BobAwang's Blog

New word for the day...

2008-12-05T15:07:00.001+08:00

*pause*......*pause* Hmmm.....daymn...I totally forgotten the word!!!! Grrrrrr... Makes you wonder if old age begins to kick in.

What??? Another surprise?!?

2008-12-05T14:55:00.002+08:00

Barely a year when the 12.4MP Full framed D3 and the 12.3MP Full framed D700 camera came out and Nikon launched its latest gun, the D3x Full framed 24.5MP in the United States and Europe? Status is that this fully professional camera will be out soon in the Asian markets. Prices is still to be announced but many pundits believes that it will cost around the range of the former D3. Hmmm...it makes you wonder whether the D3 is a better value for money compared to the already excellent D700 now that its replacement is around the corner. ^^

Latest gadget geeky Droolers!

2008-12-05T11:47:00.004+08:00

Feast your eyes on these lips smacking "luvlay" recent acquirements and wipe the drool off after reading this. Jealousy is not an option here. :P

A 16GB Sandisk Ultra Cruzer Titanium USB 2.0 Flash Drive (15MB/s Read, (MB/s Write) @ S$60 including tax. Opt for this rather than the faster, more expensive $99 16GB Super sexy switchblade Sandisk Cruzer Contour because of bang for the buck value, solid construction and smaller footprint especially when plugging it into the USB jack. More than enough to download TV Miniseries House & Heroes, a full Operating System and still have loads to spare!!!

Aaaaaa yes! This beauty will allow your notebooks to go super duper fiaaaast! Imagine if your notebook has 2 memory slots, 4GB of ram will not even allow you to stutter in your multiple internet browser windows or multi tasking in multitudes of open windows. A geeks dream come true! Corsair is one of the most sought after brand especially for gamers, let alone the workaholics R us. This small bugga asks for approx $40.

This next item is the Seagate 1.5TB 7,200rpm 32MB Cache cookamunga! Not the fastest hard drive in terms access speed as it is owned by the Western Digital 1TB (Black Edition), nevertheless it still rakes in at a highly respectable top 3 access times. But Dollar per Megabyte, its is easily the best you can get especially when you refer to acres of drive space. It rates in at approx. 16 cents per Megabyte compared to 21 cents for the latter. This should store my work, my movies, my music and my games for the next 5 years or more at $238. Off you go then to my server hot plug tray my luvlay!

Another Seagate external hard disk which is small enough to put into your breast pocket. It comes with a leather pouch, a USB cable and a free docking station (valued at $59) which is not seen here. It costs $209 down from $269, and even though it has a big discount, nobody in their right mind will buy an expensive external hard drive. But the clincher here was that it had a hard drive space of a whoopin' 500GB @7,200rpm! I wonder whether I should get one myself and exchange my puny notebook hard drive of 60GB with this? Hmmm..... thats a thought!

Sibuk ku Sibuk!!!

2008-11-11T10:12:00.003+08:00

Bukan nya sanang mencari duit ani nya mu. Apatah lagi kalau bedagang sendiri ani. Kapisaaaan kapisan!!! Macam² masaalah kan di hadapi, ganya kalau dituruti perasahan ani bah, awu udah abis bepanyap ku udah. Bakal saja.... terpaksa jua bersabar dan menempohi masaalah ani, apa² masaalah lah, mun namanya bedagang. Bukannya kan tarus kaya..hahahaha! *ketawa melapaskan seteress!* Bah eih...asal saja ada soun soun di dalam blog ku ani, jangan indada nya urang. Bah eih! Cukup udah tu ah? Bah Makasih!! Sudi lah datang lagi... :P~~

Whats up???

2008-11-04T13:57:00.002+08:00

Seriously nothing much really....aside from the fact that Lewis Hamilton is a F1 Champion by a point against his nearest rival Felipe Massa of Ferrari. Manchester United won 4-3 against Hull and almost squandered it. Chelsea trashed Sunderland 5-0, Liverpool lost 1-2 to Totenham under new boss Harry Redknapp and and Arsenal was "stoked" by Stock City by a margin of 1-2 as well. Aside from those results, Weekend till Tuesday today, it has been raining most times, and just those few moments when it was sunny, it was awfully hot! Sunday was a marriage function at my neighbours and as a friendly neighbour, offered to help out in the morning and by noon time, it was sizzling hot and replenishments were aplenty. Weekdays since Monday has been horrendous and every minute of waiting is like torture! Well its the "wait" that just makes the day sucky and always the case, 5pm (offwork time) is freakin slow! Oh well...I guess I gotto be patient. And close both my eyes, ears and mouth. Just tired I tell you...just so tired....

The Decorated bus for the Bridegroom and his entourage.

Our house compound being used for some of the invited guests.

Waiting for the guest to arrive. Lovely day though extremely hot! When function ended, I was so exhausted, I slept the whole afternoon and continued till the next morning....

Spiritual Realisation.

2008-10-30T17:53:00.003+08:00

Sometimes when things goes wrong and messy and even intolerable at times and despite having a strong mind to blank out, it just needed someone special to remind you that there is a One and Only Other that will ease the pain and suffering at least to bear or release some burden. For me, that special one was my wife who "nudged" me to look for answers to God.

I guess sometimes, the denial to admit my mistakes/decisions, there is always that one point of weakness that I overlooked, be it just by nature that we are stubborn to realise that fact or too downright bothered by other factors in life that we fail to realise the obvious, and it just needed that touch of a reminder that we are only humans after all and that life is a mixture of pain and pleasure which is a God Given virtue, then we learn from our mistakes and embrace tests and rewards handed down to us. I know it sounds kindda awkward to my norm, but sometimes we have to realise humility in order to be able to see what we have not seen in the first place.
I have to admit that I am not a pious person, but now I realise that whatever we do in life, or however we choose to live it, our decisions, our livelihood, our well being, God has a hand in everything. No matter how hard we work or the reverse, how much we calculate and decide upon, what we choose, or how we choose to live, the many consultants to advice you, I believe that we also need Spiritual guidance as well to balance our lives.
I felt a peace of mind after a very long time, and somehow my problems didn't seem to bother me as much as it did earlier on. A sense of realisation enveloped my thoughts and somehow it opened up my thinking to things I have not realised previously. An answer to my many questions!
Its not right to pray to God only when we have trouble, but I believe that we should always pray to seek guidance and advise from Him because it is only from Him that we exist and only from Him that we return. To acknowledge and declare His existence must also be accompanied by remembering Him by doing our sustenance of prayers as He will also remember us by our asking for help.

Finance 101

2008-10-30T17:31:00.003+08:00

With my finance staff no longer with the company, I have been reading up and familiarising myself back with these Trading, Profit and Loss accounts, Balance Sheets, Projected Summaries, the whole enchilada. Quite a number of financial discoveries I have found, some upsetting, some surprising, some was also unbelievable! But lets not dwelve into there coz its for me to know and for you to not be too curious lol. But yes this book is a big help for Accounts Idiots like me and I've decided to take over that company portfolio until a suitable candidate comes along, which I would say would be a few months, even years down the road.

Busy Busy Busy!

2008-10-30T17:22:00.002+08:00

I have been extremely busy sorting out a few things and was not able to write a blog till now. In these next few days, I guess we will see the results of my hard effort and strains. Hopefully everything will fall into place, God-Willing!

I decided to purchase a reliable lighter to light up my ciggies as it was kindda hard relying on matches which I had accustomed to the last few weeks plus also I believed I caught my daughter playing with matches which brought a chill to my spine.

A Silver Audi A8

2008-10-22T20:25:00.003+08:00

An extremely limited edition Audi A8 silver was made for Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, the former President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Abu Dhabi.

The car is NOT only silver in colour, IT is also made out of SILVER!?!?!?!?

KACHIIIINGGGGAA!!!!

The Art of Writing

2008-10-21T08:56:00.004+08:00

Mont Blanc is well known for its writing instruments, some of which are rare, collectibles and very expensive! They seem to increase in price every year much like the Rolexes. I have the privilege to own a few expensive ones for a "Normal" layman which were gifts from a good friend, and two from companies I associate with. I myself would not have splashed out any more than $150 for such a pen and probably the most expensive pen I have ever purchased in the Mont Blanc line was a black resin and a maroon resin ball pointed pen which is no longer in my possession, as it has gone lost and never came back. Talking about writing, I used to write when I was younger, be it writing my diary or for the fun of writing. Not that I am any good at writing though...even if I had won an essay writing competition just once during my younger years at lower secondary in SOAS college. Nowadays, writing is more like a classy hobby for those who has time. I know I don't have the time to write anymore, and I'm happy enough to type away in my blog that is if I have the itsy bitsy time for a minute or two.

An all silver (plated?) roller ball Mont Blanc pen given to me as a gift from a rich friend for my birthday during my University years in the US.

A free gift from Standard Chartered Bank for my credit card application. Apparently its a limited edition (special edition) Mont Blanc ball point pen dedicated to a World reknown Violinist Yehudi Menuhin.

A Mont Blanc "Floating Star" Edition fountain pen which I use regularly to sign documents etc. It was a gift from a friend at Dell Computers. Notice the star on top of the pen in which seems to float in mid air?

Tough Day today

2008-10-20T17:06:00.002+08:00

Its been a tough day today... Been working and negotiating, had a slight loss of temper & patience and been on the computer the whole afternoon without a break and abit of mumbling/muttering to myself like an old senile man. I guess after being patiently pimping and coaxing and persevering for more than 3 months now, maybe even four, there was bound to be some pressure asking to let loose. Time to head home. Mentally drained and tired. Haven't been having sports the whole week or more, I wish my tennis buddies will call to play...I need to whack the d$&% balls and let loose my tension. Not good for my heart if I were to coup it up. Hair pulling is out of the question.. I need to preserve whatever hair I got left the way things are going.. LOL

Deal with it or stay at home

2008-10-20T16:49:00.004+08:00

This is what I have to deal with every few days of the week. Been running around like nobody's business trying to get things done quickly and efficiently. But it never does, no matter how much you try to push for it. To top my 3.0litre V6 Honda Accord to full tank cost me between $27-29 dollars... that comes to about $8-$10 per day? Bearing that in mind though, a full tank carries me to around 400 plus kilometers if I push the car decently and not let my leaded foot do the talking. But it seems that I'm averaging about 100kilometers in a day. I have a right mind of buying a diesel car next time the way how things are going on.

My faithful torch

2008-10-20T16:38:00.003+08:00

My faithful blow torch used to light up my coal for my 'gaharu' wood to air my office. These past few days, its been a useful tool to light up my cigarettes, as I have ran out of lighters and couldnt be bothered to pull out 60 cents to buy a new one. Unfortunately I have started to smoke again...not going to dwelve into the reasons for doing so. But hopefully in the near future I will. Will try my best though...maybe puasa enam soon.

Bugs & Bunny

2008-10-19T21:26:00.003+08:00

This is my daughter's lil pets, Bugs and Bunny. Not too sure which one is Bugs and which one is Bunny, but I guess Bugs must be the dark grey bigger one and the other must be Bunny. They eat all day long and is getting bigger and bigger by the day. Funnily enough, my daughter does not dare hold them, so its my driver that does the cleaning up most of the time. Soon, this cage will not fit the two bunnies. Wonder if it will run away if we let it play in the lawn around the house...maybe not.

Sunday Evening

2008-10-19T17:14:00.000+08:00

A stark contrast to yesterday....its been pouring cats and dogs on a Sunday evening as I picked up my daughter who was sleeping over at her cousin's place in Mata2.

I kindda like the rain as it gives you a peace of mind, it cools the day from the normally hot days and makes you feel really light-headed and happy. I guess being an Aquarian really is true, the like-ness for water...

Lovely Saturday afternoon weather

2008-10-18T16:04:00.002+08:00

Taken with my trusted Nokia E90 Communicator

I had to take this picture on my way home as it was a wonderful sight with few clouds in the sky. Now how can you beat that...the start of a weekend with a nice gorgeous sky in front of you after much rain during the week. Seems like its going to be a good weekend and I will enjoy the much sought after rest after a hectic week.

Special Wishes!

