Saujana Puchong, a place Sarah May Low calls home

Lifestyle blogger Sarah May Low, 25, is a woman who wears many hats.

Besides blogging about events, travelling and food, Low is also a professional dancer, singer and stage actress. Her first musical was Rose, Rose, I Love You which was directed by Low Ngai Yuen in 2007.

“The performing arts industry has always been a part of me. I love to dance and have been dancing since I was four. I was also a curious teenager and wanted to explore and try out many things. It was from the newspapers that I saw an advertisement for an audition and tried my luck. From then on, there was no turning back,” says the bubbly Low.

Low obtained a Bachelor in Mass Communication degree — majoring in journalism and PR — from University of Southern Queensland in Australia. She was also a model on NTV7′s popular game show Deal or No Deal Season 2, a Miss Malaysia World finalist in 2009 and a Miss Malaysia Earth finalist this year in which she won a subsidiary title -Miss Malaysia Earth Energetic 2013.

“I’m really grateful that my parents are very supportive of me. Through all these events, I learned a lot and also met many new people,” she says.

Puchong

Low and her family have been living in Puchong since she was eight years old.

“I know the Puchong area very well and most of my friends also live nearby,” says Low adding that one thing she doesn’t like about Puchong is the horrendous traffic jam.

“My parents bought this double-storey terrace house in Saujana Puchong eight years ago for approximately RM240,000 (S$92,579). One of the reasons why my parents bought it was because it is located next to a forest reserve which makes the air cleaner and the surroundings cooler,” says Low of her 22’ x 75’ home in which she stays with her parents and two brothers.

She adds that it is also convenient for her elder brother who is studying at Multimedia University, Cyberjaya.

“It takes only 10 minutes’ drive to get to Putrajaya or Cyberjaya and there’s no jam,” says Low.

“I recently checked the prices of properties around this area and a similar unit like mine, is priced at about RM350,000. It’s still considered quite affordable. You can’t get landed properties in Damansara at this price anymore,” says Low adding that there’s a playground located opposite her house.

However, Low shares, “I’ve actually wanted to move out because of my work. I spend a lot of time on the road travelling to events and work functions. Most of them are in Kuala Lumpur or Petaling Jaya. But I thought, why pay other’s people’s mortgage when you can chip in and help your parents pay off the mortgage? Therefore, I decided not to move out.”

Warm and cosy
“With four-plus-one rooms, it’s spacious enough for all of us,” says Low. The ground floor consists of the living room, dining area, kitchen, parents’ room and music area.

“Before we moved in, we did not do much renovation as the house was new. We just extended the back of the kitchen as well the first floor and also created an upper deck. The upper deck was supposed to be a room but because my brothers and I hardly throw away our things, it has become a store room instead,” chuckles Low.

“For the recent renovation, we redid the flooring on the first floor. We changed the parquet to tiles, repainted the rooms and extended the balcony in my room. We also repaired the roof as it was leaking,” pointed out Low. The renovation cost approximately RM20,000.

On the design concept, Low said that the family just wanted something simple. With a colour scheme such as white, brown and yellow, the home exudes a warm atmosphere. “My mum has put a lot of effort into this home. The colours on the wall, the decor items and furniture were selected by her. I helped out too, of course,” adds Low, with a grin.

Pink and purple

As her acting, singing and dancing schedule takes up most of her time, Low says that whenever she has free time, she spends it at home.

“Home is where I long to come back to. It is nice to come back home to my family and catch up with them. There are times that I feel guilty for treating home like a hotel – but because of the nature of my work, I have to work long hours,” says Low.

When asked about her favourite area, Low is quick to respond, “Definitely my bedroom. It’s like my little world where I can relax and unwind after a long day at work.”

She adds: “I just bought my whole furniture set before Chinese New Year. My bed is very comfortable and is where I spend most of my time blogging and doing my work on my laptop.”

Low takes up the master bedroom on the first floor. “My room is very spacious and I’m glad to have my own attached bathroom.”

Although Low’s favourite colour is red and black, she decided to go with pink and purple as the theme of her room as they are sweet colours that are soothing to the eye. “Actually I’m quite into feng shui, so I know that red and black colours produce bad qi therefore, it’s not appropriate for a bedroom,” explains Low.

Property investment
Investing in a property that is strategically located and has great accessibility is what Low has in mind. However, she knows that investing in property doesn’t come cheap.

When asked about her dream home, Low replied, “Definitely a landed property. I’ve stayed in a condominium before, and I dread it when you forget something in your car and have to take the lift and walk to the parking lot just to retrieve it.”

She adds that gated and guarded is not her main priority. “Nowadays, nowhere is safe. Even in a gated and guarded neighbourhood, there are still crimes. We just have to be careful,” says Low.

“Hopefully in the next two years, I will be able to afford my own property – somewhere nearer to Kuala Lumpur or Petaling Jaya,” she adds.