Big sister on secret mission - Flooding Day 5 in Jakarta

This afternoon, like usual, while at work, we exchanged messages using what's app amongst me, my mom and my sisters, brought some updates about the flood at home. Mom sent me the two photos below using BBM (Blackberry Messenger).

Came with a BIG SMILE :)

The woman in pink shirt is my eldest sister. She finally managed to visit my parents, accompanied by her best friend, and being guarded by 5 nice and friendly police. They started their journey from the Electricity power plant (PLTU), near Muara Karang bridge.

My sister stayed quite far from my parents' house and her house isn't affected by the flood. How lucky she is! But these past few days, she couldn't manage to go to my parents' place since her hubby worried on how she could reach there. There were flooding in many areas from her house to my parents house. So, she could only feel worry and sad from afar and helped them with pray, same like the rest of us.

Until today, she secretly came out from her house. With the accompany of her best friend, these two ladies bravely overcame the flood, bought and brought the food supplies for my family members and maid at home.

When reached the bridge where the flood started, she saw lots of polices, army and SAR (Search and Rescue) team. She was telling one of the police that she wanted to deliver food items to our parents's home and asking where to get the boat. The friendly police directed them to one of the boat and asked them to sit on the boat. In a while, they started the journey under the hot sun!

Finally reached!!

She directed the way on how to get there and finally they reached our parents' house gate. She kept mentioning the police is very kind and nice, and too bad she never took photo with them (For what???). When reached, the police went down, opened the gate and pulled the boat inside the house and she passed the food supplies to my Mom. After that they returned back to the bridge.

If you see the photo above, the water has gone down slightly (do you notice the lines??) Two days ago, after the news was broadcasted, it brought up attention to public and the Jakarta new elected governor and vice governor, Jokowi and Basuki (also known as Ahok). Yesterday, they brought in the pump to suck the water and threw it to Muara Karang river. After that, the water has gone down slightly. The water is no more going inside our house, but it still remains outside our house and on the street.

Pumping the water out to the river

This is how the machine looks like

On Sunday, my uncle has also visited my parents with the boat, bringing some medicine. Just in case if anyone gets sick. In the afternoon, my father, uncle, and two aunties were sitting down and chit chatting, enjoying the gathering time together. My mom said they were enjoying it. Hahaha.. Usually they were busy with work and had little thing to say.

Back to my eldest sister.

We were still messaging in what's app. Mom said dajie (eldest sis) forgot to buy sugar and the vegetables ordered by our maid. Dajie said, she had actually bought the veggies ordered, but when she entered the supermarket, she had to leave the item in deposit counter (we're not allowed to bring other items inside - to avoid confusion if the items were from that supermarket or from outside), and she forgot to collect the veggies back. So end up, the veggies were still in the deposit counter and she was too lazy to take it back. Kekeke... So careless!!! I think she also forgot to buy eggs too until my Mom commented, "You brought the egg back home and cook ya?"

When she was on the boat, there was TV channel shooting at their direction. She mentioned that to us happily, as if she confirmed that she would be on TV this evening hahaha...

Dajie w/ LP - best friend since high school's time

 At night, she said she has reached her home safely although there was heavy traffic jam on her way back. And her hubby found out about her secret mission. (She actually didn't inform her hubby in advance that she was going there. Because if she did, her hubby wouldn't let her go. That's why I called it 'secret mission') Hahaha...

I was asking her, 'So, how did he find out?'

She said, her face was sun tanned. Automatically, her hubby asked her where did she go. Unable to lie, she confessed to her hubby. After that, she was very happy. She posted her photo immediately on her fb and blackberry hahaha... and even asked me to post a blog about her... Narcist abis deh loe........ :D So, here is a special post for you, Dajie :)

Jakarta or Venice???

First snowfall of the year in Bhutan

It was last Saturday morning, 19th January 2013. I saw Tashi (my Bhutanese friend) posted in his fb that it was snowing there in Thimphu. I immediately sent a message to another Bhutanese friend, who had kept waiting for the snow to come. He did not reply. Perhaps he was busy taking photos outdoor as not to miss the important moments.

