Author Archives: TV Smith

Masjid Kampung Lyndon B Johnson

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Kampung LBJ originated as the abbreviation for Lyndon B Johnson. The former U.S.  President visited the FELDA settlement in 1966. Sleepy Labu Jaya was renamed in honour of the visit and as a symbol of the warming of ties between the two countries.

Another unique aspect of the kampung are the bungalows and extravagantly renovated houses. In 1996, many of the settlers became instant millionaires when their land was bought by the state.

In the centre of the village is Masjid Kariah Felda LBJ. I like the the mosque’s simple architecture, especially its wireframe arch and the golden umbrella ‘dome’.

Masjid Kampung Lyndon B Johnson

Labu

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There is a tiny town called Labu near Nilai. Labu is pumpkin in the Malay language. Not surprisingly, the town’s entrance is graced with a big pumpkin. Photographed this earlier in the rainy evening, on the way back from KLIA. I carved the Jack-O’-Lantern with the tablet-powered Photoshop Touch. Happy Halloween!

Labu

Change

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New Paris Saloon and Klinik Kasut Osman in Ipoh Garden, Ipoh, Perak (circa 2008).

Traditional shops everywhere are being phased out by changing trends and diminishing demand. The neighbourhood barber, the family-run grocer, the ‘hole-in-the-wall’ newspaper vendor, the medical hall, the roadside cobbler; to name a few.

Many such entities have already vanished silently, without a visual record. While we can’t stop change, we can do one thing. We can document the remaining ones for future generations.

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Barber and street cobbler in Ipoh Garden, Ipoh, Perak (circa 2008)