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SS TWO is the largest and most populous area of Petaling Jaya and is noted for its Chinese character. The landmarks are MacDonald's and SS2 food centre, both located in the SS2 Commercial Centre. Residential units comprise good quality bungalow and link housing.The Commercial Centre located around Jalan SS2/64 offers a great variety of shopping/eating and business choices. It is also a financial centre. A Pasar Malam is held there every Monday and another is held at Jalan SS2/6 and SS2/10 on Thursday. There is also good access to the pasar malams in SS24 and Section 20, both held on Sunday.

SS2 is renowned for the good selection of restaurants; particularly famous is Chow Yan Restaurant located on SS2/45. Song Bird Karaoke Lounge in the Ceasar Club Building at Jalan SS 2/60 is popular for entertainment goers. A mosque is located on Jalan SS2/6 and two churches are found in the shoplots on Jalan SS2/6.

Facilities in neighbouring areas include schools in SS22, SS20, SS3. Churches and temples are located in SS3 and SS23 and mosques in SS1 and SS3.

The business/industrial area of Section 19 is close by and there is good access to the major industrial/business areas, Section 13 and Section 51 and 51A. The commercial district of SS23 lies adjacent to the southwestern edge of SS2 and the major shopping complexes, Atria Shopping Centre (SS22) and 1-Utama are a very short drive away to the northwest.

Taman Bahagia LRT station is situated at the southern end of SS2 and there are speedy links with the Federal Highway and the North South Highway and all parts of PJ, Kuala Lumpur, Subang and Klang.

In the city of Petaling Jaya, few sections are as well-known and popular as SS2. It has a central location, thriving commercial centre and a bustling night life. (For Google map reference, log on to maps.google.com.my and search for “Kuala Lumpur”.)SS2 is shaped somewhat like a giant banana, long and slender, running from Damansara Kim in the north down to SS1 in the south. This means it shares boundaries with a number of other sections, giving its residents access to internal roads and neighbouring amenities.The Damansara Puchong Highway (LDP) runs along the western edge of SS2. It was built on an existing main road that serviced the area. The Sprint Highway is located along the northern boundary. This highway connects to the New Klang Valley Expressway. This easy accessibility makes good advertising copy for property agents and developers. Unfortunately, this is far from reality. The obvious benefits are negated by the heavy traffic on the highways during peak hours and on rainy days.

This is when SS2’s internal roads and inter connectivity help.

Good neighbours

Residents of SS2 also enjoy the amenities found in neighbouring sections. In the early days, they went to SEA Park and Paramount Garden for shopping, movies and food. When Damansara Jaya started, they had access to the Printemps and Kimisawa department stores. These operations have since closed and the twin malls now go by the name Atrium.

Shopping options continued to pile on with Jusco, first at Taman Tun Dr Ismail, and subsequently 1Utama. SS2 residents are spoiled for choice it seems, and in recent times, SSTwo Mall and Tropicana City Mall joined the fray.

One may imagine, given the constant growth surrounding SS2, this section is an upmarket exclusive housing area. In truth, age seems to be catching up with the area. Some properties seem to have weathered the times well while others have seen better days.

There is a mix of residential properties here but a large percentage of them are single- and double-storey link houses. They were built to meet the high demand for low- and medium-cost housing during the boom times. In any case, SS2 is still a popular address, particularly among the working class who appreciate the ease of public transportation and the abundance of eating and shopping places in the vicinity.

Durian Centre

SS2 is also known as the “centre” for durian feasts. A few years ago, an enterprising chap set up a durian stall and offered an all-you-can-eat deal for durian lovers. The idea soon spread like wildfire. Today, there are at least three such stalls side-by-side at Jalan SS2/24 doing brisk business and “educating” the public on the many varieties of durian (the premium cultivars cost more). Other durian sellers elsewhere in the Klang Valley are beginning to follow suit.

Given the size and shape of SS2, the terrain varies from one area to another. Over the next few weeks, we will attempt to cover chunks of SS2 and the impact of landform on properties here.

Jalan SS2/3 forms the southern boundary of SS2, with SS3 located to the south. This is a winding road that bends to follow the terrain. It is also a valley, with high ground found to the north, south and east of the road.

The Taman Bahagia Light Rapid Transit (LRT) station is found on the south side of Jalan SS2/3. It also doubles as a bus station for RapidKL. The train tracks run parallel to the main road.

River and cables

Further to the south is a large river or monsoon drain that roughly follows the same path of the tracks and road. High-tension power cables run along the same path. Their very presence allowed the LRT tracks to be built without having to acquire land and evicting people from their homes.

According to Environology principles, earth energy originates from mountains and flows downhill until it reaches a medium of different rigidity, such as water. The energy is then reflected and deflected along the banks.

As energy flows downhill, it is very powerful. It is not advisable to have properties face uphill because they would be bombarded head-on by this overwhelming energy. The backs of properties that face downhill protect the occupants.

When the energy is reflected or deflected, it becomes gentler and more homogenous. This is a more conducive form of energy, which downhill-facing properties can also benefit from. This is why, in general, properties that face downhill tend to do better than their opposite neighbours that face uphill.

A curved river creates an embracing bend on one side (the concave side) and an elbow on the opposite side (convex). Such a river can shape the earth energy rebounding off its banks.

The concave side acts like a parabolic dish and concentrates the beneficial energy in a pool. The convex side acts in the reverse and scatters the rebounding energy. Thus, the embracing concave section of the river tends to be more conducive and prosperous than the convex side. We can find this trait in practically every city in the world.

Next, we will discuss of the terrain, river and other features that affect the properties in and around SS2/3.

*This series on Feng Shui and real estate properties appears courtesy of the Malaysia Institute of Geomancy Sciences (MINGS). David Koh is the founder of MINGS and has been a Feng Shui master and teacher for the past 36 years.