Khiongcentric

Brunei Sultan's 64th B'Day Parade

2010-07-17T01:45:00.004+08:00

The Sultan

Marching, marching

Fly-past

Gold statuette of HM's RR

Crown Prince's stretch RR

A prince's blue RR

Some guards that sat like this for 1hr without moving

A cute NZ baby sleeping

My new blog!

2010-05-28T16:58:00.003+08:00

Random Thoughts, Ideas & Rants (http://randomtir.blogspot.com/) I hope the name is self-explanatory

Turning 26

2010-05-06T20:39:00.005+08:00

I'm turning 26 in 3hr 14min's time. A bit upset because a fountain pen I ordered ages ago haven't turned up.

:-(

But earlier today, I went to buy something to cheer myself up.

:-)

Something for my fragrance collection ... A Versace Eau Fraiche ↓

It smells great! Really, really fresh.

♥ it!

Next to buy: L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme by Issey Miyake

Five new inks!

2010-04-13T12:47:00.003+08:00

Just received 4 bottles of ink from the post office. And that's five new inks this month.. so far. The new additions bring the total number of ink bought to 20! Eleven of them are from Diamine!

The new additions are, from left, Diamine Registrar's Ink, Diamine Imperial Purple, Diamine Damson, Diamine Poppy Red and Diamine Rustic Brown.

Boxed on the right are colour corrected -- as accurate as possible -- representation of Imperial Purple and Poppy Red. The rest of the colours are captured by the camera with no problem at all.

It's a Colourful World!

2010-03-27T10:58:00.005+08:00

I'm obsess with fountain pens. The number one reason is the colours. The pens and the inks come in so many different colours. The colour choices for ink is amazing. More than 200 different colours, each distinctive, can be easily found online.

From my different purchases, from local stores and online, I managed to collect 14 bottles of ink. Here is my ink collection so far:

My favourite ink brand, Diamine Inks from UK. I ordered from the official website. Shipping is cheap and best of all, they include free assorted cartridges that are worth almost as much as the shipping itself! I have Diamine Steel Blue, Diamine Majestic Blue, Diamine Hope Pink, Diamine Teal, Diamine Chocolate Brown and Diamine Vermillion. Diamine Registrar's Ink (blue-black) is on the way here.

Pelikan inks, all brought from local stores. It is one of the two most common brands available. The inks are crazy cheap and almost half-price compared to online prices! They average about B$2.85 (approximately US$2) each. I have Pelikan Turquoise, Pelikan Brilliant Black, Pelikan Brilliant Red, Pelikan Brilliant Green and Pelikan Royal Blue.

Lamy Black. I love this bottle. It has a roll of wipes to clean nibs after filling. I bought this with my Lamy Vista, the first fountain pen I bought... almost two years ago.

Waterman Blue Black. A highly regarded ink in the fountain pen community.

A really old Parker Quink Turquoise. I found this at an old musty stationery shop during my usual hunt for fountain pens and ink in Brunei.

For ink reviews, I encourage you go to fountainpennetwork.com and check out the review section. Here is an index of ink reviews. You'll have to log in to see most pictures.

Other than buying inks, I also mixes ink. I think I'll share some recipe soon. Stay tuned!

My New Frag: DKNY Men

2010-03-26T15:43:00.005+08:00

Bought DKNY Men two weeks ago. I love it. Smells great.

I really like the cap!

This is my sixth fragrance purchase. Check out my collection at my Fragrantica.com profile!

I've been visiting the forum way too often and I actually listed down 11 scents to try based on this youtube.com reviewer's (Tim Swetcoff) videos! This video is especially noteworthy.

I went to a perfume shop earlier today and tried out 4 fragrances based on the list*. I gotta say Tim really has good taste. None smells bad, mediocre or even good. They are all fantastic... now I got to buy Paco Rabanne 1 Million and Versace Man Eau Fraiche.

I hope this isn't turning out to be another expensive obsession! I already have fountain pens and photography to worry about!

* Here is the list:

Burberry London (tried), Versace Man Eau Fraiche (tried), Versace Dreamer, Theirry Mughler A*Men, Chanel Allure, Issey Miyake L'Eau d'Issey, Dolce & Gabana Pour Homme, Gucci Pour Homme II (tried), Christian Dior Fahrenheit, Paco Rabanne 1 Million (tried), YSL La Nuit L'Homme

Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque in the Morning

2010-03-23T02:02:00.002+08:00

Khiong's Simplified Guide to Making Kimchi

2010-03-21T23:07:00.004+08:00

I love kimchi... even before I know all those health benefits (see 1,2,3,4,5). Now that I know of the benefits, I love kimchi even more!

And now I want to share my love of kimchi and recipe. Here is a really simple way to make those yummy kimchi. (Note: I don't measure the amount of ingredients, it's all 'guestimate'. Be flexible! Follow your guts!)

You'll need:

Garlic (the more the tastier!), onion, ginger and long cabbage*. Other vegetables can also be added. Online recipes recommends leek, spring onion, carrot, raddish. No potatoes! Dice and mince the ingredients.

*cut up the long cabbage into bite size chunks and soak them in salted water for at least 2 hours.

For the flavourings:

Chilli powder or flakes (add more if possible, see the health benefits), salt, fish sauce (anchovies), honey (or sugar) and - if you got any - some kimchi sauce.

To prepare:

Mix it all in a big bowl. Use gloves since the chilli would stain and in case you got to pee afterwards.

Stuff it all in a jar/container. Press to make sure at least 3/4 are covered. Add water or kimchi sauce if necessary. Seal the jar/container. Leave it in room temperature for 48hr.

After 2 days it's done. No worries about the air bubbles. As for the smell... it should smell like garbage LOL.

Keep the kimchi in the fridge. It'll taste better as time passes. Try to finish the kimchi in 2 months. Mine lasts just 2 weeks though.

For those that hates 'guestimating' the amount of ingredients to use, check other online recipes here, here and here.

Enjoy your kimchi!

Best Movie Trailer Ever!

2010-03-09T01:35:00.004+08:00

I've always loved BriTANicK's works. The latest one, after a painfully long hiatus, is well worth the wait. It is their best work ever!

The part at the hospital ward is fantastic! I nearly ran out of breath and tears laughing my ass off!

Loving 2010

2010-03-08T14:19:00.005+08:00

The year is not even half over and I'm already loving it. It's like a year of personal renaissance. There have been several positive changes:

PHILANTROPHY

I used to donate money to charities once every few years... but it all changed since I discovered GlobalGiving.org. It is PayPal compatible and I love how it works. Apart from disaster relief like Haiti and Chile, I'm supporting this and considering this too.

Even though I'm not donating hundreds, thousands or even millions, it still felt fantastic knowing that I can help in small ways. For a cost of a fancy meal, I helped change a life somewhere.

Charity is a great way to rake up karma points.

YOGA

I started doing yoga recently and I am feeling great physically and mentally. It is such a great way to relax and I felt more cheerful too. I also realised hiking became easier too! Best of all, I've lost weight!

Tree Pose

HEALTHY EATING

It all started with kimchi (yummy!) and all those yoga just made me more food conscious. I've been making kimchi at home (recipe on next post) and started making yogurt again. I've been eating less rice, more fruits and even considered having a bowl of apples on my work desk!

Healthy snack

Eating half a watermelon as a snack would not even be on my mind just months ago... Now with the new me, it just seems right.

Chances of me turning vegetarian would still be nil though :-)

--

I wonder how the next few months would be like. I hope there'll be more positive changes.

A Dose of Cuteness: My Nephew and Niece

2010-03-02T01:22:00.002+08:00

Nephew

Niece

Chile Earthquake

2010-03-02T00:45:00.003+08:00

Yet another earthquake struck. This time it's an 8.8 at Chile.

As a self-proclaimed, small-time, n00b philanthropist, I call for donations.

Click here to donate

26 Years Of Nationhood

2010-02-23T13:18:00.011+08:00

I just attended Brunei's 26th National Celebration at the Padang (Field) in town. Here are some pictures and brief narratives.

