Keep on blogging

I have been blogging since 2008. That's nine years already. A long time for sure. I write what I feel like writing. Sometimes I think they are rubbish but I still write them. I have tried blogging on a specific subject at other blogging media but they all didn't last. Somehow, this one has managed to last this long. I never get tired of it. There have been times when I didn't update for up to a week but in the end, I came back with more vigour. Don't know how long I will carry on blogging. At the moment, I don't think I will stop anytime soon.

Motorcycle problem

Since Saturday, my motor has refused to start. Before that on Friday, I went for Friday prayer, it was alright. Then on Saturday morning after the morning prayer, I wanted to go jogging at Titiwangsa. That's when I couldn't get it going. Really frustrating. Without my motorcycle, I feel like I have no legs. Maybe I should just buy a new motor but at the moment, I have no proper place to keep it. The car has taken up all the little space available in front of the house. Once I move to the new house in Ijok, then I will definitely get a new motorcycle but that will be in a few months time, in sha Allah. In the meantime, I will have to make do with the Honda ex 5. It has served me well all this while.

Busy

Life is like that

Met a few former colleagues at a wedding in Kota Damansara yesterday. As the company that we used to work with has been bought over, most of them will be losing their job soon, if not already. That's the reality of life. The younger ones I think they will have no problem getting new jobs but for the older ones, it is going to be a bit difficult. Only consolation is that the older ones I think  will have some savings to tide over during the period of uncertainty. Or have a few properties where they can sell after the savings are gone. This kind of situation I never faced before as previously I was working in a company that is as stable as can be but working in smaller companies, these are the situations that can happen.

Sisters

Busy week

This week I have been quite busy. Almost every day of the week, I went out somewhere. On Tuesday I was in Amcorp Mall PJ. On Wednesday, I was at the Curve, Damansara. Both times to meet with friends. Just short meet up with old friends for a cup of tea. On Thursday, I went to Bangsar to get my monthy supply of medicine. All those trips I used my motorbike. On Wednesday especially, there was a massive jam on Duke highway. Turned out a car had overturned and is stranded on the road, blocking half of it. Today I am thinking of going to Ijok. Just to have a look see.

Alif, Ba, Ta

Teaching Akid and Maisarah the Quran starting with the basic i.e. recognising the alphabets. Akid is picking up very fast while Maisarah is very playful. I have to be creative in order to get her attention. Otherwise, her mind and body will wander away. As for Munirah, she is there to make the crowd and perhaps cause some problem for me with her antics. I try to teach them every night after the Isya prayers. 

Some dream

I am thinking of enrolling myself in a Tahfiz school. Not really to be a full time student but part time. I would go to the school in the morning or afternoon to join the boys in the hafiz session. Five days a week. I think if I can do that, or if a school can accept such an arrangement, within two or three years I can complete memorising the whole Quran. Some wishful thinking but I believe I have the capacity to do it, even at sixty one years old, in sha Allah. At the moment I am doing it on my own. There's no push from anybody except myself. Thus the progress is a bit slow as I only spend about forty five minutes to one hour a day. Even then, its not everyday. If I were to spend more time, with some push and encouragement from the teachers, the progress would definitely be faster.

Difficult now

Anyway, at the moment, it is a bit difficult because of circumstances. I remember about three or four years back, I enrolled in an Arab class. That was maybe my sixth or seventh class as over the years, I have been learning Arabic off and on. Attended many classes during that time but I never found one that I like. However, I like this class because of the way it was conducted. teacher from Jordan. Classes conducted fully in Arabic. Maximum of only five in a class. Plenty of opportunities for practical. I picked up a lot while in the class. Unfortunately, after two months, I have to stop cause I have found a new job.

Hot days

Hot days

Hot days

The heat has become unbearable. No rain for the past few days. The sun has come out strong everyday. Its the hot season. It was the cooling about a month ago but now its the complete opposite. I went jogging yesterday and it was like I had just came out of the swimming pool. My shirts and jogging rack suit was wet like never before. Its very very hot even in the morning. I really hope the rain will come soon. That will cool the temperatures a bit. Usually around this time of the year, it will be raining more but not now.   

