Water problem again

Been almost four days since I updated this blog. Never realised it was that long. When I opened, I was quite surprised to see that it was last opened on Sunday, a bloody four days ago! Thought it was only yesterday that I last update the blog. Must have been extremely busy ......hmmm. Yes, we were busy. The water problem started on Monday when suddenly the water coming from the main pipe went slow. That night on the way for the evening prayer, I saw Syabas were working by the side of the road near my house. Hah... I said to my self. Once they completed their job, everything will be back to normal but how wrong was I!

A hard time

That night the water remained slow. The next morning it was still the same. That's when I made my first call to Syabas. Good response. They send their people to check but after after checking my water meter, they left without even telling me what was wrong. Meantime, The water remain slow. It was getting difficult as we can't use the washing machine while the water in the tank was getting less and less. Cooking was also difficult as water from the main pipe remain slow, sometime just trickling. In the morning when everybody is using the water for various reasons, the water from the pipe became zero. That was a hard time we had.

Perak it is!

The Malaysia cup final between Perak and Trengganu last night was really worth watching, for me at least. Main reason is of course because my home state won the cup again after a wait of eighteen years. Perak really left it late, equalising at the last moment to force extra time. Mind you that was after going two down at half time. During extra time, again an equaliser with almost the last kick of the match. It must have broken the hearts of the Trengganu players I must say after getting to within seconds of putting their hands on the cup. After that the penalty kicks were a foregone conclusion. The Trengganu players have lost their will and their believe. They promptly missed two of their first kicks handing the cup to Perak. Well done Perak!

Heavy rain

Rain was heavy last night starting about 11pm but alhamdulillah it didn't last very long. After about an hour or so it stopped. In the morning on the way to the mosque for the prayers, I saw that the drains are up to the brim again. If the rain had continued throughout the night, I think flooding could have occurred in some areas of the kampong. As it is, the water is almost flowing over. I really hope it won't happen.

Still struggling

I am still struggling with my attempt to memorise the Quran. Its a constant struggle given that I am doing it on my own. I had a target to reach within a certain time frame and a plan on how to reach the target but as always, the plan remains a plan, nothing more. As for the target, I am far off with the time frame long gone out of the window. The only part of the plan that I am following quite obediently is in the morning after the prayers. Even that I seldom reach an hour. Thirty, fourty five minutes and my brain get tired. As for the rest, it has not worked out as I had hope it to be. I am not giving up however. When the children gets older, I will have more free time. Then maybe I will enroll in a formal class. In sha Allah. As for now, I will keep doing what I am doing but will try to do more. Then maybe I can move faster.

Budget go haywire

When building my house, the budget for building the house was strictly followed or in other words, I was able to restrict the costs of building the house as per budget. However, when I moved in, that's when the budget go haywire. First the costs of moving was way above budget. Then as usual, when we move in there are sure to be things that we found that we have to do. One example is the water pump. That was not budgeted but we found that the water from the pipes in the bathrooms were too slow that it became inconvenient. Then we had to add additional awning at the verandah. That was also not budgeted but without it, the rain will fall straight to the verandah and sometimes get into the house. Then there's the grill for the backyard. Then there's ....... all these were not budgeted. Sigh.....

Ending soon

Yesterday I was again in KL to send the kids to their preschool. I have counted the number of days left before they finish for good their schooling in KL. Not more than ten days! Wow! That's good. It will translate into a lot of savings. Time, energy and most importantly, money because of less petrol and less toll. After that, next year their schooling will be in Bkt Cerakah itself. The schools not far from my house, just two or three kilometres away. Maybe I will use the motorcycle to ferry them to school as most of the kampong folks does. That will be a new experience.

Sunny days

Its been quite sunny the past few days despite the weather forecast saying it will be thunderstorm. naturally I am happy with the situation as the drains around my house are now carrying less water. The threat of flooding is over, at least for now. of course there's till November and December to come but that we will cross the bridge when we come to it in sha Allah. For the moment, I am just grateful that the situation has improved a lot since.

Yesterday

Was in KL again yesterday to send the kids to their preschool. While waiting for their school to end for the day, took the opportunity to go to the TNB clinic in Bangsar for my regular supply of medicine. Much to my surprised, I was served straightaway without having to wait. If before, I had to see the doctor to verify, this time they have done away with that. I got my medicine right away. Great service! Then I was at Setapak Sentral Mall where I paid my Maxis bill and did a few other necessities. At half past two I fetched the kids again,reaching home about quarter past three. It was sunshine all the way. At home, the water had receded quite a lot but unfortunately at night the rain was back although not very heavy.

Cheaper than most

After almost four months of staying in the village, I find that the prices of many things are lower than in KL. For example, I can still get nasi lemak at one ringgit per pack. Mee hoon as well. Nasi lemak plus a piece of chicken is only three ringgit whereas in KL, it can go as high as seven ringgit. Lunch can also be cheap. Five to six ringgit is the norm for rice with fish and a bit of vegetable plus plain water. I don't know about groceries as I don't usually buy them but house rental is also cheap. Four to five hundred for a two to three bedroom house is normal. Put the rental higher and there will be no takers. I love it when it is cheap as I can make more savings.

