All In One

Potraits

2010-02-15T11:34:00.008+08:00

Plse go to http://www.ramblingsofaprovocateur.blogspot.com to view my updated postings.

BBQ & Midnight Fireworks

2010-02-15T09:55:00.009+08:00

It was a memorable, fun-filled event when we held our family 'BBQ nite' at our residence which coincided with the eve of the Lunar New Year 2 nights ago.

Sham preparing the BBQ pit.

Elmi crushing ice.

Nuzul in 'entertaining mode'.

Dancing to the music...

Non-stop dancing

....and non-stop karaoke'ing...

Sparklers for the kids.

Crackers and fire-works for the youngsters to lit up at midnight.

Chicken wings and fish being bbq'ed.

Nasi himpit

Fried beef satay....Yummy...

Satay gravy

BBQ'ed Sausages and prawns

Amir crooning out his number...

Look at that!!! Getting ready to lit up the fireworks...

Cuzzies in a row....

Pre-BBQ

2010-02-15T09:43:00.003+08:00

It was a busy Saturday evening for my hubby and his two nephews who were the 'master-minds' of the BBQ to be held later that night.

Hubby and nephew preparing the sound system.

Another nephew of hubby testing out the mic.

Windy Evening

2010-02-13T17:28:00.002+08:00

As is common when the Lunar New Year begins to set in, it gets windy towards the evening and night.

As you can see from both pics, my car cover being blown by the wind this evening. The edges on both left and right sides are both supported by bricks..hehehehe..

Ooopss....

Gong Xi Fa Cai

2010-02-13T15:20:00.002+08:00

To all bloggers who will celebrating the Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year, on 14/02/10 (which happens to coincide with Valentine's Day), Gong Xi Fa Cai.

Year of the White Tiger

May the roar of the White Tiger brings prosperity, peace, harmony, longevity and success to all mankind.

Miri on a Saturday

2010-02-13T15:12:00.004+08:00

Thank God, we were not caught up in the long queue at the border late this morning on our way to Miri. Were we 10 mins late, we would have ended queueing with the rest of the vehicles which you can see from the pic below.

Bintang Plaza is still in its' major face-uplifting works. After several months of not having visited Miri, we thought that the project had already completed.

Pre-BBQ

2010-02-13T15:07:00.001+08:00

Took a day off from work yesterday. Where did my hubby and I go? Shopping food and items for our barbeque tonight..

Indian Rojak

2010-02-13T14:59:00.002+08:00

Had a craving for this Indian rojak a couple of days ago...Believe it or not, I wiped the whole plate cleaned. OMG!!!! Where has my New Year resolution gone to???

Yummy.....

Late Sunday Meals

2010-02-07T20:32:00.003+08:00

I'm not sure whether we're having a late lunch or hi-tea or whatever. It was 1500 hrs when we had the following meals this afternoon at the Food Court, The Mall, Gadong.

As usual, I must have a chilled carrot juice on a warm, sunny day.

My hubby opted for iced milo.

Mee bandung. As Bandung (Jawa Barat) is currently having bad flood days, this mee bandung is also 'flooded'.

Fish and chips for me.

The Flying Eagle

2010-02-06T17:33:00.001+08:00

My nephew in his 'flying eagle' pose...ehehehhehehhe....

My Drink

2010-02-06T17:23:00.002+08:00

Give me a chilled ginger beer anytime...on a hot, sunny day......

Lovey Dovey

2010-02-05T12:54:00.002+08:00

A couple of birds on a sunny Friday noon. Saw our cats looking out of the room window...Wondering what it was all about, I joined them. Oooh... no wonder the cats stopping playing. An interesting sight to behold indeed (for the cats, that is).

Chicken Emotion

2010-02-05T12:22:00.001+08:00

A yummy breakfast which I had yesterday morning....

My Tuesday Lunch

2010-02-03T17:15:00.003+08:00

That's my lunch taken yesterday at noon. I was almost starving by the time I was served with this fish and chips that only 4 sticks of french fries and the coleslaw were left after I've 'wiped' the plate cleaned.

Wet Tuesday Morning

2010-02-03T17:05:00.001+08:00

A day late in posting those pics taken yesterday morning at work. It had been raining cats and dogs in the wee hours of the morning which caused a lot of drainage being flooded.

Early Morning Walk

2010-02-03T16:54:00.002+08:00

Had a good 5 mins walk from my office to the Head Quarters this morning. To/fro = 10 minutes. Not much of a walk but still, the fresh morning air is good for my lungs.

Mangrove Paradise Resort

2010-01-30T19:43:00.006+08:00

From the ICC, hubby brought me ronda-ronda to look for Mangrove Paradise Resort. Not that difficult to locate.
It's situated on the banks of the Brunei river at Kampong Sungai Belukut.