School holiday

Akid and Maisarah are enjoying their school holidays. Waking up late, watching TV most of the time, playing with their toys and generally having a field day. For us, it means having to contend with them a whole day. There's no respite. All hell will break loose with the noise they make sometime.

Recovered

She has recovered although not fully. I think the pain is no more but the trauma from the pain previously is still affecting her action. She is still refusing her mother's breast feeding but is tentatively taking other food little by little. She is her usual self once again, very active.

Ulcer problem

Munirah has been having ulcer in the mouth for the past three days. As a result, she has refused to take anything, even her mothers milk. She has got us worried sick. Worse still, we couldn't administer the medicine even though we have been to the doctor because she won't open her mouth to let us do it. In the end, we had to sort of forced open and shoot in the medicine. Don't even know if we have got it right. The mother had her finger bitten by Munirah while trying to swipe some cream on her tongue.

Be careful

Its the school holidays at the moment. As such, always I have to remind myself that all the public places will be overcrowded. Places such as shopping malls, lake gardens, zoos, roads, highways, holiday resorts etc. will be filled to the brim. I know that Cameron Highland is one such place. There's only one main through road from Tanah Rata to Brincang and higher up. Feeding into the main road will be many feeder roads. Drive out of the hotel and you will be on that main road. Straightaway, the traffic will have you stranded. So many cars on both sides of the road. You can't go anywhere!

Time to move on

Took a trip to Ijok yesterday to view the land that we bought. This is after buying another plot next to the one we bought earlier. Now the land is reasonably big. I am very happy with the purchase. Only thing to do now is to build a house where we could live. Hope that will come to fruition in the immediate future. Been living in Gombak for too long already. Although Gombak has many pleasant memories, it is time to move on.

The land

Views from different angles of the land we bought. Ours are 18 and 19. Somebody bought three plots i.e. 1, 2 and 3.  He is currently building his house as can be seen in the second picture. Heard it is going to be seven rooms and seven baths. A really big one.

Can't wait

Can't wait for the construction of my house to begin. Hope it will start soon. Its not going to be a big house unlike the one I built in Merbau Sempak but it will do. The plan is to have the house completed by February or March. Then in May or June, we will move to the new house. It will be living in the kampong once again, just like Merbau Sempak. Its the only way I can afford a house. Buying from the developers will set me back hundreds of thousands if not millions. Buying a small piece of land and building the house will cost me a fraction of that. Location wise, its not too bad. it is within minutes of Puncak Alam, the new urban area currently being developed in earnest. Houses there are selling at ridiculously high prices. Then there's Jeram by the sea, also within minutes.

Winter in Malaysia

Last night we experienced winter. Not exactly winter but the weather was cooler than normal. It rained during the day such that when night comes, the weather was so cooling. Normally the air cond will be on the whole night when sleeping at night but last night, I turned off the air cond at two in the morning. It was getting so cold that it became uncomfortable. I was worried about the kids as well. Experienced tell me that they will usually fall sick when it gets too cold. It has been like that the past few days. Its great once in a while. An escape from the hot stiffling weather.

Advantages

Kampong Sg Merali in Gombak where I'm living now has its unique advantages. For one thing, I do not have to go to the market to buy fishes cause every morning, about three or four fishmongers will be at my doorstep, parading their goods. They come on their motorcycle. They will sound their hoot as soon as they arrive, sometime as early as half past seven in the morning. Their fishes are fresh too. Then at night, the bread seller will come. He too will sound his hoot, riding his motorcycle, loaded with all kind of bread. It need not be said, there are others too like the ice cream seller and many others. Its living in a Kampong but within close proximity of busy KL.

Best choice

Sometime I feel that not working is the best arrangement for me and the family at the moment. Of course if it is up to me, the choice is to work in order to get some money. However, it is Allah will that I am not working. I have my plan. Allah has His plan. As always, Allah plan will be the one that will come to being and is the best. Early in the morning, its getting Akid and Maisarah ready and sending them to pre school. Later in the afternoon, its fetching them back. All the while, Munirah will be at home. Who looks after her? Me. Without me at home, it will be extremely difficult. Taking Munirah along is out of question. At her age, she doesn't know how to keep still in the car. She will pose all sorts of problem. 

