Typical Malaysian homes

Many of us have lived in a kampong house. It is usually a small, one storey detached house made of wood with one or two bedrooms, usually with a rusty zinc roof. There will be a small garden, at the back with vegetables and a few fruit trees like papaya, mango or coconut. The land is usually adequate but not too large. Problems arise when the younger generations all come into a city like Kuala Lumpur looking for work It is normal to look for accommodations, not too far away, to reduce the daily commuting time, to and from work.

a new house

At first glance it seems that in New Zealand houses are made of match sticks and paper. There are no main beams used, only 2x4's. Nails are not used because this house must be able to withstand a minor earthquake (during a quake, nails will pop out and the whole house collapses!) Walls are all filled with pink bats insulation against the winter cold. This 3 brm house in Hamilton has a market value around 300K when completed.

Instead of nails, the builders in NZ used a metal template which has many spikes. These are placed and installed across the butt joints.

free houses

In Brunei all destitute citizens are given free houses by the Sultan. Every citizen or permanent resident is paid a pension of $200/month from age 60. Medical, education and a host of other expenses are non existent. Petrol prices have been pegged at a dollar a gallon for 25 years. Today it is 53 cents/litre for Super Shell. Gas is supplied free of charge to many houses for cooking. In the Jerudong jungle a mini Disney Land was built. All the rides were free of charge for the first 10 years. The best news is kept until last : No body has been asked to pay any income tax during the last 60 years!