What an interesting evening!! Quite a bit of work to be in Radio I must admit!! But DJ Allen is so suave and cool! Allen! Remember Suavemente!!! Allen has great attributes as a talk host as he put me and Bunny at ease throughout the show..... and we had a great time.

When we got home, we found Fejj and Syam........smiling ear to ear!! Daboys were listening, hearing their mum and dad on the Radio. It must be an extraordinary experience for them, I guess.

Allen had asked me if I would like to play some music selection. I thought it would be a great opportunity to get listeners to listen a sample of ARABIC and LATIN songs! I did!!

I was impressed with Bunny as she, although it was a first experience for her to be interviewed live on the Radio..... she did quite well. But it wasn't the first for me as I had my share of being on Radio on many occasions, in different capacities, not only in Brunei but also in Singapore.

Actually, I just remembered! At that time, Bunny just delivered Syam in 1996 in Singapore. I called up Class FM ,one evening, to congratulate Bunny on the new baby. When the DJ Suzanne Walker found out that we were from Brunei, she literarily interviewed both of us on the phone!!

Anyway, Thank you once again to those who have listened in and provided moral support for us!! See you on Sunday!

Thanks again Allen for having us!

Just to let you know my good self and Bunny are invited to be guests of DJ Allen in his Radio Show at Pilehan Network FM 95.9, at 9. 30 pm tonight. It will be our first Radio interview as a couple! huhuhu!!

Please tune in and give us moral support. Join us for over an hour of chat and international music!

Congratulations to those who have passed their ‘O’ and ‘A’ Levels examination. This goes out to Mezz, the Guitar Hero friend of Fejj. I was really impressed when Fejj told me that he had passed and achieved 7 ‘O’ levels. Wow! It is true then what they say about music and studying. Music helped you to excel in your studies because it makes the student more focus because of the ability to listen and feel the music they are playing. This can be applied to studies!

These results also reminded me on how progressive our education had become. Some 20 years ago, one would never dream to see the results on line, through Internet. I remember in 1982, when I completed my ‘O’ levels. I had to pick up my results slip from school. However, I made up my mind that after finishing the exams, I thought I would join an apprenticeship or get a job.

Although I was never a rebel in school, I never dreamt of studying further than Form 5. Most of my siblings went to work after their ‘O’ levels. One became a car salesman, another with RTB, another joined a Bank and another joined the Army.

However little did I know that the Exams results would change my life totally!! When the results were announced, I got a call from a teacher at my school, Saint Margaret Seria, telling me that I passed and achieved 8 ‘O’ levels. My goodness me! I was in total SHOCK!! It can’t be true!! Until the school principal, the late Mr. Thomas, came to talk to me on the phone and said the same thing. Huhuhuhu.. In those days, passing with 8 O levels was such a rarity compared to today. During my time, it was only me and another girl from Kuala Belait.

So, I drove to Seria to get my results. Little did I realise that I had a ‘Thompson Twins’ Haircut (It’s the 80s man!!). I said to myself, what the heck! The Principal gonna kill me!! Hahaaa

When I arrived at the school, the principal and couple of teachers greeted me and congratulated me, telling me how proud they are of my achievements. Of course lah!! It’s to the school credit!! They did not take any notice of my HAIR!! Hahaa…

Seriously, the results really changed my life and attitude towards studies. My initial desire to join an apprenticeship was.. “gone with the wind” as I made a pledge that I wanted to go overseas to study and earn a degree. And some five years after that.. I did earn my degree!!

What I have learnt from this is that we can never stop learning. Also never give up until you had give our best shot!.

For those just finished their ‘O’ levels, they are now planning on getting to do their As, while those passed their As, are applying for respective Unis.

For those who didn’t make it, do not despair. Give it another shot! I like Tina’s post, reminding parents to be more understanding on why their children failed in the exams, rather than being hard on them.

I guess it is never too early to 'soul search' on what you really want to achieve in your life. Sometimes, we can’t really see it until we are confronted by reality. Pledge yourself and try to visualize what you want to achieve in your life and you will work to achieve it.

Although it is tough these days to get a good paying job with only ‘O’ levels, there are alternatives for you to continue studies, either take up a course with ITB or Maktab Teknik.

Good luck!

Let's all sing....

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU....
YOU WERE BORN IN THE ZOO....
WITH MONKEYS AND KANGAROOS...
AND THEY ALL LOOK LIKE YOU..."

Yes! My little Marshmallow Boy is no longer little. He turned nine today. Yeah! Three more years to get an identity card, my boy. Hope you continue to stay happy, healthy and ceria ceria selalu and make Dad proud of you!!! Oh! He is still cuddly and ticklish as ever. Food is his favourite word. He can even respond to you in his sleep when you ask him, what he would like to eat for breakfast? Hahahaaa. Cute...eh!!

Since Tuesdays evening is Quranic lessons night, we decided to celebrate it last night. Took Dafamily to OGH Goldiana Cafe for a buffet dinner. Armed with the two vouchers meal that I won from Simpur recently, we headed to the place with empty stomachs.

