Saw a road accident

3.oo pm. On my way to a site meeting in Subang.

Thinking of bypassing the traffic snarl along Jln Loke Yew I turned left into a slip road to exit into the Seremban Highway.

The situation there was even worse than in Jln Loke Yew. The vehicles were bumper to bumper moving at a snail's pace.

I was wondering why at 3.30pm there were so many vehicles on the road and it wasn't even raining. Either an auto accident had caused the traffic congestion or some other roads feeding to this highway were blocked, I reasoned.

Then after about 30 minutes of start and stop driving I heard the sound of ambulance sirens from the rear and saw some police outriders waving the drivers to make way. Yes a fatal auto-accident had occurred at the head of the long queue of vehicles, I concluded.

As I cruised pass the scene I saw about 3 to 4 cars and a van involved in a pile up. A red colour and badly smashed saloon car and the van had fallen into a ditch. There were two ambulances standing by and I saw paramedics carrying an injured motorist into the ambulance. There were 3 policemen directing traffic and a group of tow truck operators were mulling around the damaged vehicles. Curious motorists slowed down their vehicles to look contributing to the congestion. On the opposite side of the highways motorists were also slowing down to observe the going ons.

The presence of so many tow truck operators all of them talking into their walkie- talkies reminds me of vultures circling and stalking their victim waiting for the right moment to attack. To these people auto-accidents mean big business, and I wonder if they have any compassionate feelings for the accident victims.

By the time I drove past the scene my wrist watch registered the time of 4.00pm. I would probably need one hour to reach Subang from that point onwards. Realising that it would be pointless to meet I called ahead to cancel the meeting.

Visit to Morib and Tg Sepat

"When is daddy taking us to Lovers' Bridge in Tg Sepat?" my daughter asked my wife during a telephone conversation.

Weeks ago I had suggested taking the family for a sightseeing tour of Tg Sepat. Looks like I am left with no choice but to honour my pledge. So it was decided that we should make the trip on Sat 20/8/2011.

I, Anna, Amy and Nicholas, the four of us started the trip from Kajang at 1.30pm. Nicholas was given the honour to drive the MyVi as my wife felt that my driving was too slow. It was a cloudy afternoon when we first started the journey but it started to drizzle when we hit the Plus Highway for the direction of Nilai

First stop in Bandar Baru Nilai
First stop was at a Shell station in Bandar Baru Nilai for petrol refill, purchase of snacks, drinking water and answer calls of nature.

Shell Station Bdr Baru Nilai

I intended to go to Tg Sepat via Sepang but somehow in the heavy rain Nicholas missed the turn off to Sepang. Instead we decided to travel in the direction of Banting.

From Nilai to Banting the drive was smooth though the drizzle had turned into a thunder storm. I was beginning to wonder if the rain would spoil the sight seeing.

Pantai Morib

Pantai Morib

After Banting we stopped over at Morib beach for a visit. As both mother and daughter had never visited Morib before I decided to show them the beach and the surrounding areas. By this time the rain had fizzled out into a drizzle. Holding umbrellas we walked around the beach front.

Beach watch tower

Except for two families, a colony of long-tailed macaque monkeys, and some women sweepers the beach was deserted of people and recreational activities. Then it occurred to me that the absence of people was probably due to the Ramadan fasting month. I was sure that visitors would return to the beach in the night time. After taking some photographs we left the place for Tg Sepat with me taking over the drive from Nicholas.

Ganofarm

Ganofarm entrance

Finally reached Tg Sepat after about 30 minute drive from Morib. Took them to the Ganofarm for a visit. The Ganofarm is a place where all types of mushrooms are cultivated and for sale to the public. At the showroom we took our time to browse the mushroom products. In the end we bought about RM10.00 of mushroom juices and snacks.

Mushroom cultivation

After the showroom we made our way to the seaside at the back where there is a restaurant constructed on stilts above the water level. The last time I visited this restaurant was still under construction. The restaurant owner has constructed a long wooden viewing deck behind the building where visitors can get a grand view of the sea.

