The plan

My target is to move house before the start of the fasting month which is in the middle of May. Don't know for sure if that can be achieved but I am planning towards it all the same. That means I have to get the grill, curtain, piping, air condition, water heater, kitchen appliances etc etc ready before then. Most important, the electricity and water need to be connected. Can I do it? I have two months. Its going to be a rush thing but its going to be exciting!

So tempting but .......

The plot of land right in front of Desa Merbau is still without an owner. It is 4000sf and the asking price is RM 50K. It is the last available land in the area. All others have been taken up. I have bought two lots. Desa Merbau will occupy one lot while the other lot which is beside it will remain empty for the moment. I am thinking of doing some minor landscaping work. The vacant plot is opposite Desa Merbau, across the road. If I take up the plot, it means I will occupy all the land at the back of the area. I happened to bump into the land developer yesterday. He jokingly asked me to buy it. He said you will occupy all the land at the back of the area if you buy it. It make perfect sense. I agree with him as well. That's why it is so tempting but .........

Desa Merbau 27/2/18

Desa Merbau 27/2/18

One Sunday morning

I'm back

I am back as the imam at the surau. I enjoyed a break for a few months when the tahfiz student came back home having completed his studies. Alas, he is now gone again. A tahfiz school nearby has rope him in, to guide the students in the school. So, I am back to square one, having to lead the prayers again. Sometimes, there are things you want so badly but you don't get but there are times when you don't want a thing but it is given to you. Allah is great. So, no matter what, grateful I must be.

Morning Jog

Did my jog on Sunday as usual at Lake Titiwangsa. These days I don't do the fast runs anymore. Its too tiring and too taxing. Its just slow jog all the way. No speed running in between.

Wedding reception

Later in the day on the same day, went to a wedding reception in Camp Wadieburn, Gombak. Just a few minutes drive from the house. Went there early as we brought along the kids. By the time the crowd gets big, we had already left.

School days- how wonderful!

Schooldays bring back fond memories. They can be counted as among the happiest days of my life. Now Akid and Maisarah are going through the process. Hope they are having as much fun as I had in sha Allah.

Almost at the finishing line

Wedding reception

In Shah Alam section 7. Been there before for another wedding. This time same venue but different hall. Wedding bells for the children of my ex TNB colleague. Met a few other ex colleague from TNB days. Nice big hall. Very convenient to hold a wedding reception. We were there early because of the children. Its easier to look after them when the crowd is not so big. Its almost seven years since I retired from TNB. That's quite a long time.

Desa Merbau 17/2/18

Was at the place yesterday to see progress. Everything looks okay except for a few minor things. Hopefully the walls and the roof at the backyard and side garage can be completed before the end of next month.

The mosque at Puncak Alam

On the way back, stop over at the Puncak Alam mosque for afternoon prayer. Quite a big mosque with ample parking space. The prayer hall is quite big but the verandah surrounding it is even bigger. It is to cater for Friday prayers I think. There were many people as well even though it was the afternoon prayer. Easily about a hundred or more. Maybe it was the holiday period. People were mostly at home.

Finally

Finally I get to see the doctor and received my supply of medicine as well. It may have taken two days but I am grateful all the same. After the debacle on Monday, everything went smoothly on Tuesday. The time spent in the doctor's room was short as usual. He wanted my blood samples which was efficiently done at the outpatient ward later. After that I went to take the medicine at the pharmacy on the fifth floor. All done in under an hour. One thing that shocked me was my weight. I am now about 63kg, a figure I never reached before. Perhaps it is because of sleep and eat mode most of the time at this moment. That's why my trousers are getting tighter lately. I am now comfortable with a thirty three inches trousers. It used to be twenty seven when I was young!

Exercise more

I need to exercise more in order to bring down my weight. Otherwise before I knew it, my belly will be pregnant. Have been lacking in that department for quite some time. It was jogging three times a week. Then two times a week. Then one time a week. These days there were times when I don't jog at all for almost a month. Getting lazy I guess. Thought when I retire, I will spend more time exercising cause there will be lots of free time! Unfortunately no. I will have to correct it immediately.

Some days are like this

For almost three hours, from eleven in the morning till almost two in the afternoon, I was at Pantai Hospital Bangsar waiting and waiting. In the end, I went home still not able to meet the doctor nor get my regular supply of medicine. All because I couldn't get the guarantee letter from TNB on time. Since they moved to a new system in the hope of cutting the medical bills which runs to hundreds of millions yearly, I have had my share of problems getting my regular supply of medicine. Yesterday, however, was the worse. Always wanting to look on the bright side and not to let anything upset or derail me, I coolly went home none the worse for the experienced. This morning, I will try again. In sha Allah everything will be fine.