Fun in the park

If you live in Gombak, then Titiwangsa lake garden is the place to go for recreation. I go there for jogging once a week or at least I try for once a week. I usually go early in the morning on Saturday or Sunday. I tried going there in the evening but found it too crowded for my liking. On Friday after the Asar prayer, we try to take the children there for their weekly outing. They will have lots of fun playing at the children playground, driving their toy cars, riding the bike etc. We will usually go home just before the evening prayer.

Money was available

Its full speed ahead with regards to the house that I am going to build on the plot of land I have just bought. Yesterday, I had a fruitful discussion with my son Hanafi who is going to build the house for me. I was happy with the outcome. If everything goes well, I could be moving house within six months. My plan is to make the move before the fasting month begins. That means my Eidil Fitri celebrations next year could be in Ijok, in sha Allah. It will be a small house only as money is very much a deciding factor. When I build my house in Merbau Sempak more than ten years ago, money was ..... available.

Everthing will be fine

I hope the house can be build within the agreed time. My previous experience in renovation and building houses  have both been disappointing. A three months job renovating my house in Subang Jaya became a nightmare. The contractor disappeared after nine months, leaving an unfinished job. I had to find other contractors to complete it. The cost of escalates for sure. Next when I built my house in Merbau Sempak, a six months job became a year and a half. The contractor was having plenty of problem from I don't know what. All the time, I was paying him as soon as his bill came. It was terrible, a dream that turned into a nightmare. I hope this time, everything will be fine, in sha Allah.

Happy

After much thinking and calculation, I finally decided to buy the plot of land next to the one I already bought. So now, my land is double the size from what I originally bought. It has always been my intention to have a piece of land that is big like the one acre of land that I bought in Sg Buloh many many years ago. Off course that is not possible now with the cost of land having risen so high and the little problem with my financial situation. Anyway, I am happy with my purchased although it is not as big and had also put a dent in my pocket. The next step is to build the house. By the way, I bought the land in Sg Buloh for RM79,000 only but now it can cost as much as one million.

Fun time at Titiwangsa

wow

Nowadays, it is possible to make a good living as a sportsman in Malaysia. Top players in popular sports like badminton and football are making a wealthy living doing the things they love. Now, even in golf, you can make good money. The top golfers in the country are making about half a million each year in prize money. This year, the no 1 golfer in the country has already made more than two million ringgit in prize money and he is not finished yet. There's still many big money tournaments to be played before the year is out. If he continues to play well, then he is in for a windfall. Millions more! Wow....

At my desk

Agonising over a decision

Went to Ijok yesterday to make the final payment for the land that I am buying. So its a done deal. I can start building the house anytime now. However, a plot of land beside mine is still not sold. There are twenty four plots altogether. All have been sold except one or two. One of them is plot number eighteen. Mine is number nineteen. They are therefore side by side. I am seriously thinking of buying it but at the moment I am agonising over the decision. It will be good to have as it will mean my land will double the size. On the other hand it is not a necessity. Buying it will put a dent on my budget. So, to buy or not to buy. I will give myself a day. Then I will decide.

Hmm.....

It rained heavily last night. The weather was cooling. It made for a good sleep although I didn't sleep much as I was watching the Liverpool vs Newcastle match. What a disappointing scoreline, for Liverpool that is. They dominated the game but couldn't find a way through. The goal they let in was also a comedy of errors. Its typical of Liverpool performance this season. Control the games but cannot find the goal to win. On the other hand, they let in simple goals. Hmm.......

Browsing

Was at One Utama yesterday in the afternoon browsing for DIY tools. Can't remember when was the last time I went there but must have been a long time ago. Everything looked different. I was lost for a while. There used to be a DIY shop at the new wing but couldn't find it yesterday. Must have closed shop. I also found the DIY shop at Aeon disappointing. It has been turned into a supermarket with a small DIY corner tucked somewhere. I ended up buying a pair of special glasses that the brochure claim can help cure blurred vision. One shop was selling at almost two hundred ringgit while another was selling at about six ringgit. The only different is the brand.