True enough. In the evening, he told me how exciting he was to see the snow once he woke up in the morning. Wearing his slippers, he rushed out and took many beautiful pictures, and fell down many times as the road was slippery. Haha... He also told me that his photo will be used by BBS. You can click the link here

The Home Ministry has declared today as public holiday in those areas in Bhutan that experienced snowfall. It is the first time where a holiday has been declared for a snowfall that happened during weekend. Usually it was valid when snowing happened on weekdays, as it appears that snowing has become scarce in each passing years.

Although the snowfall did not last long that morning, I believe many people have been so happy and enjoying it :)

Nice Sunday - Good time to read

It's a lovely Sunday with a cooling weather after raining in the morning. I went to library and managed to find other two books of Haruki Murakami.

I just browsed through the Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman. It's a collection of short stories. I read the introduction and it seems great! I will start with that book first. The Wind-up Bird Chronicle is a novel. Very thick with small wordings. Hahahaha... This one is gonna be challenging. It consists of 607 pages, not sure how long it will take me to read :D

The below book, Magic Journey by Katrina Kenison, was recommended by my friend. I will read it after the first two books as there is no deadline on when to return. And lastly, Private Lives. It's my sister-in-law's novel. She recommended me to read that one. She is also a book lover. She has a shelf full of book collections. Her favorite authors are Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown, Linda Howard, Julia Garwood, and Judith McNaught. Mostly romance and killer stories. She also wishes one day when she has retired, she would write her own novel. Hehehe....

With hot chocolate and cookies :)

Oklah.. Going to read my book soon. Enjoy your weekend everyone!!!

The worst flooding in history :'(

Yesterday I hardly concentrated at work. I kept reading message on my hand phone as my friends updating the condition of the flood back home. In the morning, I had changed conversation with my mom, who is still outside Jakarta, and my siblings. At first, I still tried to calm my mom down. I told her, no need for her to worry since our house was quite high from street level and she couldn't do anything about it anyway. Then we received news that water level has entered in our garage with 20cm height. I was still thinking positive that it wouldn't get higher. So my Mom heard me and tried to relax her mind to overcome her worry. She still sent us the photos of their lunch there.

Nearby our area in the morning - about 20 meters from our house

Mom then got updated from my aunt. Fyi, my aunt lives nearby our house. It is located next to each other and very close. She is my father's closest sister and also my father's right hand man. We received news in the late afternoon that water level has gone up to chest level on the street. I still tried to deceive myself, perhaps since my aunt is a little bit shorter, so her chest level maybe just about my waist level. But then, not long after that, some of my friends who are in Jakarta and know where we stay, started asking me how was the condition of the flood in our area. They sent few photos about area nearby.

Restaurant selling duck outside our complex (Opposite Pluit Village)

 And below is the 7-11 shop, also opposite Pluit Village.

Then received another photo, where the cars were buried by the water. It was at the area nearby our house, but where the location is slightly lower than our house. So I still thought positively that our house would still be fine.

Until yesterday at 6pm here (5pm in Jakarta), I received the photo below from my brother. The photo was taken from my aunt's house. The opposite house built halfway is another aunt's house. Next to it is our neighbor house. That was the original house level that we used to have. They never renovated or made it higher since almost 30 years. You can see the different with the house next to it.

And my parents house is the one with grey wall on the right. They didn't capture the photo, but the height will be the same as the halfway built house that you see in the photo. And the water has slowly gone up and gone into our house.

Pluit Permai Dalam 2

I was very disheartened to see the situation there. Not only because of our house. Many of other houses are also in similar or even worst condition. There is food shortage, no electricity, no clean water, etc. Many people have to evacuate from their own house, stay in the hotel.

Lost can't be avoided. Flood is no more fun for me at this age! Used to be, but not anymore. It has turned to grievance, lot of worry and sad. We know that when there is flood, usually my house area will be affected, but never to this extent. I've never imagined that happening there!!! And the worst may not yet to come! They still have to prepare for the worst. They need to top up their food, bear with darkness and mosquitoes, and imagine life without electricity!!! Can't charge your hand phone, can't watch TV, really lost in touch with outside world. I was there before, I know that feeling. Seems like no one cares about what happened to you.