We thought since it was Monday, there would not be many people. We were wrong!! There was another table of 15 people celebrating another birthday, some tourists and a long table of our Gurkhali friends were there. So, more than 50 people. Not bad Goldiana!!!

We really enjoyed the food. Sorry! Can't afford to take pictures of all of the arrays of 20 buffet trays of the International cuisine. But it was a good combination of East and Western style cooking.

Funboy came prepared for some digging and he made sure his hair style is at par with Astro Boy.. hahahaha

Fejj looked puzzled looking at the butter knife.. huhuhuu..

The dessert table was full of cakes, caramelised pineapple, fresh fruits. bubur kacang. ais batu campur....Kanyannng eh!!!
See Fejj trying to decide what he wanted to eat for dessert.

Recent events have reminded me on the importance of public relations. I have no intention to dealt with the recent hu-ha on Youtube or new ruling on opening and closing times of eating establishments..

Although it may relate to the antics of the MC who was MIA on an agreed job...but that is also of no interest to me.... as Lois Lane and Arabfamilies saved the day during the recent KB Bloggers Night...huhuhuhuuu. I was rather impressed with these two as they were able to carry on the show.. when problem came at the final hour. To be honest, the show was seemingly hitch-less as everyone carried on with good faith.

But what is more important to me is to explain why is there so many photos of me on other blogs when there is NONE here. For the record, this blog is intended for you to enter my world. Imagine you sitting in front of the computer and when you read my post, you are seeing what I see. I personally feel it is important for you to see the merits of what I think... my thoughts rather than how I look. I am sure that there are other venues on preening like Friendster or Facebook.hahaha

If you ask me if I am anonymous now? Well. I haven't been anonymous before. You have seen my kids, my family. people who I hang out with, whom I have links, my home!! My current pre-occupation!!

So... what has all this to do with public relations? The many photos of me is of my concerns. Someone said to me. .. wah! Your face is everywhere.. My response is.. WHAT? What can you do when there are some 20 camera that night that went clicking on one occasion... huhuhhhuuuu. Some of the pictures were taken from one shot but clicked by some 20 cameras and you get 20 photos....huhuuu

The other comment from my friend was.. 'You PARTY LIKE A ROCK STAR'. Hahaaa..
My response to him was.. if you consider GAMBUS with your own mother and Aunty... like a ROCKSTAR.. I can finally agree!!! huhuhuhu. It was done in good faith, broad light and nothing seedy about it! My 67 years old Aunty who came that night.. when she saw me, straight away told me... 'you have to dance with me!! And I went.. HUH?? hahahaa. So, at the end, to make my mum and Aunty happy, I gave it.. Also, when you attend a function. being a good sport is all that matters!

I know I have a personal choice that if I don't want to be seen, I should have not attend the function. But I value the interaction with other bloggers, meeting them for the first time is of relevance to me. They are part of my community now. We have same interests and passion and that what made me want to be part of it all. We shall meet again soon!!

NO matter what people say when they see the photos.. my conscience is really clear!! I come to the function with a mission, to meet friends, to interact with my family members who happened to be birthday celebrants.

Now that I said my piece. I can sleep peacefully! Nothing will change.. You will still not see my face on this blog... huhuhuuu.. Nite Nite!!!


P/S Breaking News. Bunny has lost her mobile today so she can't be contacted.. She will get a new number tomorrow and will be posted on her blog. Sorry about that!!

Hello.. It's time to nominate for the next category of votes for Best Speciality Blogs. But how??? There are so many to choose from. Well, to help you decide, here are two blogs that I feel deserved to be amongst the top 5 Speciality Blogs...hehehe

Please nominate Arabfamilies!!! as he deserves it for his stories of family history and his Arab heritage. Also his ability to connect families and friends around the globe. Most of all, his relentless efforts in coming up with the idea and organising the 1st KB Bloggers event, gathering all KB bloggers under one roof!!... On top of it all.... he ain't HEAVY... He's my brother..hahahahahahaha.

The other blog that I see deserving the top 5 position is none other than E from Foodie Tales.
A loving mum of two, whose blog 'peppered' us with mouth watering pics of food and recipes.... yes! She helped me survive my days in Australia as I learnt to cook her specialty like Beef stew and many more...ahhaa.. I can't resist her anchovy garlic dip which is awesome. She also won best nominator for Personal Blog, by nominating this blog. A blogger friend whom I met a year ago and will continue to be me and Bunny's friend for the rest of our lives. I'm impressed with her talent in cooking and patience in sharing with others.. You go... E!!!!!

Good luck to all of you being nominated!!!

For once.. I'm lost for words. What should be the title of my post to describe what really happened during the first KB Bloggers' Night.... last night!!

• It was the night that Arabfamilies sponsored the 'by-invitation only' event and it was a great success!
• It was the night that KB Happening made it really HAPPEN...NING!!
• It was also the night that KB Happening became the MC since the assigned DJ didn't turn up although he informed he was late!
• It was the night that Madam Tiff celebrated her birthday and Bunny made a specially designed birthday cake made up of chocolate kit kat cup cakes that Affy, Stells, Maurina and other bloggers went ga-ga!!
• It was the night that I met many bloggers for the first time, including Aneesa, Dyna Hassan, Safarul, Amal, Beyla, Iskandar (Your Greatness), Qamaruz, Bash and many others.
• It was the night that I met Stells who I think is a real 'doll' come alive!!! hahahaa!!
  