The Sultan arrives in his Rolls Royce

Spectators when the National Anthem plays

His Majesty inspecting the guard of honour

Marching

More marching

Yet more marching

The beautiful lady in the middle is the Crown Prince's wife

Another beautful lady I spotted :-)

One of those photos I really love... the ones where the 'subject' flashes a very infectious smile

Posting a photo of guys marching so I don't appear to play favouritism when it comes to posting pictures of different genders

7,700 of the 20,000 assembled in the field

Taking oaths, swearing allegiance and stuff like that

The one and only performance in the trimmed-down-and-simplified event this year

A cute toddler... I have a soft spot for children :-)

My favourite picture of the day! Zzzzz....

The End

2010: Year of the Tiger

2010-02-14T00:52:00.002+08:00

Happy Lunar New Year!

I wish you all a year of properity, great health and happiness. Below are pictures of fireworks I took just minutes ago.

Helping Haiti

2010-01-16T15:53:00.005+08:00

Feeling charitable? Donate!

Displaced Haitians walk the streets amidst collapsed buildings and rubble in downtown Port Au Prince, Haiti (AP Photo)

Feeling apathetic? Click here and here for more pictures to stir your sympathy.

Happy New Year 2010

2010-01-01T00:49:00.004+08:00

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-24T15:10:00.002+08:00

Christmas display at Toyota car dealership

Me and my niece

Angkuku (pet name)

:-D

DeviantArt Meet 5 & Cosplay!

2009-12-22T02:09:00.010+08:00

'Cosplay? Really?' That's what I hear when I told my friends and colleagues about the Brunei DeviantArt Meet and the cosplay competition... That's not surprising since Brunei is a conservative, conformist country.

Anyway, here are the pictures. Forgive me for not identifying some of the characters (or wrongly identifying them) because I'm not a big anime and manga fan...

Group photo of some of the cosplayers... two-thirds are missing
*curse the lack of wide-angle lens*

THE SHOWDOWN: UBCS vs Cloud

Butler and a maid

Prince

Box-man dancing

Asian Spider-man?

UBCS checking in

Dragged away

Kitty and Box-man

And the beauties...

Red Riding Hood

Ragnarok's Priestess and a freaky L

School girl (could be better if she opens her eyes wider)

Snow White?

Dutch Lady and Count Someone

Last but not least, Cleavage

I had lot's of fun in the gathering. Next year, I'm definitely gonna come with a costume. I was planning to make one for this year's cosplay ... but Procrastination and Laziness murdered the idea.

Hope next year will have more people since, with my help (informing Head of Reporters in my workplace), it has big publicity...

Borneo Bulletin page 4 with my pictures (except top left)

For more pix, download here.

Decade from Hell... so CUTE!

2009-12-22T00:15:00.000+08:00

My CS Guest on Frontpage. My Picture Too!

2009-12-18T00:01:00.003+08:00

Job as newspaper sub-editor + Coucsurfing.org + interesting CSer =

A front page article of my guest (hint: clown) with my photo.

Page 7 with a continuation of the article.

Meeting Senator Windsor

2009-12-17T01:08:00.007+08:00

Senator Windsor

I love those Chinese-owned stationery shops that are 'overstuffed' and carry too many cheap, old stocks for their own good.

I went into one almost two weeks ago.

When I step in, there's the unmistakable smell of stale, musty paper products. There were boxes stacked on top of shelfs that looked too fragile to carry those extra loads. Don't sneeze or there'll be avalanche! And then there was the day's merciless heat because the owner was too stingy (typical) to turn up the air-conditioning. I half expected to see a middle-aged lady boss but instead I was greeted by a Filipino-accented "Hi".

Feeling lucky, I asked whether they stock Rotring 600 fountain pen (my target acquisition for months). I got a confused look. Guessing that she don't know what's a fountain pen, I pulled out my trusty Lamy Vista and showed her the nib. With a nod of recognition, she started pulling out fountain pens from the glass cabinet near the counter...

Anyway, there's no Rotring 600 to be found and there were several pens laid out in front of me. Most of them were cheap Parkers *yawn* but there's an interesing one. It looked like a cheap Montblanc replica....

I picked it up and saw 'Senator' branded on the cap ring . I recognise this brand! I was looking through this brand on the PenGallery website several times. Getting curious, I uncapped it to get a good look. Wow! Part of it's barrel is clear plastic. It must be a piston filler I thought... And I was right. I heard great stuff about this pen from FPN. I must have it!

Senator Windsor with IPG steel nib, M-size

I asked for the price and it turns out to be pretty cheap at B$28 (US$20). It really is a deal considering it is a piston filler and German made.

I bought it.

It wrote really well... smooth with some feedback and the ink capacity is good. It has those really classy looks and according to a friend, looks more expensive that it really is. I couldn't agree more. I won't mind purchasing a pen like this even if it costs 2-3 times more. I think I'll head back to buy 1 or 2 more... if still available.

Diamine Hope Pink - Mini Review

2009-12-02T12:19:00.002+08:00

Note: Written on Rhodia 80g paper. No feathering, no bleedthrough.

Over seven inches long!

2009-11-16T16:43:00.016+08:00

Varuna Gajendra

The long wait - 16 days in total - was over. Now I can't wipe my grin off my face hours after receiving my new pen... the Varuna Gajendra... a giant among pens. At 7.1 inches (18cm) capped and 5.7 inches uncapped, this Indian-made ebonite pen is enormous!

A giant among pens

My Lamy 2000, a full-sized pen, looks tiny beside the Varuna Gajendra. Speaking of Lamy 2000, the 'Bakul' finish of the Gajendra looks and feels similar to the 2000's Makrolon.

David and Goliath

German kid and Indian man

As can be seen, the Gajendra is a clipless model. To me it looks like a torpedo without the 'fins'... when I showed it to my mum, she commented that it looks like a *ehem* LOL. At more than seven inches long, I'm sure most men would be envious! Anyway a clipless pen isn't common for non-fp fans.

The Gajendra is an eyedropper pen that has a reported capacity of 7ml. It can be fitted with a converter... which I opted for, and was supplied a Pilot Con-70 converter.

Varuna Gajendra and Pilot Con-70 converter

The Gajendra has a screw-cap and it takes exactly 6.5 turns to unscrew... I think it is an overkill. It does not post, a good thing since it has better equilibrium without the extra weight at the back.

By default, the nibs will be Indian-made Wality nibs that are stainless steel and gold-coloured. The nib writes like a dream. It is smooth with a bit of feedback. The fine nib I ordered has similar line width as my Lamy 2000's fine nib. It writes nice and wet. There is no problem starting and I didn't detect any skipping. It would be way better if the nib is bigger to match the size of the pen.

Wality F nib and ebonite feed

Despite the pen being 'oversized', writing with it is very comfortable. I'm sure if I have a lot to write (which is unlikely), there won't be much fatigue. It is due to a) ebonite's light weight, b) the pen does not post, c) the nib is smooth and d) it is a wet writer (mileage varies according to ink used).

I think I love this pen. It marks several fp milestones for me. It is my first Indian-made pen, my first oversized pen, my first ebonite pen, my first eyedropper pen, my first handmade pen, my first screw-cap and my first gold-coloured nib.

The Varuna Gajendra can be bought here. I have no affiliation with the site... I'm just a happy customer.

A New Light Tent

2009-11-02T15:14:00.003+08:00

I just made a new light tent. This time it has interchangeable background. For now it has blue and biege background. I prefer the beige background more... maybe I'll go buy some more light colour cloths for the background.

Sample pictures:

Givenchy Pour Homme Blue Label

Lamy 2000 and my Chinese stamp

Lamy 2000 with blue background

Lamy 2000 with beige background

Two Slender Hands

2009-10-30T23:27:00.007+08:00

Since this fountain pen obsession started... I'm always on a lookout for pen holders. In a country where fountain pen users are extremely rare (no exaggeration) getting fountain pen accessories like a pen holder is tough. Currently I'm using this ceramic chopstick holders...

Anyway, when I was on my way to my hairstylist, I came across an Indonesia handicraft shop. Feeling lucky, I search for stuffs that can act as a pen holder.

And then I came upon this:

It is a great find. At B$5 each, they are a steal. Now pen reviews of my future pens (possibly many) would look better. Now I'll need to make a DIY light tent with velvet background before my Varuna Gajendra (an Indian pen from here) arrives.

