Bayu Damansara: Inter Corner Double Storey Terrace House Facing Playground For Sale

Been staying in this house since 2005. Did one minor renovation prior to move in, one major renovation in 2012 and one makeover in 2020. 

Love the location, love the neighborhood. I truly feel that the location of the house is the best in the world! Sorry for being a little bit dramatic 😂, maybe just the best location in Kota Damansara 😋 Thought it was going to be my forever home but plans changed. Hopefully in this case for the better.

The house is situated at Jalan Kenyalang, Section 11, Kota Damansara. Gated and guarded community. Facing the main playground. Low density neighbourhood and majority of the houses are owner occupied.

View from the second floor windows 

You can walk to NSK for grocery shopping if you want. I did that a few times, just so I can exercise. No point walking to nowhere. Might as well kill two birds with one stone. But of course you cannot buy a lot if you do that, too heavy to carry home 😅

Two to five minutes drive to Giant, the Strand, Dataran Sunway and Tropicana Gardens. Ten to fifteen minutes drive to Ikea, the Curve, Ikano and 1Utama. MRT (Sg Buloh-Kajang line) feeder bus stop is just opposite the guard house. If you like plants, Sg Buloh nurseries are just a short drive away. 

Kota Damansara also have its own entrance to NKVE highway, which is just a short five minutes drive from this property.

The house is an open concept style with one huge ensuite master bedroom on the second floor with walk in closet, lounge area and working space. 

The first floor has a living room, a study area, an open concept kitchen, a dining area, a bathroom, a powder room and a lanai.

Since this is an inter corner unit, there is also a reasonably good size garden which fortunately requires low maintenance, a heaven for people who loves to have a garden but don't have the luxury of time to tend to it.

View from the kitchen door

Due to its unique design, the house is perfect for singles, married couples without kids, married couples with small kids (still sleeping in the same bedroom with the parents) and empty nesters. Please WhatsApp if you're interested to own this fantastically located property.

Updated 31 March 2024. Recently a corner unit near the guard house was sold for RM1.4m. Truthfully, my property is at a way better location 😅

Malaysia's First MRT

After waiting for so long and experienced a lot of inconveniences, KLites finally got their long awaited MRT. The first ride open to public was on 16 December 2016. The public are rewarded with free rides on the trains and feeder buses for a month until 16 January 2017 :)

 

A lot of people (including me) took advantage of the free period to test the latest sensation. This new MRT is very convenient to me because the feeder bus stop is just in front of my neighbourhood guard house. The feeder bus route is also very good. The buses should not be caught in a jam. That will ensure a more reliable service :)

 

The buses and the trains are new so everything are nice and clean. Thumbs up! The bus drivers however are a different kettle of fish altogether. Some are friendly and helpful but most I met are sullen and one was downright rude. He actually shouted to the customers to take the tickets!

 

I took 5 separate rides during this free period. On 30 December 2016, we went from station closest to our house Surian to Semantan (where my old office was located). Then we turned back and went the other way to the last station Sungai Buloh. In between we stopped at Taman Tun and Mutiara Damansara stations.

 

My second ride on 4 January 2017 was to go to Ikea Mutiara Damansara to meet my friend. Went out from my house at 9 am. I was expecting more people since it was a working day. Maybe they were already in the office since I was the only one in the feeder bus and the trains were also quite empty :P

 

My third ride was to meet up with my friends for lunch at Hameediyah on 6 January 2017. Since Dataran Sunway is well known for scarce parking bays I decided to avail myself to the free feeder bus since the restaurant is exactly in front of Surian station :)

 

My fourth ride was on Sunday 8 January 2017. This time round I wish to check the feeder bus route from Mutiara Damansara station. I was expecting more people but surprisingly it was not so.

 

For those who wish to go to 1 Utama Shopping Complex, it is better for them to stop at Mutiara Damansara instead of Bandar Utama station. Then take the feeder bus T809 at Door B. It will bring you to 1 Utama New Wing within 5-10 minutes :)

 

My fifth and last ride was on Saturday, 14 January 2017. This time round there were a lot more people on the trains and buses :) Maybe more people realised that the free period will end soon (in 2 days time) :P

 

For this ride we stopped at Bandar Utama station and walked to 1 Utama Shopping Complex. The walk is around 5 mins. There is no proper walkway yet to connect the station to 1 Utama :( The feeder bus route is also quite long winded to reach the shopping complex. There is however a free shuttle bus but the frequency is every half an hour. Not fast enough for me :P

 

My verdict: Great potential. Very convenient. They just need to improve on the attitude of the bus drivers and make sure all the lifts and escalators are working. Timing and frequency of the feeder buses are also crucial to the success of the system.