2008-10-18T13:34:00.003+08:00

Sorry peps...haven't been updating my blog since Tuesday this week...as I have been really really busy. Anyway, before I head off home this fine Saturday afternoon, and declare this day the start of my weekend, I would like to wish all the teachers and educators out there a very "HAPPY TEACHERS DAY!". This is for you unsung heroes out there! This is especially dedicated to my wife who I believe is a dedicated, hardworking teacher as I've seen her methods practiced to our daughter every week nights on her homework. Thank you for being good, patient & tolerant not only to our daughter, other people's children and also to me. :)

Before I forget mentioning, I like to wish Mr. Gadgetski a happy birthday today. Si tua ah! LOL. How does it feel to reach that pinnacle of life where things start to get better? Probably be asking you 6 months or a year from now just to get that answered.

Anyways, off I go...Hari raya open house time this weekend....so free lunch and din-din for the next 2 days...I think.

Just a reminder....its EPL football night so haul yourself to the TV and support your team to victory! Also not to forget Formula 1 qualifying session in Shanghai circuit starting at 8:30pm. Please check out Astro for the right channels to tune in!

Suckames Street!

2008-10-14T18:12:00.003+08:00

"Sucky day...living up... aaaa okay.... Fernie Nibbert says where the air is free!!! Can you tell how to get......how to get to suckames street!!! How to get to suckames street?

- singing at the top of my voice alone in my office like a mad man along the tunes of Sesame's street but in a modified silly version. LOL! (Just remembered Gadgetski singing the other day....hysterical maaaan!). Decided to go home, take a shower, see my family and see how they are doing and get back to office later tonight to burn some midnight oil. Yaissssssshhhh!!! :P

Preparing for Wednesday

2008-10-14T17:09:00.002+08:00

Looks like I will be in office till late today. Alot to prepare for Wednesday tomorrow. Wish I could go home early but then most of what I need is at office. As soon as I have things done, will head home. I worry about my daughter who is recovering from her fever, but then again my wife always does a good job taking good care of her....our very own doctor mom.

Today was again a sucky day, getting bad news this morning and having to meet people to sort things out. My eyes are getting blurer nowadays, even when reading close up, I guess due to too much looking at the computer screen. But then again, everything I do depends on my computer, so I guess there is no 2 ways about it though.

My tennis pals texted me to play today evening, and although I would love to play not only for my health but also to release my awesome stress accumulating in my head as well as my sanity. But then unfortunately I have to decline...again this week. I have a a very big priority and am working on it really really hard to sort it out, quickly and efficiently.

Oh well...I need to come back to continue my work again. I guess blogging is a short, quick, cheap way to release some stress. (smiling) - I just remembered my daughter wanting to open up a blog for herself.... maybe she should... In due time, I will teach her to blog. But at this moment in time, I need to sort more important things before they go out of hand.

hmm thats a thought:

(sigh)....Ma vie est si stressante à l'heure actuelle, mais hélas c'est ma vie. C'est la vie !

Monday sucks!

2008-10-13T23:06:00.000+08:00

Monday sucks! Got a headache, my body right up to the bones are aching, my mind has been working overtime and I don't feel well. I guess its the anticipation of this coming Wednesday. Will tell you when the time is right.

Busy bee

2008-10-12T04:05:00.002+08:00

Been too busy to update the blog this past week and most of my nights after work recently was spent on visiting those who have invited us to their open houses for Hari Raya. So yeah, our dinner is all set up and fully booked right up till the very end of the month basically.

I think I am looking forward to a peaceful & uneventful weekend because by next week, I feel that there is going to be so much rush and running around again as people start to get into their strides post Hari Raya.

Food for thought - With Hari Raya being in the early days of the month, I do hope that people are thrifty in their spendings coz I have an awful taste on my tongue that this isnt so and by mid month to the 3rd week of the month, some might be running on fumes or going for broke.

But then again look who is talking...Hyaks!

Time flies so fast...

2008-10-11T19:30:00.004+08:00

Time flies so fast & my lil daughter is no longer little anymore. She is now 6 years old & this December 14th, she will be 7. Pictured left was her at 6 months playing in the bath tub enjoying the bubbles & water. Notice her teeth growing out of her gums then. So very cute!

Picture of A'ishah taken very recently doing the same things, enjoying her bubbles and playing with water. As time flies, its these moments that we will cherish most, as they grow up so quickly and soon she will be a teen without realising it. Time will not wait for anyone, and its up to us to make time to be with our loved ones, no matter how little time we got, otherwise we will never get those precious moments.

Is it a sign?

2008-10-08T08:41:00.000+08:00

Gadgetski, Kambomambo & I went for lunch the first day of work on a Monday at Excellent Taste Restaurant otherwise known as ET for short. ET's been around for a long while now, even way back to my High School days in SOAS College. Anyway, before my story starts to go astray (which it does sometimes), Gadgetski pointed out on the menu on the additional dishes being served by the restaurant all associated to mango. Now I used to own a small cafe which serves my staff as a canteen as well as offices around the 2 blocks who patronizes the cafe for its light food/snacks and coffee. Despite the cafe being a convenience for my staff and those around, however I've decided to close it a few months back on the basis that we were not making enough money to sustain the cafe at that location. Now you might be wondering what has the menu got to do with my cafe? Well the cafe was called Mango's Cafe. What are the odds on that? Is it a sign that I should start to think about reopening it up again, albeit in another location? Well I kindda miss the cafe where I found it rather relaxing and pleasant to have. We will see.

Pure Bliss!

2008-10-07T20:08:00.005+08:00

Aaaaahhh yes, my tub awaits me. A much deserved long soaking of my tired body and mind into the thick foam of wonderful scented luke warm bath water. A cheap way to release tension, relieve the mind and free the soul..but only for a few moments of time.

Day of Chasing!

2008-10-07T16:45:00.004+08:00

Grrrr....Its absolutely annoying and such a waste of *%&^!@#$*^ time trying to follow up with people who has given you the time for appointments. They are either away from their desks all day and what is worse is that they don't reply your calls or SMSes out of courtesy of making one wait for a few hours. And come to think of it, they represent the company who they work for? I guess all this Hari Raya mood has gone way over their heads and by the looks of it..it seems that I have to wait for a further week for them to settle into their work regime. Oh well...better get out of my office and head home...nothing much I can do but wait for tomorrow and head hunt them again early morning..

Back to work!

2008-10-06T23:52:00.000+08:00

1st day of work after Raya always seemed like a sluggish lazy affair, everybody plodding back reluctantly, moaning & groaning to work as was I. The rain at mid day didn't help the cause either as it made me pretty sleepy. This is always going to be the case when the Hari Raya festivities and the holiday mood kicks in, when you feel that you've really enjoyed yourself and then the ugly reality is that the next day, it will end prematurely and everybody needs to go back to work. I was slightly bemused that the whole day today, my mobile phone rang just twice!

Pooped!

2008-10-06T00:21:00.003+08:00

I am so so so pooped today. I'm dreading to go to work tomorrow. There is alot of pending work to do tomorrow that I really need to go, but on the other hand, I could stay at home and do most of my work here. Indecisions marred by total tiredness. Will see by the time I wake up and hopefully I will have had a good night sleep tonight.

Been a busy day Sunday and its been really hectic compared to the last 3 days. I'm still thinking about whether to work again, should I or shouldn't I? It's just been so nice having not to think of work at all. I need to take a holiday from Hari Raya. A holiday from a holiday.

Gosh I'm talking gibberish here. Can't blog right. Can't think about anything else...body and mind is slowly shutting down..better head to bed quickly before I fall asleep in front of the computer... ~N~

Losing weight whilst still eating regularly?

2008-10-05T01:31:00.002+08:00

3 days into Hari Raya and despite the absolutely delicious food being served at every Hari Raya open houses we have visited (not that we have visited many),it seems that I've actually lost weight!?! Having read many ways on how to lose weight/how to have a toned body and all, I remembered a few articles mentioning not to diet totally but to set yourself to having to eat as regularly as possible but in small portions. Now the reason for this according to "diet experts" is that when dieting, our body metabolism tends to slow down dramatically as it begin to store energy and begins to run on hibernate mode albeit our slower reaction & thinking processes. On the other hand, by regularly eating but in small portions in the day, our metabolism tends to be more active and therefore our faster reaction and thinking processes.

I guess I can relate to that theory as it seems to make me more responsive and I could feel my body heaty nowadays compared to the time when I fast. No wonder during the fasting month, despite jacking the office temperature up to 24-25 degrees celsius, I kept complaining on feeling chilly. Anyways, I have also toned down on my regular intake of carbohydrates and starchy food such as rice, potatoes, chips and bread and replaced it with more vegetables and white meat and probably that had helped as well.
But I have to be honest, there is also a craving to eat rice because I have been brought up with it all my life. But I will try to limit myself to eating it as much as I can. Funnily enough, the last week of my fasting month, I was craving to eat anything with noodles. I will have to check the weight scales again just to prove this theory really works!
I haven't as yet started my 6 days post fasting in the month of Syawal, but I plan to do it tomorrow during the normal working days. *Groan*...working day...ish.. but at least I am looking forward to get back to my normal sport activites in tennis pretty soon. My tennis buddies are already hinting on their cravings to wack the balls!

1st Day of Hari Raya

2008-10-02T20:25:00.002+08:00

Early plans the night before had me going for my Hari Raya Prayers at the Jame Asr Mosque in Kiulap rather than at Serusop Mosque. The Mrs & daughter were heading to Katy Chai Salon at the same time to do some hair raising designs for the festive day. This year we usually take turns and decided to pay my part of the family a first visit before anything else plus also to check upon their preparations for the first day of Hari Raya before heading to my in-laws house after that.

Not feeling too well my family and I, we also decided against visiting our relatives in Tutong which we usually do every year on that first day. Maybe when we are well enough, we might go off to visit them tomorrow or after that. Eventually, we ended up going home and had a much needed rest and tried to sleep it off. I guess its the shock of having to restrain from eating for a month to the extravagant display of delicious servings got us pretty bloated and not feeling too good after that despite refraining from eating rice.

I have a good mind to fast the next six days starting tomorrow to try and reduce such temptations and try to slowly get into the stride of eating smartly. The six days of fasting or 'puasa enam' during the Syawal month is not obligatory to Muslims, but in a way it is meant to try to perfect one's fasting month in Ramadhan. Hmm..that itself might be pretty interesting to blog. Well, we will see.

Better head into bed early today, tomorrow is yet another day.....

Rangkaian ucapan Selamat Hari Raya

2008-10-02T03:02:00.004+08:00

Andai Jari tidak kuasa berjabat
Setidaknya Kata masih dapat terungkap
Setulus hati mengucapkan
Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri
Ma'af Zahir & Batin

Kura-kura berjalan lambat
Anak Kera melompat-lompat
Kad Raya nak hantar dah lewat
SMS atau email pun dah kira selamat
Salam Aidil Fitri
Ma'af Zahir & Batin

Aidil Fitri sucikan hati
Dapat menghapuskan semua khilaf
Moga diri saling mengerti
Agar ikhlas dalam bermaaf
Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri
Mohan Ma'af Zahir & Batin

Ibadat puasa di bulan Ramadhan
Zakat fitrah jangan dilupakan
Selamat Hari Raya kami ucapkan
Mohon ma'af kami pohonkan.

Bulan Ramadhan berlalu pergi
Syawal yang mulia menjelang kini
Berdoa mohon diluaskan rezeki
Minal Aidzin Wal Fa'idzin dilayangkan disini.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri
Serta Ma'af Zahir Batin.

Tangan ku hulur tak kesampaian
Senyum ku ukir tak kelihatan
SMS & Emel ku kirim tanda ingatan
Di Aidil Fitri kita ber ma'afan
Selamat Hari Raya
Ma'af Zahir Batin

Anak kucing curi ketupat
Kena kejar terlompat lompat
Nak antar kad Raya dah tak sempat
Hanya SMS/Emel lah yang paling cepat
Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri
Ma'af Zahir & Batin

Dalam kerendahan hati, ada ketinggian budi
Dalam kemiskinan harta, ada kekayaan jiwa
Dalam kelembutan lidah, ada keterlanjuran kata
Dalam gurau dan senda, ada yang tersinggung
Saya ingin ucapkan pada semua Muslimin dan Muslimat,
Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri
Ma'af Zahir & Batin.