I Set My Friends On Fire - Things That Rhyme With Orange

2009-10-29T02:53:00.003+08:00

I love this song! It is not the usual kind of songs/music I listen to but this song is really special. Bless Smosh (which I subscribe to) for the collaboration videos with ISMFOF. The band really opened up my 'ears' to post-hardcore music.

The song, like all ISMFOF's songs, has a really nice contrast. There are 'screamings' and rage but you have these really catchy chorus with great melody. It's so contradictory but yet matches so well... a perfect Ying-Yang.

A Treasure Trove of Creativity

2009-10-29T01:55:00.010+08:00

I was at my cousin's shop earlier today, after hiking and lunch today. It's a CD/novelties/jewellery/snack shop at Kiulap. Those in the know from Brunei would most probably know this place since the shop is one of a kind. It has a great selection of movies, chatty boss and sells unique and handmade jewellery. It was a pretty small shop years ago and it expanded 200-300 per cent to cover two floors...

I love the upper floor. On the ground floor you have a big selection of jewellery - made by my very creative cousin - but when you move up to the upper floor, it is as if you magically step into one of those quintessential European/Middle-Eastern souvenir/jewellery shop in the 'old part' of town with a huge collection and colours of all kinds and beautiful decors.

It was such an experience. It's a great place to 'soak in' the creativeness. I would say it is a treasure trove of creativity... a great place in the Kingdom of Unexpected Treasures.

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

King Tutankhamun

Maneki Neko, the Beckoning Cat

Tasteful decorations and some none jewellery artwork and handicrafts are available.

Purple jewellery

Black and white

Mixmash of colours

I like how she arranged the jewelleries in colours so you won't have to worry about matching your ear rings, necklace, bracelet etc. Sorry I didn't take more pictures... it wouldn't seem polite to 'snap away' when you are chatting.

Eagle lamp

Black and white lights

I really love the lights! Especially the 'eagle lamp'!

Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue Mini Review

2009-10-28T00:15:00.007+08:00

Pelikan's Royal Blue, and my ink collection

I bought the ink roughly 25 days ago, a day after the Turquoise (same dirt-cheap price). I didn't try it until now.

Here is what it looks like compared to my other blue inks:

Adjusted colours... as close as the real deal (on my computer screen)

The Royal Blue is pretty much sedated and possibly a bit boring. It is not saturated, though dark enough for easy reading. It has decent shading. On Rhodia paper, there is no bleedthrough and no feathering. On cheap copier paper, or the typical paper, there are significant feathering but no bleedthrough... although it is pretty close. On index card (pic above), there is no feathering and no bleedthrough.

Illustration purpose only, Colours not adjusted

Verdict: *yawn* Would only use it for ink mixing.

A Beautiful Morning In BSB

2009-10-26T05:08:00.005+08:00

Picture taken right after the sunrise in the earlier post. This picture is one of my best... so far. It was minimally processed with HDR technique using Photomatix Basic, and some tweaking was done in Picasa 3.

Hiking in Total Darkness

2009-10-24T08:23:00.004+08:00

Earlier today, I hiked alone at Tasek Lama hill armed with a torchlight and carrying heavy camera equipments. It was pitch black, freaking cold and really creepy with weird shadows and unknown sounds. To make things worse, there's a cemetery inside the Tasek Lama Recreational Park!

I didn't dare shine my torch light too far away... hoping I won't see anything not meant for human eyes. Why did I risk exhaustion, perverts preying on joggers, haunting and demonic possesions?

It's for you my dear readers...

Behold!

...Actually it was meant for this One Click One Pick Project. It turns out the exact time is 6am local time and is during sunrise.

I don't think I'll do any crazy stuff like this in the foreseeable future. The climb was exhausting especially when I had to rush up to set up the shoot carrying a heavy DSLR and a tripod... and I'm not totally fit!

Good thing the picture is presentable.

Montegrappa NeroUno: 1st Italian for me?

2009-10-23T22:41:00.007+08:00

Montegrappa NeroUno

Look at the nib! *drool* I think I have a thing for black pens with unique yet understated elegance. This fountain pen will take months of savings to afford... unlike the Lamy 2000, that I bought on a whim. There is no regrets for the L2K though... it has issues but I'm loving the pen no less.

I think I'll have to tweak my travel plans for next year to accomodate the NeroUno!

Angkuku and Bibi

2009-10-03T15:46:00.002+08:00

Photogenic

Run!

Hehe

Uuh... what's that?

Omar Ali Saifuddien Timelapse

2009-10-03T01:22:00.003+08:00

A new video for my YouTube channel.

Featuring my favourite poem:

W. H. Davies - Leisure

WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—

No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

Think this poem explains my relaxed, unhurried disposition!

Pelikan Turquoise

2009-10-02T16:14:00.004+08:00

Just bought a new ink, a Pelikan Turquoise (62.5ml), my 5th bottled ink of a growing collection. I bought this without a thought when I saw it at a stationery shop. Why? Because it is so d*mn cheap! It's B$2.95 (US$2.08)!

By comparison, PenGallery in Malaysia sells it at US$4.50, Pendemonium sells it at $7.90 and Swishers Pens sells it at US$6.32 after discount. For a smaller 30ml bottle, Fountain Pen Hospital sells it at US$5.50 and The Writing Desk, a popular place for ink, sells it at £3.20 (US$5.09).

This is my second Pelikan ink and if I'm not wrong, the first ink (Pelikan Brilliant Black) is also just as cheap as this one. I think I'll be spending more time in stationery shops and department stores surveying the prices of inks.

By the way, the Pelikan Turquoise is a lovely ink . It is a light, vibrant blue with a hint of green. Good flow. The shading is really good. It dries pretty fast too.

Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque's Main Dome

2009-09-24T19:06:00.002+08:00

This photo, before editing, has been neglected in my computer for a long time. Since I just joined the 'Mosques and Minarets' group in Flickr, I decided to do minor adjustments and upload it. It turns out to be very good! *pat myself in the back* Enjoy!

Colourful Raya At The Water Village

2009-09-21T22:19:00.007+08:00

It is the first day of Raya, a month-long celebration where Muslims visit their friends and relatives seeking forgiveness of the wrongs they did. In the visits, visitors will be treated with cakes and cookies of all kinds... A great time for those with sweet tooth. It is also the time of the year they'll put on their new colourful traditional clothes. Very often, a family will 'colour-coordinate' and wear similar colours or use identical materials.

Boatman's jacket matches the outboard engine!

Mr and Mrs Black's children

Gold

Cute overload!

Where shall we go next?

Purple family

Blue family visiting the purple family

March of the Blues

Eek! Shy lah!

*wave*

Guy in pink and baseball cap

Lovely pink dress

Brown family on the go

Lending a supportive hand

Lamy 2000 ♥♥♥

2009-09-18T16:01:00.004+08:00

Earlier today FedEx delivered another Lamy 2000 to me. It is the replacement from PenGallery for my earlier one that cracked for reasons unknown.

PenGallery was kind enough to replace the pen that cracked in its 12th day of use. No questions was asked and they sent one immediately after receiving the faulty one... for free. Lamy in Germany also offered a free replacement but I decided to send it to Malaysia since it'll be way cheaper.

Lamy 2000 and its packaging

I love this new one that was sent to me.... more than the first one. This new one writes finer than the previous one. The old one, supposedly F nib, writes as wide as my Lamy Vista's M nib. Although the new one writes finer, it is still buttery smooth.

More pictures and some comments:

Lamy 2000's nib (F)

Lamy 2000 features a hooded nib that is not showy like most fountain pens. The nib is made of 14K gold and plated with platinum. It is a great deal at US$89 plus shipping. You won't be able to find gold nib pens at such a price. In fact, you'll be getting stainless steel nibs at this price level for most, if not all other pen companies.

Lamy 2000's cap

When capped, the only shiny part of the pen is the clip on the cap. The clip is actually spring loaded and underneath it, if you look closely, you'll see Germany engraved in it. One thing I really love about Lamy 2000 is that when capping it, you'll hear a really nice 'click'. It's real ly firm when capped.

