Clearing Up The Mess

I thought there won't be any more rain for a couple of weeks at least but it started again though  not as forceful as to trigger yet another flood, I hope. Most areas in Jitra  have dried up and judging from the mess caused by the flood, the victims are now faced with a more gruesome task of clearing up the mess. The little bit that I saw was enough to choke me and I didn't have the heart to take pictures of them trying hard to literally pick up the pieces. Most of them were engrossed in what they were doing, despair written all over their weary faces. However, there were some who just stood still gazing helplessly and blankly at the damage and the debris left by the flood. I did not want to appear inconsiderate and heartless driving around trying to record  their misery while they were toiling away. Besides, the stares that I got were enough to make me slump down as far as I could go in my seat. xnuripilot was left to deal with the questioning and occasionally hostile glances that were thrown at us as we drove past them, all by himself.

Generally speaking, life in Jitra has gone back to normal. The shops have resumed their businesses. Schools, banks and government offices and the airport have started operating again. There is not much evidence left of the disaster that had just ravaged the town except for the huge mountains of damaged furniture that were discarded outside.

The debris that got stuck to the gates of this house indicates the height of the water level in this area.

As at of this writing, this road is still littered with the debris left by the flood.

Jitra As You've Never Seen Before

These pictures were posted by xnuripilot's friend Lt  Col Basri Omar PGB (R) from K.L. It would seem rather odd that we did not get to record all these ourselves being right in the middle of it all.

The Worst Is Over!

. Late yesterday evening, xnuripilot and I decided to check on the flood situation.

The sky was bright and clear along this Wang Tepus road. The road was still flooded but there was a lot of improvement.

The highway to Alor Setar was still closed to traffic.

The road to Taman Mahsuri was still under water.

The road leading to Jitra town was still under about a foot of water. This was as far as we could go yesterday evening.

There was a huge jam on our way home.








The weather was superb this morning so I persuaded xnuripilot to take me on a tour inspection of  Jitra town after his round of golf. We left the house at about 11a.m. and below are scenes I managed to capture as we drove along.
                                                                                 

Father and child and fishing net.

We passed this river on our way to Jitra town. The level was still dangerously high and the current was strong. 

Even these buffaloes decided they've had enough of wallowing in the murky flood water. 

I've always been fascinated by these Asoka trees lining the whole length of the padi mill. They looked even more spectacular surrounded by water!

Most of the shops were still closed including Secret Recipe and Dr. Rozmey's spa at the back of it.

Petronas station in Jitra town was still in bad shape.

Taman Ehsan still half-submerged.

Sekolah Menengah Jitra (SMJ) 

The row of shops in Pekan Jitra 2. Almost back to normal. 

My cousin's house in Taman Mahsuri Permai. 

The river behind Taman Suasana. 

The road leading to the lake at Darulaman Theme Park is now visible again. 

It's Getting Worse In Jitra!

We woke up in high spirits this morning since there had been  no rain for the past 24 hours. xnuripilot left the house at 7 a.m. for his round of golf with his buddies at the Darulaman Golf And Country Club. I was quite sure the flood was getting better until xnuripilot got home at 10.30 a.m. with more pictures of the flood shown below. Contrary to my assumption, the flood has worsened. The places which were still accessible to us yesterday are now under water! We are now marooned!!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Part of the highway to Alor Setar.

The road leading to Taman Mahsuri. We passed through this road yeasterday at 9a.m.

This is taken at the Wang Tepus-Darulaman Golf And Country Club junction. The bundles on the left are not heaps of rubbish but clothes and belongings salvaged by the flood victims.

One of the kampungs submerged by the flood.

A closer look at the same kampung.

The road leading up to Wang Tepus. Yesterday, the water was further up the road. Now, it has spilled  closer to our junction.

The entrance to Taman Mahsuri Fasa 2B.

The two guys in the water taking full advantage of the flood.....bathing and fishing !

The bridge connecting us to the surrounding areas.   If the river gets higher than the bridge, then there won't be any more pictures for my blog!!!! We will be completely cut off  from the outside world.



I am not able to take pictures of Jitra proper because there's no way of getting there from where we are.

Flood Updates From Jitra

The rain finally stopped at about 7 this morning. This is the first time, since we moved here 10 years ago, there was a continuous heavy downpour for a record breaking 3days and 4 nights.  The last record was 2 days and 2 nights about 5 years ago and that caused a severe flood in the Kubang Pasu district.

Yesterday, xnuripilot and I drove to Alor Setar but we did not see any signs of  the 2005 flood repeating itself . The highway was glistening wet due to the heavy rain but there was no indication of an emerging flood. I did, however, comment to xnuripilot that the padi fields on both sides of the highway were like lakes. But, then they are always that way after every heavy downpour.... no cause for alarm was my conclusion.