Greetings to all in this Auspiscious Eid Occasion

2008-10-02T02:39:00.004+08:00

A warm greeting of Eid Mubarak to my fellow brothers and Sisters, not only here in Brunei but also whomever they may be all over the world! May God bless you all with health, wealth and prosperity in this new year. Ameen!

Warm wishes from me & my family.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri
Ma'af Zahir & Batin

kepada semua Muslimin & Muslimat, Mukminin & Mukminat....

Dengan tulus Iklas daripada

Saya & keluarga

Eid Mubarak (Hari Raya)

2008-09-30T21:50:00.002+08:00

Its been announced that Hari Raya starts on Thursday 2nd of October 2008 in Brunei. So tomorrow is still a working day for us all. There will be those who are thankful of the announcement as those working on Friday will have 4 days holiday. Anyway, I guess I will have to prepare work for tomorrow. I'm contemplating whether I should work tomorrow but lets just see how it goes.

SELAMAT HARI RAYA ALL YOU FOLKS OUT THERE!

Stop! Your Car has been Swissol-ed!

2008-09-29T10:42:00.003+08:00

My car with its brilliant shine as I picked it up from the Car polishers, 8 hours later on a Sunday evening. Too bad, the picture doesn't really do it justice here as the sparkle of the grains inside the paint job is not seen here. The engine and the engine bay was also thoroughly cleaned. But anyway, I was pleased with the job, even my leather interiors are back to its glorious shine compared to its previous dark spots here and there. There were some deep scratches that they were unable to remove totally, but at least it blended in to the rest of the car body. I guess the car is ready for Hari Raya, but then again, the car deserved a polish anyways after a more than a year of mistreating it.

The background portrayed on the car. You can brush your teeth or style your hair if you want to.

The reflection of the orange coloured clouds in the sky during the evening sunset

Sunday, 28th September 2008 - things to look forward to

2008-09-28T13:59:00.004+08:00

Lazying myself in front of tv whilst typing my bloggie. Now this is the life...peace, solitude, harmony, everything you need without spending a single penny, just to breathe and appreciate life.

Last night, my family & I broke our fast at our favourite KNY Kitchen Thai Restaurant in Kiarong, as per requested by my daughter who is craving for the sweet and sour fish. We then headed over to the Jame Asr Mosque to catch up with our Maghrib prayers. Waited for Isya prayers and continued with our Sunnat Terawih prayers till 8 rakaat. Wanted to head off back home, but eventually gate crashed to my uncle & auntie's place to have a look what they were up too, especially Cit Cit with her Cakes business thingy. Only to find out Cit Cit went out and we didnt see her till we got back home. Uncle & Auntie was there, helped in cleaning up their dinner, then observe our nieces helping out making the dough for the cakes and all. At home about 10ish in time for the Man U Vs Bolton match which Man U won by 2-0. Then went to sleep I guess, cant remember if we did anything else. But funnily enough, we woke up late for Sahur and I was not able to take my medicine in time. Sleep then was more important.

Had a late sending off of my car to the car polish, Mr Gadgetski gave me a text message to remind me, and eventually called in just to make sure. Arrived at Topcare just before 8:30 in the morning. Gadgetski was already there an hour earlier with his car starting its regiment of cleaning processes. For your Information, Topcare is a Car Wash/polish/maintenance company using Swissol products. It used to carry both Swissol & Zymol products but to be honest with you (whispering), I prefer the previous coz of its earth friendly chemicals, its edibility (yes you heard me, E-D-I-B-L-E, means that you can lap your car if you feel hungry) and its deep and I mean deep shine. When I mean deep shine, it means the colour of your paint on the car is alive! Its that guuud! Trust me. And you need to see it to believe it. Maybe I might have a totally separate blog of Swissol on a later time.

For now, just not to get too carried away from the topic, these are the things that I am looking forward too this glorious Sunday, the Sunday before Hari Raya:

3:30pm-4:30pm - In case you guys missed the F1 Qualifying, its a repeat show at Supersport Channel 813

5pm - Pick up my car from the Top Care and drool over its shine. Its been a while since I last polished it. Hopefully some of my annoying scratches will disappear especially from the cement ones which fell in small splatters on top of my car from some renovated building.

6:12pm - Breaking of fast, any food and drink will be highly appreciative! I am especially craving for noodles: Fried Noodles (mee goreng halus), Mee Tiew Goreng, Laksa Nyonya, Mee Basah, etc. OMG I'd better stop...I'm actually drooling now.

6:30 - 7:45pm - For you F1 fans out there, DO NOT FORGET TO WATCH THE SINGAPORE GP on Supersport 813, the first ever night race on the streets.

Thats all I can think what I am looking forward too today, so....Scram! Go away! Leave me alone to enjoy my weekend! Shoo! (Oscar the Grouch of Sesame's Street).

Pot of Gold?

2008-09-28T10:12:00.002+08:00

Is there a pot of gold being distributed for free or that its been raining money recently anywhere in Brunei that I don't know about? If there is, please do pray tell coz I might want to join the bandwagon and get some for myself too.

Sorry about that...just abit of a wise crack there but recently this past week, I have seen and heard my relatives on separate occasions being the proud owner of Porsche Cayenne S, an automobile costing in the vicinity of about a whooping $210,000 Brunei dollars. For some, its a house on 4 wheels, while others its just another car for hari raya coz they already own everything else that they have always want.

At the end of the day, its just a matter of priority, you can argue for all you like till you're blue to your face, but the fact of the matter is that there are many reasons behind each and every individual beings reasonings and argument in owning something costing this much:

1) (The Successful One) I have everything that I want, I have a house, I have a beautiful family, I have lived my life, I have done my job, I have a successful business, this is just one of the things that I have fancied to get all my life and therefore I got it to threat myself.
2) (The Live Life to the Fullest) Life is short, I may die tomorrow, I may die in a few years time, I might not be able to enjoy what I want in life. So I might as well live my life to the fullest to my abilities. Albeit my Porsche.
3) (The born rich one) I am rich, my father is rich, my grandfather was rich, my grandfather's father was rich, my cousins, my aunties, my nephews, my nieces are all rich, even my mom's side is rich, my mom's brothers and sisters are rich, even my mom's inlaw's related by marriage is rich, my cat is rich, so this is a common type of things we purchase every other week.
4) (The keeping up with the Joneses one) I can't really afford it, I have to rack the loans to get my Porsche. I had to get it because my friend Peter got a brand new Toyota Landcruiser or was it a Lexus LX570?, Paul just bought a BMW X6, Panda, my other buddy got himself a Range Rover Sports, and Jones got him a Merc ML63AMG. No I dont have a house, but I have to keep up with my friends coz it will be embarassing if I dont, we are all the same level at work.

So you see, there is no use arguing about this. For some of us, we just need to plod on, prioritize what is more important and get our butts from A to B in our jalopy in decent time.

Never stop dreaming and never loose hope coz that makes us more stronger to strive for the betterment of our lives.

Body Shocked

2008-09-27T10:57:00.000+08:00

I cannot believe that instead of slimming down from fasting, refraining from drinking and eating during the day, I am actually having a tough time fitting into my usual pants!?!?!?! What is going on around here?

I think I have a theory on this phenomenon. I tend to lie down after a meal these past week or so, and it has got me bloated and somehow expanded my girth permanently. I gotto do some situps somewhere in my daily routine.... seriously!

http://citscakes.blogspot.com/

2008-09-27T00:34:00.004+08:00

This is a blog webbie of my cousin Cit Cit who makes wicked pies and cakes. Under no circumstances am I paid to advertise her business, its all a matter of good conscience. I ran across her blog through ranoadidas bloggie website and that picture looks awfully familiar and the name was definitely a check it out bells ringing in my head. So I did and I was pretty impressed with her work.

Anyway, do have a look into this website and see what she has to offer especially those who has a sweet tooth for this kind of food stuff. Unfortunately, she is not accepting anymore cake and pie orders till after Hari Raya, but who knows, there might be some slots available.

Thursday Night Gathering

2008-09-26T23:39:00.005+08:00

For the 2nd time now, we had another gathering of ping pong session at home with my wife's cousin and brother after Terawih . But this time round, we finished early by 1:30am, although we almost continued to want to 'lepak' at Mamih Sungai Hancing for some hot drinks. Somehow, we decided not to pursue that thought though. I guess it must have been a sapping display of ping pong singles and doubles matches. My driver ended up falling sick today and is now recouperating from his fever. We might decide to open up a league soon coz most of the guys want to find out who is the best ping pong player within the bunch. And we know who that is.. (wink wink, hint hint, poke poke, nudge nudge). We'll see if this league thingy will materialise.

My wife had made ready some food, obviously from her new hobby of cooking recently. 2 Shepherd's Pie and 3 Pizzas were in the menu list, all gone within a matter of minutes after our 'aggressive' and loud ping pong games.

"Sambut tah kau Ace Service ku Bakar! Payah kali mengambil kali ah? Oi Har? Berapa gram kan ni bula ani? Inda kali sebarat Kuca kali ah?" "Inda eih, walaupun bertambah wasabi atas bula atu ah..". "Bah jadi service bula ah? Bergulambir parut menunggu". - lain kali lagi bercerita pasal ani...

Weekend Home Kitchen Surprises

2008-09-26T23:07:00.003+08:00

So far, these are the three recipes tried and tested by my wife & company since they started the adventure into the kitchen since Monday this week. Mind you, this is the very first time that smoke and odour has actually enveloped the kitchen since our move to the house a few months back. I have to say...very nicely done girls! Delicious and absolutely scrumptious!

Monday 22nd September 2008 - Surprise Number 1: Shepherd's Pie

Tuesday, 23rd September 2008 - Surprise Number 2: Honey Cornflakes biscuits?

Wednesday, 24th September 2008 - Surprise Number 3: Chicken/beef Sausage Pizza

I wonder what is the next food surprises this weekend... They refuse to tell me despite trying to bribe them. Adele!! Well, I don't mind the suspense, its good exercise for the heart you know...LOL!

Wife & daughter busy working during their holidays

2008-09-26T03:50:00.006+08:00

In the Kitchen that is. They have been busy making all sorts of things to keep themselves occupied. I for one am happy that they had the initiative to do something productive during their holidays. But somehow in the end, its more likely to end up being extra expenditure especially when the ingredients are getting more and more expensive and the food tends to end up in my tummy and also extras are given away to the rest of the nephews and nieces for feedbacks. Feedback ratings currently varies anywhere from 9- 91/2 over 10 to 80% delicious. I guess I will have to agree with that though. Nothing beats home cooking! What happened to trying to loose weight during Ramadhan? Well its out of the window for sure. But then again...life is short, why not enjoy it right?

A'ishah slicing up boiled sausages, preparing the ingredients to throw onto the pizza.

Mashing potatoes to make Shepherd's Pie with her cousin

Preparing the minced beef with mixed vegetables and other stuff, helping mummy to get all the ingredients ready

Home made pizza ready to be put into the oven before the break of fast.

New word of the day

2008-09-26T01:40:00.002+08:00

BERGULAMBIR - A new word learnt today when hanging out with my wife's cousins. I have yet to know what is the actual definition, but I suppose it has something to do with fatty tummy that hangs over belt buckle or something like that. Goggle-ised it to no avail.