Lamy 2000

I love the pen. It is meticulously designed the Bauhaus 'form follows function', minimalistic way. The barrel is consisted of three parts that can be unscrewed. When you run your finger from one end to another, you'll feel no bumps, grooves and what not. The material, although plastic (Makrolon), feels and looks like blackened wood... classy. The pen is piston filled, meaning than cartridges and converters are no go. It only accepts bottled ink. One advantage of this is that it holds more ink that those cartridge/converter types. It is suppose to be tough, as this experiment shows, but maybe it was just my luck that I got one that cracked. Anyway, I prefer the new one... maybe it is a good thing that the old one cracked! If I have to pay for repair or buy a new one, I'll not hesitate. It is a great pen I have grown to love.

BUT there is this bit of problem... occassionally it refuse to 'start' and it'll take one or two second of waiting to start writing. Hopefully like the old pen, it'll go without a hitch after two-three days of writing...

Lamy 2000, Lamy Vista comparison

Lamy 2000 is smaller than Lamy Vista, which is similar to Lamy Al-Star, Lamy Joy and the very popular student pen -- Lamy Safari.

Lamy 2000 is certainly a great pen befitting its status as Lamy's flagship pen and as a cult pen among fountain pen enthusiasts. I'll definitely recommend this pen and you should get it from PenGallery... not only is it cheaper, they have great customer service. Lamy in Germany also provides customer services that are legendary.

Niece and nephew

2009-09-11T05:22:00.003+08:00

Kiss

What you looking at?

Children of Kampong Ayer

2009-09-10T19:51:00.015+08:00

I was in my favourite part of town... the Water Village. I took some pictures of children I came across. Here are the pictures:

Four children at play

Look!

'Shy'

Toothy grin

Brother and sister

The picture below is technically of children but you gotta love the smile and colours:

Jackets on a hot sunny day

My Nephew

2009-09-09T02:25:00.002+08:00

Here's my nephew, a small little fellow. Loves to sleep. Born Aug 31... on Malaysia's Independence Day.

Diamine Majestic Blue

2009-09-08T12:46:00.006+08:00

I just collected my new ink from the post office. It's the Diamine Majestic Blue. Review here <-- this is the main reason I bought it hehe. It writes smooth and buttery. It is a blue I really love... dark, saturated and a bit 'glittery-ish'. Sadly I don't get to test it on my new Lamy 2000, since it cracked last night... So my 'workhorse' pen now is the Lamy Vista I had for quite a while. I just hope I get to hear from either pengallery.com or Lamy soon.
Although a bit pricier than those that can be found in the department stores here in Brunei , Diamine Ink carries an amazing array of ink... around 60 of them. They can be purchased direct from Diamine Ink. It take 12 days to arrive here in Brunei from UK. Sizes are 30ml, 80ml and cartridges (international). When I bought the ink (80ml), it comes with a pack of free cartridges (18) with 10 colours. It's quite a deal... but Lamy only accepts proprietory cartridges :(

This is the 4th ink so far... I have Parker Quink Blue Black, Lamy Black, Pelikan Brilliant Black and Diamine Majestic Blue. I'll love to try Noodler's... maybe that's next hehe.

Oh Shit!

2009-09-08T00:54:00.005+08:00

It's my twelve day of owning this pen and I discovered this crack! (click pic for full size pic) I discovered it while flushing the pen with water to prepare for trying a new Diamine Majestic Blue ink I'm going to collect tomorrow. I'm disappointed there's a crack on this 'flagship' Lamy while my Safari and Vista (both WAY cheaper and used WAY, WAY longer) is doing great with no problem.

I just emailed pengallery.com, the place I bought it from and I hope I get to hear from them soon. (I received an e-mail the very next day from PenGallery, they offered to send me a new pen once I mail back the faulty one. No question asked and no mention of any extra charge. That's great service.)

Navy 3-Button Blazer

2009-09-07T14:19:00.002+08:00

I just collected my navy 3-button blazer with pewter-esque buttons. It is my first bespoke jacket since the navy blazer has been recommended by men's style and fashion forums and websites like Askmen.com over and over again for its 'investment' value. It is versatile, goes well with different colours and materials. A tie and white shirt will make it dressy, while a t-shirt and jeans will make it casual. With a sweater vest, it acts as an overcoat blah, blah...

About my blazer, its bespoke, single breasted, made with super-150 wool, maroon lining, full-canvassed, with surgeon cuff, notch lapel and by request, with a pen pocket for my trusty fountain pens.

Pictures? Maybe later hehe. The tailor? The shop in Yayasan Complex

I ♥ my Lamy 2000!

2009-08-28T16:52:00.007+08:00

I just got my Lamy 2000 this morning, delivered by FedEx. Love it! It looks great and most importantly just as good as reviewed in this popular forum. I especially like the 'click' when capping... This is my third fountain pen, all from Lamy. I'll have to get used to writing with this one since my other two pens (Safari and Vista) have similar designs.

I bought the pen here at a very good price, US$100 including shipping.

The pen has a cult status and believe it or not, it is a 1966 design and still in production. Now, that's timeless Bauhaus design! Also known as L2K, this pen is said to be the flagship pen of the German company.

The next pen to buy--> Pilot Vanishing Point! But it'll be end-of-next-year's purchase since I'm not doing any more unnecessary shopping to save for an Europe trip next year. (Oct13, 2010 edit: Change of plans. The VP turns out to be a small pen and now I'm drooling over Montegrappa NeroUno)

Online Shopping

2009-08-11T13:09:00.004+08:00

Living in Brunei is pretty good... no income tax, subsidised or free this-and-that, summer all year round, no big-or-medium-scale disasters. What sucks is shopping.

I was gonna shop for a man-bag and sad to say the concept is still new to Brunei and to some conservatives... it is 'unimaginable' LOL. As expected, none can be found. Even border hopping to Malaysia is no good.

So I went online to search for the bags and found lot's of choices. Most of them looks great too. This got me drooling for a while but when I check international shipping options... Brunei are not listed! In this age of internet and connectivity why can't people shop like the Americans . All online stores ship to US! What's frustrating is that some lists most of the countries of South East Asia and misses out Brunei even though we are right in the middle of it!

And so I trawled the internet, try hundreds of Google search terms and finally found this website -- at last!

YesStyle.com carries a huge collection of East Asian clothes and accesories. Best of all, man's bag has 500++ choices!

I bought this, and it arrived sooner than expected. I love the bag!

Now the flood gate is opened... I have two other bags bookmarked for next pay day! How I wish I have the body to wear those clothes.

More online shops should offer comprehensive international shipping like YesStyle! Ship to Brunei. We maybe a small market but we have big purchasing power. We still shop like crazy in this economy.

Oh yeah... now I'm shopping for money-clip (an unknown in Brunei). An ideas where I could get one online... that ships to Brunei?

Kuching Trip 2009: Sights of Cat City

2009-07-18T21:21:00.024+08:00

[WARNING: LOT'S OF PICTURES]

Kuching is the capital of the Malaysian state of Sarawak,. It is popularly known as the Cat City. Why Cat City? That's because in Malay language, 'kucing' is cat and Kuching sounds identical.

For a Cat City, cat statues can be seen in many places. Picture above is the well-known giant white cat at the entrance of Pandungan, the gateway to the city centre and Chinatown.

Cat statues at the newer part of the city.

Kuching is a huge city spread over a large area. In fact, it has two city halls. Above is the South City Hall.

The North City Hall, with a Cat Museum inside it.

Kuching boasts a mix of old and new. Above is a view of the older part of town. It has an amazing array of antique and art stores specialising in tribal collections.

The city has modern highrises and the beautiful skyline is best seen from the other side of the river. Boat rides to the opposite bank is 50 sen only.

Part of the waterfront, the heart of the sprawling city.

The waterfront has some interesting sculptures. Cats, of course, are included.

There is even an ancient pavilion. It was relocated from China.

From the waterfront, the palace can be seen. It was the residence of the White Rajahs, englishmen that won control of Sarawak and carved up Brunei.

Alongside the palace is the new legislative building that is due to open at the end of this month. It looks interesting but I think it spoils the view... it is a scar on the face of historical Kuching. It is positioned right in between two historical buildings, the palace and Fort Magarita.