 

As at the posting time the daily, weekly, monthly passes prices are not yet announced. I hope the pricing will be competitive enough to encourage people who drives to work to use the MRT system. The single journey fares are not very competitive. It is cheaper to travel by car (not to mention more convenient) for 2 people than taking the MRT even after factoring in the parking costs. It is only more economical for a single traveller. Travelling on motorbikes are also cheaper and more flexible.

I hope the government will take this into account when they announce the fares for the passes. We need to have less cars on the road!

 

During this soft opening period, the route open is only from Sungai Buloh to Semantan. The full route until Kajang will only be opened in July 2017. 

 

For more pictures of my adventure, do check out my instagram:

http://instagram.com/m.kha.sha #mksPublicTransportation #mks20161230 #mks20170104 #mks20170114 #mks20170116

 

AN UPDATE: I was in kiasu mode so decided to take the last free rides since today (16 January 2017) is the last day. So in total I tested 6 times this new MRT :) After this, back to driving my car :P

 

The pictures in this post were taken on 14 January 2017. Clear blue sky. Beautiful :)

Malaysian Passport Renewal @ Kelana Jaya

  

Good news Malaysians! Now our passport renewal process is a breeze :) Syabas to the immigration officers at Plaza Glomac, Kelana Jaya for efficient service and job well done!

I still remember back in 1995, we had to go to the immigration office for 3 days to get our passports done. First to get the numbers, second to submit the documents and third to collect the passports. We had to bring our own photos, photocopy ICs and even had to buy the application form! Now? Just bring your IC and the old passport. Even though back in 1995 the passport cost RM60, I am more than glad to pay the current fee of RM200 for the convenience :)

The immigration office at Kelana Jaya opens at 7.30am. My mother and I left our house at Kota Damansara at 7.00am. We reached the office at 7.20am. By that time there were around 30++ people in a queue infront of us.

While waiting in the queue, the guard gave us a simple (and small) form to fill up. Don't forget to bring a pen. There is of course an area where you can fill up the form at the office but since we arrived before the office opens, better to have a pen in hand :)

The office opened on time at 7.30am. We waited around 15-20 minutes to get our numbers. At the number counter, you need to submit the form, your old passport and IC. They will then issue you queue numbers according to your category. Adult below 60 years old will be issued 1xxx series and those above 60 years old will be issued with 2xxx series.

Since my mom is a senior citizen, she was given a 2xxx series. She got number 2001. The first in the senior citizen queue :) Senior citizen also enjoyed a 50% discount so she only need to pay RM100. Too bad she came with me. I was issued with number 1035 so she still had to wait for my turn.

 

Once you got your number, you sit down and wait. I waited for around 40 minutes for my turn. Since it was early in the morning there were only two counters opened thus it was a bit slow but later more counters were opened and the queue moved a lot faster.

 



When your number was called, you go to the counter and give the officer the form, the queue number, your old passport and IC. The officer will then take your passport picture at the counter itself and verify your IC via electronic thumb prints (both hands).

Note: Wear dark colour clothes. My mom wore a pink tudung, so the officer asked her to change to a black tudung which the immigration office provided. Luckily she brought her own black tudung just in case. Those who wore light colour clothes, the officers will ask you to cover it up with a black jacket (provided by the office).

Once done the officer will print a document with your details and passport photo. Check that the details are accurate, then sign and thumb print the form (right hand). This whole process will take around 5-10 minutes. The officer will give you back your number which will be used to make payment.

I had to wait for another 5-8 minutes for my number to be called for payment at Counter 3. Just give the officer your number and cash. I didn't check whether we can pay using credit card or not. I think most people pay via cash. Once paid, the officer will return your IC and give you a receipt with time stamp and collection number. My number was 104. The passport will be ready 1 hour after payment. The payment process took 1-2 minutes.

Note: My mom's collection number was 101. By the time I made my payment, my mom's passport was ready for collection. We then went to collect my mom's passport before going out for breakfast.

We had breakfast at a mamak shop beside the office (no choice since a restaurant selling Malay food were sold out by 9am!). The food was tasteless and quite pricey. A plate of nasi lemak with an egg cost RM6.50. Luckily the RM2.00 teh tarik was quite nice.

45 minutes after payment, we went back to the office to try our luck. The guard was friendly and asked us for our collection number.  When I told him, he said my passport is ready for collection. Just go to Counter 1 or 2 and present the receipt to the lady officer and then wait for my name to be called. After giving the receipt, I waited for 5 minutes since there were 2 other people infront of me.