Mangrove Paradise Resort

Mangroves

Consumer Fair 28 - 31Jan 2010

2010-01-30T16:19:00.008+08:00

This morning, hubby and I (as usual during the weekends) went jalan-jalan to view the Consumer Fair which is currently being held at the International Convention Centre, BSB till tomorrow, 31/01/10.

RTB Carnival was also held at the same time.

Religious-knowledge books were also included in the fair.

Beauty products from Japan.

My hubby's friend busily organising her booth.

Colorful brooches

Indonesian Teak furniture. Beautiful...

Batik fabric to attract ladies visitors

Curtains fabric

Indonesian-made cookies.

Hubby selecting the cookies which he's going to purchase.

Scarfs and telekungs

Accessories for the ladies.

Toyota booth.

Chilled drinks, anyone?

The crowds got heavier later into the morning.

Feline biscuits.

Keropok Lekor from Trengganu.

This rendang tok is yummy. Bought 3 containers for B$10.00. The rendang is prepared and packed in the packets below. When you need it, just boiled it (do not take it out from the aluminium packing). After a few minutes, it's ready to be eaten.

At every Consumer Fair held at the ICC, this gelato never fail in luring the visitors' to its' booth.

Secret Recipe lureses visitors to its' booth with the yummy-looking cheesecakes.

RTB crew giving a demo to the students.

The visitors' sticker/pass.

Our friend and his spouse.

Typical of our locals - they would rather wait for the shuttle to arrive to send them across the road to the Consumer Fair venue than walk. Come on, it's only 5 minutes walk away.

The shuttle service.

Lifting Activities

2010-01-30T16:13:00.002+08:00

Took a snapshot of the lifting activities which were ongoing on the new water tank close to our home.

The weather was gloomy this morning, with scattered showers.

Spot the hazards.

I'm sure you can detect several non-compliances to safety.

Candy Floss, Anyone?

2010-01-29T20:40:00.003+08:00

I chose the yellow candy floss; back to being a kid again...wowoowowoooooooo.......... Love it...Thanks to our dear son who brought popcorns, kebabs and candy floss back from a Family Day outing late this evening organised by one of the service units in the organisation where I work for.

Yummilicious Dinner

2010-01-29T19:46:00.004+08:00

Took 2 slices of Cheesy Tower Bites with Honey Garlic Chicken topping pizza an hour ago for my dinner. Yummy.............

Yellow Orchid

2010-01-28T17:32:00.003+08:00

I'm not a fan of orchids but when I saw the advert posted on the web, I fell in love with the yellow orchid and jasmine. It was sort of like love at first sight. However, to my disappointment, when the plants were brought home, the jasmine flower has not bloomed yet. Duh.... Oh, well... I'll wait...

If Only I knew....

2010-01-24T13:46:00.002+08:00

This is breakfast?

Hubby felt like eating dim sum this morning; hence, after thinking of the availability of eating-worthy eateries in our small town, we went to this restaurant which is located above a supermarket in Pandan 7.

Hubby ordered dim sums; I felt like eating prawns in fried popiah skin or whatever (don't know what the actual name is). Believe it or not, when we were served with it, I was appalled to see that the prawn could not be seen as it has been sliced to pieces.... When I ate it, there was no taste of prawns and the fried popiah skin (or whatsover) was not crispy. Strange... When I ordered this light food in Bandar Seri Begawan at some of the eateries, the prawns are in one whole piece and the popiah skin is crispy.

The quality of the food served at this restaurant has deteriorated over the years. The supervisor seems to be always in a dour mood. I guess those two elements are sufficient to put me off.

Hazards Identification

2010-01-23T17:21:00.002+08:00

Working alone in the heat of the day, without proper personnel protective equipment. Who's to be accountable in the event of an incident? Where's the worksite supervisor?

The Fuel Station Safety Rules

2010-01-23T17:18:00.002+08:00

Look at the safety rules indicated on this label. Be honest. How many of us comply to the rules?

Accident @ Sg Telamba Bridge

2010-01-23T16:22:00.016+08:00

At around 1420 hrs this afternoon, hubby and I were stuck in the traffic along the Bukit Beruang stretch of road leading towards Telisai. We were wondering what had happened but couldn't see any accident or whatsover due to long traffic queue ahead of our car.

As the traffic was not moving at all, I quickly got out from our car to take a few snapshots for my blogsite. It was hot outside. Brilliantly hot and the sky was so blue....

Pic above shows the traffic from Bandar Seri Begawan/Tutong, with our car on the right (in the front).