• It was the night that The Gokils are really 'hebat giler' couple..hehee
• It was the night that the loving couple Jurin-Jurin went missing after dinner!!

• It was the night that there were many other birthday celebrants. God knows I lost count, including Geerah!!
• It was the night that I think Cici makes a great Anita Sarawak look-alike. If any producer looking for someone to play Kak Nita in an autobiography movie, she can play the part well!! hahaaa. Just look at her hair!!
• It was the night that Rara looks like Queen Cleopatra trying to eat a chocolate cup cake!! huuuhuu
  

• It was the night that Marul from DST Simpur Blogging Nation became the guest of honour and made a ministerial like speech! huhuhuhu
• It was the night that the Bandarians2 Bloggers got lucky ( durian runtuh).. Muaz, Maurina and Anak Brunei.... as you can see from the photos. AB and his BIG prize..!!!
• It was the night that all the bloggers were excited to meet Rano and Kurapak and his crew in person and "POSING' became fashionable!! hahahaaa. Great to have UcingItam and Badi to take pics...
  

• It was the night that 'Brokeback Mountain' and Beret fashion are soooo IN!
• It was the night that I saw Cowboys doing DA GAMBUS!! huhuhu. Rave is such a small word, I'm afraid!!
• It was the night that the Bling Bling Sisters became the Bling Bling Twins since one of them was missing in action! huhuhuu.. It was also the night that HAIRSPRAY movie inspired some funky fashion last night!!
  

• It was the night that Funboy pretended he was a blogger too, by insisting that he wears a name tag and winning a prize!! hahahaa. You can see him holding Bunny's lucky draw prize!
  
• It was the night that Umay lets her hair down!! hahaa
  

I guess I finally decide that it was the night that KB ROCKED!! Thanks to Arabfamilies for the kind sponsorship, KB Happening for all the hard work, Nonnie for helping out with the organisation, Bunny for sponsoring the cup cakes. Not to forget DST and WestEgrets for the prizes and door gifts! And thank you to Mr. Zamri Zainal, who was the official photographer of the night. His photos can be viewed here.

Not to forget to all bloggers that turned up! Thank you for being a sport and I hope we can continue our friendship!

When AB posted the story about the old Lorong Three some time ago in April last year, it quickly brought me back into nostalgia about the place where I used to go for tuition class after school. It reminded me how we used to study together with many other children, include her sis, L.

Last night, The L Family invited me and Bunny over for dinner, to rekindle the good old time sake. To add more to the nostalgia, Mr L is also a school mate of mine from the Maktab Duli days. I also knew AB's parents from the Lorong Three days.

It was great to meet up again after so many years. How we have grown, married and have kids of our own and we still manage to maintain the contacts. It was great company too as other friends like E were also there. It was great to catch up with this young blogger too.

Food was fabulous as you can imagine. AB made his version and here is mine. I wonder how will E's version look like? Can't wait. I'm really sorry if the food pics make you hungry. I guess it was worth not having lunch yesterday. heheee...

Portraits signify a great happy family

Seafood pasta made by L

E's infamous anchovy dip that I simply adore

Roast lamb prepared by the AB, Head honcho himself

Roast potatoes and kumara.. I really like

Apple pie made by Aunty

Prince Charming? we had a hilarious debate on this Thai dessert, made by Aunty.

Oh. To see what Bunny made, please go here.

The local Artists that will be performing at the forthcoming concert in support of SMARTER came and performed in full force today at a special pre-concert performance at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Cafe in Centrepoint Gadong. It was a good turn-out by many spectators and including a local celebrity blogger. No need naming name here as you can figure out whom I'm referring to..hehehee..

Hans belting out a song

Puteri Norizah singing with the support of fellow artists. Hmmm. Is one of the artist not opening his mouth to sing?? I wonder?


The crowd was happy and enjoyed the performance. I saw some singing, clapping and swaying to the music. Many went clicking as well, as you can see here.

So, have you bought your tickets already? If you haven't, for more info, please go here. Let's support local Artists and SMARTER's efforts to help AUSTISTIC kids. Congrats to the Institute of Medicine, UBD, for organising the charity evening on 2nd February 2008. Please come and support SMARTER and our local music industry for a very good cause!

p/sRanz... sorry ah. tegambar!! hahaaa!

Picking Daboys from school yesterday afternoon, we engaged into a conversation about the country's forthcoming national day. I was sharing with them on a possible photographic topic..."Kampung Ku..Tanah Air ku" ( My village.... my country). I wanted to look at the perspectives of our home in the village and how it relates to nation building. I wanted Daboys to think what they see in our neighbourhood that could relate to nation building. I wanted them to think of the love for their own country. Daboys were excited on the idea.

So, after reaching home, we decided to walk around to see if there was anything that we see, that could be part of what we discussed earlier. While walking, we bumped into Bang Aji, our neighbour's kid, who frequents our home, and we asked him to join us. We were sharing our idea to him and told that we would like to take photos of people, if we could. Bang Aji told us that there was a group of youngsters playing football nearby. I thought it would be an excellent idea to take photos of young people..... who are part of nation building.

