M.J. is no more!

Yes, I know what you are saying - this is a community blog and so what has that got to do with Micheal Jackson?

Nothing really, except his passing was so sudden and overwhelming, I had to write something to pay tribute to this man who has help shaped the music and entertainment industry and brought a bit of magic into my life. Look at his video productions, always very lavish, elaborate and obviously very expensive. MTV started growing to what it is today - thanks to him.

Who would not have heard his hits like "Ben", "Billie Jean", "Rock with you", "Beat It", "Bad", "Black or White" or "Wanna be starting something" and so many others? Who could forget his "Thriller" video and the sinister laughter done by the legendary Vincent Price at the end of that hit song? Who could forget his contribution in "We are the world" to the sufferings and famine in Ethiopia?

And what about his smooth and legendary moonwalk (in Billie Jean video) that has inspired so many Michael Jackson wannabes? And there are still no shortages of that today!

You can say, I grew up with his music as I am from the same generation. And I am pretty sure a lot of you living here are too. Which means to say, he has, in some ways or other, touched our lives.

And I am sure there are no shortages of news and writeups about him in the newspaper, internet, etc. So, this is more of a tribute to Micheal Jackson from a local perspective. In my humble opinion, he was correctly and appropriately declared the "King of Pop". That title aptly fits him and rightly so.

Since then, I dare say, no one has come even close to claiming that title until today. He was ahead of his time and he was larger than life. He had a heart so big, it transcends generations, race, cultures and borders! That truly makes him a legend. Never mind his bizarreness and eccentricities and one who is never short of controversies.

In 1996, he brought magic to our shores in his "HISTORY" world tour. I had the chance to see his concert in Kuala Lumpur that October night. I brought my whole family along, together with my mother, who was still in her 60s then, to the concert.

The most expensive "History" tour made history that night, for me anyway! I still vividly remember the music, his dance moves, the props (remember the tank?), the pyrotechnics, the electrifying atmosphere. He even managed to say "Saya cinta Malaysia"! What a show it was!

And my whole family, especially my mother, who hardly speaks any English by the way, enjoyed it through and through. I am sure like me, she will be saddened by his passing.

That 2 days in October of 1996, Kuala Lumpur was rocked with Michael Jackson fever. It was not enough even after the promoter extended the concert from one to two shows. Those who did not manage to get to the concert were hoping against hope that there will be another which, of course, did not happen.

And I am sure some of you who are living here in USJ 11/3 may have made it to that show. You would agree with me then, it was a show of a lifetime. Never will I or have I seen anything like it. For that whole 2 hours, I was immersed in his world - the Michael Jackson world! I will never ever forget that night.

Do have a look at this link - www.nme.com/video/id/y83L7wJINO8/search/malaysia

Michael Jackson has given us (especially his generation) his gift of music and talent. And his legacy will live on forever here in Malaysia and around the world.

Heck, we even call our local concoction of soya-bean+cincau - "Michael Jackson" or MJ. Do that in a coffee shop and they will know in an instance what you are ordering!!

He may have left us but his music, his talent and his magic will live on forever.

Thank you Michael, for all your gifts to the world. May you find peace wherever your are.

Big Party for the residents of USJ 11/3 in the works!

Dear Residents,

In conjunction with our first anniversary (yes, we are going to be one year old soon!), we will be having a big bash for you, our dear residents in USJ 11/3! It will be full of activities food, entertainment and all for you.

In case you are wondering about the funding, this event will be fully sponsored by various organizations. So, all you have to do is just come with all your family members.

So, please mark on your calendar - Saturday, July 11, 2009 @ 7:00 pm and come and join in the party on that day. Our guests of honour includes our YB ADUN, YDP of MPSJ, the Police and several other organizations who have one way or other lent their support in setting up our RA successfully.

There will be satay, nasi lemak, snacks etc planned and if things work out, even durians! Entertainment is also in the pipeline for children, teenagers and adults as well. After all, we would like to make this a very fun event for all!

More information will be posted as the planning gets more firmed up. So stay tuned!

Hope to see all of you there on that day!

The Committee
11 Trees@ USJ

Robbery at USJ 11/5

Saturday June 13, 2009

Three robbers broke into a home in USJ 11/5 at around 5 a.m. last Saturday morning. They managed to disable the alarm and broke into the house while the occupants were fast alseep.

They tied up the occupants, ransacked the house and took away all the valuables with them. They even drove off with both cars belonging to the occupants.

This was reported to the Police, our YB ADUN and YDP of MPSJ. Please be on alert at all times and not take our security and safety for granted.

The Committee
11 Trees @ USJ

Car theft attempt foiled

There was an attempt to steal a car at 41, Jalan USJ 11/3K at around 2.20 am in the morning. However, this attempt was foiled by our security guard who was on patrol at that time. The car door was opened and the owner was alerted about it.

We would like to advise all residents to not take things for granted and to take every possible precaution.

Thank you.

The Committee
11 Trees @ USJ

DENGUE ALERT!!

Dear Residents,

Two of our fellow residents have been reported to come down with Dengue fever last Monday and was admitted to the hospital. Both of them are from USJ 11/3C.

We need to get rid of this menace from our community as it has become rampant in recent months. And Dengue can kill so please be alert at all times and make sure we use aerosol and other preventive measures from us being bitten by these deadly pest - the AEDES mosquitoes.

Please do help spread the word around that DENGUE is still very much present and evident in our area.

Thank you

The Committee
11 Trees @ USJ

USJ Residents green their neighbourhood

Wednesday June 3, 2009
From The Star
Stories by JADE CHAN

SISTERS Melanie and Melissa Liew, aged eight and five respectively, enthusiastically took part in a tree-planting activity in their neighbourhood last Sunday as they helped to scoop and pack the soil around the trees.

Their father, Liew Kim Yen, said he brought his daughters along to teach them to be aware of the environment, and how trees play an important role towards a greener place.

“Melanie was inspired by an Earth Day event held at her school in Sri Sedaya, Subang Jaya. One important lesson she learnt was to reduce the use of plastic bags, something which she has been reminding her family about ever since,” said the USJ 11/3 resident.

Residents of USJ 11/3 and USJ 11/4 got together to plant 90 pagoda trees along Jalan USJ 11/6 during the activity that was organised by Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh’s office with the Subang Jaya Municipal Council’s (MPSJ) assistance.

“The Subang Jaya community will be planting 200 trees, mostly forest trees, next Saturday at the Millennium Park to commemorate World Environment Day. We will later move on to other residential areas to plant more trees,” said Yeoh.

“Our ultimate aim is to make Subang Jaya more green and shady, and to teach the children from young to care for the environment.”

Yeoh said the tree-planting activity was inspired by her trip to Singapore where she observed that a lot of effort had been put in to make everywhere green, including the city centre.

“We need to have the right system and plants that require minimum maintenance to make Subang Jaya a green area,” she said, urging the residents to keep an eye on the trees that they helped plant for the community’s benefit.

Yeoh said the MPSJ had allocated part of the prize money it had won for coming in second in the Housing and Local Government Ministry’s 2008 Star Rating of Local Government to go towards beautifying Millennium Park, which will be turned into a green lung for the community.

She added that the tree-planting at Millennium Park was a joint collaboration between her office, JKP (Residents Committee) Zone 1 and the MPSJ, with the assistance of several corporate sponsors.

MPSJ landscape architect Azlina Mat Salim said the beautification of Millennium Park would be done in stages.

“We will be changing the face of the park from a concrete jungle to green jungle.

“Stage one would comprise tree-planting; stage two is landscaping. The later stages include the rectification of walkways and installation of benches and street lighting,” she said.