Stop That Stopper

Alamakkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!

*flapping of hands* adoi adoi adoi...

That was Aini my helper shouting in the toilet this morning. I went to the toilet to see her still flapping her hands... and trying to reach inside the black hole in the toilet. I asked her what went down the hole??

She kept saying stopper stopper...

She looks scared... she said.. the stopper.. stopper went down the hole.

Then it hit me that the rubber water stopper for the basin went down the hole.

I went round to the back lane and watched the drain hole for a while. Aini kept flushing loads of water down the hole.. and ran to the kitchen window and kept asking me.. did it come out.. did it come out???

The cats seem amused to see me down in the drain with them and watching the hole. They mew and mew and ask me what was i looking for (ok.. that was probably just in my head and the results from too much cat watching) I communicated back and ask them if they saw a red stopper.

They throw back their heads and laughed at me. (ok.. maybe that was just me but i was sure they were laughing at me).

Next i have dad back from his morning walks.. and seeing Aini flapping her hands, he took over the flushing of the water in the toilet hole... and Aini joined me at the backlane to peep at the drain hole. The cats were rolling on their backs laughing now.. i swear.

She was all apologetic when we couldn't find the stopper. She keep looking for it in the drains. She was most afraid.

She is an honorable person who really works very hard for a living. She comes and help me clean the house on Tuesday. I have some "cracking issues" and my hands cannot handle detergents and soaps too much. She's a blessing to have or else this house would be in chaos.

She used to help my mom to clean the house too when we were little. She's been around this household off and on for a good many years. Still comes in her trusty old bicycle.

The red missing fella

Poor woman was so upset over the lost stopper. Even though it only costs me 70 cents to get a new stopper, it did cause her a lot of anxiety. To me it might just be 70 cents to get something replaced. To her, she felt embarassed to lose something on the job.

Well... at least we did have some kind of activity this morning other than the very very very warm days. We are losing many kilos just melting in these warm days. No more rain.

Smallest fella also did not come for dinner yesterday. I didn't see her this morning too. Wonder where could she be. I think maybe she lost her way while maneuvering the endless maze of drain holes. She could probably be at the same house at another lane. Or maybe she found some other kitteh cats to play at some other lanes. Dom and i will go look for her again this evening.

Oopsie Daisy

Oh boy... its 11.52pm and here i am trying to fit in a post for today.. hahhahahaa.. crazy crazy... I blame it all on tv. It was all tv's fault. If not for tv... i would be at the computer and posting the post much earlier. I ban you tv... for today... tomorrow and urmm until next week :)

Crazy as how things go around here, i started my day much earlier today. Aini came later but she told me she just went to the hospital the other day because of some severe pain on her neck. The doctor told her she has mild cervical spondylosis. She showed me a letter from the hospital and told me that she doesn't understand what the doctor told her. I told her i didn't know what it is too.. but i will look it up for her. I told her to go home if she's not well but she said she was fine now after the medication and she wanted to work.

She's an honourable person. Without work, she will never take my money. She is paid each time she comes. She would just go home without taking my money if i didn't allow her to work. She needs the money for her family. She's going to be 50 soon but have worked hard all her life. But a lazy husband who does not contribute to the family and money issues makes her worry all the time.

And so she worked. Each time she work, she and i will chat away. She'll tell me loads of stories of her life and her kids. She even tells me about my mom sometimes. How they both were in the garden deciding where to plant the hibiscus plant. My mom even consults her on where to plant things :)

She was telling me about the fence she built herself at her porch. She still lives at the squatters in the village. Most of the village folks have already been given land to built their own homes. There's only about 10 houses left which are not given any land yet. And they have been staying there for a very long time. She told me that when she first built her house there, they have to make their own roads...and cut through thick bushes to make pathways.

I guess my government is not opening their eyes to the hardcore poor and helping them. They rather build white elephants in town with thousands of computers and aircons in the buildings that are usually empty. If you walk into the buildings, its so cool and cold like a freezer. But you only see one or two persons in sight. We have quite a lot of white elephants here in town.

Even though she helps people to clean houses and wash clothes... she has more honor than a lot of people i know. My grandma says that each generation must try and be better than the old. We move forward and try not to falter. We try and improve our lives for our next generation. That's what Aini is doing too. Working hard and hope her next generation will be better.

I do hope her next generation will be better and she'll have a better life in a few years time. I am always humbled by her existence.