Once your name was called, give the officer your IC for verification and she will then give you your new passport, your old passport (the front cover and the first page was cut) and the document with your details and passport photo (which you verified earlier). Sign on the document as evidence that you have collected the passport and sign on your new passport. Once done, the officer will return your IC. Say thank you and your are done :) This process will take around 2-3 minutes.

THE END

Note: The 5 year validity period of the new passport will start from the date of expiry of your old passport not from date of issue (unlike the previous 2 year passport which validity period starts from date of issue). So you can renew your passport earlier. No need to wait until last minute :P

Note: For those who are not familiar with international travel law, please note that you are not allowed out of the country if your passport validity is less than 6 months. So if your passport expiry date is 1 February 2016, if you wish to travel overseas on let's say 15 August 2015, you need to renew your passport because your passport real validity is only until 1 August 2015.

Note: The immigration department no longer issues 2 year passport effective 15 January 2015. It is about time if you ask me. The 2 year passport is a con since the validity period starts from the date of issue (unlike the 5 year passport). You lost 6 months from your old passport and later even when you revert to a 5 year passport, the 5 year passport validity starts from date of issue. So in total you lost 12 months or more if you renew your passport earlier than 6 months prior to expiry.

Note: The fees effective 15 January 2015:
          1) Ordinary applicants (13 to 59 years old) - RM200
          2) Senior citizens (60 years old onwards) - RM100
          3) Children (12 years old below) - RM100
          4) Citizens studying abroad (21 years old below) - RM100
          5) Pilgrims - RM100
          6) Disabled - Free

Note: There were ample parking bays at Plaza Glomac. The parking fee is RM2.20 per hour. It took us around 2 hours 40 minutes (parking in, parking out) so our parking fee was RM6.60. Make sure you have enough cash to feed the auto-pay machine :)

Snow Here Snow There Snow Everywhere!

I just came back from a week holiday in Hokkaido, Japan. We went there just so we could experience the snow. Happy to say that Hokkaido did not let us down.

Within that one week we managed to experience a light snowfall, a heavy snowfall and also a blizzard. From zero snow on the ground to a light powdery cover and moving on to a "difficult to walk" kind of snow. We witnessed soft snow to hard snow and finally to dirty snow. We also walked on slippery ice sheets.

Note: Ice sheets happened when the snow melted and was subsequently turned to ice when the temperature went down to below zero.

We found that in some area the snow was dry. It will not wet your clothes. They just disappear. Some area however the snow was wet. The worst I think is when it was snowing and raining at the same time!

It was really magical to feel the soft snow falling on your face but it can also feel like needles that poked you on your face. During the blizzard if your hand is exposed (without gloves), within seconds you will feel as though you have lost the function of the hand. It was quite scary to feel your hand suddenly turned numb!

Every time we walked there was this constant fear of slipping. Many in our group slipped and sprained their hands. Luckily nobody sprained their ankles. I fell once on the way down from a slope but fortunately on a thick soft snow. So my hand (and bum) was cushioned by a soft snow :)

All in all it was a great week. My experience with snow was totally satisfying. Worth every penny I spent to go there. Will I go again? Nope. After experiencing summer and winter overseas, I found that I am no winter or summer person. I am more a rain or shine kind of gal ;)

What is more scary is when I commented to the local tour guide about the cold weather, he said that this is not considered cold by the locals. He said that the real winter will only come in a month time! During that time the temperature will go to -24C. When I heard that, I feel so happy that I am safely living in a tropical Malaysia!

Malaysia Airlines

This is my favourite airline. Being Malaysian, of course I'm biased. Although food wise (economy class) Qatar Airlines is better but I still love Malaysia Airlines more. I've flown MH business class  (to London) and QR business class (to Doha), food wise MH wins hands down. Having satay and teh tarik on the air is one of my favourite travelling moments.

Recently I managed to get a cheap promotional flight to New Zealand for RM2.7k (economy). If you add RM3.3k more you can fly business class. Frankly I was really tempted to buy business class ticket since the price is quite reasonable and the journey is 10 hours plus but after thinking for awhile I figure the money is better used for other overseas trips. Maybe when I'm a bit older I will fly business class. If you don't pamper yourself, who will right?

The main reason why I love flying MH is when I step on the plane I feel like I'm already back in Malaysia. It is a warm fuzzy feeling that I can't really describe. The feeling is more acute when I was having a tough time overseas. The plane truly feel like home then.  I really love it when the pilot say "To our Malaysian passengers, welcome home!".

MH - Malaysian Hospitality at its best. I hope Malaysia Airlines will sort out its management mess and be the best airline in the world!