Bang Aji was talking to some of his mates while I was clicking away. Suddenly, one of them said to me, "Hello, Welcome to Brunei!!".

Syam commented, "Dad! I think they thought you are a tourist!". huhuhuhuu

I told Syam, that's okay! I get that all the time. I guess nobody really bother to take pictures of youngsters playing football in an open deserted field. huhuhhu. We all smiled away!

Funnily, when we left the place, the boy then shouted back to us, "Have a nice day! Hope you have a nice stay in our country!". huhuhuu...At least, we have nice and friendly kids in our neighbourhood.
I don't really know how to respond to such situation. Do I tell them, " Aku ani orang Brunei!"
(I'm Bruneian) and embarass them?

But normally I would just keep quiet unless they are law enforcers that I would tell them the real deal!. I still remember when I last arrived back from Sydney with the family, the custom officer was looking at our luggage and asked me, how long do I intend to stay in this country? I politely told him that I lived here, meaning I'm a Brunei citizen.

Another funny incident took place some years ago, while having a family picnic at Tungku Beach, I saw a car got stuck in the sand and decided to help several youngsters out of their misery. After we managed to get the car out of the sand, one of them thanked me for helping them and said, "hope you have a nice stay in Brunei!". My response, HUH?

*I was reading Flyboy's blog and learnt something interesting. Four things that when we see with our own eyes, we are granted 'good deeds' by Almighty. The Ka'abah, Musyaf AlQuran, our parents and the sky!!

Oh! before I go, someone got his first tooth out today. hehehee. Seems he is growing up fast!!

Funboy...... tutup pagar.... karang kambing lapas!!! hahahaha

Two events happening soon that come to my mind. One will take place this weekend and another next week.

The first event will be a sponsored and by invitation only. More will be revealed in Arabfamilies and KB Happening. Limited places are available for KB bloggers. If anyone interested, please send email to kb_bloggers@yahoo.com before Friday, 25th January 2008.

The other event will be hosted by Bunny. Oh! Thanks for those who has visited and supported Bunny'sYummies. Recently, Bunny was sharing with me that she intends to host a food tasting event so that anyone interested to sample her goodies will have the opportunity to do. It's for FREE people! Wah! Is she crazy or what? huhuhuhuhu. More will be revealed here.

So, Stay Tuned!!!

You may put down your game console now coz' I'm not providing you any 'cheats' for the computer-generated game. huuhuhuhu!!

Fejj's school pal, Mezz came for a sleep-over at Micasa last weekend. Little did I know he plays the electric guitar extremely well. At last week jamming session, Mezz surprised everyone with his nimble fingers, strumming fast between keys on a rock number. My eyes went googly, just trying to follow his fingers. He really played well using the guitar shredding technique. To me, he was like a young protege of Yngwie Malmsteen.

* playing with exposure..

I took a shot of Fejj and he turned it into this!! I called it creativity!!

Me and Fejj were exchanging views on the new Mac Airbook. While viewing the specification of the new 'mean' machine, we bumped into MAC's photo editing software called APERTURE. We registered for a 30 days trial period, contemplating whether I should purchase the 'not so cheap' software..hehee. Since it is free in the meantime, I guess will just play with it first before deciding. Any reviews from other photogs, would be appreciated.

So, which one is your personal preference? Is there any difference from the two photographs? I used the sunflower blooming in Bunny's garden as my first subject.

without APERTURE

With APERTURE

After that 'date' at the Tungku beach, me and Bunny decided to head to Jerudong Beach. I was just curious to see the sun rise from that part of the beach. But the sun was already up by the time we were there. It was 7.00 am. We could see many cars and towing gear for boats all over the place. What a sight! But most of the boats were gone.. out into the sea.

There were several people waiting to see what the fishermen caught on that day... many still waiting. I caught one man waiting patiently to see if there was any fishing boat returning with it's catch. Still too early, I guess!

Is this fishing boat arriving or leaving? I am not sure. But the Sun's reflection on the water created the 'golden' shine.

*edited version using Aperture

Overall, it was a great drive to see the scenes at the Jerudong Beach. We decided to head home to the kids and planned to take them out for breakfast... After all, we are one big happy family. Coming home, Daboys were up and were wondering where we had been so early in the morning. We told them about our mini escapade to the beach. Some gave us funny looks while others smiled. hahaaa... Kids!! Syam and Marshmallow Boy wanted us to bring them the next time we hit the beach early in the morning.. Funboy wants to go swimming in the sea.. he told me...hmmm. That would not be a 'date' anymore, I guess. It will become a family outing. hahahaa.

After performing the subuh prayers, I took Bunny for a drive to the Tungku Beach, to catch the Sun rising! Daboys were still sleeping when we left. It's been a while since we been out on a date (huhuhuhu!!). I know it sounds random but I just feel like it.

There was some mist in the vicinity. It was great to feel the serenity of the beach, the quietness and to listen to the sound of the waves......and smell the clear morning air!!