Walkway by the sea

We took some pictures while enjoying the cool sea breeze and the seascape. Just across the sea opposite the viewing deck about 1 km away is the unmistakable sight of the half concrete and half timber Tg Sepat fishermen's jetty a.k.a. Lovers' Bridge to some people.

Tg Sepat Jetty a.k.a Lovers' Bridge

Lovers' bridge

At 5.30pm the jetty was already receiving a steady stream of visitors. At that time there were only about 4 trawlers moored to the side of the jetty. I didn't see any fishermen but saw some anglers sitting on the deck patiently waiting for their catch to bite the fishing hooks attached to the end of their fishing lines.

Trawlers parked at the jetty

The visitors were outsiders like us, mainly family members and couples busy snapping pictures of themselves and the sea. I held my wife's arms to give her support as we

Sea side restaurant

gingerly made our way to the wooden segment of the jetty where the worn and rickety planks behaved like spring boards when we stepped on the surface. Before reaching the end of the jetty my wife decided to return to the security of the stable concrete deck. With my hand phone camera I quickly snapped some shots for remembrance. By the time we got back to the concrete deck my daughter and Nicholas who were then trailing behind had caught up with us. More group photo shoots in various poses to follow.

After the jetty we visited the stalls at the shore and bought some sweet potatoes and fish balls from a woman vendor who was peddling her produces on a bicycle.

Enjoying seafood dining

Feeling hungry we decided to patronise Ban Joo Hing, one of the three restaurants on the shore. Anyway it was also dinner time and we had not eaten much since lunch time except for some light snacking and refreshments.

Main street of Tg Sepat

After settling down we ordered stirred fried vegetables, stewed tofu with crab meat cooked in a clay pot, 1 kg of chilli crabs and steamed fish for our dinner. The food was delicious as the fresh fish, and crabs were all recent harvests from the sea and not dead meat retrieved from cold storage in the freezer.

After dinner we headed for the town centre looking for meat pau which is also a well-known product of Tg Sepat. By the time we found the place after driving in circles it was already closed for the night. With our stomachs filled we then decided to leave the village for home in Kajang. As we drove along the narrow main street I noticed there were many motorcyclists on the road that not a single one of them was wearing safety helmet. After exiting the village to the main road we made a U-turn and headed towards the direction of Sepang and Nilai.

Relearning how to bathe in cold water the old way

This Japanese-made "National" hand shower unit installed in the bathroom is leaking. Water is dripping from the base of the appliance when the electrical power is turned on. The ELCB indicator light is also flashing continuously.

This hand shower is so old that even the white colour of the casing has been oxidised to a yellowish tone. After all it has been in faithful service for the past 20 years. I doubt if modern electrical appliances can last that long and whether there is any replacement part still available for this particular model. This model is so dated that even its manufacturer has transformed the brand name from "National" to "Panasonic".

Before anyone gets electrocuted while taking a shower I better start shopping around for a new replacement unit. In the meantime it's a good opportunity for family members to relearn how our ancestors bathe the old way, by splashing cold water with hand-ladles.

Mystery of the wet floor cloth

The mystery of the wet floor cloth below the kitchen sink is finally solved!

At first we suspected that the underground cold water pipe at the kitchen was leaking. Naturally if there is a leak the cloth would soak up the water that penetrates through the floor tiles. If that is a leakage in the underground plumbing then it would cause not only a lot of money but also grave inconvenience to rectify the defect. For example the plumber will have to excavate the floor to locate and repair the defective pipe. After that we will have to hire a mason and tiler to reinstate the concrete and the floor tiles. While the repair work is going on the whole kitchen would be in a mess.

However strangely my wife notes that during the day time the floor and the cloth are always dry. On the few occasions that we notice the cloth soaked with water it is always in the early morning when the family members gather for breakfast before going to work. My wife also notice that it usually occurs after a heavy thunderstorm accompanied by strong winds the night before.