Two against one

I was disappointed for sure but no use fretting over it. It will not change anything. I will just try again today. As it turned out, there were two good news yesterday that I should be grateful about. One is that my son Hanafi will be starting the second phase of my Desa Merbau project as early as today. They are to construct a garage for two cars beside the house, to build a wall to surround the left side and back portion of the house and put cement and roofing to the back yard. Once that is completed, which I think will take two to three weeks, the house is done in sha Allah. The other is my dividend from EPF. I had expected a certain sum but upon checking, it was much more. Not that much actually but in dry times like I am in now, financially, any little extra is a bonus.

Selfie in Desa Merbau

Intresting

Decided to ride my motorcycle to Desa Merbau today. This was my third time doing so. Wanted to try the different routes that leads to Desa Merbau. The best way is to ride the bike. This time I decided to use the normal way, i.e. Latar highway going but through Klang when coming back. A few days back, I rode through Puncak Alam, going and coming back albeit through slightly different routes although both going through Puncak Alam. I guess by now I know a whole lot more about the area and its surrounding. We have been to Bukit Melawati in Kuala Selangor, the fireflies sanctuary at Bukit Belimbing, Pantai Remis in Jeram and of course Puncak Alam. There's another place I would love to visit, Pantai Cermin. As the name suggest, its a beach with mirror like reflection.

Desa Merbau 11/2/18

Side view from the front. The road leading to the house from the main road, Jalan Merbau. The noise coming from the cars, lorries and motorcycles passing through the road can be quite a nuisance. Didn't realise it until today when I was at the house for quite a while.

View from the front verandah.

View from the side verandah.

Busy

Its the weekend once again. Of course for me now it makes no difference. Weekend or no, I will be in the house almost the whole day. There will be times when I will have some personal errand to do but its not everyday. However, next week I think will be a busy one. There's an appointment with the doctor in Bangsar which I cannot postpone anymore. Then I have to go to Shah Alam to finalise my 'wasiat' thing. After that I want to go the a few banks where I have been holding their credit cards for years. I am seriously thinking of letting them all go. I don't want to use them anymore. Its cash or nothing now. No more loans. There's also Desa Merbau which I make it a point to visit every week to see the progress. Hmm....all in all, it makes for a busy week.

Successfully I heard

The kids enjoyed it when we took them to watch the fireflies at Bukit Belimbing, Kuala Selangor. They had an experienced not to be forgotten. People come from all over the world to watch it. Would be a pity if we ourselves don't bother when it is in our own backyard. Next I am planning to take them to the Kuala Gandah elephant sanctuary in Lanchang, Pahang. There they can have fun with the elephants at close quarters. These kind of activities will surely be good for them in their development. Actual experience rather than just reading from the books. That's how they do it in Finland, successfully I heard.

Only difference is

Its coming to two years since I retired for a second time. In that time, I have tried to do a few things but all came to nought. Now, I am not doing anything. Just stay at home helping the wife to look after the kids. So far, it is okay but money wise I need to start getting in the cash as soon as possible. Whatever I have now will not last forever. Unfortunately, I cannot see anything that is coming in the near future. Jobs are not easy to come by for someone my age. There was something in the horizon a few months back but that trail is now cold. Come to think of it, that was the only one hope I had. Nothing else. I am now like a young husband looking for a job in order to sustain my young family. Only difference is, I am sixty one years old.

Reaching the end

Desa Merbau is almost completed. There are a few things here and there that needs to be done but the bulk of the work is done. The initial work was fast, like putting up the structure, plastering, roofing and painting. Its the finishing that seems a bit slow although by most account, it is still very fast. Tomorrow, it will be exactly three months since the work started. Only three months but mostly all done. My worry is connecting the electricity and water. That will have to go to the authorities. That's where I worry there might be a delay. I am planning to move by first of May in sha Allah. That's not a long way away, only two months and a bit. I just hope everything will be ready by then.

Alhamdulillah

I sent this computer for repair on Monday. Today, after what seem an eternity, actually only three days, I got it back. The space bar wasn't functioning but I had to change the whole keyboard. Alhamdulillah, everything is okay now. Hope it stays that way. I bought this computer in 2011. It is now 2018. Seven years without any problem. So, in a way it had served me well and is continuing to serve me. In sha Allah, it can go on for another seven years.

KelipkelipSgBelimbingKSelangor

AssamPedasPantaiRemisJeram

DesaMerbau4/2/18