The traffic snarl stretched towards the Telisai bridge as you can see from the pic above. Whilst standing outside clicking away on my camera, the rescue team vehicles were heading out from the location of the incident towards Bandar Seri Begawan/Tutong. (Pic below). I could confirm then that an accident had occurred somewhere close to the Sg Telamba bridge.

I just hope and pray that the victims would be alright or the least, sustained minor injuries only.

Getting closer, we saw a yellow truck next to the police force vehicle. We were sure there must a private vehicle involved in this accident.

And yes, there was but I only managed to get a snapshot of the back of the vehicle which I'm not going to post here to protect the families' privacy. What I can say is that, the private vehicle was badly crushed on the front part (the engine and the driver/front seat passenger area). The rest I leave it to your imagination.

The accident caused the traffic to stop for a significant of time to allow rescue teams and medics to assist the victims. Police force was also on location to assist with the traffic flow.

Telisai

The traffic from KB/Seria going towards Tutong/Bandar Seri Begawan got stuck up to almost the Tunggulian area.

To all drivers wherever you are, do practise the following rules when driving:

1. Before you drive your car, ensure that your brakes are working.
2. Buckle up your seat belt.
3. Do not use your handphone (be it texting or speaking).
4. Do not tail closely.
5. Be alert. If you feel drowsy, pull up at a safe shoulder of the road, and take a brief rest.
6. Focus on the road ahead.
7. Drive within the speed limit of that area. Do not drive at 100 km/hr when you're in a 60 km/hr zone.
8. Be free from alcohol. Do not drink when you know you're going to drive.

Remember that your loved ones are waiting for your safe return, in one piece...and alive.

Hand in Hand, Side by Side

2010-01-20T18:37:00.002+08:00

Panda aka Momo aka Masquerade on the left whereas Garfield is on the right. Their favourite past-time is looking at birds in the evening.

A Lazy Sunday Afternoon

2010-01-17T14:21:00.009+08:00

With not much to do and feeling very lazy this afternoon after getting a Thai Massage, hubby and I went to pop-in at his younger's sister house which is just a few hundred metres away from ours.

Brought home baby Bazillah with us, together with hubby's two nieces (Aqilah & Aqidah), where they spent their time for almost an hour.

Bazillah's uncle

The princess for this afternoon.

Makan time....

3 cuzzies with their 3 month old niece named Baby Bazillah whose mom is in the pic below (2nd from the right).

More pics on my Facebook.

Back to Normal

2010-01-16T15:48:00.003+08:00

On our way to Tanjong Bunut from The Mall, Gadong, we were caught in the midst of heavy, slow moving traffic at around 1226 hrs somewhere at Mata-Mata.
It's the time when classes end for the morning and parents came to fetch their children from school.
This is a normal sight throughout the year except for during school holidays.

My Lunch

2010-01-16T15:42:00.003+08:00

From Tamu Kianggeh, we went to The Mall, Gadong where we had our simple lunch at the Food Court.

Pegaga

Mussels cooked in sambal tumis & slices of tomatoes.

'Thorn'ians

2010-01-16T15:35:00.002+08:00

Thorn = Duri (in Bahasa Melayu); hence, a slightly modified version which is not in Wikipedia (yet....).

On our way to the car park from Tamu Kianggeh, we saw a newly-arrived vehicle with loads of durians. The durians are from Limbang, when we asked the 2 guys.

As the temptation is too strong to resist, hubby ended up buying for me those durians as shown in the pics below.

Wonders of Tamu Kianggeh

2010-01-16T14:53:00.007+08:00

This morning, hubby and I went to buy ikan pusu and udang kering at one of the stalls at Tamu Kianggeh where we're considered as 'regular customers'.

On the way to that stall, hubby noticed the various types of ikan pusu labelled as 'Pusu Sipitang', 'Pusu Langkawi', 'Pusu Kuching', 'Pusu Sabah', 'Pusu Miri', etc etc.... Interesting.

Various types of ikan pusu (dried anchovies).

Tahai (smoked fish)

Salted fish. When cooked in coconut milk, and eaten with hot, steamy rice, it feels as if time stops to relish that particular moment.

Dried fish. When fried, they taste like crackers (keropok).

Left to right: Daun Pandan (Screwpine leaves), daun nyirik (for wrapping glutinous rice to make into kelupis or for wrapping kuih wajik), daun sirih.

Dried bittergourd leaves (if I'm not mistaken).

Each of the dried kuihs in the boxes costs only 50 cents a packet. Buy them at retail shops, you'll need to pay B$1.00 for a packet.

The steps on the embankment are currently undergoing repair-works.

Xylitol

2010-01-14T13:33:00.004+08:00

The taste of calamansi flavour charges my body battery.

Time of the Year

2010-01-14T13:26:00.005+08:00

Weather is very bad right now. It's the time of the year where heavy rainfall is expected.