Wish List as of 24th September 2008

2008-09-24T13:42:00.004+08:00

This is my wish list for those who wants to plan ahead to buying me my birthday present..I can take early birthday presents too. Hehe. Remember my birthday is in early February, so anytime from now till then will be mighty fine by me. :P

1. Biotherm Homme Skin Care Product for men turning 40 (hahahah)
2. Cartier Santos Matt Gold Rimmed/Silver Rimmed Photochromatic Sunglasses
3. Tag Heuer Sunglasses
4. Tag Heuer Spectacles
5. Nikon D700/D3 with AFS Nikkor 14-24mm, 24-70mm, 70-200mm, f/2.8
6. Wilson Tennis Racket - [K]Six.One Tour or [K] Pro Tour
7. Wilson Tennis Strings - [K] Gut Pro, NXT Pro
8. Callaway Limited Edition Summer Tour Bag
9. Taylor Made Golf -
- TM Tour Burner TP Driver, TM/Adilla 85 Stiff Shaft 10.5
- TM Tour Burner Utility 2H, 17 degrees TM/Adilla 85 Stiff
- TM Tour Burner Irons inc.Wedges/Burner+Hybrid irons TM/Adilla 85 Stiff
- Odyssey Tour Authentic Tour Milled Putter
- TM Limited Edition Season Opener Staff Bag
10. Bushnell Pinseeker 1500 Slope Edition/Tournament Edition
11.Cocobolo/Bloodwood/Wenga/African Blackwood/Purple Heart/ African Ebony/Snakewood/Lignum Vitae Maghribi/Rosewood prayer beads 100
12. Kuka one piece walking stick from the tree (not the one connected like blocks)
13. Any cool walking stick, I seem to have a taste of collecting walking sticks now...
14. Pay my debts
15. Lots of money
16. A healthy baby Son so that we have a pair
17. A healthy, intelligent, smart, caring, pious, beautiful daughter
18. A constantly loving, caring, understanding, pious, sweet and adorable wife of mine (apple of my eye) for the rest of my life and dido (pronounced deedo just in case)
19. Lose 20 kilos
20. Lailatul Kadr
21. Be able to read Jawi faster & properly as well as understand what I read
22. To eat whatever I like and yet not grow fat and unhealthy
23. MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL- Happiness, Health, Peace, Prosperity & Iman (the cheapest wish list of the lot by just giving a little prayer, but the most sought after...probably)

Learn Engrish Part Un

2008-09-22T17:18:00.003+08:00

Be Careful What You Pick!

No really honey...I swear I picked it up at the store

The Instant Cold Shower Protection from Horniness

It's a Real Hit in Shanghai, China.

Don't forget to punch in...haha

The Coroner ruled it 'death by turning over'...

Don’t come any closer or I’ll TURN OVER!

That was totally uncalled for!

Ms Harry Potter?

2008-09-22T17:03:00.003+08:00

My Half Korean Niece in spectacles similar to Hary Potter. This is the work of my brother in law having her wear these specs. Sometimes fasting does make one a little cuckoo... its the lack of food, water and 'Other' physical and mental restraints I tell yah. Doesn't she look fabulous and cute modeling for the camera like that? It seems she seem to react well with cameras, however she will refuse to be touched or held by me. Urrggh! Makes me so mad and "gergitan" at the same time!

Saturday weekend gathering

2008-09-21T03:48:00.003+08:00

Saturday evening after Terawih was a planned gathering at the house with my wife's cousins and her two sibling brothers(11 of us in all). It had been a long time since we had them around just for the sake of keeping up with the latest happenings. But the main event was multitudes of matches in ping pong (table tennis) till dawn or the last to drop tired and of course the bragging rights. I had just finished the last and final game of ping pong with my brother in law about 15 minutes ago at 3:15 am with the final score of 10 games to 5.

I am just so tired and aching right now as I wait for the water heater to boil so that I can get to take my much deserved bath. I am still contemplating whether I should fill the bathtub and just have a good long soak or take a shower and go straight to sleep. I am absolutely sure I will be sore in the morning. But I do intend to stay in bed and enjoy it as much as I can...it's the weekend what?

Again, I have forgotten to take some pictures of the Arabic food "Nasi Talam Ayam", and the other food that we had just now and the ping pong action. My bad!

3:45am - OMG! I just woke up! I have actually slept in front of my computer for a good 15-20 minutes!!! I think the bathtub soaking is out of the question now..I better take a shower pronto otherwise I will end up sleeping in the shower whilst standing... Ouch...my back is beginning to ache. Don't think any of us will be waking up for Sahur it seems.

Audi S4 Avant Stationwagon 5 doors for sale

2008-09-19T10:06:00.014+08:00

Advertising the car for a friend. About 10 months old. Asking price is BND$125k negotiable including license number. From what I heard, the engine is fully modified up to stage 5. If keen to seek finance, owner will be happy to arrange loan with HSBC Bank with special rate. Drop a message if interested.

Apple Protectors

2008-09-19T10:06:00.009+08:00

Some Apple accessories I got recently to protect the Macbook air. On the left is the Crystal plastic case and the other is a film sheet to protect the palm rest. Leather sleeve was a lovely bit of accessory, but unfortunately it cost $169.

Unhappy with Handy reliable Camera

2008-09-19T10:06:00.006+08:00

Of late, I have been rather unhappy with the pictures taken using my usually handy and reliable Nokia E90 3.2MP built-in camera which previously I was happy to doddle about using it to good effect. I find that the pictures have been rather dull looking and at some point, had some sort of a misty thing about the pictures as if condensation had occurred due to rapid changes of temperature? And at times, it captured shots of a blurry nature despite my "expert trigger happy camera hands" Hehehe.

Attempts to solve the problem included cleaning the lens of the camera on the mobile phone and finally, the tweaking of the camera mode where I found the EV (Exposure Compensation) Mode to have been at a high +2.0 which I put down to a more natural looking neutral zero. Whether I have solved the issue remains to be seen after I play around with more shots taken. I have taken a few pictures after which to me looked better than before, although I have to admit I need to tweak the flash further to avoid its harshness in the pictures.
One thing for sure, even though this camera comes from a Nokia E90 mobile communicator phone, but I find the close shots especially sharp for its kind. With the help of its adequate auto focusing, its really pretty handy and shoots a respectable picture. It even picks up dust around the pictures shown! Nevertheless, I do still think I need a proper DSLR soon, and currently I'm partial to the Nikon D700, although it would be nice to have the D3. However, I have yet to figure out the eligibility of having to own the top model Nikon though.

Saturday fill-er-upper

2008-09-14T00:06:00.003+08:00

Oooo...Saturday mornings was filled up with rush jobs here and there, meeting with people, running around (more like driving around) getting things done, going to banks, sorting out and all just before 12 noon. With my staff gone half day for the weekend, I stayed till 3:45pm to get some unfinished paperwork done.

Arrived home about 4-ish pm, relaxed with my family till close to 6pm before we decided to go to a former favourite Thai restaurant at Kiarong to break our fast. Can't remember the name of the restaurant now. Enjoyed the food, forgot to take a picture of it though. Prior to waiting for our food to arrive, had a browse at a bakery next door and got some pastries for sahur.

Got back home, watched my highly anticipated Liverpool-Man U early kickoff and disappointingly enough, Man United lost 1-2 despite leading after just 3 minutes. Made me wonder whether I should have just gone for my Terawih prayers, might have been more worth my time.

Its about 12:25am now on a Sunday morning, and waiting for the 2nd highly anticipated Man City- Chelsea match and see how Robinho fares in his debut. Don't want to talk about how Berbatov did on the previous game though. Whilst awaiting for the match to start, I have a couple of magazines and brochures which a friend had dropped off at the office this afternoon to occupy my weekend to drool on. Well, at least I have something to read and enjoy this weekend...oh so disappointed with Man United. :( And the tv is like repeating the loss over and over again for the last 2 hours, just rubbing it in....Grrrr!

Gadgetski Nightingale

2008-09-13T02:38:00.005+08:00

This is my first time EVER hearing Mr. Gadgetski sing! I was so surprised, my jaw actually dropped reacting to his strangest ever action to date because I thought I knew him well enough (been friends for yonkers) to know that he will NOT sing in front of others, except probably alone in the shower!!?!? Unbelievably out of the blue, he saw something that triggered him to sing and off he went, spontaneously conjuring the lyrics up (and perfectly rhymes too) along the way to a catchy tune like a pro (w)rapper! OMG, what will he surprise me next? Believe it........(pause) Or not! (in a serious tone of voice similar to the host of Ripleys Believe it or not tv show).

Smoke-less updates

2008-09-13T02:22:00.004+08:00

Its been eleven days now since I vowed to stop smoking and so far the cold turkey way actually works with the help of the fasting month of course. I have to admit the first few days was extremely tough, I was agitated easily, I couldn't wait for the break of fast so that I could light up a cigarette. But once I lit a ciggie afterwards, I ended up throwing it away after 2-3 puffs and my face cringe with yuckiness.

Anyway, I think I have not only limited my nicotine intake to almost zilch, I am able to control my urges much better now. I feel much healthier, my headaches are not as terrible and I feel pretty rich too with a few bobs here and there to spare. I noticed my in-laws are no longer inviting me to smoke with them..they even threw away their ciggies and broke away before I reached them..hmmm what the heck? I know I said for friends and family to help me out here with my ciggie addiction, but it seems that this bloggie thingy goes pretty far out in terms of reach and effectiveness! Ufff! Daymn..which ones of you in-laws are reading my blog? Oik!! Poke poke...own up!

Nikon D90

2008-09-11T16:15:00.004+08:00

12.3MP Nikon D90, Officially released on the 28th August 2008
*http://www.nikon.com*

My Daughter loves BMWs

2008-09-11T15:20:00.003+08:00

My 6 year old daughter simply loves BMW's, her favourite being the 6 series coupe. Oh my God, at that age, I don't think I was too interested in cars let alone the specific models? She was particularly excited with the BMW display at Supasave in Mata-Mata and kept talking about it last night. Oh well....the world is advancing and people's wants is getting more complicated than ever, so I'm not going to go on further into my theories of human evolution as I'm just too tired and weak to divulge.

By the looks of it girl, with BMWs going up in prices every year (plus also the typical comment from salesmen that the Yen and the Deutsche Mark (now the Euros) is going up- Tah Karang!!!) I'm afraid the 1 series will have to do. Maaaaaaybee......NOT!

X6 updates!

2008-09-09T10:02:00.002+08:00

Just called QAF Auto, the agents for BMWs and they said that they have 2 units X6's left, both maroon colour but one is black leather interior and the other is beige leather interior. How many did they bring in? 10 units, launched on the 1st September and within 9 days they have sold 8 units! Pretty good sale I might add. But here's the clincher...its freakin $162,800 for xDrive35i, the petrol engined one! I can imagine the cost of the diesel then. All 10units brought in was all the petrol ones! Those sold was in black, white, Silver and Grey, the lovelier colours.. but then again, I can't buy a house on wheels, just can't do it! Its outrageously, insanely incomprehensible!

BMW X6 On the road!

2008-09-09T08:12:00.002+08:00

On my way to the office this early morning, I saw this beautiful White BMW X6 on the road. Drool... Drool... Pant... pant... As I moved closer behind it, I can't help but notice that it has such a road presence as it was very tall from behind as I was actually peering up through my windscreen and occupies almost the whole width of the road!

Hey wait a minute? I thought the car was supposed to be unveiled in the Frankfurt Car show in September? But it is already September! But but but its already on the road in Brunei and I'm looking at it right now! Hello knock knock...Its Brunei Hello! (That ends the silly questions)

Combining the Coupe elegance in an all wheel drive, this is the very first car of its kind, according to BMW. It comes with 4 engine configuration:
1) xdrive35i, straight 6 cylinder Twin Turbo 2,979cc petrol engine churning out 225kW(306PS) with 400Nm of torque @10.9litres per 100km & 6.7 sec 0-100km/h acceleration.

2) xDrive50i V8 Twin Turbo 4,395cc petrol engine producing 300kW(407PS) with 600Nm of torque @ 12.5litres per 100km & 5.4 sec 0-100km/h acceleration. It premieres the world's 1st engine's exhaust superchargers fitted centrally in the V-shaped cylinder banks allowing less weight, reduces pressure loss between intake and exhaust sides and efficiency.

3) xDrive30d straight 6 cylinder single Turbo 2,993cc common rail diesel engine producing 173kW(235PS) with 520Nm of torque @ 8.2litres per 100km & runs 8 sec flat.

4) xDrive35d straight 6 cylinder Twin Turbo 2,993cc common rail diesel engine producing 210kW(286PS) with 580Nm of torque @ 8.3litres per 100km & runs a fiaaast 6.9 sec flat! My definite choice amongst the list.

