DOWN MEMORY LANE: PREMISES & PLACES IN MEMORY

 

Rumah Biru Kampung Baru (The Blue House) located in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur, built around 1940s, a traditional wooden Malay Stilt house is over 80 years old. It stands as one of the last remaining heritage homes in its immedite sectiion of Kampung Baru. 

The house has been a popular location for local Malaysian films and TV shows, most notably appearing in the hit 2010 comedy film Adnan Sempit. Because of this, locals frequently refer to it as the "Rumah Biru Adnan Sempit".

Current Status (Temporary Relocation): To clear up widespread rumors about its demolition, the owner's heirs clarified that the house is not being permanently torn down. The family temporarily vacated the home so the Department of Irrigation and Drainage could carry out an extensive underground water pipe reconstruction project beneath the property. The house structure is being protected during these works, and the family is slated to return once the project finishes.

The Lian Hin Rubber Smokehouse, located at the junction of Jalan Gombak and Sentul, Kuala Lumpur. 

Built in the mid-20th century, was smoking and drying raw rubber sheets before they were exported. Anyone who grew up or lived in the Gombak area during the 1970's and 1980's vividly remembers the overpowering stench of rubber processing that always wafted from this junction. 

After the factory stopped active rubber processing, the unique structure was repurposed as a commercial warehouse space for furniture manufacturing (occupied partly by Classic Chair System) and dry grocery storage.

Sadly, a massive short-circuit fire broke out in September 2011, destroying millions of ringgit worth of furniture and goods inside the building. However, the resilient core skeletal framework and its iconic blue-tiered zinc roof still stand today as a unique architectural landmark of Gombak's industrial past.

St. Mary's Girl School, located at Jalan Tengah, within the Golden Triangel of Kuala Lumpur. Established in 1912 by Bishop Ferguson-Davie, the Anglican Missionary.

During the Japanese Occupation of Malaya in 1942, the school grounds were seized and utilised as a military hospital. It reopened as an education facility in 1945 after the war. The school officially closed its doors at this location in 1998 to a larger 3.64-hectare campus at Taman Intan Baiduri, Selayang, where it operates today as SMK St. Mary. 

Bukit Bintang Girls' School the oldest school in Kuala Lumpr, established in 1893 before its closed and relocated in 2000 to make way for commercial development. 

Founded by Christian missionary, Miss Betty Langlands as the Chinese Girl's School in Brickfields. 

In 1930, the school was relocated to its iconic, lush green campus on Jalan Bukit Bintang and took on the name Bukit Bintang Girls' School. 

The school ground is now the premier Shopping Mall, The Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. While the school relocated to Taman Shamelin Perkasa in Cheras, K.L and renamed as SMK Seri Bintang Utara (SBU), the Malaysia's first "Smart Schools". 

The monumental grand entrance of the Lee Rubber (Selangor) Ltd. factory, which was once a major economic landmark located along Jalan Gombak, Kuala Lumpur.

Established by Tan Sri Lee Kong Chan in the late 1920's and early 1930's, the Lee Rubber Company grew to become on of the largest processors and exporters in Southeast Asia. 

This prominent factory once stood as a major local landmark in the Gombak/Setapak area. Decades after its closure and relocation in the 1990s, the site was redeveloped, and it is now where the well-known Medan Idaman Commercial Centre (specifically the Pasar Raya Ong Tai Kim supermarket block) sits today.

The Pekeliling Bus Terminal has permanently closed as of June 1, 2026 making the ends of its 50-year service since the early 1970's, The iconic station along Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur is no longer in operation. 

All express bus operations, specifically heading to the East Coast and Pahang regionss have completely moved to the new Terminal Bersepadu Gombak (TBG).

The structure of Rumah Degil, or The Stubborn House located originally at No.41, Jalan Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur was built in 1926 by Tuan Hj. Jaafar Sutan Sinombar, a descendant of Sutan Puasa, who is considered by many historians to be the original founder of Kuala Lumpur.