Due to the poor visibility, speed needs to be decreased and drivers should be alert. Be careful when turning at a round-about, as the ditch is flooded with rainwater.

TVs In a Row

2010-01-10T11:24:00.004+08:00

I've been observing this shop for ages where the television sets are arranged in such a way that makes the staircase looks like a storage space. I wonder whether those TV sets are awaiting for repair, or awaiting for the owners to get them back?

Took this pic this morning after our breakfast at the restaurant closeby.

Breakfast On a Sunday

2010-01-10T11:14:00.003+08:00

Taking a brief break from our 'patrolling' this morning, hubby and I went for breakfast (or rather, brunch) at Hjh Asbah Restaurant, Pandan 5.

I was looking for roti naan but made do with chapati instead. Beggars can't be choosers...

Hubby's Teh Tarik.

Our chapati.

My carrot juice.

Working at Heights

2010-01-10T11:07:00.003+08:00

Whilst my hubby and I were 'patrolling' looking for flooded areas in Kuala Belait town this morning, we happened to see construction works being carried out on one of the prominent buildings.

Look at the photo carefully and see whether there's a need for improvements in the workers' safety.

Water Everywhere

2010-01-10T10:36:00.007+08:00

More pics on the flash floods which hit some parts of Kuala Belait town in the wee hours of this morning due the heavy downpour last night.

Pics below: Flooded road leading towards Perdana Wazir English School, Kuala Belait.

A lone dog in the midst of the water.

Pics below: Flooded area along Jalan Puteri Brunei, Kuala Belait

Y2K Rock Star

2010-01-10T10:31:00.001+08:00

This rock star dances to the tune of 'Beat It'. Thanks to our lovely daughter who presented this cute toy to us last night.

Flash Floods - 10/01/10

2010-01-10T08:25:00.005+08:00

Due to the heavy downpour which occurred for several hours last night, a few areas were hit by flash floods. One of them is our residential area in KB where the main road looks like a mini-river this morning when I woke up. Pics below were taken from the top floor of our house.

Pic above: Our neighbour's house (next door).

Jalan Setia Pahlawan, Kuala Belait

Cute Y2K Kids

2010-01-06T19:31:00.004+08:00

Fajar's daughter with her mini-laptop

Wafa with her prawn cracker

New Year 2010 Greetings

2010-01-01T13:31:00.002+08:00

Last but not the least on my posting today ....

May the year 2010 brings peace to all mankind...

Fireworks Display

2010-01-01T13:05:00.004+08:00

Tick-tock-tick-tock...... At midnight, a spectacular display of fireworks was held.

Unfortunately, my camera is not meant for capturing such display. Hence, the not-very-good quality of the snapshots of fireworks. However, it's better than nothing at all.

Awesome

Beautiful... The drops resembled showers from heaven...

Throngs of people - after watching the fireworks display - leaving the hotel premises.

Seafood Buffet Dinner

2010-01-01T11:52:00.010+08:00

We had seafood buffet dinner at Pantai Restaurant @ The Empire Hotel & Country Club last night. It was sort of like a family new year eve dinner, you can call it.

Hubby did the reservation a few days earlier. It was almost fully booked by then. Fortunately, there were still a few slots available.

Beautiful display of local fruits.

Papaya

Oooh... A temptation for the sweet-tooth people....

Black-forest cake, yummy....

Mussels

Buttered prawns

My main course

Our son's dinner

Hubby's water-melon juice

Cold-cuts buffet

My dessert

That's our daughter's dinner.

My carrot juice - Took 2 glasses of it...

Bun & butter

Grilled prawns...

The seafood buffet spread was very well-displayed; the chefs have done a great job in preparing & cooking the various food to cater to the taste of the multi-nationals who dined at this restaurant.

The snapshots posted on this blog are only a few of the many dishes which were served.

Snail-paced Traffic

2010-01-01T11:39:00.005+08:00

Yesterday evening at around 1743 hrs, on our way to the Empire Hotel & Country Club, we were caught up in the traffic along the stretch of road from the BMC traffic lights leading towards to Tunggulian.

Traffic was crawling at a snail pace.

Initially, I thought there was an accident ahead or police road block/spot checks. However, I later realised it was none of either speculations. It was just that people happened to travel (at almost the same time) from KB/Seria towards BSB for either new year eve family gathering or to watch the fireworks display which were scheduled for midnight at various locations.

Tutong River

2009-12-30T16:52:00.005+08:00

Took these pics using my SE C905 hp camera when hubby and I stopped by at the waterfront @ Tutong town last Monday, 28/12.

Sayonara

2009-12-24T17:17:00.008+08:00

On our way to the airport, we requested Wayan to see his rented house (or rather room) and his daughter.