Our housing area is on high ground. Except for the heavy rain, everything seemed perfectly normal until we heard the evening news on TV. It was a shock to see some parts of Kubang Pasu already submerged in flood!

Heavy rain continued all night long but we were still unaware of the actual situation surrounding us until xnuripilot and I once again decided to get some fresh vegetables from the Jitra wet market this morning. We were rudely greeted by the swelling river at the entrance to our housing area.

If it starts to rain again, then the water will swell into a friends house below.

This is the back portion of the friend's house at Suasana Permai. The water is seen inching its way into her backyard.

Cars are seen parked all along the roadside. These car owners managed to drive their cars up to higher ground before their houses got submerged.

Water is seen cascading down the road from Wang Tepus at the junction into Darulaman Golf and Country Club where our house is situated.

The entrance to Taman Mahsuri Phase 4  is impassable due to the rising water.

This is the lake at the Darulaman Theme Park. Ordinarily, the road leading up to the lake can be seen from this point but  now it has been inundated by the swollen lake making it impossible to tell where the road ends and the lake begins..

This is the main road from Kepala Batas into Jitra town. The flood water has gushed into this road starting from the Yawata supermarket. Even these huge lorries had to stop.

The road leading to Tanjung Pauh is completely under water.

A scene in Taman Aman, Jitra.

xnuripilot and I had to abandon our plan of getting to the market. There was no way we could get there, anyway.  The weather has been good the whole day today. Hopefully, everything goes back to normal tomorrow.

I'm Back!

After taking a long break, it feels good to be back. But, I must admit after the long rest, it requires quite a bit of willpower to start this all over again. I have no particular excuse for my absence. Well, may be there is one....LAZY.

It's been raining non-stop these past two days here in Jitra. After the mini tornado which spiralled through  Kangar a few days ago, the rain came. The long dry spell has come to an end, as it always does every year at about this time.

Talking about tornadoes, believe me, they are not only restricted to the U.S.A!! I had seen one about five years ago here in Jitra. It  was exactly like those we often see on TV. I was in school when it happened and  I remember the whole school came out to the balcony to witness the phenomenon. Ironically, we did not rush into the classes for shelter!! We were so awestruck by the spectacle that we forgot about our safety. Some of my colleagues started reciting verses from the Quran; some were scared to death while others seemed to enjoy seeing the thing in real life. But one thing is for sure, we forgot to take pictures of it. I think it was a first time experience for all of us otherwise there wouldn't have been such a commotion.

We were lucky it spiralled away from us. All of us stood there transfixed until it disappeared from sight. I think the vast expanse of padi field surrounding the school made it possible for us to witness it that morning. If they were to srtike in areas which are not so open, then probably they would have gone visually unnoticed leaving only immense destruction along the way as proof of their existence.  

Lately, we have been having tremors here in Malaysia and now tornadoes. Is Malysia, which was once thought to be free from all these natural disasters slowly mimicking the other countries which are often ravaged by earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, ecetra, ecetra? Only time will tell.  

The Aftermath of Syawal.

At last I completed my puasa enam yesterday, together with mum and xnuripilot.  If I remember correctly this is the first time we took so long to complete the 6 days of fasting, mostly to accomodate xnuripilot's hectic schedule of golf and more golf plus a few open house invitations.

Despite the 36 days of fasting, I have put on a bit of weight. I guess this is a common phenomenon among Muslims everytime Syawal makes its appearance. What a waste! After a complete detoxification period of one month during Ramadhan, we gorge on everything within sight. How else do we explain  the immediate weight increase so soon after fasting.

I console myself by telling that everything would be back to normal, weightwise that is, once Syawal is over or the raya cookies exhausted, whichever comes first. But, wouldn't this be a bit too late to get back my pre- Ramadhan weight of 48kg. Through experience it is easier to shed off the unwanted kilos before they turn to muscles, or in my case, flabs of fats. It would be disastrous to allow the excess weight to cling on to you for too long. The longer it's stuck, the longer it takes to take it all off. So, I have to act fast.

But. it is easier said than done.

Call me vain if you want to, but the truth is, I feel good when I'm lighter. Besides, it's not cheap to have a new set of wardrobe for the new shape and size!!!

Something has gone very, very wrong. Usually, I am rather strong-willed but this time I don't seem to be able to remain that way.

Sadly, this is a lone battle. I know I would not get much support from all the people that I know. Most would say that I am overly conscious and that I look much better this way but no amount of praise would sway me on to their side.

Guess you're wondering what my weight is that's causing me so much distress. I choose not to reveal just yet. Suffice to say that it's not an uphill battle. I think I can achieve my goal within a month at the very latest, Insya Allah and then only will I reveal the weight.