Independence Day on 31 August, let's look at some of the songs that all of us older Malaysians are familiar with, and have enjoyed listening and singing along to. Here are some of my personal favorites, in no particular order. Enjoy!


Siti Nurhaliza, one of Malaysia's top songbirds. Beauty, talent and a big heart too - she has everything.


Sheila Majid, Malaysia's Queen of Jazz and R&B. 'Sinaran' and 'Lagenda' are two of my favorite Sheila Majid songs.


Zainal Abidin made it big with 'Hijau', Malaysia's first 'green' song.


I used to love listening to this song by Zaiton Sameon. Her budding singing career went into decline after a major road accident in 1990. Tragic.


Another of my favourite Malay songs sung by the enigmatic Jamal Abdillah.

A singalong song from the movie "Bujang Lapok" from the legendary P.Ramlee. His demise was a huge loss to the local entertainment industry, and to Malaysians.


My all-time favorite Malaysian entertainer - Sudirman. I was at the Chow Kit Road concert in 1986 where he sang from atop a crane to the thousands who packed the entire street to see him. Awesome!

Man Bai didn't have that many hit songs to his name. This is one that his fans will remember.

'Isabella' from, Search, one of Malaysia's longest-surviving rock bands from the 1980s.

I hope you have enjoyed this small selection of my favorite songs by Malay artistes . Did they bring back some happy memories for you? For more of the 56 songs that made it to Malaysia's Timeless Tunes, click here.

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LET'S CELEBRATE NOSTALGIA

Straits Times 21 Aug 2013

Not everyone finds walking down memory lane a pleasant stroll. For some people, it can be a painful one, filled with remembrances that are best left buried and forgotten. But to others, reminiscing on treasured memories brings joy and contentment.

Life has ups and downs, peaks and valleys. We have all been through both good and bad times. We can choose to remember the happy moments, or focus on negative past experiences that leave us feeling bitter. So which will it be? The answer is obvious, yet there are people who choose to remember only the bad times.

The Dept of Psychology at North Dakota State University conducted a 10-year laboratory research on the effects of nostalgia on people. The results published recently showed that nostalgia is good for people. To quote Associate Professor Clay Routledge of the research team, "Nostalgia increases positive mood, self-esteem, feelings of social connectedness, and perceptions of meaning in life...Nostalgia is not about living in the past, it is utilising the past to help with struggles in the present." 

You can read the full article here. Interesting.

When old friends get together, they reminisce on the good old days and enjoy a hearty laugh at fond memories. It is a shared experience that brings joy as they recall those memories, rather than regret that those days are gone. That's why we look forward to class reunions, family gatherings and anniversary celebrations. Whether it is a small informal get-together at a friend's house or a gala class reunion at a hotel, we enjoy reviving the camaraderie of former school days. We laugh as we recall the silly schoolboy pranks that we played on our classmates and teachers. If laughter is the best medicine, such occasions can only invigorate us and improve our well-being.

Looking through old photos and remembering special moments in time

The poster says it all - "A Reunion of Timeless Treasures"

When we are alone, reflecting on the past puts a smile on our face. I would rather dwell on cherished memories such as my first date or my solo trip to Kathmandu in 1976, rather than make myself miserable by dwelling on my first break-up or the time when I was hospitalized.

Nostalgia can be an effective tool against negative emotions. By remembering times when we were happy, we have the psychological strength to move forward and find meaning in life. We banish doubts about whether life is worth living.

So with that in mind, let's celebrate nostalgia. Come, walk down memory lane with me as we re-visit much-loved memories from our growing up years.

When we feel lonely, going through albums of old family photos is a great way to open the flood gates of treasured memories, and trigger feel-good endorphins.

My dad's side of the family tree with my grandma in the centre, and my dad looking dapper right behind her. My great grandma is next to my grandma. I am in the front row, second from right. Four generations in this photo circa early 1950s. 

Children's photos always bring smiles to grandparents. Max, 8, and Reiya, 2, (above) in Jan 2008, and in Aug 2013. Children grow so fast. Before you know it, they are all grown up and you have only photos to remember them when they were little.

