Need for exercise

Its already towards the end of September. Then it will be October and so soon it will be December. The new year will come and before we know it, it will end as well. That's how life is. I am sixty two years old. Alhamdulillah, at this age, I am still as healthy as can be. Of course I am not as energetic as I was before. Can't expect to have the energy like that of a young man any more. I first realised this loss of energy when I reached thirty plus. It was then that I found out that after a game of football for example, I need a few days to recover before I can play again. Before, I can play everyday for all I care. Then after I started exercising regularly, I found that my energy lever got better. Since then, I try to exercise as much as I can although some time I do get lazy.

Standard four I think

Primary/secondary school

Working man already

Leaking carburetor

I find that things are reasonably cheap here. For example I wanted to change the carburetor for my motorcycle. It has been leaking for quite some time. Because of the leak, it is also consuming a lot of petrol. I asked around in KL but the prices quoted were never less than two hundred. Yesterday, I asked at a motorcycle workshop near my house and she quoted me ninety ringgit. Wow! So cheap. Immediately I said okay but unfortunately the stock that they have couldn't fit into my motorcycle. In the end, I had to ask them to order form their supplier. Now I am waiting for their phone call to tell me that the carburetor is available. Hope it can be done soon as I am tired of having to close the stop cork every time. Other wise it will leak.

Cheapest

Went to K.Selangor on Tuesday to buy PVC pipes from a hardware shop there. It is situated near Tesco, the new area on the outskirt of K.Selangor which is the most lively at the moment. Besides Tesco, there are many other shops like DIY, furniture shops, restaurants etc. The hardware shop that I went to is the cheapest of all the hardware shops I have bought from including those in Puncak Alam, Ijok, Sasaran and even in the vicinity of my house in Bkt Cerakah. That's why now I always go the this hardware shop for my needs. The savings that I made by buying from this shop is worth it. 

PVC pipes for fencing

I buy the pvc pipes and make them into simple fencing around my land. Its a cheap way of getting to fence my land but it is enough for the moment. I can't afford to get the real fence, even if it is not so expensive. Turning the pipes into a fence is much cheaper although it won't act as a deterrent for would be trespassers for sure. All they need to do is remove it with their bare hands if they want to. The fence that I make is more as a a sort of boundary, no more than that. Later on I might add some small garden trees to make it look pleasant.

The fence

The fence in the background. Hardly visible from this photo.

Bad cough

Akid was having really bad cough the past few days. He was coughing non stop almost. He has an allergy to nuts. That was discovered when he first started having bad cough about two years ago. The preschool that he attended provided food and sometime it included nuts. Since knowing that, we stop him from taking it. That cleared the problem then but the latest bout of cough was even worse. Now we do not know what was the cause. Alhamdulillah, last night, the cough stop a bit after we gave him medicine although it will come back every now and then. Then he was sick but this morning has recovered. For sure, he will go to school this morning.

Tiger is back

I followed Tiger Woods as he fought his way to victory at the tour championship. Its five years since he last won. This latest victory however, must be the sweetest as personal problems, emotionally and physically has taken its toll on the greatest player golf ever produced. This time last year, he was wondering if he ever play golf again, such was the problem with his back. Four operations was what it took to solve the problem. The first three wasn't successful. The last one did it. Now he is back to his winning ways. How he tried to comeback, and the latest win after almost a year of the latest comeback, must be among the greatest sporting stories of all time. An inspiration to sporting heroes wannabe.

What next?

At the moment the other piece of land that I bought is empty. It is just beside my house and I am thinking of the options. Build a garden or a simple playground or build a small cabin or what? However, the three terrace houses that is for rent right in front of my house have given me food for thought. Ever since during construction time, there have an endless stream of people asking about it. Looks to me like the rental market is good in this kampong. Of course the rent must not be too much, in the range of five to six hundred ringgit. That has got me thinking. What if I build one or two houses for rent? Hmm...... that's something to think about! Where to get the fund in the first place?

Beaten

The All Blacks were finally beaten last week. The week before they had a scare when Argentina gave them a run for their money. The All Blacks are looking like they are on the downtrend. They were at their absolute best last year but this year, it has been a wobble a little bit. With the world cup just a year away, they better peak again or somebody else will win the cup.

Power corrupts

The net is getting closer and closer. I don't think there will be any escape for those responsible for the biggest money stealing operation in the word. Many people will be indicted for sure. Its not as easy as ABC to get them because its a complex web of intrigue spanning many fictitious companies, banks and countries spanning the globe but it will be done, slowly but surely. Do they think they can get away with it? They almost did if not for the rakyat who kicked out the previous corrupted government. That's when the whole thing start to unravel. Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Tiring walk

Yesterday I was in Kl as usual. After sending the kids to school, I parked the car and decided to take the LRT to Pantai Hospital, Bangsar for my appointment with the doctor. I get half price for the ticket being over sixty years old. Driving to the place would be a hassle because of the traffic. Parking is even more difficult. It is terrible trying to find one. The LRT is very convenient except that I have to walk a fair bit from the exit station to the hospital. The road being uphill all the way, it makes for a tiring walk to say the least. Nevertheless, I made it, managed to see the doctor, get my medicine and takee the LRT back to Gombak where I parked the car.