All comes with a fat 255/50 VR19 Tyres and six speed sports automatic transmission with extra SAG shift paddles. Other things includes the xDrive, adaptive drive, active steering, dynamic stability control, so on and so forth which is pretty much standard on all BMW cars. What I like to talk about is the optional features which is very interesting:
Head Up display: shows the speed, the direction of your destination via GPS navigator, and warnings etc without hindering your vision.
Night Vision: Safety feature using infra-red camera built into the front lights panel showing images on the control navigation display up to 300metres by picking up thermal radiation thus allows more time to react and enhance safety.
iDrive: single hand controller on the centre console which operates the CD player, navigation system, mobile telephone, air-conditioning and also features 8 favourite buttons.
Adaptive headlights: computer controlled with sensors monitoring car speed, yaw rate and steering angle to adjust electro-mechanically the Xenon headlights to match so as to "impressively" better light the road ahead.
High Beam assistant: automatically switches headlights from high beam to low beam and vice-versa as soon as it detects oncoming traffic or low street lighting.
Two stage tailgate: sensors built into the back bonnet so that it will never strike the garage roof or other obstacles by adjust to the height to a lower position.
Reversing Camera: to spot objects, people or approaching vehicles sooner when maneuvering.

All the wonderful gadget makes this vehicle almost human! Wonder how much it does cost at the agent coz that is a big factor in my decision making...

Poke Poke...nudge nudge...hiss hiss.... claw claw...

2008-09-07T11:37:00.003+08:00

I couldn't resist the temptation of bullying some Korean Kid to cry by sitting closely next to her. In my defense, serves her right for being too annoyingly cute! She complained to her mother who in turn pretended to be pretty crossed at me in front of her. Yeah right, as if thats going to deter me from wanting to hear the korean kid's whinning... hehehe. Alright alright, this Korean kid is my niece okay? Happy? Sheesh... I cannot tell a lie, I ate the apple (taken from G. Washington's story). And I bothered her a few more times, minutes before the breaking of fast time last night.

Testing..testing again

2008-09-07T05:47:00.005+08:00

I just love my mobile communicators! (whispering) If you'd ask me what is my opinion of the best mobile phone around right now including pda functionality, I'd say the Nokia E90 Communicator hands down. I'm sure there will be alot of hisses and boos with my answer but then hey, thats my opinion, my choice and I'm entitled to my belief, aren't I? Plus of course this is my blog so I can say anything I want. (kalah-kalahan and being jahat..haha). Of course there are some others which I do fancy to have in my possession as well such as the Nokia E71, or even the E51 for that matter, but then again..naaaah I'll stick to my bulky sexy all in one phone, Mr E90. Thank you!

E90-pluses: Its super fiaaaast! It even connects to the internet pretty fiaaassst too, either from some nearby wireless access point or through GPRS. Its got a pretty good camera built in with excellent autofocus function, it even zooms in the subject pretty impressively too. Solidly built and slimmer to the older communicators, the outside screen is pretty good, wait till you see the bigger inside screen and whoaaa is definitely one of those in the vocabulary. You can sync it with your outlook to read your emails on a go, or you can simply download your emails directly if you log into the GPRS. And answer it back on a run. Isn't this a push email functionality? Or there is something unique with Blackberry I haven't yet understood? E90 runs on the ever popular Symbian 60 (S60) operating system, so almost any applications relating to the S60 will work perfectly well with the E90. And yes you can put in a 32GB micro SD card and download movies and multitudes of songs if you want.

E90-negatives: Slower search functionality, not able to set the sending option to a certain time or day in the messages and no fax function.

But then again these are minor perks I most often use in my older Nokia 9500 using the S80 OS which I find very potent and give us business people the edge which should still be retained in the E90 though.

I could have sworn that I had done this E90 review in the past, maybe I have...I definitely could have. Its almost impossible not to...coz its a gadget thingy and its awkward not to?!?! That just says it all innit? I like my E90 very much that I wrote it AGAIN!

*This article was written in approximately 10 minutes on Nokia E90 Communicator in the early hours of the morning in a full bathroom environment *

Updates

2008-09-06T08:15:00.002+08:00

5th day of Fasting and so far so good. It was the 1st few days of fasting that were a struggle, but now its been pretty okay. I thought I would be craving for my ciggies, especially after breaking of fast, but so far it hasn't been so, so I guess I just might make it breaking my old unhealthy habit for good!
To be honest, I did smoke a few times of my old cigarettes of last week after the break of fast, but I never did make it to 2nd base. It all ended up being flicked away after my 2-3rd puff. I can't believe I was puffing this thing for so long! What a waste!

1st day of work during the fasting month

2008-09-03T15:05:00.002+08:00

its 8 past 3pm here, time to go home. The aircon is unbearbly freezing and a few more delays in business is upsetting me, but I must refrain myself and be patient in this trying time. Since we started a day later than the rest of the world, I guess we will be fasting another 29 days like last year.

I know I have some more things to do, but I forget. Maybe it will be much clearer once I head home. Yes....home...peace, solitude, what more sanctuary do you need?

New Manchester City Owners targeting Manchester United's Ronaldo?

2008-09-03T09:35:00.004+08:00

(Pictured Dr. Sulaiman Al-Fahim who led the negotiations in the recent purchase of Manchester City Club).

MANCHESTER CITY

bidding to be the

"BIGGEST CLUB IN THE WORLD".

Latest rumours 3rd September 2008 - 8am :

- Manchester City Owners are ready to spend a staggering 135m pounds to lure Christiano Ronaldo across town and could be bidding as early as the January 2009 transfer windows open.

Excerpts from his talk to The Guardian:

- "Ronaldo has said he wants to play for the biggest club in the world, so we will see in January if he is serious,"

- "Real Madrid were estimating his value at $160million (£90m) but for a player like that, to actually get him, will cost a lot more; I would think $240million (£135m). But why not? We are going to be the biggest club in the world, bigger than both Real Madrid and Manchester United."

- "We want a team who can win the UEFA Champions League. We're not just going to spend money on anyone, but if we can get the biggest players in the world, and of course if the manager wants them, then we will get them."

Anil Bhoyrul, Editorial Director of Arab Business.com & Friend of Dr. Sulaiman told TalkSPORT:

- "I have a list of the players Dr Sulaiman wants to go out and bid for. One is Ronaldo. He says he doesn't have a problem tabling a £120million bid, just to do it and see what the reaction is. His tactic is to say to Manchester United and Chelsea, 'hey, we're in town'.

- "He also rates Torres and Fabregas. With Ronaldo, he thinks they are the three best players in the world."

My Response:

Flabbergasted , I tell you , just flabbergasted. They might just be able to do that you know, they just might.

Unbelievable turn of events in EPL before midnight 1st September 2008

2008-09-02T12:32:00.005+08:00

Frenzied negotiations to the last minute has made an unbelievable turn of events in the English Premier league where record signings have been broken, clubs have been bought and sold, tempers flaring, snubs occurring, expectancy disappearing, complaints reaching all bundled into one and I mean just this one league!??! You gotto love the EPL coz there is no other league in this world like it in terms of excitement, flare and drama! None, nadaa.. (shrugging my shoulders with a confident guesture). And you can put that in the papers!

Brazilian forward, Robinho which Chelsea had been courting all summer has instead completed his move to Manchester City for a British record fee of 32.5m pounds in the last minutes before the transfer window closes!

Berbatov, a striker much expected to come to Manchester United after their interest to get him onboard the last 2 summers has finally signed in with a transfer fee of 30.75 m pounds, the 2nd highest fee in EPL to date. But not without its twist and turns. Manchester City again was the same club who was going to Hijack Berbatov in the last hitch of the transfer window offering 34m pounds for the striker in which Hotspurs had accepted the bid. Fortunately enough, Berba wanted the move to the EPL and European Champions.

Now if you were wondering why Manchester City, and not Manchester United has been in the papers more often than not these past few days, hijacking and bullying, luring and enticing the market, well Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra has very recently sold his majority share of the club to Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Invesntment (ADUG) owned by the United Arab Emirates leading families. Owner Elect of Man City, Dr. Sulaiman Al-Fahim wants Manchester City to be in the top four teams of the EPL competing for silverware in every front including the European Championship. As a matter of fact, he wants Manchester City to be the biggest club in the world!

To take ADUG Group into perspective in terms for financial muscle, Mr. Abrahamovich is estimated to have a personal wealth of 15billion, now times that by 10 and that is ADUG's worth.

Besides Totenham Hotspurs, I still believe Manchester City might just be a club to watch out this season.

Ramadhan Wishes in computer lingo..

2008-09-02T01:08:00.005+08:00

In this great month of Ramadhan, I would like to wish all Muslim readers a very happy and great fasting! Be sure to always set your intentions (niat), upgrade your faith (Iman), download your patience, upload your efforts, delete your sins, update your prayers and top-up your knowledge so that you can redeem your rewards.

Weekend was pleasant

2008-09-01T09:59:00.005+08:00

It was a pleasant Sunday, actually enjoyed the day even with lots of things to do. Morning I was looking after the kids, watching them as I waited for my laundry cleaned by the machine before hanging it to dry. Was a lovely day, although in the afternoon it did look like it was going to rain. Daughter was playing football after riding their bicycles with her cousin who slept over.
Pictured- "This is how to kick the ball straight abang!" as she moves with smooth elegance of a ballerina. A pretty hard kick I might add and pretty accurate. Hmm..wonder if she is talented in playing women's football in future. Hey..no harm for a father to spot and hone into her talents..right?

We went to a cousins' daughter's birthday party in the afternoon and part of the entertainment was a gigantic water slide bouncer which the kids had lots of fun and the mamas and papas catching up with gossips and other chats of interests. Mind you, the adults had a difficult time to coax the kids to leave the bouncer to have something to eat, let alone to go home in the evening.

The Entertainment centre churning music running on notebooks. Gone are the days where large speakers and heavy amplifiers used to be the norm. To move one step further, they should have just used the Ipod instead. But no matter, it was good fun leisurely passing the time away on a good Sunday...before the Fasting month comes around.

Fasting on Tuesday

2008-09-01T00:02:00.002+08:00

Fasting starts on Tuesday, so tomorrow is still a day of work. Alot of things to do tomorrow, its already 12:05am Monday morning now. Better get some zzzzz's.

Ibrahim Yassin

2008-08-31T09:03:00.003+08:00

Haji Ibrahim bin Haji Mohd Yassin, Acting Managing Director of Brunei Gas Carriers Sdn Bhd died last night at age 53, after suffering from colon cancer at RIPAS hospital. His body will be sent to his home in Sungai Liang from RIPAS and then will be buried in the Telisai Cemetary. My Condolences and prayers to the family.

100K and counting...

2008-08-31T08:53:00.000+08:00

Honda Accord has reached 100k in 4 1/2 years now and so far, it has been a good car to me, bringing me around and abouts with my heavy feet and not complaining. Had it serviced recently and I find it too smooth for my liking in the upper revs. A friend mentioned to check out the fuel filter which I will do for the next service due at 110k. Thanks Hon.. (honda).

Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2008

2008-08-30T10:43:00.003+08:00

Attended the APEA 2008 last night at the Rizqun International Hotel Brunei located in the busy area of Gadong. Despite my bringing a driver to just drop me off, I was still late for the function so I'm not really sure who was the Guest of honor, most probably, the Minister of Health. But then again there were so many VIPs in attendance, anyone could have been the Guest of Honor.

The winners of the APEA 2008 awards, maybe next year it could be my turn up there on stage, LOL. But it was very interesting in a sense that it got me inspired with all the short speeches given by the winners. There were traditional dances and singing to entertain the hall full of Entrepreneurs, bankers, lawyers and many others in different trades, many of whom I recognize either by fame, friends, competitors and clients. Food was delicious and I was tempted to take pictures of it for my blogging purposes, but then again I can't be caught taking picture with my bulky phone of my food with so many people around in one round table. Its a big no no!

Anyway, congratulations to the winners of the awards and you guys inspire me to strive for my very own success. Thank you!

The Speed of light?

2008-08-30T09:56:00.002+08:00

Yesterday, I was drafting an email and the intention was to keep it in draft form until the right time to send it. Unfortunately after I was done, I immediately clicked the "send" button. When I realised what I had done, especially when my internet connection is pretty fast in the office, I went to super duper speed mode where Superman would have been quietly envious, jumped out from my comfortable chair (which is a feat on its own), switched off the wireless button, pressed the hard shutdown button of my puny notebook and pulled out my networking cables just in case.

