Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration

There was an air of excitement and festivity as candles lighted up the Central Park. Many residents, young and old alike, came out to join in the celebration.  Speakers also blared out many Chinese oldies, adding to the festive mood.

Lanterns were freely handed out to those that came without any. The children (with parents) were led for a walk around the canal. When they returned, the highlight of the night began....judging the best lantern.

It's amazing how creative our residents are. Beautiful lanterns were made out of recycled materials!

R2D2 with CD eyes, Windmill from Peel Fresh, Porcupine from newspaper, Mr Piggy from a 1litre water bottle, 6-Layered Kueh from Egg Trays, a revolving candle....there's no stopping the creative juices of our residents.

Children, being children, when playing with candles and fire, will try to burn anything.....grass....& in this instance, the park bench!... until the organiser had to announce for the parents to restrain and prevent their kids from burning down the park! This reminds us of our own childhood - trying to burn ants, grass, leaves, trees....anything within reach!

Get a glimpse of the night from the pics below.

Families going for the Lantern Walk

The creative contestants

A few of the winners

"THEY" Live Among Us...

Abandoned Aquarium on the Roadshoulder at the end of Road A

“THEY” live among us…

“They” walk among us and “they” look as ordinary as us but that is where the similarities end.  There is a big difference between “them” and us.  You may be wondering who we are referring to.  They are the selfish litterers that throw their household waste/garbage on roadside shoulders not far from their homes.  It does not matter to “them” whether the neighbourhood looks unsightly or smells or attract pests which cause diseases as long as the waste/garbage “they” generated are out of their homes. Out of sight, out of mind!  Turning Canal Gardens into a dumping ground.

The CGRA encourages concerned Canal Garden residents to email to cgrakk@gmail.com if they happen to know the perpetuators of these atrocious and despicable acts.

Recalcitrant and Selfish Residents

Photos taken on 27April 2012 at 7:15pm

This is Road B, Canal Gardens. This is how the turning circle at the end of Road B looks like when a resident(s) behave as though he/she/they is/are still staying in a "kampung". Garbage which should have been placed in the garbage compartment provided to every house, have been disposed of at the end of the road. Dogs and cats have shredded the plastics bags and the garbage are strewn all over the road shoulder. 

Living among us in Canal Gardens is a person(s) with such an incomprehensible, obnoxious and disgusting behaviour. If you have seen what is in the garbage, it will definitely churn your stomach! Walkers and joggers along the Canal should feast their eyes on the pile of open garbage with flies and maggots all over. In the interest of keeping Canal Gardens free of diseases, we appeal to residents who know the identity of the culprit(s) (presumably from Road B) who has been throwing the garbage at the end of Road B, to inform the CGRA or HGDPS or email the information to the blog administrator.

Improvements To Canal Gardens

BEFORE RENOVATION

AFTER RENOVATION

Renovation of the Guardhouse was completed in January 2012 to provide a larger working area.  Work on the Guardhouse Rain Shelter will start soon. 

Garbage Strewn All Over Canal Gardens

We believe that if any resident were to take a walk around CG, even with one eye closed, they will also be able to spot garbage such as discarded PET bottles, cut newspapers (probably used for wrapping nasi lemak), cans, plastic bags for drinks and food and Styrofoam boxes for takeaways thrown and strewn all over and around CG.

As could be seen in the photographs attached, these are standalone garbage, mainly from food and drinks containers and wrappers.  As such, it is most probable they are discarded by the contract labourers who cut the grass or tend to the plants and flowers.  They could also be from workers or contractors of companies such as the telecommunication and power companies doing installation work in CG.  Not forgetting, they could also be thrown by workers who are doing renovation for home owners though the number of homes under renovation has gradually declined.

The HGDPS supervisor for CG should ensure that any workmen doing work in CG are briefed and supervised properly and effectively to reduce this problem.  Cutting the grass and tending to the plants keep the Garden tidy, trim, and proper, but, does it mean anything if the Garden is strewn with rubbish?  It looks pretty silly though.  This also applies to homeowners who employ contractors to do work in their homes.

Much more needs to be done to ensure that we live in a clean environment, free from rodents and pests which bring diseases and illnesses.  They are attracted by food waste in containers and wrappers not properly disposed of.  Children are the most susceptible to these diseases so we urge all residents to do their part to keep CG clean.

GARBAGE, REFUSE, RUBBISH & TRASH

These words are used to describe man-made products which are no longer of any use to us and are to be disposed of or discarded.  These items have served their purpose and/or their useful lives have expired.  How many of us really ponder where these items we describe as “garbage”, “refuse”, “rubbish” or “trash” lands up? (This is another long story and would be the subject of another article later.)  This article is to highlight the manner in which some of us remove these unwanted things from our homes, our cars and from our presence.