Pics below: Ngurah Rai airport, Bali.

For now, 'Sayonara, Bali...Island of the gods' .

3rd Day in Bali

2009-12-24T15:54:00.010+08:00

After taking our breakfast, we set out together (with Wayan) to the place where Balinese wedding costumes are rented out to tourists. It's just a 10 - 15 minutes drive from Ramayana Resort & Spa hotel.

Wayan, hubby, and the lady who dressed us up in the traditional Balinese wedding costume.

Pics below: We dropped by at the town of Sukawati to look for the Balinese wedding headgear for a friend of ours.

Hubby was swamped with the street vendors, persuading him to buy their wares. They're very persuasive, and really test one's patience. A sorry sight to see indeed.

Charming young lady at work.

Cheeky guy, asking to take a snapshot of him; when I did, he subtlely spray water on my foot hehehhehe..

From Sukawati, we then proceeded to Uluwatu.

Top of the cliff at Uluwatu. Beautiful, heavenly view.

The monkeys here at Uluwatu temple gardens are very notorious for snatching spectacles off from the wearer.

Quenching my thirst with a chilled coca-cola.

Legian/Kuta Beach in the afternoon. Hubby and I walked from Legian beach all the way to Kuta beach at 1400 hrs.

Poor eel

Two friendly, down-to-earth local chaps.

Ready to surf

Kids playing in the sand.

Lots of fishes were washed ashore.

The town of Kuta (Pic above and below).

Quenching our thirst with Haagen Daazs ice-cream.

Viewing the sunset at Jimbaran Bay.

Yummilicious cili crab

Sweet & sour mussels

A memorable sunset dinner where we were serenaded by this band. I requested for a song each by Wali (Cari-cari jodoh), Mbah Surip (Tak Gendong) and ST 12 (Puspa).

2nd Day in Bali

2009-12-24T12:02:00.015+08:00

On the 2nd day of our stay, our driver has made plans to bring us to spectacular places in Bali.

Before we started out on our trip, we need to gain some energy and stamina...hehehehhe...That's my breakfast (pic below).

After breakfast, we began our journey for the day. 1st stop was at a money changer which is about 5 mins drive from the Ramayana Resort & Spa hotel. Took a snapshot of this mini-shrine within the premises.

We then requested Wayan to bring us to Ground Zero, where the October 2002 bombing took the lives of more than 200 innocent people (both foreigners and locals).

A memorial has been constructed in memory of those who perished in the bomb attacks. May their souls rest in peace.

It's ironic (to me at least) as this site is now a tourists' attraction. It's within walking distance from our hotel, about 20 - 30 mins away.

Ground Zero - The spot where the 12 Oct 2002 second bomb attack was detonated, is where the yellow lorry stands in this pic.

From Ground Zero, Wayan took us to Taman Ayun where some of the oldest temple are still in existence. The architecture of the temples is fascinating and interesting at the same time.

When we reached Taman Ayun, devotists were just starting to leave the temple premises for their regular rituals.

This black fish looks as if it's the guardian of the pond.

Beautiful Balinese painting

Pic below: Entrance to the Ulun danu temple garden in Bedugul.

Ulun danu temple

From the Uludanu temple gardens, we were brought to the botanical atrium where cactus of various types were grown. By then, it started to rain heavily; hence, we were not able to venture out except to stay within the confinement of the atrium.

On our way down from the mountain slope, we saw 3 road-side vendors hawking their wares. Feeling peckish, we stopped by and bought some durians, eating them on the spot. Woooo...with the cool wind blowing the rain towards us, it was a beautiful feeling eating out in the open half way down the slope.

Luscious durians.....

Padi fields at Jatiluwih @ 1400 hrs

Wayan and my hubby

Wayan on top of the world...

The beautiful view will be forever etched in my memory.

Pics below: Tanah Lot

The arch is the entrance leading towards hundreds of stalls selling various items inside.

Pic below: Saw this interesting-looking signage close to the toilet.

Hubby with 2 local guys in their traditional local costumes. They were initially shy to have their photos taken.

I've got my hand tattoo'ed in black henna. This creative guy only does the tattoo'ing on 2 fingers; however, after much persuading from me, heeehhehehe...he did it on my lower arm at last. Of course, I paid him more as he couldn't put a price on it. For 2 fingers, the cost is IDR40,000. Hence, I gave him IDR200,000 (about B$ or S$ 30.00) for the tattooing on my lower left arm including my 5 fingers. When I went to Singapore 2 days later, I was told it costs B$50.00 to have a similar henna tattoo done there.

Beautiful view of the beach at Tanah Lot (pics below).

A spectacular temple (or in local term - Pura) stands on the top of the cliff facing the Indian Ocean.