Music from the good old days is another endorphin booster. Baby boomers will remember listening to the long-running radio programs Britain's Top of the Pops and Casey Kasem's American Top 40. With YouTube we can now watch thousands of music videos of our favorite singers and bands from yesteryears.

If you haven't checked out Playa Cofi Jukebox of oldies music, please do so. Seniorsaloud has been promoting this music channel since 2008 (see Jukebox Hits in side column). It was started by a group of retirees who wanted to share their love of music from their era. A very impressive collection of top hits from the 1950s to the 1980s, from pop to classical and every genre in between.

If old movies are your cup of tea, there are plenty to choose from on YouTube - from full-length classics like Charlie Chaplin's 'The Great Dictator' (above) to P. Ramlee's 1964 'Madu Tiga' (below) which won the Best Comedy at the 11th Asian Film Festival held in Taipei. 

There are websites devoted to heritage as well as publications that take one on paths to revisit familiar places and people. One of the sites I like is I remember SG facebook. Check out the photos posted there.

Do you remember this poster below of hair length for men? I had friends who donned wigs just to get through Singapore immigration in the 1960s. Lee Kuan Yew's government probably viewed long hair in men as a sign of protest and rebellion. Those were the hippie days of 'Make Love, Not War' and flower power.

Photo credit: Alvin Cheah; Source: https://www.facebook.com/irememberSG

If you grew up in Kuala Lumpur, you would remember Merdeka Park. It was a popular hang-out for both the young and the old in the 1960s and 70s. The elderly would gather there early in the morning for tai-chi exercises; parents would take their children there to play on weekends, and young couples would go there for romantic strolls in the evenings.

Today the park and the surrounding area have been ear-marked as the site for the 118-storey Menara Warisan. Rakan KL, a small but vocal group of concerned citizens hopes to gather enough support to protect heritage sites like Mederka Park for the people. If you are interested, join them this Saturday, 24 Aug, 1pm-3.30pm, at KLSCAH (1, Jln Maharajalela) for a Peoples’ Dialogue session on: 'Preservation and Revitalization of National Historical Heritage & Public Space'.

Reading old love letters can be a therapeutic
experience

All these aside, we can spend happy hours going through our treasure chest of cherished items. Each item stirs up warm memories of special moments in the past. Old birthday cards, past Christmas presents, children's baby clothes, gifts from ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends, commemorative magazines, souvenirs from our travels, and love letters that we still keep - all these make up the sum total of our life experiences. They bear testimony of certain episodes in our lives that we want to hold onto because they are of special significance and meaning to us.

Some retirement homes set aside a special room for a 'Memory Museum' where items such as old records, sewing machines, toys and other vintage paraphernalia are displayed. These items become conversation pieces as residents chat about these mementos of the past. This helps slow down memory loss in those with early dementia or Alzheimer's.

If you love all things old and antique, do pay a visit to TIME TUNNEL in Cameron Highlands. For an admission fee of RM5, you will be temporarily transported to a bygone era when Green Spot Orange was more popular than Coca-Cola, and housewives used wooden boards to scrub dirty laundry as electric washing machines were yet to be invented. A must-visit place on our to-do list aka bucket list.

For more info on how to get there, go to http://www.timetunnel.cameronhighlands.com/

So here's a toast to nostalgia. May we never forget old friends, old places and old memories for they all occupy a special corner in our hearts. They help shape us into who we are today.

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LIVING A SIMPLE LIFE

Looking Beyond The Symbols Of Wealth
by Dr Ansgar Cheng

I was born in a very prosperous city during its uptrend era and lived in Hong Kong during its rapid economic expansion. It was and still is a place filled with people, tons of opportunities, abundant ideas, plenty of upward energy, never-ending traffic jams, flooded with newspapers and other information sources. People there are forever hungry for the next best thing.

My family is reaching the end of our first decade of living in Asia. Living in Singapore is an extra-ordinary experience. Singapore is amazing in that it has almost perpetual sunshine and an excellent education system that my family members are grateful and happy to be active participants of. This is a rather sharp contrast to the 13-year experiences that my wife and I had when we were living in North America.