After a few minutes of recovering from the adrenalin rush, I slowly started to switch my computer back on, making sure the connection to the internet via the cables and the wireless is not connected/switched off, opened up my outlook programme, fear creeping in my mind on the possibility of not being able to stop the email from going through on time.....Lo' and behold! my email was registered in the Draft folder!!! Rechecked my sent lists, nope it was not sent. A smile crept to my relieved face as I could not as yet believe what I had just done?!?! I just outran a computer connected to the internet by wireless and also network cables and possibly by mere nanoseconds beating it to send my email through!?!?! Isn't that just incredible?

Kuka-"burra"

2008-08-29T15:50:00.001+08:00

Kuka, cooka or kokka usually refers to the type of high quality very hard tree wood or nut in which ornaments such as prayer beads (below) are made from. It was said that Noah used the Kuka wood to build his arc, and Moses's walking cane was made of Kuka, albeit its demand in the market. Very good quality is hard to find, as the wood is particularly found in Turkey and Egypt and scarces. Probably there are other countries nearby, but not as well known or as good a quality. The trees are protected, and therefore the nuts are used nowadays to make ornaments.

(Pictured) is a Turkish Kuka 99 beaded prayer beads which I attained a while back in 1986. Apparently, I've been told by Kukka experts and collectors that this is hand made from the rare Kukka tree and pretty old. That is probably why the beads are not uniformed, big in size and the sizes of each hole in the bead where the string is passed through is bigger on one side than the other side. The tassel was modified slightly and restrung, whilst retaining the original strings. I added two additional reminder markers also made of kukka, as you can see in lighter smaller beads most likely to have been from the Kukka nut. Many have offered a tempting price for this, but no its not for sale.

(pictured) This is also a Turkish Kukka 99 beaded prayer beads which I had bought from a salesman from Turkey who came to meet me one day at my office in 2005. The sizes of each beads is of the same size, and although it looks like an old traditional Ottoman carving, but it isnt. Its diamond shaped machine cut made from of course the Kukka nut. I took to liking this particular piece due to its uniformed colours of the beads. I also got 2 more for my family but in a small 33 beaded count and it was Cheeep! Cheeep!

Oudh & other authentic scents

2008-08-28T07:27:00.004+08:00

My "valuable" collection of Bruneian Oudh scents. Derived from the resin of Agarwood distilled to make this essence. Just a drop and it will cover you for a day. In drier climates,will last for weeks.
(Pictured left) My Oudh Brunei from a younger tree it seems..3 1/2 tolas = about 45ml. Very Very rare and very much sort after. Just got it a few weeks back.

Oudh Brunei comparison. The left bottle is one of the newer batch, lighter but retains the distinctive unique smell only associated with the Bruneian Oudh. The right bottle is darker, had it a few years back from the 1st batch. I believe its from the older tree & has a richer sweet fragrance.

Rare Cambodian Oudh. Was considered the best Oudh. Only have 3/4 tolas= about 10ml left. Cant find anymore, anywhere with this kind of quality. Right bottle was recently barter traded with my sibling who totally dispises the smell, but knows the value of it. Now its mine! Haha! All mine! Notice how dark the colour is compared to the rest of the Oudh above.

Ambar Maliki. Just have 1 tola left, its a mixture of Cambodian Oudh, Amber & another deep sea derivative highly difficult to extract that makes this fragrance unique, expensive & appreciated to those who knows the mix. Purchased 3 1/2 tolas from Abdul Samad Al Quraishi, Mekkah, and I know this blend is Unique to them & have yet to find another shop that has this rich scent combination.

My whole collection of Oudh scents. Will last me many more years. There are a few in this batch especially the older Bruneian Oudh and the Cambodian Oudhs which I would like to preserve longer due to its rarity as the more you preserve it, the sweeter & richer it smells and apparently lasts longer when you wear it. Its what I call my expensive hobby & there is quite a few of us in this world that share the same passion as I do.

Tips to Oudh collectors and users:
- Keep it in a dry room and far away from anybody as it might end up in a dustbin. Its an acquired taste to appreciate the scent. A dry box is better or an airconditioned room.
- Store the essence in a glass bottle with preferably a glass dipper, otherwise cut the plastic dipper as this will ruin the essence in the long run.
- Keep it away from the sun or sun light, as this will definitely change the unique smell of Oudh. A cool, dark area will be the best storage.
- Drop by at any authentic perfumeries and be friends with the seller. They usually identify if youre a serious buyers or not. The perfumes in gorgeous bottles on display are usually low quality mixes with oil as its base. Good for everyday use, but the real pure essence is most often found hidden away and bottled in ugly looking glass bottles and usually not in big quantity.
- Do not buy the essence immediately, unless you know what you are looking for in a High quality Oudh. Take a drop onto your hand, give it a good rub otherwise you will have a difficult stain to remove on your clothings, then put it behind your ears and your beard if you have one, and the rest on your clothes. If the fragrance lasts a few days after that retaining its lingering smell as if you just came out of the shop, then go and run and get the Oudh before it runs out.
- A high quality Oudh if with one small drop will be very sticky and difficult to rub with your hands.
- Definition of extremely high quality Oudh: Old (80 years is nice), Sticky like glue, rich vibrant smell enveloping your nostrils for long long hours reminding you that you have the Oudh on, retains the smell after days on your clothings, darker coloured brownish black.
- Best Oudh comes from Cambodia, India, Brunei (Borneo Islands) as they tend to have older Agarwood trees and hence the older resins. However, Myanmar is also coming up there in terms of quality as the discovery of old Agarwood in sporadic areas of the country.

Agarwood resin (Gaharu)

2008-08-27T10:53:00.004+08:00

My Gaharu which I use to air my office & home with. It is an incense by burning the wood on coal or can be distilled & used as perfume"Oudh"(future article). It carries a unique distinctive smell and the longer one goes to the room, the sweeter and more alluring the smell.

The same goes for the perfume Oudh and the longer you preserve it, the better the smell. Just like fine wine. Due to its rarity, it commands a high price in the market. The finest of which may cost around US$7,000 per kilogram! Very expensive I might add, and some say that its worth more than oil & the most expensive of minerals! Agarwood is to be found in the regions of the Equitorial rainforests of South East Asia and East Asia. However, there is rumours that Agarwood is also to be found in the forest of Brazil and the South American continent due to its similar climate. But this is to be confirmed.

Some of the best Gaharu comes from Cambodia (no.1) and India (no.2) due to its sweetness & being longer lasting (Grade A quality), but Cambodian Gaharu has been extremely rare recently and thus Indian Gaharu has been acknowledged to be the best of its kind. However, it seems that Bruneian or even the Borneo Gaharu has been much sort after in the market with rumours that it is even better and more sweeter than the those above, most likely to fetch a price well beyond the market price due to its rarity and the trees being extremely highly protected.

Other Gaharu's worth mentioning comes from Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and other South East Asian Countries, with some standing in good stead with the very best.

It might be pleasant smelling to some and it could be an awful odour to most others, but definitely its an acquired taste and preference, just like the Durian fruit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agarwood

Good Veges and Fruits..

2008-08-26T14:46:00.004+08:00

I thought this is good to share to everyone:

It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, created animals and fish... all before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born. The following are best & more powerful when eaten raw. We're such slow learners...

God left us a great clue as to what foods help which part of our body!

God's Pharmacy! Amazing!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye ... and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and functioning of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

C elery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23 % sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocados, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods
(modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.]

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

Oranges, Grapefruits and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the fe male and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous radicals from the body.

Its a good day...

2008-08-26T14:24:00.002+08:00

Its been a good day today, I'm happy and I wish everyday is a happy day. I'm in a kindda mood where nothing aside from the severe will make my mood change. And I like to keep it that way.

Funnily enough, my happiness today is not to the extreme happy, its not that I got myself a multi-million dollar project, a brand new Porsche 911 Turbo, a new baby, or whatever of that kind. Just the kind of happy where everything just goes on just right and comfortable. Oh how can I describe this? Well just trust me, I am just happy and thats that.

Wish all you readers a very happy day! :)

Macbook Air

2008-08-26T10:41:00.005+08:00

I have had the Macbook Air for about 2 weeks now & so far due to being so busy,have not really had a chance to play around with it as yet. I guess the migrating of data from my ever reliable almost 4 year old Dell Latitude D420 notebook was just to much of work to deal with right now.

The thought behind getting my very own apple was to familiarise myself to apple hardware and its OS. Maybe I might have time this coming month to have a look at what I've got in my hands.

I love this standby feature on the notebook. The light goes on and dims till the light disappears and then goes back on gradually making the notebook look as if its alive.

Sunday Dinner

2008-08-25T11:20:00.002+08:00

Villa Mauri Restaurant is a new Italian restaurant in Sungai Tilong area recommended by a family friend and just for the sake of trying it out, I took my family to the place for din din. Had Romaine Salad for Starters, my pan fried red snapper, tiramisu dessert and rock melon juice. The Mrs had lamb shanks and my kid had Beef Fried Rice. The food is not bad at all! Even the atmosphere is pretty good, comfortable and cozy. The price is reasonable and the presentation of the food is very impressive.

Again, I forgot to take a picture of the food. Sorry about that. I guess when you're hungry, nothing else is more important LOL. Anyway, its advisable to book before you come over to the place as its pretty booked up most times. Oh by the way, the Italian chef was a former cook of Fratini's I believe and now he is one of the co-owners of the joint.

Lunch on a Sunday..CZ Q-lap

2008-08-25T11:08:00.002+08:00

Haven't been in Coffee Zone for ages now and yesterday, Mr. Gadgetski called for lunch after my trip up to KB for some work done. Glad he did as I've developed a good appetite after work. Ordered Club Sandwich, mushroom soup as starters and my cool power cappucino. Alas, after I've gobbled my food up only to realise that I didn't take a picture of my lunch food. But anyways, here is a bottle of Maggi Chilli sauce to compensate for my missed lunch picture.

Quitting Smoking.

2008-08-23T20:14:00.005+08:00

Come 1st day of Ramadhan, I'm planning to quit smoking for good. No patches, no reduction of cigarettes, no pills, nothing but cold turkey. I will need everybody to help me do this and show their support. Been smoking since college and noticing everything around you with all the casualties of smoking and its side effects, even noticing my heavy breathing in sports, I have decided to quit for good. Its about time really..

Twinning Programme?

2008-08-22T16:07:00.002+08:00

Is this two similar Nokia E90 communicator phones put side by side to each other or an altered image of the same phone? Hmmm...Its for me to know and for you to find out. Haha.. No one in their right frame of mind will want to have 2 phones of the same kind... or would they?

Coffee Club "java" finished yesterday....

2008-08-21T00:55:00.003+08:00

In less than a week I have finished a pack of reserved Coffee Club Coffee beans which I have taken a love to. Coming back to the Lavazza Coffee bean just doesn't have that ummmmppphh and the right kick as the former. I guess like my uncle says, once you've tasted good coffee, everything else is just plain ordinary....*sigh*

fidget...fidget...tick...tick...fidget..fidget... *due to lack of high quality coffee beans*.

Phone Skin

2008-08-21T00:29:00.002+08:00

I got myself a Nokia E90 mobile phone Slip-in leather cover case today and I am very pleased with myself. Not only does it match the colour of my brown communicator, but the best part is, it only cost me $4 buckeroos! Originally it was $8, and I thought it was cheeeeap cheeeeap already, but it was late in the day, I was in the mood for bargaining things and since it was the last piece, the shop owner agreed to my request for half the price! Lo' & behold, quickly took out my wallet & shoved the dosh to the man before he changes his mind, said my thank you and went off as soon as I could, smiling all the way to my car.

For all I know, the shop owner himself might be smiling as well as I left coz he might just have made 100% or more from this sale too, coz its one of those cheap jobbies kindda make, but who cares, I'm happy. I have a replacement for my thin Oakley pouch currently protecting/shielding my mobile phone with a Cheap cheeap LEATHER phone protector, Shop owner is happy ripping me off....we'll just leave it at that...

Weekend Sunday & Wall.E

2008-08-18T05:18:00.000+08:00

Its been a good weekend, a much needed rest as I surprised myself with my sleeping from noon till 4am the next day!?!?! Although I would have preferred to spend my time awake and enjoying my time with my kid. But anyways, on a brighter side, I was able to spend my morning time with her watching Wall.E at Seri Q-Lap Cinema and enjoyed it.