1st Day in Bali

2009-12-23T23:07:00.026+08:00

Our first place of visit for today (18/12) was at the Sari Amertha Javanese Batik Painting house.

Batik painting

Followed by watching Barong & Kris Dance performance at Gianyar. Entrance fee is relatively reasonable, at IDR80,000 (around B$ or S$ 12.00) per person.

From the Barong show, we then proceeded to one of the many temples in Bali. 93% of the population in Bali are Hindus, as informed by our driver.

The 3 pics below are of local houses which we passed by on our way to the temple.

From the temple, we then went to the padi fields in Tegallang.

From the padi fields, we went to the holy spring in Sembatu where devotists showered in the pond (picture nr 4 below) to cleanse them from negative energy.

On the way out from the holy spring vicinity, we were 'greeted' by lots of stalls where vendors sell mostly beautiful, sculpted items.

Our next stop was at the cocoa and spices plantation in Seri Batu.

Luwak

Luwak is an animal which eats coffee beans of which the excretion from the Luwak are taken, cleansed and dried. Those are then processed into Luwak coffee. Anyone wanna try? I'm not sure how it tastes like though as I've not tried it before.

Cocoa pods

This lady is cooking coffee beans.

Vanilla pods

Wayan giving the thumbs up sign.

A bundle of cinnamons.

Next stop: Kintamani

Entrance fee to this area (pics below) is only IDR5,000 (equivalent to around 0.75 cents Brunei or Singapore currency).

Lake Batur in its' splendour.

Mount Batur, a semi-active volcano

Visitors to the site taking their break at Batur Sari restaurant.

From Mount Batur, we proceeded to visit one of the villages within this region. Our trip to Bali was not all about having a laid-back, relaxing vacation. We're intereted in exploring the way the people lead their lives. It was an eye-opening experience for us.

Pic above: A hall used for occasions. Similar to a balai-raya.

Every village here has this type of entrance. The number of the house is on the left, and the number of families staying here is indicated on the right.

Pic above: This is where the dead is laid to rest whilst waiting to be cremated. Family members will gather to pay their last respects.

The houses in most of the villages have kitchens which are detached from the main building. Pic above: The kitchen.

Mama cat and her kitten.

Pic above: More or less like a laundry room.

On both sides of this lane, there're houses which hold familes together as the Bali people are very close-knitted.

Pic below: This little boy's eating plain rice with a bit of salted fish. That's their staple food; they never complain on what they're lacking of unlike most of us who are already livinga luxurious lifestyle.

Pic below: A chubby puppy

From the above village, we visited Wayan's house at Desa Jehem which is about 15 - 20 mins drive from the desa we visited earlier. Pic below: Wayan and his nieces. This is his house where his father and mother stays too.

In Kuta, he rents a small room which costs IDR500,000 a month (equivalent to about B$72.00). He lives in this rented room with his wife and 7-year old daughter. His wife is working at a hotel restaurant which is about 5 min walk from Ramayana Resort & Spa hotel.

From the desa (village), we proceeded with our trip; however.... on the way, we saw durians being sold by the roadside. That's a temptation which I couldn't resist. Hence, we stopped, bought the durians and ate them at the stall. The stall doesn't belong to the ladies though. It's someone else's stall. No worries...The people in Bali are very kind, and their hospitality is something which we'll never forget.

The durians are cheap...About B$3.00 each and....they're delicious...Yummy...

Pic below is of a beautiful waterfall where we took our short break before proceeding to Batubulan.

On our way to watch the Kecak Dance performance, we dropped by to sight-see what Pasar Malam at Batubulan is all about.

Pasar Malam at Batubulan

Pics below: Kecak and Fire Dance Performance @ 1830 hrs

'Kecak, kecak, kecak, kecak....' and so goes the incantation. The swaying and movement of their bodies are interwoven with the incantation.

Beautiful dancers with flowing movements.

A spiritual rite is being performed by the priest on the performer who's going to charge through a pile of burning husks.

The performer stamping out the embers from the coconut husks with his bare foot.

A Night Out in Bali

2009-12-23T22:40:00.008+08:00

The plane which my hubby and I travelled on touched down at Ngurah Rai airport, Bali at around 1920 hrs local time. It was 17/12/09.

We were met by our driver, Wayan Bareng, who took good care of us during our 4 nights stay in Bali. His contact nr is +62 81338707297.

Checked in at Ramayana Resort & Spa hotel which is only about 10 mins drive away from the airport.

After a brief rest, we then took a walk along the streets in Kuta. Had our dinner at one of the seafood restaurants (about 15 mins walk away from the hotel).

In Kuta, you can either take a motorbike, scooter, bicycle or just walk around the streets and to the beach. The hotel where we stayed at, is only about 3 mins walk to Kuta beach.