I can only pray... that this will get over soon. Please.... My parents are on their way to Bogor, to my father's friend place. They will borrow his friend's car and driver to drive them back to home and put their car in his friend's house. I hope all of them can reach home safely. They might need to take the boat back home. Already reminded Mom to bring some food with them, at least they might need a week for the water to go down. SB, please help all of them who are suffering and in loss. Sabbe Satta Bhavantu Sukhitatta - May all sentient beings live well. Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu

Flooding in Jakarta!!!

Since 2 days ago, my Mom already told us that it was raining continuously in Jakarta and some places were even starting to get flooded. Yesterday my parents and relatives have avoided the flood by going to outside Jakarta for my father's usual reflexiology foot massage. They are having a good and peaceful time there.

The situation in Jakarta seems to get worst today. It is raining hard today and many areas got flooded. My friend posted the photo in his house area, which has already 60cm height.

Flooding at THI Complex near basket court

Flooding is not something new there. It's more like a part of their daily lives. It is a ritual that always happens, usually in the beginning of the year when raining season usually happens.

In fact, it has started many years back, more than 2 decades ago. I still remembered there was one night at home, I was in my teens. Our house was quite low last time. My mattress was lying on the floor with nothing below. It was raining a whole day. At home, it was me and my father. My father alerted me that it was going to flood that night and I had to get prepared. He asked me to take the empty oil gallon from the store and put it under my mattress. He also helped me out lifting the mattress. I put few numbers of oil gallons to ensure it was stable enough to hold my mattress.

I removed the lower part of table drawers and put it on top of my table, also removed the content of the wardrobe in lower part to somewhere else. Just nice after I did that, water slowly rose up and entered in my bedroom. Within an hour, water had risen up at about 25 cm. Hoaaaa.... Between worry and exciting, that was my first experience flooding inside home. Next day we declared ourselves for holiday (didn't go to school). We walked out to neighborhood area to see what impact the rest of the area had.

Few of us took a pail (usually to wash clothes) and we walked out from our complex and went out to buy food and put the things inside that giant pail. The flood outside the house was higher, about 50 cm height. It was fun! We were so exciting and didn't feel it was unhygienic and how dirty the water was. We walked carefully trying to recall which part of the road having holes and tried to avoid it. We all wore short pants and shirt, removed our sandals as it floated in the water. We also found a snake in the water, luckily got caught and died. When you need to do big business, you go to upstairs and take a plastic bag with you. When done, tie the bag and throw it faraway from your home. Hahahaha....

Over time, my father was finally rebuilding the house. It is one meter height above the street level to avoid water to come in. He has to do that as he stored lots of things in our house and without doing so, it means he has to lose lots of money.

So now and then, when there was flooding on the street, at least we stayed dry at home. There was one year when the flood was at its worst. My school friend's father passed away due to electric shock. Such a tragedy. And the flood was really terrible. Many people suffered loss. Their belongings were all spoilt. Their cars too. Some had no choice but to stay at nearest hotel while they had given up in their belonging at home.

Jakarta, a capital city, my hometown. It will never change to the better. With buildings everywhere, less plantations, more rubbish, and increase population, this will be a never ending disaster.

Updating more photos from central of Jakarta city. Just heard that most of the places are no electricity right now... Haiz... Darkness... Hot... Mosquitoes... oh mosquitoes..... ngungg ngungg ngunggg....... Plak!!!!

Bundaran Thamrin

Oh Jakartaku....!!!

Found whale on the flood!!! :D

Another update this morning:
Flood has entered our house garage with 20cm height. My parents had extended a night stay last night and since the flood has become worse, they really couldn't go back home, therefore they have to extend for another night. With such a heavy flood, they might have to stay there for a week ba!

Just hope everyone will be safe from this disaster although they may encounter any loss due to this flood.