Home front
Many people long for a landed property in Singapore. In many places, landed properties are commonly referred to as houses. On the one hand, people in Hong Kong have close to a zero concept of this ‘landed’ property idea. With probably over 97% of the Hong Kong population living in high-rise buildings, the only people who live in ‘landed’ homes are either the mega-rich or those who are at the other end of the economic scale. A westerner friend once quipped: Aren’t all properties built on land anyway?

Usually houses offer a liberal amount of living space. Price tag aside, living in a house requires a lot of maintenance work that my family does not fancy anyone doing on our behalf, and that we don’t relish doing ourselves.

Working in a hospital environment, I have realized that space is needed to function but excessive space is actually counterproductive. Imagine an emergency patient has to cover a long distance to reach the front door of the emergency department. That is precious time wasted. In Chinese, these may be regarded as“fengshui” but in our modern world this is something simply called ergonomics. Excess is not necessarily better.

If I can easily reach and get most things in my apartment, why would I want a house that is full of space?

Lifestyle - Life in a Style? 
It was a coincidence that I ran into an old friend shortly after I moved to the USA for my residency training. In American terms, residency training means that one has to stay on for a period of time, usually for a few years, in order to complete an in-depth training in a given clinical specialty.

We were chatting away and this friend was telling me that spending extra time in a specialty training program was not a great idea for him as it would compromise his ‘lifestyle’.Well, pardon my ignorance, this term ‘lifestyle’ was totally alien to me at that point of time in life.

I was born in a working class family - my mother was an excellent housewife while my father was running his own little businesses with 3 days off every year. My parents ate simple and had a simple daily routine. My idea of life strategy was simply a biosphere of work surrounding a core of life where there was no room for this lifestyle idea. However, as time passes, I have started to realize that to many people, ‘lifestyle’ means ‘life in a style’, which many times is translated into high expenses in travel, clothing, food, and housing.

From point A to point B 
When I was doing my specialty training at UCLA, I had the honor of being taken under the wings of a world famous professor in dental implantology. His invention in the field, the UCLA abutment, is used by numerous dental implant clinicians, whether they know it or not, on an everyday basis. In short, he was successful, famous and no doubt, financially well off as he had been living in the Beverly Hills area for many years. He first made a name for himself when was 37 year-old, and he was barely 50 when I was his resident.

On a weekly basis, we needed to go to other hospitals for rounds. As I was new to Los Angeles, this world famous professor kindly drove me to those hospitals in a beat-up rusty brown Japanese van! Years later, he sadly told me that the van was eventually scrapped after collecting close to a million miles on the odometer.

In Singapore, the public transportation system can reach most places within 45 minutes from point A to point B. Our family of four enjoys life in the city without feeling ‘deprived’ that we do not own a car. Nowadays, my little girls in primary school cannot believe that their parents actually have a valid driving license! It is outside their reality!

It is mine 
People should have the right to do what they want with the things that they own. That is, providing the ownership is really there. Capitalism dictates that for the transfer of goods and services, there is a following monetary exchange. In aggregate, the money is being held in kind in between transactions.

However, there is a system of ‘free’ exchange that has been around for millions of years.Butterflies and bees have been pollinating flowers for free for years. Their pay out was to have more flowers for the following generations to enjoy. The insects apparently show no ownership mentality and they have little interest to consume more simply because they have pollinated more flowers on a good summer day.

Mankind temporarily owns a piece of the world and we call this our net worth. In the parable of talents in the Bible, our talent was allocated according to individual abilities and we are supposed to do something about it for others. Our worldly worth, which commonly is indexed with numbers, is probably to do something for mankind at large too.

Kids 
Less may be indeed more. Excesses may not necessarily lead to more happiness but it is certainly harder to sustain from one high to another.

Our children have never had the traditional birthday parties with friends coming over, and with clowns and magicians to provide the entertainment. My wife and I have always considered the inevitable deluge of gifts to be poor economic allocation. Most kids would be so overwhelmed with the large number of presents received that the gifts may not be appreciated as much. That being said, we have always ensured that our girls know they are cherished, and we celebrate birthdays in a family setting with a special gift. When they were younger, we also had cupcakes and tiny goodie bags at the day care centre, but that was the extent of the celebrations.

