One Way Commotion

For a spell of several long months, the street where I live was a one way direction, with the entrance way on the other side and the exit just several houses away from mine. Though it was quite inconvenient, I have come to live with it and found it quite peaceful with less traffic criss-crossing especially right in front of my house. My only grouse then was that it rightly should have the direction changed with the entrance near my house and the exit on the other end; the reason being as one of the 3 mains streets that surround this area runs perpendicular to my street, and both streets runs the same direction - it does not make sense! But then, you can't have the cake and eat it.

Then, some wise guys who just moved into the back areas made a complaint to the local DUN and almost of a sudden, this street where I am is a 2-way street again. And the noisy traffic, they come a flowing in again. Now, I don't have a cake and I certainly can't eat it too! Boo!

As though that's not bad enough, another piece of news came a knocking.

For about a year and half now, some of the residents here have formed a committee to build a surau on a vacant piece of land some 7 houses away. They've gone up and down the Arlington Street of Bureaucrats, held several gatherings with the Muslims residents, and was at one stage, prepared to receive donations! Then the crunching news came: a speech made by the Sultan of Selangor a year back has been gazetted! - there will be no new surau built within a distance of 2 kilometers of another! And as the nearest surau is about 1.6 kilometers away, the authorities would not or could not entertain any appeals. It does not matter to them that the residents of this area would like one for the convenience of their children to learn the Quran, or that the vacant land was already gazetted to be one! Ok, yours truly don't have any children but that does not he does not empathise. Perhaps the one thing he can find solace is that there were rumours that several residents wanted him to be the bilal there! I mean, hello...Sure, a bilal gets a special mention in the hereafter, but that I would reckon that cakapaje bloke to be more like a hermit or and ostrich! Ha ha! Just a personal joke. Anyway, there goes the surau, and along with it the committee.

If its not this, then its that! Hmm...just when you thought you can settle down for a quiet nap, a back door neighbour kicks a ruffus!

The other day when a kind neighbour dropped in to confide his disappointment regarding the surau, we got into a conversation about my back door neighbour. I don't mean to backbite here, but since I'm pretty sure no one who reads this know of him, I guess its pretty safe to ramble on.

For the past 3 years we've been here, the bdn's wife has been littering the small street between our house. There were times when she simply throw her dirty cotton buds which landed within the compound of ours! Emak has been complaining to me and I've been deliberating on ways to settle the small issue. But the thing is, trouble comes in two fold. First, the husband is, or was, one of the committee members of the surau. Though seemingly quiet, he is quite a hothead who don't mind picking fights, and this is from a previous neighbour's experience.

Sometime back, a neighbour had made a complaint to the local authority of a flow of dirty water on the backstreet. On investigation, the MPPJ found out that the dirty water was in fact flowing from the gutter pipes which the backdoor neighbour use as an outflow for his washing machine. And so, he was given a small fine, but that got him into a fit of anger and he confronted the neighbour who made the complaint! The neighbour, being a lady, off course did not come out and in fact threatened to call the police. So the guy walked away with further bruise to his ego. Seeing his actions and reactions to matters which could have been settled amicably but is not, I decided to just wait for a more suitable moment as I certainly do not want him to come running to my house when I am not around.

Now, while I wait for that suitable moment, I thought I might as well take a nap. I mean, these couple of days, the sun has been blistering hot and perhaps a siesta is called for. But heck no! Now, I hear several neighbours are making noise about the 2way street, and want it reverted back! Hmm...this certainly would be another one way commotion. Sigh.