In 2013, the land was finally sold. Rather that letting it be demolished, a team of architects, filmmakers and the Department of National Heritage carefully dismantled the house piece by piece in 2015. 

It was transported, restored and reconstructed on the grounds of the National Art Gallery (Balai Seni Negara) on Jalan Tun Razak.It was fully rebuilt by 2019 using roughly 70% to 90% of its original wooden materials.Today it serves as public heritage exhibit.  

The Esso and Mobil service station network in Malaysia underwent a total transition and no longer exists under those names today. 

Esso and Mobil traces it roots back in 1893. The company open its very first formal automotive service station in Kuala Lumpur in 1921. 

Both brands operated independently under the parent organisation until the global merger of Exxon and Mobil in 1999 created ExxonMobil,unifying the two networks under one corporate umbrella until their retail acquisition by Petron Malaysia. 

JUSCO (Japan United Stores Company), officially rebranded to AEON across Malaysia in March 2012.The transition of Jaya JUSCO to AEON Mall marks a major evolution in Malaysia's retail history. 

JUSCO arrived in Malaysia in 1984 at the invitation of then-Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad to help modernise the nation's retail scene. The first branch opened in the basement of the Dayabumi complex in Kuala Lumpur. 

The image captured the iconic Hankyu Jaya Department Store at its flagship Chow Kit Branch on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Kuala Lumpur, photographed in August 1987. The chain officially closed down around the year 2000. Today the building has been converted into a budget-friendly residential hotel. 

Carrefour Malaysia (1994-2012) no longer operates under the French brand name, all of its former hypermarkets were acquired by the Japanese retail giant AEON and rebranded as AEON BIG.

Makro Malaysia (1993 - 2006), entered the Malaysian retail in 1993, opening its very first branch in Shah Alam, Selangor.

Operated by the Dutch Company SHV Holdings NV, it was a pure cash-and-carry warehouse concept tailored specifically for small business owners, traders and bulk buyers. 

In 2006, SHV Holdings NV sold all 8 Makro in Malaysia to the British retail giant TESCO Plc. and was rebranded to TESCO Extra. Today, all former Tesco Extra stores are now operated as Lotus's Hypermarket. 

The historic photo of Merlin Hotel which is now Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur, opened in 1957 as Merlin Hotel. Founded by the late Datuk Lim Foo Yong, Hotel Merlin was one of Malaysia's first international-standard luxury hotels, serving as a prominent post-independence hospitality milestones. 

In 1990, the building officially rebranded as the 4-star Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur. 

Mimaland, Malaysia's very first theme park, located on a sprawling 300-acre hilly rainforest site in Ulu Gombak, Selangor. Mimaland stands for "Malaysia in Miniature Land" officially opened its primary attractions in 1975. 

The downfall of the park happened rapidly due to a string of tragic and environmental disasters in the early 1990's. 

• January 1993 Tragedy: A 27-year-old Singaporean tourist tragically passed away from spinal injuries following a severe accident on the giant waterslide. This forced a temporary closure for safety inspections. 
• May 1994 Landslide: Shortly after reopening, a landslide collapsed a 1.5-meter safety wall near the pool. This caused thick mud and debris to flood the enclosure, permanently ruining the attraction. 
• Permanent Gates Closed: Faced with severe security control lawsuits, mounting technical issues, and the inability to survive without active operations, the management permanently shut down Mimaland at the end of 1994. 

Others Premises:

1. 94 ARMED FORCES HOSPITAL KINRARA
2. KD SRI REJANG
3. LAW KING HOWE HOSPITAL, SIBU, SARAWAK
4. BUKIT TIMAH & TANJONG PAGAR RAILWAY STATION
5. SUNGAI ROAD, SINGAPORE
6. KG. WAK HASSAN, SINGAPORE
7. PUDU PRISON & AMPANG PARK
8. PANGGUNG ODEON, KL
9. PANGGUNG WAYANG DI KUALA LUMPUR
10. PANGGUNG COLISEUM, PREBET LAPOK DAN TLDM
11. 10 FAKTA MENARIK TENTANG CARREFOUR
12. FLAT JALAN PEKELILING DALAM KENANGAN

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

Lembah Keramat, K.L

20 Jun 2026: 10.51 p.m

DOWN MEMORY LANE: ONCE UPON A TIME

 

The image shows a classic Model J View-Master viewer alongside a vintage "Hajj and Ziarah" 3D photographic reel. 