This is Fort Margarita, built on a hill overlooking the Sarawak River.

The fort is strategically located to provide the last defence of the palace from invaders coming from the sea. From what I read onsite, the cannons were never used for defence.

The spiral staircase that leads to the upper floors and the roof. If you are visiting, be careful of you head when you reach the roof... I had a nasty bump there.

Back to the other side of the river, this is the old court complex with a clock tower. Now it houses a tourist information centre. I got my RWMF tickets here.

The courtyard of the old court complex.

Behind the court is the entrance of one of the Chinatown area... yep, there are more than one Chinatown!

The new DUN complex from one of the narrow streets of Chinatown.

An old colonial building that houses the post office.

The main mosque in the city centre at the Indian-Malay part of the city.

India Street pedestrian mall.

India Street has some interesting buildings.

Another one of those buildings. Anyway, India Streets isn't totally Indian after all... I saw many Chinese shops! The two buildings above have distinctively Chinese designs.

One thing I love about India Street are the smell of the spices. It would be way better if they pile up the spices into hills and have an Indian woman with sari selling them... instead of locals.

The old fire station... the best place to get Ais Kacang, great dessert after the long walks on a sunny day.

Also within the city centre is a huge collection of museums. The city has museums such as Chinese History Museum, Textile Museum, Islamic Museum, Police Museum. Above is the main and most popular museum... Muzium Sarawak.

On the right is the art gallery and on the left is the Natural History Museum.

This beautiful totem-pole-like sculpture is a coffin. Holes are dug in the middle for bodies or urns holding the deceased.

Behind Muzium Sarawak is an aquarium showcasing fishes and reptiles. There is also a park/cemetery with a monument commemorating the heroes that fought for independence.

Walking across the streets using a pedestrian bridge is the Tun Abdul Razak Exhibition Hall. The highlights would be the sculptures beside it. Not sure what the structure above is but if I am to speculate, I'll say its a coffin.

This is the coffin built by a powerful chief to hold the remains of his daughter. Inside too is his nephew.

This is a replica of a curious scuplture found at Santubong, according to a plaque placed near it. It is a boy/man spread-eagle and facing down, why? The archeologists don't know. It's a weird posture... no?

Being a heavily Chinese-influenced city, itKuching has several Chinese temples. Above is the Tua Pek Kong.

Red lanterns with blessings or wishes hanging from it.

A dragon on the incense urn.

A colourful dragon, among many, on the walls of the temple.

These dragons are from another popular temple called Hong San, according to Lonely Planet.

Phoenix on the roof of the temple.

Chinese calligraphy on the pillars.

Beautiful golden phoenixes on the ceiling.

More phoenixes.

Outside of city centre but still within Kuching is the Friendship Park commemorating Malaysia-China partnership and such. The ornate arch is a great reproduction... an amazingly beautiful. It is just as beautiful as the ones I see in Kunming, China.

Cheng Ho AKA Zheng He, the great Chinese admiral that sailed the seven seas establishing trade and awed civilisations with the greatest navy ever built. He went to Africa, some even argue that he reached the 'New World' before Columbus.

A beautiful pavilion beside a pond.

Another beautiful pavilion in a garden setting.

To conclude this lenghty, picture-intensive article...yet another cat scuplture.

Kuching Trip 2009: RWMF

2009-07-15T10:51:00.009+08:00

Went to the Rainforest World Music Festival... it's fantastic! Three days of music, food, dance and lot's of sweat... Here are some of the 1000++ pictures I had taken.

There were 17 bands playing over three nights from 7pm to 1am.

ZAWOSE FAMILY from Tanzania, arguably the most popular band of the festival.

Great rhythm, great voice and utterly mesmerising.

AKASHA from Malaysia, the second most popular band. They specialise in Indian music.

Sitar... I love the sound of sitar.

NOREUMMACHI from Korea. Quite a sight to watch.

INTI ILLIMANI from Chile. They boast a wide array of instruments... and each member plays several instruments.

ST. NICHOLAS ORCHESTRA from Poland. They play great gypsy-ish music.

DAZKARIEH from Portugal. Rock-infused music with custom designed instruments.

Rocking the festival.

MOANA & THE TRIBE from New Zealand. I really love their songs...

and the Haka.

Guitarist of the NZ band.

A member of OUDADEN from Morocco. A very lively band.

And now the shots of the audience:

Moi.

Some lovely girls beside me. Yep, I was right in front.

Music knows no boundary. This "aunty" definitely love the musics, she looks like she is on the verge of tears.

One of my favourite shot. He props up his long hair with "satay" sticks. What I really love is the look on his face... so "zen".

And the shots of the "sideshows" before the concerts start:

There were workshops in three venues for three days by the visiting performers. They will introduce their instruments, dance, musical styles etc.

Another workshop.

An Ulu warrior using a blowpipe.

Capoeira dance and lessons.

Playing Malaysian wind instruments.

A solo Sape performance, and joined by two dancing employees.

Overall, the festival is lovely and definitely a must-go. Hope I will attend more in the future.

Can't wait for RWMF 2009

2009-07-03T02:32:00.002+08:00

So excited! Am heading to Kuching in 4 day's time for the Rainforest World Music Festival starting in a week's time. It'll be my first music festival ever! Who knows this might just happen...Stay tune for more pictures when I come back!

To Water Village and monkey 'hunting'

2009-06-24T23:25:00.005+08:00

It's travel season... so far I've had four couchsurfers, not bad considering this is Brunei we're talking about here. Showed a couchsurfer from Czech Republic around, and took some pictures when we were at the Water Village and on a trip to find Proboscis monkey.

A view from the Water Village

Boys swimming in the river at the village

The boatman that took us to find monkeys

Mangroves, the domain of the monkeys

Getting there, we passed through the palace

A legendary island on Brunei River

Couchsurfer from Czech Republic looking for monkeys

Inside the mangrove

Nope, no pictures of monkeys... we saw them but pictures are tough to get. You'll have to wait till I get a 70-200mm (or 100-400mm) lens before I can get a decent picture of the monkeys.

Went to Seri Kenangan Beach

2009-06-23T01:39:00.003+08:00

Hey, its been almost a month since I last post an entry...

Went to the beach to do a time-lapse video for a project...

Moi

Judith

Hope I'll get the time-lapse video done soon.

Art & Handicraft Centre

2009-05-26T23:50:00.002+08:00

Went there earlier today. Situated next to the river and Water Village, it has handicrafts for sale such as silverware, brassware, souvenirs, handcrafted woodworks and their signature product: Hand-woven textile made with silver and/or gold thread. It is also a training centre for handicrafts making.

Anyway, we went there primarily for lunch at the new restaurant called d'Tarindak or something like that.

Didn't take any pictures inside, too busy stuffing ourselves with food from the buffet lines. The desserts are amazing. Best of all, the food has the quality and choice of restaurants that would charge almost twice as much. It's B$15 (US$10) only!

Took this picture when I saw this beautiful lights. Retro globe lights!

Turned 25

2009-05-07T23:13:00.004+08:00

It's my birthday today! I'm a quarter of a century old and growing older.

Although we didn't plan any big birthday bash, it's still a great day.

First, there was a small get together for some of my closest friends... yeah I'm a ladies' man. LOL

It is a great day for an avid foodie. I had enjoyed my two favourite cuisines (Japanese and Italian --> buffet style) on the same day, ate great stuffs from Belgian chocolate (thanks! Serena) to Oreo Chocolate Cheesecake (below)... argh, feeling bloated.

In the afternoon, I had a deeply spiritual experience... I went to the Currency Gallery. Money... that's one thing I worship. LOL

That's the lobby area at the Ministry of Finance.

Behind me is the Currency Board Building. Apparently, its a restricted area (see sign on the right) since it is where they print the bank notes and mint coins. Ironically, the gallery is in the same building.

In the evening, I went to watch Star Trek at the cinema... That's a great movie. Two thumbs up! The best movie I've watched since The Dark Knight!

Saw a funny thing too. LOL

It's not like her ass crack is showing. I had even seen more racy stuff in the conservative local press!

LIVE LONG & PROSPER!

