Finally the dripping stopped...even just a temporary fix. The plumber climbed up the attic from my cloth closet to get to the leaking pipe, then used a rubber piece to cover the leak and clamped it tight.
So I emptied all the bucket earlier this evening.
The permanent fix is to cut that section of the pipe and weld it. This time they will need to cut the ceiling to do the work. Since it's the (condo) association water line The repair needs to be scheduled through the property management company.
The drywall work for the damaged ceiling and wall will have to be scheduled too.
Then I asked the plumber to look at the slow drain problem at my kitchen sink. He found out that my garbage disposal gets rustic. I need to replace it.
And before all these happened I was wanting to redecorate my bedroom and living room. My sofa is on its way.
...sigh...
but it's a good learning experience. Who would have thought this is turning out to be a bigger project than the original plan ?