On the subject of children, we also tend to be minimalist about children’s toys. We have been blessed to have hand-me-downs from relatives with older kids, so our two girls have never lacked for toys, books and clothing (even until now when they are 9 and 10 years old respectively). We have taught the girls to happily walk into a toy store to play with the toys and to equally cheerfully say good bye to the toys as we left without purchasing one for them. Books, rather than dolls, are their favourite companion, although they do have some dolls and soft toys at home.

Wish list 
I am not so sure how many things I want in life. However, I am absolutely sure that there is one thing I certainly can do without – that is a complicated life.

One time, an octogenerian was asked about his secret to longevity, he calmly quipped: “I figured out where I am going to die, and I have never been there since.” Deep down we probably all know what our basic needs are in life. However, it is probably not so clear about the volume of our wish list.

Being a very risk adverse person, I don’t really want to get things in life which I don’t need because I am worried that someday, I may have to sell the things I need to finance those wants. As Murphy’s law dictates, these things always happen to show up at the wrong time in life. The meek should be blessed but I really have no idea what to do if I have the earth all to myself.

I am content.

Dr Ansgar Cheng is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore and a Director & Prosthodontist with Specialist Dental Group. He is the usual recipient of his wife’s hand-me-down phones. The Cheng family zip around Singapore via buses, MRT or taxis and walk their kids to school.

(This article first appeared in the August-Sept 2013 issue of IMPACT Magazine. For more articles with the focus on spiritual values, concern for family, positive life-style, and civic consciousness, please click here.)

Related article:

A Simple Life - The Root of Sensible Living

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A VILLAGE FOR THOSE WITH DEMENTIA

Hogewey is a gated model village specially designed for dementia patients

After watching Dr Sanjay Gupta's documentary "Dementia Village" last Saturday night on CNN, my first thought was - if only there was such a village in Malaysia or Singapore!

In a speech at the 3rd Singapore International Neurocognitive Symposium, 5 April 2013, Singapore's Minister for Health, Mr Gan Kim Yong, said that the country currently has about 28,000 elderly aged 60 years and above with dementia, and this is expected to more than double to 80,000 by 2030.

Figures for England and Wales

Singapore isn't alone in this. With global ageing, countries are seeing a huge rise in the number of people with dementia. The World Health Organization reports that worldwide, nearly 35.6 million people live with dementia. This number is expected to rise to 65.7 million by 2030, and more than triple to 115.4 million by 2050.

While most countries are still focusing on awareness, prevention and care-giving, the Netherlands has moved far ahead with new concepts on housing and lifestyles for those with dementia. In 2010 I had the pleasure of attending a talk by Dr Hans Becker, who heads the Humanitas Foundation. That was the first time I heard about his 'Apartments for Life'. Housing developers, including those in Singapore and Malaysia, are incorporating some of the features in their new projects.

Now there is Hogewey, a gated village of 23 houses, with each reflecting a certain lifestyle that the residents are accustomed to or wish to enjoy. Opened in December 2009, Hogewey has drawn worldwide attention for its innovative approach to providing dementia patients with a sense of 'living in the real world'. The village has its own shops, restaurants, theatres - just like in any village. The only difference is that no money exchanges hands. And of course, all the residents have dementia, with many in the advanced stage.

Dr Sanjay shares the five things he learned from his visit to Hogewey. Click here to read. And do watch the video to find out more about this Dementia Village.



In Malaysia, although we do have a residential care centre specifically for dementia patients, it is no way close to what Hogewey offers. Still, I am happy to have discovered Dementia Homecare Centre in Teluk Panglima Garang for my mother. She is happy with the place. It is clean and well-maintained. The staff have nursing experience and qualifications. Best of all, there is a daily schedule of activities, incorporating exercises, singing, and games. My only complaint is the name. Surely the directors can come up with something more inspiring.

You can read more about this homecare centre at the link below.

A Home Sweet Home for My Mom

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KUALA LUMPUR ON A SHOESTRING

Is it possible to spend a day sightseeing in downtown Kuala Lumpur on only RM10, inclusive of lunch? I set myself this challenge and chose the second day of Hari Raya to find out. With most KL folks either back in their hometown celebrating the festive occasion, or away on vacation, I could avoid all the traffic congestion and pollution.

