Another Breakdown

It had been a bad Thursday all around. As I was driving back to Subang after settling the school fees in Gombak, the car suddenly made a weird noise. It was in the garage for service only a couple of weeks back, and within a couple of days a warning light appeared. I thought about bringing it back to the garage later but I was just too busy.

It turned out that there was a leak on the water tank and the engine the carburettor had run dry. The engine cut off as I was driving along the highway, and luckily I was able to veer onto the emergency lane to stop. Called the tow truck and later the car was brought back to the garage.

That was when we discovered the leak and for the next few days, the car would be staying at the shop. I would be using my in-law’s car for the time being. I managed to get back to the hospital in time for my afternoon round but missed the lunchtime meeting.

I was lucky that it happened just after lunch, and I wasn’t in that much of a rush. Hopefully this repair would not cost me a bomb!

Long Drive

Wow! Almost one and a half hour to get to work this morning. Yes, it was drizzling a wee bit, but the jam was actually due to a small accident. The problem was it happened on a ramp, taking the traffic from Gombak across to the stretch of highway towards Jalan Duta. A really bad spot to have a breakdown.

Anyhow, the tow truck was struggling to clear the cars as well as they also had to wade across the traffic. One of the lane was still closed when I passed. I wonder how long I would be stuck I left a bit later.

So, just done my ward round and waiting for the clinic results to start trickling in. A quick sit down at the lounge with a cup of coffee.

The Rush Hour

I now understood how the phrase "rush hour" was coined. My rush this morning lasted exactly that. A full hour from home in Gombak to the car park in Subang. On call today, so I decided to kick things off early.

The hold-up this morning was not at the usual spot - the intersection between DUKE to Jalan Duta. This time it was the SPRINT entrance to the Federal Highway. It was a mile queue down the ramp.

Good thing that I had "MacBreak Weekly" podcast on my iPhone. I managed to finish a whole episode.

Why the Morning Rush?

Was it just me or the traffic in Kuala Lumpur since the Chinese New Year break has been horrendous? Usually, I leave my Gombak house at around 7.30, enough time to wave goodbye to my kids an reach Subang comfortably by 8.15 or so.

On a couple of occasions lately, if I were to leave that late, I would only reach the car park at around 8.45. An hour plus drive and the hassle to start off your day? A definitely detriment to my quality of life.

I think much of the problem was contributes by the new traffic flow at the intersection of DUKE and the Jalan Duta exit. Comes were put up at the entrance causing a sudden reduction from 3 to 1 lane. The queue could easily stretched for a couple of miles.

To avoid this, I took the NKVE route and exit at the Subang Jaya interchange. A slight jam free that but if I left early enough, it should a doddle. I then settled for a quick breakfast near the hospital ....

Jam at the DUKE. Like how?

I was stuck on my way in. Was a bit late. Found out that there was a car stalled on the left lane. There you go!

Managed to reach work in time to continue the ward round though. Then I realised that the meting I was planning to attend in Hospital Ampang was actually in the morning rather than the afternoon. Quick ward round, then a quick getout!

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