Here are some shots from the beach. * Re-edited using APERTURE

Got this from an email. Wow! So cool! The look of future transportation for the office. No more elevator.. You have to take a Slider.. that is what it is called. The following pics are real photos from an office in Australia. So, if you want to go down... you just slide. But how about if you want to go up? Should there be another on that shoots you up?? huhuuuhuu

My final analysis on the slider is that I will feel like a HAMSTER if I am using it..hahahahaaa. See for yourself... Don't you think so?

See what I mean??

Great news... Funboy is officially in school as of today. He sat for the entrance 'exams' last Monday and we got a call from the school yesterday that he can go to school today. YEAH!!!

You must be wondering why I am so happy. For one, kids at his age should be in school as they will enjoy making friends among their peers. I also sense he is bored at home while his brothers are happily in school, making friends and studying.

My other concern is that he has been playing the role of 'village head' by going to the neighbours house to play, every afternoon. As you can see Funboy is like a social butterfly! He makes friends easily and once he enjoys your company, he will come visiting every single day. hahaa... Nah! There are three girls living next door and they only have an elderly brother. So Funboy fits in the role of their little sibling whom they pampered everyday..hahahaa.. Also, they have a bunny ( a real rabbit.. please don't get confuse here) that he enjoys playing with.

Funboy seems to be in a jolly mood today. He seems to be looking forward to go to school as you can see from the pic. Will update the post later tonight, once I get his reaction of being in a new school today.

UPDATE - Back from School


For the first day. I guess Funboy did well, although there was an episode that he was crying after using the wash room. He lost his way!! Poor Boy! He was not familiar with the big area of the new school, as his last school, everything was in a house and easy for him to navigate. Give him couple of days, he will be alright.

Guess what happened when he returned home? There was a knock on the door when I interviewed Funboy about his first day in school. Nisa, one of the girls from next door, came to the house to invite him to play. I guess Nisa is beginning to miss him already. hehehe..

Funboy was happy to see her as well and changed his school clothes into his everyday wear and off they went cycling together in the neighbourhood. Don't you think that was sweet? I mean, a girl waiting for you to come home from school! huhuhuhu!

In my days, nobody did!!!

I am not sure what went wrong last night. Woke up around 4.00 am with me reciting surah Al FATIHAH loudly till Bunny woke me up..saying I had a nightmare. I had a strangest dream. I was sleeping in a room that looks like a university dorm. There was another man sleeping in another bed.. that I gather was my room mate... whom I do not know. The part that I was reciting the surah was when I saw a tall lady in a white ball gown standing next to my bed. I couldn't see her face.... hahaa. Sounds ghoulish but I don't think so..... cause I wasn't scared in that dream. Just surprised to see what that lady was doing next to my bed.. huhuuhuhuhu!! I guess the part of the recitation was my self-defence 'in built' mechanism to ward away any evil that comes my path... Seriously, I just take it that I was tired after the whole day of hiking and gathering at my place.

When I woke up, I reminded myself of the Shahbandar hike that I did yesterday, almost alone for an hour , walking some seven hills. I was supposed to hike with two friends and we were supposed to meet at 7.00 am. It was a light drizzle and not many people around. By 7.15 am, they were not there. So, I decided to carry on hiking... ALONE. But there were a couple of people along the way that I met and so...I was not literally alone except for some parts of the hike.. there was no one (according to me).

Don't go alone into the woods.

misty on the way up!

I found this sign post weirdly worded which means 'Look out! Dead twigs above!!'.
Shouldn't it say..
Awas!! Ada ranting kayu patah dari atas!

Mana??? ( where??)

It was my first hike since I came back and I was really looking forward to it. For one, I wanted to see if I still have it.. I mean the endurance and energy to hike the seven hills. Yes! Apparently I did. It was exhilarating for me.. But something gave in.... my sneakers..huhuhuuhuuhu

The event didn't stop after the tug-of-war. The kids continued with playing softball again. Anak Brunei and Damissus were present. You can see AB's sharp to the edge, crispy but yet fresh photos here.




Mr. Brown briefing his team mates on the strategy for the game. Here.. Mr Brown hitting a home run... while Muza tried to nail him down!!

Team members waiting for their turn to play

Cici and friends... I heart cici's pics.. hahaa.. You can see it here!

Abas, the ice-cream man came again today. I guess he saw the number of cars in the vicinity and started to distribute the ice-cream to all the kids. I wondered myself.. who is going to pay for all these?? Haahahaa... Someone did.. Thank you!

Cute lil' Basit didn't lose the opportunity to try the ice-cream. I guess he was surprised to taste how cold it is.. from the look of the photos.

Praises to Almighty for all the blessings that have been bestowed upon us. Ever since I got back for the Semester break, life has not been a dull moment. Catching up with family members and friends, the flow of food has not stopped and opportunities for family to mingle been aplenty.

I was out at Shahbandar early today for the morning hike and Bunny was looking for me to inform that the family are coming over to the house. As usual food galore!! Everyone contributed and brought food along to micasa. Thank you very much to family members that brought along.. satay, mee rebus, Tiddies roasted two legs of lamb, drinks and Bunny.. as usual in charge of desserts..hehehee

But the best thing was some sports activities that didn't happen during the last family gathering, took event today. This time the kids wanna do a tug-of-war competition. Acquiring a thick rope from a local supplies shop, everyone was hyped in taking part in the event.