An Interesting Day

2009-05-07T00:57:00.007+08:00

Yesterday was quite a day. I grabbed breasts and testicles, gawked at vaginas and penises... oh no, I'm not an indiscriminate, perverted molester... I just went to the Health Promotion Centre.

There, Judith and I gained 10kg, became elderly for 20 seconds. We rowed down Brunei River, played basketball, of which we suck badly... HEHE.

And in keeping with the current trend, we tried on...

Face masks!

Caption: God damn Swine Flu!

There are also massage chairs used to promote relaxation. It was like a spa... with the flowing water, soft music, wallpapers and projection of relaxing scenes of rainforest.

There is a dental health area too. There's Judith being brushed by a giant tooth brush... it even comes with a sound effect.

And there's the horrifying chair designed for torture! The dentist's chair.

Argghh...

1st anniversary

2009-05-03T01:02:00.001+08:00

Hey all, it's May 3! I've had my trusty Canon EOS 40D for one year. I bought it as my birthday + graduation present. And my 25th birthday is coming soon... it's on May 7.

Hiking at Subok Recreational Park

2009-04-30T22:55:00.003+08:00

Went hiking there for the first time. Heard the view there is great.

Can see part of the town, SOAS Mosque and the water village.

Can even see the palace, at the left, with the gold dome.

Can also see the newest part of the water village, which looks like barracks...

That's me at one of the two hanging bridges. Really had fun jumping on them.

My hiking partner, Judith.

Went to the Water Village (again)

2009-04-20T23:38:00.003+08:00

Went to the Water Village again. This time it's with Judith and a couchsurfer from Australia. Took some pictures... wanna share some.

This is taken from a varendah. In the middle is the iconic Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, framing it is the Yayasan Complex, which is framed by the orchids and other flowers. Oh yeah, its a HDR pic too.

A water taxi at the water village. It has a cool see-through outboard engine.

Houses in the water village.

Red flowers and a mosque behind it.

A collection of orchids.

Voice of an angel

2009-04-18T18:26:00.004+08:00

Was watching the Susan Boyle video on YouTube. She's a sensation... but it was one of the Related Videos on the right that I heard the voice of an angel. It carries a powerful message too...

Sadly, a beautiful voice like that won't last long... damn puberty!

Happy Easter & Angkuku at the Polo Club

2009-04-12T22:23:00.004+08:00

Happy Easter! Went to the Polo Club today... and Angkuku had a lot of fun.

Forgive me for the bad photo quality. It was taken with my Nokia 6300, instead of the usual Canon EOS 40D. As can be noticed, Angkuku is actually wearing her PJ and walking on her bare feet... hehe. Going there was totally unplanned and I'm actually wearing what I wore to bed!

Fugu and Bah Kut Teh

2009-04-11T14:55:00.002+08:00

Specialties of Sabah... something poisonous, something breathtaking.

Look! Puffer fish! The one she's working on is huge and she is removing the spines with pliers. If I'm not wrong, 'Ikan Buntal' is a specialty of the Bajau (Sea Gypsy) in Sabah. I wonder what it taste like... a meal to die for maybe.

And here is Bah Kut Teh, most popular of Kota Kinabalu's countless famous, delicious food. There's a bowl of spareribs, a bowl of lean meat, a bowl of innards, a plate of tofu, a plate of "cakoi" and one each of fragrant, herbalicious soup. In most place, I know of and ate before, they just throw everything into a claypot... except the "cakoi". One word to describe this Bah Kut Teh... ... ... I'm out of word hehe. Try it and you'll know.

Trip to Kota Kinabalu, Part 3

2009-03-10T14:58:00.006+08:00

Went island-hoping in KK. Lot's of fun, came back to Brunei with a tan... even though I'm not wanting one. Thanks to the sunscreen, no sunburn though.

On the way to Manukan Island.

In Sapi Island.

Clear blue water, clean beaches. How I wish Brunei's beaches are like that.

Great beaches... but few tourists. Terrible global economy.

Rocks, islands and South China Sea.

Tourists from China... friendly people. Wanted to come to Brunei, but visas are tough to get.

Beach football, big ass and abs.

Going scuba diving.

Clear water, colourful fishes.

Feeding fish at Sapi Island's jetty.

Coconut drink. Beautifully cut but tasteless... 3 sachets of sugar used.

Bombs!

A guy fishing near Gaya Island's water village.

Wild boar in Sapi Island.

Monitor lizard, tissue in Manukan Island.

Trip to Kota Kinabalu, Part 2

2009-02-14T00:31:00.007+08:00

Not only does Kota Kinabalu (KK) has great sunset as seen the previous day, the city also has fantastic sunrise.

However, KK is very famous for great food.

For lunch, we had two of the most popular Hakka dishes, pork leg (top) and yam with pork (bottom). The Hakkas, abundant in Sabah, have some of the best Chinese dishes along with the Cantonese.

But perhaps the most popular KK food would be Bak Kut Teh (left). A Hokkien dish I assume.

KK is a foodie paradise with lot's of food stall all around town starting in the evening lasting all the way till night time.

We also managed to come across great cakes. At RM6 each, it is very cheap... especially since these are from Le Meridien. In fact it is such a steal, we went back again the next day. In comparison, a cake at Starbucks is over RM10.

KK is essentially a harbour city with a long waterfront, plenty of beaches and islands just minutes away by boat.

Local residents can be seen fishing in the day.

Even saw a guy spearing for fish.

The waterfront area is a great place to just sit and relax.

Or have a coconut. Oh yeah, that coconut is the first of four consumed during the trip.

The waterfront area also has a handicraft centre selling handicrafts and souvenirs.

Stay tuned for more.

Trip to KK, Part 1

2009-02-13T14:03:00.005+08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. The weather in Brunei has been and is still terrible. It's all gloomy making pictures boring with all white sky...

Recently I just went to Kota Kinabalu (KK), the capital of the state of Sabah. Even though is is on the same island as Brunei and Sarawak, both terribly hit by floods and lanslides, the weather in KK is fantastic!

At first we were planning to go to Kuching, Sarawak by car. But there were floodings and roads being cut so we decided to go to KK instead. However, going there by car is also impossible.... as the custom officers at the border was signalling waist-deep flood and turning us away.

And so we went by boats to KK. First, we took a 1-hour boat trip to Labuan Island. Then 15 minutes later, hop on to a boat for a 3-hour trip to KK.

This is the boat we took to Labuan.

This is onboard the second boat to KK. Didn't take any pictures of the boat since we were running late. It is kind of interesting seeing the attendants moving carts selling food and drinks... inspired by airlines no doubt.

The trip was terrible. At first when we entered, the boat smells like stale-BO. At the end of the trip, it smells like vomit factory.... and my mother perhaps contributed the most.

But upon arrival, there is a sign of great times ahead... a fantastic sunset! And the trip was fantastic indeed.

This is the entry point to KK by boats... the Jesselton Point. This is also the same place to buy tickets and board boats to the islands nearby for island-hopping, sun-worshipping, snorkelling and scuba diving.

It is a place for food too.

Anyway, we took a taxi to 1Borneo, the first and largest lifestyle mall on the island.

Tune Hotels at 1Borneo is where we stayed for the lenght of the trip. The hotel is reasonable at a low price. Details here. There are three other hotels in the mall.

We spent the whole night exploring the mall looking for food options, which are pretty extensive. It would be great if there is a Nando's. Anyway, I really like the mall. It is the size of Kuala Lumpur's malls without the crowd. And there is this interesting place called 'Chinatown', part art-gallery part shop without annoying shop attendants following you around.

1Borneo also provide free shuttle service to Warisan Plaza in town for tourists and hotel guests. For shopaholics, they could just stay inside the mall for days without getting bored. I am no shopper but I can really tell you it is a shopping paradise, all under one roof. For those that hate shopping but got dragged for shopping, just head to the various food options available.

Stay-tuned for more.

Waltz of Mahjong

2009-01-27T17:27:00.002+08:00

Description: Time lapse video of *unnamed* ppl playing mahjong at *undisclosed location*

Happy Moo Year!

2009-01-26T00:28:00.003+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year! May the Year of the Ox bring good tidings!

Here are selected photos of fireworks I took on Chinese New Year's Eve.

That's me!

The fireworks started from nightfall and didn't stop until well past midnight.

