Unravelling the truth about the leaky ceiling

Friends of mine would have heard me whinging about my bathroom ceiling that rained over the weekend. It was troubling enough for me that the drip-drip noise woke me up in the middle of a deep slumber. First thing I saw was the puddle of water on the floor...my bleary eyes followed its path of descent and I thought I was dreaming to see water bursting out from the cracks in my recessed light.

Of course, the sight of that mini rainstorm in my bathroom left me sleepless for the rest of the night.

The contractor came a few days later but could not find the cause of the problem as the pipe area was totally dry. He hypothesised 2 possibilities:

1. Condensation from aircon
2. Leaky pipes

He advised me to wait and observe. The next time the incident happens (he assured me that it would happen again), I should poke my head into the pipe area and take some photos if I can.

Last night, again, I was awakened by the sound of water dripping! I was in a quandary as to whether to get out of bed to investigate, or pretend that the noise was non-existent. Finally, the sleuth in me dragged my sorry arse out of bed and into the bathroom and there it was again - a mini storm in my bathroom! I didn't have a ladder so, armed with my trusty G9, I climbed onto the toilet bowl and tip-toed on the narrow cistern to try to catch a glimpse of what was happening inside. On hindsight, that was such a dangerous stunt - wet feet on tip-toes, one hand holding onto some support and the other maneuvering the camera in that hole trying to snap a clear picture of the leaky pipes.

At that point, I still had no idea what was causing the leak. First thought was the rain, as it was raining rather heavily outside last night.

XXX

I got home today and stopped to chat with the guard on duty. The moment I started complaining about my pipes, he told me that the tenant who moved in above me had also been complaining about hers. I asked the guard what she could have been doing at 4am in the morning last night, to which he replied that she is a trader who comes home at 3+am everyday, so naturally, she takes her bath at about 4am when the rest of the sane world is sound asleep.

Lesson learnt? Why bother speculating or conjuring up reasons when you have a guard downstairs who knows everything? Name a unit and he knows exactly who resides in it, his/her nationality, origin, occupation, marital status, gender, car being driven or none, etc etc. Time to "bribe" him into spilling dirt about my neighbours! LOL

Ugly scene

A while back, in a shopping centre in JB, I witnessed a rather ugly scene between a middle-aged man and a plump lady. Based on the lady's version of the story, the man's son had spilled some water on the floor. She, out of the goodness of her heart, had asked him (the father) to clean up the puddle. He, on the other hand, misinterpreted her intentions and felt that she was ordering him to clean the floor. He hurled vulgarities at her, taunted her about her size and even challenged her to a melt down. Refusing to back down, she fought right back with a vengeance.

So there I was all this time, feeling slightly exhilarated by the commotion going on...and thinking that if that man had any ounce of decency, he would leave the lady alone. Whilst behaving in that ghastly manner, did he ever stop to consider the feelings of his wife and the impact of his actions on his kids??

Friends of mine commented that the lady should have minded her own business as the incident took place in a public place. Was she really wrong in being civic minded and considerate towards other shoppers? I do not necessarily agree with what she had done, but I do admire her courage in standing up for what's right. Too many of us fail to speak our mind for fear of being chastised or to avoid public confrontations, and that isn't necessarily right as well!

Seriously, people just need to learn to be more open-minded and gracious. If you don't like what you hear, just walk away. There's really no need to create a ruckus over some split water. And when faced with a ruffian, don't fight back - just walk away and let him look ugly.

Why can't we show more love in this already very troubled world???

Lazy ramblings

Of late, I seem to be running out of things to blog about. Gone are the days where I'll bring my trusty camera wherever I go - weddings, gatherings, dinners etc and then post the photos on my blog and write about them. These days, I just go, sans camera. It has also been a while since I have done any critique on food, movies, music...blah blah. It would appear that my blog is slowly evolving into a travel blog? Hmmm...

So here I am slouched over my couch on a balmy Monday afternoon, thinking what a wonderful opportunity it is to do a Carrie Bradshaw and just write whilst sipping on a cuppa. Unfortunately, the mind is a complete and utter blank, and as I struggle to recall interesting things that have happened to me recently, none beckons.

I summon my thoughts together, but they are all mumbo jumbo and I can't think straight. Maybe I need to bring my camera out and about again, take lots of photos, make new friends, instead of getting swallowed by the monotony of life. Or maybe I just want to be a buoy and bob along, no drama, no action, just normal peaceful everyday life.

For now, I think I'm happy bobbing.