It was great to see faces of children smiling, hearing their laughter and see happiness in their faces. From these pictures, I sincerely can cherish these moments when parents and children mingle..having fun. I always wonder what when wrong when you read or hear stories of children being abused physically or otherwise? It made us think that every child has his or her own right to embrace life and get education. As a father, I guess we all believe in giving the best to our children so that they have a satisfying life, full of education, love and laughter. This lot as you can see.. are full of love, joy and laughter in their lives.!

Waiting for their turn to pull

Thank you to the Umpires for making the event, a success!!!

The opportunity of studying provided me to meet other fellow students from Brunei. Today, fellow students that I met during the Junjung Ziarah ceremony and during my visit to Randwick, Sydney, came to visit me at my crib. I have to thank them since many of them were kind enough to make me feel at home and provided valuable information about places in Canberra and Sydney.

So, it was great to see everyone again and upadate one another on what they have been up to during the semester break.

My Australian guides

Viewing the family photo gallery that Bunny created at the hallway.

Salwa n Nadz. smiley-miley..hehee. dapat makan chocolate cup-cakes..

Everyone seems to be happy.... hanging out at the playhouse

Funboy enticed them to play soft ball. Mr Socialiser... I call him ...coz of his ability to mingle with anyone basically!

What do you do when one of you best blog mates is an accomplished food blogger. Everyday, I can't resist snooping to see in her blog what she is cooking. It caused me to salivate.. all the way... from down under..hahaa...

To compensate for the drooling, I invited E to come to my crib to cook for the family, a steak dinner. I will not pass the moment without inviting the Mr AB, Best Photoblog and damissus, being meat lovers, themselves. To complete the equation, Bullimic, another food blogger was invited as well.

E emailed us on the ingredients. Bunny prepared the potatoes, Japanese sweet potatoes and carrots for roasting. She also made a simple delightful salad of greens, cucumber and avocados. Everything was in good order when E and other guests arrived. Before cooking, E took down each of our meat cooking requirements while she explained to Bunny on the requirements to massage the rib eye steaks with olive oil, Italian herbs and ground black pepper. The end result was an excellent steak dinner that we all really enjoyed.

Ahhh.. that Colman mustard is really gunpowder stuff!!! It is still playing in my head as I write the post!

E brought along some roast chicken and mushroom gravy for us to enjoy.

Another satisfied customer



AB in his jolly self...


For desserts, everyone got to enjoy Bunny's almond meringue. Thanks E for the lovely meal and everyone in attendance.

Arabfamilies called me for an impromptu morning coffee, just to catch up with things that has been happening for the last few days. I was surprised to hear about IDLSK comment on his blog chatbox, " i dont see any arab features in the family".

I know I should mind my own business but being affiliated with Arabfamilies, I sought his permission to do a post on that comment.

It made me think..... What are really Arab features? Has it got to do with the 'Bin Laden look'? Maybe for some.... but for me, I don't think so. I guess what IDLSK meant was that there was no real Arabs in the blog except 'Malay' looking people dressing in Arab clothes.

Maybe it was a disappointment to that person since there were no photos of some belly-heavy dancing women jiggling in the blog.

We are after all entitled to our own opinions. But I grew up learning not to be prejudice to anyone and to embrace and respect other cultures, race, creed and colour. .Also, I grew up believing in unity in diversity of cultures. These are the same values that I would like to pass on to my children.

So, when someone writes a comment like that, to me, it does not really matter but my only wish and hope is that IDLSK does travel beyond Miri and Limbang because he or she sounded like someone who has not seen further ashore. Let me share with you that if you go to places, for instance, Garut in Indonesia, you will see Arabs descent with Middle-Eastern features but are Indonesian by birth. The other case is that the Saudi Arabian government imposes strict visas applications for those wanting to perform Umrah after the Haj season.... as there are thousands of Indonesians who overstayed and ended being citizens of that country after several years. After being married and having children, of course, with their genes, their children will look more Indonesians than Arabs. But they are Saudi citizens. But does it really matter that they do not have Arab face features except for the part that they wear the Abayah and Arab 'thobe' and 'igal'.

What I am trying to share here is that it does not matter at all if any of the Arabfamilies do not have Arab face features to satisfy some... it is suffice to say that they have the word 'ARAB 'written on their Identity cards. Coming from a second generation of Arab descent, hailing from Taif, and having more than 100 cousins all over Saudi Arabia, that is enough testimony to say Arabfamilies have Arab features. What Arabfamilies is trying to feature in his blog, is his Arab heritage and his affiliations with the family in Saudi and to share with readers. Like any other blog, the blog is intended to connect families here and there as a way to keep in touch. So, there is no need to debate on this matter. So, let's stop this nonsense of trying to make a judgement on anyone's look. Most important is for us to do good to one another, help each other and learn to respect one another, irrespective where we come from.