Unfortunately the day started out with an overcast sky. Not great for photography, but being an eternal optimist, I silently prayed for blue skies and bright sunshine later in the afternoon. Alas, it was not to be, as you can see from the photos.

Here's my inner city tour in pictures.

Got off the bus here at Jalan Munshi Abdullah (Campbell Road). An improvement in the bus shelters. From here I explored the Masjid India back lanes on foot. Only four days ago when I was passing through, the entire area was packed with last minute Raya shoppers.

Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman or Batu Road where Globe Silk Store still stands. All quiet and deserted. A people-friendly street with broad sidewalks and benches.

I love bridges for many reasons. Here's the first one at Maju Junction where Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman (Batu Road) meets Jalan Sultan Ismail (Treacher Road).

Turn left on the bridge and you are connected to Jalan Raja Laut (Broadrick Road) further up.

Turn right and you go towards Jalan Ampang. I decided to take this direction.

It was a long walk to the monorail station at the end of the bridge. A scary thought flashed through my mind. What if I encountered a couple of guys here out to cause trouble? 

I got off the bridge and walked towards Jalan Ampang. Many of the city streets have covered walkways like this one. Several massive construction projects along the way. A building boom? 

Took the shuttle bus near Concorde Hotel. It goes to Bukit Bintang. These shuttle buses are a blessing to city commuters. Check the maps below and try out Go-KL. It's FREE!

These escalators are great for tired feet. But how would those in wheelchairs get up these steps?

Clean and bright, as all bridges should be. This leads to Pavilion, Malaysia's award-winning mall.

Walking towards the 'back' entrance of Pavilion along Jalan Raja Chulan (Jalan Weld)

The streets may be deserted but the malls and food courts were swarming with thousands of shoppers, especially families enjoying the holiday with their children in tow. Here's where I had my lunch, a very expensive one, to my dismay. The details later.

Overcast sky. From Pavilion, I took the shuttle bus down to Kota Raya (Chinatown area). This place has been transformed with new buildings and bridges. But the chaos remains. This is the terminal for several stage buses.

UTC probably stands for Urban Transformation Centre (Pusat Transformasi Bandar) I was stopped from taking photographs as I stood outside the building. Wonder why? Of course, I didn't bother to enter.

This bridge across Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (Foch Avenue) gets my vote for the filthiest overhead bridge in the city, no thanks to the foreign blue collar workers who have made this downtown area their shopping haven. For more pictures, go to 'Foreign invasion of downtown KL'.

The bridge reeks of urine and is littered with used bottles, cans and old newspapers. On normal days, beggars line the sides. This man probably spent the night here sleeping on pieces of cardboard. 

Beggars and vagabonds are a familiar sight in Kota Raya (Chinatown) and Pasar Seni (Central Market) areas. Take care of your valuables, and be on the alert for pickpockets.

Chinatown is fast losing its cultural identity. The stalls here are almost entirely run by Bangladeshis, Nepalese and Myanmarese. Jalan Tun HS Lee used to be known as High Street during the colonial days.

The Klang bus terminal of the old days is gone. The new terminal is nearing completion. Work is in progress on the MRT station nearby. Long line of mostly foreign workers waiting to board the bus.

No, I'm not planning to take the train - just to show you more bridges and take more photos of the area along the Klang River. By the way, this is the only station where you can apply for your senior citizen (warga emas) travel card. You get to enjoy 50% off fares on RapidKL buses, monorail and trains on the Ampang and Kelana Jaya lines. Not sure if it's applicable for KTM.

The link bridge at Pasar Seni LRT station. At the far end, you can either turn right or left.

Turn left, and you can walk all the way across the river to the old railway station along Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin. Anyone knows the old name of this street?

Turn right and you go towards Dayabumi, Malaysia's first skyscraper (35 storeys) built in 1984, and Dataran Merdeka, the city's Independence Square. There's a covered walkway on the right, but it is yet to be open to the public.

The bustling Pasar Seni area, teeming with people and traffic seven days a week. 