Its a good family show! As with all Pixar movies made, it was a good funny movie making you smile all the way. Fun.E Robots!!

TGIW

2008-08-16T10:21:00.000+08:00

Woo hoo!!!!!! Thank God Its Weekend! Looking forward to be at home, enjoy the Olympics, the English Premier League Football and enjoying the company of my family. No thinking of work. Total shut down.. What work? Work? Is there really such a word? Hehehe...literally closing down here... focus..focus! A few more hours to go....

Freakin' almost lost my phone!

2008-08-16T00:55:00.001+08:00

Have you ever accidentally left your mobile phone at the top of the car and then just drove off without realising it? Uh huh...I did just a few moments ago and it drove (literally) me freakin' nuts searching for it! If it had not been for my phone carry case, my mobile phone would definitely had been dis-figured! See damaged casing..

After 1 hour 40 minutes of driving, trying to recall and tracing my way back to the stadium tennis courts, I finally found my mobile phone intact in its casing lying beside the road. I was so happy and relieved and said a little prayer, thanking God that I found it.

Coz its surely a painful loss not only in a financial Cents (sense), but also the 1k plus name & addresses, calendar appointments, etc. (data loss) and not to forget also, the hassle to report to the police before I could get my new mobile number from the Mobile Service Provider (inconvenience).

So folks, here is some valuable hints for you Mobile phone users out there:

1) Always have a protective adequately padded carry case to safe guard your phone from hits, drops, nudges, dings and in my case, a flying mobile phone.
2) Always secure your mobile phone with a password to protect your data from unwanted intruder/thieves/others.
3) Relating to number 2) also, always backup your data from your phone just in case you totally lost your phone.
4) Always keep your IMEI number handy and in a safe place you can remember. IMEI is Short for International Mobile Equipment Identity, a unique number given to every single mobile phone, typically found behind the battery. When a phone is reported stolen or is not type approved, the number is marked invalid and therefore the Mobile service provider can trace the mobile phone provided that the phone is reported lost or stolen to the police.
5) Be sure to return the phone profile to General when other quieter profile is chosen as this will help in searching for your lost/misplaced phone.
6) Lastly but not least, always check the top of your car before you drive off to avoid any flying mobile phones!

The above health & safety hints are meant to avoid any painful, stressful, sad and maddening feeling of phone losses and is only intended as a guideline and help only. I hope I have not missed out anything. If otherwise, I would be more than happy to hear more helpful advises to add to the above. Thank you for reading and "Selamat Mencoba!"

I want my coffee!

2008-08-14T09:51:00.000+08:00

My daily morning starts with my coffee. I must have my coffee! Its the first thing I will need, to prepare myself for my daily hectic work during my work days. I'm not a coffee drinker during the weekends however. But to call myself a coffee connoisseur is probably not accurate either. I do love coffee and its due to my college times when I learnt to appreciate coffee.
My invaluable coffee maker and my Heavy duty coffee grinder at my cafe. that makes my delicious coffee.

The latte which I am currently drinking right now as I type away. Depending on my mood, this is my regular coffee, otherwise my choices varies from time to time. Its just soooo guuuud!

I find Lavazza to be a good coffee bean. I have tried Boh coffee and others, but my preference is still Lavazza. Although I think its a fussier coffee bean as it needs a the right combination of water, coffee and milk mix. But then again, all real coffee requires all that right combination.

An uncle introduced to me a coffee bean from Coffee Club this morning at my cafe. This particular coffee bean is called Aged Sumatra Mandheling. I have to admit this is very very good, strangely enough, its actually better than the Lavazza beans I have been drinking all this while! Thats it, I will have to get more of these when I drop down to Singapore as the supplier will deliver it to my hotel when I'm there. The coffee taste is more prominent without being a tad bitter, the aroma provokes the senses as I inhale the expresso, and savour the coffee into my mouth.I have nothing but an expression of delight on my face. I have at last found my kind of coffee!

Gadgetski...you have to come down here and taste this coffee. Oh its just too good to miss until stock last! (That means before I finish the whole packet of coffee beans myself!)

FA Community Shield 2008-2009

2008-08-11T13:58:00.000+08:00

Results: Manchester United 0 Portsmouth 0
(Manchester United win 3-1 penalties)

Trophy number 30 under Six Alex Ferguson tenure.

Only saw the first half of the game until my sleepy eyes had the better of me. English Premier League starts next weekend. Man U will be playing at home against Newcastle United on Sunday, 17th August, 1600 hours BST or local Brunei time at 12am Monday, 18th August 2008.

Stay tuned Man U fans!

Trophies under Mr. Alex:
FA Premiership: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008
FA Cup: 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004
League Cup: 1992, 2006
Charity Shield: 1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008
European Cup: 1999, 2008
European Cup-Winners Cup: 1991
European Super Cup: 1991
Intercontinental Club Cup: 1999

Brunei not represented in Beijing Oylmpics 2008

2008-08-11T13:14:00.000+08:00

One can only guess what was the reason for Brunei not participating in the Olympics this year. But I leave that to those who knows and those who digress and make the excuses for such a sad thing to happen. I can only feel for those Bruneian athletes who was so looking forward and training for it and only to be cancelled.
An event that only occurs every four years, its a dream of all athletes the world over to participate in these kind of events. The Olympic Slogan " One world, one dream", just says it all as the Beijing Olympics 2008 is represented by 204 countries barring Brunei.
The opening ceremony was an absolutely grand affair, the amount of effort, the manpower, the discipline, the skills, the might, the pyrotechnics, the firework displays were all absolutely astounding and a sight to behold. It would be a tough affair to top that when Great Britain hosts the 2012 Olympics in London, England.

Dusting off my Nikon D200 camera

2008-08-09T20:34:00.000+08:00

After reading Gadgetski's blog (with a little hint of jealousy), and also having had the opportunity to touch and feel his new D700 and giving it a shoot out with his Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens, I feel like I really need to take out my "Old Camera" out from the cabinet, dust it off and compare that "feel" and take it for a spin Sunday tomorrow. Errr...Gadgetski, the best move is to sell your Nikon D700 to me...cheeeap....cheeeap..Heheheh! Go Canon dude... Heheheh (kes Jeles bah tu!)

EPL season just about starting with Community Shield Cup on Sunday 10th August 2008

2008-08-09T10:37:00.000+08:00

With a long transfer saga between Real Madrid and Manchester United now finally over with Christiano Ronaldo commiting to MU for a minimum of another season 2008-2009, I'm really excited and looking forward to another 9 months of English Premier League matches every week! That is one thing I look forward to each and every weekend after my hectic work week in week out, lazing about on my comfortable sofa alone with a serving of junk food and a drink to match. Everything will be focussed on the match of the day, my support for Manchester United as it embarks itself to defend its premiership title and its European Championship. Not a single thing will bother me, not even the most urgent of things as I watch contently munching my food and enjoying the only thing that pleases me more than Manchester United beating its rivals every week. Come to think of it, even if Manchester United loses a game, I will still be looking forward to another weekend of matches...I guess its just the excitement of the EPL that just does it for you. The thrill of victory and the pain of defeat, and the boring draw....all that allures you to watching it every single week. My hats off to EPL for which I believe to be the most exciting football league in the World! Don't get me wrong, the Spanish La Liga, the Italian Serie A are also up there in terms of technicality and skills with all its wonderful players playing there, but EPL just clinches it for me in terms of pure adrenalin rush as if I am playing in it too.

The EPL promises a more exciting season ahead with all the transfers going around and competition being more and more tighter than ever! The top teams in the EPL especially Chelsea who recently signed in Midfield Maestro Deco and their want for Mr Robinho from Real Madrid will be an interesting team to watch. Liverpool who signed up Robbie Keene for 20million pounds from Hotspurs, whose aggressiveness and determination could just be the right man to pair up with the very exciting Fernando Torres might be a more formidable opponent than last season. I have to also give a warm hard of applause for Mr. Wenger of Arsenal who has been a patient man since their move to the bigger Emirates Stadium building his young Arsenal players to one who for almost half the season looked like they were going to grab the Premiership last time around. With Eduardo recouperating from his injuries, I'm sure they will also be a top four team to watch this season too.

Other teams to watch is the Totenham Hotspurs in particular, as they have the services of the Ex-Barcelona Wonderkid, Giovanni Ramirez Dos Santos of Mexico, and Gareth Bale. Coached by a quiet but good coach in Juande Ramos, together with Dorian Dervitte and Ledley King now fit and ready for this season with Jonathan Woodgate, Luca Modric , Darren Bent, David Bentley, Jermaine Jenas and excellent striker Berbatov, they could just be the other team outside the top four who has a good chance of breaking the top four stranglehold of the EPL.

Portsmouth is another team to watch as well. Having included Peter Crouch to partner Jermaine Defoe upfront with some prominent players from Ex-Arsenal, Liverpool & Chelsea as well as other in the league such as Sol Campbell, Lassana Diarra, Papa Bouba Diop, Sylvian Distin, in-form keeper David James (who is now taken back into the England Squad), Glen Johnson, Nwankwo Kanu, Lauren, Nugent and Djimi Traore, they should be a formidable experienced force to be reckoned with.

Manchester United has a big strong squad for this next season, right up to number 28. However, it would be nice to add on an all and all striker within their ranks in Berbatov as Tevez is the only all out striker within the team currently as Rooney is recovering from a bad virus and Saha is just ain't doing it. Otherwise, MU still has the same team as last season. With a combination of experience and youngsters in Ronaldo, Anderson, Nani, Carrick, Hargreaves and the ever experienced Paul Scholes and Giggs marshalling the centre, Wes Brown, Evra, Rio Ferdinand, Vidic, Silvestre, and Neville protecting the back with the excellent goal stopper in Van Der Sar, I think we might just clinch the title again!

MU youngster to watch: Ben Foster (goalkeeper), Fabio & Rafael Da Silva (Left & right backs), Danny Wellbeck and Rodrigo Possebon.

MU First Team:
(1) Edwin Van Der Sar (Goalkeeper), (2) Gary Neville (Rightback-Captain), (3) Patrice Evra (leftback), (4) Owen Hargreaves (Midfielder), (5) Rio Ferdinand (Centreback), (6) Wes Brown (Centreback), (7) Christiano Ronaldo (Midfielder), (8) Anderson Oliveiro Bio (Midfielder), (9) Louis Saha (Striker), (10) Wayne Rooney (Striker), (11) Ryan Giggs (Midfielder), (12) Ben Foster (Goalkeeper), (13) Ji Sung Park (Midfielder), (15) Nemanja Vidic (Centreback), (16) Michael Carrick (Midfielder), (17) Luis Carlos Almeida Da Cunha Nani Bio (Midfielder), (18) Paul Scholes (Midfielder), (21) Fangzhou Dong (Striker), (22) John O'Shea (Centreback), (23) Jonathan Evans (Centreback), (24) Darren Fletcher (Midfielder), (25) Danny Simpson (Rightback), (27) Mikael Silvestre (Leftback), (29) Tomasz Kuszczak (Goalkeeper), (30) Lee Martin (Midfielder), (32) Carlos Tevez (Striker), (38) Tom Heaton (Goalkeeper), (39) Fraizer Campbell (Striker), (47) Danny Welbeck (Striker), (98) Fabio Da Silva (Leftback), (99) Rafael Da Silva (Rightback).

MU Players breaking into First Team:
Rodrigo Possebon (Midfielder), Craig Cathcart (Centreback), Evandro Brandao (Striker), Ron-Robert Zieler (Goalkeeper)

A gadget of contemplation

2008-08-05T08:37:00.000+08:00

Seriously looking into this right now:

Bushnell PinSeeker 1500 Tournament Edition.

FEATURES:
-+/- one yard accuracy
-PinSeeker mode - zeros in on flag
-Standard SCAN mode
-Built-in reflector / Reads distance in both yards and meters
-Ranges (5 yards minimum)
-Reflective surfaces: 1,500 yards
-Trees: 1,000 yards
-Flag: 400 yards
-Fully multi-coated optics
-Twist-up metal eyepiece with oversized ocular and ±4 diopter setting
-Completely waterproof
-Rainguard® coating
-Dimension 1.7x5.1x3.7
-Weight 11.9 oz.
-9-volt battery
-Premium carrying case

One of the problems I am facing right now in golf aside from my many other problems (ie: inconsistent back swing, inconsistent follow through, a lack of discipline in looking at the ball whilst hitting it, a shank, the ability to just feel like whacking, stamina, thicker eyeglasses, and lack of time to play) is the problem of distance.