To get to the bottom of the mystery we observed the cloth for two consecutive nights. During these two periods of observation the sky was clear with no strong winds and thunderstorm. The cloth was dry the next morning.

We can now conclude that the water must be from the rain. Strong winds blow the rainwater into the kitchen via the flashing joint between concrete and the asbestos roof. As the house is more than 20 years old the seal in the flashing joint between the roof and the concrete must have worn out due to wear and tear.

We can live with the occasional leak of rainwater that gets into the kitchen carried by strong winds via the old flashing but definitely not a leaking underground pipe.

Learning a lesson on the universal law of impermenance from extension socket malfunction.

"Mom, I can't switch on my note book pc!" my daughter exclaimed as she fiddled with the switch.

There is nothing wrong with her note book pc.

The fault is that her machine did not receive power from the electricity supply. One of the sockets in the 6 module electrical extension has malfunctioned, probably burnt out due to long use. Another one has been abandoned for a long time since it is no longer functioning. The other 4 sockets are all plugged to the pc, printer, modem and another additional extension.

As usual on hearing the news my wife started to react, complain loudly about how modern stuffs don't last as long as they used to.

Nothing in life last forever. As everything has a limited life span it is of the nature to expire and there is no way to escape death. When the time comes to say good bye it goes and there is nothing you can do about it. Recognising the universal law of impermanence makes you more equanimous and composed in the face of sudden adversity. Instead of reacting with great agitation and emotional outburst you then serenely take charge of the process of rectifying the situation.

"We'll buy a new extension socket module from the store tomorrow." I said simply and calmly to no one in particular in the household.

Cutting a door opening through an existing reinforced concrete retaining wall

Serai Saujana Condo, Subang.

I came to this elegant condo to discuss some renovation work to the existing retaining wall. The developer wants to create a 2.5mx3.0m high opening through one segment of the perimeter reinforced concrete retaining fencing wall. Although the task looks rather intimating because the wall is massive and it is 5 m high it is still doable.

The solution is to knock down the upper portion of the wall until the level of the top of the door opening. After that construct a reinforced concrete lintel beam to bridge over the opening. With the lintel beam in place the upper portion of the wall can then be rebuilt to the original specification.

During the project construction phase I had a terrible time when the boss asked me to take over the management of the project from the project engineer who had abruptly resigned. At that time the project was in a big mess and because I was not a party to it from project inception I had zero knowledge of the whole scheme. The design and drawings were incomplete yet the construction work went full steam ahead. Thus I was practically producing real-time design and drawings feeding the contractor as the work progressed. Somehow despite the tremendous challenge I managed to overcome all the difficulties to complete the project on schedule.

I noticed that although the condo is CF certified, ready for occupation and more than 90% sold it was rather quiet. The basement parking was empty save for a few cars, parked far apart from each other.

I was told that the majority of the buyers are investors, buying the units hoping to resell at higher prices. Then there are also purchasers who buy the units for their children but the children do not want to move into the apartments. I reckon that only about 30% of the tenants there are owner-residents.

Waiting in the shade

Tropicana Grande Condo project site. 4.00pm. I was scheduled to attend the technical meeting at 4.30pm. With 30 minutes to spare I decided to park my car under a shady spot by a side road off the traffic choked main road.

Not wanting to waste fuel I switched off the air conditioning system and the engine, rolled up the window and sat in the car watching the vehicles passing by in front of me. In the beginning the heat and stuffiness inside the car was overwhelming but as I sat there absorbing the tranquility and quietness and reflecting about what I was supposed to present at the meeting, my body gradually got accustomed to the heat.

At 4.20pm. I told myself that it was time to leave. After ensuring that the doors and the steering wheel were locked I then walked calmly and unhurriedly in the direction of the meeting room. The timing was almost perfect. By the time I entered the room the earlier scheduled site meeting was just coming to an end.

Caught red-handed

In one corner of the office there is a drinking water fountain for staff use. There is no dedicated person to refill the empty bottle. I know for a fact that nobody likes to mount a full 5-gallon bottle onto the stand because it is quite heavy and you have to grasp the bottle tightly with two hands.

