Where Do You Prefer To Live

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WHEREVER or whatever your preference, it is likely to be different from many others, as people will get used to their abodes wherever they may be.  Those born in this country will call Malaysia home, unless compelled to emigrate or relocate for a great number of reasons.
If we have fond memories of our childhood, we can be very attached to our hometown or village and usually make a beeline to return during festive holidays to meet up with parents, relatives and friends, and get to enjoy local foods once again after missing them for many months.
My first memories were staying in the teachers’ quarters of Pandamaran Chinese School next to Port Klang.
The walls were made of wood and the roof from the leaves of Nipah palm or attap. If caught fire, the whole structure could easily burn to the ground before the firemen could arrive.
My mother later bought a wooden house in the new village with a corrugated iron roof. Although no longer a fire hazard, it gets heated up by the sun, unlike attap roofs.
In front of the house was a huge drain, and sea water together with fish could flow in during king tide, flooding the ground.
Thirteen years later, the house was torn down and rebuilt with brick walls and tiled roof within the standard plot of new village land. If the compound and structure was bigger, many would describe the detached house as a bungalow.
Over many decades, many people aspired to live in big bungalows and those who remained conservative still do. But from the early 1990s, those staying in landed properties were often targeted by criminals, with their favourites being luxury cars at houses and big bungalows.
Residents started forming associations and sealed off many entrances and exits, including back lanes, to prevent outsiders from entering and leaving freely.
Developers began to offer new gated and guarded housing, and bungalows in old residential areas lost much of their popularity.
Moreover, it is no longer fashionable for many people or generations to live under one roof. Big houses no longer look impressive as they once were and are seen as more of a liability. Much time and money are needed to clean, maintain and repair, with many spaces in it underutilised.
Even apartments in condominiums have started to downsize, not only to make them more affordable but also to cater to current demand. Two or three bedrooms can be incorporated in an apartment of around 1,000sq ft, and that is usually enough for a small nuclear family.
Housing developers should build good quality apartments without swimming pools and the usual facilities found in condominiums.
This will attract buyers that do not need such amenities and prefer to pay lower service fees, which can escalate with increasing cost over the years.
(Image: Locationscout/François Pellegrini)In the market, there are medium-cost apartments with minimal service fees available, but they are low rise walk-up flats with no lifts.
They are not suitable for many, especially the elderly, sick or disabled residents, and those younger now will grow old and weak in the coming years.
Moreover, low-rise apartments are also within easy reach of mosquitoes, just like in landed properties. Mosquito bites are not only a nuisance throughout the day and night, but they can also bring deadly infections such as malaria and dengue.
Hence, there is nothing better than staying in tall apartments from 10 storeys and above and get to enjoy good ventilation and often breathtaking views.
And there is no worry about flash floods, which can occur anywhere in a heavy downpour once drains are blocked by leaves or garbage.
However, those staying in apartments and condominiums must ensure they have adequate parking facilities within the compound, as all public spaces around the area are usually taken up. Those with sheltered parking will not be exposed to the sun and the rain, come what may.
I have slept on a canvas bed for 17 months in a very large shed used as the main workshop by the then leading motor vehicle distributor in Malaysia, stayed in tall apartments, single-storey terrace houses, double-storey link houses, shop apartments, a walk-up apartment, and condos.
Of all the places I have stayed, I am most happy with my current 1,282sq ft apartment with three bedrooms and two covered parking lots, which I also have to pay service fee. The place is quiet and peaceful.
It is probably the best unit among the 460 apartments as it does not face the noisier main road or the temples behind, which regularly hold noisy celebrations into late night. It is also away from the main garbage dump within the condo’s compound and the garbage bins on the same floor.
My corner apartment does not share a wall with the neighbours as it is separated by a staircase at the side and wide corridor in front. The kitchen window opens to a bright and airy space, unlike apartment units in the building’s centre. My apartment is much like a bungalow in the sky.
It would have been better if there was no swimming pool and all the other facilities that I do not use.
If so, the service fee would be at the bare minimum and will not rise steeply in the coming years when more and more repairs are required. But then again, hardly anything is perfect.
YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT.
- Focus Malaysia.

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