The photos are much better compared to 2009 New Year's.

One of my favourite shots.

Then come midnight...

The best shot by far... fireworks from four locations.

44th President of United States

2009-01-19T23:56:00.002+08:00

Finally, someone with a brain is taking over the Oval Office in the White House. This is the official potrait of President Obama.

May he rule well and guide USA away from eight years of decline.

My first time-lapse video!

2009-01-18T00:56:00.002+08:00

What you think? More coming soon...

Oh yeah, apart from taking these pictures, today is also the first time I tried eating rabbit meat. I'm not sure if it taste like chicken (because satay are heavily spiced and flavoured) but I don't like it... the meat is really tough.

Coming soon...

2009-01-06T04:16:00.001+08:00

Angkuku turns 2

2009-01-03T13:46:00.003+08:00

My niece turned 2 recently on Dec 30. We went to all-you-can-eat pizza and pasta buffet at Capers to celebrate her birthday.

Me and Angkuku (AKA Diana).

From left: Me mum, me sister, Angkuku the birthday girl, me brother in law and last but not least, MOI.

Time to blow candle.

A New Year, A New Image '09

2009-01-03T03:07:00.007+08:00

Here are my new logos for the year.

Something catchy yet simple. There are several variations for different uses.For the blog-o-sphere, most notably Entrecard.

For videos, especially Youtube. Speaking of which, I just bought TC-80N3 timer remote control and waiting for the delivery. I'll be making time-lapse video with my 40D!

For large printable photos on DeviantArt and Flickr, both of which I rarely post anything new. Hehe

For everything else, who knows... background for Friendster or whatever.

Happy New Year, 2009 (Part 2)

2009-01-01T00:39:00.004+08:00

Happy New Year! May 2009 be a great year! May the analysts be proven wrong about 2009 going to be worse than 2008.

Here are some photos:

Light graffiti... though my '2' and '9' need more works LOL.

Photos below are fireworks by my neighbour down the road (I live on a hill slope). Oh yeah these are my first fireworks pictures! I only got my tripod recently.

There are a lot more fireworks around my house but the street-lights in Brunei are much too tall (and bright) hehe.

Happy New Year, 2009

2008-12-31T23:00:00.005+08:00

Note: This is a pic from a newswire. How I wish I was there to witness Sydney, Australia's spectacular fireworks

Short Vacation - Lambir National Park, Sarawak

2008-12-27T12:16:00.005+08:00

This is the last of the 'short vacation' series. After visiting Niah Caves and Rumah Chang -- both at Niah National Park -- we visited Lambir National Park for the waterfalls.

This is the first waterfall we came across.

Another picture of it.

This is the second waterfall.

It has a pool for swimming. And there are lot's of people that day. It's a holiday... Eid Al Adha.

And of course, I joined them... but first I've to change. I used a 'sarong' like the natives. (Note: there's a foot behind me. I didn't photoshopped anyone out of the picture... its just that I 'over-shadowed' my aunty LOL)

There are more waterfalls in the national park but we didn't go see the rest...

Here are some other pictures taken...

A very beautiful wild orchid.

Light trails from were we stayed at Miri town. (Out of place in the post... but who cares. LOL)

Merry Christmas '08

2008-12-25T00:52:00.003+08:00

Short Vacation - Rumah Chang, Sarawak

2008-12-21T23:42:00.009+08:00

After visiting the caves (see last post), we went to a local village in the area. It is not far from the caves. We just turned right at the stalls selling drinks and souvenirs.
After a 15-20 minutes walk on wooden pathway, there's this village alongside a river.
The houses look dilapidated... why would we visit the village?
This is the main attraction. Longhouses that can only be found in the island of Borneo. These longhouses have more than 30 families each.
They may look like terrace houses, but they each have a communal living room.
Residents sit outside enjoying the light breeze after their bath in the evening...

Speaking of bath, they bathe on the river!
They sure aren't shy.
They certainly are used to tourists snapping pictures of them when they take a bath.
Where else can you pose for pictures with people taking a bath at the back.

Over here (Brunei), not far away, they would have screamed bloody murder, smash the camera or hunt you down. LOL
Here are some more pictures of the inhabitants...

Short Vacation - Niah Caves, Niah National Park, Sarawak

2008-12-16T02:47:00.007+08:00

Finally I processed some of the pictures... as promised, here are some from the visit to Niah Caves in a short three-day vacation.
Group photo at the national park HQ. There were five of us. Entrance fee are 10 ringgit per adult.
To get to the caves... we first have to cross a small river. It's one ringgit per person.
This board shows the distance to the caves and a local village. It's approximately 8.2km worth of walking to see all the caves.
A fallen tree.
A lot of walking are done on these wooden walkways. And there are not much climbing... until the caves.
Once you see these rocks -- which used to be coral -- you are half way there... more or less.
At the foot of the mountain are stalls selling drinks at three ringgit each -- expensive but certainly worth it -- and souvenirs. This is also where there is a path to a local village with longhouses.
This is the Traders Cave... the first of several caves.
See the wooden framework at the end? That was where traders used to sell stuff... among them bird's nest -- a Chinese delicacy -- which are still being harvested in the present day.
This is the Great Cave. It is gigantic. From here onwards are most of the climbing being done... and visitors should bring torch lights.

Further in is the Padang Area where you get to see the locals climbing bamboo poles several storeys high to harvest bird's nest.
This is the Painted Cave.
Took this while resting and exhausted...
The paintings are barely there and too far away from the fencing to see clearly. They provided pictures though but seeing the real thing would be more satisfactory.
These are the boat-like coffin found along with the paintings.
The Great Cave, again. Took this while heading back.

We went to the village after visiting the caves. Next post will be on the visit to the village.

Full Moon, Dec 12

2008-12-12T21:25:00.003+08:00

Very bright moon tonight... according to BBC,

"It was a little over 350,000km away as it passed over the northern hemisphere, about 30,000km closer than usual."

3-Day Holiday

2008-12-09T23:00:00.004+08:00

Hi all,

It's been awhile since I updated the blog... had been taking pictures but too lazy to process them.

I just came back from a short trip to Sarawak, Malaysia to visit Niah National Park and Lambir National Park. Next few posts will be about the visits!

Here's a preview!

Click for bigger picture. Oh yeah, love Picasa 3's collage making, text adding features... lovely!

The Head is Here

2008-12-02T23:29:00.003+08:00

Yay! At last the head is here.At last I have a complete tripod.

Now I just have to drag my fat ass out of the couch or computer chair to take some pictures.

Next purchase... TC-80N3 Remote Control.

Smile in the Sky

2008-12-01T19:58:00.002+08:00

There's a smile over the night sky here in Brunei. It can be seen in Australia too according to this report. Nice.

Moon + Venus + Jupiter = : )

Wonder if it is a good omen? It's World AIDS Day... maybe there's a cure hehe...

Hope I can get a pic! It's a bit cloudy...

World AIDS Day 2008

2008-12-01T13:11:00.002+08:00

Ye Olde Camera

2008-11-30T00:55:00.003+08:00

Was going through the store looking for USD extension and found this...

Yashica Electro 35 GSN

Bought by my parents at $300 for their honeymoon in the Philippines way, way back in 1978.

The amazing thing is it still works!

Just Bought A Tripod

2008-11-26T23:05:00.003+08:00

So excited! I just bought a tripod by Manfrotto from Hua Ho Dept Store at Yayasan Complex. Can't wait to try it out...

Now waiting for the head from QQeStore.com... might take up to a week though. And then there'll be lot's of long-exposure pictures... which I really love!

Gloomy Monday

2008-11-24T15:35:00.003+08:00

My neighbour's house...

Ang-Ku-Ku at Shahbandar

2008-11-23T23:41:00.003+08:00

My niece (I call her Ang-Ku-Ku) on a swing at Shahbandar Recreational Park.

Atlantis Rising

2008-11-22T00:23:00.005+08:00

08.08.08... A date many of us remember. It is the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, a beautifully staged opening with spectacular performances. It is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Many analysts said that the people organising the 2012 Olympics in London must be watching it with horror. It is next to impossible to upstage...

They should be watching this video.