From Pasar Seni LRT station, I boarded the shuttle bus again back to the same bus-stop I had got off earlier along Jalan Raja Chulan. And it's up the bridge again. You can see a part of it in the photo above. 

This time I took the left turn to KL Convention Centre. Going straight would take me back again to Pavilion. I decided to skip Bukit Bintang as the sky looked threatening.

This part of the bridge leading to KLCC is fully air-conditioned and well-lit. You can go to all these places listed on the signboard (starting from Wisma UOA on the signboard below).

Finally, it's out to KLCC Park and the Dewan Philharmonic. Lots of people posing for photos. Problem for them - how to capture all 88 storeys of the Petronas Twin Towers with their tiny digital cameras or mobile phones?.

Avenue K, opposite KLCC, is getting more than just a face-lift. Hopefully with big names like Starbucks, H&M and Popular coming in as tenants, Avenue K will see a reversal of fortune.

From KLCC, I walked to Ampang Park LRT station, passing Wisma MCA on the way. Some positive changes at the station, including a new and improved bus-stop, a covered walkway and a small park nearby. Opposite is Ampang Park. Built in 1973, it is the oldest shopping complex in the country.

At RM15 million, this is probably the most expensive link bridge in the city built by City Hall and the Intermark. It was opened in late March 2013.

The bridge boasts up and down escalators and is equipped with bright lights as well as six CCTVs. Guards are on sentry duty from 7am to 10pm daily. Pedestrians feel safe using this bridge.

As I was walking back to the bus-stop to catch the bus home, this tour bus passed by. For a RM45 ticket, you can get a tour of the city attractions, valid for 24 hours. An option for tourists who prefer to sit in comfort and be driven around the city.

I reached home after an entire afternoon exploring the sights and sounds of Kuala Lumpur. How much did it cost me? Did I meet the challenge of spending not more than RM10? Well, yes and no. Let me explain.

I made a huge mistake when I stopped for lunch at Food Republic, Pavilion. As I had a tight budget, I chose to eat simple - a plate of rice with some long beans and a small fish (see photo below). I estimated it would cost no more than RM8. When the cashier told me my plate of food cost RM17.50, I could only stare at her in disbelief. The breakdown: RM12 for the fish, RM3.50 for the beans and RM2.00 for the rice. What a rip-off!

Would you pay RM17.50 for this? I did, but never again. Never again will I patronize this particular food outlet. Play it safe. Order food that has the price listed. I have posted this photo on my FB page.

If I consider the fare alone, I had spent well below my limit of RM10. So how much was my total bus fare? Brace yourself as you won't believe this - a paltry RM2.50. If I had not been so forgetful and had brought along my warga emas card, it would have cost me only RM1.40! And if I had eaten a RM7.90 bowl of laksa for lunch, or better still, had my lunch in Pasar Seni or Chinatown, I would have spent less than RM10 in all. Lessons learned.

Here some tips for those who would like to do a similar walkabout in the city.

• Bring a hat and an umbrella. Blue skies can change to thunderstorms within minutes. 
• Wear comfortable walking shoes or sandals.
• Make sure you have a large bottle of water. The weight will offload as you drink along the way. Stay hydrated.
• Carry minimal stuff, only essentials and pack everything either in a backpack or a sling bag (across the shoulder). This keeps your hands free to take photos, and your belongings more secure. Just remember to swing your bag to the front when in crowded places.
• Take your toilet breaks at the shopping malls and LRT stations along the way. Shun other public toilets like the plague.
• Be on the alert for pickpockets, especially in downtown Kota Raya-Chinatown area.

So there you have it. It is possible to do a tour of the city on a shoestring. There are covered walkways, pedestrian crossings and link bridges that makes it safe and convenient to walk along the city streets. It also helps that shuttle buses provide free transport within the main city areas.

All in all, my little trip covered KLCC, Ampang Park, Pavilion, Chinatown, Kota Raya, Pasar Seni and Masjid India. If I had wanted, I could have included Bukit Bintang (Sungei Wang, Lot 10) and Dataran Merdeka at no extra cost.

If you have any queries about my city walkabout, do send me an email at seniorsaloud@gmail.com

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