Last but not least, what you can do also is to nominate Arabfamilies for the next category of Simpur Bloggies.. hehehee..

What is it with us.....when Fejj and some of his best cousins were treated to a hotel stay... the rest of the gang came and ambushed them? hahahahha

Thanks to Umiinah for treating the teenagers to a one hotel night stay, as a gift for passing their exams last year. It was a long awaited treat in view of the full vacancy of the hotel during the recent Christmas and New Year's Eve holidays.


Me and Bunny came to pay a visit to the room, to check if the teenagers are okay. It was a real surprise when the in-laws siblings were there too.. to check on the boys..hahahaa... We can all see our innocent faces when we greeted each other.... BAHAPA KAMU SINI ANI??? hahahaa...

For me, it was another opportunity to take some snap shots of the boys in the room.

It was also Mak Long's and Qibbo's birthday today and it was a double celebration then. After having dinner at the cafe downstairs, the birthday celebrants were treated to a birthday cake by the hotel. So, we went up again to the room to cut the cake. It was a full house as you can imagine.

The January birthday celebrants

Mak Long and Qibbo cutting the birthday cake

The biggest surprise of the day has to be... seeing Bella after 18 months of not meeting one another. At the dining table, I happened to sit in front of her and I had the shock of my life.. seeing her for the first time.. again.. I was really surprised cos I didn't know she is back for a holiday. Bella, is our young oil engineer currently working in Egypt., came home last night. Hahahaa. I was really shocked and it caused everyone to laugh at my antics!!!

Welcome back Bella. Good to see you here..heheheheh

What a beautiful night has it been. Went to join the prayer and doa congregation at the village mosque and then 'zoom' to Kuala Belait to visit my parents and siblings.

So...., what is so special about tonight being the start of the new Hijrah ( Muslim Calendar). To me, the significance of tonight is the fact that it reminded us on the concept of 'migration'. Not the journey from one place to another, but rather the journey of improvement to one's life. I always say to myself, why do we have to settle for the same ole thing day after day. Day in and day out, we let things go by and suddenly we realised that we have not upgraded our life, for instance on religious knowledge. Hijrah is about renewal. Sometimes we let our life remain stagnant by not taking the initiative to upgrade our knowledge, not necessarily on the religion but other things as well, such as work skills and etiquette, social etiquette, helping others in whatever capacity that we have and.... many more. Little did we realise that things happen for a reason and only Almighty knows that. Little did we realise as well that it was meant for us... meant for something good we initially failed to see. Whenever some new things come in the way, we make a point to refer to Almighty through prayers, to seek His guidance.

So, how do we make ourselves..... much better persons? I guess tonight is a good night to reflect on it. I sounded like I'm writing about a new year resolution. I think Hijrah is rather different, it's more spiritual in terms of gaining more 'credits for the life hereafter'. So the start of the new year Hijrah is the start of our migration to become a better person. To answer the question on how to become that better person. I guess it is up to each and everyone of us to answer that.... because our needs and vision may differ from one another. For me, it is the desire to improve or upgrade my knowledge on Islamic religion so that I can guide my family better on these matters.

Maal Hijrah to my Muslim friends and I hope tonight will give you the ability to reflect on how to be that better person that you always wanted. :)

Being married to a domestic goddess has it's own perks! You get to taste awesome delicious goodies. I praised Bunny for her choice of cakes and desserts that she usually makes. They look simple but the taste is just divine. Most ingredients have no more than 3 eggs and makes them much more healthy choices.. compared to 'kek-lapis' that contains some 20-30 egg yolks and colouring/preservative. Bunny's choices of cakes contains no preservative, colouring or artificial flavours. Flavours come from real fruits, real vanilla bean, coffee or chocolate. The final touches may be simple too but as I said... don't let the looks deceived you. I have seen cakes being sold in shops, full of colour but not much of a taste.

I also notice that all the cakes that Bunny made.. are freshly made. Usually she will ask her clients when do they need it.. in terms of when will they pick the goodies. She will adjust her cooking time so that the goodies will be ready when clients pick them up from the house. Depending if some of the desserts need chilling, orders are normally taken two to three days before clients required them.

Today, Bunny made the chocolate banana cake and she asked me to taste them. My initial feedback to her was.. oh! just another chocolate cake.! I WAS WRONG! It looks like any ordinary chocolate cake but when I tasted it, my opinion changed.. it was AWESOME....

chocolate banana cake

sticky hazelnut cake with coffee syrup - a great cake for tea time

peach muffins

chocolate cup-cakes

Actually, the food was prepared for tea with several bloggers friends that I met at Emma's Movers and Shakers 2007. It has been quite a while since we gather, ever since I left for down under. Thank you AnakBrunei and da missus, Mamalobengs and Charlie and their little pwincess, Vixennova and her Leonidas and their little handsome warrior, Bullimic, Eleanor and Lina. Not to forget, a young blogger, Badi. Some came with prawn fritters, mee hoon puteh and grilled honey chicken wings. Some came with Abigail and their camera equipment, and some came with their appetite. It was great to catch up with everyone. It was also a great opportunity to get some feedback on some of the goodies that Bunny have been making. hehehe!