A closer look at our own backyard tells us that some of us still display the “kampong” or “hillbillies” mentality when it comes to throwing away unwanted items.  Civility in a society comes from a civil mindset and not from our social standing or how educated and wealthy we are.  A reflection can be had in the manner we handle the garbage we generate.  The prevalent mental make-up in some is garbage can be thrown anywhere and everywhere as long as they are not within our home and compound.  It is an “out of sight, out of mind” and “no longer my problem” attitude.

Canal Gardens (CG) as the name implies is designed as a gated community with lots of open spaces for plants and flowers as one big garden for its residents to savour and enjoy.  It is not a one-huge garbage dump!  CG is now admired as one of the most clean and well-managed communities in Kota Kemuning.    This achievement is not only something to be proud of but (for the business-minded) also drives up the value of CG’s properties i.e. your property.  Do understand that what goes around also comes around.

As a resident, every one of us shares a responsibility to make CG the best place to call our home.  Make it a clean and green sanctuary after a hard day’s work in the office.  Make it also a place to bring up our children with a peace of mind that they will be safe within its confines.

CAUTION: BIG FIERY RED ANTS !!!

The population of these fiery red ants has increased by leaps & bounds. Almost the entire stretch of the walkway along the dry creek  has been infested with these ants!

The frequency of walkers getting bitten has increased when they unknowingly  stop & rest along the walkway ... the ants will climb up your legs & you get bitten. OR, if you accidentally walk on their trail, the ants will cling to your shoes & climb up your legs...and again you get bitten.

There are several stretches where the ants have created their trail ACROSS the walkway (as can be seen from the pics below).   The infestation is quite serious.

Some residents have also noticed these ants migrating to areas near their houses.

Until these colonies of ants are destroyed, residents are advised to be cautious when walking along the walkway.

CGRA has already informed HGDPS to act on this.

Time is of the essence now to ensure that action is taken to eradicate this problem before the infestation gets worse.

The Perennial Garbage Enigma - Yours, Mine or Ours???

Is this what we, the residents, want? To turn Canal Gardens into a garbage dumpsite? This pile of household garbage has been dumped at the end of Road S since last Thursday, 6 October 2011. Dogs, cats and rodents had broken the garbage bags to get at the leftover food inside. The pile is getting unsightly not to mention a potential health hazard to CG residents. Presumably it has been dumped after a party by one of the residents living nearby.

We wonder who the resident thinks will collect his/her garbage by dumping it there.

Does the resident know the difference between garden waste and household garbage? The garden waste contractor will NOT collect household garbage.

The MPSA household garbage contractor will not collect garbage if it is not placed in the house garbage bin. We would like to highlight this problem and appeal to the resident concerned to remove it. Kindly place it in your own house garbage bin for the MPSA garbage contractor to collect. It is the only right thing to do.

Reported by ~ Skunkworks@23 ~

View The Blooms

Barely a week ago, we strolled down this stretch of the garden to see only green leaves like grass.

It was truly a delightful surprise when we walked along this path yesterday to see so many flowers sprouting in full bloom along both sides of the pathway!

This evening, Wednesday, with camera in hand, we could not resist snapping some pictures for all to see.

We were told the blooms last only a few days. So, if you have the chance, do wander over this stretch of the garden by this weekend to take in its beauty before it's gone. Hopefully, you will get to enjoy it too!

Article contributed by  ~ Skunkworks@23 ~

Smell The Flowers

We walk almost every evening.  Our walk takes us one round Canal Gardens.  When we take our walk, we see residents like us walking or jogging, parents pushing toddlers in prams, seniors gathering to chit chat as well as children playing games or football.  We just walk taking in the sights and enjoying the activities like so many people do.  What we realise during one of these walks is that we have missed out on the flowers grown within Canal Gardens.  Honestly, how many of you noticed the vast array of colourful flowers in Canal Gardens?

Perhaps you have been too busy to notice or you are not a nature person.  The next time you get a chance, do slow down to admire the beautiful colours exhibited in the potpourri of flowers all around us.

We decided to go round Canal Gardens lugging our cameras along and start snapping all the flowers we come across to show what you have been missing.  One of our neighbours was driving pass and saw my posterior sticking out of a bush in one of those unnatural camera-focusing positions.  He could not see that it was me.  He commented to his wife of a crazy resident doing some unnatural act in the bush.  His wife took a long look back as the vehicle drove by and said, hey, it’s your friend, Vincent!  Later that night I got a call from him admonishing me in a bantering tone of my unnatural posture!  So these photographs were taken at a great sacrifice.  Enjoy them, but just do not look at them, go take a walk and enjoy the real thing.

Look at the orchids, the hibiscus and so many others whose names we do not have an inkling.  Marvel at how they grow into a spectacular display of colours.  Nature in all its glory has endowed them with a texture and a beauty nothing man can make or duplicate.  Be refreshed and inspired then by taking a slow walk to see, touch and smell the flowers!

Article contributed by  ~ Skunkworks@23 ~