Having gotten used to the distance measured in metres rather than yards, I am still having a tough time deciding what clubs to use despite fellow players telling me that metres is just 10% more than yards. Cheeach right....with the calculations going onto my head, then bothered by the clubs to use, the distance to the green, peer pressure as they watch you snickering away in the background and all...it all adds up to a "wonderful" hit....70% of the time the golf ball could still be there where you left it, may have rolled a few metres ahead, shanked it into the OB (out of bounds) or the wrong club used. That just saps the joy of golf out of you as you walk to your golf cart or towards the ball with your head looking to your feet bewildered on your mistakes, and if the ball is still laying around...highly likely to have disappeared and lost forever...one of the normal attributes to a high scoring round of golf!

With the Bushnell Pinseeker (TE) at my disposal, I will be able to eliminate the distance factor, the time wasting factor, the wrong clubs factor and most of all, the pleasure of having a new gadget!

I really need to up my golf game as its getting really embarassing. Prolly the gadget might help a tinge more, but a little more help is needed especially in a sucky game I got. Maybe I should do the voting thingamajigga like kambomambo and gadgetski did...haha!

Yes What a day!

2008-08-05T08:15:00.000+08:00

Its Tuesday, 5th August now, and I can still feel the brunt of yesterdays hectic work. I feel for gadgetski as I too was working my buns off from yesterday early morning till evening time when I left the office. Its now 8:21am as I look at my clock on the wall of my office. I have just finished reading my football news on the internet and read my newspaper, sipping my coffee as I try to pick myself up after yesterday's aching work and psyche myself up for work today. There is alot to do, but my mind is still bothered by the football news. Just sell Ronaldo, thats what I say, too much hassle! Ummm...maybe not.

As my staff and other people start coming in to work from a quiet 7-ish time this morning, my mind begins to wonder on the bid I lost yesterday as I begin to analyse what went wrong. But then again, maybe I shouldn't be bothered really as I did it pretty well if I might add. Just that luck has not gone my way for this particular bid...although it would have helped alot as it was a lucrative deal. Well...as my 11 years experience in business has it, learn from it, then forget it and then move on....*smiles* I may well have something else working for me to look forward to. Who knows...

I met Gadgetski in the airport just after 7am before he left. Some things I had to give him for his trip. Maaan....I wish I could have joined, it would've been a good short break after an intense week. After reading his bloggie, I will not be surprised he will have a new gadget with him when he gets back! Oh...I am so jealous! LOL.

Early in this month, alot of bills to cover as usual, alot of things to do...this is the time I feel when everybody seems to be more dynamic than other times in the month. Its always NOW NOW NOW! Hehehe...

Alas I have no picture to put up for this particular article, I could borrow Kambomambo's icon of a man with a heated brain thingy...but naaaaah...just leave it as it is and let the more bored text loving reader enjoy my moans and groans of the day...

My Queen & My princess back home!

2008-07-28T10:24:00.000+08:00

Without denying it, I'm really glad my wife and my kid is back in Brunei after 3 weeks stint in Singapore. I have to say that life alone without them has been pretty dull and something ain't quite right.

With them back, life is back to normal and my hectic lifestyle is way up where it should be. Time to solve some office issues and satisfy clients. Happy happy happy day!

The Dark Knight

2008-07-28T10:11:00.000+08:00

Absolutely the best movie I have ever seen for such a long while! Kept me thinking about the movie during my drive back home. The storyline, the twist, the suspense, the action, the camera scene was absolutely top notch! Heath Ledger was an excellent disturbed joker and it was incredible how he took on that character with a twisted mind. Definitely not for the young, this movie just had everything you can think of or not think of. Touche to the writer of this movie, the director, the cast and everyone involved in it. Four thumbs up including my big toes!

P.S. - Now that Batman motorbike...with its huge tyres, I just cant imagine how it was able to move along. But anyways, I could see Batman struggle to get the bike up to speed as he chases his villian.

2009 Yamaha Vmax

2008-07-28T08:45:00.000+08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce to you the 2009 Yamaha Vmax (or in the US, the Star). Since its introduction in the 1985, it has quite a following due to its radically-styled shape, powerful, no nonsense 1,198cc, V4, 4 Stroke, 4 valve DOHC engine kicking out 145bhp. With more than 100,000 units sold during its 3 deades of production, this muscle bike has established itself as the definitive cult-bike making history by being included in the Guggenheim Museum 'Art of the Motorcycle' exhibition whilst still in production! There has been nothing in comparison to beat such an awesome bike until now, its very own successor, the new 2009 Yamaha Vmax!
The all new powerful state of the art 1,679cc, V4 engine producing 200bhp @167Nm of torque combined with Yamaha's very own latest electronic engine control technology used in racing, the YCC-I and YCC-T, the new machine is now a radical low profile diamond-type frame, which delivers the right balance of rigidity, excellent straight line stability together with precise sharp cornering ability, all packed in an aggressive and forceful appearence.
True to its philosophy of a genuine hot rod, with such transfer of its V4's incredible 200bhp of power and 167Nm of throbbing torque to the ground from its mega wide 200/5 R18 rear tyre, imagine the amount of effort to hold yourself onto this wild stallion as you grip yourself on its drag bar to stay on the ride. Its almost unbecominging awesome with it guilty of becoming the ultimate adrenaline ride!

Limited to a top speed of 220km/h by a smart system, it still allows a complete 1/4 mile run under full acceleration. Still more than enough to get your blood all pumped after the ride and make you whimper with delight! Made of a completely new advanced thicker aluminium frame, titanium coated dual exhaust, lightweight magnesium covers, huge ABS brembo brakes, Iridium spark plugs, bigger fork and better stiffer suspensions, the new 2009 Vmax not only establishes itself further on its reputation as an awesome straight line performer, but also a much improved slap banger at corners as well!

With the agressively styled hand finished aluminium air intakes mounted on the front left and right side of the dummy fuel tank giving the VMAX a muscular profile, it allows for direct flow of air into the massive airbox twice the volume of the older models, therefore maximising the performance gains associated with the new YCC-I system used in race bikes.
While the true spirit of the original VMAX still remains intact, the new 2009 Yamaha Vmax is an abundance of high tech 21st technology where drools will run forever with a tinge of flavour and a permanent smile that a joker will be trully annoyed of.

Sneek peek of my drool of the week

2008-07-25T12:58:00.000+08:00

I want this one! Its been in my mind for the last 2 days and I know the logic of which is in the end I might not end up with one coz of other commitments in life. But no harm dreaming I guess. Engine is 1,679cc liquid cooled V4 DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder producing 200bhp & 167Nm @6500rpm of torque on its 683lb(310kg) cast aluminium framed body and magnesium engine casing.

Dual 320mm wave-type discs; radial mount 6-piston calipers, Brembo® radial pump master cylinder for the front.
298mm wave-type disc, single-piston caliper and Brembo® master cylinder for the rear. Oh did I mention that its ABS brakes? *smiles out wide*
Bridgestone® Radial 120/70-R18 59V (front)
Bridgestone® Radial 200/50-R18 76V (rear) <--lovely & sexy!
52mm telescopic cartridge fork w/oxidized titanium coating. Fully adjustable preload, compression and rebound; 4.7 in travel (front)
Single shock w/remote reservoir and remote adjustable for preload, compression and rebound (rear).

Electroluminescent sexy dash panel

Single big tachometer with up to 11,ooorpm and a digital speedometer inside.

Lovely Exhaust dual pipes on a single side to make a lovely powerful almost poetic orchestral sound to make you drool to the power of infinity! Single axle and shaft driven. ABSOLUTELY GOBSMACKED! Phoooooyoooo!

Now this is my kind of bike suited for the moderately insane. Guess what kind of bike it is? Definitely not the Hayabusa I can tell you that much. But it will give the later a run for its money!

Kuala Belait office

2008-07-11T11:52:00.001+08:00

My new office in Kuala Belait. Only 7 minutes to Brunei Shell Petroleum Headquarters. Its a puny office, but its a start. Hey we always start somewhere right? Lots of things to do, before the real opening of the office, utilities needs to be changed, the aircons need to be installed and a load of other stuff to make it up to Shell's requirements. HSE that is. Plus I need to do my Defensive Driving too as I commute to and fro from Bandar. Another Shell requirement. Got to get it all up and running before we can get to milestone Zero. I feel there is an opportunity here in KB. Lets see how it goes. Will keep things posted.

3 times a week tennis on hold

2008-07-11T11:42:00.000+08:00

Alas my tennis games with my gang of tennis buddies will have to be on hold until our usual place is being renovated. About time someone did something with the courts. Its having these horrendous cracks and some uneven layer making return balls another skill to master.

Hopefully it will be completed soon enough. We need to have excercises especially when 40 is creeping up!Guess we need to search for another place to play. Stadium and the tennis club will have to be that choice. $6 per hour..hmm $18 for 3 hours..I guess we can just share the cost amongst the gang. Nadal...Federer...you aint seen nothing yet. We got wicked spinners and annoying lobbers here! Haha!

Sad Flag

2008-07-11T11:22:00.000+08:00

Oh dear oh dear oh dear! A sight for sore eyes! And considering that this flag is in the compound of a notable company. Hmmm sometimes you wonder where the priority lies and it sure does not portray a good image nor a company image.

Rather, they should have not hung it at all! Disgrace I tell you a disgrace! I should just 'pakat' them or send this picture to a local newspaper. LOL. Considering that the 15th July is just around the corner, they should be able to purchase a new one.

Maybe a kind samaritan might come by and donate a new flag. Hmmmm....thats an idea. Lets see how embarassing it could become if some unknown comes up to the door and donate a brang new flag. There you go! All solved!

Lovely Lovely Nikon D700 is here!

2008-07-10T11:29:00.000+08:00

It is now here! The baby D3!! Almost everything similar to the bigger brother, but in a D200/D300 Small form factor! Whats more is that its a full frame, producing at a respected 12.1MP, shoots 5fps (8fps with vertical grip addition) and whats more is that its has ISO of up to 6400! Whoooaaa! I want! I want! I want!

Reviews please look though to http://www.dpreview.com and others whilst I drool over this camera.

Top view of the camera, similar in looks with the Nikon D300, but this is sexier! LOL

Yeah I want one! Errrr anybody wants to buy my Nikon D200? Selling Cheap Cheap!

Lovlay!

The new SB900 flash, faster, responsive and works extremely well with the newer D300/D700 and the D3 flagship. Drool Drool!
I want this too! LOL

I'm glad I waited....Nikon D300 was in my sights until....this came out. There were rumours of it though but wasnt sure if it was going to make it for this year...but surprise surprise! Its already here! But then again only Nikon fans knew of the rumour. And yes I am an ardent Nikon fan!

* pictures taken from DPreview and Nikonwebpages

Just Moved..!

2008-05-20T15:50:00.000+08:00

Sorry about the blog updates...just moved to another house a little more than a month ago and it has been a pretty hectic time sorting out the utilities, the trucks, the manpower, all the things that a person needs to do to move. The house is bigger now and a good change of environment, friendly neighbours and considering that we have been staying at the old house more than 8 years now, plus we've got bigger garages, more than enough for three cars what we have. Will post pictures of the house in due time.

Congratulations United!

2008-05-20T10:35:00.000+08:00

Manchester United celebrating their 2nd Barclays Premier League championship in a row after beating Wigan 2-0 after strikes from Cristiano Ronaldo (41st goal of the season) and veteran Ryan Giggs (758th games played for united equaling the all time record by Sir Bobby Charlton) on the final games of the premier league. Applause to Chelsea for making this final battle till the very end of season!

Excellent season for Man Utd and can't wait for the Final European Cup in Russia (Wednesday, 22nd May 2008) to cap of a wonderful season throughout. Another 3 more months to go till the next season starting of the premier league 2008-2009. So I guess I will have to be contented with French Open Tennis, Wimbledon Open, Formula 1 and hmmmm...whatever sports is shown on TV lol.

*Pictures taken from http://www.manutd.com