Pics : taken by Bullimic.

Afternoon setting

Grilled honey chicken wings prepared by Yeeman

That was what the late Bob Marley used to sing. Ever since Fejj got the electric guitar, his passion for music increased. It was heartening to know that someone in the family circle is also an avid band player. Cool Hafeez invited Daboys for some jamming session at his crib.

When Daboys sought my permission to go jamming with Cool Hafeez and Klems, I have no qualm in giving them the permission, provided they allow me to be there. I wanted to see if such jamming session really exist. Hahaa. (Of course, it was just an excuse for me to be invited so that I can take photo shots for the blog).

The jamming session was awesome. I let the photos do the talking!!!

Some of the photos are taken by Syam. He seems to enjoy playing with the Canon now. Hmmm. potential blogger in the making!!

Leader of the pack

Cool Hafeez.. the drummer!

Strumming my pain with his fingers..

Hey.. Mr. Tambourine

A kiss fan

Heffie... potential Kiss member.. given the right make-up

what's this? Marshmallow Boy going full concentration to get the 'FEEL'

Syam and Fejj having a go at the drums..

p/s Let me be the first to wish Rano.. a happy birthday.
Hope you have a great day and wishing you all the best for the future!!

SCHOOL... to be precise. While the other boys are happily settled in school, Funboy is still school-less. Thanks to the misunderstanding between two schools. Funboy is supposed to join his siblings at the private school in Jangsak but when we inquired at the school, we found out there was no registration made for his admission although we were assured by his previous kindergarten school that the transfer would be automatic and there would be no need for him to sit in an entrance exam. Yes.. Exams.. for a primary one entrant who is only five years old!! How preposterous can that be..

It sounded so grand...I mean for a five year old to join in a primary one class that examinations are an essential prerequisite. I failed to comprehend the necessity of such a thing. I do understand the exams are actually an assessment to see his standard or advancement in reading and writing. But he has already a report card from his previous school. It seems that was not enough.

I have no intention to meddle in the administration of the school but as parents, we question these things. I mean... what are the school expectations for a five year old who has only been to school for two years? It would be different scenario if he is to enter a university level of education. I could agree to that but not primary one.

Strange enough, I asked some parents what they think of such a requirement. Most.. could not be bothered and go along....as long as their kids are in school, they are happy. I agree with that sentiment but why do we need to put a lot of pressure on our young ones, just to enter school. Shouldn't exams come after the kids are in classes?

At five years old, kids are like a sponge....eager to absorb information and yearning to learn.. One of the reason kids go to school is to gain knowledge. How can they expect kids to be educated if they are not in school yet. Seriously, I'm really tired to argue on these things but I just find it sad to see school establishments comeup with such conditions that are really unnecessary and unfriendly.

Some more pics from last night event. The children organised themselves into groups to perform. They came up with innovative names and chose a song that everyone was comfortable to sing. Great team efforts!! Thumbs up!

Team : Beautiful Angels

Team : Dynamos

Syam has good leadership skills as he was able to organise his group to sing harmoniously. I had forgotten that he was part of the school choir group at one time and thus, he got some professional singing lessons as part of his ECA classes.

Team : Munkeys

Team : Assagof Angels

Team : AMPIT EH!!!

They were the winners. Good voice and charming performance....They got movie tickets and pizza treat!

Peminat Kumpulan AMOK kali abis durang aniiii

It's a brand new day.... brand new year. It also spells new opportunities, possibilities and challenges. It was only yesterday, we left 2007. Whatever mistakes we made, let's learn from it and move on. Today dawns a new beginning and we must be steadfast in our commitment to grasp whatever opportunities there is for us. No need for procrastination.

The new year means I will head back to school soon. I still have list of items to do, academically and prepare myself for the coming semester. I want to be prepared for the mental challenge.

Last night was a blast for the family. It was an impromptu gathering again, a spin-off from the picnic last Sunday. Everything was decision as the time went by. We decided that instead of heading to a hotel or restaurant, we like the idea of a private gathering and I offered my crib again. Daboys thought it was a great decision as the cousins could gather at the home, a retreat for everyone.

There was a singing competition among the children of the family since someone brought along the karaoke machine. I was impressed with the talent we had seen last night. Pics in the next post. Everyone was in party mood, a final fling before heading to school tomorrow. Thanks again to family members for being such a sport!

Meowwww or......Grrrrrr???

Madam Shooter. Kan buka blog kali ahhh???

There were prizes for outstanding academic performance among the children. It is the dream of every parent to see their children excel in their studies. As an incentive to motivate them to continue to do just that, we decided to present outstanding children based on their school results in 2007. Fejj got the prize for most outstanding student for his achievements during the recent PMB exams. Qibbo got the second prize while Mizzie got a prize for being an outstanding student in her school.

Marshmallow Boy won a ukelele ( small guitar) in the statue dance competition.

Thanks to the family members that contributed food, drinks. tireless energy, money and gifts for the prizes, tears and sweat! Tears?? Didn't see any. hahahaa.

Wishing all families, bloggers, friends. and readers. the best for 2008.
Thank you for your support and readership!

From Senor Pablo, Bunny and Daboys...