In the past the admin girls were the ones who would replace the empty bottles with the new refills. But after a while the girls started complaining why they were the ones to do the heavy work when everyone was using it. Now the practice is for the last person who use up the water should remove the empty 5-gallon bottle and replace with a new refill.

This morning I went to the water fountain to refill my personal bottle with water. After I finished I noticed that there was still a bit of water left and it didn't occur to me that I should be the one to replace the almost empty bottle with a new canister.

"Mr Ng you forgot to refill the empty bottle," a female staff said as I walked away from the fountain. Clearly this lady was patrolling the area waiting to catch someone to refill the fountain.

"OK I'll refill the water fountain," I replied and promptly went to the pantry to look for the new stock of bottles. It took a while to mount the new bottle as it was quite heavy.

At first I was a little bit irritated that I was caught red-handed by the lady. Then on further reflection I realised that it was all my fault. I was acting selfish and inconsiderate, behaving like most people in the office, always expecting others to do the work.

The Return

After a hiatus of almost 12 months I have decided to reactivate my blog "Spacious Moments".

To mark my return to blogging I have given "Spacious Moments" a new profile picture ID.

Wi-Fi connection restored

The wi-fi connection has been restored miraculously by itself. I'm able to log in to FB, Twitter and Yahoo Mail without any hitches. How and what has happened? I have no idea.

No wireless connection

I can't connect to the internet using wireless connection. Either my phone or my modem wireless capability is disabled. It was working well last night and also in the morning.

Most likely something is wrong with my modem.

Use static IP

Ioften wonder why I can't get online using my Samsung wi-fi enabled smartphone in a free wi-fi zone when other people have experience no difficulty doing so with their note book computers and hand phones. The fact is that my phone detects and connects to wi-fi service but then I'm not able to view the latest postings on my FB, Twitter and Yahoo Mail accounts.

I have asked a few people, including TM net about this problem and even though I have followed up on their well-meaning recommendations, my problem still persists. I was beginning to doubt the real capability of my Samsung Galaxy Mini smart phone.

3.00pm. Old Town White Coffee cafe in Kajang Metro Point Plaza drinking black coffee and eating double butter toasts.

The cafe has free wi-fi service and using my smartphone I was able to connect to the service. But as before when I visited FB, Twitter and Yahoo Mail sites I was able to view old postings but not the latest messages.

With plenty of time on hand and nothing much to do I started to fiddle with the phone's wi-fi and network connection settings. Then buried under many layers of sub-menus in the advanced settings module I came across an IP setting labeled "use static IP". Wondering what it can do I tapped the "Use static IP" function and returned to FB. Lo and behold magically I was able to see the latest postings being downloaded immediately. I also received the same results in Yahoo mail and twitter.

I was so delighted with the outcome that I stayed in the cafe for more than two hours checking my FB, Twitter and Yahoo Mail accounts.

Belakong Lan Jie Steamed Tilapia

Belakong Lan Jie steamed tilapia fish comes in three grades: regualar, mild and extra hot.

Most people who like their fish slightly spicy will order the mild type while those who like to set their tongues on fire with lots of ginger and hot chilli peppers will go for the extra hot type.

I ordered a plate of regular grade steamed tilapia and another plate of belachan stir-fried 4 angle beans for both my wife and myself. Being small eaters, one fish is more than enough for both of us. Including refreshment and rice the restaurant charged RM26.00 for the dinner meal. And there is no need to pay government tax and service charge for the food.

Keeping the promise

Against my heart's inclination I battled the pouring rain and heavy traffic along the Seremban highway for the drive South to INTi College Nilai. Last month I had promised the guys to conduct intensive training during the semester break month of Aug. Even though I had serious reservation that anyone would come two guys showed up for training. In the end I was glad that I had made the correct decision to honour my promise to the students

Starting over

Iam thinking of reactivating my blog "Spacious Moments", but at this point in time my mind is empty, like a sheet of blank paper.