Christmas Spirit in Singapore

2009-12-23T21:52:00.009+08:00

On our way to Bali on 16/12, we stopped over in Singapore for a night, and two nights on our way home from Bali which was on 21/12.

Orchard road was brightly lit up for Christmas.

Yours truly standing in front of a Christmas tree made of a loadful of 'ferrero rocher' chocs.

Gladiators in a row.

Christmas hymns being sung by this choir.

The kids couldn't resist playing with the water which spurts out as mini-fountains.

Hujan

2009-12-14T14:26:00.003+08:00

A wet Monday afternoon indeed.

Those are our neighbour's houses; the pics of which I've taken from the balcony of our room.

It poured cats and dogs at around 1400 hrs today.

Snacks

2009-12-14T13:47:00.006+08:00

Half of the day has gone swiftly today...and it's my first day of leave from work.

Bought this bucket of popcorn from the cineplex snack counter @ The Mall, Gadong late this morning.

Bought these buns from Sweet Deli @ Gadong. Clockwise from top: Red bean bun, garlic bun, ikan bilis and chicken curry-puff.

Almond Espresso Blizzard...

Almost melting by the time we reached home from Seria at noon today.

No, I'm not gonna eat all those stuff all alone. I'm sharing them with my hubby, son and daughter.

Instant 'Millionaire'

2009-12-14T13:38:00.003+08:00

This morning after having our breakfast @ Awie stall at the Tudong Saji complex, we went to the money changer to get some rupiahs. The exchange rate today is 6,640 rupiah to B$1.oo.

The thick wad of the rupiah notes bulks up the space in my teeny weeny purse.

If B$200 is exchanged for the rupiah, you'll have 1,328,000 rupiah in hand. In Malay, it's literally translated as 'satu juta, tiga ratus dua puluh lapan ribu' rupiah. Juta means Million. Hence, when we changed a few hundred dollars to rupiah, we were joked of being a 'jutawan' (millionaire).

Yummy Lunch

2009-12-14T13:34:00.002+08:00

ABC with Vanilla Ice-cream

Yummy.... This was what I had for lunch last 2 weeks .... Late posting of pic.

Karnival Daerah Tutong (4 - 6 Dec 2009)

2009-12-06T14:33:00.013+08:00

The Tutong District Carnival extends to motorbikes, scooters, modified cars showcase within the compound of the Dewan Kemasyarakatan Tutong.

Hubby and I went for a brief visit here this morning, on our way to Hua Ho Petani mall to do some shopping.

Met an old friend of ours who's a keen scooter-rider.

Hummer...Wow!!!

There's a ghost house too...

Ami-Yana Bridal gallery on display.

4WD Motorcross

2009-12-06T14:13:00.008+08:00

In Tutong district, there're several events being held over this weekend. One of them is the 4WD motorcross which takes place on the land opposite Hua Ho Petani Mall. Hubby and I were there this morning to watch briefly.

Pic above: Ready to go over the muddy, sloppy ground. And...yikes...down it goes (pic below).

Smart kids. They take shelter in their van as the 1130 hrs sun burns the skin. The heat, however, does not stop people from watching this event.

Zroooommmmmmmmmm.....

Tutong District Carnival

2009-12-06T13:20:00.005+08:00

This carnival - which involves 8 mukims - features a variety of local fruits, food and vegetables. It's held at the Tutong Pasarneka and Complex, and will end on 09 December.

Several cultural dances are also performed. My hubby brought me jalan-jalan to this carnival mid-morning today.

The Ngajat, performed by a local Iban.

Singing a local song 'Samalinda'.

Concentrating on the keyboard of the accordian.

This young lady is an expert when it comes to playing the guling-tangan.

Hubby selecting the cempedaks.

Limau manis, langsat, to name a few of the local fruits which are sold.

Cactus

Tapai, kuih penyaram, jering, etc etc.

Ninja Assassin

2009-11-30T12:04:00.007+08:00

My hubby went jalan-jalan at The Mall, Gadong yesterday morning when he asked me, "Wanna watch Ninja Assassin?" I went like, "Uh, OK." And that's how we ended up in one of the theatres watching the blood-soaked movie from 1210 hrs till almost 1400 hrs. I called it 'blood-soaked' due to lots of 'killing' scenes.

Pics extracted from here...

Aidil Adha 1430H

2009-11-29T20:27:00.009+08:00

This year, Adil Adha or also known as Hari Raya Korban (or Hari Raya Haji) fell on Saturday, 28/11/09. As is the norm every Hari Raya Haji, we'll gather at my younger sis' house.