Getting better

After a bright sunny day yesterday, the water has receded a bit. Another two or three days of sunshine will definitely do the trick but alas ..... I read in the paper this morning the high tide will occur again in two days time. This is a sign of trouble if the rain also decided to come down at the same time. I hope not. Little rain is alright but not torrential. This morning the weather looks okay although the morning sun is not as bright as yesterday. If it stays this way it will mean another good day in sha Allah.

Hmm....

This morning it is sunny. The sun is shining brightly so early in the morning. A welcome sight for sure. Maybe today the water will subside a bit. That will be much welcome relief for many in the village and for me as well. Don't forget, this is only October. There's still November and December to come. These two months are known as the rainy season month. When I was a kid, it was only the east coast of the peninsular that will get the brunt of the rain during the two months. Now, its gone haywire. All parts of the peninsular face the risk of flooding come November and December. Hmm.... a new place, a new house, a new experience.

The risk of flooding

The land beside my house is water filled ever since the second night of non stop rain. The problem is it cannot flow to the drains around the house as the drains are already full. Even the bigger drains by the side of the road is up to the brim with water. As such, the water has been stagnant. The only hope is evaporation which will take a long time. That will happen if there is no more rain and the sun shines brightly. The other is it goes to the ground, again a slow process. So for now, the water is more or less stagnant. It's been a four or five days now. Don't know when it will dry up! For the moment it is touch and go. Another night of non stop rain may result in flooding.

Water water everywhere

A shocked!

Took a ride on my motorcycle last Wednesday to see how the villagers and their houses are faring given the heavy rain recently. What I saw gave me quite a shocked. A few houses are already flooded. A few roads are barely passable as the water has spilled onto it from the drains. Then there are houses that are on the brink. There are many of them which are in this situation. Another night or day of non stop rain will do them in. Wow! I never knew it is this bad. I remember this time last year when I was looking at the plots of land to buy, it was not like this. It was dry everywhere. This time this year, its a totally different situation. I am watching it closely as my house, though not as bad as the others, might be caught in the situation. I pray that it will not happen, in sha Allah.

Incessant rain

Last night it rained again the whole night long. In the morning on the way for my morning prayer at the mosque, I noticed a few places on the other side of the road are in danger of flooding. The water in the drain has reached maximum height. A few inches more it will spill, causing flood. That really is not a good sign. I hope the rain will not be frequent. Parit Mahang has one bad history of flooding in 2015. That was a really bad one. Kg Bukit Cerakah where I am now has some flooding before but minor. I hope the incessant rain that is happening now will not lead to flooding. 

Flood warning

The big drain by the road side opposite my house. This was taken about twenty hours after the rain had stopped meaning it was higher before.

 Another view. This roads leads to Puncak Alam.

The drain on my side of the road. The water has retreated some what but another whole day of rain will bring the water up again.

Flood warning 1

 The small drain behind my house.

Be prepared

The rainy season is in full swing. I just hope there won't be flooding anywhere in the village. Already, the drains by the roadside are almost spilling. Its the high tide plus the heavy rain that is causing it. In Johor, Kedah and Melaka, the rain has caused flooding. The high tide phenomena occurs occasionally and can cause flooding to the coastal areas but I think it is over for now. It was high tide a few days ago but alhamdulillah, no flooding along the coastal areas in Selangor. This is only October by the way. There's still Novermber and December and even January. These are the months when the flooding always occurs.

No choice

On Thursday, when about to go to the mosque for the evening prayer, I discovered that my motorcycle tire has punctured. The same tire and the third time this is happening within the last few weeks. Then I decided to take the car but alas! I saw that one of the tire was also punctured. Wow. What a coincidence! Then yesterday in the morning, I changed the tire to the spare tire before going to the workshop to repair the punctured tire. At the same time, I also bought a pump with the intention to pump my motorcycle tire before riding it to the workshop. I don't want to have to push it all the way to the workshop. Unfortunately, the pump couldn't work on the tire. Much as I tried, the tire remain airless. Hmm.... looks like this morning I have no choice but to push the motorcycle.

No activites

There are three mosques within a few kilometers of my house. They are all a few minutes away on my motorcycle. I have been to all three but it has been for a while now since I have mostly frequent  the mosque that is nearest of the three to my house. It is Masjid Nurul Huda, Kg Bukit Cerakah. I have not been to the other two mosques very much lately. However, for some reason, this mosque does not have much activity. The few months that I have been coming to this mosque, I can count on one hand the number of activities that has been carried out. Even my previous surau in Gombak have more activities. Every week there will be tow or three ustaz coming to give religious talk. Here in this mosque, there's hardly any!

Most welcome

It rained throughout the night on Thursday. Was heavy too. On Friday, it continued the whole day but it was heavy at times and drizzling at other times. Sometimes it stopped as well. The small drains around my house were filled to the brim. The big drains by the roadside were also filled to the brim. If the rain had continued for another few hours, I think some parts of the village will be flooded. Alhamdulillah, this morning the is no rain. Hopefully it stays this way. Sunshine would be most welcome.