KL again

Today will be going to KL again. Until next year or until mid November of this year at least, I will be going to KL every weekday cause I have to send the kids to school. It is very tiring sometime and make a dent in my pocket because of the petrol and the toll but at the moment, it really is the best arrangement. The kids need to go to school, if for nothing else at least for the atmosphere. No school in our new place wants to accept them because its almost the end of the year. So we have no choice but to continue with their school in Gombak, KL

Cheaper than the rest

Went to a hardware shop in K Selangor yesterday. It is situated near Tesco, on the outskirts of the town. This is the new town area but this where it is buzzing. This shop somehow manage to sell their items cheaper than others. I have compared their prices for many items with other hardware shops. Their prices are always cheaper. There is a hardware shop not two minutes from my house but their prices are steep. There is another in Puncak Alam where their prices are reasonable but couldn't challenge the one in K Selangor. So for my needs, I drive to K Selangor rather than go to the other shops nearby.

Unscrupulous!

Since moving to the new house, I have been doing many things to the house like minor repairs, upgrades, adding here and there plus many others. In the process, I met many small time contractors who profess to be able to do all kind of things. Some are good. They go about doing their job diligently without much fuss. One or two have become friends. At the same time there are others who are only after your money They will cheat you whenever they can with no guilty feeling at all. These are the unscrupulous one. They came for one job but then create extra job for example like making a pipe to leak. Then they will tell you there is a leak when in the first place there is no leak. The ultimate is when they charge you an exorbitant price for the just created job. I had one who is like that. Alhamdulillah I saw what he was up to so I sent him home.

Out of job

Met two friends from my Sarawak Hidro days yesterday while walking near Setapak Sentral. They were having coffee at a restaurant. Don't know what they were doing but they had their notebook on the table. I stopped for a chat. It seems that since Sarawak Hidro was bought over by Sarawak Electricity Board and they were retrenched about seven months ago, they have been out of job ever since. Really not good news at all. I hope they will find something to do soon. A job or some small business. They have a long way to go as they are still young. Unlike me, I am over sixty so it is not surprising if I am out of job although given a choice, I would like to work as well.

KL every weekday

For the next two to three months, we will be going to KL everyday except for the weekends. Have to get the kids to school. It may be only preschool but we feel it is good for them. Otherwise, they will be staying at home doing nothing much. At school, at least they will have some activities, learn a few things and have many friends. At home, their energy will be too much too handle the whole day. There's no preschool in Bkt Cerakah that is willing to accept them at this late of the year so we had no choice but to drive them to Gombak, KL every weekday. Using the highway will only take about forty minutes but the toll is killing. Taking the old road although shorter will take longer with all the traffic lights, lorries in front plus not to forget the traffic jam.

Just the way I like it

I searched high and low for a jigsaw that's reasonably priced while at the same time suits my purpose. I don't use it very often but when I need to use it, its there. The one that comes with established names like Bosch are of course quality products but the prices are a bit steep. They come with many features which a professional might find useful but for me, I don't need them. After a few months of searching, I finally found one at a DIY store. It was less than a hundred ringgit. Its light and small, just the type I like. Its also does its job which is the main thing. 

Two days

We received quite a number of wedding invitations from people we do not know since living here. Last week for example, there were eight invitations. A man on a motorcycle just rode by the house and drop a bundle of invitation cards. We don not know any of them. That is a surprise. What is even more surprising is that the wedding receptions are done over two days. Saturday and Sunday. Saturdays can be from 4pm to 11pm and while Sunday can be from 11pm to 5pm. When we received the first wedding invitation a month ago and noticed the dates, we thought, wow! This must be a grand wedding reception. Two days! But since then we received many more and there were two days as well. It seems that it is the norm in the kampong.

Different prices

Since moving to Danau Merbau, I have become a bit of a handy man myself. Been doing minor works here and there. In the process, I have been buying quite a few things from the hardware shops. One thing I discovered is that the prices for the same items are markedly different. The picture shows a tee joint for a half inch pipe. All shops sells them at different prices. So is the elbow joint. A shop in Ijok sells them at 0.80cts per piece. A shop at Sungai Buloh (Sasaran) sells them at 0.60cts. A shop in Puncak Alam sells them at 0.50cts. The cheapest I found is at a shop in K. Selangor. It was 0.40cts. You really have to scout around in order to get the best price.

Learning time

Playing time

A story of two houses

 The house I sold

To build this house

Over budget

Almost everything has been done to the house but as we all know, there are still plenty of things to do. Its only when we start living in the house do we know or discover about them. The same goes with this house. If I were to follow my heart, there are a thousand and one things that I still want to do but I have to follow my head. The main consideration is money of course. Its is livable at the moment. Its more than enough but there are little thins here and there that still can be done to make it even better. .......... but that can wait. As it is, I am already running over budget.

Problem wth the pump

With the pump, the water in the two bathrooms is now fast and plenty. Great to have a bath or do whatever with that kind of water. Before it was so slow and so little. However, when adding the pump to the water system, the piping, the taps, the toilet bowl, the rubber host and all the rest of the system must be tip top. A slight leak will cause the pump to run almost non stop. When we first fixed the pump, it was running almost non stop twenty four hours a day. We knew there must be a leak somewhere but try as we might, we couldn't find it anywhere. The piping were all good, no leak. The rubber host were tip top, no leak. The taps were all good, no leak. It was actually leaking in the toilet bowl. On stopping the leak, the pump also stop running except only when we we turn on the taps.

Pump fixed

We managed to get the pump fixed on Sunday. The plumber was at the house from morning till almost three in the afternoon fixing it. After that, the water from the tank to the two bathrooms was great. Fast and plenty, just the way we like it. Only problem is the pump seems to be running all the time even when we are not turning on the taps. Hope something can be done about it. Otherwise, the electricity bill is going to be high.

Visitors to the house

Atak, Ni and family, Yong, Mahathir and family plus Ja came to the house on Saturday. Had a great time entertaining them. Not always we have gathering like this. As we grow older, such occasions are time to cherish. Had a nice lunch with fishes fresh from the sea.

More photos