The GRAND opening of Atlantis The Palm, Dubai.

The organisers may know how to upstage Beijing...

Here are the stats:

The party costs $20 million.

More than 2,000 celebrities attended.

There are seven times larger fireworks display than the Opening Ceremony in Beijing.

All this during the time of global economic turmoil... Amazing isn't it?

Sultan's Mosque

2008-11-16T23:12:00.004+08:00

This is a repost, just that the pictures were taken during sunset... Earlier post here.

This is Jame Asr' Hassanil Bolkiah. The national mosque. Built by the current Sultan, the 29th Sultan of Brunei.

There're 29 golden domes and two prayer halls.

And is the largest and most majestic of Brunei's mosques.

It is located in Kiarong, way out of town centre --the location of the iconic, Italian-designed and stunningly beautiful Omar Ali Saiffudien Mosque, built by the father of HM, the 28th Sultan.

Jalan Residency Stalls

2008-11-15T11:58:00.003+08:00

Right in the capital, this collection of food stalls beside the river is perhaps the most popular place for locals. Here is the best place to enjoy tasty satay 'skewered meat' with fresh coconut, while light breeze from across the river blows. Here too, can patron look across the river at the Water Village.

Berakas Beach

2008-11-15T00:00:00.005+08:00

One of the least known beaches in Brunei. It's a little 'out of the way' and the only access to it is a highway with few travellers.

Another reason not much people know about it is that it is inside a forest reserve and the signboard beside the highway didn't mention a beach. However, there are new facilities and the place is well maitained... maybe it will gain popularity soon.

Sorry about the boring shot above. Should have placed a drift wood or write something on the sand first hehe...

Maybe I shouldn't have that much sky for the shot above.. hehe...

I've got some interesting shots for next post though.

Six-Star Hotel

2008-11-09T01:05:00.005+08:00

The Empire Hotel & Country Club. The one and only six-star hotel in Brunei. The one and only resort in Brunei.

Once you enter the hotel, you are greeted by the palatial settings and the awe-inspiring multi storey 'Atrium' supported by four gigantic gilded columns. There are gold, marble, precious stones, crystals everywhere you look. It also overlook the beautiful South China Sea.

Beautiful isn't it?

Sadly, there is no natural beach in this area. Anyway, they built a hotel that will take 60 years of full occupancy to cover the cost of contruction, they also made a beach.

The man-made beach.

There is also a salt water pool filled with filtered sea water and sands.

The salt water pool is one of eight swimming pools and is said to be the largest in Asia.

The custom-made king-sized beds use top-notch Egyptian cottons, bathrooms are the size of bedrooms, faucets and taps are gold plated.

Other facilities includes a Jack Nickalaus golf course, bowling alley, a cineplex, a theatre, several restaurants, a shopping arcade and all the usual gym, squash, tennis, badminton, basketball courts, pool table and spa.

Water Village (Part 2)

2008-11-07T18:45:00.003+08:00

Water Village from another angle. Click for larger view.

My niece enjoying the view.

Kampong Ayer

2008-11-07T00:17:00.003+08:00

This Kampong Ayer, the WaterVillage. Home to 30,000 people. The people of Brunei had been living on the water for more than a thousand years. The current water village is said to be around for at least 600 years. Antonio Pigafetta dubbed it the Venice of the East when the fleet of Ferdinand Magellan visited in 1521.

The Water Village is said to be the largest in the world. It is divided into six counties and several villages.

Oh yeah, the golden dome on the right of the picture belongs to Istana Nurul Iman, Light of Faith, the Royal Palace - the largest residential palace in the world.

Sultan Bolkiah

2008-11-05T20:57:00.004+08:00

This is the tomb of Sultan Bolkiah. The fifth Sultan of Brunei. He ruled Brunei from 1485 to 1524.

His reign was known as the Golden Age because Brunei became the superpower of the Malay archipelago. Brunei controlled the whole of Borneo Island and modern Philippines.

He was said to carry a gantang (4.56 liters or 1.2 US gallons) of Sarawak pepper on his many surveys of his dominion. At every destination he would sprinkle a pinch of pepper on the land... by the end of the journey the pepper would all be used up.

He was also known as the Nakhoda Ragam (Singing Admiral) for his love of music.

Oh yeah, the tomb has seven levels, each with a different design by different ethnicity as a tribute. One of them is Chinese...

All Hail Obama!

2008-11-05T14:38:00.003+08:00

44th President of USA!

6-Month Anniversary

2008-11-03T22:26:00.002+08:00

Here's a self potrait with my 'baby'. It's been exactly six months since I got my Canon EOS 40D.

I ♥ my 4oD!

My Home: Beautiful Brunei

2008-10-29T22:35:00.006+08:00

Hey, think I've never posted any videos before. Since there are more and more couchsurfers and tourists coming in, I've decided to post this video that summarises Brunei pretty well. It made me homesick when I first watched it in Miri, Sarawak even though I was in Brunei the day before...

I ♥ Brunei!

Chinese scammer strikes again!

2008-10-28T15:02:00.005+08:00

Just minutes ago, I received a call that don't register in the caller ID. The person on the line speaks Chinese (even though I'm in Brunei, a Malay-speaking country) with a China Chinese accent. She asked if I can answer a questionnaire...

I declined.

Instead of 'bowing out gracefully', she gets 'predatory'.

I hang up.

I received a similar call last year... when I'm in Malaysia. Being a 'Mr Nice Guy' I answered the questionnaire even though I am in the class room waiting for the lecturer...

The next day, I received a call again from a private number. This time the background is noisy as if there's a signing ceremony for some Asian boyband... The caller congratulated me and said I made it to the Grand Draw (What Grand Draw? - I was thinking). Apparently, answering the questionnaire made me a participant.

A few hours later, they called congratulating me. I've won myself the 2nd Prize! RM96,000 (Yay! A shopping list popped up in my mind)! She then go on asking this and that, being 'friendly', what am I going to do with the money? Give some to my mother? (Sounds fishy because she's not being a professional) After a good hour, she then ask for the details needed (name, date of birth, bank account number - which are pretty much empty, you know, I'm a student back then). So I just wait for the transfer...

A few hours later, I received another call. "Sir, I'm sorry we can't start the transfer. According to the laws and regulation in Hong Kong (where the company claims to be from), any transfer of money of more than HK$100,000 would need a refundable security deposit. It's to prevent money laundering." (The bell in my head goes ringing! I've been fooled! Now I'm gonna play along and see how it goes) It turns out they registered a website to make the company look legitimate... which is pretty impressive actually. A query on Whois.net turns out they registered the website just a day before they called me.

In the next few calls, I managed to get them to reduce the amount of money they want to scam from me by half! I was pleading I'm poor, my mother thinks its a scam (I never informed her, by the way), my friends don't have that much money also. The person on the line 'kindly' are willing to pay for half of the security deposit from her salary. LOL!

After that I just ignored their phone calls. They keep calling and calling. Then one day I just pick it up and say I don't want to collect the money anymore. Just donate it!

Guess they figured out I know it's a scam. They never bothered me again... until a few minutes ago!

There you go, the Modus Operandi of a lucky draw scammer (among many). Anyone of capable of conversing in Chinese better look out for this. I think those people in China can't speak enough English to scam the rest of the world's population... not in the near future. Once they start learning more English, you readers must beware!

Oh yeah there's a similar account from a well-known Malaysian blogger, KennySia. His scamming was one or two months after mine.

Kid in a box

2008-10-28T00:30:00.002+08:00

Muara port town

2008-10-26T14:38:00.003+08:00

This is Muara Town. Was sending off two French Couchsurfers at the ferry terminal nearby, so I decided to stop by. I would say is one of the smallest town in Brunei. The town centre is just about the size of a football (soccer) field, including the roads and parking lots!

This is also one of the few places in Brunei that feeds pigeons.

Around Muara town are two popular beaches.

Muara beach. It is the most popular beach in Brunei, but certainly not the best... Maybe I'll go to Tutong someday...

Serasa Beach. There's a yacht club here and a water sports complex too.

Rain...rain...rain...

2008-10-25T14:57:00.002+08:00

It's been raining day and night for the last few days...

Miss the sunny days.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-08T23:29:00.002+08:00