Item Breakdown

• The Viewer: This is the bright red, plastic Model J View-Master, which was primarily produced in Europe (commonly in Belgium) during the 1970s and 1980s. 
• The Reel: This specific disc is titled "HAJJ AND ZIARAH - SAUDI ARABIA" (Reel Code: C 843-1). It is part of a collectible 3-reel travel set that documents important Islamic landmarks and holy rituals associated with the Hajj pilgrimage. 

Visible Photo Captions on the Reel:

• Planes at Hajj Terminal, Jeddah
• Holy Ka'bah
• Maqam Ibraheem
• Drinking Zamzam water
• Kissing Black Stone
• Pilgrims doing the Sa'i

This particular souvenir set is highly sought after by collectors of vintage 3D stereoscopic memorabilia and those interested in mid-to-late 20th-century historical imagery of Mecca and Medina. 

A Classic NEC Primero Giro, a popular vintage feature phone manufactured by NEC around the late 1990's.

• Referred to locally as the "NEC 90" due to operating on the GSM 900 MHz cellular band, Its actual localised product moniker is printed on the right edge of the casing as Primero Gio. 
• Features a fixed external antenna stub on the top left, a text-only monochrome LCD Panel and a signature capsule-shaped navigation cluster surrounding the menu keys. 

An Olympus mju 410 Digital camera (known as the Olympus Stylus 410 Digital), a highly popular early - 2000's pocket-sized point-and-shoot camera. 

Technical Specifications

• Sensor Resolution: 4.0 Megapixels CCD sensor. 
• Optical Zoom: 3x zoom (equivalent to a 35–105mm focal length on a 35mm film system). 
• Digital Zoom: 4x digital zoom, combining with the optics for a total seamless zoom range of up to 12x. 
• Image Processing: Powered by Olympus’s TruePic TURBO engine, which was introduced to dramatically speed up startup processing, reduce image noise, and sharpen contrasts. 
• Build Design: Features a highly durable, sleek aluminum clamshell metal casing with built-in basic IPX4 weather-proofing to defend against splashes and rain. 
• Storage Media: Records digital images directly onto a vintage xD-Picture Card format. 

Palm Tungsten E2 (not E3 as in the photo) , popular business-class Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). Featured 200 MHz intel XScale processor, introduced non-violate flash memory to protect data from battery drainage and added Bluetooth Wireless technology.  Used a stylus with the Graffiti 2 handwriting recognition system for inputting characters and numbers in the bottom silkscreen section.

The top green telegram envelope was used by Jabatan Telekom between 1964 and 1987, while the bottom blue envelope was used by Syarikat Telekom Malaysia Berhad between 1987 and 1990.
The nationwide conventional telegram service in Malaysia was officially discontinued on July 1, 2012.

• Top Envelope (Green): This features the vintage "J-T" logo with a small telephone graphic in the middle. It bears the text "Jabatan Telekom Malaysia" on the sides and "Urusan Seri Paduka Baginda" (On His Majesty's Service) at the top, representing the era when telecommunications operated directly as a government department.
• Bottom Envelope (Blue): This features the corporate logo of Syarikat Telekom Malaysia Berhad (STM), introduced right after the department was corporatized in 1987. The abstract circular logo was inspired by Arabic calligraphy forming the letters "STM.

A vintage 15-puzzle, also known as a sliding tile puzzle or number slide puzzle. It consists of a 4 x 4 frame containing 15 numbered tiles and one empty space.