BIggest scare

On Monday we had the biggest scare ever. A pipe in the bathroom gave way causing the water to burst out. To stop that we shut the stop cork. Apparently, it only made it worse as suddenly it was raining from the ceiling. Water was coming down from the ceiling all over the place, the bathroom, the third room and the family hall. The house was getting flooded! For a moment we were at a lost, not knowing what to do. My worse fear was that the water tank had given way. Then I thought of shutting down the water pump. That slowed down the flow a lot but it was still coming down. Then I shut the incoming flow from the meter. That had the effect of stopping water coming into the tank. Water continued to come down until the water tank emptied itself. 

Meantime, I brave myself to climb up the ceiling to have a look. Alhamdulillah, the water tank was intact. Water was actually flowing from a pipe that had burst. Needless to say, the house was in a mess including the plaster ceiling. The rest of Monday and the whole of Tuesday was spent to repair the piping and clear the mess. Alhamdulillah, everything is okay now!

Losing battle

The spending never stops. Last week the washing machine which we bought about eight years ago started to give trouble. All kind of funny sounds were coming out from it. We had already repaired it twice before. This time we thought its better to buy a new one before it gets worse. Then we bought a new air condition unit for the room. Its a need actually, not a want. Just before that, I repaired my motorcycle as the carburetor was leaking. Today, I need to service my car. And so it goes. The spending just have to go on although I am trying my very best to curb it. Its a losing battle for now at least.

Sick

All my children have recovered from the sickness. It was the longest period as far as I can remember. First Akid who was coughing terribly. Then he fall sick. After that it was Maisarah and later it was Munirah. After more than two weeks, all of them are now okay. Now its my turn to be sick. Been feeling under the weather since yesterday. Last night I decided to take some tablets. Hopefully I can recover soon. This morning I am supposed to go jogging but that will have to wait now. Maybe tomorrow in sha Allah.

A win at last

Man U was losing last night. Two goals down in the first half but a fight back in the second half did it for them. Three goals, the last one at the last minutes was enough to secure the much needed three points. After all their troubles as reported in the press, this was a performance they needed to dispel all the rumours. Under Maurinho, Man U have been playing a bit defensively for my liking. Its disapointing. I now switch to Liverpool where under Klopp, they are playing the way I like it. Fast attacking game with fast moving attacking players. Still, that was a good win last night.

Great match

What a game it was! The All Blacks were on their back foot most of the time, pinned down in their own territory by the spirited Springboks. They hardly mount any attacks as they were kept busy defending most of the time but somehow at half time, the score stood at six all. For all the territorial advantage enjoyed by the Boks, they were unable to translate that into a scoring lead. In the second half, the Boks finally scored a try, then scored a penalty and then another try. They were seventeen points ahead at that time. In my mind I thought that's the end for the All Blacks but how wrong I was. They fought back by scoring a try but until the last eight minutes, they were still twelve points down. Two tries in the last few minutes and a conversion with the last kick of the match did it for them. They won 32-30.

Change the carburetor

Finally I managed to change my carburetor. Now the motorcycle is like new. Fuel consumption is back to normal unlike before when the carburetor was leaking. The fuel consumption was akin to a small car or even more than that. At one point I had the strong feeling that it was cheaper to drive than to ride. Such was the sorry situation. I wanted to changed many times even while I was still living in Gombak but there's always a hindrance. Either they don't have the spare or the price quoted was too expensive for my liking or some other thing. In the meantime the motorcycle was drinking fuel like there's no tomorrow.

Not changed one bit

I didn't follow very much the former ruling party gathering recently but from what I read in the papers, I think they have not changed one bit. Still the old arrogant party, where corruption strives and racialism is very much alive. The way they give a standing ovation to the person who destroyed them through his greed it seems that they don't care at all. They can't tell the forest from the trees, that's how bad they have become. There are on occasions, one or two voices that try to wake them up from their slumber but that voice is drown in the deep red colour of the clothes they wear.

Biggest crime

I have read the book about Jho Low and his exploits. Wow! Can't believe he was in his early twenties when he did the unthinkable. Stealing more than twenty billion ringgit. That's a whole lot of money for even the richest man in the world. Must be one hell of a guy! It is said that he was able to get away with it because he made the people he comes into contact with rich as well. That's why the bankers, the dignitaries, the powers that be and everybody else, they close one eye and let him get away with it because in the process, they get their reward as well. This really is the biggest amount of money stolen anywhere in the world and it happened to Malaysia. Sigh......

Will change definitely

This week their school is having exams so the preschool kids are given the week off. That means we don't have to drive to KL to send them to school. What a relief! A week of rest but of course next week we will start again. Anyway it won't be long. October then November and very soon the school session will end. There's about a month left of going to KL for their schooling until their end of year prize giving event in early November. After that, its over. For next year I have already secured their places in schools just one or two kilometres away. That will be much easier. Our routine will change definitely.