Beef satay, nasi himpit, fried mee hoon, chicken wings, 4 types of pizzas, dhal curry, prawns cooked in ginger, beef curry, muffins, fruits and blueberry cheese tarts, etc etc.

Shafiq and Omar - They're cuzzies.

Piling their plates with food. Yummilicious food at that.

Left to right: My younger sis, nephew and daughter. Deeply engrossed in tucking in their meals.

My dad and nephew

As usual, deep in discussions.

Blueberry cheese tarts

Fruit tarts

Muffins baked by my younger sis.

Done with the ta-pau'ing...

Playtime

2009-11-29T20:11:00.003+08:00

Took these snapshots of the youngsters on Thursday evening, 26/11/09. They're my hubby's nephews who live next door in our neighbourhood.

The boys in the middle of their daily routine sport.

Whilst the boys were chasing the ball, the girls were having fun on their own.

Charity Carnival @ Big Top, OGDC

2009-11-22T14:43:00.030+08:00

This morning, at 0900 hrs the Charity carnival organised by the Petroleum Engineering dept from East Asset was launched.

The event was held at the Big Top @ OGDC. The proceeds from this event will go to the funds for the recent earthquake victims in Indonesia, and also the victims from the recent typhoon which hit the Philippines.

Foods, used items (but still in good quality), magazines were sold for a good cause. There were also face-painting, manicure, henna painting, and photo-shoot held in the gallery of the OGDC.

To brighten up the event, various sporty cars participated in the car show.

My younger sis in the middle, with her daughter on the left, and her colleague on the right.

Programme of the event

Head of Department giving a brief speech.

Waiting for their angklung performance.

Anyone wants a candy floss?

The organising committee selling coupons (for purchasing items).

Dancers getting ready for their performance.

The crew making sure that all goes well with the sound system.

Sejojo dance

Angklung performance by Indonesian children & their parents.

Making of the candy floss...

Waiting in anticipation...

The Grinch in action

Cute little gal

Ann-rose hard at work, giving a helping hand to the car-wash team.

My younger sister and her troop.

Saw her again..the cute little gal with big round eyes..

An old friend of mine..

A cone of Mr Softy ice-cream quenches the thirst in the heat of the day...

My younger sister's booth.

Those are my mags which I gave way for the charity sales.

Various seductive-looking cakes for sale.

Thirsty..thirsty.....

David and his kids.

Omar looks tired.

Ai'sha and her candy floss.

Entertaining the crowds

Heading towards the gallery.

Pic above: Images of casualties of the earthquake in Indonesia and typhoon in the Philippines.

Having a manicure done on her nails...

Face painting

These are the coupons which are required to be used for purchasing items.

Pics above and below: Painting henna. A step-by-step outlook.

Pic above: The completed product. Less than 10 minutes, the lady got it done just perfect. Beautiful....

Lena had her henna pattern done before mine. She was sort of like promoting it .... I was captivated by the intricate patterns.

Crooning to "Johnny be goooooooooooooooood..........." Rock it, babe..

2012

2009-11-15T09:14:00.009+08:00

Watched the blockbuster movie '2012' late yesterday evening at Seri Q-lap cineplex. We reached The Mall @ Gadong at just before 1500 hrs to get the tickets. However, all seats were taken for the 1520 hrs and 1650 hrs shows.
Should have reserved the tickets earlier.

We then went to the cineplex at Seri Q-Lap complex; managed to get four tickets for the 1700 hrs show.

Very impressive effects.

This movie was directed by the same guy who directed 'Independence Day' and 'The Day After Tomorrow'.

Ongoing Project

2009-11-15T08:55:00.002+08:00

On my way out from Mum's Bakery yesterday morning, I couldn't resist taking a quick snapshot (using my handphone camera) on the construction of this building. I'm sure once the project is completed, there'll be some changes to the KB town landscape. A change for the better or a change for the worse? Some thoughts to ponder upon.

Never-Ending Durians

2009-11-15T08:40:00.003+08:00

This pic was taken yesterday late morning when my hubby and I were having breakfast at Awie's stall at Tudung Saji complex.

I'm not sure whether the durians shown below were obtained locally or from across the border.
Somewhere closeby, I asked one of the durians vendors where their durians originated from. He replied, from Marudi. It is a town which is a couple of hours drive from bustling Miri.

Family Football

2009-11-08T17:14:00.006+08:00

This evening, I was peering out of our bedroom window when I saw the youngsters next door preparing for their family football match. It's sort of like a routine during the weekend when the youngsters who are related to each other (cuzzies) would convene at this 'field' which is actually a plot of family land.

Boy and the rest of the youngsters are waiting for the kick-off time.

Caught them off-guard...

Demure

2009-11-04T19:14:00.002+08:00

Garfield in a relaxed mode