This specific red-and-beige plastic design was a highly popular pocket game and party favor during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. The tiles are mechanically locked into the frame tracks so they can slide smoothly without falling out.

A vintage Brick Game (Model E-88) a highly popular handheld electronic console from the 1990's.

Uses a basic, low-cost monochrome liquid crystal display (LCD) made of large block pixels. It primarily features variations of Tetris alongside simple block-based games like snake, Racing, Breakout (Brick Breaker) and Space Invaders. 

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

Lembah Keramat, K.L

20 Jun 2026: 8.33 a.m

2001 - TEMBOK BESAR CHINA

TEMBOK BESAR CHINA

Teringat ketika zaman persekolahan dahulu. Dalam pelajaran Ilmu Alam antara yang dipelajari ialah Negara China. Saya masih ingat bila melihat gambar Tembok Besar saya berasa begitu kagum dan teringin sekali melihatnya dengan lebih dekat.

Ternyata impian saya itu tercapai apabila saya berpeluang melawat Negara China pada tahun 2001 bersama setaf The Institution of Engineers,Malaysia. Kami berpeluang melawat Beijing, Tianmen dan Bandar Pergunungan Chengde. 

Sedikit Info Mengenai Tembok Besar China:

Tembok Besar China adalah satu dari 7 Keajaiban Dunia dan telah disenaraikan dalam World Heritage UNESCO pada tahun 1987. Panjang Tembok Besar China ialah kira-kira 6,400 kilometer bermula dari Shanhaiguan sehingga ke Teluk Bohai yang terletak berhampiran sempadan China dan Manchuria.

Dibina lebih 2,000 tahun dahulu oleh Maharaja China yang pertama, Qin Shi Huangdi semasa Pemerintahan Dinasti Qin (221 SM – 206 SM).

Tinjauan yang dilakukan oleh ahli arkeologi pada tahun 2009 menggunakan peralatan teknologi masakini melaporkan bahawa panjang keseluruhan Tembok Besar China adalah 8,851 km (5,500.3 batu).

Walaupun Tembok Besar ini dibina di zaman Dinasti Qin, namun apa yang kita lihat pada hari ini adalah pembangunan yang dilakukan oleh Maharaja Dinasti Ming (1368M – 1644M). 

Tembok Besar China di Badaling (八达岭长城) merupakan salah satu bahagian benteng pertahanan purba yang paling terkenal, paling utuh dipelihara, dan paling ramai dikunjungi oleh pelancong di Beijing. Bahagian ini dibina semasa Dinasti Ming untuk melindungi ibu kota daripada serangan luar. Badaling terletak sekitar 70 km di Barat Laut Bandar Beijing. 

Tembok Besar Hushan (虎山长城 - Hushan Chángchéng) merupakan titik permulaan paling timur yang sah bagi struktur pertahanan Tembok Besar China dari zaman Dinasti Ming. Terletak di Daerah Autonomi Manchu Kuandian, Dandong, Wilayah Liaoning, kawasan ini berada betul-betul di sempadan antara China dan Korea Utara. 

Dibina pada 1469 semasa era Dinasti Ming bertujuan untuk memperkukuhkan pertahanan sempadan daripada serangan penceroboh dari utara.

Tembok Besar Huangyaguan - terletak di kawasan Pergunungan di utara Daerah Jizhou, Tianjin, kira-kira 126 km ke utara bandar Tianjin dan berhampiran sempadan Beijing-Hebei.

Mula dibina lebih 1,400 tahun lalu semasa Dinasti Qi Utara (557 Masihi). 

Tembok Besar Jiankou- salah satu bahagian yang paling terkenal, terkenal di Daerah Huairou, sekitar 73 km di sebelah utara Beijing,bahagian sepanjang 20 km ini dibangun pada masa Dinasti Ming (1368-1644).

Jiayuguan (Jiayu Pass) - terletak di Kota Kiayuguan, Gansu China. Dibina pada 1372 dan mengambil masa selama 168 tahun untuk disiapkan. 

Tembok Besar Jingshanling, terletak di kawasan Pergunungan Daerah Luanping, Chengde, Provinsi Hebei, sekitar 130 km ke timur laut Beijing. Mula dibina pada tahun 1368 di bawah arahan Jeneral Xu Da dari Dinasti Ming dan kemudiannya diperkukuh oleh Jeneral Qi Jiguang pada tahun 1567. 

Tembok Besar Juyongguan (Juyong Pass), terletak disebuah lembah sepanjang 18 km yang dikenali sebagai Guan Gou di Daerah Changping,kira-kira 60 km di utara bandaraya Beijing. Juga dikenali dengan nama "Pillar Greens at Juyongguan". 

Terletak di tengah-tengah kompleks, platform marmar putih yang dibina pada zaman Dinasti Yuan (1342) ini dihiasi dengan ukiran seni Buddha yang halus. Di dalam terowong gerbangnya terdapat inskripsi teks suci Buddha yang diukir dalam enam bahasa kuno yang berbeza.

Tembok Besar Mutianyu ialah salah satu bahagian Tembok Besar China yang paling terkenal, terpelihara dengan baik, dan amat digemari oleh pelancong antarabangsa. Terletak di Distrik Huairou, kira-kira 70 kilometer di timur laut pusat bandar Beijing, bahagian sepanjang 5.4 kilometer ini mula dibina pada pertengahan abad ke-6 semasa Dinasti Qi Utara dan dibina semula secara besar-besaran semasa Dinasti Ming di bawah seliaan Jeneral Xu Da.

Laotongtou (Old Dragon's Head) bahagian paling timur bagi Tembok Besar Dinasti Ming. Terletak di Daerah Shanhaiguan, Kota Qinhuangdao, Provinsi Hebei, China, terkenal kerana strukturnya yang unik yang menganjur terus ke dalam laut Bohai. 

Tembok Besar Wulonggou  - terletak di Daerah Laiyuan, Bandar Baoding, Provinsi Hebei. Dibina semasa Dinasti Ming sekitar 1573 hingga 1576 pada era Maharaja Wanli.Seksyen ini membentang sepanjang kira-kira 150 km merentasi 12 mukim. 

Menara Wanjinglou - (Cina ringkas: 望京楼; pinyin: Wàngjīng lóu), yang bermaksud "Menara Melihat Ibu Kota", merupakan menara pengawal yang paling terkenal dan tertinggi di Tembok Besar seksyen Simatai. Menara ikonik ini terletak di sempadan antara Daerah Miyun (Beijing) dan Wilayah Luanping (Hebei).

Tembok Besar Seksyen Simatai - (Cina ringkas: 司马台长城; pinyin: Sīmǎtái chángchéng) merupakan antara bahagian Tembok Besar China yang paling terkenal kerana mengekalkan rupa bentuk asal dari zaman Dinasti Ming. Terletak di Daerah Miyun, Beijing, seksyen sepanjang 5.4 kilometer ini terkenal dengan laluannya yang ekstrem dan rupa bumi yang sangat curam.

Satu-satunya Seksyen Tembok Besar China yang dibuka kepada pelancong pada waktu malam dengan hiasan lampu LED yang indah di sepanjang laluan tembok. 

Shanhaiguan (Cina ringkas: 山海关; pinyin: Shānhǎiguān) atau Laluan Shanhai berfungsi sebagai kubu pertahanan tentera yang paling strategik untuk melindungi empayar China daripada pencerobohan puak asing dari arah timur laut.
Dikenali dengan gelaran "First Pass Under Heaven" (Laluan Pertama di Bawah Syurga), ia merupakan pintu gerbang utama di mana Tembok Besar China bertemu dengan Laut Bohai. Shanhaiguan terletak di Qinhuangdao, Provinsi Hebei, kira-kira 300 km ke arah timur laut dari Beijing. 

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

Lembah Keramat, KL

Update:

20 Jun 2026: 6.24 pagi